Visit the website for the Bellingham, Wash., band Keaton Collective and you quickly get a glimpse of what it’s like trying to make your way playing music these days.
Below a photo of these six fellas rocking out for some fresh-faced music fans is a laundry list of links to the band’s other web presences: a blog, Bandcamp, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube ... wait, there’s more ... Reverbnation, DeliRadio, Soundcloud and Sonic Bids.
In 2012, it’s not about hearing yourself on the radio or getting on the cover of Rolling Stone, though both of those are helpful. No, the first thing you do as a band in 2012 is put your music in as many online spots as possible, hopefully reaching a few ears for your trouble.
The funny thing is that Keaton Collective’s most likeable quality — its music — is old-fashioned by comparison. This is pure, rootsy rock ‘n’ roll draped in catchy melodies and a scruffy aesthetic, and Keaton Collective is a traditional Americana band that occasionally gives its songs over to the pulse of modern indie-pop.
During one spin through the band’s 2012 album “Tercera," they reminded me of Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, Gin Blossoms, the mellow side of The Replacements, The War on Drugs (the band, not the actual war), Yo La Tengo and the old Twin Cities twang-pop band The Honeydogs.
The common thread there? Guitars. Melody. And cool, easygoing vibe. The kind of stuff that does quite well with or without the Internet’s “help," thank you very much.
Keaton Collective, with All You All; 8:30 tonight; $5; Liquid Lounge, 70 N.W. Newport Ave., Bend; www.liquidclub.net or 541-389-6999.
