🎧 Songs That Don’t Suck — Episode 67
Streaming data, Midwest tour math, and five genre-spanning songs worth hitting repeat on.
🧠 Data Is the New Roadie
This week’s episode kicks off with a behind-the-scenes industry insight that might explain why your favorite band keeps skipping your city.
🧭 The Cleveland Conundrum:
- Bands use streaming data + geography to map out efficient tour stops.
- Cleveland often gets bypassed in favor of nearby larger markets like Columbus or Pittsburgh.
- The payoff? Fewer shows, bigger venues, and fans who’ll drive.
📈 Bonus Insight:
Artists now monitor localized streaming spikes when on tour and even tailor setlists to regional favorites.
“As long as we’re not weaponizing data, it only improves the fan experience.” – Mark Bradbourne
🎧 This Week’s Songs That Don’t Suck
1. “The Cards” – Sydney Sprague
🎙️ Indie introspection with sonic atmosphere
- Stripped-down electric performance (no acoustic cliché here)
- Layered synths + multi-tracked vocals create a lush, full texture
- The guitar tuning? A beautiful, warped touch of weird
- First heard this live in an open mic-style solo moment—now it’s a standout track
🌀 “Almost feels out of tune… but in the best, most deliberate way.”
2. “Van Halen” – The Old Revival
🎸 Pop-punk nostalgia with a quarter-life crisis flair
- Bouncy, uptempo jam with reflective lyrics
- A guy in his 20s longing for simpler times = #relatable
- Reminiscent of early 2000s rock with modern polish
🧢 “He’s 25, but I felt that nostalgia in my bones.”
3. “She Wants Me To” – Wilt
⚡ Gritty alt-rock with a ’90s sneer
- Female vocals that don’t sound like every other female rock vocal
- Think Garbage, not glossy pop
- Alto vocal range + raspy texture = authentic edge
- Hybrid drum production adds texture to the mix
🔥 “Different. Grimy. Refreshing.”
4. “Tell Me Why You Do That” – Grace Bowers & The Hodgepodge
🕺 Funky, fresh, and full of joy
- Old-school vibe meets new-school soul
- Horn lines, gang vocals, rhythmic breakdowns—this is Parliament-level party music
- Another female vocal slayer, backed by tight musicianship
- Will put you in a better mood (guaranteed)
🎷 *“You will bob your head. You will tap your foot. You *will* smile.”*
5. “What’s an Hour Really Worth” – The Dangerous Summer
🧃 Alt-rock with thought-provoking energy
- Great title, great question
- Sonically reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World and the Warped Tour era
- Minimal layering for most of the song, then bam—an intricate, rhythm-layered bridge
- Band has been active since 2009. Still hungry, still delivering
🧩 “Late in the track, rhythms start blending like a music theory puzzle. Very cool.”
🎙️ …and I quote..
“As long as we’re not weaponizing data, I think it’s only going to add to the fan experience.”
—Mark Bradbourne, Ep. 67
🎶 Want to dig deeper?
Check out SongsThatDontSuck.net for show notes, artist links, and playlists from this and previous seasons.
🗣️ Support the podcast:
Tell a friend. Share a song. Send a recommendation. Mark wants your ears—and your emails.
Until next week… keep searching for and listening to songs that don’t suck. 🎤
