A few years ago it occurred to me, why aren’t more speaking out against how corporate the music industry has become? People have a voice! That’s when I founded a new music movement called No Pop (short for Not Popular or non-commercial music) What I’m offering is a flag for people, bands, and artists to rally around.

For many who don’t know (probably most of you), I spent years at a major record label churning out corporate bullshit, working with major chart topping artists, and generally feeling my soul get sucked out of me a few times a week. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice working with such big name artists, but as someone who has a lot of friends in the underground/no pop scene, I always felt that their music deserved to be heard a lot more than some of the artists churned out by majors. This line of thinking was the catalyst for starting Left Bank and so this ‘No Pop’ movement really hits home with me.

As the creator of the movement told me (himself a Toronto music blogger called Lonely Vagabond), the movement focuses more on independent, fringe and classic artists and away from the corporate machine.

Its aim is basically 3 things, for people to focus on (a) local and independent bands, (b) music and classic recordings from the past, and (c) artists and genres that remain on the fringes of the mainstream. The movement is gaining strength, so much so that it’s striking a chord with more and more people.

In a world where everything is so corporate and money-driven (especially in Trump’s era), it’s more important than ever to bring back life and authenticity to music, exposing the reality and the underground (from the present moment as well as those buried 45s and full lengths from times past). Seriously, there is a lot of fucking great music out there that has yet to be heard. Stations such as WFUV and WBGO do a fantastic job of unearthing aural gems, but its important for all of us to seek out these voices that oftentimes aren’t able to be heard.

While I am a proponent of indie record labels picking up bands that the majors would never touch with a pole, it’s also really nice to cultivate a community where artists feel liberated from corporate constraints. From hip hop to alt-folk, platforms such as Bandcamp and Soundcloud, blogs such as ours (and hopefully we always stay true to this), and movements such as No Pop really breathe fresh air into an otherwise cloudy space.

For those reading- if you’ve got bands that are well-deserving of some extra love, email me at editor@leftbankmag.com

xx,

K