Spotted: A Little Bit of Punk, Some Metalcore, and Good Old Rock

Urban Klancnik

Mar 5, 2020

Viberate contributors are music enthusiasts who tirelessly add new artists, venues, festivals, events, and various related information to our platform. We could even call them music warriors, an army 20,000 strong, slaying the dragons of anonymity as they work hard to help musicians all over the world get the recognition they deserve. But it’s also more than that: during the process, they discover new music, broaden their horizons, and sometimes find real gems. 

Let’s take, for instance, our contributor gone pro, Camilo Bernheim from Nicaragua, who says that he keeps a record of the most unusual band names. Or our masterclass moshpitter Alan, who can tell the genre of a band just by looking at the logo. 

That’s why, every month, we'll get to know Viberate contributors in a different light. In our new column »Spotted« the heroes behind the scenes will take the stage and share their favorite discoveries.

The first music hero to share his discoveries: Alan 182°

In his own words, Alan from Ljubljana, Slovenia, is a basketball-playing, Rock, Punk and Metal aficionado who loves discovering new artists at concerts. He used to headbang to live music twice a week, and still visits as many concerts as possible, though because of his weak knee, he doesn’t mosh as much as he used to. We've just revealed his weakness to all his enemies, but he’s a nice guy, so we think he’ll be fine. He especially loves gigs with huge lineups, where he spots new talents, adds them to the Viberate platform, and shares them with his friends. Now, he says, he also discovers a lot of new bands through the contribution process.

“Sure, rewards help motivate me somewhat in doing this, but it’s more important being a part of the story, a piece in the mosaic. It’s like, yeah, I did it,” says Alan, who’s at the Master level when adding artists.

Top 5: Picks and thoughts

Do you know the feeling of finding a great band, and just having to tell everybody about it? It’s something our contributors experience every day, including Alan, who says he's uncovered several great bands while contributing. Here he shares his top picks and sentiments so you can check them out.

1. Bad Omens
“I’ve heard of this band before, but I never really listened to it—a great change of pace, since I've put Metalcore aside for the moment. I still love the mix of clean and hard vocals.”

2. Mobina Galore
“Two amazing Punk Rock girls from Canada. Yes, two girls are enough for awesome melodic Punk Rock with great lyrics.”

3. Boston Manor
“While editing, I came across the song 'Everything Is Ordinary' – a cross between Pop and Punk Rock. Not my first choice, genre-wise, but great for expanding my musical horizons. Though I do need to do a little more research.”

4. Rivers of Nihil
“I noticed this band approximately at the same time when I saw they’ll be playing in Ljubljana. I did more research, and they’ll be ringing in my ears quite often.”

5. Everyone Dies in Utah
“As I've mentioned, I've put Metalcore aside for the moment, but when I hear bands like this, I remember why I love it so much. Just enough melody for everyday use.”

And what is he listening to at the moment?

Arguably, checking somebody’s playlist is the best way to get to know the person, and Alan's reflects his line of work as a Viberate contributor quite well. He listed ten of his favorite songs he’s listening to at the moment, and wrote a few thoughts about them. Get your speakers ready (or headphones, if you don’t want to disturb your neighbors), because this can get loud.

1. Spoil engine – The Hallow (feat. Jeff Walker): “I have to headbang to this one. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the guest singer on the track is Jeff Walker (Carcass).” 

2. Cereal box heroes – DETEND: “Less is more – simple melodic Punk Rock.”

3. The Splash – Stay Another Day (Punk Cover): “A great cover that I can easily put on repeat.”

4. Hateful Monday – Life Events (Rockin' the Retirement Home): “A Punk Rock show on the roof of a senior citizens' home. Why not? 😊”

5. Misty Miller – Happy: “I’m sure I’m not the only one who sees the resemblance to Avril Lavigne here.”

6. As We Burn – Modern Mind: “This reminds me of Architects.”

7. Iamone – Of Space: R L T V T Y: “This song takes me out among the galaxies. Great Metalcore!”

8. Moron – Niewiele : “I don’t speak Polish, but I would be a moron if I didn’t share this with you.”

9. Here stands a hero – MERCENARY: “It was love at first sound.”

10. C:/DOS/PUN - Rampage: “It’s the strangest band I’ve ever come across, but still to my liking.”

Alan told us that when he discovered Viberate in 2016, he just had to try it, and soon fell in love with the process. “Usually, I add new info to the platform for about an hour before I go to work. I see huge potential in Viberate. It’s like IMDb for music. All you have to do is select one filter, let’s say Ska – Belgium, and you’ll get all the Ska bands from Belgium. It’s as easy as that. But the best part is adding new artists. It’s a great feeling putting an unknown band on the map,” he explains why he became a contributor.

A bit of advice he has for new contributors: “Festivals are a great source of bands that still need to get their profiles added to the platform.”

It’s a proven fact that with a little help from our contributors, discovering new music is easier than ever before. Alan himself has put many artists on the map. If you’d like to do the same, register and join our music community. You can put all that music knowledge to use, collect points and badges for eternal fame, and earn some goodies in the process. You’ll also be discovering new music all the time, and helping your favorite artists in the process.

Find all the information you need here.

Read this next:

Confessions of a Music Lover Gone Pro

Five Reasons Why Music Contributors Are the Heroes Behind the Scenes

How a Gaming Collab Boosts an Artist’s Social Media – and Business