4 ways to get out of a music rut

jon mclaughlin in concert // photo cred goes to lisa, my talented sister

what's a music rut? great question. it's like when you get into a "dinner rut" and make the same 6 meals on repeat. maybe you have one cd you've been playing on repeat and it's now starting to get old...or maybe you stopped aimlessly scrolling through your artists on itunes because nothing sounds right for the moment.

i've been playing lots of all sons and daughters, jenny & tyler, and i am they because they have similar sounds, and little baby aiden loves him some soothing Jesus music when he starts to get grumps. however, that wonderful, acoustic little playlist was starting to get old. i needed some new stuff! fresh variety! without expending lots of effort to go looking really hard for new bands to listen to. in case you're in that boat, too, here are 3 really easy, low-effort ways to find new music.

the vespers in concert at creation 2014

1. new release today . com shares new music every tuesday and has free music to download on fridays. this company works with christian artists, but they do an incredible job of showcasing a really wide range of genres. they are the antithesis of christian radio that plays the same 6 songs all the middle-aged moms love. (too cynical?) go download a few of their free songs here and discover new artists.

2// pandora. i use this when i want suggestions for similar bands that i'm growing tired of listening to. this is probably the most low-effort way to discover or re-discover other bands out there.

3// ask a friend what they've been listening to. pick the friend wisely, as some people may rattle off the itunes top 10 chart thanks to exclusively listening to pop radio. i usually ask my sister, who's going to college in nashville and is always meeting some little-known, highly talented songwriter. or, i'll ask my brother, who's a music major and in the band sunday muse.

4// take a look at who is opening for your favorite artist in concert. one of the MANY relient k concerts i went to had sherwood and mae opening, and suddenly i had 2 great new bands to listen to! you don't have to actually go to the concert to find out the openers--i usually head to ticketmaster.com to see who's touring with my favorite artists.

what are the ways you find new music? what have you been listening to lately? 

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