Andy Chase

It's not very often that I stumble onto a band that I like instantaneously without any context; usually I know of a band because a member used to belong to some other band that I like, or somebody will tell me about them.

Once in a great while, I will be drawn in by cover art (as was the case with the U.S. release of Big Sugar's 500 Pounds) or a curious name and noteworthy record label (as was the case with Hissanol's 4th and Back on Alternative Tentacles) and discover some really good, unique music that I would never have had a clue about otherwise.

Something like that just happened while poking through my Amazon "Gold Box"... something I do intermittently and without much enthusiasm. The idea, if you've never seen it, is that you open your Gold Box and see 10 fabulous discounts on various Amazon merchandise. The catch is that you have to buy within an hour to get the discount. Usually it's crap that nobody wants to buy, like a $10 off a $300 juicer.

Today a couple of CDs by Sleepytime Gorilla Museum showed up in my box. I declined the $0.67 discount, but intrigued by the band name and cover art I went tracked down some MP3s on their web site. I am an instant fan, and I'm fighting the urge to go special order one of their CD's on my way home from work.

(I suppose it could be argued that the encounter was not truly "random"; I suspect Amazon recommended them to me because I have some Scissorfight and Pelican CD's in my wishlist - but I had never, ever heard of these guys before.)

Tagged:

• sleepytimegorillamuseum
• music
• amazon
• serendipity