Can MySpace help make you a household name? It couldn’t hurt! That MySpace Music is one level playing field … where else could a humble singer songwriter such as yours truly find herself discussing motion picture soundtrack production with the brilliant Michael Nyman, or swapping Comments with the Sir Douglas Quintet? MySpace Music even allows me the chance to embrace my inner teenybopper: one of my friends was a heavy-duty crush during my wonder years, none other than ex-Monkee Peter Tork. (I can’t describe how over-the-moon I would’ve been had this been possible at the height of the Monkees’ heyday – I daresay the decibels of the resulting teen squealing would’ve redirected a glacier or two.)

But MySpace is all about getting the name out there, right? The perfect place to hear and be heard. I’ve already touched upon the joys of surfing and discovering new music. Another way to expand your circle is to connect with performers with whom you share a gig. I’ve done this myself, as well as had others contact me. Connecting after the gig is fine, but connecting before the gig is a great ice-breaker; you can arrive at the venue, armed with some knowledge of your co-stars’ music, and be ready to chat. The process is also quite helpful if you’re performing with a band or artists you’ve never seen before; check out their profiles before the show, and you’re far less likely to confuse them with waitstaff, club managers or sound techs.

Thus, as indicated in the title of this piece, I offer you the first ten of twenty names – some performers I’ve been fortunate enough to experience, either initially via MySpace, or from connecting through a shared gig or showcase:

• Mucca Pazza (http://www.myspace.com/muccapazza) – Circus punk!
• Phil Angotti (http://www.myspace.com/philangotti) – Chicago power pop at its best!
• Caroline Casey (http://www.myspace.com/carolineincity) – delightful Austin songbird
• The Dixie Bee-Liners (http://www.myspace.com/thedixiebeeliners) – Bluegrass with a buzz
• Trakan (http://www.myspace.com/trakanmusic)
• The Moonjellies (http://www.myspace.com/themoonjellies) – Lovely pop from Tours, France
• Matt Keating (http://www.myspace.com/mattkeating) – NYC-based songwriter par excellence
• Kate Newcomer (http://www.myspace.com/katenewcomer) – Wow … just wow …
• Sea Cow (http://www.myspace.com/seacowrocks) – Rockin’ melodrama from North Carolina
• The Sometimes Family (http://www.myspace.com/thesometimesfamily) – Expect the unexpected!

Check ‘em out, you might find a new favorite. Tell ‘em Pammy sent ya! And stay tuned for the conclusion of this list in my next piece. Call it a cliffhanger; well, that’s a bit dramatic, maybe more of a bluff-hanger. Either way, I promise I won’t end with it all being “just a dream.”