Music can came to me in so many different ways, but if I had to list the ways that I generally find the best content, here goes.

Music Blogs: I check over 100 music blogs daily in my rss reader, normally skimming 500+ posts from the day before.  I like to have an idea what’s going on online in the blogosphere, as a lot of these sites are designed for new music discovery.  The list of blogs changes from time to time as my tastes grow apart from certain bloggers.  Plus new blogs pop up every day, so I add them to my reader and give them a shot.  Also, since there’s a real trend of premiering exclusives these days on bigger sites, I go there to hear new singles a day before I get the actual press release.   That brings me to the next point.

E-mail:  I get a fair amount of e-mail and press releases from bands, labels, publicists, pr companies, music sites and fans.  About 90% of this is either irrelevant to what I post, or not sonically up to the standard of what I’d listen to.  That 10% though is a wealth of music discovery.  My favourite situation is when an indie band that actually reads my blog gets in touch with their top song that fits my taste.

Music Streaming Services:  I’ve had some great recommendations for new music from surfing through streaming services such as Rdio.  Too bad in Canada we don’t have Pandora yet (which seems to be one of the top music recommendation services around).

Finally, Trust Your Friends:  Generally, you and your friends have things in common.  A lot of the time its some sort of overlap in musical taste, so trust them when they bring you a band you haven’t heard of yet.

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To enter the Whisky Rocks Showdown Competition, upload your original music demo to the Whisky Rocks Showdown Competition at WhiskyRocks.com between September 17 at 10:15 a.m. EST and October 9 at 4:15 p.m. EST. The LCBO will review each entry and if it meets all guidelines and requirements, the song will be posted on WhiskyRocks.com where friends, family, and the general public can vote between October 12 at 10:15 a.m. EST and October 25 at 4:15 p.m. EST. The top 3 finalists with the most votes will win a slot to open for The Trews on November 8th in Barrie, ON, where a panel of judges and the Trews will then select one winner. The winners will be announced at whiskyrocks.com on November 9th.

Tickets to the Trews show and Whisky tasting cost $25 and are available online at ticketbreak.com, by phone at 1-866-943-8849, at impactlive.ca ticket outlets, or at the door. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit Dixon Hall, a United Way member agency and its Music School program, which provides youth with music instruction and opportunities to attend music camps across Ontario.

Concertgoers must be 19 years of age or older and valid ID is required.

For full rules and regulations for the Whisky Rocks Showdown Competition, visit whiskyrocks.com/competition.