little known musicians we should hear

Solution - Dutch fusion band from the '70's. Some vocals

Kaptain Kopter & the Fabulous Twirly Birds -
Randy California from the band Spirit.
Great '60's acid rock

David Sancious & Tone - Transformation and Speed of Love"
Unreal hard-rock/jazz fusion

Stomu Yamashta - "Go Too" Soft Fusion w/some vocals

I think that all this stuff is vinyl only. Sorry CD guys.

Some of these are "obscure"--others are simply underrated. Off the cuff, these are the first few that come to mind:

-Jeb Loy Nichols (a recent discovery, love his stuff)
-Imperial Teen
-Neko Case (especially her new album, 'Blacklisted')
-The Go-Betweens (most underrated band of the '80s)
-Freedy Johnston (especially 'Can You Fly' and 'Never Home')
-Amy Rigby (criminally overlooked)
-The Bottlerockets ('The Brooklyn Side' and '24 Hours a Day')
-Yo La Tengo (indie legends, deserve bigger following, especially recommend "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One')
-Richard and Linda Thompson (both have done some excellent solo work, but their albums together are not to be missed)

And my personal favorite obscurity...Human Switchboard's album "Who's Landing in My Hangar?" To my knowledge, it is out of print and not available on CD (was released in the early 80's). Too bad. It is raw, intimate, deeply personal--just about the most uncommercial album imagineable.

There is so much good music out there that most people never get to hear. I am looking forward to the recommendations of others.

three words you should research:

Cul De Sac.

It's not jazz it's not trash it's not punk it's just

Cul De Sac.

harry menks, think i spelled it right.

plays a mohanvina, pronounced the way i have spelled it. 13 string guitar. studied in india with a master, V.M. Bhatt who played with ry cooder on A Meeting by the River, Waterlily Acoustics... another great cd no vinyl available even though it was recorded analogue!

Anyhow Menks live is incredible and his recorded music is wonderful.

Since you mention Alejandro Escovedo first (he is so amazing, if it weren't for corporate radio, he'd be a star and "A Man Under the Influence" would be a best selling album), I'll make a few obscure and not so obscure (just in case) additions:

Steve Earle
Lucinda Williams
Joe Ely's "Love and Danger"
The Flatlanders' "More a Legend Than a Band"
Sid Griffin (Western Electric, The Lost Ryders, The Coal Porters)
Gram Parsons
The Golden Palominos' "This Is How It Feels"
Richard Buckner's "Bloomed"
Greg Brown's "Dream Cafe"
Rosanne Cash's "Ten Song Demo"
Wilco's "Being There"
Old 97's
Chris Smither's "Live As I'll Ever Be"
Townes Van Zandt

That's enough for now. Some of these are OOP and you'll have to search ebay and the used bins. Unfortunately, again because of corporate radio, the good die young.
And THANKS for the recommendations from all -- I'll check them out, too!