OBADIAH PARKER (unsigned, unpublished) -- Interesting story behind this Scottsdale, AZ-based trio ...In May of 2006, singer Mat Weddle (on the left in the picture) did a solo set at a coffee house which featured an impromptu remake of Outkast's "Hey Ya" -- it was videotaped by a fan, put up onto YouTube and has since been viewed well over 500,000 times. Write-ups in local newspapers and Spin.com soon followed and Mediaguide now reports that this cover is now the third most-played song by an unsigned act on Stateside terrestrial radio. All of this buzz has drawn people to the band's MySpace page, where they've been turned on to Obadiah Parker's original material. The cynic will say, "Great, but what about a correlation between the buzz and sales?" The band's debut EP reached the Top 30 on the iTunes Folk chart in less than a month! Obadiah Parker's original stuff does NOT disappoint, considering there was no A&R exec offering guidance/production advice. Fans of Phish, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Folds, Dave Matthews and Bill Withers will embrace their songs. Throw this trio on a college tour or onto the Bonnaroo bill, continue with the viral marketing and get them on a few major market radio station morning shows and a label could do well by working with an act like this!!

Here's Q101 Chicago MD Spike telling the story about how he got his hands on the song: