Dream Lineup

This past week I was able to make my way to Cincinnati for another Social Distortion show. Social D is my all time favorite band.

This started me thinking, what would be the ultimate concert lineup for me?

Social Distortion would be the headliner with an hour to an hour and a half show. But who would open and lead up to the main act?

I thought I would want a variety. But I would want a variety of bands that work well together to create an energy of excitement leading to Social D. For instance, Pink Floyd is a great band that I would love to see again but their show and vibe wouldn't mix with these others at all.

But these bands would need to be among my favorites. They would also need to be excellent live acts since this is live. Quality in the studio doesn't automatically get you in my lineup.

So I thought I would start with A Tribe Called Quest. They would open the show with a laid back vibe to get you started with a smooth groove. Q-Tip and Phife Dog would lay some lyrics and rhyme down as you begin your first drink and bob your head.

Then, Fun Lovin' Criminals would enter the stage and continue the schmooth flow. They would maintain a nice mellow vibe with a couple of jazzy, bluesy songs but also begin a transition to a rock vibe.

Next, things would begin to intensify a bit and move more into a rock mode as Muse would take stage and contribute their epic art rock vibe. While not exactly a hard sound, they would take the music to a more rock genre and lend some strong, loud sound to the show.

The next contributor would be Weezer. Their plethora of familiar songs to draw from would get the crowd even more into it and continue the bridge from the early bands to the last two juggernauts.

At this point, we are four deep already and I would be eager to see the headliner. Just one more addition is needed. In order to take it to another level in the world of rock and intensity, I would have The Bronx come out and kick some ass. They would blow the roof off of the place and allow Social D to come in with the crowd in a frenzy.

Finally, the headliner would come out guns a blazin' and play a set that never slows. Pure rock 'n Roll. Classic stuff from Mommy's Little Monster, my favorite album from them, and rock on through to their new stuff that I also enjoy. Mike Ness would lend his intro to the songs like he always does. The crowd would heave plastic cups of beer on stage. We would sing along and point in the air to the beat.

It would be an epic night.

Best rock show ever.......for me.

Huey's Mixed Tape Tour

Ever since middle school I have loved to make musical mixes. It started by taping songs off the radio and has progressed to CDs and now MP3s.

I loved making different themed mixes for different events or reasons.

I thought I would have some fun and make some lists of mixes I could or would make from my collection of music if I had the time.

Angry Mix
I am not fighter, nor do I want to be one. But I do get mad and sometimes music can be an outlet.

Lunchbox-Marilyn Manson
History's Strangler's-The Bronx
Let The Planet's Burn-Hanzel Und Gretyl
Right Now-Korn
Last-Nine Inch Nails
Bad Habit-The Offspring
Du Hast-Rammstein
Drivel-The Union Underground

Celebration Mix
My team just won. My daughter accomplished something or I just realized how happy she makes me. I am having a great day. My debt is paid off. Anything worth celebrating.

Glorious Day-Weezer
Happy Together-The Turtles
Have a Nice Day-Stereophonics
Song #2-Blur
Another One Bites The Dust-Queen
Feelin' Alright-Len
Don't Stop Believin'-Journey
I Can See Clearly Now-Jimmy Cliff
One More Time-Daft Punk
Groove is in the Heart-Dee-Lite

Dance Mix
For some reason, maybe the one above, I feel like dancing around in circles or
straight lines or whatever directions feels right.

In The Clouds-Under the Influence of Giants
Dance the Night Away-Van Halen
Shut Up and Let Me Go-The Ting Tings
Come On Come On-Smashmouth
Le Disko-Shiny Toy Guns
Shove It-Santogold
Car Wash-Rose Royce
Time Bomb-Rancid
The Whole World-Outkast
Final Chapter-Mike Macaluso
Sandstorm-Darude
We Like To Party-Venga Boys
Flagpole Sitta-Harvery Danger
DARE-Gorillaz
Jerk It Out-Caesars
Magic-The Cars

Love Mix
My wife.

All I Want is You-U2
One-U2
Next To You-Tim Easton
Still Remains-Stone Temple Pilots.
Cherish-Kool & The Gang
Dakota-Stereophonics
You Are So Beautiful-Joe Cocker
The Air I Breathe-The Hollies

Chillaxin' Mix
Just looking to relax and unwind.

Can I Kick It?-A Tribe Called Quest
Summertime-DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Don't Let Go-Weezer
Red Hill Mining Town-U2
The Late Greats-Wilco
Doin' Time-Sublime
Tha Shiznit-Snoop Dogg
6 Underground-Sneaker Pimps
The Boxer-Simon and Garfunkel
You're a Wolf-Sea Wolf
L.E.S. Artistes-Santogold
Passin' Me By-Pharcyde
Summer Babe-Pavement
Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress-The Hollies
Clint Eastwood-Gorillaz
I Can't Get With That-Fun Lovin' Criminals

Cardio Mix
Pump me up for a game or exercise.

Eye of the Tiger-Survivor
The Final Countdown-Europe
Wicked Garden-Stone Temple Pilots
Ladies and Gentlemen-Saliva
Engel-Rammstein
Here It Goes-OK Go
The Noose-The Offspring
Breakin'-The Music
Knights of Cydonia-Muse
Move-Moby
Just One Fix-Ministry
True Nature-Jane's Addiction
Right Here Right Now-Fat Boy Slim
Lose Yourself-Eminem
Galvanize-The Chemical Brothers
Knifeman-The Bronx
Glory Days-Bruce Springstein
Centerfield-John Fogerty
Thunderstruck-AC/DC

Sing Out Loud Mix
The songs I have to fight to keep from belting out for the world to hear.

Sweet Caroline-Neil Diamond
Free Fallin'-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
California Dreamin-Mamas and Papas
One-U2
My Way-Frank Sinatra
Solitary Man-Neil Diamond
I Can't Smile Without You-Barry Manilow
Paradise City-Guns 'n Roses
I Can't Help Myself-The Four Tops

Ten Songs I'm Digging Right Now

I usually go through phases with my listening preferences. Sometimes it may be a particular genre that I am regularly in the mood for and others it is a set of songs. My love for making different playlists on my iPod stems all the way back to high school when I, like many of you out there I am sure, made mixed tape after mixed tape for exercising, chilling, partying or for some girls.

So I thought I would share with you ten of the songs that have been in heavy rotation of late. Granted, there are more than ten. I counted twenty-seven to be exact. But I feel ten would be more concise and interesting. So I picked out ten songs across genres to attempt to show my diverse tastes. That means these are NOT necessarily a top ten list. Just ten songs.

But after the ten were selected, the order in which I present them IS in a sort of descending order. Of these ten, one is my favorite (right now anyway) and two is my second and so on. But these are not indicative of my favorite songs in general.

Enjoy:

10) Number 1 In Deutschland Hanzel Und Gretyl


9) To Kill A Mockingbird Elmer Bernstein
My brother introduced this beautiful song (maybe score?) to me when we were in Alabama for our grandmother's funeral and it moved me. I loved thinking back to my time with my grandmother as this soft music was in the background. Later that summer when my wife and I dealt with our loss, I found myself returning to this song in my time of solitary mourning. One would think I would dislike a song attached to such depressing events, but I really cherish it deeply. I am glad my brother discovered this and shared it with us.


8) Microphone Fiend Eric B. and Rakim
I couldn't get this for the blog but you can check out the video at this url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6SypUwUho4

Classic rap song. "Nuff said as they like to say. Or liked to say back in the day.

7) Folsom County Blues Johnny Cash
I never thought of myself as a country music guy. In fact, I usually can't stand country. But "The Man in Black" is different. I dig a number of his songs like "Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire" and "A Boy Named Sue." Right FCBs is the one I find myself singing along to. You can thank Social D for this. Their cover of "Ring of Fire" on their live album "At The Roxy" is what caught my ear and directed me in the direction of Mr. Cash. It was all downhill after that.


6) Drive The Cars
I love the Cars. Right now this song is the one I dig most from them and find myself listening to often.


5) Bullet Frank Black and the Catholics
Heard this song on CD101 in Columbus a ways back and really liked it. Bought it on iTunes and listen to it regularly. This is a home made video of the song, but it works.


4)In The Clouds Under the Influence of Giants
Again, I heard this updeat song on CD101 and couldn't help but move with it. Now my wife has caught on and finds herself enjoying it as well. So now it has become one of "our songs." If the poor thing wasn't so uncomfortable carrying around the littlest one we may actually dance to it too.

Here is a link to the video of this fun song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqkCi2MgupA

3) Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress The Hollies
Of course I am jamming to a song by The Hollies. I love these guys.



2) L.E.S. Artistes Santogold
She recently lost a lawsuit over the spelling of her name so it may be Santigold now.


1) History Stranglers The Bronx
My buddy out in L.A. suggested this band and sent me the video back when I requested music suggestions (a la my sister-in-law) and I jumped on it. This song in particular strucvk my fancy. Good rock! And the video is pretty sweet. (Caution: There is some pretty strong language used in this song....that's for mom.)

The Top Five Favorite Bands!

After a LONG delay I bring you the final installment of Huey's All Time Personal Favorite Bands. Remember this is not indicative of who I think are the overall, objective best bands of all time, but instead, they are my favorites.

Here is a review of where we have come from:
25)Public Enemy
24)Nine Inch Nails
23)Huey Lewis and the News
22)Hanzel Und Gretyl
21)Nirvana
20)Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
19)The Who
18)Sublime
17)Outkast
16)Pink Floyd
15)Jane's Addiction
14)Muse
13)The Cars
12)The Hollies
11)Audioslave
10)Linkin Park
9)Stone Temple Pilots
8)The Offspring
7)A Tribe Called Quest
6)Fun Lovin' Criminals

5) Weezer:
Weezer is an example of a band that grows on you. I bought their Blue Album back in college, 1994ish I believe after hearing several songs on the radio. My roommates and I would chill to the album often. Slowly, I realized how much I enjoyed the album from start to finish. As time went on and they released more and more albums, my appreciation for them grew. Every album was one I would enjoy from the first track to the last. I love their sound, I like their look and the catalog of songs and hits that I never get tired of is endless. They sing about things I can relate to and their general sensibility is one that appeals to me. Overall, the Green Album may be my favorite. With songs like "Don't Let Go" and "Photograph" (what band doesn't have some song titled Photograph somewhere in their collection...geez) and "Knock Down Drag Out" and "Glorious Day"....I mean the list goes on. The whole CD is great.

In these days of iTunes and iPods, I look at my playlist and see that Weezer takes up so much space with the number of songs I have made sure to be included on the list. It is ridiculous. But with a band so tight, it really isn't all that crazy at all. The only bands topping Weezer in number of songs on my iPod would be the next four in my countdown.

4)Garbage:

I have been in love with Shirley Manson since the first time I laid eyes on her petite little figure heading this band of producers back in the mid 90's. I'll be the first to admit she is no Ali Larter or Carrie Underwood in the looks department but her rock n roll attitude was always so attractive and lustful to me. Their debut self titled album was awesome. The sound was something that blended pop and modern rock with some alternative and electronic sound. I have heard some refer to it as post-grunge. They were/are a perfect mix of a kick ass, attention grabbing lead vocalist with three successful producers providing the music and mixing the sound to make the sweetness of Garbage. Manson comes from Scotland while, Duke Erikson, Butch Vig and Steve Marker are from the U.S. Vig was a major player in the album Nevermind by Nirvana during the grunge days as well as other successful bands.

Garbage came out of the box quickly and grabbed me with their debut album and then followed up with Version 2.0 which was just as good if not better. I must admit the third album Beautiful Garbage was borderline fruity and not a real favorite of mine, the came back strong with Bleed Like Me and settled any fears I had of their demise.

Their live shows are tight. The sound is strong, Manson takes control of the stage and leaves out the bull crap. They get right to the point and rock out with little talk in between. Their vibe is upbeat and energetic. The sound is smooth and their sets are always full of quality tracks.


3) U2:

Longevity and sheer volume of albums and tracks that I dig from this band puts them in the 3 hole. Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullens Jr. and Adam Clayton have been around for decades now writing and making songs that I can listen to in so many different contexts. While everyone hated their little escapade into "techno," I enjoyed it. I didn't mind Pop. I loved Achtung Baby. It is still one of my all time favorite albums. I love the sound and feel of that album. "Even Better Than the Real Thing" and "One" are among my favorites but I also love "The Fly," "Zoo Station" and "Until The End of the World." The list goes on though. Like Weezer, U2 takes up a ton of kbs on my iPod. Or would it be mgs?

But while most people appreciate U2's earlier albums, I can get with that too. Obviously, Joshua Tree with its proven success is an album I can listen to front to back without a skipped track. Going back even further to the classics from War and Boy, I find myself waning a bit but still enjoy these earlier albums as well.

The look, the feel and vibe of the band is appealing to me and their songs are about things I can relate to. Bono is a prototype lead, The Edge plays the supporting role perfectly and Clayton just sits back and plays the bass the way bassists should. Mullens Jr. takes care of carrying the tempo and together, they make one tight unit.

Some people may be tired of Bono's holier than thou attitude and work in international relations and others admire him for it. I appreciate people who use their money or fame to try to do what they think is good. God bless him.


I have managed to see their live shows on several occasions. One of which was the PopMart tour that was lambasted by critics. Honestly, what's wrong with an over the top, sensationalist show for the senses? Pink Floyd did much the same. It enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the calmer, more down to earth show I saw later for the How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb tour. Yes, my experience with U2 is rather limited until Joshua Tree and on, but I have been able to "catch up" so to speak over time.

2) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:

Here it is: Straight up Rock n' Roll. That is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. No stupid crap. Just album after album after album of rock. So many people with so many different tastes can get down to Petty. He was a staple at our college "events." No matter the vibe, Petty worked. He has now rocked several generations of youth and adults. His vibe and sound is consistent and relevant.

Full Moon Fever was my personal initiation to Petty and his band. I loved so many of those songs. It remains one of my favorite albums of all time. "You Wreck Me" on Wildflowers is my all time favorite tune of his. his live shows are awesome. As I said before, consistent with All that is Petty, they are straight up, no frills rock. Greats sets that sound good and get the crowd going. The feeling is always energetic and fun. There's no crazy bull crap talking going on between songs except some quick anecdotal notes regarding the songs.

It was great to see he and the band play at the Super Bowl recently and even better to see how well they played. It was about time we had a Super Bowl halftime show worthy of the event and that lived up to the hype.


I would list the highlighted songs that I love by this man but the list would go on for ever and become biblical in its boring list of information that seems irrelevant. I can just leave it at this: I love just about every Tom Petty song I have ever heard.

AND NOW!!!!!! The most favorite band of mine: (drum roll please)

1) Social Distortion:

God I love this band. I have been on a Social D kick for several years now. I have tried to convince myself that I am going through a phase but I quit. I can't get enough of this band. I am way late to this party as the original lineup began in the late 70s/early 80s. I finally made my way to them in the late 90s and really getting into them more in 2002ish. But in the 6 short years that I have dove head first into their stuff, I find myself appreciating them more and more. I am not sure how to describe their sound. Again, I would say straight up rock n' roll although its a different sound than Tom Petty. They lean more punk, or alternative I suppose. They rock this rockabilly look and vibe. The members of the band have come and gone from what I understand with a guitarist Dennis Danell, passing away in 2000. Mike Ness, lead vocals, has been the mainstay though. His raspy voice has its unique sound that appeals to me as well as the general themes of their songs about going overboard and then dealing with the after effects. It seems like lately they are on this kick "being better." From "Far Behind" about moving from a poisonous friendships or relationships, to "Reach for the Sky" seemingly about working towards better things and "Don't Take Me For Granted" probably about their guitarist passing away and the feeling that you need to appreciate what and who you got while you got it.



I have been listening to Mommy's Little Monster a good bit. I also found myself listening to Halfway Between Heaven and Hell. I love the live album from the Roxy. And I even dig their newer stuff as well. Again, like Petty, the lists of songs go on and on. "Another State of Mind," Let It Be Me," "Cold Feelings," "1945," "Bad Luck," "The Creeps," "Prison Bound" and so much more begin the long list of songs I love. Right now two CD slots in my car are filled with Social D CDs.



As for their live show, anyone who has seen Social Distortion live knows they are awesome. Intense rock. A good bit of talk between songs, but easily overlooked when every song is strong and mindblowing.

There you have it. My favorite bands. I hope you enjoyed it. I would love to hear more than just comoprozac's Top 5. So join him by leaving your top 5. Or share your disagreements with my opinions. Any of you have memories with me at these shows or listening to this stuff. Feel free to share.

Huey's All Time Favorite Bands: Installment #3

And we are back to the countdown of my favorite bands of all time. To those of you new to this little ditty, I have compiled my all my favorite, most listened to CDs and sorted them out by bands. Through the process I picked out whom I liked best overall and ranked them in order. I started a couple weeks ago listing them in descending order a la VH-1 in groups of 5.

Reminder: This is NOT an attempt at objectivity. This is my personal opinion. I already wrote the disclaimer here. Feel free to add your opinion. Discussion is my goal!

Recap:
25) Public Enemy
24) Nine Inch Nails
23) Huey Lewis and the News
22) Hanzel Und Gretyl
21) Nirvana
20) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
19) The Who
18) Sublime
17) Outkast
16) Pink Floyd

And with no further ado:

15) Jane's Addiction....This one surprised even me. I always liked listening to this band. I had roommates or friends who would play them in college but slowly, over time they grew more and more favorable to me. As I began to get past "Been Caught Stealing" and "Jane Says" which started to bore me and spent more time listening to songs like "Stop" off Ritual de lo Habitual. Then from Strays, I fell in love with "True Nature" and "Just Because." Why do I have them so high? All I can say is I am just feeling them right now.


14) Muse...I first heard Muse in 2004 on CD101 here in Columbus, Ohio, by far one of my favorite radio stations of all time. (I also loved 92.3 Channel X in Cleveland back in the mid 90s, but it's garbage now) They had this song called "Time is Running Out" and it fit my life experience at that time perfectly. The feel of that song and the art rock, epic sound of their other stuff that I dove into after that pulled me in. "Knights of Cydonia" is powerful song. The sound of galloping horses with choir or opera like singing opening the song is awesome. And the video is pretty cool too. I only have two of their albums, Absolutionn and Black Holes and Revelations but they are so good.


13) The Cars...The Cars? What? Yeah, I have a soft spot for the Cars. Growing up I loved "You Might Think." I remember the video for that song vividly. As time went on I never realized how many songs by the Cars I enjoyed. Much that was said with Huey Lewis can be said here. I like more of Huey Lewis' songs but in the end, I think The Cars are just cooler. Their sound is cooler. I just enjoy it overall more then that of Huey. "Shake It Up," "Just What I Needed," "Let's Go" and "Magic" are my favorites. There are more songs that I enjoy as well like "Tonight She Comes" or "My Best Friend's Girl."


12) The Hollies...To think a simple song my Dad and brother would play in the basement when we had friends over hanging out playing ping pong or beer pong or cooking out would turn out to be such an important song to me. Just this memory alone makes "Bus Stop" one of my all time favorite songs. But I later utilized my family's talents with this song to turn it into a wedding gift to my wife. I took a page out of every cheesy morning radio show and rewrote the lyrics to the song to fit my hopelessly romantic story of how I met my wife. I tried to give it some credibility by performing it in front of our friends and family at our wedding celebration with my Dad and brother. Regardless of how low the quality of my voice may have been, I loved every minute of it and it felt awesome. It meant a lot to me to do that for her. So this band holds a place dear to my heart for this reason alone. I also realized that The Hollies are a cool band that has numerous songs I have always liked but never paid enough attention to over the years. Through my search for "Bus Stop" I discovered how much I like "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," The Air That I Breathe," "Just One Look" and "He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother."

This was the sound I was gunning for at my wedding celebration:


11) Audioslave...What do you get when you take a lead singer of a group I never really liked but heard more than my share of on the radio and the members of another band that annoyed the crap out of me after awhile? A pretty darn good, rockin' band that I love!! That's what! Chris Cornell fit perfectly with the guys from Rage Against the Machine. The great songs from the two albums I own just don't stop coming. There are way too many to list my favorites. The first self-titled CD is great hard rock 'n roll top to bottom. I love to blare the sound out the windows of my car and sing along. It is so strong. Cornell's voice pierces the speakers and the guitars rhythms are sweet. Sadly, last I heard they are breaking up. Oh well.


Hope you are enjoying this. Again, feel free to add your opinions. For instance, are you noticing a trend? I don't seem to get into bands until long after they start. The true fans of these bands would hate people like me for countdowns like this. Well, forget them. Music snobs!

My Personal Top 25 Bands of All Time

I thought I would start a little ditty over the coming days or weeks giving my captive audience a list of my personal Top 25 Bands/Musical Artists of All Time. I want to venture away from the sports and political discussions for a bit. Politics scare me and the current states of my teams have taken me to depths I haven't felt in a long time. The more metaphysical subjects just aren't hitting right now either. I will begin by releasing 5 at a time until I get within the top ten then I'll release 3 at a time. I maintain the authority to change that when we get there depending on how this goes.

Disclaimer: This is my 100% subjective, opinion of MY favorite bands. This is NOT an objective list of the Top Bands in general. I fully acknowledge my taste in music is not very schooled. I understand that there are a number of bands that are of a higher quality than the bands I list here. This is all about my personal opinion, my tastes. I can assure you that many of you will disagree. This is what I want. Comment your disagreement with any aspect of my list.

Criteria: To make sure we are clear on how I chose who I chose and why I placed them where they are, let me give you my basis for thinking. I picked bands who have a long list of songs I enjoy listening to and threw them on a piece of paper. I got to about 100 and started eliminating bands who didn't live up to the others in terms of albums, look, attitude, persona and vibe. Many times their live shows play a large role in eliminating them or including them despite the other factors positive and negative. I try to take longevity into account to avoid the "newness" of the band to me but sometimes that has been overlooked. I also allow for their role in particular times in my life play a part in where I place them. Many times a band is connected to a good memory or person or period of my life and I automatically have this good feeling attached to them. Overall, this is really based on the immediate feeling I get when I hear this band or of this band. Then I go from there. Like I said, purely subjective and one can easily poke holes in this. That is the point. What are the holes you would poke? (And I'm sorry I have no cool indie bands here. My musical depth is pretty shallow)

So here we go:

Close But No Cigar: You gotta have that section of the "Almost Made Its" right? Here a several artists I love but couldn't crack the Top 25.

Johnny Cash...I have really grown to love his stuff of late. Unfortunately too little to late. "Folsom County Blues," "I Walk the Line," "A Boy Named Sure" and "Ring of Fire" are a couple hits I love.

Guns 'N Roses:..."Appetite For Destruction" their debut album, was awesome. And I actually enjoyed a lot of their later stuff. Axl Rose's signature voice and the rock hard songs definitely got my blood pumping.

Bad Religion:..."Stranger Than Fiction" is my favorite album by Bad Religion. I love their political message. I just got into them too late to get them into the Top 25.

Eric B.and Rakim: ....classic rap taking me back to early high school. I always loved Rakim's voice and the beats Eric B. laid behind him. "Paid in Full" and "Follow the Leader" are my favorite albums.

Also worthy of being named....Ministry, Tool, The Ramones, Journey, Beastie Boys, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Alice Deejay, Godsmack, The Crystal Method, Rammstein, Stereophonics and Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (Man my list could go on)

For real now....THE TOP 25 OF HUEY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTISTS

25) Public Enemy..Great live show. Chuck D. is a master. Politically charged lyrics that satisfied my need for teenage rebellion back in high school. I actually learned a lot from this group as odd as that may sound.

24) Nine Inch Nails...My wife and sister-in-law would have me shot if I didn't include Cleveland product Trent Reznor. "Pretty Hate Machine" was a strong album top to bottom but I loved "broken" the most. The intensity of this industrial rock god has been so much fun to play and play loud.

23) Huey Lewis and the News...a bit of a break from NIN, Huey Lewis has so many pop hits that I couldn't leave him out. I believe this is where I deserve the most questioning from my readers. Why this cheese op guy ahead of the likes of Tool, Pearl Jam, The Ramones and so on? I don't know. I just love his catchy tunes, I could sing to his stuff for hours. Also, good memories of my childhood with this guy. Back to the Future and "Power of Love?" C'mon! Any fifth grader from the suburbs would dig that. I did anyway.

22) Hanzel Und Gretyl:...These guys are just flat out fun to see. I have only seen them twice but loved the show both times. When I'm in the mood for the over the top loud, power show rock they play with their German gimmick, there is no one better. These guys are here more for individual songs, memories of college and good friends and live performances. "#1 In Deutchsland" and "SS Deathstar Supergalactik" are awesome songs.

21) Nirvana...I am one of those guys that didn't catch on to Nivana until "Nevermind." But I loved that album. With Stone Temple Pilots' "Core" and Pearl Jam's "Ten," this album began the transition for me from rap to rock. While I loved the songs that got tons of airplay, it was the rest of the album that really pulled me in. Songs like "Territorial Pissings," "Breed," "Drain You," "Lounge Act, "Stay Away" and "On a Plain" separated the album from mediocre to great. I am now wondering why I didn't rank these guys higher. You can't mention this band it seems without referencing Kurt Cobain's death. I do remember when it happened but I would rather rank these guys here for their music. If I was able to get into their earlier stuff a bit more over the years, I imagine they would be a top 15 band for me. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the hip hop world at that time.

So there you have it. 25 through 21. Next up 20-16. It may be next week. Maybe tonight. I don't know. But what do you think? Who do you think will crack the top 20? Which one of these bands belong higher in your mind or not on any top 100 list?

Shameless Cheese Blog

I was thinking the other day how Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" is such a bad song yet so catchy. In fact I have thought many times over that it is my favorite cheesy dance song. There is something about it that makes me want to dance. Yes. I should be set in front of a firing squad and shot for writing those words.

But it is the God honest truth and I have other bad songs that make me want to dance. Of course, I use the term dance loosely in that I cannot dance worth a nickel.

Another song that usually works...."Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees. Of course that song brings out the inner John Travolta in so many people as they, errrrrrrr....we do that silly pointy dance every time it comes on at a wedding or old timers dance club. But I'd rather dance to this than most of the current hip hop out there today.

Yet another groove is "Groove is in the Heart" by Dee-Lite. I love to get down to the beat with this one. I like the moments of stop.......then start again. And the weird sounds like pops and counting and what not. Good stuff.

I have to include the techno favorite from my days at those crazy trippy lighted, trance clubs where everyone (except me) was on some kind of speed or Ecstasy or whatever people do at those places. "Sandstorm" by Darude was always one of my favorites there as I liked to bust a move to it. An electronica artist I have a guilty pleasure for though is Alice Deejay. She had a number of good songs I loved to move to in my car nonetheless.

Oh, I am gonna pay for this post but screw it. Hopefully you guys have some other shameless dance songs you fall victim to from time to time. I know I missed some.

Hanzel und Gretyl

I don't claim or aspire to be a metalhead, but I do enjoy a good metal show when a good one comes around and last night one did.

Back in the mid-90's when I attended Ohio State, I lived with several guys that I still consider good friends of mine. We would listen to a number a great metal bands from Ministry to Tool to Metallica to a number of other bands I had never heard of and still rarely do. But their tastes were always reliable.

Back in college, I joined these friends of mine to attend a show (whose headliner shall remain nameless due to the shame that exists in my head for ever seeing them...twice) and I witnessed firsthand, for the first time the epic performance of Hanzel und Gretyl. They opened for this anonymous band and were well worth the price of admission on their own. They can be categorized as industrial metal with the futuristic machine, post apocalyptic style they feature and can be credited for opening the door for similar sounding Rammstein, a German metal band that found some modest popularity in the US during the late 90s. But don't be fooled by their German lyrics and references....they are straight outta New York.

Since that unbelieveable show I have continued to listen to their stuff when I could. Not being the metalhead most of their fans are, my listening would come and go in spurts.

Last night I finally had an opportunity to see them again at Skully's in Columbus, Ohio. It may have been 12 years or so since they kicked Newport's ass, but they haven't lost an ounce of the pure, intense, ear splitting, German rage metal they demonstrated in the 90s.


This video's audio isn't exactly synced up right but it accurately shows what they looked like. Obviously the sound is better live than over a videophone or whatever took this clip.

They opened with "Number 1 in Deutschland" and never paused. Straight through "Loud and Proud" to "Fukken Uber Death Party" as an encore, they had the crowd in a frenzy pulling people up to the stage to join in the rock. It was a good hour or so of straight up metal. Kaizer Von Loopy in his WW2 style helmet with a skull on the front and winged creature on top rocked out pulling all the standard rock star moves stage diving and getting floated atop the crowd, drinking shots and beers from the audience and discarding the bottles aimlessly and carelessly. Meanwhile Vas Kallas, who we estimated at 45-50 years old by now due to her work in Cylce Sluts From Hell in the early 80s, pumped her roaring, deep death vocals that would make most men's voices sound like a kitten's meow.

My ears continue to ring but it was well worth it. I haven't experienced a great metal show like that in a long time. I may have stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the chain clad metalheads with black t-shirts covered with over the top offensive language and white face paint traced with black eye liner and lipstick, but I bet I enjoyed the show as much.

Well, maybe almost as much. I wasn't riding high on the stuff that most of them probably were on, but my point is:

AAAARRRRRRWWWWWWWWWGGGGGRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

More opinions

As I drove around with my daughter today listening to the radio a song came on by Live, a standard rock band maybe classified as alternative but that is up for debate. Anyway, I recalled how numerous people I know mentioned they like Live. I don't. So I thought I would present a list of bands that are generally well liked by my peers but disliked by me. This is not necessarily a judgement on their quality because I, and sometimes my peers, do not know quality music when we hear it. Also, some of my peers do know quality music, just not all. Again, this is a matter of opinion not fact.

Live- As I already stated, I have yet to hear a friend of mine agree that this band stinks. I don't know why I think so, but I just never got into them.

Rush- If I had a dime for every time I have to hear how their drummer is the best drummer of all time and how epic this band is.......but I like ZERO songs by this group and refuse to give any other stuff I haven't heard a chance.


Dave Matthews Band- Yes, college girls around the country back in the 90s have every right to get into this "jam band" as they dance around in their bare feet on the lawn of outdoor amphitheaters across the land, but I don't have to like it. Honestly, the radio overkill of these guys is what did it for me. Once they began to fade off the radio I actually began to enjoy some of their stuff. I liked the character Dave Matthews played in the movie, "Because of Winn Dixie" and started to change my opinion because he seemed like a cool guy, but the new radio station in Columbus, 106.7 which is pretty cool, has regressed back to the 90s overkill of DMB and rekindling my old feelings.


Blues Traveler- For all I know this guy is a musical genius. But it means little because I find every song I have heard by them annoying. I saw them live when I worked at Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus and still didn't like them. The crows sure did....but to this day I avoid their stuff.

Matchbox 20-Sorry Kathryn and Vicki, I do not like any of their stuff. Blah!

Garth Brooks-The one song that gets played at the end of wedding receptions (Friends in Low Places I think) is kinda cool when I've been drinking but otherwise.....can't stand his stuff.

_________________________________________________________
Here are some artists/bands that most of my peers seem to dislike but I can't help but enjoy:

Journey-My main man Norm will agree but otherwise, it seems to be the older generation that feels my love for the power ballad kings of the 80s. Man, there is no better music to tap your foot with authority to than the Steven Perry led power rock songs by Journey.

Bryan Adams-Oh so bad that I can't help but sing along. I mean how many of his stuff did we grow up on sitting in the back seat of the car as mom drove us to soccer practice, tee ball games or friends' sleepovers.

Barry Manilow- Takes me back to the days working at the Butcher shop. I know way too many words to way too many of his songs.

Huey Lewis and The News-Some great 80s pop. I remember using copies of one of his album covers as my poster to run for student council in grade school. I lost. But it was a sweet poster: "Huey Lewis says- 'Put a Fellow Huey in Office. Vote 6th grader John Huey for Student Council'" I thought it was clever.


Linkin Park-I know they appeal more to angry teenagers and they are commercial and "artificial" using computers and "inorganic" sounds and may seem manufactured but I have bought in.

Both lists can go on but I'd like to hear some bands you enjoy that most of your peers don't and vice versa.

Or points of mine that you disagree with. I bet there are a bunch.

Musical Addition

Here's another little quiz for fun:

Nick Mason + Rick Wright + David Gilmour + 1)______ ______ = 2)_______ _______


What belongs in each numbered blank? (each number is two words)
1)
2)

Rap Music

Back in high school I went through a phase in which I listened to a lot of rap music. In my opinion, this was the high point in the genre. I personally feel as though the music from this genre has gone downhill since the mid 90's and has never regained the quality it once demonstrated. I could take this blog in another direction to examine my personal perspective and how my opinion could be a function of age, and lack of exposure to most of the rap music industry as opposed to a legitimate decline in quality of hip hop, but instead I will acknowledge it here and move on to more light hearted discussion.

My quick disclaimer is this: The rap I enjoyed in the late 80's and the early, pre-gangsta rap period was not necessarily what was marketed to the masses. I agree that the MC Hammers, Vanilla Ices, Sir Mix-a-lots, Fat Boys, Tone Locs et al of the rap genre were not all that great. But there were artists who were marketed to the masses along with others that may have not been so "famous." Therefore, since today I only know of the mass marketed (is that even a word?), I could be unaware of good, poetic, rhythmic rap music being written and produced today.

My point of this blog post is to share with you some artists and songs that I have always enjoyed and consider "quality" rap the way it should be. No "G's up Ho's down," "pop a cap in yo ass" garbage. While it was fun to party to Snoop Dog's "Doggystyle" and I had my Dr. Dre, NWA, Ice Cube phase, I consider good music to have clever or meaningful lyrics. I think good rap has solid, driving beats. It has rhythm that makes you want to groove and move. I consider it to be poetic at times but not always.

Here are some artists, songs and albums I have always enoyed:
Pharcyde..."Passin' Me By" This is a song I have always considered on of my top 5 favorite rap songs ever. The vibe of the song, the rhymes, the sonic elements are all so good. It never gets old.

Public Enemy.... So much about this group is good. Flavor Flav???? Hmmmm. But Chuck D. is an intelligent, strong individual with powerful lyrics and a message that he delivers with a voice just as powerful. Their controversial political rap taught me more about the black experience and their view of the civil rights movement than anything I learned in school. His stuff made me think and contributed to my motivation to read Malcolm X's autobiography (which every impressionable teenager did when Spike Lee's movie with Denzel Washington came out) and teach in the city like I have been doing for a decade now as opposed to staying the the comfortable suburbs.

Boogie Down Productions......In the same vain as Public Enemy, BDP raised awareness to the black experience in the U.S. KRS-1, like Chuck D. delivered powerful messages through strong lyrics, beats and voice.

Eric B. and Rakim....Probably the best voice in rap music was Rakim. His voice alone was an instrument. Eric B. mixed wicked beats behind the intense lyrics of Rakim. Microphone Fiend is a classic with its driving, slamming beats. His egotistical lyrics were par for the course at that time when rappers would spar back and forth with words not bullets. In their songs, they would declare their greatness over other rappers, "your beats are whack while my lyrics are all that." The beginning of the end of my enjoyment of rap was when the next generation of rappers (Biggy, TuPac, P. Diddy, Ja Rule and more) began killing people for real. The competitive banter back and forth and the rivalries went too far. I know there is much more to this, but as a fan that lost me.

A Tribe Called Quest...The single best rap group EVER in my mind. Q-Tip is the smoothest, most clever, poetic lyricist I have ever heard. Their mellow vibe, the funny, catchy rhymes were great. The themes of their music varied and showed diversity. Fife Dog was an excellent compliment to Q-Tip's lead. Every album carried itself with song after song that keeps me coming back. The individual albums carried themselves while staying true to the group itself. Each was unique but still in the same vain as the others. They managed to maintain their "street cred" without stooping to violence and cheap, degrading sex. Their live shows were some of the best shows I have experienced across every genre. You felt like you were part of the show as you contributed to the energy and vibe.

These are several rap artisits I really enjoy. I also have been a big fan of Big Daddy Kane, D-Nice, Ice Cube, Wu Tang Clan (yes, contradicting my earlier statements regarding violence and cheap, degrading sex),and of course Ol' Dirty Bastard, EPMD, Black Sheep to name a few.

Greatest American Rock Band

I am sure you have had this discussion before. Who is the greatest American rock band of all time? At first the question seems easy enough but as you think back through all of the greatest bands you soon realize just how many were NOT from America. Wasn't the U.S. the birthplace of Rock 'n Roll?

First, a set of criteria needs to be set because this can be very opinionated and one's taste could vary drastically from another's. Hence Brittney Spears sells billions of records. (Isn't it funny that we all refer to Spears as a bad music example? Poor thing.)

This is a quick and general set of standards to start us off. A "great band" has to:
1) Have music considered to be of good quality to the masses or reliable critics
2) Remain successful for an extended period of time
3) Sell a significant amount of their work
4) Be well known and recognizeable
5) Be within the genre of Rock (R&B, Soul, Rap, Electronica etc are a different topic)

This could lead to some great debate so let's have at it. Before long my criteria may change drastically due to apsects I am missing and so on. I eagerly await my Indie expert to chime in.

So who are the greates rock bands? The Who? Beattles? Rolling Stones? Led Zepplin? Pink Floyd? U2? AC/DC?

I deliberately named those first since they are not American but generally though of as great.

Who can America contribute? Aerosmith? Metallica? Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers? Are they considered a band like the others? The Beach Boys? Are they rock? The Eagles? Blondie? The Cars? They are American right? Does Punk Rock count? If so, there are more great British Punk Rock bands aren't there?

What do you guys think?

Mommy's Little Monster

I have to express my love for this album. Social Distortion's Mommy's Little Monster is a classic album that I have recently immersed myself in 1000 percent. I have been in a Social D bender for about two years now for some reason. Why it has taken me so long I do not know, but every album I listen to...I love. Mommy's Little Monster has to be the best overall.

Going in, I knew I would like several of the songs including, "The Creeps," "Another State of Mind," "Telling Them" and of course the title track, "Mommy's Little Monster." With this many songs already in my back pocket and knowing how much I enjoyed their live shows, I was very confident I would enjoy the album as a whole. My confidence was confirmed. "It Wasn't a Pretty Picture" jumped out at me with its driving bass line. "Moral Threat" is a track I find myself going back to time and time again.

This is an album I consider top five. I am ashamed that is has taken 26 years for me to finally realize it. Then again, I am rather pleased. It gives me hope. It is nice to know that I have not found all the music that I will love. Since it is difficult to count on new music to hit home like this album has for me, it is exciting to think that I still have older, established bands and albums and songs to explore.

Versus

Do you remember how good that album by Pearl Jam was? "Animal" just popped up on my ipod while I was exercising tonight and it just "felt" so good. I got into it and realized that I really liked that album. Amazing how I forgot. And they were HUGE at that time.