Friday, November 28, 2008

An Introduction

This is my new blog, dedicated solely to something I think about constantly: music. I don't think I'll have any formal structure to this. I'll occasionally review albums or shows that I go to, post lists (ie "Top Five"), or sometimes just ramble with random thoughts. So here you go.

Music. What can be said about it? It's been my one constant since I was about 12 years old and really started taking it seriously. There have been a few moments for me when I first heard a particular song or album, and it changed my life forever. Sounds pretty lame and cliche to say that, but it's 100% honest.

The first one I recall is when I heard the song "Basket Case" by Green Day. This really opened my eyes to the whole "alternative" scene. After I heard this song, and the album from which it came, Dookie, I completely enveloped myself in all things rock. I subsequently became interested in bands like Nirvana (who still had a pretty big buzz, as this was shortly after Kurt Cobain's death), Smashing Pumpkins, and anything else I could get my hands on. As I went through junior high, my level of interest in this stuff just increased.

Next came high school, and I had two separate, but practically simultaneous, moments. First, I heard my first Beatles album, which was Abbey Road. Sure, I had heard The Beatles before (who hasn't?), but I'd never listened to them with the intent of actually listening to their music. I was captivated. After I heard that album (I had borrowed it from a friend), and quickly went out and bought it Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Well that was it. I was hooked. I'd never heard anything like it before. It was definitely rock music, but there was so much more going on than what I was used to. The Beatles have remained one of my favorite bands to this day.

Around the same time, I also received the album Americana, by The Offspring. Now, this album itself didn't necassarily change my life (although it did cause me to go out and buy the entire Offspring discography) it opened my eyes to the world of punk. From that point forward, with only a few exceptions, everything in my world was based on that mindset. I constantly thought about the music, the look, the attitude, of punk. I started to get into bands like MxPx, Bad Religion, and Unwritten Law. I also started learning how to play guitar at this point, and practically every song I learned in the first couple of years was comprised of four power chords.

After years of being completely immersed in the world of punk, I discovered a band called Jimmy Eat World, shortly after I graduated from high school. They still had many "punk" elements, but somehow also brought something else to the table. This was my first introduction to "emo" (a tag I hate, but use it for lack of a better word). I began listening to bands like The Get Up Kids, Dashboard Confessional, and The Juliana Theory.

Most recently, I've been getting into bands labeled as "alt-country" and/or "alt-folk". To give you a mind set of what I like to listen to right now, a list of my current top five bands:

1.Radiohead
2.Ryan Adams
3.Wilco
4.The Decemberists
5.Fleet Foxes

Although this list can and will change, this is just a snapshot into the music I love right now, and will give you an idea as to what will influence subsequent writing.

1 comment:

Leanne said...

I like the new blog. I'll have to watch it for recommendations...