Just wondering, what type of music is your main thing?

[Robert****]

So I know Marnold is a metal man, Spud loves prog rock, and Sunvalley and Krash don't mind punk rock. As for me, I'm into blues/jazz/roots/etc, but what about the rest of you?

Care to share a few words of what type of music is your biggest passion, and perhaps why?

Improvisational music has always been the thing for me. I need that kind of room when I play, or else I will get bored. That's why I love jazz.

But, I also like a variety of music, for example, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Joni Mitchell, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Mr. Mister, Steve Vai, early TOTO, Porcupine Tree, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Hiatt, Queen, Judas Priest, Prince, George Clinton, all the old blues legends, early Rainbow, Train, Chicago, Allan Holdsworth, early Van Halen, early Yngwie, John Scofield, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Bela Fleck, Tom Waits, early Michael Shenker Band, early Scorpions, Uli Jon Roth, Led Zeppelin, Paul Gilbert, Supertramp, John Mayer, Scott Henderson, Brent Mason, Albert Lee, Tom Petty, Ella Fitzgerald, Sting.... and the list goes on and on. Just to mention a few.

[MichaelE]

I like progressive rock from the '70's and '80's. Also rock, hard rock, and some pop/rock from that era as well. I listen to very little current music.

I also like some of the New Wave stuff that came out of Britain in the '80's.

Never was into the Hair Bands of the eighties though. Never cared much for that bunch. They were all such gurly men.

Newer rock bands from about 1990 on don't appeal to me as much as the older bands.

[tunghaichuan***]

I seem to be all over the map. I like metal, but I like it darker and evil. I like some of the death metal from Scandanavia, such as Opeth and Dark Tranquility. I also like the band Amon Amarth, their Viking metal schtick kind of amuses me. Black Sabbath is another metal favorite.

I didn't like hair metal when it was popular in the 80s, but I like to listen to it sometimes I get nostalgic for my youth.

I also like Buckethead, who defies classification.

I like some country, including Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Lyle Lovett and Johnny Cash.

The only blues I listen to nowadays is Johnny Winter and/or Muddy Waters.

I like David Lindley as well, who also is very stylistically diverse.

I can't stand to listen to classic rock anymore. It has been so over played, I just got very tired of it.

I'm not much into jazz. It just doesn't sound "right" to me.

tung

[sunvalleylaw]

I have my punk leanings definitely, that directly descend from my taste for early 60's (I said early not late) Beatles and Stones, which descended from Chuck Berry and the like, etc. When I developed my own taste for music (mid high school when I went hi-fi) and was really into it, that was one of the main veins I tapped from. . The above of course leads into The Clash, early Elvis Costello, the Ramones, etc., along with a bunch of college rock/alternative that may have been played on Seattle, SF or LA stations back in the 80s and 90s. That vein also has its garage band roots (kinks, etc.) and that broadens things again leading to grunge, ska, reggae, etc.

But I also developed at the same time I was into the Beatles/Stones a taste for jazz. Back then it was fusion, now it is more 50s/60s sounding jazz and its derivations. Blues filled the gaps between the two areas, and I particularly like blues with jazz tones and hints in it. Or jazz with blues tone and hints in it. Since I started guitar, I really love that area. I will say that I am not that much into the hard core old stuff though. Also since starting guitar, I "re-discovered" classic and prog rock that I was into before I got into the stuff I mentioned above. I also get burned out on a lot of that though.

So I also am all over the map, and you will find me liking some of about everything with few exceptions. But you will also be able to trace the roots of most of the stuff I regularly listen to back up those trees I just described.

There is a really thorough history of my musical roots (and a bunch of others here) that Jimi75 started sometime back also.

[Spudman***]

I like good music. Country doesn't qualify for me as good so that leaves just about everything else. Mostly I lean toward Progressive, heavy blues, hard rock and Hanna Montana (just kidding). I enjoy Classical from time to time too along with ambient, Jazz and Raggae. My first choice is Progressive most of the time.

[deeaa*]

In short, I could sum I like any music that includes raunchy, rockin' guitars.
Also in short, I usually strongly dislike anything on mainstream radio.

From the softest end, I like Aimee Mann, Grateful Dead country albums, CCR...

From the biggest bulk I listen to, ACDC, Danko Jones, Iron Maiden, Priest, The Cult, Airbourne, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, The Ramones, Faith No More, Juliette and the Licks...

And from heavier end, Lamb of God, Megadeth, Pantera, Metallica, Motörhead...

Yeah, most anything with rockin' guitars work...many 80's hair bands are also great fun to listen to - party music.

I DON'T stomach much prog rock however, it's often just musical wankery in my book , or blackmetal or other just-growl-vocal stuff...lamb of god/pantera is even too growly for my taste many a day..and also I can't stand 70's style hardrock no more, purple, zeppelin etc...it's so old and gone, played thru a zillion times (I've even sang in a few era bands and boy if I never hear any purple again I'll be happy.)

I'm soon 40 but I never felt like the best music was written years ago. I really really dig whatever new great stuff comes out from bands like Billy Talent, Danko, Foo...well, stuff that is never played on the radio but that still is out there if you know where to look.

[Ascension]

I love Prog rock and metal . Stuff like Queens Reich, Dream Theater Veni Domini,Rush ect. I played that stuff throughout the 80's-mid 90's
However since 1995 all I have been doing is Worship stuff. We play everything between jump shout Black Gospel to traditional Black Gospel stuff with a choir to rock stuff that borders on Metal to Hymms. Personally I'm really into the modern guys like Rick Pino, Jason Upton, Morning Star,Christ For the Nations ect.
Here are some live recordings of what I do.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=4939016
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7128664
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=4453782
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=5022591
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=4912436
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=5049360

[ibanezjunkie]

shred, 80s, metal, prog metal, satanic metal (slayer), nu metal (slipknot, Korn), Industrial/Tanz Metall (rammstein), rock, old skool punk, blues rock, jazz fusion (Steel Dan), chicago blues, nashville etc.

i play all this stuff...because im a very diverse person. although i cannot stand 'MTV' music as i call it, crap like Paramore () or 'My Chemical romance ()

[duhvoodooman***]

Blues, blues-rock, classic rock, some fusion stuff, bits & pieces of other styles as long as the guitar work is tasty. Definitely not into heavier types of metal, thrash, ultra-shreddy stuff. "If it's in drop D, it ain't for me."

[kiteman]

I'm the old school of rock. That's the 70s and the 80s. Seems to me the best era of rock music. I wish to relive those eras.

The artists of the 60s are what got me started on the guitar and that included The Ventures and The Beatles.

[Ro3b]

I don't even know how to begin answering that question. I'm all over the map. No, I'm on a bunch of different maps.

My roots are firmly in punk on the one hand and jazz (bebop and postbop) on the other. And I was a major Kiss fan when I was a kid, so I'm naturally drawn to any genre where there's fire and screaming.

OTOH, I'm still gigging primarily in the Irish trad world; I never listen to the stuff anymore (feels like bringing my work home with me) but the money is good and the pond is small. I can be really tiresome and cynical about it, actually.

I'm composing ambient electronic music, thoroughly strange and resolutely noncommercial. I'm fascinated by electronica in general, especially drum & bass and triphop.

I'm also loving what's going on in metal these days: bands like Mastodon, Kysela, Baroness. Weirdly, I was never much into metal before I was in my late 30s.

[marnold***]

Apparently my reputation precedes me

Anyway, yes metal is my main love. My favorite subgenres would be the so-called "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" aka Priest and Maiden, shred (Yngwie, MAB, Satch, et al), some 80s hair (yes to Dokken, Scorps, Queensryche, Whitesnake; no to Poison, Enuff Znuff, and their ilk), throw in a pinch of thrash (early Metallica and Anthrax), and garnish with some power metal (Yngwie here too, Dragonforce, I'd put Dio here as well).

I've also got a great love for blues and blues rock, although I tend to prefer the "My woman came back" blues to "My woman is gone/dead" blues. Mainly more modern guys like SRV and Joe Bonamassa, but also some of the classics like Albert and B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters.

In third place there's a grab bag of things like 80s New Wave, any Baroque, Flamenco, and even the tiniest pinch of Jazz (Pat Methany). And I still don't have a category for two bands that I have a ton of albums by: Queen and They Might Be Giants. I even played in a Bluegrass band but I can't say I've got any albums.

I hate to post what I dislike because someone will take it personally. So don't. Anyway, I can't take NuMetal in any form, pop punk (I'm looking at you, Green Day and Blink 182--go back and listen to the Clash or the Ramones and then come back and talk to me), bubblegum pop, "College" music, anything with Cookie Monster-style vocals.

[t_ross33]

I like good music. Country doesn't qualify for me as good so that leaves just about everything else. Mostly I lean toward Progressive, heavy blues, hard rock and Hanna Montana (just kidding). I enjoy Classical from time to time too along with ambient, Jazz and Raggae. My first choice is Progressive most of the time.

I'll be the counter point here I'd have to say that Country is my main interest, though this "New Country" (they've started calling it "Fresh Country" now - what the hell???) leaves quite a bit to be desired On the plus side, I've always been drawn to singer/songwriter artists and the craft of lyric and melody and there is a trend in Nashville now to promote artists who write (and/or co-write) their own material. Heck, while nothing close to being a fan, I give Taylor Swift props for writing her own songs (she had a publishing deal at 14!).

I'm really digging the whole "Americana" scene right now, and am a big fan of Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, etc. etc. I love my homegrown Saskatchewan Indie artists, and Canadian classic rockers like Harlequin, April Wine, Prism, Trooper, the Guess Who and of course, RUSH!

Have even been known to listen to jazzy, experimental and prog-rock, but when it comes down to it I like music that engages me on some level, be it a cerebral experience or a beer-swillin' honky-tonkin good time. :

[Tone2TheBone]

I like everything. When I pick up a guitar I rip blues so that ranks pretty high but I listen to anything. Country (old country and new), old school rock, real old school 50s/60s rock and rockabilly, folk guitar and vocal music, progressive rock, 60s hippy music which includes rock and folk and classical music with special emphasis on Baroque style chamber music. The one thing that I can't quite get my brain to enjoy is jazz. I can dig what they're doing but I can't listen to it for very long.

[SuperSwede]

I love all kinds of music except modern dance music and that gangster hip hop which I dont get at all.

[marnold***]

For Spud's sake I should also mention that there's some Prog that I like too: Rush, old-school Yes, latter-day Savatage, etc.

[R_of_G]

My roots are firmly in punk on the one hand and jazz (bebop and postbop) on the other.

the same here, and i've often contended that one could draw a direct line from one to the other...

historically, it goes like this for me and i think someone like yourself will see what i mean...

bird --->

60's modal miles ---->

60's trane (esp with pharoah sanders) ---->

ayler, ornette (esp with james ulmer) and 70's miles (esp with pete cosey and sonny sharrock) ---->

the mc5, stooges, beefheart ---->

almost every punk band of the 70's (esp the voidoids and television) ---->

the post punk scene of the uk in the later 70's early 80's (esp wire and joy division) ---->

gregg ginn's (balck flag), d boon(minutemen), and hüsker dü---->

the new york no wave scene of the 80's (especially sonic youth and dna) ----->

john lurie's lounge lizards and marc ribot's rootless cosmopolitans ---->

john zorn's naked city band, anything marc ribot does (esp spiritual unity and shrek)

sorry for the history tangent but someone here once asked me to elaborate on the comment i've made previously linking jazz and punk, and this seemed as good a time as any.


so to answer the question of this thread, i think i just did.

[Robert****]

Wow. I would have thought jazz and punk was as far apart as you can get. Hmm. No offense meant, but I have always thought most punk musicians have little knowledge of theory and improvisation, whereas the jazz musician is the opposite. At least the punk music I have heard give me that impression. Maybe some stereotype thinking got to me, or do I have a point? Again, nothing ill mean meant here, just thinking out loud... I cry your pardon if I offended Roland or anyone else....

[R_of_G]

Wow. I would have thought jazz and punk was as far apart as you can get. Hmm. No offense meant, but I have always thought most punk musicians have little knowledge of theory and improvisation, whereas the jazz musician is the opposite. At least the punk music I have heard give me that impression. Maybe some stereotype thinking got to me, or do I have a point? Again, nothing ill mean meant here, just thinking out loud... I cry your pardon if I offended Roland or anyone else....

it's not the least bit offensive robert. i think it's a perfectly legitimate question and one i hear all the time.

i think that while the knowledgeless punk musician is often the case, it's not exclusive. gregg ginn, guitarist and founder of black flag is perhaps the best example. for every sid vicious who could not play his bass, there is a mike watt who can play the living daylights out of his.

really for me, the connection musically is in the intent. the movement by players like bird and miles, and later trane and the free jazz guys to step outside of the traditional forms of jazz and forge something entirely new, free from the rules and traditions of the past (though still clearly emerging from it) is so similar for me to the punk musicians. their ambition was to step beyond the established rules of rock music and make something new.

also, many of the earliest punk musicians were inspired by the mc5 and the stooges, two bands who drew a lot of inspiration from ayler and trane and sun ra and other jazz guys. listening to voidoids guitarist robert quine, i hear a lot of james ulmer from ornette's band. minutemen guitarist d. boon reminds me so much of beefheart's guitar players, who in turn sound like the free jazz players again. to my ears, there are a lot of connections. certainly not across the board, but when you separate the wheat from the chaff, a direct line can be found.