Music Education part 1

It is no surprise, I hope, that most who know me well, know I am a bit of a musicphile, that is a lover of all kinds of music. It was the thing to do when trying to avoid trouble in the town were I grew up. When mom died, I kinda threw myself into music like it was a life raft. I have 31,101 songs in my iTunes music library and about 130 new albums I have yet to add. It is seriously that bad. I am going to walk you through my genera distinctions and some of my favorites from each group.

My Favorite Group: Social Distortion

Now, this is just one song out of the 11 albums. Mike Ness is the one person I would love to meet. His music has really influenced my life. There is something there about being a guy dealing with a shit hand and overcoming it. Ness is the only original member left (still alive) I believe, with the others lost to drugs and time. I first heard them in the mid-80s and I haven’t looked back. Ness’ solo project is a bit more country, a bit more coverband, but still great, in fact it is through his music that I started listening to the Man in Black.

Johnny Cash

JC has been covered and remixed and sampled and more. Perhaps the younger crowd will remember the movie Walk The Line, based on his life story, or his last album where he covered music from the more recent past, Nirvana’s Hurt? In all, his music legacy is great. I can go back to his early music, even the more twangy stuff, and enjoy it.

the Misfits

I can’t say enough about this group. Horror Punk? Yes please. I think they have saved my sanity many times when I was on the edge of running off for good.

Dropkick Murphy’s

I’m not Irish or anything, but nothing beats a goof fight song like this. These guys have a lot of shit thrown at them and I am not talking about their politics, but something in me really enjoys the sounds of bagpipes in rock music.

Chopper City Boyz ft. B.G.

Yes. I am a white boy who listens to rap. Go ahead, make your jokes. I don’t know how you could live in a place with such a large urban population and not listen to rap. I think part of this stems from living in major cities like New Orleans, New York and Atlanta. I’ll tell you something…give me some DMX and 250lbs on a bench and I will demonstrate how a beat can help you train.

Chevelle

Okay. Please don’t judge. I admitted my rap side, now here is my overplayed on the radio side. I think I sing Chevelle in my mind when I am talking to Debbie sometimes. It keeps things interesting. BTW, this vid is set to the movie 300 (a killer flick).

More to come. I will admit my interest in flamenco guitar, classical music, and more. Stay tuned.