Favorite Band (s)

[Tyrone Bigguns]

1. Brian Jonestown Massacre
2. Elbow
3. Flaming Lips
4. Luna
5. Spiritualized
6. Mercury Rev
7. Spoon
8. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
9. Joy Division/New Order
10.Secret Machines

Who the fuck are all those?

Great bands. When you stop listening to corporate rock or whatever else the marketing genius force feed down your throat, you will discover a multitude of great artists.

[jack's smirking revenge]

1. Brian Jonestown Massacre
2. Elbow
3. Flaming Lips
4. Luna
5. Spiritualized
6. Mercury Rev
7. Spoon
8. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
9. Joy Division/New Order
10.Secret Machines

Who the fuck are all those?

Great bands. When you stop listening to corporate rock or whatever else the marketing genius force feed down your throat, you will discover a multitude of great artists.

Tyrone, I appreciate the variety of your list. I checked out songs from "Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective" and its not my cup of tea, but I'm interested in checking out the rest of them (I have heard/ heard of Joy Division/New Order and they are pretty mainstream). I do have to take a bit of offense to your inference that we are annoyingly mainstream with our musical tastes. This is a "favorites" thread, not necessarily a "what bands do you like that fly under the radar" thread. As a manager of a rock band in Minneapolis, I know exactly what you're talking about (anti-corporate angst) and could probably throw a page of bands that aren't "corporate rock" or "market-influenced" bands your way, most of which you probably wouldn't recognize either. Any single person that listens to the radio is spoon-fed what they hear. Some of the biggest stations in Minneapolis are owned by ABC/Disney and they have very defined playlists. To play devils advocate, the reason that bands like that are on radio is because they actually make some pretty good music that appeals across many markets. A blessing and a curse perhaps, but most musicians want to get paid for what they do.

The double-edged sword of being a starving artist--starve with your craft and scrape to make a living, or craft to the masses and survive. There's nothing wrong with either directions, as both are applying their craft.

tyler

[Tyrone Bigguns]

1. Brian Jonestown Massacre
2. Elbow
3. Flaming Lips
4. Luna
5. Spiritualized
6. Mercury Rev
7. Spoon
8. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
9. Joy Division/New Order
10.Secret Machines

Who the fuck are all those?

Great bands. When you stop listening to corporate rock or whatever else the marketing genius force feed down your throat, you will discover a multitude of great artists.

Tyrone, I appreciate the variety of your list. I checked out songs from "Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective" and its not my cup of tea, but I'm interested in checking out the rest of them (I have heard/ heard of Joy Division/New Order and they are pretty mainstream). I do have to take a bit of offense to your inference that we are annoyingly mainstream with our musical tastes. This is a "favorites" thread, not necessarily a "what bands do you like that fly under the radar" thread. As a manager of a rock band in Minneapolis, I know exactly what you're talking about (anti-corporate angst) and could probably throw a page of bands that aren't "corporate rock" or "market-influenced" bands your way, most of which you probably wouldn't recognize either. Any single person that listens to the radio is spoon-fed what they hear. Some of the biggest stations in Minneapolis are owned by ABC/Disney and they have very defined playlists. To play devils advocate, the reason that bands like that are on radio is because they actually make some pretty good music that appeals across many markets. A blessing and a curse perhaps, but most musicians want to get paid for what they do.

The double-edged sword of being a starving artist--starve with your craft and scrape to make a living, or craft to the masses and survive. There's nothing wrong with either directions, as both are applying their craft.

tyler

Jack: I would suggest starting with Her Satanic Majesty's for BJM. Or for a real look at BJM, rent DIG, which profiles them and the Dandy Warhols. Another criminally underlooked band...course, you've heard them a billion times on commercials but probably didn't realize who you were listening to (they use the Dandies in a chevy commercial, just like AIR is used for Toyota, I believe.

These are favorites, not bands that fly under the radar. Each of these bands are on fairly major labels and have released multiple cds/albums. This isn't some list of bands that are on regional labels.

I would say that most bands on the radio are there because of payola and other shills. Mainstream radio isn't interested in good music, it is interested in selling advertisements. So, why play something new when you can just regurgitate the same ol' dreck that seems familiar. Or you get AOR playing the same 3 songs...oh, wow, what a surprise, they are playing aqualung on 2 for tuesday. LOL.

I would say most those corporate bands are like Mickey Ds. Very average, little nutrition and made for mass consumption. Everyone knows Mickey Ds, everyone can eat there, but nobody ever says it is the best burger they had (if they do, then you can pretty much dismiss them as having taste buds.)

3rd Eye, Better than Ezra, etc. wrote some catchy pop songs, but mostly it was all about how they are marketed. Good looking guys that appeal to chicks. The lead singer of Ezra himself said that he chose music over acting because he thought he would be successful earlier. To quote Ron Wolf, both are farts in the wind.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Third Eye Blind got hot with their first album, but most of the stuff they've made wouldn't even get a sniff of radio play. Hell, their best songs weren't even their popular songs. I bet 99% on here have heard of Semi-Charmed Life, but very few have heard of God Of Wine, Crystal Baller, or Wake For Young Souls. I really don't care if they are popular. All I know is that I dig the shit they put out, and when I play their music to my friends, they like it.

Radiohead and Blur got popular. To me, that doesn't automatically mean I lose respect for them. That's just elitist thinking.

When I was younger, I was into all of the underground, unpopular shit too. I don't have the kind of time it takes to devote myself to that anymore.

Jack, you remember a Hard Punk phase that went through Minneapolis about 10 years ago? Bands like The Cows were making their rounds at First Ave. I was right with all of those "gutter schmucks" listening to that stuff. Damn near lost my hearing in those days.

[BackPack]

To add a bit to the country talk above a band called Leftover Salmon, kind of a bluegrass hippie band I guess, did a cover of Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way where they actually got Waylon to sing on the track with them...not as good as the original but pretty kick ass nonetheless. Along those same lines Yonder Mountain String Band is a pretty good bluegrass/country band that some of you country lovers might enjoy. However, my new favorite country act is Neko Case (going to see her this friday). This chick is worth checking out even if you don't like country all that much. Her other gig is the drummer in the punk band The New Pornagraphers...you gotta love it!! Another good "country" act (a bit out there) where you might see just as many mohawks as cowboy hats at a live show, is Slim Cessna's Auto Club. If I'm lucky I'll be catching the tail end of their show after Neko.

These aren't necessarily my favorite bands but I thought I'd mention them for any of you country lovers looking for something new with some teeth!

[GrnBay007]

U2

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Third Eye Blind got hot with their first album, but most of the stuff they've made wouldn't even get a sniff of radio play. Hell, their best songs weren't even their popular songs. I bet 99% on here have heard of Semi-Charmed Life, but very few have heard of God Of Wine, Crystal Baller, or Wake For Young Souls. I really don't care if they are popular. All I know is that I dig the shit they put out, and when I play their music to my friends, they like it.

Radiohead and Blur got popular. To me, that doesn't automatically mean I lose respect for them. That's just elitist thinking.

When I was younger, I was into all of the underground, unpopular shit too. I don't have the kind of time it takes to devote myself to that anymore.

Jack, you remember a Hard Punk phase that went through Minneapolis about 10 years ago? Bands like The Cows were making their rounds at First Ave. I was right with all of those "gutter schmucks" listening to that stuff. Damn near lost my hearing in those days.

My buddy drummed with the cows.

I'm not young and it doesn't take that much time. You are exactly why the consumer gets what they get. You don't question or challenge. Therefore, they continue to spoon feed you shit.

Radiohead and Blur aren't even in the same category as 3rd Eye. Nothing elitist about it. If you enjoy it, great. But, it is disengenous to lump them together.

[billy_oliver880]

Sevendust.








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[MJZiggy]

Adrian Legg, Vanessa Mae

[swede]

Jack, you remember a Hard Punk phase that went through Minneapolis about 10 years ago? Bands like The Cows were making their rounds at First Ave. I was right with all of those "gutter schmucks" listening to that stuff. Damn near lost my hearing in those days.

OMG Harv,

I always thought you were an old dude. You are such a knowledgeable and calm poster who only very occasionally gets pissed off or drawn into nonsense. A grown up's grown up. Now I discover you are just a knowledgeable and calm not-so-old dude.

Will wonders never cease.

[Oscar]

Lithiumm Fix. Interesting band.. I'm the guy with long hair...... The one hit wonders or the wonder If's.. There all my Fav's...

[HarveyWallbangers]

OMG Harv,

I always thought you were an old dude. You are such a knowledgeable and calm poster who only very occasionally gets pissed off or drawn into nonsense. A grown up's grown up. Now I discover you are just a knowledgeable and calm not-so-old dude.

Will wonders never cease.

Too funny! Thanks! Are you old or young? I envisioned you as an older dude because of the name.

My wife is of Swedish descent. She studied in Sweden for 6 months while in college. She really likes the Swedish hockey players (Forsberg, Naslund). But not for their hockey skills.

[K-town]

In no particular order, these are my favorite bands.

Dropkick Murphys
Rancid
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Dream Theatre
Metallica (pre-1991)
Bad Company
Rob Zombie
Sheryl Crow
Queensryche

[jack's smirking revenge]

K-Town, have you heard any stuff of of Mindcrime2? I'm a huge Q-ryche fan too, but I haven't been able to tolerate their last couple albums because of Geoff Tate's vocal decay. The couple songs I heard off Mindcrime2 sound bad. Interested if you've heard any stuff off of it.

tyler

[billy_oliver880]

Metallica (pre-1991)

Word.

That goes for Green Day as well....what is this crap they are putting out these days...nothing like the stuff they were singing in the 90s.