Dream Line Up

So this blog assignment took some long, critical thinking. Though I have made my final decision in this blog on my dream line up's I still feel discontent. How is one capable of narrowing down these epic bands without being able to give honorable mention to so many others? It was so hard to pick 3 top bands of my choice. So I thought about it nice and long and heres what my ideal dream line up would look like. Well here goes nothing....

ROCK LINE UP :

OPENER:The Doors using Sammey Roy (of Van Halen) on guitar, and Chis Cornell on drums. The Doors are one of my all time favorie rock bands. Ok, call me crazy on this one but, I think that it would be an incredible sound if Chris Cornell added his talents on the drums as well as his differentiated vocals to background vocals of The Doors. Also adding Sammey's rockability on the guitar would only enhance the sound of The Doors. I think these artists when together would create an awsome sound and one hell of a perfomance. I think that not only would their talents mesh extremely well but, so would there personalities. I don't think this blend would disappoint. They are all rockers at heart and all have had their controversal and dramatic times. With those types of personalities and talents, it would be impossible to sound terrible. These artists together would create the ultimate opener for any rock concert.

MID: Rolling Stones using Eddie Vetter (of Pearl Jam) as back vocalist and David Grohl (of Foo Fighters) on Drums/vocals. The Rolling Stones. These guys are true legends not just from their day but for the rest of time. Then you add rock grunge hero Eddie Vetter of the 90's. Personaly, I think Eddies voice would blend beautifully with McJagger. Then you add into the equation former drummer of Nirvana, David Grohl who knows how to rock vocally and instumentally. I think what all these artists have in common is that they pride themselves on the music they create. Everything they do is passionate and I think they would all bring a performance that could never be duplicated in its legacy. These artists being together in one band, on one stage, would be nothing short of amazing.

HEADLINER: Lynard Skynard with Zakk Wylde as other lead guitarist, Lars Ulrich (of Metallica) on drums. So this was tough to choose between what mesh of artists should be a mid verses a headliner. For me, I think that Lynard Skynard is one of the most talented artists his era. It would be nothing but a utopia to add Zakk Wylde- a metal head version of a Jimmy Hendrix, and Lars Ulrich to the stage with Lynard Skynard. All these artists have superior talents in playing instruments. Skynard has amazing vocals. Some solos and rifts in his music could make any guitar player grow strong forearms in a week. Then there is Zakk Wylde- a man who like Jimmy Hendrix can play the guitar behind his back, with his teeth, or his eyes closed. He has perfected the art of playing the guitar and would be a perfect addition to perform with Lynard Skynard. (Think about all the crazy riffs/chourses he has played for Black Sabbath and his own band, Black Label Sociey.) Lars Ulrich is another fast-paced musician who has the ability to play at rapid speeds. Adding both Zakk and Lars to play with Lynard Skynard would seem like a natural fit. They were all born to rock and that they all do. I could just picture it in my head... They would all be on stage rockin' out and Zack Wylde busts out into a 5 minutue solo rockin along side Lynard Skynard... HEAVEN. This tour would be sold out in minutes.

Hip-Hop Line Up:

OPENER: Beastie Boys with the addition of Anthony Ray (of Sir-Mix-Alot)
So your probably trying to close your eyes imagine this scenerio. I thought that these 2 artists would mesh perfectly. When I think if the Beastie Boys and all of their top chart, award winning songs I think of fun, goofy, letting lose, "Fight For Your Right, To Party," type of music. Then you add Anthony, another hip-hop artists who not only has a voice that would blend perfectly with the Beastie Boys but, would put on one entertaining performance. Something just seems right about putting the artists that wrote, "Brass Monkey," and , "Baby Got Back," together in the same stage. Both artists are always full if energy, always dancing in some insane movement, and always such free spirts. I think they would be able come up with some clever beats together. Having these artists perform together in one act would be someting fans would never forget.

MID: John Legend. Why? Because unlike many other hip-hop artists out there, I think he is one that is hard to find. This grammy winner has a voice that is compelling, songs that are catchy and lyrics that are meaningful. He is one hell of a musician. His ability to rock out the piano reminds me of a modern day Beethoven. Though he is an artists that is diferent that most hip-hop artists, he defintely has the soul, and talent to rock out in a show without any additions. He is not just a great musician, but a great performance. When he performs it reminds me of watching Arron Lewis from Staind because they both have one thing in common. of the heart, soul and passion that is behind the performance.

HEADLINER: RUN D.M.C. What Beetles are to Rock and Roll is what RUN D.M.C. is to hip hop- the Rocky of hip-hop. This group is probably one of the best hip-hop groups of all time. These guys, paved the way for so many hip-hop and rockers that liked to combine the two. Now, I am not a huge fan of the hip-hop genre, but I find myself owning several songs by them in my i-tunes including the infamous, "Rock Box." This group has a sound that before them, was never done. RUN D.M.C has an orginal, fresh, catchy sound that no one will ever be able to captivate. They were not influenced by anyone. They influence others. With funny, postive lyrics i think it would only be appropriate that beastie boys and RUN D.M.C. be in the same line up on a tour. When you have a group like this that complements each other so well vocally and musically, you don't need to add other people to the performane. RUN D.M.C. will rock the house down as the headline for this crazy, diverse what would be sold-out dream tour.

Jazz Line Up: (going old school with this one)

OPENER: Duke Ellington; so I am going a little old school with this one, because I love old school jazz/blues musicians. So I am not sure if this counts as a band because he his known for is composures. I would not be surprised if you never heard of him unless you like jazz which unfortuantly, is a genre fading out. I own his music unlike many other people my age.(Thats what I get for playing in the truimpht in my jazz band freshmen and sophmore year of High School). This guy is a legend. If you had a festival and award named after you, I think your more then well deserving to be in my Jazz dream line up. Duke is probably one of the most talanted jazz players to walk on this earth. Not only does he know how to master the piano, but he is has compoed some of the best songs of all time that many current Jazz bands may cover his composers. With Duke's passion and emotion behind each note, his music is a delight and honor to hear perform. Could you imagine him being only the opener for the concert?

MID: Billie Holiday. Must I say more? This women is an amazing vocalist. I love her. My grandfather played her music so to say the most I grew up singing "Easy Living" quit a bit. If one could resurrect Billie, she would be lind up to play on not only my dream Jazz tour, but would be highly demanded to play around the country by true jazz fans every where. Billie is so good at captivating her fans with her unique vocals, soul and passion and unique blend of tones that it would be impossible to find a modern day replica of her. As they say, she would, "Tear the house down."

HEADLINER: Frank Sinatra. Must I say more?

PUNK ROCK LINE UP:

OPENER: Rise Against. So, many people may not like the punk-rock genre, but i love it. Rise Against is a very talented band. Lead singer, Tim Mcllrath has a very unique voice along with gifted band members who write and play creative rifts and catchy chourses. Even though alot of these puck rock bands sound the same, they have their own sound and uniqueness about them. Their lyrics are not only very meaningful (Ex: Swing Life Away, Audience of one, etc.) but they have the ability to convey their emotions and have it be relatable to many others. When performing, Rise Against has energy out the roof. I think they would be an awsome band to open up on a tour. They would definetly start the tour on a rockin' note.

MID: Bayside. Listening to their music is like wispering sweet nothings into my ears. These guys are incredible. Many people may have yet to discover this band, but once they do, they will forever be changed. Lead singer Anthony Raneri knows how to sing likes he means it and play his guitar as if there were no tommorow. I have seen them perform live both at an acoustic and rock performance and they know how to rock both. Their passion and energy both are steller. Not only are they always giving but they always acknowledge their fans and get them hyped up during shows. Bayside has their own orginal sound. Lyrically they will touch your heart. Their cover of the Smoking Popes song, "Meghen," was actually better then the smoking popes version. I think this band is able to please most music fanatics, no matter what type of music you listen to. Once you see these guys, and hear their awsome preludes and rifts combined with Anthony's distinct vocals, you will be hooked and forever become part of the Bayside cult.

HEADLINER: Taking Back Sunday.These guys are a favorite of mine. Some people think they sound like the band band, The Used, but i think they are better both vocally and instrumentally. They and have such a great yet different sound to them (catchy, up-beat, head-boppin' music) and they are passionate about the music they play. I own every single album that this band came out with. There is no doubt that Taking Back Sunday would put on a great performance as a headliner. Lead singer Antonio Longo has a good, unique voice and lots of energy on stage. These guys could rock any concert tour, and leave a mark- making people know who they are and wanting more. If you can't appreciate these guys as an artist, then I don't know if you ever can appreciate music at all.

Tangents and rock n' roll

I hate cold days like this! It' always so windy in DeKalb, I swear it adds -10 to the already cold temperture outside. I am currently watching my favorite movie of all time becasuse I don't plan on going outside anytime soon- it's to COLD!



"Almost Famous." Probably one of the best movies of all time. For those of you who have never seen it, you poor souls! How deprived are you! I highly recommend renting it. So if you have never seen it heres the story line: It's about a a boy (William) who grows up in the 1960-70's era. His mother is a god-fearing women: over protective and depriving him of the realities of life which includes listening to records (or as she called it "Devil music") In a nutshell she was nuts! At 15, William is way advanced for his age--pretty much a freakin' genius and has a great talent in journalism. He lands a gig with Rolling Stones Magazine and ends up touring the country with the popular 70's southern band, Stillwater. Now, of course Rolling Stones Magazine as no idea of how old william actually is.

So my point of this tangent (which i am not sure if i have one) is that while im watching this movie and ranting on my blog, all the music on this movie reminds me of that "All American" classic rock & roll, one main reason why I love this moving so much! These classic rock bands that paved the way for others to emerge on the scene and impacted people all over the country. Its funny how quickly alot of people forget about some of the master's of music.

James Taylor, The Beatles, Bob Segar, Zeppelin, Clapton, John Denver, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, Lynard Skynard, ACDC, Elton John.......I'm out of breath! The list goes on. Sometimes I fear that future generations will forget about them, others may never hear about. As we replace the new rock heros with the old ones dosen't mean we need to forget about some of the best musicians of all time. All these rock legends have inspired and have emotionally been there for many of their fans.

Sure our generation have seen some greats rockers like Nirvana, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilie Peppers, Oasis... there's alot of them too. What all these bands from the past have and emerging bands to come in the future have in common is that they had inspiration and influence. Influece has to come from somewhere or somebody, right? Alot of current bands and past 90's bands that we grew up with were influenced by these Rock n' roll Legends. I'm not implying that there will never be great rock n' roll bands ever again because I would be lying. (Zack Wylde is probably just as good as Hendrix at perfecting the guitar. Both can play with their teeth too!) Just never forget about those that started the road and defined what good music was.

Remember, "Music speaks what cannot be expresses, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, and flows from heaven to the soul." So if you dont get that from the music you hear, then it's not good music.