MUSIC

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Music really means a lot to me.  I’d have to say it’s my first love, with movies.

I used to play drums actively when I was younger.  Now it’s more or less extremely part time.  I totally respect brilliant musicians.

Favorite Drummers

So what makes a good drummer?  That’s a good question! I like a style that sticks out and makes a bold statement.  A good drummer knows when to kick ass on a kick ass song, and knows to play slow and mellow on a slow song.  I’ve heard many songs where the state of the song is slow/mellow, and the drummer is banging the living crap out of the drums.  That is not right.  The mood of the drummer needs to follow the song or the moment is just killed.  I guess this philosophy can be applied to any musician, and not just the drummer.

Favorite Bass Players

Favorite Guitarists

Favorite Vocalists

Favorite Album

My favorite album is Queensryche’s "Operation: Mindcrime".  Holy cow, is all I can say about this album.  Well that’s not exactly true – allow me to continue.  It’s the perfect mixture of frustration, intensity, diversity, education, drama, intrigue, and suspense.  It’s a hardcore album and it will sincerely kick your ass.  The story is so complex and deeply woven, and it’s completely amazing.  Queensryche has been approached to make the story into a movie, but they have denied (for whatever reason).  It’s a concept album.  It is not something you will pick up in one sitting - it will require many sittings.  If you like it even remotely the first time you hear it, then my recommendation is to be patient, and sit back and enjoy it for it’s full effect.  I have heard this album probably a couple hundred times, and I still pick up stuff on occasion when I listen to it.

Favorite Bands

Musical Geniuses

• Danny Elfman -- This guy is completely amazing.  It started with his work in Oingo Boingo to his new found happiness writing scores for movie soundtracks.  This guys is completely versatile and just incredible.

• Michael Kamen -- Another incredible musical scorer.  He's done stuff with rock bands such as Rush and Queensryche, and Metallica (S&M).  A very impressive resume and it seems like he can write a score to anything and make it come out awesome.

• Scott Rockenfield -- Not only does he drum for Queensyrche, and not only is he one of the best drummers of our time (my favorite!), but he does scores too!  His resume included TV commercials as swell as movie scores for a couple of films.  In addition, his scoring has gotten him a Grammy Nomination. Oh yeah – did I mention he plays keyboards too? This dude is one of the true geniuses of our generation.

• Neil Peart -- If you've heard any Rush songs, you've probably noticed that the lyrics are pretty intense.  Very personal, very introspective, very intuitive, and the list goes on.  Well Neil Peart writes all of Rush's lyrics and has since he joined the band.  He is one of the truly great lyricists of our time.  Add to that, one of the most influencial and innovative drummers of all time, and you have a musical genius.

  • I get a lot of people asking me why I think Neil Peart is the best drummer.  There are lots of new drummers who are good and I will agree with that.  Neil still does one thing that I've never seen any drummer do (yet).  He uses his left foot to play digital drum tracks.  Every other drummer I know of only uses their left foot to keep the count.  If you'd like an example, check out either of the following songs: "Mystic Rhythms" on the Power Windows album (left foot is making the clap sound every other measure, and still opening and closing the high hat!), or "Animate" on the Counterparts album (left foot makes the tambourine sound during the bridge before the solo).  I have also not found a percussionist as good as Neil.

• Phil Collins -- I shouldn't have to say much about this dude.  He was drummer for Genesis, and when Peter Gabriel left, he started doing the singing.  Both his career with Genesis and his solo career are completely impressive.

• Dave Grohl - Dave was the drummer for Nirvana.  Nirvana was huge.  When a band that huge breaks up, the odds are certainly against you to form another successful band.  Well Dave Grohl did just that.  The Foo Fighters are even better than Nirvana (in my opinion, of course).  But not only that - Dave Grohl also plays guitar instead of drums.  He writes some awesome songs.  Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl are definitely worth a look-see.

• Rick Rubin -- This guy is the super producer of all time. He’s worked with a wide variety of musical tastes and finds a way to bring out the best performances in everyone. Here is a list of some of the bands he has worked with: Slayer, Johnny Cash, System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, LL Cool J, Danzig, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Sheryl Crow, and many others. I see lots of diversity there, and I respect the living hell out of that. It’s completely amazing if you ask me.

• Peter Collins -- Another awesome producer worth mentioning. Much the same as Rick Rubin – an impressive list of artists. Here’s a sample: Queensryche, Rush, Indigo Girls, Leann Rimes, Billy Squier, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Music Resources

• All Music Guide -- This is a great resource to find out information about anything musically, such as album credits, band rosters, album titles, etc. It’s a great music database!

Last update:Wednesday, December 03, 2008