This is not opinion

A post from Earthbound Discoball (I guess he���s some sort of blogstar, much to his chagrin) got me a thinkin��� about music. My tastes in music are catholic in that I like a little of everything. I subscribe to this quote from Flea:

���There are two kinds of music: soulful and unsoulful.���

And its corollary, attributed to countless people:

���There are only two kinds of music: good music and bad music.���

Similarly, although much more limiting, a quote from my good friend Aaron:

���I like all music that rocks.���

And this, because the Blues Brother is one of the very few perfect movies and absolutely the BEST movie about music and musicians ever made:

���We play both kinds of music: country AND western.���

Anyway, it���s the end of the year and that means it���s time for lists, so here���s a short list of some of my favorite music; at least for today. I���m not including all the shit you should already know and love. I will say that the Holy Trinity of American Music 1950-2000 is as follows:



You can���t get better than any of the Three, you just can���t. They were neither born nor created, but emerged fully formed from the spore of higher beings. James Brown and Iggy Pop each created entire genres practically single-handed, while Miles stretched to the limit the most advanced form of music yet created by puny humans. (That would be jazz.) Enjoy!

Melvins ��� They will crush you. Go buy Ozma and Gluey Porch Treatments and prepare for the onslaught. Don���t fight it, just let them assimilate you.

Dave Holland Quartet: Extensions ��� Forget about it, any musicians reading this should abandon all hope of being worthy to even wipe the collective asses of this group. I saw them live and it remains the most awe-inspiring musical experience I have ever witnessed. After one tune, the audience remained silent for a good 10 seconds, just absolutely stunned at what they had heard, then burst into applause.

Subset: The Lineup

1. Steve Coleman (Sax) ��� He should be an entry unto himself, as he has created the only forward thinking jazz of any quality in the past 15 years. Blistering.

2. Marvin ���Smitty��� Smith (Drums) ��� Oh my holy Jesus, I���m not exaggerating when I say that he is the best musician on the planet. Rhythms so complex yet so appropriate and FUNKY. I will GUARANTEE that he can play faster and cleaner than any drummer in history. During some of his fills, his arms were literally (and I mean that LITERALLY) a BLUR. He is so good that my eyes are welling up with man-tears just thinking about his goodness. Yes, he now plays on the Tonight Show band (as do other members of this quartet) but do not let that fool you. He will crush any drummer on EARTH.

3. Kevin Eubanks (Guitar) ��� It is a tragedy that this man is known mostly for being the doofus foil to Jay fucking Leno. His playing is so tasty, clean and FAST that Yngwie (fucking!) Malmsteen himself has constructed an elaborate, yet surprisingly portable, shrine to Mr. Eubanks that he takes with him on his tours of monster rock. Granted, Yngwie doesn't actually do this. However, if this were a just universe, he would.

4. Dave Holland (Bass) ��� Simply amazing. ���Nuff said.

Alice Donut ��� Why this band was not huge during the 90s is a mystery. Personally, I am glad for that. Picture a seedier, more tuneful Jane���s Addiction, then wipe that picture from your mind, as mental exercises like that are silly. Just go buy some of their music.

Hickey ��� You haven���t heard of them, and I���m not saying that to be cool, they just never made it past the punk rock circuit. However, they were the ONLY punk band of the 90s. Various States of Disrepair stands as one of the best punk albums ever. Matty Luv, the singer/guitarist, was not only a friend but the best live performer I have ever seen. The penultimate punk rock Andy Kaufman. He recently passed away, so too bad for you. Go here for more info and music.

Underworld and Aphex Twin ��� I fully admit to being WAY late on the whole electronic thing. Sure, I���d listened to Brian Eno, etc., but never appreciated modern electronic stuff until, you guessed it, I did some of the E. 99% of the genre is good ONLY if you���re on E, but Underworld and Aphex Twin can be safely listened to while sober. Underworld makes gorgeous songs that can actually be sung along to, and Aphex Twin is out there, man. Very complex stuff, but with a beat you can dance to!

OK, enough for today. I most likely will pepper this blog with similar lists in the future, ���cause that���s the thing to do, Drew.