I Love the Bands I Love

Remember the strength of our bonds to bands back in high school?   We were passionate about our music, and would defend our taste from any classmates.    Sometimes you had to pick sides -- you couldn't be a Stones and  Beatles fan at the same time.  In its exquisite extreme, I had friends who were exclusionists, devoted to one and only one band.    There was the Neil Young guy, the Eric Clapton guy, the Jimi Hendrix guy, and legions of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd guys.   I worked with a friend who played Springsteen non-stop at the office for at least 10 hours a day. I say guys because in high school they took music much more seriously than girls.  Since then, I have met many women who are as devoted to music.

While I have changed quite a bit since high school, I still love music, and my devotion to recording artists is strong.  When I find an artist who is new to me, I explore their catalog and listen to live versions of their songs.    I also listen to songs over and over, especially if I'm trying to learn them. 

It's fun to find a new artist or discover a new side to a musician that you never encountered before.  I will share some of my favorites, especially the ones you may not know, on this blog.

Here are some artists that you may not know who are high on my list of favorites:

Bobby Bare, Jr. -- alt-country at its best from the heir to a Nashville legend.

Whitehorse -- Canadian duo specializing in Americana. I have seen them live when they come to town and hope to see them on their home turf.

Devil Doll -- I would start with her Queen of Pain album.