Been a long time since I took one of these silly surveys.
Enjoy.
THE GOOD STUFF
What is your favourite genre of music?
- Genres confuse me. I think that I like techno/synth/elentronica and rock, with a touch of pop here and there… and I can stand clean rap when it is mixed with one of those, but not on its own…. have i confused you yet?
Why?
- Some music just catches me. Grew up on Christian and classic rock. Was enthralled with British techno when I first heard it in the 90s. It’s all very complicated.
Name your favourite bands:
- Jars of Clay, BT, Imogen Heap, Kevin Max….
Name your favourite solo artist(s):
- Kevin Max, Imogen Heap (at the least, they both have sweet names)
What is your favourite album?
- Oh, so many…. overall, it would have to be either The Eleventh Hour by Jars of Clay or This Binary Universe by BT (see what I mean about complex and contradictory tastes?)
What is your favourite album cover?
- Um…
Name your favourite song(s):
- I tend to “kill” (drastically overplay until I can’t stand to listen to them for a few weeks) my favorite songs, so I’ll give you a few of the one that keep bouncing up to the top: “Breathe Me” -Sia, “The Antikythera Mechanism” -BT, “Grace” -Jars of Clay, and “Hummingbirds” -Venus Hum
Favourite CD you own:
- Um… Lets go back to that “favorite album” item.
Favourite song on your computer:
- I listen almost exclusively to digital music. Oh, I buy CDs, but they are ripped immediately and put in a safe place.
Favourite song you DON’T have:
- For the moment… Newton Faulkner’s cover of “Teardrop.” I love the original and enjoy the cover.
Favourite lyrics:
- “God I admit I love these chains / playing card houses / still covering my landscape / I never expected you to stay / while I’m grabbing for these crumbs and cold loose change / I feel your grace come running over every road.” -Jars of Clay
“Skipping beats / Blushing cheeks / I am… struggling… / Daydreaming / Bed scenes in… the corner cafe / And then I’m left in bits recovering tectonic… / Tremblings… / You get me every time.” -Imogen Heap
“Again last night I had that strange dream / where everything was exactly how it seemed / no concerns about the world getting warmer / people thought that they were just being rewarded / for treating others as they’d like to be treated / for obeying stop signs and curing diseases / for mailing letters with the address of the sender / now we can swim any day in november.” -The Postal Service
“Lord I don’t know where all this is going / or how it all works out / lead me to peace that’s beyond understanding / a peace beyond all doubt.” -Newsboys
“It’s in despair that I find faith / to summon the night and bow down to day / if ignorance is bliss / won’t you save me from my sins /then I see you with your eyes open wide and you try to embrace me / these lonely tears I cry they keep me in chains and I wish they’d release me / cold the night but colder still is the heart made of stone turned from clay / and if you’d follow me you’d see all the black all the white fade to grey.” -Jars of Clay
“From the word of a mystic monk to a drunk on the edge of a nightmare so it ends / everywhere there’s joy there is also dread / from the throne of a militant king with the wings of the fallen as they start to sing / inside I am just like you / and we want everything to end…” -Kevin Max
Favourite vocalists:
Male: Kevin Max, Bono
Female: Imogen Heap, Annette Strean (Venus Hum)
Favourite guitarist:
- ?
Favourite bassist:
- ?
Favourite drummer:
- ?
Favourite instrumentalist (any instrument not mentioned above):
- BT (If you count building your instruments from bits and pieces of electronics or summoning them in entirety from the digital aether).
THE BAD STUFF
What’s your least favourite genre of music?
- Most rap. Screaming, grinding, incomprehensible metal.
Who’s your least favourite band?
- I have an irrational hatred for Angels and Airwaves because they have such a cool name but such lousy music and lyrics.
Who do you think is the most annoying musician?
- There are many.
If you could shoot any “artist” or “band”, who would it be?
- I am attempting to cultivate a loving, peaceful nature. Even when my dark side wins out, I would never contemplate such extreme action merely for producing crumby music.
Who do you think is the least talented?
- There are many.
Least favourite song:
- I HATE “Sex and Candy” and “There She Goes.” GHA!!!
Most annoying song:
- It’s worth saying again: I HATE “Sex and Candy” and “There She Goes.” GHA!!!
Last song to be stuck in your head:
- “Мальчик-гей” -t.A.T.u.
It is worth mentioning that “Signal to Noise” by Peter Gabriel was stuck in my head for days this week.
Did this survey just get that song stuck in your head again?
- Nope.
Worst band that used to be good?
- Newsboys. They are coming back, but I was extremely disappointed when they went along with the whole “Christian Music” industry and produces two “praise” records. Sorry folks, but that (along with WWJD and Prayer of Jabez) felt more like profiteering then revival to me. In fact, it was that movement that drove me to listen to more “secular” music.
A good band that used to suck?
- DC Talk. Their first two records were terrible 80s style rap/gospel. Yes. They rapped the verses and had gospel choir-style singing for the chorus. Then their last three albums were excellent.
YOUR MUSICAL BACKGROUND
What was the first music you remember listening to?
- “Alligator in the Elevator” by Rick Charette.
What, you said, “first.”
What type of music do your parents listen to?
- Dad likes bluegrass and classic rock.
Mother likes…. um… sometimes holiday music (Christmas, Hanukkah, Passover….)
Do you play any musical instruments, or sing?
- I love to sing, but don’t like showing it off. I have dabbled in drums, guitar, piano, and violin. Of these, only violin cam anywhere close to “listenable.”
Do you take lessons for instruments or voice? If so, for how long?
- I endured three years of terribly embarrassing violin recitals.
Do you plan to / have you gone to college for music?
- Nope. Though I would love to learn more about recording. Admittedly, I dream that a certain lady I know will let me produce her albums some day.
Who are your musical inspirations?
- BT for creating so much from nothing.
Who was your first favorite band or artist?
- Newsboys. Was obsessed with them until I was about 12. Then DC talk took over. Then came the intense Kevin Max phase (18-20).
Who is your most recent favorite band or artist?
- Imogen Heap.
What styles of music are you interested in learning about?
- The musical stylings of the 27th century. What will it be like then?
Do you know much about musical theory? If not, would you like to?
- Enough to smile and nod when people start talking about it.
How many different music teachers do you have, or have you had?
- Dad. Mom. Sister. Self. Violin teacher who wore “Brew Thru” shirts. Violin teacher who disappeared suddenly and mysteriously. Another violin teacher.
THIS OR THAT
Classical or jazz? – Classical.
Classic rock or modern rock? – Black is white, and I will like both until I get run over at a zebra crossing.
Rock or Rap? – Rock.
Emo or Punk? – Emo.
Funk or Blues? – um…. dunno… guess we’ll go with blues out of respect of Louis Armstrong and the like.
Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin? – Pink Floyd flew away on their Led Zepplin to the dark side of the moon after a music agent asked, “which of you is pink,” after which they all realized that, contrary to the music executive’s prediction, they did not go down.
Which is a long way of saying that I can’t even assuredly say which is which.
Bob Marley or Michael Franti? – ??? Does not compute.
Coldplay or Radiohead? – Ug. I guess Coldplay because they are not so depressing.
John Mayer or Jack Johnson? – Um…
Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera? – Beneath my dignity to answer.
The Beatles or the Rolling Stones? – The Beatles.
Beethoven or Mozart? – Beethoven
Rachmaninoff or Debussy? – Both.
Duke Ellington or Count Basie? – Duke, for the name.
Electric or acoustic? – ELECTRIC
Saxophone or trumpet? – Saxophone.
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Those who know me know how much I am into music, and I am always discovering new music through friends and the Internet. Of all my latest musical discoveries, I am especially eager to share this one: a Mexican rock singer named Ely Guerra. Most anglophones have probably not heard of her before (hell, I hadn’t heard of her until a few months ago, being more into French than Spanish music), so read on for more!
