7 Bands That Made Me Do What I Do
Every music site I sign up for has the same Influences field. To say that an artist influenced me is rather trivial… I may not like 50 Cent, but his work has influenced me (in the “dear God don’t ever let me sound like that” kind of way).
There are a certain number of acts, however, that throughout my development have made me want to play better, write better, entertain better, and be better. They are the ones that made me ask, “why can’t I do that?” And then I asked, “what can I do to be like that?” It’s the line between influence and inspiration, and there’s 7 on my list that cross that line.
Of course, to read the list you’re going to need to travel around the net a little. I’m posting one inspiring act here, but the rest are elsewhere. Here’s where you’ll find them:
- Ben Folds – Facebook
- Pat Monihan/Train – MySpace
- Jason Mraz – iLike
- Pink Floyd – Last.fm
- Billy Joel – Stereofame
- Dave Matthews Band – PMN
- Derek Webb – Here!
Derek Webb
Once a lead singer for Caedmon’s Call, he’s got to be the single most inspiring songwriter I encountered during my formative years. I never heard of him until I interned at his record label in 2000. They handed me a pre-master copy of “Long Line Of Leavers” (the best album that band ever made) and I heard the song “What You Want”. Good God, everything was right about that song. The lyrics were heart-wrenching, honest, and somehow still inspiring. The melody was simple and powerful. The production- holy cow, the production. It started out at a slow, easy pace but added one layer at a time until it reached a mighty crescendo with the bridge section.. but it still let you down easy at the end.
It’s at that point, when every aspect of a song is working together, that it’s no longer about the construction or execution of music. This was art, a language of emotion. Everything I loved about Caedmon’s Call was due entirely to Derek’s input, though tragically his latest solo works haven’t lit the fire in me the way he used to. I hold out great hope, though, for he is still trying to work outside the Nashville formula and speak directly to people’s hearts.
For the rest of the artists, just click on one of the links above!
