MUSIC

(Update forthcoming)

I've played bass since I was 10 years old. Find out more here.

I'm in a band called lo-boy. Find out more here.

I run a small, not for profit recording studio called The Velvet Ear. Find out more here.

And of course I listen.

Below, you'll find a list of bands/artists I like with three caveats:

1. "If we examine the current practice of music criticism, it is evident that the work (or its performance) is always translated with the poorest of linguistic categories: the adjective.” -- Roland Barthes, “The Grain of the Voice.”

2. My tastes are eclectic but not universal. Just because I like it doesn't mean you will like it. It's no big thing: musical taste is incredibly fragmented in our culture. Go figure.

3. Yes, I like other stuff too.

Some People Who Play Music I Like:

Houston -- "High quality rawk" from Minneapolis. Awesome singing and walls of sound, together as you've always wanted them.

Shiner -- Truly massive Kansas City Indyrock

Aereogramme -- They're pretty, then they're loud, then they're pretty again.

Massive Attack -- The sun around which all trip-hop orbits. Did I mention they have really good politics? A special bonus, since we all know good politics don't always make for good music. Website's a little heavy on the pop-ups, so watch out.

Dalek -- Underground hip hop with some really cool sounds

Bill Lasswell -- Incredibly prolific dub bassist and producer who explodes genre boundaries. I don't think he has one site, but this will at least get you somewhere. There's a great interview with him at innerviews.org.

Soma Mestizo -- Groovy everything-fusion from Pittsburgh

DJ Shadow -- One of them new-fangled DJs!

DJ Spooky -- Awesome sounds, and he's an intellectual, too

Elders of Zion -- Cut up, reassembled, and very interesting

Charlie Hunter -- 8 string guitar: he sounds like a guitarist AND a bassist all at once.

P-Funk -- When the Panthers started to get shot and go to jail, George Clinton and P-Funk went to outer space. THE mothership for all funk.

Prince -- The Artist once again known as Prince. High heels, amazing musicianship and prolific songwriting.

Mark Deutch -- He plays a bazantar, which is an upright bass and a sitar all in one. Yes, he owns the patent. Amazing sounds and textures.

Moloko -- One part P-Funk, one part trip hop, and a touch of sugar

Radiohead -- Yes, of course

Ring, Cicada -- Instrumental rock

Mogwai -- Instrumental rock

Laika and the Cosmonauts -- Kooky surf rock

Los Staightjackets -- Surf rock and Mexican wrestling masks, together as you've always wanted them!

Rectangle -- Really original indyrock from Chambana, IL

Lake Trout -- Jam band + Radiohead = Pretty + Tons of Ear Candy. Outstanding live show, and I'm not a jam band kind of guy.

Mos Def -- Most definitely one of the best rappers out there. Check out Black Star

The Roots -- Hip hop, live instruments, tasty grooves

Beam -- Totally improvisational hip hop/trip hop fusion with a drummer who can actually play those 1000bpm jungle beats when he wants to and a positive MC.

Man or Astroman -- Last time I saw them, the lit a theremin on fire and played it. Oh yeah, it's intense surf music combined with incomprehensible space jargon. Fun!

Tortoise -- Slow, melodic, creative

Tribe Called Quest -- Hip hop that needs no introduction

Brian Eno -- Producer and intellectual. Godfather of ambient music. Unreachable by internet.

Teddy Duchamp's Army -- Godfathers of Pittsburgh punk

Collapse Into Reason -- Industrial, but with a real drummer

The Butchies -- Melodic indyrock

Sneaker Pimps -- Home made trip hop. They got better once they fell off the U.S. charts, even though they were good when they hit the charts.

Kittie -- Three women bringing back old school heavy metal.

Amon Tobin -- Cool jazzy electornica. His earlier project, Cujo, also rocks.

And now, some defunct bands and artists that once rocked but rock no more:

Hum, Braid, Failure, Trip Shakespeare, Sarge, Love Cup, Archers of Loaf, Team Dresch, Christal Methodists, Hugo Largo, Beezus, Mingus Mingus Mingus, Portishead, Public Enemy, All the Quiet, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd (yes, they still release albums, but that's another thing), Hooverphonic (same deal), Antarctica (80s synthrock, but in the 90s), and on and on.

Some More Music Links:

innerviews.org -- Really, really great interviews with musicians.

mp3.com -- They're not particularly hip, their website is filled with annoying popups, and their revenue sharing thing is a racket. But where else can unknown artists with no resources except a recording of themselves post their music?

The Pittsburgh Area Shows List -- sporadically maintained, but oh so useful.

Pittsburgh City Paper -- your other source for local music goings on

Mr. Roboto Project -- a cool little DIY venue

WPTS -- Pitt's radio station

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