Favorite Artists

[Commode]

I think it's safe to say Green Day and Nine Inch Nails are shoo-ins, as much as some people will protest it(the whole Hall is about fame after all, and inducting the most famous acts gets the Hall the most attention).  It's the other slots that'll be interesting to see.

[Avaitor]

Sting will also make it in on name value alone. I do like some of Sting's solo stuff, but there's a good couple of dozen people that I'd induct before him.

[Avaitor]

On that Foo Fighters show that I mentioned in the other thread, the band was working with Steve Albini while in Chicago. Of course, he's best known as the producer of In Utero, but that's pretty far from my favorite work of his.

I'd have to say that if we're only talking his production, these are two of my favorite albums of his. Of course, I really appreciate Big Black as well, and I also admire his production work for The Jesus Lizard, Om, and Surfer Rosa.

[Avaitor]

RIP Jack Bruce.

[Avaitor]

FINALLY got the new Opeth, and I do really like it. They're furthering themselves from metal even more, to the point that they're almost straight prog, jazzy at some points, but it works. I love Orchid too, but if you want more stuff like that, there are tons of other bands out there going for their earlier approach. I approve of Opeth's growth.

I'm not sure if it's my AOTY, though. But I certainly liked it better than Agalloch's, which left me lukewarm at best.

[Avaitor]

This year's inductees.

Definitely some good choices here (I'm glad to see Bill and Joan make it in), but let's be honest, this is Stevie's year.

[Spark Of Spirit]

He's more than due.

[Avaitor]

Also, new Weezer's good.

Like, really good. This might be my favorite album of theirs since Pinkerton. I need to listen to it again, but I almost feel tempted to call it the second coming of Blue.

[Spark Of Spirit]

He co-wrote one of the songs with Ozma. Weird.

From what I've heard, it's a pretty good album.

[Nel_Annette]

Need to give the new Opeth and Weezer another listen. There's been so much new stuff this year that I've only been able to give each album a single listen, but I remember liking the new Opeth more than Heritage. I'd still prefer it if they went back to a Watershed-esque mix of the old stuff and the new stuff, because on the whole I haven't really found the 70s-proggy-jazzy-folksy noodling stuff all that interesting. But hey, it's their band, they can do whatever keeps them happy.

[Avaitor]

Yeah, I would be happy if Opeth kept their heavier sound around, but I'm just happy that their transition away from more traditional metal jams has sounded as good as it does. They're still just as experimental and big-sounding as ever

[Avaitor]

I got to see Clutch, Torche, and Lionize at the House of Blues tonight. It was a great day, especially since I spent a lot of the day hotel hopping at Disney.

Lionize are new to me, but I dug their show pretty well. The musicians are decent, but I think my favorite part about their performance was the chemistry between the singer/guitarist and the pianist, who trade off quite well on each other. The music is definitely up the other band's alley, so it was a good fit. Good enough for me to consider trying their album out.

Torche were the band that I most wanted to see, and they did not disappoint. Their setlist was mostly based on Harmonicraft, but fans of the first LP (myself included, although I do prefer the latter) would have been pleased. They were just electric on stage, and brought most of my favorites to life with the same heavy force and pop tendencies with no problem. I just wish that I could have caught Andrew's guitar pick.

And Clutch are Clutch. If you've heard any of their stuff, you'll know what to expect. Not surprisingly, a lot of their fanbase are also big Motorhead fans. Actually, there was a moment when "Overkill" came on the loud speakers of the HOB which resembled when "Wrecking Ball" was being played during my Demi concert at the same venue. But yeah, if you like sludgey rock that skirts the line of metal and classic rock throwback, you'll love Clutch. They deliver live.

Although I have to admit, while I like most of their stuff, Clutch's music doesn't really stick with me on its own. I actually bought their new album while I was there (I've heard it a couple of times before, but decided to support the band and finally get a copy while I had the chance) and played it on the way home, and was surprised to realize that they only played one or two songs from it. Then again, Earth Rocker is almost 2 years old now, and they're just about to work on a new album. They actually played something from that tonight, and again unsurprisingly, it rocked.

[Avaitor]

Do you know what I really dig? Recorded studio performances. When an artist plays some of their material in a small studio, rather than a crappy recording of a concert performance with a lot of people in the way.

Take this for instance. The quality is completely present, and the performance is excellent.

[Avaitor]

I'm watching the season premiere of That Metal Show (guilty pleasure, shut up), and in it, Geddy Lee is hinting that this new Rush tour will probably be their last big one, primarily since Alex Lifeson wants to focus on his family now. It sucks, but it is inevitable. And now, I'm definitely going to try to see it.

[Nel_Annette]

I find Eddie Trunk to be a knob but I loves me some Geddy Lee/John Petrucci.