Musical interest roll call

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Yeah, but I could eat a hot dog and call myself a fan of food.

I don't necessarily disagree with some of your main point here; that understanding the background of music can contribute to your enjoyment of it, but I also think that saying you can't be a fan of a genre without [insert album here] is pretty limiting, especially when the albums in question aren't (entirely, at least) metal and definitely don't describe the breadth of the genre as it is now.

I mean, I could say that you must listen to DEPs Miss Machine in order to be a fan of metal, and you'd probably be like fuck you Shadow Ninja, what the hell is this shit.

And you would be right to do so.

There's a point in here somewhere. Unsure whether salient or not.

[Ruba]

And PG, Ruba, I meant it to spark conversation, not insult you, so take it for what it is.

My comment was written tongue in cheek and I doubt anyone would feel insulted by your original comment. So it's all cool.

I do sometimes like to check out artists some of my favourites have been influenced by.

[ProfessorPeart]

I thought this would drive my OCD nuts but it wasn't too bad. I keep adding things and I just need to go with my first instinct. So, here it is.

-What is your favorite band?

     Rush, Opeth, Katatonia

-What are some of your all-time favorite albums?

     Psycho Motel – Welcome To The World
     Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mining
     Opeth – Blackwater Park
     Katatonia – The Great Cold Distance
     Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
     Bad Religion – Against The Grain
     Anthrax - Persistence Of Time
     The Dead Deads – Rainbeau
     The Dead Deads – For Your Obliteration
     Frank Gambale – Coming To Your Senses
     Spock’s Beard – V
     Killing Joke – 2003 S/T
     Veruca Salt – Eight Arms To Hold You
     Tool – Lateralus
     Soen – Lykaia
     Killer Be Killed – S/T
     Nightmare - Dead Sun

-What is your favorite genre/subgenre?  Which do you "identify" with most closely?

     Metal / Prog

-What was your musical journey in life like?

     Got a paper route as a kid to support my CD purchases. I started buying them shortly after the medium came out. Joined BMG and Columbia House and       never looked back. Have at least 2000 CD’s now and still growing.

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?

     Dad – Oldies and Country
     Mom – Rock, Hard Rock, Pop, Metal

-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity?

     Rage Against The Machine – S/T
     Pearl Jam – Ten
     Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms

     See fave list above. I could go one forever.


-How do you feel about the following genres/subgenres?
•   Classic rock
            Enjoy a lot of it

•   Modern rock
            Not sure if I listen to a lot of modern rock

•   Classic prog
            Love it

•   Modern prog
            Love it

•   Prog metal
            Enjoy it quite a bit

•   Power metal
            Can’t say I have a lot but I certainly don’t dislike

•   Classic metal
            Love it

•   Hair metal
            Not a big fan of true hair metal. Many bands I really like are classified as such and I disagree with it.

•   Grunge
           Outside of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains – can’t say I have much.

•   Thrash metal
           Love it

•   Nu metal
           Hate it, for the most part

•   Death and/or black metal
           Really can only tolerate Opeth

•   Pop
           I enjoy a lot of Pop – Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos, P!nk, Colbie Caillat, Natalie Imbruglia, etc.

•   Jazz
           Only really like Fusion and Big Band Swing. Has to be instrumental as well.

•   Classical
            Nope

•   rap/hip-hop
            Very little and mostly old school.

•   R&B
            Nope, not really.

•   Punk
            Love Bad Religion and early Offspring. Can’t say I have much else but I do love the genre.

[Crow]

metal is defined as "whatever the average 40-year-old of the time considers too heavy"

[Ninjabait]

-What is your favorite band?

Dream Theater, naturally!

-What are some of your all-time favorite albums?

The Astonishing, Scenes from a Memory, The Mountain, The Human Equation, Octavarium, NeO's Urn and Portal of I, The Old Man and the Spirit, Diablo Swing Orchestra's Pandora's Pinata, SDoIT, ADToE, The Theory of Everything, all three of iamthemorning's albums, and Howard Shore's score to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. There's way too many to list!

-What is your favorite genre/subgenre?  Which do you "identify" with most closely?

Late-Classical up to Late Romantic classical music. Stuff like Beethoven, Dvorak, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, etc.

-What was your musical journey in life like?

Childhood: Alternative rock, some ska, Now! That's What I Call Music
Adolescence: Progressive and Symphonic Metal, J-pop and J-rock, Alternative Rock
Late High School - Early College: Classical, Jazz, Musical Theater, Progressive Rock and Metal, Alternative Rock
Now: EVERYTHING that's not atonal

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?

I grew up in a single parent household and my mom didn't listen to much music that I can remember.

-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity?

Some of these aren't albums buuuuut:

Dream Theater - The Astonishing (my all time favorite album)
Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (what got me interested in pursuing music as a career)
Howard Shore's score for The Lord of the Rings (probably one of the greatest pieces of music ever)
Puccini's La Boheme (my first opera!)
Prokofiev's Symphony Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (a piece that cemented my love for classical music and was my "gateway drug")
Taylor Swift - 1989; Lorde - Melodrama; Carly Rae Jepsen - E-MO-TION (the three albums that got me into pop)
Haken - The Mountain (really broadened my horizon into other genres, like electronic music)
Liszt's Piano Sonata (this had an EXTRAORDINARY impact on me as a composer and music theorist, got me really interested in form and structure)
Rachmaninoff's 2nd and 3rd Piano Concertos (still two of my favorite pieces of music EVER alongside Octavarium, and some of the biggest inspiration wells I have)
Beethoven's Piano Sonatas (is this cheating? Yes. But I've been studying them so much lately that it doesn't matter)
A weird example, but the 1000 Folk Song Fake Book, which got me really interested in folk music and was a masterclass in good melody writing.

-How do you feel about the following genres/subgenres?

I'm probably going to like all of them lol.

Classic rock

[Assuming we're talking about Journey-esque 80s rock stuff] A bit simplistic at times, but it's great fun in small doses.

Modern rock

[Assuming we're talking about Imagine Dragons-esque stuff] See above.

Classic prog

I love it. I think we only really remember the great stuff like Close to the Edge and Dark Side of the Moon, but there's probably a lot of crap that got released during the 70s and early 80s that we've forgotten. Even so, Yes, Floyd, and Camel are some of my favorite bands. Really pushed the boundaries of what rock could be.

Modern prog

Ehhhh, it seems like it's mostly trying to live in the past rather than do anything new and "progressive". Sometimes that gives us great stuff like Neal Morse or truly innovative artists like iamthemorning, but most of it is mediocre and kinda dull tbh.

Prog metal

I like the big bands like DT, Tool, Ayreon, Opeth, SX, NeO, PT, SW, and DSO. Most of it is eh though, for the same reasons as above.

Power metal

Sometimes can be a bit much for me, but the more conservative and orchestral stuff like Blind Guardian is always welcome in my ears.

Classic metal

You mean stuff like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and the like? It's hit or miss for me honestly, and not my go to for when I want to listen to metal.

Hair metal

I honestly just file this under classic rock most of the time lol, I know they're different but I just don't care.

Grunge

I've always liked it. Weirdly enough tho, Nirvana is probably my least favorite grunge band. I've always been more of a Soundgarden or Alice in Chains kinda guy.

Thrash metal

Eh, see classic metal. I haven't kept up with modern thrash so idk what to say about that.

Nu metal

I like it, honestly. Was there some cheesy stuff? Yeah, of course, it's metal. Was there some really great stuff? Yeah, of course, it's metal. Bands like Linkin Park and Disturbed are great imo

Death and/or black metal

I like the more melodic, techy, and progressive stuff. The stuff with over the top cheesy satanic lyrics can get out tho. I'm also not much of a fan of "rawer" black metal (not to be confused with "rawr" black metal, which is played in Hot Topics across Norway). It just sounds bad to my ears.

pop

tbh my go to music for when I want to have a fun, good time or want a short thing to listen to. Probably gets crapped on more than it deserves, as there's a lot of good stuff here. Lorde, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, etc. All great music. Honestly, one of my favorite genres outside of classical and metal.

jazz

Best enjoyed live! I really enjoy jazz and studied it a little bit when I was in my music program. I much prefer to listen to it live, because that way you get to capture the feeling of spontaneity and improvisation. Also, tickets are usually SUPER cheap. Like most jazz concerts I go to are $0-$10 because they're mostly hosted by music schools and music students lol.

classical

Probably my favorite genre, and also my least favorite genre. I love a lot of the stuff in the "common practice period" (basically the Baroque up to and including Romanticism) and listening to and studying classical music has totally changed how I listen to every other genre and made me more appreciative and open minded about other kinds of music. A lot of the best music I've ever heard has been classical and a lot of the artists and music I most enjoy are in this genre.

But that said, modern classical is kind of a dumpster fire after you move on from the undergraduate stuff. It pursues innovation at all costs, even if the music that's being written isn't good. There's kind of this toxic attitude that that composer is separated from and "above" his audience and it doesn't matter if they like it or not, because he is an artistic genius. There's also a lot of expectation that you'll write in an atonal/serialist/expressionist style while in school and more tonal composers are often accused of selling out. It's led to this weird situation where the majority of what you hear is established standards rather new music being performed. There's still some really good stuff being put out there (like the minimalists and Elena Kats-Chernin's ballet "Wild Swans"), but most of the music I've heard recently has sounded rather...uninspired. There's complex historical reasons for all of this that I won't get into right now, but it jut frustrates me to no end.

rap/hip-hop

I've liked what I've heard so far. Probably should listen to more. One of the genres I'm the newest to tbh.

R&B

Always been hella confused by what R&B actually is. It may just be my modern bias, but R&B and Pop are mostly indistinguishable and it seems like black artists get the R&B label and white artists are labeled as Pop. If that's the case, can't we just merge them into one? Segregating music based on the race of the artist is so...1950.

punk

I like pop-punk and the emo scene! Punk punk has never been my thing tho. I'm not really a fan of that SO RAW IT BLEEEEEDS sound and I'm clearly not the target audience for it lol. I respect it for what it is, but it's not for me.

other

My "other" favorite genre! No, but seriously, here's my thoughts on some miscellaneous genres that got skipped over:

Trance - I like the more complicated psytance stuff like Juno Reactor and Infected Mushroom (the kind that's "borderline" psytrance) and some goa trance. Haven't really delved into the uplifting stuff yet.
French House - in terms of electronic music, this is my JAM. Stuff like Justice, Madeon, and Daft Punk are all great.
Electro House - my OTHER electronic jam. Should probably try and find more stuff in this genre.
Complextro/Glitch Hop - I dig it. I haven't really delved to deep yet.
K-pop - Starting to get into it. Really digging some things I've heard so far.
Classic dubstep (+ Chillstep) - hit or miss for me so far. I like some of it (Submotion Orchestra is great), but some of it has been dreadfully boring.
Brostep - Skrillex is really good, everything else I've heard I have to be in the mood for.
Progressive EDM genres - Believe it or not this is totally different from Progressive Rock and Metal. I've mostly found it incredibly boring.
IDM (+ Techno too I guess?) - I like some of it. Some of it is a bit much for me. Hate the genre name.
Metalcore - I actually like this stuff quite a bit lol. Especially the bands that take more influence from pop-punk and have a catchier edge to them. That's the good stuff
Folk/traditional music - I like the really traditional throwback stuff. The more modern tunes are kinda eh imo, lol.
Funk/Disco - I've been getting into this more! I've been pretty much loving everything.
Swing Revival - The kinda jazz that I listen to at home. More pop and vocal jazz influence, less emphasis on improv. Still some great, swingin' tunes.
Musical Theater - LOVE it. Really, I find it kinda hard to listen to on my own because the visuals are so important to telling the story. But I love seeing it live or on YouTube. I don't think I've been disappointed by a musical I've been to yet. I've even been to a world premiere and lemme tell ya, THAT was exciting!
Opera - Same as above, except I haven't been to a world premiere yet (I've been to a 2nd ever showing tho)
Contemporary Christian - You know how I said I liked most genres? This isn't one of them. And I'm Christian.
Symphonic metal - Has the same problem as a lot of metal, where I've heard so much of it a lot of it can sound boring. The really great stuff like Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, and modern Blind Guardian are fantastic. English usually sounds terrible with operatic vocals tho.
Indie rock - It's decent. Haven't made too much of an effort to dive deeper tho. Probably should fix that.
Djent - 01001001 00100000 01101100 01101001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01110011 01101111 01101101 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101001 01110100 00101110

[cramx3]

Is Disturbed considered Nu metal?  I guess I should add that to why I do like some nu metal.  Its funny cause no band wants to be labelled as nu metal so I have no idea which fringe type of bands actually are nu metal.  I feel like Slipknot and Disturbed may be Nu metal. 

[TAC]

-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity?

KISS Alive II
AC/DC Back In Black
Def Leppard-High n Dry
UFO-Strangers In The Night
Michael Schenker Group-MSG
Helloween-Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt.1
Dream Theater-Images And Words

Other than Helloween - just not familiar (though I heard a Michael Kiske solo song that blew me away!) - this is like a master class in metal.  These are Mt. Rushmore albums right here. I'd go so far to say that you don't have to LIKE them, but if you don't KNOW these, you can't credibly call yourself a metal fan.  Boom, I said that.

Statements like the highlighted one bug the crap out of me, but I'll leave that as it is.  As for the rest of this, I'm with you on the "master class" idea, and I'd agree that Back in Black is a "Mt. Rushmore of Metal Album," but none of the others belong.

I'll defer to you and others about Kiss, but I always thought the first Alive album was more highly regarded.

With respect to Def Leppard, I think you'd get a ton of argument that either Pyromania or Hysteria is the more appropriate "Mt. Rushmore album."

Strangers in the Night is no worse than my second favorite live album of all time, but I don't think any UFO album -- much less a Michael Schenker Group album -- goes on any "Mt. Rushmore" of metal.

And, as much as I love DT, the reality is that no DT album is going on any "Mt. Rushmore" unless it's for prog prog metal.

You can't have a "Mt. Rushmore" of metal without Back in Black, something by Sabbath and something by Metallica.  As for the fourth band, I'm not sure who it is, but it ain't UFO, Schenker or DT (maybe Kiss, but I think that spurs the whole "is Kiss really a metal band" debate).

Yeah, I'm not saying these are my Mount Rushmore of metal albums. The question was what do you consider classic to "your" (my) musical identity. These are the albums that I feel most influenced me in my musical direction. they were "turning points" for me.

I posted my 10 favorite albums in my original response.

[Ninjabait]

What is Classic Rock now a days?

  Good question.  I remember seeing a package tour with REO, Styx, and Journey back in around 2002 or so.  At one point during Styx's set, Tommy Shaw was talking to the audience and said, "Man, the other day, I heard one of our songs on a 'classic rock' station!  I guess that means we're...'classic rock' now?  Man, does that mean I'm old?"  Or something along those lines.

Nirvana and the grunge wave is often considered classic rock nowadays. The emo/nu-metal/gothic rock wave of the early 2000s is heading that way now too.

•   jazz
I think jazz might be a bit too slow for me to get into, but I think it’s a good platform for musicians to show what they can do.
•   classical
I don’t enjoy classical.  I mean if there are some classical music that is loud, intense sometimes, and have meaningful lyrics that relates to me, sign me up for that

Re: jazz - Bebop and hard bop might be your speed. Literally. The tempos can get up to a blistering 300bpm, and a lot of the tempos are in the 200bpm range. Classic dancier swing jazz like Ellington and Swing Revival can hit 200bpm ranges too. I've always thought of jazz as one of the fastest genres out there so reading this was surprising lol

Re: classical - "Loud and intense" basically describes Late Romanticism (Wagner onwards) and Early Modernism (like Stravinsky). As for meaningful lyrics...eh. That's not really the focus, and most of it is in German/Latin/Italian/French/sometimes Russian anyways.

Is Disturbed considered Nu metal?  I guess I should add that to why I do like some nu metal.  Its funny cause no band wants to be labelled as nu metal so I have no idea which fringe type of bands actually are nu metal.  I feel like Slipknot and Disturbed may be Nu metal. 

I've always considered those two nu metal and most people I've talked to do too. Disturbed, Slipknot, KоЯn, Papa Roach, and Linkin Park are solid examples of Nu Metal I think.

[Anguyen92]

I think this is my ignorance speaking and thought that playing jazz was similar to playing saxophone at a slow pace,  Maybe, I'm mistaking it for blues and I could be wrong at that as well.  I am that uncultured, but I'm willing to learn if I'm intrigued about it.  I don't mind the sound of bombast brass instruments being played at a good pace.  Maybe, it's something I can listen to more as background music.

[The Walrus]

I think this is my ignorance speaking and thought that playing jazz was similar to playing saxophone at a slow pace,  Maybe, I'm mistaking it for blues and I could be wrong at that as well.  I am that uncultured, but I'm willing to learn if I'm intrigued about it.  I don't mind the sound of bombast brass instruments being played at a good pace.  Maybe, it's something I can listen to more as background music.

There's a whole lot of different jazz out there. It's awesome background music

[TAC]

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?
    Mom – Rock, Hard Rock, Pop, Metal

I love your Mom!  You're father is a lucky man!

[ProfessorPeart]

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?
    Mom – Rock, Hard Rock, Pop, Metal

I love your Mom!  You're father is a lucky man!

Yeah, Mom was pretty cool. She saw Tesla, Skid Row (with Bach) and others in concert. Sadly, cancer took her several years ago. She was only 62. I definitely got my taste in music from her.

EDIT: Totally forgot the she freaking saw Queensryche with me at The Vic in Chicago. She loved QR and this was during the Tater years.

[dparrott]

-What is your favorite band? Blur

-What are some of your all-time favorite albums? Blur-Great Escape, DT-SFAM, Nas-Illmatic, Fat Boys-Big & Beautiful, Beasties-Licensed To Ill

-What is your favorite genre/subgenre?  Which do you "identify" with most closely? Old school rap.  I still speak 80's rap slang

-What was your musical journey in life like? 80's radio pop, 80's rap, 90's metal/grunge/DT, branched out from there

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up? Not much

-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity? Fat Boys-Big & Beautiful, Beasties-Licensed To Ill, Run-DMC - Raising Hell

-How do you feel about the following genres/subgenres?

    Classic rock - I like some of it
    Modern rock - I like some of it
    Classic prog - Don't know much
    Modern prog - Don't know much
    Prog metal - Only a few bands
    power metal - Nah
    Classic metal - Only a few bands
    Hair metal - Nah
    Grunge - Only a few bands
    Thrash metal - Metallica and Megadeth is all I remember
    Nu metal - No
    Death and/or black metal - In the 90's yes, not anymore
    pop - 60's-80's yea, nothing new
    jazz - It's ok
    classical - Boring
    rap/hip-hop - Love old school, hate the new shit
    R&B - I like 70's-90's
    punk - Do Green Day and Offspring count?  probably not
    other - I like funk, disco, shoegaze, dark indie rock, classic britpop, some electronic, some post rock, blues

[Ninjabait]

I think this is my ignorance speaking and thought that playing jazz was similar to playing saxophone at a slow pace,  Maybe, I'm mistaking it for blues and I could be wrong at that as well.  I am that uncultured, but I'm willing to learn if I'm intrigued about it.  I don't mind the sound of bombast brass instruments being played at a good pace.  Maybe, it's something I can listen to more as background music.

Here's a quick rundown. First, the ensemble types:

Chamber jazz:
Solo piano/guitar: Yup. Self-explanatory.

Jazz piano trio: Bass/Drums/Piano. Often referred to as the "rhythm section" in other settings. Piano can often be subbed for guitar.

Quartet: A rhythm section, but with a "front-line" lead instrument. Almost always a brass instrument or a saxophone.

Quintet: The above...but with two front-line instruments.

Big Band: An arrangement consisting of a front-line (~5 saxophones, ~4 trumpets, ~4 trombones) and a rhythm section (bass, drums, guitar, piano).

Instrument roles:
Bass: carries the beat and outlines the harmony. Almost always has a "4 on the 4" kind of rhythm outside of jazz fusion. Solos are often terrible.

Drums: creates rhythmic interest by contrasting its swing rhythms with the bass's constant pulse. Most of the groove comes from the interaction between the drums and bass, like in funk or some metal (e.g. Gojira).

Guitar/Piano: usually lays down the harmony. Often has solos. In a trio setting, this will often carry the melody.

Front-line: Provides the melody and fleshes out the harmony. Typically in big bands, most of the front-line is "homogenized" around a single melody, but takes up different notes of the chord. Provides counter melodies in jazz with vocals.

And subgrenres:

Cool jazz: Pretty much what you're describing, but good. Usually slower tempos, much more "static" harmony, and conservative instrumentation. Very...impressionist, I guess.

Smooth jazz: EXACTLY what you're describing. Basically bad 80s ballads with a saxophone carrying the melody. This is that stuff like Kenny G that you might hear at a coffee shop or Target. Most jazznicks don't like this.

Modal jazz: This is just jazz based in modes rather than classical tonal harmony. Can be anywhere from slower stuff (usually with some cool jazz crossover) to more energetic, fast-paced stuff.

Swing: This music was originally intended for dancing, so it has a faster and more energetic tone. Melodies are based out of old musicals and popular songs (we're talking stuff from the 1890s-1940s) and there's a big band arrangement. May or may not have vocals. Can have some ballad stuff, but this is ultimately dancing music.

Vocal jazz: Can be all over the place in style, since it's mainly just "jazz with vocals". Can be taken to mean crooner stuff like Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble, or the classic singers like Ella Fitzgerald. Also usually broadly encompasses swing revival.

Swing Revival: A genre that emerged in the late 80s/early 90s to "bring back" the classic big band swing sound of the 40s with a modern production. Usually has vocals and often has a bright, energetic tone.

Jazz fusion: Stuff like Weather Report that tries to fuse rock/funk elements with jazz. Ranges from catchy stuff (like Snarky Puppy) to absent-minded noodling (sometimes called "Berklee Funk"). There's also Third-Stream Jazz, which focuses solely on blending classical music with jazz.

Bebop: Probably the dominant form of jazz for the last 60 years or so. Very complicated, very fast. The early stuff was usually smaller chamber ensembles, but more modern interpretations tend to include big band ensembles. Tempos can range anywhere from 80-300bpm, and they're more often at the higher end of the scale. Kinda hard to dance to. Basically the prog of jazz.

Hard Bop: A more conservative form of Bebop that's more influenced by gospel and pop. Catchier melodies and a stronger and more danceable beat, but still the same complexity and energy of bebop. Probably the most popular form of jazz today.

Dixieland: The original jazz. Controlled, collective improvisation. Everybody's improvising at the same time but it still manages to sound good. Think New Orleans, and this is probably what comes to mind.

Ragtime: Proto-jazz. Not swung, but has very heavily syncopated rhythms over an "oom-pah" beat. Most often solo piano, but larger ensembles do exist. More closely associated with classical music than jazz nowadays tbh. Scott Joplin and Art Tatum (unquestionably the greatest pianist of all time. Listen to this and keep in mind that this dude was almost completely blind) are the biggest examples I think.

Gypsy Jazz/Jazzmer: An unfortunately named genre that combines klezmer (a form of Jewish folk music) or Eastern-European folk music (often Romanian and general Balkan) with jazz. Honestly pretty fire stuff.

Latin jazz/Afro-Cuban jazz: Combines jazz with Latin American rhythms and percussion. Self-explanatory.

Electroswing: A very broad term, but it's mostly a genre of electronic music that has swing rhythms and samples old swing/ragtime/dixieland recordings.

Free jazz/Avant-garde jazz: you remember that clip from Spongebob where they talk about acquiring a taste for "free form jazz"? That's not free jazz. Free/Avant-garde jazz is basically atonal classical music...but jazz. Kinda terrible imo. (note: Diablo Swing Orchestra does not count as this, even tho it's Avant-garde metal. They would fall closer to "swing revival/jazz fusion". Avant-garde rock/metal/pop and Avant-garde classical/jazz are two VERY different things)

Loft jazz: originally a subset of avant-garde jazz, now the term's been supplanted by low effort YouTube channels to basically mean smooth jazz. Avoid both forms.

I think that should cover mostly everything. Hope that helps.

[The Walrus]

Smooth jazz: EXACTLY what you're describing. Basically bad 80s ballads with a saxophone carrying the melody. This is that stuff like Kenny G that you might hear at a coffee shop or Target. Most jazznicks don't like this.

 

That stuff rules! Jazz elitists can kick rocks 

[Ninjabait]

Smooth jazz: EXACTLY what you're describing. Basically bad 80s ballads with a saxophone carrying the melody. This is that stuff like Kenny G that you might hear at a coffee shop or Target. Most jazznicks don't like this.

 

That stuff rules! Jazz elitists can kick rocks 

tbh I don't exactly like it either lol

[Max Kuehnau]

Smooth jazz: EXACTLY what you're describing. Basically bad 80s ballads with a saxophone carrying the melody. This is that stuff like Kenny G that you might hear at a coffee shop or Target. Most jazznicks don't like this.

 

That stuff rules! Jazz elitists can kick rocks 

I'm a massive Sade fan, so I agree (although they may not be Smooth Jazz, but to hell with genres. That said, if they are, they're the Rammstein of that IMHO. I'm not into Kenny G or almost anyone else of the like.)

[KevShmev]

Good music is good music.  Jazz elitists flipping out over "smooth jazz" because they think the saxophone is their instrument is hysterical.

[The Walrus]

Totally agree with Kev on that, and Kenny G freaking rules, no shame in admitting that. 

[Max Kuehnau]

Totally agree with Kev on that, and Kenny G freaking rules, no shame in admitting that. 

very true. I'll rephrase: I haven't listened to too many things by Kenny and I still prefer Sade. (as he does apparently). I think he is a good player nonetheless. I like Lee Ritenour as well btw. Equally great player.

[The Walrus]

A friend of mine on another board introduced me to Sade a couple months ago and damn is that some good stuff. Baby making music right there 

[Max Kuehnau]

A friend of mine on another board introduced me to Sade a couple months ago and damn is that some good stuff. Baby making music right there 

I've seen them (it's not just her, they are a band after all with the lineup intact ever since 1982) live in 2011 three times and these were the best concerts I ever attended (and my standards are superhumanly high). As precise as you can go in pop music. (and as sparse. One note too many and it doesn't work anymore.) Perfection. Nothing surpasses them in that aspect. Both live and on their records (all 6 of them, they're making album no. 7 now. Doesn't hurt owning everything they released). (although she said that the music never was intended to serve for that activity you mentioned. I guess you could say people "abuse" the music for that as it were)

[Ninjabait]

Good music is good music.  Jazz elitists flipping out over "smooth jazz" because they think the saxophone is their instrument is hysterical.

That...that...that's not why they don't like smooth jazz. Smooth jazz is widely considered to be the "Lo-fi Hip-Hop" or Elevator Muzak of Jazz and the jazz community as a whole views it as a watered down, commercialized, and gentrified form of jazz with out a lot of the central tenants of jazz (improvisation, swing, etc.). It's basically considered and inoffensive, corporate form of jazz. Honestly tho, Smooth jazz is often not even considered jazz at all, it's closer to Easy Listening or Adult Contemporary. It's like referring to everything with a piano or a cello as "classical". It also tends to be used as a label to refer to ALL jazz and because it's so popular and ubiquitous, so people tend to tend to think all jazz is Kenny G when it's not.

Put it this way, you know how people tend to refer to all metal as Screamo with KISS face paint? Yeah. That's what Smooth Jazz is for the Jazz community. Edit: An even better example would be Traditional Country vs Bro Country. Most jazz musicians have a respect for some of the musicians in the genre, who are often extremely technically gifted (Kenny G's breath control is legendary). They just don't like the music and the connotation it has.

Also I wouldn't call Sade Smooth Jazz. That's Soul, which is an entirely different and more respected genre lol.

[RoeDent]

-What is your favorite band?

1. Dream Theater
2. Steven Wilson
3. Porcupine Tree
4. Crowded House
5. Frost*

-What are some of your all-time favorite albums?

Dream Theater - Most of them, tbh. But Octavarium and A Dramatic Turn of Events are two of the most significant ones.
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Frost* - Milliontown
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

-What is your favorite genre/subgenre?  Which do you "identify" with most closely?

Modern progressive rock and classical in equal measure.

-What was your musical journey in life like?

Was into typical radio stuff in my youth, then discovered Pink Floyd in 2006 after recently acquiring a guitar and hearing about a poll where Comfortably Numb had been voted the best solo of all time. Two and a bit years later I discovered DT when Octavarium knocked me for six. Then through Transatlantic I discovered Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings and Marillion and so forth...

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?

The main band that has stuck with me from youth is Crowded House, specifically the first four albums.

-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity?

See above.

-How do you feel about the following genres/subgenres?

• Classic rock

- Take or leave

• Modern rock

- Take or leave

• Classic prog

- I pick up the odd album here or there, but the modern bands speak to me more. (No pun intended.)

• Modern prog

- Joint favourite of these genres.

• Prog metal

- Apart from DT, Haken and a bit of Ayreon, not really explored all that much. The fewer growls, the better.

• power metal
• Classic metal
• Hair metal
• Grunge
• Thrash metal
• Nu metal
• Death and/or black metal

- All not really my cup of tea, but they're doing their thing and that's great.

• pop

- You dismiss all pop music at your peril. While a lot of it is throwaway, you cannot deny there's some great pop music out there from over the years.

• jazz

- Not really explored beyond jazz influence in classical or prog.

• classical

- The vast majority of my collection is classical. I listen to full-length works almost daily.

• rap/hip-hop

- Most is not my cup of tea, but there are some classic songs out there.

• R&B

- Same as above

• punk

- Same as above.

• other

- I think I've said everything.
[/list]

[CrimsonSunrise]

-What is your favorite band?

If I absolutely have to pick one, it would be DT.

Dream Theater
Led Zeppelin
Rush
Rainbow
Queensryche

-What are some of your all-time favorite albums?

Top 10: - order changes

Dream Theater - Images and Words or Awake (depending on mood)
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane
Pearl Jam - Ten
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Rainbow-  "On Stage"
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Iron Maiden - Powerslave or Piece of Mind (depending on mood again)
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon





-What is your favorite genre/subgenre?  Which do you "identify" with most closely?

Progressive Metal

-What was your musical journey in life like?

Pre - 1976 - Funk and disco 

Parliament
Bootsy
Earth Wind and Fire
KC and the Sunshine Band

1976 - 1982

Led Zeppelin
Rainbow
Black Sabbath
Pink Floyd
Deep Purple
Rush
Jethro Tull
Sex Pistols

1982 - 1991

Iron Maiden
Yngwie Malmsteen
Joe Satriani
Judas Priest
Dio
Queensryche
Guns and Roses
Metallica
Anthrax
Faith No More
Lot's of Christian metal bands - Barren Cross, Bloodgood, Deliverance, Sacred Warrior, Bride, Saint.

1991 - 1994

Pear Jam
Soundgarden
Alice in Chains
Stone Temple Pilots
Mother Love Bone
Black Lab
Dishwalla

1994 - 2010

Dream Theater
Symphony X
Pain of Salvation
Liquid Tension Experiment
Red Hot Chili Peppers

2010- present

Dream Theater
Haken
Neil Morse Band
Kamelot
Nightwish


What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?

My dad isn't a big music guy.  The one song I remember him playing all the time was Macarthur Park by Richard Harris (Yes.. the actor...  )  Funny thing is my mom would spin Donna Summers version of the same song.  Mom was a somewhat Beatles fan and a HUGE Barbara Striesand fan.  Family albums that played on the weekend in the living room in the 70's were  - Hotel California, A Star is Born (Striesands), Jesus Christ Superstar, Barry Manilow.  Suffice to say, my parents had very little musical influence on me by the time I was 12.



-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity?

Dream Theater-Images And Words
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Rainbow - On Stage
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Pearl Jam - Ten
Pain Of Salvation Remedy Lane

-How do you feel about the following genres/subgenres?

Classic rock - My roots

Modern rock - Not Really

Classic prog - Some is OK, some loses me

Modern prog - like a lot of it

Prog metal - My musical identity

power metal - Love it
 
Classic metal - Great

Hair metal - Avoided it

Grunge - LOVED it

Thrash metal - Some epics, and some epic failures

Nu metal - No opinion

Death and/or black metal - No thank you

Pop - No, although sometimes a tune might grab me

Jazz - I appreciate it, but won't sit down and listen to jazz albums.  Live is cool!

Classical - See "Jazz"

Rap/hip-hop - Nope

R&B -  Pre 1980 YES!  Post 1980 -NO

Punk - I was in high school in Huntington Beach California 78-82, during the Punk explosion.  Arguably the US capitol for the punk scene at that time.  At the time I was a Rocker, but I loved some punk.  Never Mind the Bullocks was an epic album

[Stadler]

Totally agree with Kev on that, and Kenny G freaking rules, no shame in admitting that. 

I'm in on that.  I love Kenny G. 

[CrimsonSunrise]

Totally agree with Kev on that, and Kenny G freaking rules, no shame in admitting that. 

I'm in on that.  I love Kenny G.

  Kenny G was my "go to" gettin laid music, before marriage.

[TAC]

Totally agree with Kev on that, and Kenny G freaking rules, no shame in admitting that. 

I'm in on that.  I love Kenny G.

  Kenny G was my "go to" gettin laid music, before marriage.

Hard to tell from that statement if getting married was the end of Kenny G, or the end of getting laid. 

[CrimsonSunrise]

Totally agree with Kev on that, and Kenny G freaking rules, no shame in admitting that. 

I'm in on that.  I love Kenny G.

  Kenny G was my "go to" gettin laid music, before marriage.

Hard to tell from that statement if getting married was the end of Kenny G, or the end of getting laid. 

Well once married, to my second and current wife, I didn't need the Kenny G assist anymore... 

[CrimsonSunrise]

Grunge

I've always liked it. Weirdly enough tho, Nirvana is probably my least favorite grunge band. I've always been more of a Soundgarden or Alice in Chains kinda guy.

  Feel the exact same way. 

-What are some of your all-time favorite albums?


Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane

  Well played, Sir!

This is something I add:
Favorite male singer: Bruce Dickinson
Favorite female singer: Loreena McKennit

  Nice addition. for me it would have to be...

Male - Roy Kahn
Female - Floor Jansen

[Stadler]

Totally agree with Kev on that, and Kenny G freaking rules, no shame in admitting that. 

I'm in on that.  I love Kenny G.

  Kenny G was my "go to" gettin laid music, before marriage.

Hard to tell from that statement if getting married was the end of Kenny G, or the end of getting laid. 

"Alex, what is "both"?   I'll take "Marriage Jokes" for $600, please."

[Zydar]

-What is your favourite band?

My favourite band of all time is The Beatles. They've been #1 ever since I was 8 years old (for 30 years now), and will always remain #1.

-What are some of your all-time favourite albums?

Abbey Road & Revolver (The Beatles), Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys), Images & Words (Dream Theater), Skylarking (XTC), Band On The Run (Paul McCartney), Selling England By The Pound (Genesis), What's The Story Morning Glory (Oasis), Dark Side Of The Moon (Pink Floyd), Moving Pictures (Rush), Sell Out (The Who), Odessey And Oracle (The Zombies). Lots of 60s/70s music 

-What is your favourite genre/subgenre?  Which do you "identify" with most closely?

I've always been closest to classic rock/pop from the 60s and 70s.

-What was your musical journey in life like?

I grew up on dad's vinyl collection, he introduced me to bands like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, and other stuff. Then in my teens, I listened to some hard rock and metal (Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica). I discovered Dream Theater when I was 25, and started listening to more progressive music (Yes, Rush, Genesis) and some DT related bands (Transatlantic, Neal Morse, Spock's Beard). My most recent "discovery" is the new wave bands from the late 70s/early 80s - like XTC and Split Enz.

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?

As I said, my dad introduced me to 60s pop/rock. We shared a common interest in that, it's something I cherish a lot since he passed away 20 years ago. I can't remember if my mom listened to anything special when I was growing up. It all comes from my dad, really.

-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity?

Difficult to answer really, since I could just copy & paste my answer from "my all time favourite albums".

-How do you feel about the following genres/subgenres?

Classic rock - My main genre. It's what I am brought up on, it's where my heart lies.
Modern rock - I'm not really interested in modern music, but I listen to some Foo Fighters etc.
Classic prog - When it comes to prog, it's the classic stuff I like. Genesis, Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd.
Modern prog - Don't know much about modern prog. I just listen to Neal Morse and his various projects. Some Steven Wilson too occasionally.
Prog metal - It's basically just Dream Theater plus Haken for me. Throw in some songs from Opeth, Queensryche, and Pain of Salvation too.
Power metal - I had a period where I listened to some Blind Guardian, Stratovarius, Hammerfall, Sonata Arctica.
Classic metal - For me, it's all about Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Metallica when it comes to classic metal.
Hair metal - Never been a fan of hair metal. I guess Europe count?
Grunge - Nope.
Thrash metal - Metallica and Megadeth, I guess. A song or two from Slayer as well. Never got into Anthrax and the other thrash bands.
Nu-metal - Nope.
Death and/or black metal - Nope.
Pop - If it's from the 60s and 70s (and some 80s) then yes. Definitely not the more modern pop that's on the radio.
Jazz - Nope.
Classical - Nope.
Rap/hip-hop - Nope.
R&B - Nope.
Punk - Nope.

[SoundscapeMN]

a)-What is your favorite band?

Marillion

b)-Who is your favorite musician?

Kevin Gilbert

-What are some of your all-time favorite albums?

5-star albums in my rateyourmusic page

1. Marillion - Brave
2. Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True
3. Apes & Androids - Blood Moon

Cherry-Picking another 7

Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
Yes - Relayer
Genesis - Foxtrot
Rush - Hemispheres
Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element I
dredg - El Cielo
Dream Theater - Awake


-What is your favorite genre/subgenre?  Which do you "identify" with most closely?

progressive college rock (I've explained this self-coined term/style ]in my blog a number of times in recent years

-What was your musical journey in life like?

This may be best saved in extensive hyperbolic detail for a book I intend to try and write.

I did a 40th Birthday "Wave Project" on KFAI radio in Minneapolis a few years ago telling my musical journey. It was only a 1-hour show, so the song list only looked like this:

Huey Lewis and the News - Back in Time
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Rush - Natural Science
Marillion - The Great Escape
Toy Matinee - Last Plane Out

But IN-A-NUTSHELL

I went from

1) 80's Pop as a kid: Michael Jackson, Prince, Huey Lewis and the News, Weird Al Yankovic
2) Classic Rock and falling head over heals for Led Zeppelin and then Rush and Pink Floyd
3) Then Dream Theater, Marillion, King's X and Fates Warning along with the whose-who of classic progressive rock post-High School (1995-2002)
4) Jazz/Jazz-Rock: Pat Metheny, Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report
4) progressive college rock+ post rock: The Mars Volta, Muse, The Dear Hunter, Long Distance Calling,
5) progressive (Extreme/Experimental) Metal: Between the Buried and Me, Opeth, maudlin of the Well, Orphaned Land, Protest the Hero, Spawn of Possession

-What kind of music was playing in your household when you were growing up?

The Beatles, Barbara Streisand, Gary Puckett, Phantom of the Opera, Deep Breakfast, Don McLean

-What albums do you consider "classic" as part of your musical identity?

Kind of answered in the All-Time Favorites

I guess I will list a few "classic" albums in progressive college rock which I guess I consider myself a well-versed seasoned veteran of knowing about:

The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
dredg - Ei Cielo
Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
Apes & Androids - Blood Moon
Oceansize - Frames
Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third
Fair to Midland - Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True
The Dear Hunter - Act II: The Meaning of and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading
Kaddisfly - Set Sail the Prairie
Cloud Cult - Light Chasers
Foals - Total Life Forever
Menomena - I am the Fun Blame Monster!
The Receiving End of Sirens - Between the Heart and the Synapse
Ours - Distorted Lullabies
3- Wakepig
Mew - Frengers
The Reign of Kindo - Rhythm, Chord & Melody
Bend Sinister - Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers


-How do you feel about the following genres/subgenres?

Classic rock

I love a lot of it. Some of it has been overplayed to the death on the radio, but it seems many of the bands who had those hits have a lot of other songs to enjoy.

Modern rock

a lot of it is awful. But there's a percentage of it that is quite good.

Classic prog

a lot of the big names I enjoy, and some of the more obscure artists I enjoy as well. But there's a lot of it I have never got into.

Modern prog

hit and miss. I think a lot of it in the 90's and early 2000's was better than the last 15 years. But the stuff that is recipe I try to avoid and roll-my-eyes when I see other praise it.

Prog metal

hit and miss. I think a lot of it in the 90's and early 2000's was better than the last 15 years. But the stuff that is recipe I try to avoid and roll-my-eyes when I see other praise it.

power metal

A lot of it comes across as cheesy and all in major-keys. But there are some exceptions like Andre Matos-period Angra which was just as much progressive metal and power metal.

Helloween, Blind Guardian, Sonata Arctica are a few other exceptions.

Classic metal

Sabbath I am a fan, although don't own any Vinyl from. But I would never argue they have written a boat load of classic tunes, include some that are progressive.

Maiden and Priest: I enjoy some of their tracks, and Number of the Beast I enjoy (and more than DT's live cover of it). Also The Trooper is catchy as hell. Priest: Painkiller is a modern classic (oxymoron?), and some of their radio tunes I know. I guess I consider Maiden better but I don't feel too strongly between the 2 of them.

Ace of Spades from Motorhead? good tune. The rest Motorhead's music I might recognize if I heard. but can't claim to know. I can say their influence on bands like The House Harkonnen and even say Burst and Mastodon I think is a good thing.

Hair metal

Saigon Kick, Exrteme, Skid Row and a few others I find hold up. A lot of it was and is a bit too cheesy for me. Quiet Riot, Motley Crue and even  White Snake? meh...

if you lump in Def Leppard and even GNR, I suppose I was and still am a fan for nostalgia, but hardly go out of my way to listen to it. And some of their songs have been played on the radio to death. Although I still have a soft spot for a couple od Def Lep tunes like "Hysteria" The vocal harmonies I enjoy.


Grunge

Most of it is terrible, but if you consider King's X and Galactic Cowboys and some of the pop-grunge stuff like Bleu and even Sloan, I guess that is the extent of what I enjoy. The 1st Pearl Jam album Ten is ok, but their music along with Nirvana and even Soundgarden, I really never cared much for. Alice In Chains I suppose I respect more than I enjoyed.

And Stone Temple Pilots..eh..didn't hate, didn't enjoy though. Plush maybe, lol. The bands that followed like Bush and were even worse.

Thrash metal

I enjloy Metallica and some Megadeth. Anthrax, Testament I never bothered with.

I would say Vektor is the closest thing to Thrash Metal I truly enjoy and paid to see live/bought their music.


Nu metal

most of it is awful. I don't consider System of a Down Nu-Metal, but if they are, they are by far the best thing it ever produced.

Faith No More? hardly belongs in this category, but if you put them in, the are the other best thing to ever do it. The problem is Mike Patton and even the SOAD guys can write songs and ACTUALLY SING. Whereas posers like Fred Durst and the people in Korn and Linkin Park can't (sans for the song "Breaking the Habit").
   
Death and/or black metal

I am picky, but especially Death Metal when combined with something else unique like chamber instruments or crazy technicality, can totally work for me.

Even the best Melodic Death Metal I enjoy quite a lot: Dark Tranquility for example. Their album "Fiction" is really good.


pop

Good pop is magical. But there's a shit ton of bad or annoying pop, I find myself somewhat picky.

My wife is a Pop music lover, so I have found a revival for my love of pop, namely older pop from the 80's especially in the 8 years I've known her.

A great pop tune is some of the best shit ever, Take Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out"..it's like pure gold when it's that good.

jazz

I love Jazz-Rock/Jazz-Fusion. At least most of the 60's and 70's stuff.

I enjoy Brubeck, Charlie Parker, Monk and the like. Some of the standards and classics like Night in Tunisia.

I find both Coltrane and even Miles Davis rather overrated. And I'd throw in most "free jazz." Although I enjoy some Miles, namely Kind of Blue and In a Silent Way (which I think is *Miles* better than Bitches Brew).

A lot of this also stems from needing to see this stuff LIVE. And DEAN MAGRAW has covered/interpreted a lot of it really creatively live.

I listen to Jazz radio regularly, but have never found myself seeking to recreation-ally listen to jazz albums like I wish. someday I probably will.


classical

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are my favorite. I have heard a lot of it I enjoy, but also a lot that is boring as hell. But the stuff that is good, is outstanding. Point-Counterpoint arrangements. Chamber/Baroque. Often using harpsichord, etc.

Part of it is time/priority, but I would love to be more versed in the works of Liszt, Shostakovich, Schubert, Stravinsky, Chopin as well as some of the obvious names like Beethoven, Scheherazade, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and even Mozart as much as his work can be accused of being predictably written in entirely Major Keys.


rap/hip-hop

Not a lot, and the stuff I enjoy is MOOD MUSIC. Immortal Technique, Guante, Murs, Nas, No Bird Sing, Lazerbeak I enjoy and can't deny for nostalgia: The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and NWA. Otherwise, I would rather hear artists who combine it with other styles like Fjokra, Kevin Gilbert, Janelle Monae, Dessa (a little).

But artists like Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Eminem, Macklemore and Lewis, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z and what seems like an endless list of artists who I cannot stand both their music and their fans force-feeding my ears (Puff Daddy, Chris Brown and even R Kelly?)

R&B

I enjoy a lot of it, largely per my wife. From Marvin Gaye to Mayer Hawthorne. But I doubt I'll ever become obsessed with it. But there are some fantastic tunes in it.

punk

I can say I enjoy a small percentage of this, but the amount of praise punk gets always hurt my interest.

Indietronica

an offshoot of progressive college rock.

When this shit is good, it's really fucking good. Cale Parks EP To Swift Mars I recently discovered that. Apes and Androids and a slew of other bands have done it well. The problem is, there's not been much good stuff, at least that I've found in like a decade. But from 2003-2009 there was a lot of it.

Power Pop

Really great when it works. Take Jellyfish for example. Incredible pop hooks with experimentation and studio trickery.
Queen, XTC, The Apples in Stereo...

bands like Weezer, Big Star, Cheap Trick, and even The Raspberries (who my wife loves), I don't love, but don't hate.

Badfinger, The Knack and some others, the jury is still out on.

[krands85]

post rock: Long Distance Calling

[SoundscapeMN]

R&B

Always been hella confused by what R&B actually is. It may just be my modern bias, but R&B and Pop are mostly indistinguishable and it seems like black artists get the R&B label and white artists are labeled as Pop. If that's the case, can't we just merge them into one? Segregating music based on the race of the artist is so...1950.

"Blue Eyed Soul" is more or less a subgenre of R&B (or "Soul").

It's basically R&B done by White musicians. Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, George Michael, Robert Palmer, Mayer Hawthorne, Amy Winehouse, etc