General Music Chat

Just curious, what is everyone's personal influences? Both musical and otherwise?

Come On, expose yourself.

Music:
Pink Floyd
Les Claypool
Sausage
Buckethead
Laundry
Victor Wooten
Primus
Pantera
Slayer
Opeth
Count Baise
Tool
Henry Rollins
Live
Meshugga
Mastodon
Dave Brubeck
Chic Corea
Six Feet Under
Chris Young
Garth Brooks
Willy Nelson
The Residents

Outside Music:
The Bible
George Carlin
Michael Savage
Bill Hicks
Stephen hawkings
Aleister Crowley
Chuck Palahniuk
Anton Lavey
Carl Sagan
Issac Assimov
Royce Gracie
Sebastian Faulk
Piers Anthony
Peter Occhiogrosso

Areas of Interest:
My Family
Music (No, really)
Reiki
Religion
Shamanism
Spirituality
Martial Arts
Blades
Fire Arms
Occasionally letting go and being an idiot

This is a sampling of what I read, listen to, watch and study. The people that for one reason or another have left an impression. Some of the material is not always what I agree with but was always eye opening. Some was for entertainment with hidden real thought. Some was for real education.

All the music I listen to in regular rotation and is just a sampling of what is in my rotation.

Music:

The Beatles, The Monkees, Cat Stevens, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Peggy Lee, Jerry Reed, Johnny Cash, Nektar, Alan Parsons. The Zombies, The Kinks, Mannheim Steamroller, Vangelis, Harry Chapin, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Sly & The Family Stone, The Four Tops, The Boxtops, Motown in general, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Hank Wllms Sr, Pete Townshend, The Who, Steppenwolf, John Kay, Phish, Trey Anastasio, Dean Martin, David Byrne, Talking Heads, Cake, Live, Chris Isaac, Steve Goodman, Phil Manzanera, Benny Goodman, Van Morrison, Lovin' Spoonful...gosh...I could go on all day!

Philosophy:

Jesus, Buddha, Plato, Thomas Jefferson, JFK, John Stewart, Drew Carey, Lewis Black, George Carlin, Peter Tompkins, Peter McWilliams, John Lennon, Julius Caesar, various teachers & relatives...

Work:

Dennis Vaughn (you never heard of him, but that's okay - I have more respect for that man than any other I've ever met!)

Areas of Interest:

Music (obviously), Entheogens (especially as used by shamans & their ilk), Cultural differences, Cooking & eating, Sci-fi, Cryptozoology, UFOlogy, the possibility of ancient aliens & their affect on mankind, my grandson (which has become #1 in my life)...etc

Don't get me started.

Even musicians that aren't considered to be that good have influenced me to some degree. Sometimes musicians that you wouldn't consider much past the beginner stage, including the hacks, execute a good chop once in a while.

So I can't only list the same old same old as influences. All music influences me in one way or another. After all, it is all music and I am a musician.

I decided to have music as a career when I saw Elton John on TV...I was 12 years old and I was amazed how he seemed to be enveloped by every note he sung and played on the piano. Then musicians and composers from all over began to fill my head.

Sly and The Family Stone
Aretha Franklin
Hubert Laws
Ludwig Von Bethoven
J.S.Bach and his kids
Teleman
Frank Wess
Jethro Tull/ Ian Anderson
Kronos Quartet
Jimi Hendrix
Maynard Fergusen
Metallica
Gene Simmons
Ella Fitzgerald
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Paul Hindemith
David Ready ( high school band director )
Herbie Mann
There are those who are classically trained but not known as such...for example: Albert Einstein and Dudley Moore. BassBastard I agree, Count Basie, David Bruebeck and Chick Corea were also great influences. Bennie Goodman... A lot more men influenced me than women.


Some of the rockers that I hang around are actually more influential than the classically trained ones. As I think of more, I will post them.

Jesus Christ and the evil that surrounds us, Rockin sinners we are, saved by grace alone!
We play our Rock to the glory of God, AND WE LIKE IT LOUD!!!! Stand up and shout it from the roof top baby.
My wife of 28 years, without her support I'd be lost. My man Ray likes lots of stuff 3 Doors Down, The Violet Burning, Stones, Jars of Clay, Jeremy Camp. I cut my teeth on Kiss, Areosmith, Ritchie Blackmore (the old stuff not the cry baby little girl in love crap they sell now). I saw Van Halens first tour back in the day. I used to play as a kid. It was Ray who got me to banging my head again in 05. Steve-o and Eric rounded out the band, just met these guys in 07 but they are like old friends. My good friend and Kung Fu brother Tony joined in the fray in 08.
No psychosocial B.S. we play it right or we play it again, no blame, no ego trips, we play we laugh and have a great time. Influence is more atmosphere than history.

The Bible

Stephen hawkings

hmmm

The Beatles
Integrity
The Eagles
Dying Fetus
All Out War

Satan and porn!

The Bible

Stephen hawkings

hmmm

what?

Both influenced me, as well.

And it's not contradictory.

Musical influences: Quite varied, but in my genre of choice (blues) Freddie King, Junior Wells, Muddy Waters, Bill Blue, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Roy Buchanan, Eric Clapton, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Screamin Jay Hawkins, John Lee Hooker, Bob Margolin, Otis Spann, Little Richard, etc.
Favorite rock bands: Queen, AC/DC, Jethro Tull, Beatles, Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, The Doors, The Animals, The Hollies, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, etc.
Even enjoy some country: Dwight Yoakam, George Strait, Alan Jackson

Outside music: Jesus, Benny Hinn, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Laurel & Hardy, great actors of long ago: Lon Chaney Jr., Charlie Chaplin, Ronald Colman, Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, etc. My family of course, especially my late brother, son Merlin, parents, sister, wife. My son Merlin is probably the biggest ongoing influence in my life.

Interests: Fishing, fishing, fishing, fishing, disc golf, music, self-employment. Oh did I mention fishing?

Vince Gill
Jimmy Page

The Bible

Stephen hawkings

hmmm

what?

Both influenced me, as well.

And it's not contradictory.

I could have been worse. I could have mentioned I also enjoy listening to Diane Rehm, Herman Cain and Mark Steyn's commentary.

I spose if taken purely for the scientific accomplishments.

sorry for almost sparking yet another God vs Science debate!

I spose if taken purely for the scientific accomplishments.

sorry for almost sparking yet another God vs Science debate!

My Dad(trumpet player for Harry James and Benny Goodman)
Steve Howe
Jimmy Page
Eddie Van Halen
Steve Morse
Zak Wylde
Randy Rhoads

...I can't continue....there's sooo freakin' many... so many great guitarists out there that it would be an injustice if I left one of them out so let's just say to all the talented guitarists whom I've had the pleasure of one time or another replicating their songs, I THANK YOU!