Being thankful, the music edition
I am thankful for my family, my health and my job. However, I am also thankful for music. I was going to list ten music related things that I am thankful for, but in my thinking I began to realize that some of these are people and some are things. So I will list five musical artists that I am thankful for and five other music related things that I am thankful for. Here are the artists
-Lemmy:The symbol of perseverance in music and I mean all music not just metal. Kicked out of Hawkwind, he started Motorhead and began a style that was not real popular in the beginning. He has been through line-up changes, first album got shelved, label problems, health problems and all the changing music fads that have gone around him. Yet Motorhead kept going and continue to keep cranking out solid music.
-Jeff Scott Soto:His current position in Journey shows that hard work pays off. He has spent twenty years taking whatever gig he could to make a living and did a good job at whatever it was. He never grumbled and stayed the course building up a reputation as a great talent, a solid live performer and someone who was easy to work with.
-Celtic Frost: I am thankful that they proved that a band can do a comeback album and it not only be great, but actually break some ground. They released their first album in 15 years and it's probably the second or third best album of the year.
-Steve Vai: Actually he did an album last year and just toured a little this year. However I came to the realization that he is a true guitar hero. He is not only talented and I have known that for twenty years. He is a guitar hero because he is not full of himself (like Yngwie), he doesn't rest completely on his past (like Eddie), he doesn't attempt styles that he can't handle (like George Lynch) yet he plays what he wants and it's always interesting.
-Iron Maiden: It's almost like the 1990's never happened for them. The last three albums have marked a new chapter for them and to me each album has been better than the one before it. They continue to progress yet be true to their past. They are one of the few old guard metal bands still making music that's relevant.
Here are five other music related things I am thankful for:
-eBay: There are some poor sellers, but plenty of good ones too. You can get some things cheap and easier than years ago thanks to eBay.
-Vinyl still being made: I have not bought too many new albums in recent years, but I am glad that some bands still put their works out on vinyl. It is just such a great classic format that it's good to see it still around to some extent.
-Indie metal/hard rock music labels: Labels like Metal Mayhem, Perris, Escapi and Wounded Bird who are releasing and re-releasing a lot of hard rock and metal artists who are not going to get touched by the majors. They also release quality products at fair prices. It's labels like these that help keep the scene alive.
-Metal news sites: Sites like Blabbermouth, Brave words and bloody knuckles and KNAC deliver news, reviews and more. Remember how long it took to hear metal news when it was just magazines? It's great to read the news and keep up with stuff daily.
-Music bloggers: People who write music blogs, read them and comment on them help keep interest going. It's great because it's being done for the love of the music and an interest in sharing and hearing the views of others.
That's what I am thankful for.
What are you thankful for?
-Lemmy:The symbol of perseverance in music and I mean all music not just metal. Kicked out of Hawkwind, he started Motorhead and began a style that was not real popular in the beginning. He has been through line-up changes, first album got shelved, label problems, health problems and all the changing music fads that have gone around him. Yet Motorhead kept going and continue to keep cranking out solid music.
-Jeff Scott Soto:His current position in Journey shows that hard work pays off. He has spent twenty years taking whatever gig he could to make a living and did a good job at whatever it was. He never grumbled and stayed the course building up a reputation as a great talent, a solid live performer and someone who was easy to work with.
-Celtic Frost: I am thankful that they proved that a band can do a comeback album and it not only be great, but actually break some ground. They released their first album in 15 years and it's probably the second or third best album of the year.
-Steve Vai: Actually he did an album last year and just toured a little this year. However I came to the realization that he is a true guitar hero. He is not only talented and I have known that for twenty years. He is a guitar hero because he is not full of himself (like Yngwie), he doesn't rest completely on his past (like Eddie), he doesn't attempt styles that he can't handle (like George Lynch) yet he plays what he wants and it's always interesting.
-Iron Maiden: It's almost like the 1990's never happened for them. The last three albums have marked a new chapter for them and to me each album has been better than the one before it. They continue to progress yet be true to their past. They are one of the few old guard metal bands still making music that's relevant.
Here are five other music related things I am thankful for:
-eBay: There are some poor sellers, but plenty of good ones too. You can get some things cheap and easier than years ago thanks to eBay.
-Vinyl still being made: I have not bought too many new albums in recent years, but I am glad that some bands still put their works out on vinyl. It is just such a great classic format that it's good to see it still around to some extent.
-Indie metal/hard rock music labels: Labels like Metal Mayhem, Perris, Escapi and Wounded Bird who are releasing and re-releasing a lot of hard rock and metal artists who are not going to get touched by the majors. They also release quality products at fair prices. It's labels like these that help keep the scene alive.
-Metal news sites: Sites like Blabbermouth, Brave words and bloody knuckles and KNAC deliver news, reviews and more. Remember how long it took to hear metal news when it was just magazines? It's great to read the news and keep up with stuff daily.
-Music bloggers: People who write music blogs, read them and comment on them help keep interest going. It's great because it's being done for the love of the music and an interest in sharing and hearing the views of others.
That's what I am thankful for.
What are you thankful for?
posted by Metal Mark at
12:44 AM
14 Comments:
A great list--these are all things to be thankful for. I'll add only one. I'm thankful for all of the 80s bands that have NOT been doing reunion tours. Better to remember some bands from their heyday than see everyone, worthy or not, come back.
-- david
This was a very cool post and I say Amen to all you have mentioned.
I'm thankful for a lot of things but, like David, I'll point out only one. I'm thankful spandex is no longer popular. :)
What an excellent post Mark, I really enjoyed reading that. It grabbed all the passion that you have for your hobby. Long may it continue.
BTW, on the point of Iron Maiden's album. Have you reviewed it yet, because I was thinking of asking you if you would consider doing a post for our site on the best Metal albums of 2006 with ratings for our end of the year awards ceremony.
If you're busy, I understand.
David-I agree. Too many bands have tarnished thier past by trying lame comebacks.
Onmywatch-Spandex was never cool.
Ben-I have not reviewed the new Maiden yet, but had it planned to do soon. I would love to write about the best metal albums of the year on your site. Just let me know what you need and when.
That's excellent Mark.
I'll email you over the weekend. let you know what's going on
Thanks
Mark, I can't believe you didn't mention Kiss on your list. How can you not be grateful for Kiss? You do know that Kiss is the hottest band in the world, right?
Captain Corky- Welcome. I am thankful that I don't owe Gene Simmons money because he would probably send an army after me to get it.
I'm thankful for the Internet and all of the great music I've discovered. I live in a musical black hole when it comes to rock, and it blows.
-Motorhead's style of music wasn't popular when they started but nowadays you can hear their influence in so many bands I don't have time to list them.
Celtic Frost - I agree. What a great comeback. I just saw them live and it was fantastic. I got to meet them and even got a picture with Tom Fischer and my ticket autographed. Talk about being thankful!
I am thankful for all the ususal things (not to sound trite - but you know, family, friends, good health). I am also thankful for all the blog friends I've met over the last two years and especially the ones who read my music blog!!!
I'm glad you heard Monotheist and liked it. It made # 5 on my year-end metal list, which will be revealed momentarily. And Frost live was the second-best show I saw this year behind Boris. I considered it a metal relgious event.
I can't get many people to understand the importance of Soto because they don't know him. Journey came to Balto. with Def Leppard and everyone said they weren't going to show for Journey because it wasn't Steve Perry. I said they'd be seeing an underground legend make it big...some things sell themselves, this apparently does not to the mainstream elitists...
I'm thankful to each and every reader out there, not only in blogland, but for all the magazines I write for. I'm glad they're out there and I've gotten a little bit of feedback over the years and it all makes it worth losing my sleep over.
I'm grateful to the labels and publicists I deal with. I can't keep up with the overwhelming load of stuff they send, but they keep sending it and they keep trying to get me to interview their bands. It's quite different than 3 years ago when few people would give me the time of day.
I thankful the artists are willing to give their time, not only to my assignments, but my book which MAY see the light day someday.
I'm thankful there is a resurge in metal because as Mark pointed out, all of these reissues are helping me restock what I lost ages ago. The promos of these things bring a smile to my face because I feel like I'm a teenager again, and this time I don't have to use all of my disposable income to procure all of it! I'm very blessed that way.
I'm mainly thankful to be alive when there are days I feel like giving up and just crawling into anonymity, wondering if anything I do on a broad scale is worth the time and effort. When I wake up in the morning, I always at least start off positive before the doldrums occasionally drag me down, but on other days, I feel electric. Music is the main reason I feel alive and I'm grateful I'm so touched by it and am a part of it. I'd be in a sorry place without music.
Mark - great post. Music-wise, I am most thankful for the internet. It has opened up and introduced so many new bands to me.
I've given thanks to music on my blog this week. Don't know where I'd be without it.
Hope you had a great turkey day!
I'm thankful for the internet, I've been into rock now for nearly three decades (I'm 39)and can only imagine having this powerful tool 20 years ago,if you wanted to see a metal video...well you might see Jump by Van Halen or maybe a Maiden vid, now you click Youtube or the bands official site.
Metal news and tour dates?
Kerrang! once a week...now the skys the limit, want to buy an import Anthrax 12"?
Online shopping etc...
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