WYEP Music Blog

From my perspective, one of the best things about meeting new people has always been learning about new music. Growing up, my friends and I always had the common bond of music. We all loved it. Therefore, when I would be introduced to new people through friends, sooner or later that person would usually introduce me to an artist or band I had never heard of. I can pinpoint certain music with certain friends. With Justin, it was Modest Mouse.

I had met Justin in high school. I had noticed Clint, another friend, and Justin making comments for a few weeks about a band named Modest Mouse. It usually involved Clint making jokes about them being awful, and Justin defending them. Apparently, there was a line in one of their songs that mentioned something like, “God Damn / I hope I can pass high school”. Clint thought this was awful, and to be honest when saying it out loud without heairng the song it does seem pretty bad. Also, there was supposedly another song about cockroachs that was bad, too.
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Right now, we are asking listeners to tell us their list of the Best Songs of The 90’s. As I have been putting together mine, I have noticed that it’s pretty fun for me. Most of my listening habits were formed in that decade. It’s a nice topic for my first entry in this blog.

I remember it pretty well actually. The actual details are hazy, but the feeling is very vivid in my mind. I came home from school one day in late 1991. I was 11 years old and usually I came home to an empty house for the first hour or two. My brother had band practice, and both parents worked, so I would grab some snacks and turn on the TV. I was watching MTV and this video came on with dreary colors and a janitor mopping a gym floor. Within seconds the song had really kicked in, and I became confused. “Why is this guys hair so greasy? He knew he had to shoot a video for his band, and he didn’t wash his hair? Man, that bass player is REALLY tall.” Even in the confusion I remember it was exciting. Axl didn’t write stuff like this. It was obvious that this music was 100 times more dangerous and free than anything else on MTV. Yes, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video was the game changer for me. It’s an obvious choice, but it’s pretty amazing to think that thousands of other people had a very similar experience with that video. Also, looking back now, the janitor and cheerleaders with Anarchy symbols on their chests isn’t nearly as weird as those Guns N’ Roses videos. They made no sense at all. Axl gets married, and then at the reception it starts raining so people start diving over cakes. In the process the bride is killed?!? I also seem to remember another video where he swims with dolphins? THAT’S weird stuff.

In interviews, Kurt Cobain, and also Eddie Vedder, would constantly mention their influences and peers. I know that they both were uncomfortable with the amount of fame that so quickly was thrust on them, so it almost seemed like they mentioned these names so they could push some of this attention off on people they felt truely deserved it. Names like The Ramones, Velvet Underground, The Minutemen, Sonic Youth, and Mudhoney would come up. I took these bands they would mention and researched them. This was not long ago, but the internet was still not a factor yet. I would go to the record store and look for cd’s that were put out by the same record labels as other bands. Sub Pop, SST, Touch and Go, 4AD, and so forth. I can really say that most of my musically tastes to this day can somehow be linked back to those interviews.

Over the next week or so I’ll write about a few of my favorites from that decade. Feel free to comment or name some of your favorites, too.

-Andy, Tuesday Evening Mix

I’m a child of the 70s.  I grew up listening to AM Radio.

In case you haven’t noticed, I absolutely love singer-songwriters.  Especially MALE singer-songwriters.  There are a few female singer-songwriters, like Sheryl Crow, who you will find in my CD collection, but mainly it’s a lot of very talented guys.

Please don’t hold it against me that I’m a “fanilow”.  Back in March 1977 I watched the “1^st Barry Manilow Special” on TV and I’ve never been the same since.  I can’t help it.  Barry Manilow’s music continues to move me over 30 years later.  I still think of him as a singer-songwriter.  His best work, to date, in my humble opinion is 2001’s “Here at the Mayflower”.  Barry was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

In my formative years during the 70s decade I listened to people like John Denver, James Taylor, Billy Joel and Elton John.  I also liked the music of the Bee Gees and the Eagles.  I was probably too young to realize that many of these artists wrote the songs they sang.  I just knew I liked what I heard.  For me, their music still stands the test of time to this very day.  I really miss John Denver.  I think if John were still alive today, he would have a lot to say to us and I hope we would be listening to him.

Later in the 70s and into the 80s it was performers like Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, Daryl Hall and John Oates and Michael McDonald who caught my ear.

Fast forward to the 90s and I found Marc Cohn, Edwin McCain and Shawn Mullins.

In the new century I discovered John Mayer and James Blunt.  They and many others like them are still coming onto the music scene with their unique song-writing abilities.

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-CF