Music:
Member Since: 17/05/2007
Influences: First: Jesus Christ, who saved me from myself, and gave to me the love and passion I have for music.
Benj started playing the Daytripper riff on his cello back when he and I were in elementary school orchestra (circa 1975) and I dug it so the Beatles were in, but it really all kicked in for me when, as an angry young man, Pete Townshend's pissed off lyrics and The Who's power slammed into me. I'm not angry any more, but I never got over those Young Man Blues, so first The Who followed closely by Led Zeppelin (I think it's a My Space requirement).
Growing up: Lawrence Welk (I bet you think I'm kidding), George Cates, and Myron Floren; Leonard Bernstein, and Frederick Loewe.
Then: The Glenn Phillips Band, where I got my Rock and Roll degree; Brian Wilson, Yes, Queen, ELO, and ELP (that's Emerson, Lake & Palmer so you youngsters can google, and you should). Focus, Genesis, Kansas, and Styx. Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago; Elton John and Billy Joel; Pink Floyd, Rush, The Knack, The Cars, Edgar Winters, Leon Russell, NRBQ, Meatloaf, ZZ Top, The Doors, The Doobie Bros. and Iron Butterfly(?).
You had to graduate from high school sometime in the early/mid eighties to understand: Boston, Toto, Saga, Asia, Journey, Foreigner, Men at Work, and Talking Heads.
As far as orchestral music, I don't like Mozart-too many notes. It's gotta be BIG with full strings, lotsa brass and I can't get enough timpani: Wagner, Stravinsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky (pretty much all the ovs and skys), and Dvorak. I also dig Bach-gotta love those Brandenburg(h) Concertos (so what he didn't spell it right. We all know it was named for me);
Last but not least: Mom, who always saw in me what I couldn't see in myself.
Record Label: Unsigned
