"No One Knows" A Conversation with Justin Dean Thomas

I had a chance to sit down and chat with musician and song-writer Justin Dean Thomas (twitter: @JustinDeanNYC  instagram: @justindeanthomas). We discussed life in general and his inspiration behind his new single, "Know One Knows".   It was produced by Jarrett Wetherell and features Andy Rourke of The Smiths on bass, Philip Sterk on lap stell, and Brandon Collins on drums. Mixed by Beatriz Artola, and Mastered by Nick Townsend. Out now on Greenway Records.

ARE YOU PRIMARILY A ‘SOLO ACT’, OR IS ‘JUSTIN DEAN THOMAS’ YOUR OFFICIAL BAND NAME?

  I have such a strong cast of musicians who have supported me since the inception. If you don’t have a band name it’s harder to give people an incentive – a democracy … we’re all in this together.

  But I’ve been in bands and I think that having the liberty to write stuff and be able to put it out there the way that you want it, is huge, but there is something to be said about having bands too.  You have to give everybody room to express their opinions and incorporating those things in.  You can learn a lot about life just doing those things with a band.  But I think right now I know what I want to do with the music and how I want to record it.  

  And sometimes you may not agree with the band members, but in the same way it’s also a lot of responsibility, because you don’t have the same kind of support the “all for one” kind of mentality.

    HOW DO YOU GIVE THAT INCENTIVE?

  When you write something you have a good idea of the structure, but you have to offer it up in a way that you are legitimately and sincerely asking for that musicians input because that really colors it … but it’s also your responsibility to have your ideas really flushed out – you give them the general concept and they put their flare and personality on to it as well 

  The drummer that plays with me Brandon Collins – he’s unbelievable – it just so happens that a lot of things he wants to do are pretty much in line with what I play.  I’m really lucky to have him and the others who I have been playing with. But I try to provide an open environment where people can give me their ideas and put their own personality on whatever we are doing. I think it’s really important to know that I wouldn’t have what I do if it weren’t for all that are involved with what I do.  I really value that. 

    HOW DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION? DO YOU SOMETIMES END UP IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PLACE THAN YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE CREATIVELY?

  A lot stays on track.  Sometimes you have these ideas of exactly how you want it to come out, but it’s a good practice to step back and look at it from other people’s perspective as well.  Sometimes there are certain elements in there that are part of the general concept and you have to stay true to it, but you also have to know when to pick your battles and be like, “hey, this absolutely has to make it into there”.

Then when you record it you get an actual other perspective, when producer or an engineer is like hey, “I’m hearing this”, and that’s part of a producer’s job too … not to just arrange stuff but to pick our ideas you may have somehow missed, and it behooves you to listen to someone’s ideas.  Recently I worked with Delicate Steve both producing and playing on my next EP and he helped to take me out of my circuit and added this different energy that I would’t have done otherwise.  He heard things I didn’t hear and brought things out that weren’t there. 

  So, [it’s good to] always have to be open and not preclude any ideas.

 

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN IT’S ACTUALLY THE PRODUCER OR THE ENGINEER WHO’S GIVING THE WORK A DIFFERENT TWIST?

  I think that it’s very important to have a distinct idea of what it is that you want to do, because if you don’t, you leave it open for someone else to fill in the blanks. 

  [It] might come down to like a post-production thing like: let’s try not putting reverb on that guitar, or let’s add some percussion to it, or let’s leave this thing out, or cut out a verse and see how it sounds.

  It’s good [to be open].  I had a band member who was pretty open to any ideas and wasn’t always set on any one idea or any certain way in that respect and I learned a lot from him. 

  DO YOU HAVE FAVORITE WAY OF APPROACHING THE CREATION OF AN ALBUM?

  Well it depends on if you’re doing one song or an album, but I try to bring in what I was feeling, I try to bring that energy into the studio and embody that in a real sincere way.  To step into the world I was in when I wrote that respective thing.  I think an album or song can also reflect where you are at and it’s good to be in touch with all of that, good or bad when you step into those sessions. 

  Money can sometimes dictate the how you release thing; you [may] want to release things very DYI and you’re recording at home, and you’re really limited to four tracks or you are either doing things live … and you only have four tracks to work with … granted you have some other options.   ( I did a lot of these songs on a tape recorder -  a TASCAM MkII. 

    WAS THAT AN AESTHETIC YOU WERE GOING FOR?

  I think you have to know what came before you and study those things and those things can really enrich what you’re doing.  But also realize it’s not the 1950’s. It’s not the 1960’s. We have a lot of modern technology at our disposal and how you want to record is entirely up to you.  

  And there is no one way of doing things and I’m not a purist with things … and I do think … and everybody has different opinions on this, but I really do think there is something prevalent about analog recording that isn’t necessarily in a lot of digital music that gets lost because everybody is tracking stuff … they have the ability to have so many different tracks and you can just keep over-dubbing and making things sound perfect. I try to stay away from a lot of that stuff ( like pitch control ) even when I record digitally or analog.

  Depending on what kind of music you listen to we are very conditioned right now, in the world of modern pop music to hear music in a overly polished way. I think that sometimes some of the tracks that some people find the most endearing are the ones where you find little flaws in them, little mistakes that couldn’t be completely be ironed out in the production process.  

  [For example] that Otis Redding’s voice wasn’t perfect on these recordings and Janis Joplin’s voice wasn’t perfect, and if something is a little bit off you can sense the humanism in that. 

 

To me, (and not everybody), that’s the attractive endearing thing when you hear something and it sounds like you can hear the room itself. Phil Specter made a thing of that – all the musicians playing in one room so that the sound bled; it became part of the “Wall of Sound” recording technique.  And it was said that he would wear the musicians out, because he would do everything in one take.  So they would have to do it so many times to wear out the individualism [of ] the actual musician, so that it would be just all one big sound.  

      It’s funny, because I studied Judo for a while, and as your talking about this it reminds me of something sensei would say.  He would say “I’m here to tire  you out, because when your are tired, that’s when your Judo comes out. “

  TELL ME MORE ABOUT HOW THE CONCEPT THAT “ HUMANISM IS TO LOVE DESPITE OF IMPERFECTIONS “ INFLUENCES YOUR WORK

  Something which has become really important to me, specially in the last couple of  years, is understanding of my own imperfections and also seeing other people’s imperfections, and loving them for it.  And even when you cant necessarily  appreciate those imperfections [in others] still seeing the Greater Good in [them]. 

    So, yeah, I generally want to see the greater good in things and in the recording process I think the camaraderie, the musicianship, it really helps you to embrace and marry those things.  To be like “alright, although I am a creative, this is still business. “

  In my opinion one of the toughest parts that I encounter, and I think other musicians that I talk to encounter, is being a musician and also being a business-[person].   And it seems like an oxymoron because the music industry was more conducive for musicians just being musicians. 

    All these record labels that used have development departments, those department don’t even exist anymore.  It seems like the paradigm now is: let’s se what pops on social media, on sound cloud; let’s see what people are paying attention to and we’ll grip it up.  And we’ll commoditize it; we’ll monetize it.  But they let the artist do most of the leg-work 

  Some things have a great natural following, and organic following. And there are some many things that are really good secrets out there, but because it’s kind of like a Western mentality of: “When it is something then we’ll all rally behind it.”

  And some people like the idea of something being a hidden little secret, like: “Only I know about this band, and I don’t want it to be big.”  

  But it’s really difficult and kind of amazing at the same time to live in the times [when the ] music industry is shifting paradigms all the time… and we used to live in a world where the record industry kinda dictated a little bit [and]  used to pick up on fads, where there would be this person who thought they had discovered this artist in a smoky room somewhere and would make it their personal mission and took a risk on something  to make sure people heard their music.  

  Where now the whole marked seems to be so flushed with so many things and it used to be like this guard you would have to get by and now that’s not there any more and now there are some many more things to sift through, so many options.

    DO YOU THINK THIS SHIFT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY MAKES IT HARDER OR EASIER TO BE NOTICED AS AN ARTIST?

  It makes it harder, because now you have all the tools at your disposal to get out to the general public, but at the same time some of those old-guard tactics are still there.  You have to get on to certain blogs.  And there are certain record labels that put their stamp of approval, and PR and things like that.  Some of it comes down to how much money you have, some of it comes down to the talent you have.

  But people still like hyperbole; I was talking to somebody sometime about at what point do you keep seeing something in your proverbial feed that you go and take the time to check it out?

  You might hear about a band three or four different times on different mediums and then you go and check it out.  Our in-boxes are full of people wanting us to check things out.  And there are some many things to check out that we just feel completely overwhelmed.  

  DO YOU HAVE A STRATEGY ON HOW TO ADDRESS CREATING MUSIC IN THIS NEW ENVIRONMENT?

  Yeah, to one degree you have to really know what’s going on – the landscape of music and the time that you live in.   But at the same time if you feel and energy and if you feel and can see, in your head, what you want to do, it’s important that you really put down the bones and a foundation and try to deliver those things as well as you see them in your head – in your heart.

  Sometimes you have to ignore what’s going on, because it is so over-whelming.  And sometimes you have to open yourself up to everything that is going on out there and let it filter down. And then sit in your room and filter all the noise.   And just sit down with all the thoughts and feelings and inspirations that you have.  It’s that clinical though, for me I don’t even think about that stuff when I write.  It’s kinda like when my heart opens up … it’s never clinical it’s always natural. And I think that if I’m really pulling for words or pulling for emotions – the I just stop, because that is not how I write. 

    HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR NEED TO BE A BUSINESS PERSON WITH YOUR NEED TO HAVE SPACE TO CREATE MUSIC?  It’s seems like you have it figured out.

  You would think so right?

  Well, probably more than most.

  [LAUGHTER]

  Well, I think, for me is having a healthy balance.  Being around other people – having community.  I used to be a real loner ( [being a loner ] can really help that out, because you are with your thoughts a lot).  But I think I have really opened up now and I really love community.  

  Musicians I think wanting to help on any level.  But to answer your question, I think a lot of it requires leaving time open to where I can listen to music, watch documentary, read books, because that’s usually when something pops for me.  

  So allowing yourself the time to be inspired  - going to museums and different places, and giving yourself the alone time that’s needed to just sit down and be alone with those thoughts.  And maybe nothing comes of it, but most of the time for me something sparks. 

    But when I do get it, I have to be diligent.  Because I can get lazy and if you don’t go with that energy right away you can just loose really quickly. Following through will you still have that love for whatever it is that you’re writing is a huge part of it. 

      TALK TO ME ABOUT TRUST - THE TRUST YOU NEED TO HAVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND THE MUSICIANS YOU’RE WORKING WITH.    AND ALSO TALK TO ME ABOUT THE LOVE YOU HAVE AND THE LOVE YOU FEEL WHILE YOU’RE CREATING YOUR WORK.

  Trusting yourself is important.  I can’t speak for any other musician, but I think I always go through a little bit of self-doubt when creating a new piece, and I think that’s healthy. I think it’s a very tough line to walk if you think too highly of yourself or if you think too low of yourself.  

  I think that any good artist constantly questioning what they’re putting out and why they are putting it out and what their motivation is.  Is it all about you? Is it all about your story?  Is it to inspire the people? What’s your goal in doing these things? 

  It might not even be for someone else, [maybe] you just need to put a thing down on paper. 

  Most people are really scared what people are going to think once you put something out there.  But I think everybody goes through that, whether you’re a doctor or a baseball player, painter, martial artist.  I think that once you get through so many repetitions of something it becomes a little easier.

  That’s not to say you still don’t get nervous when you go on stage.  But sometimes you have off days, and you have to find something in that song, that you maybe sung 200 times, or find something completely different to draw on that you can see in your head… to bring that song to life, otherwise you just go through the motions.

  I think doubt is part of the process, but you also have to have some type of validation. I know people like to say: “Well I don’t care what other people think.” But everybody cares what other people think. 

    So I think it’s important to uplift other people and other artists and be honest [about your feedback].  I think it is important to tell other artists what you find is great in their work, because I think it’s important for their path.

  SO I GUESS, AS AN ARTIST, ACTUALLY BEING A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT YOUR WORK IS ACTAULLY A GOOD DEFLECTOR OF EGO?  

  Yeah, it’s funny. How it can cut both ways. People want to see so many aspects of things, when they are coming to any form of entertainment; they love to see their athletes almost as super human. 

    They love to see certain personas – like Bowie had personas that he would embody. And people want to see these things that take them out of the banality of being a human being or the banality of living a normal life – being super-human, or super-natural or whatever it is – and they want to see them as being these almost flawless things.   But they also love vulnerability as well. 

  But it’s funny the duality of those things – how people want to see their performers embody their bravado and boldness that may not be prevalent within them and to live vicariously [through them] or they may [also] identify with the vulnerability,.  Some people just really love sincerity.

    WHAT ABOUT ARTIST RIVALRY?  DO YOU ENCOUNTER THAT?

  Yeah, I think we all think about those things.  There was this story about Jeff Buckley when he was playing Sin-e, and everybody used to come out to see him all the time and everybody kept telling Thom Yorke, “you gotta see this kid” .. and Radio Head was already on the map … so he went and ( from the perspective that I heard this from  ) he was upset that someone was doing something in line with what he was doing but also completely differently.  

  So I think that every artist feels a little [like] that.  That there is somebody who is doing something and you can’t quiet do it that exactly that way because [what they’re doing] is theirs.

  So I think there is so much work to do in that area [ of creating music ], that I no longer see things from a perspective of rivalry anymore; initially I did, but I think that for me there is so much energy to be put towards other things that even taking a little bit of that energy to be jealous or to have a rivalry is a waste.  

  You just have to be careful with your thoughts and what your motivation is for things. And even initially if you don’t like another artist personally just like to wish them the best, because if you hold on to a grudge or a rivalry it does nothing but hurt and slow down [your creativity]. 

  SO HOW DID THAT STORY ABOUT JEFF BUCKLEY AND THOM YORKE END?

  So the rest of that story has a good ending. Thom Yorke was so upset that someone was doing work of that caliber that he went back and locked himself in his tour bus and they couldn’t get him out.  When he finally came out he had written that song “Fake Plastic Trees”   

  So you can inspire people I think.  You see what other people are doing on a very real level. So as a musician and as an artist I think it’s important to see what other artists are doing even if it’s not what you do or what you’re into. So I think a little competition is actually healthy, and you should respect people and be like, “Ah, I see what they’re doing.”

  And you might think that you can take on that and I think that’s what made David Bowie so great is that he had such a great respect and love for music.  He was a great borrower and put his own signature on things. He wanted to know you as a person and he was always scouting things.

  But if you have this rivalry mentality it cuts you off from being able to see the whole picture, because you only see the competition. It’s not healthy.

  THANK YOU JUSTIN.

  Thank you.

  I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION: IF YOU WHERE TRAPPED ON A DESERTED ISLAND WHAT FIVE ITEMS WILL YOU TAKE WITH YOU?

Echo & the Bunnymen - Crocodiles

Bob Dylan & The Band - The Basement Tapes

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Big Star - #1 Record

MC5 - Back In The USA

Interview: Claudia Innes - Instagram: @jarethsgirl

Photos: Peter Anderson

CMM Spotlight : An Interview with News From Neptune

News From Neptune is the brainchild of British musician David Miller. His debut E.P. “The Cold Open” offers up a variety of tones that are futuristic and inspiring. We sat down with David to talk about his earliest musical influences,how News From Neptune came about,the making of the E.P. and some of his favorite bands in the current Wirral/Liverpool scene.

CMM-What music made the biggest impact on you as a child and what artists have stuck with you most over the years?

DM-I started out in my teens obsessed with people like The Stone Roses and The Smiths - my early bands were mainly just trying to mimic their guitar sounds. While that was happening though I was branching out into psychedelic pop like The Flaming Lips, The Teardrop Explodes, Super Furry Animals and The Beach Boys. I was also heavily into Scott Walker's early solo work. Hearing 'Hallogallo' from the first Neu! album was a real mindblower. I feel like it's this stuff which has stuck with me more, though you can probably still hear my inner Johnny Marr or John Squire fanboy showing through in my guitar playing!

CMM-When did you start making music as News From Neptune and what were the main influences that went into forming your sound?

DM-'News from Neptune' was really just the name I adopted back in about 2015 for my solo work once I started playing proper gigs and looking to release material online. Around that time I was listening to a lot of Robert Wyatt - I loved his free-flowing, almost aquatic sound on the 'Rock Bottom' album and I think I tried to bring elements of that into my music. I was also getting to know more about post-rock. Not so much the heavy, crescendo-based stuff - more the jazzy ambience of people like Tortoise and Bark Psychosis. Also lesser-known bands like Disco Inferno and Butterfly Child - there were some brilliant, unique artists around in the mid-90's who kind of fell through the cracks between dream pop and shoegaze. Listening back to the EP I feel like elements of those sounds are in there. Hopefully the influences aren't too blatant though and the music has its own personality.

CMM-What was the writing and recording process for "The Cold Open" E.P. like? Any particular gear that you used?

DM-A couple of the songs (the title track and 'Viewfinder') actually originate from demos recorded about 7 or 8 years ago which I expanded upon - the arrangements are very different too. The other two came together more recently. 'Head On Backwards' is built around a percussion-based track by the German band Faust called 'Party 1' - effectively a sample, which was a new way of working for me. It's interesting that you'd ask what they're about. The whole aviation theme of the artwork, video etc. came up when I realised that the bassy drone at the start of the title track sort of resembled an aircraft engine. I liked the metaphor and kind of ran with it! It sort of fitted in with the airy, free-flowing, slightly dizzying sound (I had some of Disco Inferno's artwork in mind). My bedroom setup is pretty basic actually, just my guitar going into a Line 6 USB interface and a MIDI keyboard (with which I programmed pretty much everything else - bass, drums etc). I'm a Cubase guy though I probably don't use it exactly as it's meant to be! I've made use of various free plugins off the web, most notably a fake Mellotron called 'Meltron' which I use loads. The basic tracks were then mixed and mastered by Matthew Freeman (from a great local band called Pure Joy whose debut album 'Bang Flower' I played extensively on). Some tracks changed more than others when I passed them over to Matty - some he just tidied up and enhanced with his studio magic, while 'The Man in the Microlight' is basically a full-on remix of my original demo.

CMM-What do you find the most rewarding part about making music and art? Has there been a moment were you felt like everything came together all at once?

DM-I wasn't very well in my late teens/early twenties due to mental health problems. Around that time music was all I had going on really, both listening and making my own. Even when everything else was looking kind of bleak, I could still have these little musical epiphanies which helped to make it worth getting through the day.I'm personally in a better place now but the wider world seems to be going to hell in a handcart, geo-politically speaking. Like a lot of people I find escapism in music (and the other creative arts) to be extremely helpful.

CMM-If you were able to do a soundtrack for a film director of your choice who would it be and what would the film be about?

DM-Tricky question! I'm far from an expert when it comes to film but I love a good soundtrack. 'Paris, Texas' is a favourite of mine so maybe Wim Wenders? Terry Gilliam? David Lynch? All pretty pie-in-the-sky of course! I could also imagine working for TV or maybe even animation would be good fun. As for a plot/theme... what about underwater dystopian sci-fi with surreal and existential undercurrents? In Claymation.

CMM-Any other bands/musicians in your neck of England that you recommend these days?

DM-If you're talking specifically Liverpool/the Wirral, I'd pick out Ex-Easter Island Head and their side project The Aleph for special mention. Forest Swords too - who I think is a bit better known on your side of the Atlantic. He was actually in my brother's class at school! Then there's a group called By The Sea. As for further afield, I really like Daniel Patrick Quinn, Hamilton Yarns, Field Music, Richard Youngs, The High Llamas... and so on. As pretentious as it might sound, I've actually been intentionally trying to listen to new music from different countries recently so it's very likely that some good, more local stuff has gone under my radar!

CMM-Any future plans for the project? Any upcoming tours or recordings?

DM-I think a tour would be a bit ambitious at this stage (probably need to get the word out there a bit more first!) but I'm definitely looking to play more live shows. I've got loads of new material that I've be working on so I'd definitely like to get at least another release out there this year. I've also been working with a band called Cartwheels on Glass which features members of renowned local acts Lovecraft and Organ Freeman. It's probably more conventional guitar-band music than my solo work but they're fantastic, inventive musicians so hopefully the songs and arrangements will stand out. Our leader Craig Sinclair has referred to the music as 'woozy Valium pop', which works for me! We've been playing a few live shows and are looking to launch some of our recorded material very soon too. There's no web presence yet but keep an ear to the ground...!

CMM-Any finals thoughts/comments?

DM-Thanks for taking an interest in my music - it means a lot!

News From Neptune "The Cold Open" E.P. is available now as a limited cassette at www.custommademusicva.com and at www.newsfromneptune.bandcamp.com

"Five For Friday" with Jesse Kaufman of Tomoreaux

Since 2011 Buffalo NY band Tomoreaux have been creating music that is novel, engaging and unique as their beautiful songs combine aspects of post rock, shoegaze and indie pop. Guitarist/Vocalist Jesse Kaufman shares some of his favorite tracks in this weeks edition of "Five For Friday" but first enjoy the bands latest single "Bennington".

Slowdive "Alison"

I guess we'll start off strong with what I honestly consider to be a perfect song. Whether such a thing exists is up to you, but don't decide that until you listen to Slowidve's "Alison." From the modulated chords to Halstead's calming, hushed vocals, and Goswell's gorgeous harmonies, both vocally and instrumentally, this track epitomizes the shoegaze genre. The production, is something to behold as well. The faded, washed-out haze is a trademark, taming Slowdive's unhinged noise into something a bit more accessible, while retaining the raw beauty of Halstead and Goswell's pedalboards.

Mogwai "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"

This is a tough one to write about because, well, it's Mogwai. What else do you say? It just is. One of the more obvious influences on Tomoreaux's sound, Jim Morrison is one of my favorite Mogwai cuts. It's powerful, crushing, really; an emotional locomotive of a song. This video, from the film "Burning," does the song justice as well, showing clips from fans' reaction during the performance. I guess it's really what all bands of this sort aspire to do, myself especially.

Daniel Johnston "True Love Will Find You In the End"

A bit of a sharp left turn here, but something has to be said about this track. It's one of those songs that you can't really appreciate unless you know a little about the artist, but I'll let you do that research on your own. Such a beautiful, positive song from such a tortured soul. Though it's been covered by everyone from Beck to Wilco, nobody will ever be able to do the song justice. It's impossible.

Sleepy Hahas "Deep River"

Being from Buffalo, we have a very strong tie to our fellow local bands. Honestly, the Buffalo scene is incredible, and it's ridiculous that not many people outside of it have picked up on that yet. There's a wealth of hidden gems here. One of those hidden gems are becoming not-so-hidden recently. Garnering some well-deserved attention, Sleepy Hahas are one of my personal favorites, probably because I love the Flaming Lips so much. Just released a few weeks ago, Butler et al have created the perfect marriage between the menacing, psych-tripping of Embryonic era Flaming Lips and pop-sensible Arctic Monkeys. Seriously, listen to this.

The Smiths "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"

You won't really hear their influence on Tomoreaux's music as much as say bands like Sigur Ros or Explosions in the Sky, but the Smiths have been one of my favorite bands since high school, and have no doubt shaped the way I look at music. As you can imagine, picking one Smiths song is a daunting task; it's taken me hours to narrow it down. But, "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" has been a song I've always just subliminally connected with for such a long time. It has a special place in my heart. Although it's one of the group's shortest songs, it's still retained one of the most lasting impacts. Bottom line, it's just an absolutely gorgeous composition.

"Five For Friday" with Chicago fuzz rock trio She Rides Tigers

SHE RIDES TIGERS is a raucous three-piece rock band from Chicago that is crafting dangerous rock&roll music, both raw and visceral, on the verge of crumbling beneath its sonic weight. Consisting of Joe O’Leary (guitar, vocals), James Scott (bass, vocals) and Matt McGuire (drums), The band delivers their own brand of fuzzed-out psychedelic rock and Americana with the devil-may-care attitude and melodic tendencies of Britpop. Their debut E.P. "Standing On The Edge" comes out June 20th. The band shares some of their favorite songs in this weeks edition of "Five For Friday" but first check out the video for their latest single "Roll With It"

The Smiths "How Soon Is Now"

Joe-I begrudgingly accept nowadays that I love this song and always have, though I wouldn't have admitted it when I was 16 and way into the punk rock scene. The song is both saddening and sexy at the same time, with some of the most brilliantly expressive guitar playing I've ever heard. Johnny Marr will always be one of my very top guitar heroes because he knows exactly how to balance pure artistic expression with absolute service to the song. It's his voice. Morrissey kills it on vocals of course, but Johnny does an amazing version of this song all on his own these days with his current band.

Funkadelic "Super Stupid"

Joe-This sounds like a party. The huge, fuzzed-out funky guitar riff leads the charge and kind of sets the mood for this freak show of a song. The beat is super groovy yet huge. I can never get enough of this song and put it on anytime I get the chance to play DJ at a party. The singing is soulful and wild, and everything is kind of delightfully sloppy throughout. There's just something untamed and slightly dangerous to this sweaty unapologetic song that embodies everything rock&roll is about.

Barkmarket "Visible Cow"

James-This is the first Barkmarket song that I was exposed to. Upon a friend's recommendation, I found a copy of the album L Ron and put it on in the car. From the first chord sliding around the twangy acoustic guitar and Dave Sardy's scratchy, pitch imperfect delivery, I was hooked and cranked the stereo. When the rest of the band kicked - in way too loud, it should be noted - I'm quite sure a speaker blew. My mind blew. All of the right buttons were being pushed and my teenage rage took over again. "Visible Cow" opened my eyes to embracing the slop, scratch, click, and bang in music, and I've never quite recovered from that first listen.

Burning Airlines "Outside The Aviary"

J. Robbins has been my musical compass for about 25 years now. This song perfectly balances the elements what I think make him such an important musician and songwriter. Punk rock roots, pop melodies, aggressive deliveries, a ridiculously tight rhythm section, and that bass tone. Oh, that bass tone. I'll be chasing that tone for the rest of my life. I'll buy anything that J. Robbins touches.

Pink Floyd "Waiting For The Worms"

Matt-This is probably the single song I can point to that made me want to be in a band. Its also cool we get to put up a video link because the visuals for this song are just as important to me as the song itself. I remember going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with my parents on summer vacation as a kid and seeing this portion of The Wall in an exhibit. The image of the marching hammers was so earth shattering to me at the time. The song itself is bizarre and dark and unlike anything I'd heard before. I come back to this song a lot.