In our '5 Records From:' series we ask local artists to share with us 5 albums that have shaped their music and influenced their life.
Teaser and the Firecat by Cat Stevens
This is one of the first albums I remember absolutely loving. As a little dude, I remember my dad and grandparents playing this all the time, and I remember knowing every word to Moonshadow, Wild World, and Morning has Broken. In fact, my first time performing music in front of an audience was singing Moonshadow to my preschool class for show and tell on my Fisher-Price tape player with the built in mic. With this being quite possibly my earliest musical influence that I can remember, I think it’s no coincidence that I’ve always been drawn to simple, well-written songs with poignant lyrics.
The Great Milkenko by Insane Clown Posse
As a kid I remember hearing a little ICP and enjoying it, but not really diving too deeply into it. Once I was in my late teens, I revisited the wicked shit and absolutely fell in love. Of the original Joker’s Cards, The fourth resonated with me the most. Milenko is the Joker’s Card that deals with the temptation of evil and justice for those who’ve wronged you in your life. I got into this album at a very dark point in my life, and hearing Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope rapping about bad people getting what’s coming to them and warning about the temptation of sin was something I think really helped me stay positive. J and Shags yelled about shit so I didn’t have to and it really helped me cope with a lot of what I was dealing with at the time. Also, I‘ll always have a special place for this record because my homie Josh brought me a copy when I was in the hospital at my rock bottom. Throughout my time in the hospital I kept repeating the lyric, “We all gonna die, but I’m not gonna fry. Even though most never try, I’m not gonna let these pass me by, no” and it helped me stay positive.
Hunky Dory by David Bowie
Anyone who knows me knows I could go on about Bowie for hours, so I’m gonna keep this as brief as I can. Growing up, my mom and dad both listened to Bowie. He’s one of the few artists I never had to discover, because I remember listening him as early as I can remember. Bowie has influenced me from everything from music to fashion, and was a big part of me becoming comfortable with my queerness. I chose Hunky Dory because is simultaneously poppy and experimental, simple and complex. It really challenged pop music conventions at time, but somehow defined them. Bowie’s constant strive to break the mold, while still being easily digestible and familiar, is clear in this album and is exactly what I strive for when I make music. This is what makes him more punk than anyone is, was, or ever will be.
Duct Tape Soup by Crimpshrine
Of everything on this list, I got into Crimpshrine most recently. I gave them a listen after I saw Operation Ivy, Green Day, Jawbreaker, and even Mr. T Experience cited as an influence, and I immediately fell in love. It embodies everything I love about punk; it’s raw, it’s emotional, and it’s full of energy. If I had to pick one band I look to the most when I’m writing and performing with Low Lives in High Places, it has to be Crimpshrine. Jeff Ott’s vocals sound like an asthmatic chain-smoker, the instrumentals the perfect balance of tight and sloppy, the songs are simple but somehow sound completely different than the other punk of the time, and the lyrics are honest, angsty, and thoughtful. The combination of all of this makes for punk rock as it was intended. The feeling I get when listening to this record, no matter how many times I listen to it, makes me feel similarly to way I felt when I first started discovering punk when I was younger.
The Fury of the Aquabats! by The Aquabats
There’s so many ska records I could have put on this list, but I had to pick the one that made me fall in love with the genre back in middle school. As the weird, dorky, band kid, finding music that was just as dorky as I was, that still had a bit of a punk edge to it, and had saxophone made me feel like I finally found my music. The record is campy, fun, and musically tight, especially Travis Barker’s drumming. Every time I listen to it, I get huge wave of nostalgia and remember that music doesn’t always have to be so serious all the time. Also, without this record, I would have never gotten into Operation Ivy, The Specials, or any other ska band.
Honorable Mentions: Energy-Operation Ivy, Milo Goes to College-Descendents, Boogadaboogadaboogada-Screeching Weasel(Fuck Ben Weasel though), The Bible 2-AJJ, Self-titled-Bruce Lee Band, Station to Station-David Bowie, Start Today-Gorilla Biscuits, 13 Songs-Fugazi, Self-titled-The Specials, Too Much Pressure-The Selecter, No Gods No Managers-Choking Victim, The Green Album-Skankin Pickle, The College Dropout-Kanye West, 36 Chambers-Wu Tang Clan, Big Lizard in my Backyard-Dead Milkmen, Fear of a Punk Planet-The Vandals, Self-titled-Violent Femmes, Rocket To Russia-The Ramones, She’s So Unusual-Cyndi Lauper, We Cool?-Jeff Rosenstock, Disintegration-The Cure, Ribbed-NOFX, Fist City-Tribe 8, That’s So Gay-Pansy Division, Actually-Pet Shop Boys
Uploaded by Joey
Uploaded by Joey