Okay people out there in WP land this is a difficult question and one that is very hard to answer.
It gets worse if you have diverse musical genres you enjoy and listening moods that you mold the music around your feelings or state at the time.
Personaly; punk, hardcore, metal, & rock have been my main as well as many of the sub-genera’s of them all. Dark wave, industrial, blues, Ambient, folk, Folk Nordic metal, old country and bluegrass. I also like classical, early rap, more jazzy hip-hop/trip-hop or political (here’s looking at you Public Enemy) rap. I’ve never much been into pop, but PJ Harvey, Lady Gaga & Billie Elish i have a soft spot for because of their voice, they speak their truth’s, and the dark feminine nature they exude (Check out Chelsea Wolf). Im not a swifty but I like that she speaks out her politics and stands her ground.
So I im going to try to answer one of the questions I asked above and of course it is not 100%, but my favorite band(s) of all time goes to CLUTCH. Every song is a story, the lyrics build it into a saga, and the music a foundation for a mythology.
I first saw them in my brother’s basement in Madison, WI. Everytime I see them it’s like meeting up with an old friend.
Released 1991
Released 1995
Released 1998
Released 2013
Released 2022
Clutch Clutch Album Cover 1995
Honorable mentions go to Carcass, The Dead Boys, Mastodon, Gwar, Godflesh, Boy Sets Fire, Paradise Lost, Subhumans, Grinch (west coast progressive hardcore), Bahaus, Circle Jerks, Black Flag,Amy Winehouse, The Cure, Beethoven, Curve, Public Enemy, Anthrax, Conflict, Brian Eno, Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy, Chelsea Wolf, Suldusk, Swallow the Sun, Red Fang, Melvins, My Bloody Valentine, Coil, etc…etc…etc…etc.…
Released 1986
Released 1992
Released 2019
Released 2006
Released 1991
Released 1977
So what do ally’all like? Can you answer this question?
Let them fall from your lips on the ground And consume you in flames with your crown You can add up your ill-gotten gains And keep count till nothing remains
Rise ye wolves up above the sound Through the choir of sheep as they drown Raise the banner of the proud and untamed Burn the kingdom down… until nothing remains
Death throe dance pul in quite the crowd Cheering throngs of the scorned still unbowed The system’s dead and we spit on the grave Let it fucking rot… until nothing remains
You hide in a sickness that leaves you unbowed Scorched earth policy friendships allow For your dreams and their failings to mount An assault on continous lies
Let them fall from your lips on the ground And consume you in flames with your crown You can add up your ill-gotten gains And keep count till nothing remains
When ashes remain Burn… ’til the truth is out Burn… down to hallowed ground Burn… and rebuild again Burn. Burn. Until nothing remains
Boy Sets Fire
Written by: Joshua Latshaw, Nathan Gray, Robert Ehrenbrand, Charles W Istvan, Christopher Rakus Album: While a Nation Sleeps Released: 2013
I will never believe them (lies) I’m sick of the weakness that controls me Now that I’ve fallen, I will not repent
Bleed out all empathy This vessel has no spirit left to hold on To lies I’ve lived in full
How long can I hold tight With every movement Tension binds and denies My true nature
The balance has shifted Warped sick and twisted Grabbing at angels when I fall Because I am more than this idol Endless recital For all my demons to applaud I am free
Hide myself from it all While every fear is Screaming night into dawn Until I find
The balance has shifted Warped sick and twisted Grabbing at angels when I fall Because I am more than this idol Endless recital For all my demons to applaud I am free
Do I have to believe them? (Lies) In order to attain fulfillment I have to succumb to (lies) All my inner fears that tear at me I will never believe them (lies) I’m sick of the weakness that controls me Now that I’ve fallen, I will not repent
The balance has shifted Warped sick and twisted Grabbing at angels when I fall Because I am more than this idol Endless recital For all my demons to applaud I am free
Boy Sets Fire Written by: Joshua Latshaw, Nathan Gray, Robert Avery, Matthew Krupanski, Charles Istvan Album: Tomorrow Come Today Released: 2003
When you stand for something, that means you should be automatically against the binary inverse, unfortunately pride, arrogance, aggrieved victimhood, situational ethics (tribalism), can & will take these parts of character, twist them into unrecognizable mutants, and destroy those things once held dear into phantoms and outright frauds.
The above are three human conditions, I stand against. I have stood against them for basically my entire life. They are reflected in most of my actions, down to where i shop (I keep it small, local or regional as possible), who I support politicaly, and personal interactions with others. I view all people as equal at birth and all should have the same opportunities.
I question everything, even my personal philosophy, my left leaning politics, my character, my actions, what I beleive since I was young. Growing up in conflict has conditioned me into a powerful detachment, yet I am endlessly passionate when it comes to my beliefs, that “being rational”, that empathy & compassion in the end will make the case that these base human needs will win out and are more important than rage, bigotry, hate, apathy, & indifference.
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”
Alexander Hamilton
No doubt I am a fool; but at the end of the day, looking into the mirror, it’s far more important that I expressed my character honorably and that I stand my ground.
I had no Idea that any of the bands i was in back in the day were even relevant, but I guess people like classical music from the mid-90’s. Although its missing i was one of the founding members of the band “Downer”, but i never played out with them.
Emo-punk back then was a completely different animal then what it has morphed into, which is more of a semi-goth fashion ascetic, rather than a mish-mash of rock, punk, hardcore, metal, even folk influences music type it was. Emo had nothing to do with look or style, it what was what’s inside that counted. Speaking up, baring your soul regardless of reaction of the audience. But hey! I was just a bass player.
Don’t get me started on what is considered to be “Goth” nowadays, it’s all become a fashion lifestyle were the music it aborted from it and is mostly just a side note. It’s a fact Bela Legosi is dead and the Sisters of Mercy didn’t include Sousxie and her Banshees. 😉
I think it was Hot Topic’s fault. Back in my day you had to go to a pet store to get a good chain collar to wear or mail order spikes for your black leather biker jacket. Damn kids! Whom are now in their 30’s. Ageing, is and always will be, the best self-own on those younger than yourself who are making fun of you for beingolder.
End of Witacre was the best of the three bands I was in ~1997. Of course ego’s got in the way of the one band i was in that had the talent and drive to make it, even if a little in the alt-music sphere. Remember this is way before MySpace, the internet music revolution, etc… recordings and making it to larger audiences back in the olden days was a lot more difficult than today because everything was analog and hardcopy.
Anyway, I stood my ground and defended my longtime band mate and friend Cory and decided that if they were going to kick him out, then I wouldn’t be part of the band either. Thus, break-up. I still stand by that decision. Loyalty, honor & character mean a lot to me. In the beginning of 1998 I moved back home to my parents house, played lots of starcraft, Diablo and went back to school concentrating on the natural sciences.
Ecoheretic 