macaroni_3000

I have been way into music since I was about 12 or 13 years old. I am 45 currently.

For much of my life I have been into metal and particularly more "extreme" forms of it - death metal, black metal, progressive/avant garde etc. I grew up hearing Metallica and things like that, so that is much of my musical foundation.

But the first band I ever really loved was Dark Tranquillity, and they remain one of my very favorites to this day. I like a pretty broad range of other stuff, and I don't worry about genre so much as I look for a sound that I connect with, and I look for intelligence in the songwriting and lyrics.

But I'm also into rap and hip-hop, a LOT. Two of the pivotal albums of my whole life is the Beastie Boys "Hello Nasty" and Mos Def "Black on Both Sides". Both of those came out when I was about 19-20 and I'm still obsessed with them. I like most of the NYC/East Coast stuff from the 90s, Atlanta stuff, and anything that's kind of that old school scratchy, dense, layered sample, soundscape kind of stuff. I absolutely ADORE Run the Jewels, I think they are the most important musical act on the planet right now, for people like me who feel the world should be a certain way but it's not.

And I grew listening to a lot of classic rock and hard rock. Led Zeppelin is still a common listen for me. I loved loved loved Van Halen growing up and still listen to that on occasion. Fleetwood Mac, The Who, lots of stuff like that. I also grew up hearing classic country. I really enjoy the bluegrassy virtuoso stuff and I stand by my opinion that Glen Campbell is one of the greatest guitar players of all time.

the last few years I've sought out more relaxed things, and often this is electronic or folksy, sometimes a combination of both. I adore Dido in every way possible. Beth Orton makes me feel a certain way too. And Lana Del Rey, and other things. I love Phantogram a lot.

I am a little bit of an audiophile, although I don't get crazy or spend thousands of dollars on stereo gear like some people. I have this big old school Yamaha stereo setup that my dad gave me for my birthday in 1991 and I have kept that in like new condition, somehow, for all these years. I have a turntable and CD player, and I use both of those regularly/daily. Some big Monolith tower speakers that I lovingly refer to as bass cannons, that I needed when I started to discover electronic and bass driven music. I also have a sweet little digital player with the Rockbox software on it (highly recommended) and a vast collection of boomboxes, bluetooth speakers and headphones.


I'm actually writing a stage play for a local theater group right now, and I'm buying the rights for 5-6 songs, and it's very rap-centric. It's sort of an autobiographical interpretation of my life up until now, and delves into some futuristic corporate dystopia, and basically it's the soundtrack to a rebellion. I think music and art inspire us to greater things, but I've always been a writer, so I'm finding a way to put all those touchstone ideas I've taken from music all these years and put them into a story that I created just feels right to me.

Great to find this place and looking forward to learning about lots of new music, because that's why I'm here, to make new discoveries! Thanks for reading the novel.

Buckeye Randy

Thanks for the intro. Look forward to future contributions.

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Billy Don't Be A Porter

Drjohnrock

Welcome to the board, macaroni. Your novel was a relaxing diversion after an especially hassle-filled day at work. I look forward to more of your posts.