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Prying Open My Third Eye! A Look Into The Musicians That Inspired Me
Prying Open My Third Eye!
Hey everyone so I looked through a couple music journals and decided, “what the heck?” I’ve decided to review some of the Musicians that have influenced me to not only listen to music, but explore the other aspects of it. So relax and hope you enjoy! Maynard James Keenan Who would’ve thought in 1992 when the progressive metal band TOOL would release their EP, “Opiate” that Maynard James Keenan would solidify his status as a musical icon. Sure you don’t hear him in the news everyday or he hasn’t won a ton of Grammy’s, but his impact on music is more than that. With that iconic, primal, raw screams, that almost hypnotizing voice, and beautiful lyrics he’s captivated millions of listeners. Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan) was born into a structurally unstable family, his parents divorced when he was only four and would barely see his father. His mother suffered a stroke when he was eleven (Judith Marie Keenan would become inspirations for various songs throughout Maynard’s musical career such as “Judith,” “Wings for Marie,” and “Jimmy.”) He would eventually attend West Point Prepatory School and soon decided to pursue a career in music. He would start playing in low-gig bands like TexA.N.S. and Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty. Eventually in 1990 Adam Jones, Paul D’Amour, Danny Carey, and himself would form TOOL. They would release their EP, “Opiate” in 1992 and then four more studio albums, “Undertow,” “Aenima,” “Lateralus,” and “10,000 Days.” With each album they evolved musically and visually. From 1999-2004 he would also become a main member of the band/super group “A Perfect Circle” and would release three albums, “Mer de Noms,” “Thirteenth Step,” and “eMotive.” He also has a solo project under the psuedonym “Puscifer” where he could release solo efforts and somewhat break his normal styles. There is still no doubt that MJK has had a profound impact on music, his lyrical style can easily be interpreted in so many ways and that’s exactly what he wants. He desires listeners to connect with him and listen to better understand themselves, a personal evolution if you may. His voice is pure and one of the most unique in the music industry. He has influenced bands like System of a Down, Deftones, and Chevelle. What To Listen To: http://images2.makefive.com/images/2...8a1b8b95ee.jpg |
Please reply to your PM regarding the YT links and I will edit accordingly.
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Your title sounds like a painful quest for anatomical self discovery, for a second i thought this was going to be the daftest (and/or strangest) thread i'd ever seen. Now i know the truth though, crack on and look forward to it.
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Chris Cornell's signature voice became a notable one during the early grunge years and has made a comeback in the last decade. His vocal range I would describe as simply transcendent, along with his lyrics they become almost a separate entitity from the music itself. He belts out from the heart and its not hard to see why he became one of the leaders of the grunge movement. Christopher Cornell was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. One of the five children he instantly became hooked on music, eventually spending about two years listening to The Beatles. In 1984-1990 he would become one of the forming members along with Kim Thaiyl, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd to form the pioneering grunge/metal band Soundgarden.They would release "Screaming Life EP," "Fopp EP," "Ultramega OK," "Louder Than Love," their commercially successful album "Badmotorfinger," and their notable "Superunknown" and their last album "Down on the Upside" in 1997. In between this Soundgarden and what would later become Pearl Jam teamed up under the name "Temple of the Dog" in memory for late friend and former "Malfunkshun" and "Mother Love Bone" singer Andrew Wood. They released their self-titled debut album in 1991. Cornell's voice and lyrics were notable on each album and some of his most memorable songs are; "Slaves & Bulldozers," "Like Suicide," "4th of July," and "Rusty Cage." Soundgarden eventually dissolved in 1997 after their somewhat unpopular album "Down on the Upside," stating personal differences as the root. Even though Soundgarden fell through Cornell didn't stop there, he released his debut solo album "Euphoria Morning" which recieved critical acclaim. In 2001 Cornell and former RATM members, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk formed the supergroup "AudioSlave" they released three albums and would help revive Cornell's career. After the breakup with AudioSlave Cornell pursued another solo album effort and released his 2007 album "Carry On." The album allowed him to vent much of the music different from AudioSlave and became a success. In 2009 he would release an album that many believe shifted from Cornell's notable grunge and alternative style to a more mellow, R&B style. What to listen to: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...otorfinger.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...riaMorning.jpg |
Looking forward to this, very interestingly and well-written!
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I enjoy most of Cornells work but his solo albums are just awful. Covering Billie Jean...wtf is that..
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I approve of this journal very hard.
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Thanks everyone for all the positive comments, really appreciate it!
So in about 8th grade my friend Ryan introduced me to System of a Down by playing their song "Chic N' Stu" at the highest volume possible! As a constantly heard the words "pizza-pizza pie" I thought to myself, "this is ****ING AWESOME!" System of a Down's intricate lyrics and heavy sound lured me in like a Siren. Serj Tankian's voice hit me like a lightning bolt, it wa fast, hard, melodic, and the after result was pure bliss. Serj started playing in the band SOIL with Daron Malakian and eventually Shavo Odajian (one of my favorite bass players) to form System of a Down. They recruited drummer Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian but was replaced by John Dolyman, they would burst onto the Nu-Metal scene with their self-titled debut album in 1998. With fast songs and playful lyrics it became a major hit. They would lead up with their critically acclaimed album "Toxicity" in 2001 and "Steal This Album!" in 2002. In 2005 they released their double albums "Mesmerize" and "Hypnotize." Serj's efforts with SOAD came to a hiatus so he soon decided to release his solo debut album "Elect The Dead." Serj's solo efforts paid off as I highly reccomend that album! Serj's lyrics are mostly political and are to defy and to musically reform society to become peaceful and he does so in a voice of passion. What to listen to/read: http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...d-toxicity.jpg http://www.freewebs.com/serjtankianfan/etdcover.jpg http://www.productwiki.com/upload/im...s1-400-400.jpg |
So totally forgot to put a list of the people/bands that inspired me on the first post! My bad!
Chapter One: Musicians: 1. Maynard James Keenan 2. Chris Cornell 3. Serj Tankian 4. Trent Reznor 5. Zack de la Rocha 6. Cedric Bixler-Zavala 7. Kurt Cobain/Dave Grohl 8. Henry Rollins 9. Jimi Hendrix 10. Brandon Boyd Chapter Two: A Deeper Understanding Into Music and Personal Narratives 1. "Tool: A Personal Narrative Into My Own Musical Evolution" 2. "Rage Against The Machine: Know Your Enemy!" 3. "Nine Inch Nails: A Musical Industrial Revolution" 4. "A Perfect Circle: TOOL-Lite If You May?" 5. "Dreamin' of Foxglove: My Own Personal Project" 6. "Conclusion: Closing My Third Eye!" And I do apologize if I can't get too many of these in, but after the semester ends I'll be able to work on them more. |
You can't mention alternative music in the past 20 years without thinking of one man...Trent Reznor. Reznor has become a leading force in the alternative wave, from his release of Nine Inch Nails' 1989 debut album "Pretty Hate Machine" to 2008's "Ghosts I-IV." Reznor has made a name for himself, not only as a musician but as a producer. Its not just Reznor's lyrics or voice, but the main fact that he can bring in some of the best musicians to help his record amazing music. Trent released NIN's debut album "Pretty Hate Machine" with critical acclaim, songs like "Down In It" and "Head Like A Hole" made the album very successful and brought them into the limelight. Its raw and unique sound will send chills down your spine and make you ask for more. NIN then released "Broken EP" which brought hard hitting tracks and seemed a much more "heavier" sound than "Pretty Hate Machine." It also spawned the hit songs "Wish" and "Happiness In Slavery," (the latter produced a very controversial music video). The album "The Downward Spiral" became and is still to date their highest selling album, and spawned the singles "Hurt" and "Closer" which were personal songs that expressed his own angst and his own "downward spiral." It would be five years before NIN would release any new material, Reznor battle depression and drug abuse, but would eventually enter rehab and used music as an output for his experiences. "The Fragile" utilized unique sounds and introspective lyrics to convey his message. NIN would release their next two albums "With Teeth" and "Year Zero" and would end Trent Reznor's relationship with Interscope Records and would become an independent artist. The album "The Slip" would be released for free on the NIN website and its punk and fast feel helped it become downloaded about 1 million times. "Ghosts I-IV" a 36 track instrumental album, which used many different instruments and more creativity was also released. Trent Reznor's influence on music is infinite. His credibility with NIN and his production/remix credits, which include Marilyn Manson, David Bowie, and Queen cement his legacy in music. He has had a profound impact on myself, as I find his music and producing skills to be some of the best. What to listen to: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._spiral800.jpg |
With one of the most outspoken and fierce voices in the music industry, Zack de la Rocha established himself as the vocalist of Rage Against The Machine and a voice of the people. He became a driving voice in politically charged music with lyrics fused with an alternative-funk-rap metal sound led by Tom Morello and his innovative guitar techniques, Tim Commerford an his deep and funk infused bass lines, and Brad Wilk's hip-hop and hardcore drumming, RATM became a household name, whether you liked them or not. Zack de la Rocha was born in Long Beach, California and his family and heritage played a major influence on his life which he used in his lyrics. His father Roberto de la Rocha was a driving force in bringing Chicano art to the mainstream, his grandfather was a Mexican revoltionary who was a member of the EZLN, and his mother was an Anthropoligist who reloacated Zack to Irvine, CA where he would experience racism first hand and would meet future bandmate Tim Commerford. Zack's musical influences drew from punk acts like The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and Bad Religion and would become part of the band Inside Out which gained notoriety in the underground. After Inside Out broke up he would meet Brad Wilk and Tom Morello, who were in the band Electric Sheep and invited his friend Tim Commerford to come play with them, thus Rage Against The Machine was born. Rage Against The Machine released their 1991 demo "Rage Against The Machine" and it inked them a deal with Epic Records and released their debut album of the same name in 1992. Led by the songs "Killing In The Name" (noted for its use of the word ****) and "Know Your Enemy" (Maynard James Keenan sings during the bridge) RATM took music to a whole 'nother level and stamped their influence on music. RATM relased "Evil Empire" in 1996 and noted for their hit song "Bulls On Parade" which showcased one of Tom Morello's techniques in using the killswitch it is also layered with other great songs like "Tire Me," "Vietnow," and "Revolver" (one of my favorites). The group continued strong and Zack voiced his opinions even more and became evem mor involved in fixing social issues. Eventually RATM relased two subsequent albums, "The Battle of Los Angeles" (1999) and "Renegades" (a cover album released in 2000). The band would dissolve due to creative differences and Zack left to do solo work. After collabarating with other artists and supposedly working on a solo album RATM reunited in 2007 at Coachella and played in North America, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Europe. He also released a 5 song EP with Jon Theodore (The Mars Volta) under the name One Day As A Lion in July of 2008. Zack lyrics has always struck me from the simpleness of "Killing In The Name" in which he repeats "**** you I won't do what you tell me!" to the haunting narrative "Maria" where he sings "Of Yanqui guns for blood debts on the loan/Of smoldering fields, rape, rubble and bones/Of graves hidden trapped up in visions of war/Of nothing, no one, nobody, no more." Zack has always approached music in a straightforward way to send across his message. Although, I don't write any politically charged music myself his lyrics are still impressive and is one of the few musicians who don't just speak, but do. What to listen to: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Y5Goxhsz_w...Lion+cover.jpg http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k6...rage_again.jpg |
Breaking NEWS! Well everyone, I've decided to write my first narrative out of this whole Music Journal, "Tool: A Personal Narrative Into My Own Musical Evolution." It will be up hopefully by this weekend!
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You got some good artists there... Tool and Perfect Circle is def. my fav outa that.
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Is this in order of preference or just random?
Reason I ask is it's very similar to mine. |
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