This is part of a multi-blog post that started over at www.matthewebel.com [http://tinyurl.com/7bands]
Every music site I sign up for has the same Influences field. To say that an artist influenced me is rather trivial... I may not like 50 Cent, but his work has influenced me (in the "dear God don't ever let me sound like that" kind of way).
There are a certain number of acts, however, that throughout my development have made me want to play better, write better, entertain better, and be better. They are the ones that made me ask, "why can't I do that?" And then I asked, "what can I do to be like that?" It's the line between influence and inspiration, and there's 7 on my list that cross that line.
Of course, to read the list you're going to need to travel around the net a little. I'm posting one inspiring act here, but the rest are elsewhere. Here's where you'll find them:
- Ben Folds - Facebook [http://tinyurl.com/7bandsBenFolds]
- Pat Monihan/Train - MySpace [http://tinyurl.com/7bandsTrain]
- Jason Mraz - Here!
- Pink Floyd - Last.fm [http://tinyurl.com/7bandsPinkFloyd]
- Billy Joel - Stereofame [http://tinyurl.com/7bandsBillyJoel]
- Dave Matthews Band - PMN [http://tinyurl.com/7bandsDMB]
- Derek Webb - matthewebel.com [http://tinyurl.com/7bands]
Jason Mraz
I first heard this guy on (*gasp*) terrestrial radio in Nashville, TN. I wasn't that impressed with the first single of his they played, but when "Curbside Prophet" dropped I was hooked. He does with lyrics what tap-dancers do with shoes. Between Mraz and Monihan, I was convinced that intricate wordplay was not too esoteric for the listening public. I don't know if my lyric-writing skills will ever shine like Jason's, but he certainly makes me want to try.
For the rest of the artists, just click on one of the links above!
