Here's a little page about me. Stuff I like, things I'm into, people I'd like to smack around for a little while, etc.
Me...
My name is Austin. I was born in 1981. I live in Reno, Nevada and I don't like it. But my wife and I are here and we are together, so that's all that matters. I grew up in Eugene, Oregon and I'd like to move back there someday but I don't know if that day will be anytime soon (if ever). I worked for Tower Records and had a wonderful time until they decided not to be a business anymore. So, now I attend some college classes and work wherever they will have me. Married life is great. So is free jazz. I have two very good friends, Raj and Iain. I've been friends with Iain since about fourth grade. Raj joined the circle about the time when I was a year out of high school and Iain was a senior in high school. Tricycle has disbanded, but here's a photo from when we played with the Scurvy Bastards (left to right: Raj in rockstar mode, Iain in supa emcee b-boy stance, me in cuing up the record fashion):
I'm makeshift vegetarian (chicken sometimes). For primarily health reasons though, not so much political reasons (fish never because the ocean is dying). I'm still not sure what I want to "do." Maybe I'll never decide... who knows. I don't like amerikkkan culture. Oh well. I live here, might as well make the best of it.
Music I like...
These are just a select handful of artists that I like. I really do consider myself a fan of any artist I own a recording of so this really is just a small selection of every artist/band that I like. I probably won't ever get any deeper than this (and even though it appears otherwise, this really is just scratching the surface), so enjoy what's here. I know I do.
David Axelrod
People always ask, "What kind of music does he make?" and I say, "I dunno... amazing music?" Truly, a very unique and talented artist. I have a small page on him
here. I got into his music because he was sampled so much in hip hop, but it's definitely not just good sample fodder, there's some really groundbreaking classic albums in his catalogue. Sometimes, his Capitol stuff (aka his best stuff) is called indulgent or pointless noodling, but it's just called that by people who are mad they didn't think of it first. Jerkasses.
Miles Davis
Most folks love Miles while hating him at the same time. I find myself enjoying just about any of his recordings (except when he started covering Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper... ouch). He was ahead of the pack for most of his recording life. From his brilliant first "classic" quintet with John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley to his exceptional fusion group in the early 70's, he was always trying to get the music inside his head out to keep himself sane. To pick a favorite album would be to disrespect so many of his other classic recordings. And besides, too many of his albums stick out so much with their own identities. Truly one of the greatest musicians ever.
The Cure
(this photo is now outdated, unfortunately)
I grew up always liking their hits but never really checked them out until long after the fact. Damn I missed out. Oh well. As far as "alternative" rock goes, these are the guys for me. I tend to like their earlier more more new wave stuff the best, but they really are one of the most solid and consistent bands to emerge from that whole era. And Robert Smith is one of the most underrated guitarists ever, dammit.
Common
Before there was jazz or alternative rock for me, there was hip hop. And Common was always my favorite MC. His forever progressing and expanding sound always kept me interested and his deeply introspective and soulful personal keeps me going back for more.
Curtis Mayfield
A good portion of my record collection (estimated at about 3, 500 albums) is dedicated to classic soul music and I'd go far enough to say that I wouldn't be able to get by like I do now without it. Curtis is my main man. Sure, he did
Superfly. But that's just a small slice of the enormous pie Curtis offered to the world. His music is so consistently refreshing and organic. It's got that realness to it that most music stopped having by about the late 70's. One of the greatest musical talents of the second half of the 20th century.
Gil Scott-Heron
From one soul master to another. Gil's music speaks to me much in the same way as Common's. Although Gil was a bit preachy at times, his intentions were never anything except good. And he was an absolute master with spoken word poetry, predating hip hop by at least a decade. Such a personable and gifted artist as Gil is hard to dislike.
Bill Withers
Let's keep it in a soul mood, shall we? Like Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers gets remembered for one or two outrageously big hits (which are great, but not representative) and not much else. One listen to his 1974 album,
+ 'Justments and any music fan will be saying, "Lean on
who?" A wonderful songwriter who had a spectacular sense of melody and very relatable, personal style. Make a smile for him.
Ron Carter
Sometimes a musician is so good at what they do, you just kind of expect them to be at the top of their game and their average performance is better than most artists' best. Eventually, you become less than excited about that artist. Then one day, after neglecting them for so long, you are reawakened to their greatness and brilliance and it all becomes clear. Ron Carter is a perfect case. Just look at how lukewarm the reception has been for his albums as a session leader. But have you actaully heard
The Bass & I? It's a brilliant recording. I see Mr. Carter play in Oakland every time he stops there and it always blows me away how great he (still) is. One of the most important living musicians.
Cannonball Adderley
One of the most soulful altoists to ever pick up the instrument, Cannonball also had a nice healthy dose of funk in his blood in his later years which I think brought out some of his best playing. He was chums with the afforementioned Axe man from the early 60's up until his death in 1975 and they were always appearing on each other's records for the duration. He had a very distinct tone and mood about his music and, along with his brother Nat, he recorded some of the most soulful jazz music ever.
Kristin Hersh
If there was one musician who I just flat out hated the first time I heard them, it was Kristin Hersh. Never in my life did I think I'd be sitting in amazement at one of her shows, singing along with every song in my head. But, that just proves how much of an idiot I am. Because, oh yes, it happened. Kristin Hersh's music to me, is like that side of me that likes to take the long way home when I'm not sure if I've got enough gas in my car to make it. But if that side of me didn't exist, I'd become (even more!) boring. The way she writes songs and the quantity in which she writes them is admirable enough, but the fact that she's such a talented and eccentric person just adds to her appeal for me. Lump her band Throwing Muses under here as well, because they are one of the consistently great college rock bands to come out of that whole scene.
Grant Green
Grant Green is my pick for the greatest guitarist of all time. His numerous sessions for Blue Note Records both as a leader and as a sideman in the early and mid-60's should be proof enough for even the most skeptical person. Not only did he play with more than enough technical accomplishment, but like many other folks I've mentioned on this page, he put his entire soul into every note. He had a very distinct sound, playing his guitar like a horn. And on his later records, he showed a real knack for playing funk that was also very technically admirable.
The Durutti Column
One of the best guitarists to emerge in the last part of the twentieth century. Hearing the guy now, it's hard to think that he came out of the Manchester punk scene, because his music is so un-punk, it's not even funny. But he's an absolute virtuoso. Somewhere between the desolate post-punk of Joy Division and the proto-new age of the Cocteau Twins, Mr. Reilly's Durutti Column exists outside of boundaries and established ideas. Whether building instrumental tunes off incredibly catchy riffs or constructing fantastically cohesive songs around sampled vocals, the guy always manages to write some great (and undeniably unique) tunes. As Steve Coogan's Tony Wilson character tells Raymond Waring's Vini Reilly character in
24 Hour Party People, "You make wonderful music." And that he does.
Bill Evans
There are maybe one or two artists who have even half the size of Evans' catalogue who I could say they never made a bad record. But when you double (or triple in most cases) the size of that catalogue, such a claim becomes of lower probability. Unless you're the greatest and most influential piano player of the 20th century. Achingly beautiful is how I would describe his playing and his life. It seems silly to look at his recordings now and criticize them but he was truly a master of all styles and not a one trick pony (as he's been accused of). If I were to let myself just become completely close minded, I would get rid of my entire music collection, except for my Bill Evans albums (and maybe a few David Axelrod ones) and I would still find enough in those recordings to keep me interested and inspired for the rest of my life.
Sun Ra
Where the
hell do you start with Sun Ra? For starters, he claimed he was from Saturn. Except, seriously. Oh yeah, he was also a freakin' genius. No matter what stage of his career you look at, he was undoubtedly ahead the pack. He was also one of the first musicians ever to press up his own music and release it himself on his own label (El Saturn Research, started in the mid-1950's). Staunchly independent and obsessively philosophical, Sun Ra and his vast musical legacy will open up an entirely new and incredibly fascinating world to anyone who gives it a chance. Sure, he's a bit weird, but one listen to records like
Jazz In Silhouette and
Night of the Purple Moon (along with the consideration of the philosophies behind their creation) and you can't help but be intruiged.
Death Cab For Cutie
Ok, funny guy, get it out now. Emo = homo. Great. Ok, let's move on. Frontman Ben Gibbard's (and all of his numerous offshoots and side projects) songwriting is like that of a fine wine: it just gets better with age. In their simplicity lies the true genius of the band. Album after album of great, catchy, personal, and sometimes just downright fun material. They've yet to make an album (or song, for that matter) that I've disliked or was even indifferent to. In a discouraging age when bands of this caliber rarely get recognized (and when they do, most times they go to shit), they just seem to get better as their popularity grows.
OutKast
I've been hooked ever since "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik." OutKast has always been one of my first thoughts for the definition of pure, honest hip hop. Though where they are now seems like a million miles from where they started, I've grown up with them and learned a lot about music, myself, and life in general through them. I don't think it'd be a stretch of the imagination at all to say I wouldn't be the person I am now without their music.
Archer Prewitt
Yeah, the Coctails were great. Sure, the Sea & Cake is also one of my favorites. But, have you heard
In the Sun?. It trumps just about anything else Mr. Prewitt has been involved in. Not to be forgotten, he's got four other records under his own name that are all equally as great. His music is a prime example of how modern pop music can be something other than contrived drivel. Like I tried to explain to a co-worker, it's like a guy who loves 70's pop music just as much as Sonic Youth decided to make music that he would listen to. And it's also fun. One of my absolute favorite musical personalities.
De La Soul
Relentlessly original and unapologetically sarcastic, De La Soul is another group that I grew up with and looked to for guidance in my formative years. If OutKast represented my reflective, thought-provoking side, De La Soul definitely represented my creative, individual side. Though it seems their best records are also their least understood and most overlooked, I think it's safe to say they're one of the best, most consistent, and unfortunately misunderstood hip hop groups ever.
Ahmad Jamal
Ahmad Jamal is a huge figure of importance in jazz. He was one of very few piano players who could claim originality and, ironically enough, he was a huge influence on Miles Davis. His own catalogue is huge and surprisingly consistent for a jazz player who recorded as often as he did. In the 70's and 80's (when I feel he actually made a small improvement from his late 70's recordings) he remained an important and noteworthy figure. Even today he still records (his newest record,
In Search of Momentum is one of his very best albums for me) and plays live shows. I saw him in concert recently and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
James Brown
It's easy to overlook James Brown and his importance. But the influence and impact he had on popular music was still being felt 25 years after the fact. If it weren't for him, Miles never would've recorded
Bitches Brew and hip hop would sound nothing like it does now. Besides, his music is so addictively consistent on its own, I'd be an idiot not to like him.
Public Enemy
Powerful music with a message. It's a formula that has a hard time failing with me. Public Enemy was my first obsesssion. I had to have everything of theirs. And it's still an ongoing thing. I've stuck with them over the years and Chuck D has always acted as the voice of reason in my life whether on his records, or giving interviews or lectures. He is one of my biggest inspirations and influences.
John Coltrane
Never before has a musician been so devoted to his art as John Coltrane was. Equally as talented as he was forward thinking and eccentric, John Coltrane is one of the true innovators of jazz. And he had so much inner spirituality in him that he could channel into his horn, seemingly, as he wished. There's a reason his recordings like
Blue Train and
A Love Supreme are so highly regarded. There's a certain power to those recordings that simply would not have been achieved without his presence. And even on his less recognized albums all throughout his career, he continually shows the same sides of brilliance.
Beulah
Miles Kurosky acts as the Robert Smith or Ben Bibbard-like lead figure of this great San Francisco band. Smart alecky and eye openingly lush pop music graced their first three albums (highlighted by 1999's
When Your Heartstrings Break, one of only four records that have ever made me say, "Oh my god, this is really fucking good," out loud upon hearing it the first time). But then Miles decided to get all serious and responsible and managed to guide Beulah through their finest work to date with
Yoko. Besides the music, they are just very cool down to earth folks. Unfortunately no longer a band but they left behind four records that should be studied (or just enjoyed).
Charles Mingus
Even if you had never heard his music, one glance at the disclaimer that prefaces his autobiography
Beneath the Underdog ("
Some names in this work have been changed and some of the characters and incidents are fictitous) and you'll realize that he was probably a little crazy. Like, literally crazy. But his music. Oh man,
his music. Very few people are able to express themselves so articulately over so such a wide range of emotions simply through notes being played on an instrument. But Mingus was a master. One of the top composers of the 20th century, he left behind him a trail of work that's simply remarkable. Some of it so good, it has to be heard to believed.
The Chameleons
Not many bands (especially from their era) can make the valid claim of being as original and as influential as the Chameleons can. At the time, they were underappreciated and now, when ripping 80's bands seems the cool thing to do, they are yet again overlooked. Shame. One listen to their initial run of 80's albums will hook any self respecting fan of guitar bands. And the real surprising thing about them is that even their recent material is just as good as (if not better than) their output before they disbanded in 1987. As if being absolute masters of their instruments wasn't enough, Mark Burgess is a total genius lyrically. Everything he's done, with and without the Chams, is literate and poignant, sometimes without even trying to be.
Modern English
If any band has ever been so unfairly and unjustly overlooked by a "one hit wonder" tag, it's definitely Modern English. They came from a period when one hit wonders were more common than ever but even then they stuck out. Although their output after their first three albums has been more miss than hit (perhaps because Robbie Grey basically carried the band by himself without all the original members), those first three records are entirely brilliant. By 1983's
Ricochet Days, they were well on the way to becoming one of the few consistently great new wave bands.
Nicola Conte
While most stateside attempts at recreating classic jazz come off artificial and corny, it figures that you would have to go overseas in order to find someone doing it right. But Nicola Conte isn't just copying Duke Ellington. Having a background in the Italian dance music scene, he is creating classic sounding jazz that has its roots firmly planted in tradition, but branches that look up and out towards the future, injecting dancefloor-able grooves into technically sound acoustic playing. His latest album,
Other Directions, is incredible and easily one of the best records of the new millenium.
Sahib Shihab
Who? One of the first jazz musicians to openly convert to Muslim and use the flute in a bebop context, Sahib Shihab has done many notable things in modern music. For one, he played on Thelonious Monk's seminal 1947 and 1951 sessions. He toured Europe with Quincy Jones in the early 60's and decided to stay and join the Clarke-Boland Big Band, finding Europe was not as hard on a black Muslim as the United States. Most of his sessions as a leader are unfortunately out of print (and have been that way since their initial pressings) but he can be heard as a sideman on plenty of things. His 1971 album
Sentiments was recently reissued and remastered and is well worth searching out. A highly influential figure; too bad he is so underexposed.
Take me home again.
