If you're a fan of Blitch Bango and want to know where the ideas come from, this page is an attempt to convey that information. Now, I draw inspiration from many different types of music: rock, jazz, folk, country, world. But this is by no means any admission that I like ALL rock or ALL country, etc. There is good and bad in all forms of music. Moreover, what is good and bad is subjective. Music is subjective. Some people think great music is made by bands whose names end in "Project," still others think great music is made by artists whose names end in "itney." Heck, some people even like Blitch Bango. It's all subjective. There is no right and wrong. But I digress.

Like any musician, I suppose I am influenced by just about anything I listen to and like. A musician's creative work is the distillation of all his influences, and his influences are the sum of his likes and interests. I suppose early influences are the strongest influences; these are the ones that draw one to become a musician in the first place.

What made me choose to write music? Maybe it was a narcissistic fascination with hearing my voice for the first time on a tape recorder I received as a gift from my parents. Maybe it was a soul-bond with my older brother's guitar; like two kindred spirits we were both existing quietly, but yearning to cry out. Maybe it was an avenue to being cool for a 98 pound egghead high-schooler who stunk at sports.

My first real record (not counting the Sesame Street set type) was Abbey Road. My second was The White Album. 'Nuff said. If you need an early influence and a reason to play music, these two are among the best.

I was fortunate to hang around some cool kids in high school. While the bulk of the populace was listening to Kiss and Bachman-Turner Overdrive (which I profess, I did own one of their albums), my friends and I were listening to The Stones, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Elvis Costello, King Crimson, and the Clash. The set of early influences is nearly complete.

Once one graduates from high school, it is easy to let one's musical interests stagnate. Fortunately, two things happened to prevent this: I listened to WXRT radio (93.1 in Chicago), and I still hung around with some cool kids after high school who wanted to form a band. We listened to a lot of R.E.M., Neil Young, U2 and The Velvet Underground. This is when I really started to write music, and the music I wrote definitely bears their influence, along with earlier influences I mentioned.

Over the years, some influences come and go, some stay. And some become the standards by which one's own works are measured. One thing is certain. Time and time again, I can always turn to these albums and artists to find creative inspiration.

  1. The Catherine Wheel by David Byrne - I'd have to pick this as my all-time favorite recording from which I draw inspiration. It embodies everything I think music should be; it is boundlessly creative, inventive, fun, interesting, diverse, and a technical jewel. The performers on this recording include the cream of the avant-garde rock circle: David Byrne - at one time called "rock's renaissance man;" Brian Eno - father of ambient and experimental rock, and producer extraordinare; Adrian Belew - guitar technical wizard, rumored to be able to play anything on the guitar. The best Talking Heads record ever made wasn't a Talking Heads album, the best Brian Eno album ever made wasn't a Brian Eno album. It is David Byrne's The Catherine Wheel. Note: for a complete set of all-time favorite inspirations, supplement this with Brain Eno and David Byrne's My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts.
  2. The Beatles - This band is the ultimate influence on my works. For sheer creativity and innovation, few bands match the Beatles. Most recently I have been digging Anthology 1, 2 & 3, a wonderful collection of alternates, outtakes, and previously unreleased recordings by the fab four that show a glimpse of the inner workings of a great band. The direction of many Beatles songs can be charted through the early takes of several of them. I find this inspirational because one can almost chart the thought processes of one of the most innovative bands through several songs, and through their career.
  3. The Rolling Stones - This is the definitive rock and roll band. They are raucous, grungy, spiritual, and soulful. Most influential for me is the Stones period from Beggar's Banquet to Exile on Main St; with supporting members Bobby Keys and Nicky Hopkins, the songs in this period have a depth and melodiousness few true rock and roll albums possess. While the Beatles may surpass the Stones in innovation, the Stones more than excel in grit and soul.
  4. The Velvet Underground - These pioneers in avant-garde and precursors to punk and new wave are the definition of cool. Every single VU release is a must-own; it is said that VU didn't sell many albums, but every one who bought one went on to form a successful or influential band.
  5. Ultralounge selections - Particularly, the discs titled Mondo Exotica, Bossa Novaville, Saxophobia, and Bongoland. Call this a guilty pleasure or whatever, but the same qualities apply to these recordings as do to The Catherine Wheel. Probably most appealing to me are the Les Baxter and Martin Denny selections. If rock is about primal urges, Ultralounge is about primal urges communicated through sophisticated moods.
  6. Brian Eno collaborations - to me Mr. Eno almost has the Midas Touch; anything he has been associated with has been inspirational gold for me. In addition to his early solo works and ambient/experimental works, count his associations with Talking Heads (Fear of Music, Remain In Light), Devo (Are We Not Men?), U2 (Unforgettable Fire, Achtung Baby), Robert Fripp, David Bowie, Daniel Lanois, etc., the list goes on. Special note: An Ending (Ascent) from APOLLO Atmospheres and Soundtracks may just be the most beautiful and moving piece of music I've ever heard.

Along with those above that I consider my core set of influences, other things have recently been in heavy rotation in my MP3 player:

  1. Bohemia After Dark, Know What I Mean, Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderly
  2. The Trio, The Sound of the Trio by Oscar Peterson
  3. My Favorite Things, Soultrane by John Coltrane
  4. Time Out, Time Further Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
  5. Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus by Vince Guaraldi
  6. California Here I Come, Explorations, Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Portrait in Jazz by Bill Evans
  7. Broken Boy Soldiers, Consolers of the Lonely by Raconteurs
  8. Odelay, Mutations, Guero, The Information by Beck
  9. Weather Systems, The Mysterious Production of Eggs by Andrew Bird
  10. The Three EP's, Hot Shots Part II, Heroes to Zeroes by Beta Band
  11. Anything by Gomez
  12. It's A Wonderful Life, Good Morning Spider, Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain by Sparklehorse
  13. Electro-Shock Blues, Daisies of the Galaxy, Souljacker by Eels
  14. Big World, Look Sharp, I'm The Man, Beat Crazy by Joe Jackson
  15. You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene
  16. Ruby Vroom, El Oso by Soul Coughing
  17. I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, ...And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out by Yo La Tengo
  18. Icky Thump by White Stripes

And here's my obligatory "10 Desert Island Discs" (at least for today):

  1. The Catherine Wheel by David Byrne
  2. Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones
  3. Revolver by The Beatles
  4. Time Out by Dave Brubeck
  5. My Favorite Things by John Coltrane
  6. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin
  7. Bossa Novaville Ultralounge selections by various artists
  8. Bohemia After Dark by Cannonball Adderly
  9. Electro Shock Blues by Eels
  10. Weather Systems by Andrew Bird