I've always been easily influenced by what I listen to and it directly reflects in my writing and playing so I always have to make sure to have loads of different influences going on and then allow them all merge into my own style when passing through my system - if I'd have only one influence (or a few) running through me I'd just turn out a copy of that one, wouldn't I? That's the only way to develop ones own style if one's into listening to other music, which I most certainly am. What I listen to has, is and will always be a huge part of me, for me music is as much about what I listen to as what I do myself. Lately I've turned into exploring many different (and some of it pretty strange) styles of music and even though I listen mostly to other kind of music today it's still mainly hard rock/heavy metal (call it what you will) that flows in my veins. I'm not that much into categorizing and pigeonholing music, dividing music into compartments, it's all music to me, but I must admit it comes very practical when trying to explain things.
The last months (the last year?) a bunch of albums that I've really, really been waiting for a long, long time has finally been released. I'm talking about some of my favorite bands like Aerosmith, Stone Sour, Tooth and Nail, Soundgarden, Black Star Riders, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Alice In Chains and Queensryche (the one with three original band members and not one). A lot of it pretty cool, some maybe not that exiting, some even a bit of disappointing and not living up to my high hyped expectations, some of it pretty bland and just washed through my system without leaving any significant trace. However there was two albums that really stood out, that fired me up, warmed my heart and made me happy, that really had a substance to them and that really lived up to the bands' history and reputation. Not that none of them were exactly exiting in the sense of being something new or innovative but rather getting back to the roots with classic production and sound. (Has rock production of today really gone so south that it's turned to be exiting when there's NOT thousands of guitar tracks and millions of other overdubs, effects and sounds and everything fixed and trixed beyond ridiculousness, but a classic, real and clean sounding production? Hm... C'mon, if it's Rock'N'Roll, it's Rock'n'Roll! Anyway...) The two albums I'm talking about is Alice In Chains "The devil put dinosaurs here" and Queensrÿche "Queensrÿche". Just love them.
Not that much happening musically right now other than that I try to keep up the pace and finish up and put out one Inagone tune every month and there's now two new songs out besides the first song "Dried" - As I'd put it: the soundtrack of Inagone, the one song summing up what Inagone is about and including most of the influences - So check 'em out an' love 'em!
"Unclose" - A dark soft little thing, here in a clean and simple vocals and acoustic guitars version.
"(1000 times) I am" - An intelligent, progressive, longer piece taking the listener through many elements.
Now I'm off to grab a couple of cold ones with my boys and then we're off to check out my #1 influence: the almighty Iron Maiden live in stage at the new Swedish National arena here in Stockholm - Up The Irons!
Cheers!
/ PM