David Warner

I love all music, but the music I love must have balls and integrity. I know tons of trivia about popular music. I'll give anything a fair listen. That said, right now the bands that matter most to me are the Hold Steady, My Morning Jacket, Pearl Jam, Against Me, Radiohead, Girl Talk, Rage Against the Machine, Kings of Leon, and LCD Soundsystem

MY FAVES

I so rarely update and although my music tastes haven't changed all that much, my favorite artists (summer 2008) are My Morning Jacket, Pearl Jam, LCD Soundsystem, The Hold Steady, Against Me, Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, Girl Talk, Sigur Ros, Stone Temple Pilots, Van Halen, New Radicals, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, R.E.M. and the White Stripes...

I love the idea that Tarantino put out there that you're either a Beatles person or an Elvis person, you can like both but everyone picks one over the other. I do love me some Elvis, but I stand by the Beatles as my pick. All music that matters to me ultimately starts with these guys.

I love the album 'Z' by My Morning Jacket. I wasn't crazy for it the first time I heard it, but as often happens in that situation it grew on me until it became all I listened to for several weeks in the fall of 2005. I went back and listened to their previous albums, and I wasn't as thrilled with them as I was with 'Z' but they had some great stuff worth exploring in the future. They opened for Pearl Jam and I'll be seeing them this June at Bonnaroo.

JB and KG rule.

My first favorite band. If you haven't read "No One Here Gets Out Alive" you really should, even if you don't like the music. Even better is "Wonderland Avenue" by the unfortunately deceased Danny Sugarman.

I was up front at this concert in 1992. I swear to anyone reading this that if you were at this amazing show at St. Andrews Hall you would also be a fan for life. It was my best concert experience, nothing has touched it. You may think they haven't done anything noteworthy since 1994, but you are wrong, every album has at least a few great songs on them. They're poised for a major resurgence in acclaim and popularity... someday you will be surprised by Pearl Jam and how great they've always been.

Pink Floyd is the only major band with the 4 major musicians still alive and well (goodbye, Syd). I wish they could put aside all differences and record one more album.

The Foo Fighters are the only good thing to come from Kurt's suicide. This band is one of the best active rock bands today along with PJ and Green Day. I managed to see them in 1994 opening for Mike Watt at the State before the first record was released and saw them 11 years later in October '05. The Foos always put on an incredible show and I'm seeing them in July.

Hands down, the best logo in the history of rock and roll.

What could be more rock and roll than this image? I love the Stones... Keith is my favorite singer in the band.

I love Zep, and love Plant's solo stuff too. Even the Page and Plant stuff is damn good.

KISS was the first rock band I loved. I was 7! Thanks Pat Bierkle, I love you man! Their early stuff is underrated as can be, and I think they influenced more rock bands than the Velvet Underground and the Ramones combined. Sorry.

I saw Nirvana on October 30th, 1993 at the State Fair Colosseum in Detroit with five good friends (and ran into a few more). We all saw god that night, and I still remember every minute of the show as it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. It was less than six months before Kurt left us.

I never saw the only VH that mattered: the version with David Lee Roth. My friend Kurt Flemming did in 1984, and I'm still jealous to this day. GRR! The first six Van Halen albums are absolutely stunning... 3 hours of everything rock should be.

Since Todd asked: this is a 'group' called The Streets. The leader is Mike Skinner. He's the leader like Trent Reznor is the leader of nine inch nails, that kinda thing. Anyway, Streets records are amazing... It's a crime he's never become as popular over here in the USA. I love the stories Skinner tells. Even though I can't totally relate to his verbage, he tells me about things I might never have experienced without him.

U2 has never been less than incredible in 25 years, well except for their 'Pop' album. But if you don't like them now, you never did... they're still great.

To be honest, the Universal records chick was right (ask and I'll tell that story), but I don't care: they were awesome on record and even better live... I managed to see them live three times and they were stunning.

I love Tool better with each listen, and I've been listening a lot lately. Not only is the music incredible, they've been involved with Mr. Show and honored Bill Hicks on the Aenima album. I never get tired of hearing this band, and I love the new record, especially 'The Pot'.

I saw NIN first in 1994 at the State Theate with Fem2Fem (remember them?) and Marilyn Manson opening up. It was one of the defining concert experiences of my life, and I want to thank Cory for the dance. I saw NIN next at Woodstock 94, and then on New Years here in Detroit. The were the soundtrack of a very important part of my life. I'll always love NIN.

Johnny Cash is more rock and roll in this picture than 100 years of anybody who's ever lived. I've been rediscovering how great his music is along with the rest of the USA.

As I look over the list of artists I've presented here, I realize that I might be classified as 'rockist', and that's a fair assumption. There is some great hip hop and pop out there, but I consider most of it disposable. I do enjoy the techno/house scene to an extent, and my friends have tried to convince me of its relevance for years. I still prefer the enjoyment of hearing a singer singing a song they've written performed on a musical instrument they learned to play. I definately look at the turntable as an instrument of sorts but it's not the same. One problem with the scene to me is it feels trendy and disposable, but of course there are great artists out there... I'll always be listening to hear where it goes. I do love EVERYTHING about music, who am I kidding.

I don't have their pictures up yet, but I also love Public Enemy, John Coltrane, Kings of Leon, Franz Ferdinand, Green Day, Sigur Ros, Bob Dylan, The Stooges, Starsailor, Dr. Dre, REM, My Bloody Valentine, Miles Davis, New Radicals, Alice Cooper, Eminem, DJ Shadow, The Pursuit of Happiness, Tom Waits, Sufjan Stevens... the list goes on and on. I love music and I love all people who do as well.