I’ve been meaning to put this together after completing my list of favorites, so sorry for the lateness of this entry in comparison with some of the more recent posts.  So why “honorable mentions”?  Well, when I put together my lists I would jot down multiple names and then whittle those down.  After doing this I began to have second thoughts on final numbers, so I felt that I had to include these artists somehow and decided early on that I’d have this post.  Sorry, not going in detail about why I like these artists, just a short list of who they are and their most well known band(s).

Favorite Vocalist Honorable Mentions:  Roger Daltrey (The Who), Steve Perry (Journey)

Favorite Guitarist Honorable Mentions:  David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne)

Favorite Bassist Honorable Mentions:  Joey Vera (Armored Saint), Paul McCartney (The Beatles), Mike LePond (Symphony X)

Favorite Drummer Honorable Mentions:  Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Peter Criss (KISS)

Feels like forever since I’ve done a Shuffle blog.  My 120 GB iPod blew up back in February/March or so and I had to purchase a new one, but since King Microsoft and their infinite wisdom decided to kill the Classic model I had to troll the Interwebz to find one used.  Luck was with me and the stars were aligned one day and I found a great price on a refurbished 160 GB(!) model so I’ve been busy reloading it with what was on my old iPod PLUS adding EVEN MORE stuff that I had laying around.  Who knows how this post will turn out as the snark content may be very high, so here’s fair warning (there’s a VH reference for ya!)

“My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It”, Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits

Funny, I have very little country on the iPod and not much Hank Sr but what I DO have on here is pretty dang good.  Old country is where it’s at and you can’t get much better than Sr, he of the classic hillbilly voice and simple yet direct tunes like “Bucket” and its groovy little shuffle.  Dig the steel pedal accompaniment to Hank’s acoustic and the little touches that pop up here and there on electric guitar that weave in and out of the mix.  Good stuff.

“Girlfriend” Walter Becker 11 Tracks Of Whack

The name Walter Becker alone is one that likely doesn’t ring a bell, but if you add in his partner in crime Donald Fagen then the picture may become clearer.  In 1994, Becker decided to return from a long musical hiatus and released 11 Tracks Of Whack, which pretty much revived the fusion-y vibes of his and Fagen’s old band Steely Dan and helped set the stage for that band’s comeback.  “Girlfriend” is a prime example of their old days with a bit of funkiness thrown in on top of Becker’s nonchalant vocal approach.

“Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun”, Office Of Strategic Influence Office Of Strategic Influence

OSI’s debut self titled album featured a prog supergroup of sorts (hit up Wikipedia for all names), but the only players on this cut are former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy on drums/percussion, Kevin Moore on keys, and Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation) on vocals. Yes, this is a reworking of the Pink Floyd tune but it’s more of a vast soundscape intercut with multiple audio sources (news stories, radio broadcasts, etc).  For those of you that dig full on spacey trippiness…

“I’m Down” The Beatles Greatest Hits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KexUGqEEsI4

Holy crap could Paul McCartney belt a tune back in the day!  Taking a cue from one of his heroes in Little Richard, the “cute one” belts this one out from the get go and the backup from his fellow band members is top notch.  Just top notch British Invasion rock n roll with all the spirit and manic fervor in the world and those damn awesome Beatles harmonies to go along with it.  What’s not to like?

“Me And The Boys”, NRBQ Uncommon Denominators

First exposure to this was Dave Edmunds’ version but the original was done by NRBQ, one of those “critic’s darling” bands that are relatively unknown in comparison to what made the Top 40 back in their heyday.  Just straight ahead rock and roll that chugs along like a stuttering locomotive with a funky odd time signature, guitar drenched feedback, and solid heads down drum bashing.  Kinda fun to sing along with so PAY ATTENTION!

“The Storm” Witchery Symphony For The Devil

Time to scare the pants off your girlfriend, your mom and dad, your kids, or whomever.  Witchery is no frills speed/thrash metal and “The Storm” is just that, kicking off a bit spookily with windy sound effects before kicking you in the head with a fierce riff that would make ol’ Lemmy proud.  And Toxine’s vocals are not for the faint of heart, all churlish sneer and gargle roared out in spitfire fashion.  Blackened in the end…

“It Hurts Me Too”, Barefoot Servants Barefoot Servants

No video here unfortunately, but this is the well covered blues chestnut performed in hearty fashion by this band who unfortunately released only two albums in their short career.  Led by the Boston bluesman Jon Butcher, the Servants’ disc is full of muscular blues rock that’s extremely well played by the former Axis man with some fellow stellar players.  “It Hurts Me Too” has some great slide work in it on top of the rumbling groove.

“The Recognition”, Valient Thorr Stranger

Ha ha ha, if you live by the shuffle as I do sometimes you’ll end up with an oddball here and there.  “The Recognition” is nothing but a percussive workout from Lucien Thorr that serves as a 1:16 segue between cuts on their great Stranger album.  A bit of a tribal stomp and mini-“Moby Dick” if you will with multiple drum and percussive patterns.

“Muddy’s Gold” Mogg/Way Chocolate Box

So the ever wandering Michael Schenker up and leaves UFO, leaving mainstays Phil Mogg and Pete Way to hire on guitarist George Bellas and release a couple of albums under the Mogg/Way moniker.  “Muddy’s Gold” is like prime UFO and Bellas shines in the six string slot with a chunky riff and a lead style that mixes smooth blues bends with the occasional burst of speed.  Once again Phil Mogg’s Springsteenisms pop out in his cool lyric and vocal mannerisms.

“It Don’t Take Long”, Charlie Sexton Cruel And Gentle Things

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNohO4TdnQQ

Aaaand we round things off this post with the always smooth Charlie Sexton and his cut “It Don’t Take Long”, kicking off with a lonesome train whistle before the song moves into Beatleesque territory.  Sexton croons over a plaintive piano with a simple drum pattern and swirling psychedelic effects with this dreamy yet beautiful closing cut that’s a bit removed from his early blues rock roots, but don’t let that deter you.

Some tough choices for the top cut on this post but I gotta go with Sir Paul and the gang with “I’m Down” followed by the menacing “The Storm” and rollicking “Me And The Boys”.

One of those awesomely cool things about having a son that’s as into music as I am is the sharing of artists that we both may be passionate about.  Ian’s taste is like mine-  all over the map, liking a lot of cuts that are not played on the radio and listening to stuff that’s a little more eclectic than what the average Joe may be into..  I admit there are things where we differ in what we like but one of those that we both have in common is our love for Protest The Hero.

Hailing from Whitby, Ontario (that’s in Canada, hoser), Protest The Hero has been around since the early 2000s gravitating from punkier roots to an extremely progressive metal element with ridiculously good instrumentation and the incredible vocal work of lead singer Rody Walker.  My first exposure to the band came via the video for “C’est La Vie”, the lead cut from the band’s third release Scurrilous, an absolute knockout of a cut that is an excellent intro to the band for those of you uninitiated.  If you like metal that’s a bit more progressive and technical in style (even moreso than your Dream Theaters and Symphony Xs of the world) with extreme riffing and plenty of melodic guitar touches, then these guys are for you.

As an old school metalhead the key to this band for me are the remarkable pipes of Walker, one moment belting it out like a more demented King Diamond or Sebastian Bach (fellow Canadian and former lead throat for Skid Row) before slipping into a smooth falsetto voice then dropping down into a more guttural growl.  This guy HAS IT, especially for those of you that don’t like the Cookie Monster style vocals of other heavier bands these days.  Sure, Walker throws in the occasional GRRRRR here and there but he mixes it up extremely well (listen to something like “Sequioa Throne”, “Bloodmeat”, or “Clarity, or…  well…  there are plenty of great examples).  Ridiculously crazy, crazy range.

Did I say “extreme” riffing?  Oh yeah…  there is so much going on in these songs that they are perfect for those of you with short attention spans, but if you want typical 4/4 beats this surely won’t cut it for you.  Half this stuff feels like it could be the soundtrack to a car chase or some offbeat video game.  Songs will often start with one wicked riff followed by a crazily tapped melodic pattern then kicked into another gear with a near blast beat pattern on the drums before a totally different riff brings you home.  For you old dudes like me throw Iron Maiden, Pantera, Megadeth, Racer X, and Dream Theater in a blender with a dash of punk rock spirit and you have maybe 50% of what these guys are about.  These guys are serious players.

Weeeeeeeeelllll….  maybe not TOO serious.  These guys have some hilariously funny videos worthy of your attention too.  Dig the epic Star Wars vs Star Trek “fight” in their video for “Clarity”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7pvvAuj7jw

Look for a new EP from the band this year called Pacific Myth which you can get via their Bandcamp page at:  https://protestthehero.bandcamp.com