number eighty-nine

1. What music, bands, and artists were popular at the time you were born? The top songs of that year are reputed to have been:
   
   • Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
   • I'll Be There by Jackson Five
   • Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head by B.J. Thomas
   • Close to You by Carpenters
   • My Sweet Lord by George Harrison
   • I Think I Love You by Partridge Family
   • Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross
   • American Woman by Guess Who
   • War by Edwin Starr
   • Let It Be by Beatles
2. Looking back now, do you like that kind of music or do you think it sucks? Six of those songs are in my iPod, so I guess I don't think it sucks.
3. Do you think music has got a lot better over the past decade? No. I'm firm in my belief that every era--and every genre--is valuable in some way.
4. What kind of music do your parents like? They mostly listen to country and classical. Some rock and [ugh] pop.
5. Do you like any of it? Sure. I'm incredibly grateful for my parents' musical education, and for the importance that they've always placed upon it.
6. Do you ever make fun of your siblings taste in music? My brother and I used to do that sometimes, until the shockingly uncomfortable moment when we realized that we listen to the same stuff. *So* weird!
7. What genre of music do you play the most? "Rock"--whatever that means!
8. What do you listen to a little, but not often? Jazz.
9. What genre do you refuse to ever listen to, and why? I do not refuse music. Though there are some genres that I would not seek out, if they are presented to me by someone whose opinion I value, I will listen open-mindedly and probably reserve judgment if I am not thrilled.
10. Are your favourite bands and artists pretty varied according to genre? Yes. Very much so.
11. What is most important when you are looking for new bands? I don't think that I'm ever "looking for new bands." My interests seem to find me.
12. Is the backing music or vocals more important? The question implies that music is merely the background for vocals, which is amusing survey construction.
    My taste leads me to songwriting first, then music, then vocals. I'll listen to a crappy voice singing my favorite song any day.
13. What is your favourite vocal style (i.e. rap, folky, country, operatic etc)? Eh. Whatever.
14. If you could steal anyone's singing voice to have for your own, whose would it be and why? Aaron Lewis. He sounds like I feel.
15. Who are your favourite vocalists? Aaron Lewis, Dan Wilson, Kevin Griffin, Ken Black, Matthew Shafer, and Patrick Monahan.
16. Do you listen to all your music on an iPod or MP3 player? Hardly. Though my iPod currently contains 11,569 songs, I use it maybe half of the overall time that I listen to music. I'm a dinosaur.
17. Or do you still listen to CDs (yay!)? All the time. At work and in the car, almost exclusively. (I'm still battling with my iPod transmitter.)
18. How many CDs do you own? 600-ish. Give or take.
19. How often do you buy or download music? I try to get to the iTunes Store once a week, to check out the free downloads. I've made purchases a couple of times but I usually just sponge up the weirdo free stuff.
20. What was the last band you got into? Chevelle.
21. Do you find new bands on MySpace? I avoid MySpace.
22. Do you play music REALLY loud so it drives your family mad? Not really. Every now and then I will listen to music at work quite loudly, and I play it at earsplitting levels when I'm on a long drive.
23. Where do you buy or download your music? Amazon or Borders for CDs, iTunes for downloads. BTW, if you are ever tempted to try e-m-u-s-i-c-dot-com, even for free, DO NOT. It is a terrible site, the music that they offer is mostly covers, karaoke or instrumental versions, and their customer service is atrocious!
24. Have you ever formed a band? No, but I took a place in a preformed band, much like the chocolate star in a thumbprint cookie.
25. If so, what was it called? We didn't exactly have a name, per se.
26. If you could form your own band; what would you name it? "Inappropriate Sexual Choices." It is a running theme for me.
27. What position in the band would you take? Drums. ANIMAL!
28. Can you sing? I "can" sing. Most of the time, I choose not to (for your protection).
29. How many gigs have you been to? As such? A few dozen.
30. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? Good God, no.
31. Have you ever met any of your favourite bands or singers? Nope, and it makes me a little sad.
32. Do you like 80s music? Some.
33. Are you a fan of the 80s cheese? What a pathetic, leading question.
34. Do you sing in the shower? No. I dislike the taste of shampoo.
35. Have you ever sung in front of an audience? Yes.
36. If not, would you? I would avoid it.
37. What is the most embarrassing CD you own? I think that the Nick's Mixes I-XI probably satisfy that question adequately. Good music—but the sentiment is pathetic.
38. Who are your favourite solo artists? It depends on the moment. Uncle Kracker is in the car. I [heart] Toby Keith.
39. Who are your favourite bands? Staind, Sister Hazel, Vertical Horizon, Train, Live, Audioslave, Better Than Ezra, Three Doors Down....
40. Do you play any instruments? I can. I don't, often.
41. Do you own any band merchandise? Yes. It's so far beyond embarrassing that I'll stop there.
42. Do you wear band t-shirts often? Never.
43. Do you ever get emotional listening to some music? All the bloody time. "New Orleans" gives me chills. "Mona Lisas" makes me [however belatedly] angry. "Volare" means something obscure and pointless for me. "Firefly" represents hope. I cannot hear "At My Most Beautiful" without feeling wistful and a little dreamy.
44. What are your favourite songs? Besides the above? "You're Not Free" (Uncle Kracker); "Rains in Asia" (Jump, Little Children); "Should've Been a Cowboy [live]" (Toby Keith); "Strange Cup of Tea" (Sister Hazel); "Canto Alla Vita" (Josh Groban)
45. What is the saddest song you have ever heard? "Could It Be", by the Spinners. It's not the song, but the meaning.
    Strictly by the song? Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven".
46. Do you relate to any particular song (if so, which and why)? Yes--lots, and for lots of reasons. Sometimes it's the meaning that was given with the song, like "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" by Mary Chapin Carpenter, which came to me at the exact time that I needed it. Sometimes it's what was happening in my life at the time that I became aware of the song, like "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany. It's not a great song, but the memories are indelible and unforgettable. Sometimes it's the wash of emotion that I feel when I hear or sing the song, like "Devil" by Staind.
47. What did you listen to growing up? Everything that I could get my hands on. My parents' stuff, like Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, and Bobby Vee. Later, my brother's: Kiss, Rush, and Tom Petty. A little later, my friends': Bob Mould, Pixies, REM, and Prince. And on and on, until I eventually developed my own taste, which was--thank God--an amalgamation of the above, and more.
48. Do you listen to the same stuff as your friends? Not intentionally. I'm happy listening to whatever I'm drawn to. If my friends are there, too, so much the better.
49. What are your favourite music videos? Eh.
50. Finally, how important is music to you? Isn't it obvious? Profusely.

[By Beccy at DarkestStar_Surveys {do not remove please}]