21 January 2015
The state of music at the moment isn’t very favorable, in my opinion. Music is riddled with electronic, manufactured, and overdubbed tones which take away the true spirit of music as I see it. This is not to say there isn’t a place for electronic music, and of course there are still plenty of great musicians out there. It just doesn’t seem to be coming together in a result that meets my own tastes.
I’ve long been interested in the music industry and at one point thought I might even want to start my own record label. After spending some time thinking about the state of music as it is now and where I would like it to go I began to wonder what I would do if I had the ability to change or create music with some of the people that have inspired me. After some deliberation over the musicians of my time it became clear to me who should come together to make the perfect band.
So this is the band I dreamt up. It is made of musicians that are alive, play a similar style of music and are still relatively active in the music scene.
Barker became noticed by a mainstream audience after joining blink-182, one of the best bands of the 90’s (who have recently reunited). A song like Anthem Part 2 really shows the skill he has behind the kit. However, he has made quite a name for himself working with artists along the lines of hip hop, most famously the music he made with the late, great DJ AM. Travis also released a solo album where he featured some of the best rappers out there today. Not only is Barker a great drummer, but he is relentless at his craft. He continues to improve and has played through tours with a broken leg at one time and a broken arm at another.
For as short-lived as Rage Against the Machine was, they made an extreme impact on the world of music. Morello’s raw and heavy guitar gave RATM a signature sound with rap lyrics from Zack de la Rocha. To top it off, Morello and Barker are quite familiar with each other on stage, performing live with each other at the Grammy’s. There really isn’t a way to put it into words, but if you have heard both Morello’s and Barker’s work, it becomes instinctively clear that their sounds mesh together perfectly.
Wentz has some connections with Barker of his own. As Fall Out Boy became relevant in the music scene, blink-182 was at its peak. To top it off the two bands toured together after blink’s reunion. However, Wentz isn’t my choice because of his skill behind a bass but because of his lyrical prowess. Listening to a Fall Out Boy song is different from a lot of other bands today. The lyrics don’t always make perfect sense at first listen but they are full of metaphors and meaning, whether it is you putting the meaning behind the words or not. With Wentz’s unique use of the english language and Morello’s strong point of view and writing ability, they could become a great writing duo together and write some really interesting music.
At the moment, Greenwald is probably the most unknown and least active musician of the four. However, that does not take away from his amazing voice. Most people have probably heard the song California from Phantom Planet, but as a band they did so much more that never gained the recognition that was deserved. Selfishly, I just want to hear new music with Greenwald’s voice on it. With Barker and Morello’s heavy sound and unique and strong lyrics from Wentz and Morello the singer needs to really be able to deliver. I believe Greenwald can do just that.