My Mt. Rushmore of Alternative Bands

So this is the first in a series on my Mt. Rushmore’s of Stuff. The idea is to give my Top 4 in several categories, from music to TV to sports to movies to former girlfriends. Just kidding about the girlfriend thing. That would be tragic, for me at least.

Anywho, let us begin with my Mt. Rushmore of Alt Bands. I’ll add pics and videos too. Woot!

R.E.M.

Hells to the yah! Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been a big REM guy since 1983. I’ve seen them in high school gymnasiums with 100-people and arenas with 20,000 screaming fans. You know why people today don’t realize how unique REM’s sound was? Because half the music heard today imitates them. That’s a fact, Jack.

Here’s early REM singing “Sitting Still” featuring Peter Buck’s jangly guitar.

They Might Be Giants

Ah, the boys from Brooklyn, still going strong after 30-years. This quirky duo spawned bands like Fountains of Wayne, Nerf Herder, The Presidents of the USA and many, many more. Known for their weird, off-beat lyrics and subject matter, only TMBG can create a catchy little ditty about, of all things, child abuse.

Here they are with their classic “Birdhouse in Your Soul”, an absolute gem of a song if there ever was one.

The Eels

The Eels are basically a one man band, and that man is Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E. You can read everything you need to know about him in my acclaimed blog Mark Oliver Everett: A Man Called E. E’s songs are soulful, sad, and carry with them a sort of a plaintive desperation combined with a hopefullness that will touch your heart. I love The Eels and firmly believe they’re one of the most amazing, under-appreciated bands to ever record music.

Check out E singing “Souljacker, Part 1” from the Souljacker album. That’s rock n’ roll, folks.

The Replacements / Paul Westerberg 

I just had to include Westerberg’s solo stuff too. I wrote a blog about him called Man Without Ties: Paul Westerberg if you want to check it out. However, he began with the raucous, loud, groundbreaking band called The Replacements, true pioneers of alternative rock. The band rocked its ass off, but did it with catchy, melodic hooks that were infectious as hell. All this was topped off by Westerberg’s raw-throated adolescent howl. Like Nirvana and Pearl Jam? Without The Replacements they simply would not exist.

Here’s Westerberg performing a great version of his song “Love Untold”. So, so good.

There ya go, my Mt. Rushmore of Alt Music. Like I said, I’ll have several more, perhaps the most anticipated being The Mt. Rushmore of People I Hate. That will be a classic. Stay tuned!