The Cranberries
I'd never really heard of the group when "Rarest Kind" was written. And to think of what a Cranberries nut I am now, that is frightening. I, of course, carried a demo of "Rarest Kind" with me to a family function and played it for my sister. She said, "You know, you sound kinda like this group called the Cranberries." My response: "Who?" OUCH. Soon thereafter I discovered "Dreams" and realized they were a dream come true...especially since Riverdance had already peaked my interest at anything Irish. Thanks to Andy, I now have in my possession all 4 of their main albums, and have most of them embedded in my head. The mp3 page contains a clip of the "Linger" cover we did.
The Beatles
This is the common link between Andy and I...the reason we spoke so often online and the reason I stumbled on the chords for Rarest Kind...but I guess every band on earth wants to be the next Beatles. I'm not sure it goes that far, but of course there is some inspiration and idolism there. And, as a vocalist, I always dreamed of a band where all the players could sing. But considering I don't play and Andy doesn't sing, I don't see the probability of those events rising anytime soon. The mp3 page contains a clip of the "Here, There, and Everywhere" cover we did.
THE LESS OBVIOUS: Those in our CD collection
First, there's the Garbage in my collection. No, not like "Turn down that garbage" variety, but the Shirley Manson variety. The scottish vocalist always impresses me, especially with her clear pronunciation (as opposed to the mush on the radio) and catchy melodies. Props to the band too, for creating that addictive techno drama. Second, there's Harvey Danger, one of the few concerts I've been to (odd that Andy was at the same exact concert and we didn't bump into eachother, when the fans were confined to a relatively small Olympia concert hall). Inspirational because "Look, they made it, and where did they come from? Here!" Nirvana also fits into this category, much more for Andy than I, but I have been known to hum "About A Girl." Andy's influences also outreach to the sadly short-lived band For Squirrels, the musical icon Queen, lock-up-your-daughters Metallica, nutty Ben Folds Five, and effervescent R.E.M.(wow, what a smorgasborg of influences). I have some jazz influence in me to add zing to the already multi-faceted background, ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Squirrel Nut Zippers.
THE ONLY OBVIOUS TO YOU: A Pet Peeve of Mine
I am a human being, capable of getting annoyed, just like anyone else. And usually, I don't say anything, but I am getting a bit tired of the unwarranted comparisons. They seem to spring up with no real link to the singer, shown by the pattern evolving here: If they are a female vocalist, I sound JUST like them. So now I make a disclaimer for the comparisons, I am in no way connected to them! Sorry if your genuine comparison appears here, this just states that if I contain certain flecks of an artist, it was not intentional and purely coincidental (as often I haven't even heard the artist in question).
A List Of People I (Supposedly) Sound JUST Like:
- Fiona Apple
- Ani DiFranco
- Beth Gibbons (of Portishead)
- Indigo Girls
- Jewel
- Lisa Loeb
- Natalie Merchant
- Alanis Morrissette
