Hair Farmin', Zep screamin', redneck-skibum-biker-hippy.
Five bands to blast yer’ pre-winter blues away.
1. The Allman Brothers
As relevant today as they were in ’69. Serious southern-fried boogie blues. Saw them again this summer and they freaked me out! Just try not dancing to Southbound.
2. Joni Mitchell
In my mind, one of the top three singer/songwriters of all time. Unbelievably eloquent and honest lyrics, with a voice that could lure an aircraft carrier onto the rocks.
3. The Band
Each member a talented multi-instrumentalist with killer vocals. These guys wrote songs the way Kerouac wrote books; amazing lyrical flow, perfect phrasing, every song a story you'll want to hear again and again.
4. Led Zeppelin
If you've forgotten why Led Zep are one of the most influential bands of all time, pour yourself a drink, light one up, and watch the DVD How the West was Won. Powerful stuff, man.
5. The Grateful Dead
What do you get when you throw acid rock, country, jazz, folk, and bluegrass into a blender full of cosmic goo? The Good Old Grateful Dead! Fearless! They'll take you anywhere you want to go, and some places you've never even imagined. I'm... grateful.
LAST WORDS....
The answer is never the answer. What's really interesting is the mystery. If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you'll always be seeking. I've never seen anybody really find the answer – they think they have, so they stop thinking. But the job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.
— Ken Kesey
Ear Candy is a weekly column offering a glimpse into the local musical mindset.
