My Profile: Favorite Music

Upon noticing others including a few of their favorite things in their blogging profile and seeing mine is not only void of information but not even linked to my page, I’ve decided to start filling in a few sections. I’m ready to expose the core of my being but thought I’d explain my lists as I put them up for view.

The lists are subject to change without warning or notice but it seems appropriate that I start with music and soon movies as my collection of both is quite substantial.

I love music. I’m the guy in the high school yearbook shown peaking through towering stacks of albums. Classmates would say “Wow, that’s a lot!” not knowing those stacks barely skimmed the surface of my collection. With a healthy collection of tune-age at my disposal, my iPod has reached 1813 songs in the five months since I received it for Christmas and those are just my favorite tracks and albums.

If you have any familiarity with my collection you know U2 receives top billing. I’m an admirer of their musical styling and their efforts toward positive change in the world. You might even call me a collector of sorts (if 100% of their albums, almost 20 DVDs, nearly 80 concert bootlegs and all the rare and unreleased bonus material I’ve been able to unearth warrants collection status…it’s really not obsessive or I’d have more than one of the many books written about them).

My history with the band goes something like this…Dad brings the family’s first CD player into the house and U2’s “The Joshua Tree” is one of the first two discs (the first track, “Where the Streets Have No Name”, is still my favorite song). Much later I jaunt off to college and the manager of the video store where I work is constantly playing U2 concert DVDs. A few years later, my co-worker at my first job in Chicago is a U2 nut…then a co-worker at my last job in Chicago is a U2 freak (introducing me to the bootleg concerts that are traded among fans with the band’s blessing). I’ll surely be in attendance when they tour again in 2009 promoting their upcoming album and will likely be singing along even if they play something they threw together in their garage 30 years ago because somehow I have it in my collection.

My taste in music is fairly diverse. I appreciate the spiritual and faith based undertones of U2 and enjoy openly Biblical praise and worship music as well. Leading my list of favorite Christian artists is Third Day (I’ve got everything but the Christmas album) whom I’ve been following since their first album more than 10 years ago. I also enjoy several artists in the lighter sounding (MercyMe) and even heavy (P.O.D.) ends of the spectrum in this genre.

Along with U2 and Third Day, Stevie Ray Vaughan rounds out my top three. I’m amazed by the work he did with the guitar and get a kick out of Aidan picking up his toys (the hockey stick works best) playing guitar along with some truly amazing blues music. Perhaps if Aidan starts practicing now he’ll be able to move his fingers as fast as SRV.

I’ve recently been digging into the Dave Matthews Band after swearing them off in college when every dorm room on the planet had their songs wafting from beneath the door or out an open window. Additionally I’ve held on to a fondness for Huey Lewis and the News and certain eras of Van Halen's work with their unique place in my musical history (see the post below). Same goes for many artist I've enjoyed for years including Collective Soul (Rachel’s first CD…purchased for her by me).

So there’s a handful. There are so many more that I enjoy but we’ll leave it at that for now. I’ve dropped six of them in my profile and also posted a previously scribed Travumentary on the topic of music below that I put together a few years ago for my former website.

Time to hit “post” and crank up the tunes!