Music that Made a Difference

XM Radio is a beautiful thing. In the span of a couple hours I heard two songs from two bands that hadn't crossed my mind in probably five years. Both bands--Grammatrain and Silverchair--were big influences on my musical preference during my formidable years.

It's odd how taste in music evolves over time. I remember being seven or eight years old and listening to Kriss Kross and MC Hammer. Alas, that brand of bubblegum hip hop was NOT too legit to quit...and I did just that. I slowly entered the top 40 rock listening to bands like Counting Crows and Hootie & the Blowflish. In fact, August and Everything After, by the Counting Crows was the first CD I ever bought with my own money. The first CD I ever remember in my house was Mariah Carey Unplugged.

Ah, those were days.

But that brings me to Silverchair. It was the summer before my eighth grade year and I bought Frogstomp on a whim. I was in my grandma's basement where my uncle had his old 45 and a CD player hooked up to some big speakers. I'll never forget hearing that distorted, thumping, bass line that opened "Israel's Son," the first song on the record. That's when my life changed. That's when I became a rocker.

Even though I'll always remain true to rock, my tastes have diversified as I've heard more bands. But every person has those albums that were monumental in their life. I'd like to share a few of the most influential albums of my life. Let's make this clear, though. These are not my favorite albums. These are not what I think are the best of my lifetime or the best EVER. You will see no Beatles, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson or Led Zeppelin, all of which lay some claim to one of the best albums. No, these are simply the albums that changed my life and without them, I would not be the person I am right now (whatever that's worth).

Silverchair, Frogstomp - Again, it was the single CD that made me interested in wonderful sound of a distorted Fender Strat.

Third Day, Conspiracy No. 5 - Before this album, I could hardly get into Christian music. It all seemed so unoriginal and contrived (most of it still is), but this CD hit at the right time in my life, satisfying my appetite for a dirty sound and my need for smart, thoughtful lyrics.

Third Day, Third Day - This was Third Day's first effort and really got me into going to concerts. "Consuming Fire" is still one of the top five songs ever.

Jars of Clay, Jars of Clay - If ever there was a perfect album, it is this one. It was the first CD that offered me a softer and more spiritual side to Christian rock. It's well known for "Flood" but "World's Apart," is the first song that nearly brought me to tears.

Phil Keaggy, 220 - It may be hard to believe, but I wasn't always a Keaggy fan. I went to a show or two with Uncle Loren and Mike, two guys I looked up to musically as a kid, but it wasn't until 220 that all of Keaggy's music started to appeal to me.

Phil Keaggy, Town to Town - This album predates my birth by two years, but it was his first non-instrumental album that I really wore out. It's no longer my favorite non-instrumental (that would be Love Broke Thru) but it was a door into a new world.

Bush, Sixteen Stone - Bush's lyrics still make zero sense (what the heck is "Glycerine"), but I owned this album before I had any Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden or Alice in Chains CD. See, When the grunge era really hit in 1992, I was only nine and had zero exposure to MTV. After Frogstomp, Bush opened my eyes to what I had missed.

Creed, My Own Prison - The dark ages of the 1990's came in 1997. Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, the Spice Girls, Jewel, Hanson and Puff Daddy ruled the air waves. The closet thing to rock was No Doubt or Sugary Ray (vomit). And then along came Creed (with pre-insane Scott Stapp) and the dark, haunting sound of "Torn" and "My Own Prison." It was a rebirth of hard rock, bringing the genre back to the forefront after a several year hiatus.

Pearl Jam, Ten - I challenged any one to find an album with a better start. Songs 1-6 are all hits. It was also the big grunge record of my youth.

Pantera, Official Live: 101 Proof - Look, Pantera's lyrical choices probably weren't the most savory but this live album was like a greatest hits CD it put on display Darrell Abbott's (better known as Dimebag) otherworldly guitar skills. Aside from Keaggy, he's the most influential guitar player of my life and might be the most copied guitar player in recent years. Every heavy metal band that screams a lot ripped off Pantera.

Smalltown Poets, Smalltown Poets - Unfortunately, they band broke up a couple years ago. But this CD was released in 1997 and it's still on regular rotation in my iPod. That's all I have to say.

Petra, On Fire - Petra was one of the first big rockin' Christian bands and Uncle Loren gave me this CD at some point around '91. It came out in 1988 and was their 11th CD, but hearing it at that age, when I thought all Christian music was played on a piano and sung out of a hymnal, was quite the shock. "This is Christian music?" I remember thinking. Compared to what's been out since 1988, On Fire is almost soft rock. The album cover was also pretty freakin' cool to an eight year old.

Michael W. Smith, i 2 (EYE) - This pick is less about the album and more about the song "Secret Ambition." It's hard to believe that the now crowned prince of schmaltz was not always a schmaltzer.

Geoff Moore and The Distance, Pure and Simple - Much like "Secret Ambition," this album was more about "Rescue Me." It had to be my favorite song around 1990-91. Loren was working at a radio station at the time and played this once and said during the lead-in that it was one of my favs. Maybe that sparked my interest in radio, with which I've had much success.