“When I was a teenager, I dreamed of being an opera singer like Maria Callas or a jazz singer like June Christy or Chris Connor, or approaching songs with the kind of mystical lethargy of Billie Holiday, or championing the downtrodden like Lotte Lenya. But I never dreamed of singing in a rock-and-roll band.” KindSongRocksBandSingingJazzSingersTeenagerHolidayOperaRock And RollMysticalJuneLethargyDowntroddenOpera SingersCallas Author:Patti Smith
“Usually bands would make a song to record for an album, but what happens with the deejays you say "Well the album is everything we need. Thanks band. You can go away now."” NeedsWellsHappensSongRecordsBandAlbumsThanksGoing AwayDeejays Author:DJ Spooky
“I try to use other songs or bands as reference points - it seems like the easiest way to get across what are really differences of taste or opinion. If you know what kind of music somebody loves, then you can kind of figure out why they do what they do.” IfsKnowsWayTryingKindUseSeemsSongDifferencesOpinionFiguresTasteBand Author:Steven Soderbergh
“Years ago I was in a band called Two Lane Blacktop - we deliberately named ourselves after the 'Two-Lane Blacktop' movie, 'cuz it's a car chase movie. All our songs were based on movies, every single song. I love movies, and that was something that me and the singer in Two Lane Blacktop bonded over - we were design students together, we did a film-class together, so we became obsessed with movies. It's followed me around ever since then, it's a constant theme.” YearsTwoTogetherFilmSongClassCarDesignStudentsBandYears AgoConstantSingersObsessedThemeLanesCuzMovie Love Author:Ladyhawke
“I am lucky to have the greatest band and when you add a symphony orchestra to the mix it brings all of my songs to a whole new level. I wouldn't say I really change what I do but, having those talented musicians behind me, along with my band, really makes the songs so much bigger and more fun to sing.” WholeSongFunLevelsBehindsLuckyBandMusicianBiggerAddOrchestraSymphonySymphony OrchestrasTalented Musicians Author:Olivia Newton-John
“First and foremost, with everybody we wanted to see if they can pull off the songs, play them correctly, and that they it felt right musically. That's something Mike [Mangini] did, it felt like the band. He really gets the style and delivers in a powerful metal way.” IfsWayFirstsPlayWantedSongFeltPowerfulStyleBandMetalsMike Author:John Petrucci
“We're not the kind of band who writes an order abundance of songs and picks from them, we usually write for the album.” WritingKindSongOrderBandPicksAlbumsAbundance Author:John Petrucci
“To get up on stage with a band is fantastic. To play songs to an audience is mindblowing.” PlaySongAudienceStageBandGet UpFantastic Author:James Blunt
“The idea of a Chicago band that wanted to sing songs about California is really funny. Having never been to California.” IdeasWantedSongBandCaliforniaChicago Author:Bill Hader
“That song ["Don't Tell Me"] didn't take us anywhere, and I know why now. It wasn't what Van Halen fans wanted. It showed the darkness of Van Halen, and basically the end of the band.” KnowsEndsWantedSongDarknessFansBandVansVan HalenWhy Now Author:Sammy Hagar
“They [The Beatles ] were the first band to write their own songs in Britain because we always just covered American songs before that.” WritingFirstsSongBandBritainCovered Author:Lemmy Kilmister
“The first time The Runaways played in Britain, Joan Jett wore my bullet belt onstage. The Runaways were really the first all-girl band to really strut their stuff and say, "F**k you." "Cherry Bomb" was the best song for a girl band to sing. It was just outrageous at the time. There were American families sitting on the sofa watching television going, "F**k me." It was great fun.” FirstsSongGirlFunStuffTelevisionBandSittingFirst TimeBritainBombsBulletsBeltsOutrageousCherriesSofasRunawayAmerican FamilyWatching Television Author:Lemmy Kilmister
“It's not always possible to play a song exactly as it is on the album. That's also something that I really don't want to do because I like to have versions that also adapt to the band, so that is always a big challenge to see how we can transform those songs so it feels natural.” WantFeelsPlayBigsSongNaturalChallengesBandAlbumsVersionsBig Challenges Author:Trentemøller
“Richie Faulkner is very respectful to the songs that he plays from when [founding member] K.K. [Downing] was in the band. He plays them incredibly. And he's got his own nuances and his own techniques that he puts in - as he should.” ShouldPlaySongBandMembersTechniqueFoundingRespectfulNuanceDowning Author:Rob Halford
“Along with some of the worst music of Bob Dylan's career ("Self-Portrait," 1970), this period produced some gems - including many songs recorded with The Band in '67 but not released until years later.” YearsSelfSongCareersWorstPeriodsBandIncludingBobPortraitsDylanGemsSelf Portrait Author:Bob Dylan
“Jon Davis of Korn and Frank Mullen of Suffocation are one of my favorite bands and from that moment, we started a conversation and lead to the song.” MomentsSongBandConversationMy FavoriteThat MomentFrankFavorite Bands Author:Mitch Lucker
“From the age of 16 on, I brought my guitar everywhere. I just fell in love with learning the guitar, and I wanted to learn songs and chords, and that led to wanting to start a band, and to wanting to do our first show.” FirstsShowsAgeWantedSongBandGuitarChords Author:Donavon Frankenreiter
“We went on tour with Phoenix. I don't really know anything about Phoenix I'd heard a couple songs. And I thought, I don't really know if I want to go on this, it's kind of weird, kind of a pain in the ass for us. But everyone was like YOU HAVE TO DO IT, it's going to be so good for your career. And I mean I don't know if it was good for our career but the guys in the band were super huge sweethearts.” IfsKnowsWantKindMeanPainGuySongCareersHeardHugeLike YouGoes OnCoupleBandAssPhoenixSweetheart Author:Mac DeMarco
“For me, once I count the band in, and I delve deep into my song, I feel a certain sort of integrity and integration that I rarely find in my daily life.” FeelsCertainSongIntegrityBandDaily LifeIntegration Author:Bruce Springsteen
“[Music From the Edge of Heaven] wasn't really an album at all. The band had made the decision to release an LP and then split up. We wanted to go out with a bang in Britain and the rest of the world by having a single that was four songs, not just one song. But we couldn't do that over here because we couldn't release a single without an album.” WorldMadeWantedSongHeavenDecisionFourBandEdgesAlbumsReleaseJust OneBritainSplitsBangs Author:George Michael
“The act of the being in the band has very little in common with writing songs. The songs come out of it, and the band is necessary for the songs to emerge, but the band doesn't exist just so the songs can emerge.” WritingLittlesSongCommonBandWriting Songs Author:Tim Kinsella
“A few Disney TV composers had me pinch-hit writing some scoring cues to picture. Disney tapped me to be the composer for the underscore and song producer for this new show called "Phineas and Ferb."There is nothing like a successful animated show to get your chops up. You have to do every style - action, adventure, romantic, suspense, spy, poignant, rock, funk, big band - delivered on a deadline.” WritingShowsBigsActionSongSuccessfulRocksStyleAdventureTvsBandProducersSuspenseComposerSpyAnimatedDeadlinePoignantFunk Author:Danny Jacob
“I was sixteen, I became a working guitar player gigging in LA, mostly in top 40 bands, then touring. I learned to take songs apart, down to their bones. Songwriters would hire me to produce their demos, which lead me to become a songwriter. The relationship and power music has to TV and film attracted me to composing [and] I learned to write for instruments other than guitar.” WritingFilmSongPlayerProduceTvsBandInstrumentsGuitarBonesSongwritersTouringSixteenComposingGuitar PlayerLeading MeDemos Author:Danny Jacob
“As long as bands are still out there slaving away in the garage and putting out their own records and just pushing the envelope for how songs should be written or how they should be played, punk will never die.” ShouldLongStillsSongDiesRecordsWrittenBandPushingPunkGarageEnvelopesPushing The Envelope Author:Milo Aukerman
“And at the time, for one of the few times in my life I didn't have a band, I just had myself and the guitar, so I was going to have to do something with just my voice, just the guitar and just my songs that was going to move someone enough to give me a shot. So I wrote songs that were very lyrically alive and lyrically dense. And they were unique, but it really came out of the motivation to - or I understood it was - I was going to have to make my mark that way.” WayGivingEnoughMovingMotivationSongVoiceAliveBandUniqueUnderstoodShotsGive MeMarkGuitarDense Author:Bruce Springsteen
“It's easy to record songs. Anyone can make a track on garage band. I've been on the search to find that incredibly authentic place of sound and intention that only I can bring. Everyone has their own expression. I'm still on that quest and I hope to always be.” StillsI CanSongEasySoundRecordsExpressionBandIntentionTrackQuestsGarage Author:Grace Kelly