The 5 most Influential Bands (to me)

This list is purely MY OPINION, so please feel free to tell me yours. This is no order

5. Everclear
Everclear is influential to me, for a lot of reasons, I can relate to Art Alexakis a bit because I have been through some shitty situations, angry at everything, and yet things seemed to work out.

One story, I read about in an interview with Art, was how he had given up on making music he was going to settle into mediocrity, and be complacent with a normal life, until he bought the then newly release album Doolittle by the Pixies. He listened to it 3 or 4 times until his Walkman died, and he went home and told his then wife that the album (Doolittle) made him realize that he couldn't quit music, and the rest is history.

Beyond the million and one Art Alexakis stories I could talk about, Everclear's music is also inspirational. They put the balls back in alternative rock when it was popular to whiny and not deal with your problems (Radiohead). I discovered Everclear because of Pandora, which makes me a new comer in discovering their music, but after I heard Santa Monica (the 2009 version) I looked up all their singles online then I bought every Everclear album. This is one of my favorite bands, but sadly they didn't make it on to the my top 10 (or 20) albums list because none of their albums stand that strong alone, how ever they are one of my favorite and most influential bands to my song writing.

4. Jason Mraz (not a band but so what)
This is a relatively new artist but I don't care. Jason's lyrical flow, tongue twister lyrics, and positive attitude on life inspire me a lot. That with his natural Charisma , makes him one of the most amazing song writers of all time. I mean years later and I am still singing the remedy, and that is not even his best song that's mediocre when compared to his song Wordplay. Much respect for the Mr. A to Z

3. Say Anything
Okay this band is amazing. Say Anything has something deviant and sexual in their lyrics, but then you get this weird religious undertone mixed with this underlying anger. Somebody really must of fucked with Max Bemis' head when he was younger, altogether the lyrics are relatable and I can listen to a Say Anything song at any time and be instantly inspired.

2. Rage Against The Machine
My second musical hero behind Art Alexakis is Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, my favorite guitarist is Tom Morello and my 5th favorite album of all time is The Battle for Los Angeles, so saying I am a Rage Against the Machine fan is an understatement. They are one of my favorite bands, and are part of the special club of bands that helped shapped my music in childhood, because they had a song on my 2nd favorite Playstation game Tony hawks Pro Skater 2.

Their genre bending music, takes punk metal and rap, fusing it seamlessly to create a loud sound that others try to imitate but all fail to. I barrow a lot from their genre mixing and if it wasn't for them I wouldn't of gotten into music.

1. Pixies
cliched I know but cliches are such for a reason. Ive listened to Doolittle so many times, and again the story Art Alexakis talked about runs true for me, I knew what I wanted to do when I listened to Doolittle. I just cant help it, they are just an amazing band even if Frank Black and Kim Deal are in a contest to see who can get more blobular. Alternative rock gods and they deserve to be known as such.