Read: Why Coldplay and Adele Aren’t Bringing New Albums to Spotify

If you haven’t used a streaming music service like Spotify or Rdio yet, you’re missing out on where music consumption is heading. The industry is shifting, just like it did at the turn of the century when recording artists had to come to grips with the fact that people weren’t buying complete albums and getting singles – either through Napster and eventually through more legitimate channels like iTunes.

Now a decade into the digital music age, people are moving away from the “ownership paradigm”, where instead of being limited to the songs on your iPod, you can just pay a flat fee or stream whatever you want.  When Pandora first came around, people became happy with having new music to stream – now with services like Spotify you can go a step further and choose a specific song or album.   Personally I’ve come around to this.  Those who know me personally can attest to the level of effort I’ve put towards developing my personal collection, but even I find the appeal in the ability to have any song stream straight to my phone any time I want.

Just like a decade ago, when we had artists who refused to join us in the 21st century (Metallica), you know have artists that are kicking and screaming their way into the streaming era: Coldplay and Adele, who feel that their new albums are too good to simply be streamed.  They can hide behind the notion that their album should be experienced in a certain format or fidelity, but this boils down to one of two things: greed or ignorance.  They think that people should pay more for new music – not unlike how the movie industry is delusional enough to think people are happy to pay full price for a new release rather than rent it.  For their sake, I hope they’re just being ignorant about where the music industry is going and won’t deal with the vitriol people still hold for Metallica.

Adele and Coldplay are kidding themselves if they think the purchase model is competing with streaming models.  The people who don’t purchase their music will do one of two things: steal it or worse – not even listen to it.  In terms of music discovery, people will continue to turn away from the radio and use these streaming services to find something new.  Musicians need to temporarily take themselves out of the “artist” shoes and place their feet in the entrepreneurial shoes.  More and more, recorded music is transitioning from being a product and more towards being a marketing tool to get fans further engaged.  As an entrepreneur, you need to be where your consumers are – and if you’re consciously choosing not to be where people are, they’ll either resent you or ignore you.

I’ll try to describe it, but you really just need to go see if for your self: Imagine having a listening party. You sit in a circle with 4 other people and go around and each pick out the next song you’re going to play. Meanwhile, there could be a room full of people listening to the music you’re picking out. If they like the song you get brownie points, if they hate the song it gets skipped. That’s essentially Turntable.fm. In an era where people walk around with ear buds, this is a great way to socially experience music and discover new songs.

You can simply go to listen and vote, and for many it’s a human-Pandora streaming experience.  Different rooms have different genres, but the ones I’ve loved the best are the “anything as long as it’s good” rooms. Secretly I think many of believe ourselves to be music connoisseurs and experience joy in sharing new music with friends. There’s also joy in invoking great music memories by playing a classic song. At the same time you don’t want to disrupt the musical flow.  I don’t like listening to the radio, but I still desire the discovery of new bands and songs – this site gives a great social element to doing just that.

Simply said: you need to try out this site. Come join me! If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you’ll see when I’m logged in and we can DJ together! Fair warning though: you’re going to lose hours and nights to this site!

I’m really excited about some of the marketing opportunities that Ken & the Action Figures will be able to provide.  One thing we want to convey with our band is that if you come check us out, you’ll have a good time and forget your worries.

We have gone ahead and created our placeholder web site, as we are working on getting a logo and graphics package put together.  In the meantime, I’d love for you to sign up for our mailing list, Like us on Facebook, and Follow us on Twitter.

We have come down to three finalists: The names are Eden’s Favorite Apple, Ken & The Action Figures, and Hey Man Nice Bus.

Eden’s Favorite Apple

To me this name sits in the “this name has deeper meaning” camp, where the name itself can invoke a lot of different imagery.  Earlier when we solicited feedback for this name, one description really drew me: “I would expect a band with this name to push the envelope a bit, to be edgy yet grounded, to have depth.” I feel like that’s what our band is aspiring to be, and that this is a name we could definitely grow into.  While this name definitely conjures up a lot of different imagery, there is definitely a lot of religious connotation with this name, and it could give people the first impression that we are in the Christian music genre, or invoke imagery that people aren’t necessarily comfortable with.  At the same time, the vast array of imagery allows for a lot of great marketing opportunities.

Ken & The Action Figures

Where Eden. lies in the “deeper meaning” camp, this name and Hey Man Nice Bus sit in the opposite side of the spectrum.  This name invokes a much more specific image. This name good pretty favorable feedback amongst our friends, with most of them saying that they found this name intriguing.  The memorable point of feedback we got was “This name implies that if you’re going to check out this band, you’re going to have a good time.”  There is also a vast array of marketing opportunities as well.  The fact that our singer is named Ken gives this added benefit.  A downside to this name is that it doesn’t really offer a deep meaning, and may be a barrier to be taken seriously as a band – after all would you say to your friend, “This song really spoke to me, the one by Ken & The Action Figures”.  Somehow that has a hard time being constructed into a serious sentence.

Hey Man Nice Bus

This name is in the same vein as “Ken & The Action Figures” where the connotation is much less serious.  The feedback we got, while limited (as this name was a late-comer), was also very positive.  This name has a personal tie to our singer Ken, as he owned a VW bus and heard that line for quite a while.  This name could also bring about a fun logo, and some great imager as well. The possible downside is that it could carry a “hippie” stigma – one that may be reserved for more of a “jam band” than we are.

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So those are our three finalists.  I’d really appreciate your thoughts on this.  Which name attracts you the most amongst these three?  Is there anything about any of the names that bothers you?  Is there something else we should consider in naming our band?  If hearing our music would help, give us a listen.  Please feel free to comment below, or contact me on Twitter, Facebook or Gmail.  I’d really appreciate your thoughts, even if you just want to support a specific name.  Thanks again for your feedback!

In face, you can go back and download the torrents from back until 2005. There is some great stuff in here, especially if you’re interested in discovering new music. Check it out!

The first is a bizzare “Monkey on my Back” where Dave is a music man (remember Burt from Mary Poppins), with a Monkey that plays cymbals and eventually smacks him in the head.

The next one is video at a photo shoot that Dave did for John Varvatos, where he eventually does his “Dave dance”.

Enjoy!

The Black Eyed Peas w/ Pussycat Dolls & Flypside [2007]
I quickly fell in love with the Black Eyed Peas when I heard Elephunk, and it didn’t take much convincing to buy tickets to this concert – but this became the only concert that I walked out of, due to distaste.

What started out as a strong hip-hop concert quickly degenerated into a solo showcase of each band member, as if the band was simply a platform to boost each member’s standing. Each member took turns doing entire songs that just featured themselves. I could understand if they took a solo in the song, or took it off into a tangent for part of the song, but there were points where the other members left the stage while
one person gratified themselves with their self-serving song. I’m not talking about singles from “The Dutchess”, I’m talking about the two guys who aren’t Fergie and Will.I.Am.

This show was right after Monkey Business came out, so you had two solid albums to choose from – yet the Black Eyed Peas found a way to only play 3 hits in the over-an-hour we were there. My wife and I were sick of being jerked around, so we left, right in the middle of the show.

My fuse probably wouldn’t have been so short if it wasn’t for having to endure the Pussycat Dolls, which was basically a gentlemen’s club without the brass poles – setting a great example for the crowd of pre-teen girls. Any curiosity to the question, “I wonder what it had been like to go to a Spice Girls concert” was answered by the Pussycat Dolls. My favorite part was the cheesy intros, as if any of us cared who any of them were (besides that lead singer Nicole, who possessed 97% of the band’s talent).

Top all of this up with Flypside, who made the crowd do wrist/finger pumps to 8th notes during Someday – there was no way not to look like an idiot.

So that rounds out the worst concert I’ve been to, have you been to one that’s worse?

#5: Coldplay, Red Rocks (CO) [2003]

This was previously # 3 on my 2005 list, but was a really strong contender.  This was a last-minute opportunity to go see Red Rocks for the first time, to see a band that I had heard little about at the time (“Didn’t they sing that ‘Yellow’ song on the ABC commercials?”  This show took my Red Rocks virginity away, and thus has a special place in my heart.  It rained the entire time we were there, and not a drizzle, but it poured throughout the concert, but Coldplay’s intensity and passion made it worth it.  An image from that night burned itself into my memory, that I still remember vividly: during “Clocks” they flashed a wide green laser across the sky over the crowd, which is cool enough on it’s own, but the pouring rain broke up all of the particles of light.  I also loved that the band was courteous of their rain-drenched fans and basically had no pause before the encore.

#4: Better Than Ezra, UNC Ballroom, Greeley, CO [2007]

We had conflicting plans for this night: either go see 311 for the 3rd time at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, or go check out Better Than Ezra – the guys who sang that “Good” song, and a bunch that I heard on the radio over the years.  Bethany and I took a chance and went with Matt to see Better Than Ezra, and it almost topped my “Best Concert” list.  There must not have been more than 300 people there, but Better Than Ezra played as if they were in front of a crowd of 10,000.  I’ve been to a lot of “shows” put on by bands, but these guys put on  a concert.  The combination of great music, a band that had a fantastic stage presence, and the company of good friends – how could we not fall in love with every song?

#3: Five For Fighting – Acoustic Show, Bluebird Theater, Denver [2003]

I fell in love with Five for Fighting when he opened up for the Goo Goo Dolls concert in 2002.  The sincerity conveyed by John Ondrasik – in both the music and performance – really spoke to my heart as a fellow musician.  I wasn’t originally big on acoustic shows, but this Five For Fighting show taught me to love acoustic shows.  The Bluebird Theater is an incredibly intimate venue, and my buddy Fred and I got to sit in the 2nd row, basically 8 feet away from John.  Every song was a story, and John told it in both words and song.  The best part was that we left the show with my friends thinking that I must have known someone to get these ticks – to such an intimate show.

#2: Dave Matthews Band – Night 4, Red Rocks, CO [2005]

I had a raw nerve when it came to my favorite band. They jipped Denver in 2004 when the skipped the city. I guess you couldn’t blame them, considering that a knife hit the stage when they played the Pepsi Center in 2003, but I was quick to forgive when they offered the olive branch of 4 nights at Red Rocks, and the $35 I spent on a Warehouse membership that enabled me to go not one but all 4 nights was the best money I had ever spent.  From Friday through Monday, I made the nightly commute from Fort Collins down to Red Rocks, and experienced my favorite band in my favorite venue. The first night and the last night were with my sister, while the second and third nights were with my relatively new girlfriend (who is now my wife).  The 4th night was a late-addition show, due in part to the demand, but also became a tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which occurred the week before.

My sister and I managed to get 3rd row seats, right of the center of Red Rocks. The setlist was killer, especially playing an awesome cover of Bob Marley’s Exodus, as well as an awesome edition of Louisiana Bayou, which had become an anthem in tribute to the Hurricane Katrina victims.  This show was amazing, one of the two most amazing shows that I have been to.

(Still) #1: Dave Matthews Band, Mile High Stadium, Denver [2000]

My wife wondered if Red Rocks would usurp this show’s ranking, and I thought long and hard about it, but decided ultimately that this was the best concert I had ever been to – in large part because the stars aligned for this concert.  This was the first concert that I had ever been to, the third time I tried to get tickets to Dave Matthews Band (after being my favorite band for 5 years), and the fact that I was gifted with seats in Section A-1, Row 1, Seats 3 & 4.

48 hours earlier, I was coming home from doing mission work on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and had some life-changing experiences while I was there.  I was still processing it all, but one thing that suck with me was being in a place of wilderness and peacefulness earlier in the weekend, only to be in a sea of people 2 days later.

Looking back at the set list, they played a lot of songs that they hadn’t yet recorded at the time, but ones that I have grown to love over the next 14 times I’ve seen them.  To top the night of, DMB played All Along The Watchtower (which in itself was not unusual), but with opener Be Harper playing the solo on slide guitar (which was unusual an awesome).  When Dave Matthews was playing his guitar riff before the solo, he came over to our side of the stage – and I swear – looked me right in the eyes.  Awkward bro-mance/man-crush moment? Yes, but awesome nonetheless.

Oh, and I discovered the music of Ozomatli at this show, so all the more reason to make this my #1 concert of all-time.

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So with that you now have my top 10 concerts – I would love to hear yours, and what made them awesome!

Honorable Mentions:

And now, onto 10-6:

#10: Spearhead & John Butler Trio, Red Rocks, CO [2007]

You’ll notice that a lot of these shows on this list are at Red Rocks, arguably the best concert venue in the US.  Bethany and I took my mom and uncle, so that my uncle could experience Red Rocks for the first time.  Seeing two of my most favorite bands pair up for an amazing show at an awesome venue will always crack the top 10 list.

#9: Muse, Pepsi Center, Denver, CO [2010]

The “live” introduction of a band that has quietly become my #2 favorite bands warrants a place on this list.  If you want to see why it ranks, check out my post.

#8: The Police, Pepsi Center, Denver, CO [2008]

I fell in love with the Police after high school and throughout the early 2000′s if I was asked “If you could go see any band, regardless of time period, who would it be?”, my answer would be the Police.  In 2008 Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland made me put my money where my mouth is. The raw energy these guys portrayed, over 25 years after they were touring, was unreal. I also was introduced to Sting’s son’s band, Fiction Plane.

#7: Dave Matthews Band, Home Depot Center (LA), [2004]

This was originally #5 of my 2005 list, but still relatively holds up over the years.  This was the first time I traveled to see a band, to the beautiful beaches – no less.  I’ve seen DMB 15 times, and this was probably one of the best set lists I’ve ever heard.

#6: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Fillmore Auditorium (Denver), [2003]

Originally #4 of my list, this still remains one of my favorite shows.  A big group of my friends went down to this show, many hearing their music for the first time.  This was my first time seeing them live, but left me hungry for more. I also fell in love with the Fillmore, making this my favorite indoor place to see live music in Denver.

That does it for #’s 10-6.  Stop back tomorrow for #’s 5-1!  I’d also love to hear which shows are on your top 10 list, or even top 5?

Once we got there, all that changed.  Muse definitely made it worth the 10 month wait, putting together a set-list that was top-tier.  With the exception of New Born, Assassin and Hyper Music, they played every song I wanted to hear. 

The stage was something else. Passion Pit opened for them playing in front of these three pillars, then when they finished the area in front of the pillars remained empty while the bands seemingly switched.  When the concert started, the covers came off the pillars, revealing the three band members in each one of them.

The pillars moved up and down throughout the concert, eventually lowering the members down to the ground. At one point, they moved a baby grand piano onto Matt Bellamy’s pillar, moved it back up and once it came back down they replaced it with standing drums between songs. It was a total treat.

The visual experience was complimented with the pillars being video walls, in addition to lasers and lights flashing across the arena.  At one point, giant eyeball balloons floated down and surfed along the crowd.

Lastly, no concert experience would be complete without the attendees providing the entertainment.  In this case it was by a middle-aged woman who spent the whole concert passionately/interpretive dancing.  Not to be ageist, but if this lady was a 15-year-old girl, I probably wouldn’t have given it a 2nd though – but the fact that she was pushing 40 made it all the more awesome. My favorite part is when she actually started doing jumping jacks.

This amazing concert gave me cause to revisit my list of top concerts and see where Muse fits amongst them.  I’ve compiled a list of over 40 shows that I’ve seen over 10 years, and am in the process of ranking them. I should hopefully that that post coming later this week.

In the meantime, what are some of your top concerts you’ve been to?  What aspects make it a great concert?

This week, I crossed the 29,000 song mark in the songs I’ve “Scrobbled” or tracked in Last.fm.  Now that I’ve crossed the 29k mark, I wanted to give an update as to what I’m listening.  There are a few interesting developments, such as a band making it’s debut on my top 10 at #2.

These Scrobbles primarily come from the listening I do at home & at work, as well as what I listen to on my iPod.  I use a little SanDisk Clip when I’m at the gym, but since that device doesn’t register play-counts, there is no way for me to Scrobble those songs.  Also, please note I’m listing my “Overall” rankings. If you would like to see what I’ve been listening to over the last 3,6,12 months, check out my Last.FM profile.  Also I would highly encourage anyone to use Last.FM.  It’s a great music discovery tool, but I primarily use to to examine my listening patterns.  It doesn’t cost anything, plugs in easily into iTunes or other media players, and makes your listening experience interesting.

Dropped off since 26,000:

• System of A Down (Previously at 10) – If I was Scrobbling my workout music, System of a Down would not only be on the top 10, but probably be pretty high in the list.
• Fiction Plane (Previously at 9)

10. Gym Class Heroes (298 Plays, Previously at 8 ): Previously I was addicted to 2-3 songs by them, now I’m addicted to 4-5. The Quilt is a really good album though). Top Album: As Cruel as School Children; Top Songs: 4th Period: Clothes Off!!, Peace Sign/Index Down, Cupid’s Chokehold.

9. The John Butler Trio (299 Plays, New on List ): John Butler Trio’s latest album, What You Want, is probably the reason why it shot it’s way up. It’s a good album that’s easy to listen to from start to finish. Top Album: Grand National; Top Songs: Daniella, Zebra, Better Than

8. O.A.R. (368 Plays, Previously at 7): It’s interesting that for as much as I thought I listened to O.A.R., I’ve only shot up 70 more plays since October. Top Album: All Sides; Top Songs: War Song, Shattered, The Stranger

7. Outkast (370 Plays, Previously at 5): I really wish they’d release some new material, and quickly. Top Album: Stankonia; Top Songs: Humble Mumble, Ms. Jackson, Rosa Parks 

6. Jimmy Eat World (386 Plays, Previously at 4): I still haven’t seen them live, but do really want to. Top Album: Chase This Light; Top Songs: Open Bar Reception, Here It Goes (if you want to see something stupidly funny, click on this link and watch the video these guys made dancing to this song), Big Casino

5. Five For Fighting (412 PLays, Previously at 6): Seeing John Ondrasik live is the biggest reason for this leapfrog. The new album “Slice” is great as well. Top Album: Two Lights; Top Songs: World, The Riddle, 100 Years

4. Michael Franti & Spearhead (459 Plays, Previously at 2): I wasn’t a huge fan of All Rebel Rockers, so I’m hoping their next release they’re working on sounds more like Stay Human, Everyone Deserves Music, and Yell Fire! Top Album: Stay Human; Top Songs: One Step Closer to You, People In Tha Middle, Listener Supported

3. Red Hot Chili Peppers (460 Plays, Previously at 3 ): It sounds like they have a new guitarist.  We’ll see if they’ll be able to put out a new release soon.  Top Album: Stadium Arcadium; Top Songs: Under the Bridge, Dani California, Show Me Your Soul

2. Muse (555 Plays, New on List): I was pretty shocked when I saw that Muse wasn’t really on my radar last fall, and yet have risen all the way to #2.  Part of it is that I bought tickets to their show in Denver, and boned up on as much Muse as I could. The other part is that Muse is really easy to listen to when you’re coding. Top Album: Origin of Symmetry; Top Songs: New Born, Hyper Music, Time Is Running Out

1. (With no surprise) Dave Matthews Band (1,408 Plays, Previously at #1): DMB continues to pad their stats in my listening list, but if my Scrobbles were reset 6 months ago, Muse would be up nearly 2:1 over DMB. I need to get to a Dave show pretty soon to get that spark again. Top Album: Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King; Top Songs: #41, Grey Street, Two Step

Thanks again for indulging me in my few minutes of vanity. I’ll probably post something again when I cross 30,000 Scrobbles, if there are any changes in the rankings.

I came across the latest OK Go video, which made me miss the time when music videos had a great deal of creativity in them.  I don’t mean to sound dated, but you really don’t see the diverse thought and efforts in music videos (if they even show them anymore) as you see with OK Go.  If you remember, these were the guys that did the “Treadmill Video” (here it goes again) as well as some awesome choreography in “A Million Ways“.

All of these are worth a look.  It’s too bad that these are more rare these days.

Last night Bethany and I went down to Denver to go see one of my favorite bands in an amazing acoustic set.  I wrote on Saturday on my excitement about seeing this show, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

It’s such a treat to see singer/song-writers acoustically (or anyone acoustically for that matter), because they typically tell stories around their songs.  It’s amazing to hear what inspired them to write, what they see as the meaning behind their words.  John Ondrasik definitely delivered, elaborating on songs like “Freedom Never Cries”, “Tuesday”, and “Slice”.

The performances were raw and intimate – the atmosphere at the Soiled Dove made sure of that.  We had the perfect seats, at the end of a long table on their “Silver” level.  We were at the perfect height to see over the heads of the General Admission folks, and got a perfect direct view of the band.  I wish I could have posted better pictures than this one I took with my cell phone, but it seems like I was the only one – including the Soiled Dove -  that actually read the fine print on the ticket that said you couldn’t bring cameras in.  I’ve learned my lesson and will ignore the rules.

I think my “Top 5″ concert list is due for a refresh, but as great as that show was I’m not sure if it’s going to break into that list.  The reason: the show wasn’t long enough.  While he definitely put on a good show, he was only on the stage for a little more than an hour.  There was an opening act – Angel Taylor – who was fantastic, so the evening was rounded out.  It was a bit of a blessing in disguise as we got back home at a decent time on a Sunday night, but a top 5 show has to be a little longer.

I can’t wait until the next time Five For Fighting passes through Denver.  I’ll definitely be there!

Tomorrow night Bethany and I are headed down to the Soiled Dove Underground for an acoustic evening with Five For Fighting, one of my favorite artists.  As we thought about it, we realized that this will be the first concert we’ve been to since July of 2008.  This will be a great show to quench our concert thirst. Looking back at a post I wrote in 2005 (coincidentally this post was triggered by my first date with Bethany) that ranked my top concerts, the Five For Fighting acoustic evening ranked #2 in my top 5 concerts list.  I hate to quote myself, but it best summarizes why I’m excited about this show:

For those of you who haven’t heard Five For Fighting beyond "Superman" and "100 Years" – you’re really missing out.  John Ondrasik is definitely one of my favorite musicians of all time, and I had been in love with Five For Fighting for almost 2 years at that point.  So when I heard that he was having an acoustic show I jumped at the chance to get tickets (which weren’t selling very fast at all).  I roped a few of my friends from church to come down to the show.  My friend Fred and I ended up sitting in the 2nd row and we were like 8 feet away from John Ondrasik!   I had never been to the Blue Bird before, but it is TINY! – 150 people, max.  And he we were in an awesome intimate concert setting hearing all of these awesome songs and raw passion that John put into playing each of them.  He gave us a little bit of piano, a little bit of guitar and a lot of amazement.  I wasn’t sure how my friends were going to react to the show, but when we walked out they were blown away as well.  Then one of my friends asked me "How did you manage to get tickets to that?!?  To see someone acoustic and small as that – you have to know the band personally".  I still find it funny [Back in 2005]

It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to bring a camera (which is a real bummer), but I’ll definitely offer my thoughts after the show on Monday.

I’ve always wanted to write a reflective post of my top 10 artists according to Last.fm but missed the boat on the 20,000th and 25,000th thousand Scrobbles, so I figured that 26,000 was a nice round number and would take the opportunity to do so.  Without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite bands:

10. System of a Down (262 Plays) – Probably my favorite hard rock band – and I guess statistically-speaking, this is right. Top Album: Toxicity Top Songs: Chop Suey, Prison Song, B.Y.O.B., Hypnotize, Revenga

9. Fiction Plane (276 Plays) – I heard them open for the Police and have loved them ever since. Top Album: Left Side of the Brain Top Songs: Two Sisters, It’s A Lie, Death Machine, Running the Country, Presuppose

8. Gym Class Heroes 286 Plays) – The most surprising to me. I think it’s because I really like 2-3 tracks and have really overplayed them. Track #3 (29 plays) nearly doubles Track #4 (15 plays)  Top Album: As Cruel as School Children Top Songs: 4th Period: Clothes Off, Cupid’s Chokehold, Peace Sign/Index Down, 3rd Period: New Friend Request, Catch Me If You Can

7. O.A.R. (296 Plays) - O.A.R. is great music to unwind to.  I get in these moods where I’ll queue up a bunch of tracks on the playlist and let it rip. Top Album: All Sides. Top Track: War Song, Shattered, The Stranger, Something Coming Over, This Town

6. Five for Fighting (330 Plays) – One of my favorite bands, and I’m so excited that I’ll get to see John Ondrasik acoustically on Sunday!  Top Album: Two Lights. Top Songs: World, The Riddle, 100 Years, Something About You, Superman (It’s Not Easy)

5. Outkast (344 Plays) – Definitely my favorite rap group, I especially love the stuff that Andre 3000 does. Top Album: Speakeroxxx/The Love Below. Top Songs: Rosa Parks, Humble Mumble, Hey Ya!, Ms. Jackson, Spottieottiedopaliscious

4. Jimmy Eat World (345 Plays) – Probably tops my “Bands I haven’t seen live but really want to” list. Top Album: Bleed American. Top Songs: Here It Goes, Open Bar Reception, Big Casino, Sweetness, The Middle

3. Red Hot Chili Peppers (425 Plays) – Not much to say, just a great, solid band whose old and new stuff I enjoy. Top Album: Stadium Arcadium. Top Songs: Dani California, Under the Bridge, Show Me Your Soul, Readymade, Californication

2. Michael Franti & Spearhead (431 Plays) – A band that I have loved for years, and am glad that more people are finding out about them. Also the only band in this list where I’ve personally met the singer. Top Album: Stay Human Top Songs: One Step Closer to You, People in the Middle, A Little Bit of Riddim, Listener Supported, East to the West

and as if #1 was going to be any surprise.

#1 – Dave Matthews Band (1,255 Plays) -  Almost triples #2 on the list.  Considering how much effort I’ve put in to seeing them live, I should love to play them a lot. Top Album: Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King. Top Songs: Grey Street, #41, What Would You Say, Ants Marching, Funny the Way It Is

Note: I removed podcasts from my top 10 list.  There was one that fell under this list (ESPN at #2 – which is a family of podcasts).

I would highly recommend that if you’re a fan of music and would like to see what you’re listening to, that you give Last.fm a try.  We’ll see what happens when I approach 50,000 Scrobbles, and if my music taste changes much.  If you’re on Last.fm, I’d love for you to add my as a friend: RomeyInFC