[08-13-00 - This content is way out of date. I prefer harder stuff like drum'n'bass right now. ]

I love music. Whether it's alternative rock to heavy metal to blues to classic rock to even classical, I love music. In the car, in my room, or just about anywhere I end up at, I'm listening to music.

When I was younger, I used to listen more to rock and similar genres. Die-hard fan. I don't enjoy it as much as I used to, partially because I'm just burned out on it. I still listen to the heavy stuff, and heaviness certainly plays a key element to whether I like a song or not. Getting the chance to listen to more European music while in Sweden and England (my girlfriend living in Sweden), plus plenty of CDs to listen to from my bro, and finally my own changing tastes, have made me appreciate electronic music more. Yes, yes, the Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers certainly helped open everything up for me. But after seeing some of London's jungle DJs here in Austin, plus trying a lot of different techno artists, I'm stoked. Techno and all its offspring were the catalysts I needed to find a new enthusiasm towards music.

It is a sad thing that the music industry has become so commercialized that "mainstream" bands, even if they are good, are looked down upon by the cliques who attempt to be different than anyone else. Success is shunned and insecure fans violently struggle to keep their own secret bands to themselves. I'll have none of that. I listen to what I like, which is the first rule of being an individual. Be yourself and remember, your tastes in music are merely your tastes. You're no definitive authority on music, so don't thrust your opinions on others.

I maintain one of the more thorough lists of Dallas band webpages available. Now these sites move a lot and bands break up, so please notify me if the links change. Why do I have Dallas band links here? Well, Dallas is a great place to live if you're into the sorts of music played at Trees or more generally, Deep Ellum. Often local bands like Tripping Daisy, Spot, Tablet, and even not-so-local bands like Porno for Pyros and Everclear stop by Deep Ellum to give concerts. I don't go to concerts myself -- fighting for space to see or even hear the band isn't exactly my thing. If I could buy the live music on compact disc, I probably would, though (even though some bands sound horrible if their music isn't electronically edited). But anyway, support our local bands! Tripping Daisy, the Toadies, and Deep Blue Something have made it, but the smaller bands need your help. I guarantee you Dallas music is refreshing and much better than the schtuff you hear on the radio or MTV.

If you're a Dallas band, or ANY small band trying to get noticed, put up a web site! No, it's not going to make you a success, but I think it really adds a lot for fans if they're able to have a more direct connection with their favorite bands. If you have RealAudio and MP3 samples of some of your songs, that's cool too. Embrace the medium.

To get a taste of Dallas music, listen to KEGL 97.1 at 9-10 PM on Sundays for the Local Show. This show is a copy of Q102's (102.1) Texas Tapes, which is now no more since Q102 dissolved into just another top 40 station or some shit like that. Even the Edge (94.5) has a local show (I believe it's called 'The Adventure Club' and is on on Sunday nights). Just like the Edge to be the third to come up with an idea. ;) Look at Radio Free Dallas for some more local band goodies.

The secret to success these days? MTV. That's right. MTV's buzz clips have been known to save bands from collapse and the buzz clips are often quite good. They're a break from 24 hour stretches of non-music programming and Boyz 2 Men videos. The other way is for a band to get one hit song on the radio. If it doesn't become famous nationwide, at least local fans will buy up the albums.

Of course, my personal suggestion for bands is to distribute their music via the MP3 file format, a format capable of compressing tracks very well while losing no audible sound quality. Bands that distribute this way require no middle men -- just put the files on one's site and then people can come download it. No record companies restricting you from distributing your OWN music.

The Internet has proven to be an invaluable medium for music. The Lyrics archive has lyrics for a large number of songs, making it quite invaluable in digging up your fave band's mumbly verses. The Ultimate Band List is the most thorough music site out there, allowing you to browse a list of bands alphabetically, find the exact info you want, and suggest any sites not listed. Another rather large site is Rocktropolis. It houses some of the bigger pages for some bands. HyperReal is a good techno 90's sort of site. Interested in buying music online? Go to Music Boulevard or CD Now! Amazon tends to sell CDs at cheaper prices, though. Listening to the music clips of CDs you might buy online is very cool. Cover art and track listings, too, in case you don't know the names of albums.