So, in preparation for what I (and others?) can only pray will be the utter failure of commerical music as we know it; I just want to throw out some bands. I love the hell out of 'em; some are new, some are old; but they're all designed to, I don't know...NOT BLOW DONKEYS!

(JJ Grey) and Mofro: Imagine a band; musically inspired by southern rock, the blues, and their own southern jazz roots. Take that band and give it a lyricist who channels James Brown, Ray Charles, and the blackwater region of Florida where he was raised in a way that makes you wish you were from there. Their most recent CD just came out, their sophmore release still goes for over $35, and their first was listed on Amazon as one of the best CD's out there. When I was looking for their sophmore disc a month ago, it was going for well over $75. Limited edition - apparently there are just...more copies now (ahem). If someone can get me a copy of Lochloosa for free, I'll gladly trade my posting priviledges at this illustrious website. For most of you, this would be tallied in the 'plus' column.

Jamie Lidell - If Timbaland, Jack Johnson, and modern funk had a love child; it would be Jamie Lidell. His 'Multiply' disc has it all: bluesy tunes, rappy tunes, neo-funk. Now we know where Justin Timberlake bit his entire music career from. Top secret info? I love listening to music that sounds like it comes form someone, or some time, that you don't expect it to. Like, for instance, this CD. I mean, isn't that what makes music so wonderful?

The standards: Never forget that your old music still stands up: Sublime, Goldfinger, Green Day, Live, Nirvana, ('scuse me if my chronology gets whacked here), Clapton, Creedence, the Stones (the old ones, not the touring ones), Zep, Hendrix, McCartney&Lennon, Ray Charles, Ellington&Parker, and from here the music becomes so intrinsic that the actual artists disappear. You know those songs: The Girl From Ipanema, etc. Those songs that existed only in the moment that you saw them performed, because after that, they were never performed the same.

God rest music.