So my girlfriend (a grade school music teacher) has a student that's taking vocal lessons from her. He's in a band that he says "sounds like Creed," but he wants to take it in a "jam band" direction. Neither of these things sound promising. She wants me to put together a mix of recent/current indie & non-stream music that would open his eyes to music outside of the Blitz and Ekoostik Hookah, stuff along the lines of Guided By Voices, Spoon, and heavier stuff like Queens of the Stone Age.

I need some suggestsions, if you were making a mix for a kid like this, what would you put on it?

Slayer

and then some heavy stuff

stick his head in a microwave.. just kidding..

try some kyuss. dude's got some serious vox. and they're kinda jammy i guess.

How 'bout the usual suspects? (crap, I just re-read where you said 'current', i was kinda thinking 'influential' but I already dug up all the pictures so I ain't gonna start over). Set 'em up with a bunch of local stuff so that maybe the kid can see how it's done too.



I'd put up surfer rosa, 'cept its got boobs on it.

I second the Spoon reco. Umm, Have him check out Oakley Hall. Maybe The Clash and Elvis Costello. This kid has probably never heard David Bowie either. I'd also put on some Neutral Milk Hotel and Jeff Buckley just for good measure.

just sayin

rocket from the crypt-circa now

i second perfect from now on and green mind

also-dulli songs

edit-removed broken pic link and replaced with words

as far as singing goes,
replacements
faces
mc5
sam cooke/otis redding/sam & dave etc etc etc
esquerita/little richard/the sonics
elliott smith - either/or (the harmonies alone...)
afghan whigs
any gbv record where bob's really hitting it (even that j mascis song 'sameday')
the lazy cowgirls
X (both the john doe thing and the band from australia)
swervedriver

just try and show the kid that soul and desire win over affectation (read: teen angst) EVERY FUCKING DAY


and please, please, please don't play him any grunge or white boy funk (chili peppers) or fucking fourth wave ska. there's nothing to be learned there.

Nice! Some good suggestions so far. I'm thinking I'll include (based on what I own):

Pixies
Replacements
Pavement
Dinsosaur Jr
Afghan Whigs
MC5
Elliott Smith
The Clash
David Bowie
Spoon
Elvis Costello
Otis Redding
Jeff Buckley
Guided By Voices
Built To Spill
Kyuss
Black Sabbath

Song selection is gonna be a bitch. I could include every effing song on Doolittle.

in addition to the great ideas here, Joe Jackson Band's first album, Look Sharp is amazing, has some great playing, writing and singing, and is fun.

Also, The Buzzcocks and Generation X should be in the How To Write Great Rock-n-Roll Songs 101 class, imo. They bridge the gap between punk, rock, and pop without seams, and still kick your ass 30 years later.

He may dig Ozric Tentacles if he's into Jam bands. They are instrumental and strange. Or try some fusion jazz, a la Weather Report's Heavy Weather album.

Almost forgot: Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. Please. If the kid wants to hear funky jams, give him good ones. Maybe some Stevie Wonder and James Brown too.

Other things he may dig: David Byrne's David Byrne album, Frank Black's Dog in the Sand, Peter Gabriel's 4 self-titled albums, and some Toots & The Maytals.

Steer him away from eKaustic Creed please, for the love of god.

EDIT:
some songs from above ideas:
Joe Jackson - Got The Time, Sunday Papers, The Instant Mash, or Fools in Love
Buzzcocks - Why Can't I Touch It? or What Do I get?
Generation X - New Order
David Byrne - You & Eye, Crash, Angels
Frank Black - Blast Off, Stupid Me, If It Takes All Night, Dog Gone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG2D8xNk ... re=related[/youtube]

I forgot one:
Sasquatch - their new album is amazing and Keith Gibbs has a great voice

Dude! I honeslty clocked out after Creed & Ekoostik Hookah were mentioned. Best O' Luck!

F