Guitarists From The United States

"Unfortunately, as technology has improved, that which was 'underground' now heads towards obsolescence."

"I think that the public judges a song on the overall feel, not individual samples. If a sample contributes too heavily to the song, and the sample is recognized, the opinion of the piece goes down."

"If anything I probably gravitate to things with great melodies/harmonies, and interesting/syncopated beats."

"As with any collaboration, you have to find someone that's in your 'mode' of making music."

"If someone only ever listens to, say, Nickelback, their opinion [about music taste] is valid but largely meaningless since they don't bring any depth to the discussion :)"

"I have a love for cheesy music. I don't want to list any bands and embarrass myself ;D"

"Usually musicians have egos and personality quirks which makes it difficult to form collaborative efforts (for long periods of time, anyways)."

"And there's doctors and lawyers, And business executives, And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same."

"Stylistic evolution comes from listening to what other people have done and making a Darwinistic modification."

"I think we'll soon see a new breed of musicians who have both a modern chordal sense (jazz) and a high comfort level with synthesizers and new breeds of sounds (from the electronica/techno/dj scene)."

"I love philosophy. It's fascinating to try to discover how perception, or experience, or memory works. I've always been a diehard relativist at heart, and I find it very interesting to read other people's philosophical ideas and how they see the world through their particular lens."

"You could argue that there's maybe some mathematical interest in a Bach fugue, say, but the only thing that music does really well is "move" people -- make them feel something."

"They made you think that, what you need is what they sellin', Made you think that buying is rebelling."

"Something must be done, about vengeance, a badge and a gun. So rip the mic rip the state rip the system, I was born to rage against them."

"Shackle your mind when you bend on the cross, When ignorance reigns life is lost."

"If ignorance is bliss, then knock the smile off my face."

"Fools follow rules when the set commands you."

"Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses."

"Anger is a gift."

"Is all the world jails and churches?"

"Temporal was the first recording that captured my true guitar sound (dinosaurs slipping and blocks of wire whittled with a feather). The mood of the world was different and yet music (sculpted time) always is there waiting to be manifested."

"I love Bach, I listened to him for 25 years, all my life, so I never get tired of Bach. And to learn Bach and play it is such a joy, even if no one ever hears it, just to play it sitting alone at home it makes you feel good, it's like a form of meditation. You can play it over and over and never get tired of it, it's a miracle. Bach I think is the greatest of all western musicians. Probably most people come to that conclusion. (laughs)"

"Of all the young singer-songwriters out there, I think Todd Snider is the best.. by that I mean he has found a way to take his feelings and observations and turn them into songs that can get an audience...he won't quit til he gets the audience and he always gets the audience."

"A man once said that the pinnacle of success Was when you've finally lost interest In money, compliments, and publicity A noble enough idea I suppose How on Earth he does this heaven only knows I know I need a lot more of all three of those Before I'll ever have the nerve to turn up my nose At any money, or compliments, or publicity"

"By the time that he mowed the last man down He was high as he had ever been Laughing to the sounds of the world going around Completely unaware of the win And while the papers would say he was scattered that day He was pretty as a pitcher could be The day Dock Ellis of the pittsburgh pirates Threw a no hitter on lsd"

"It's an issue for me I went to see this therapist She said just do the best you can do Do the best you can do I was hoping for something more specific"

"Todd Snider is a true songwriter, with the heart and humor of John Prine, the wild unpredictability of Roger Miller, and a fresh, original spirit and freedom of imagination that's absolutely his own."

"Todd Snider writes great songs and also is a great performer. He totally connects with every audience. Hardest act to follow since Steve Goodman."

"(Spoken) So I called my brother... he was living in Austin. He had these friends who were letting him stay on their couch, and I figured they might have a couch that I could stay on. So, I got this ride to Austin, Texas and got to this address my brother gave me, and this guy introduced himself as "Bonehead." And I went in and started asking around; turned out they didn't have the second couch, they just had the one couch, uh, for my brother. But they knew where there was a party, and I thought, well, that's good enough."

"(Spoken) He came out, kinda like tonight, like I am, with just a guitar, and sang some songs. I thought, shit, I could do that."

"(Spoken) You get out in the desert and there's no signs. And of course it was just me and all my friends, it was all guys in the car, so we drove about another two and a half hours before we ever pulled over and asked anybody where we was. And we were on this thing called the Devil's Backbone Highway, right, so we finally pull into this place uniquely named "The Devil's Backbone Tavern." We go in, and all the guys say I gotta go in, you know. And so I go in there, and it's one of them bars, like everyone's drinking beer and there are like, say, twenty people in there and they have maybe, say, seventeen teeth total in the whole place. And I'm not a good fighter, or very good at protecting myself at all, you know! And I thought, well this could - this may not work out. So I saw behind the bar there was this one older woman; she looked like she was in her eighties and she kinda hunched over like I remember my grandma started to do, she kinda, she had curly white hair, and she's all... I thought, well, I could take her..."

"I'm gonna make my last stand This time I can't be bought Then again, on the other hand How much have you got?"

"You know, this war on drugs is funded by tobacco and alcohol commissions. It's not what drugs you're strung out on they care about so much as whose. People still dig drugs. I mean, y'all do, anyway. I'm over it."

"Republicans... That's what scares people these days. That, and uh, Democrats."

"They say the average bank robber lives within say about 20 miles of the bank that he robs There's this little bank not so far from here I've been watching now for a while Seems like lately alls I can think about is how bad I wanna go out in style"

"Now to fit in on the Seattle scene You had to show people something that they'd never seen So thinkin' up a gimmick one day We decided to be the only band that wouldn't play a note Under any circumstance We called it silence... Music's original alternative Root's grunge"

"You internet people scare the shit out of me."

"With good behavior I'll be out in seven years Don't worry over me or shed any tears I've learned a lot in here and I know what a chance I blew The next time I won't make the same mistake I'll shoot the camera out too I'm learning all kinds of things you can do When you're broke"

"I don't know much about that whole grunge thing."

"Conservative Christian, right-wing Republican Straight white American males Gay-bashing, black-fearing War-fighting, tree-killing Regional leaders of sales Frat-housing, keg-tapping Shirt-tucking, back-slapping Haters of hippies like me Tree-hugging, peace-loving Pot-smoking, porn-watching Lazy-ass hippies like me"

"I was looking for a job when I found this one Don't need the work like you need the work done You look like you're under pressure I was already looking for a job two weeks ago, when I met you, remember?"

"Making money out of paper, making paper out of trees We’re making so much money we can hardly breathe"

"Sometimes it seems Christians confuse their human nature with their sinful nature. The former we were created with, the latter we chose. It does us no good to try and escape our humanness and in so doing think we are escaping our sin. -Fingerprint."

"Trying to avoid clichés helps life become fresh again, helps us remember what life is about in the first place. -Fingerprint."

"I think seeds for doubt can be sown when a Christian is taught a narrow perspective in certain areas, and later, when that teaching is challenged by alternatives, the person panics. -Appalachian Melody."

"Did you know that Bertrand Russell dropped all belief in God because he wasn't able to voice his doubts in the company of believers? -Appalachian Melody."

"Until we learn the language of those outside the Church, the language of their hearts and the language of their minds, we will never be able to communicate properly. -Appalachian Melody."

"I have heard people say that reason leads to agnosticism, but I don't think that is necessarily the case. It was the other way around for me - it led to faith. -Appalachian Melody."

"It is really a kind of a slap in [God's] face to refuse to use the abilities He gave us just because there is danger involved. Just because adultery exists is no reason to avoid marriage. Just because gluttony exists is no reason to quit eating. We shouldn't be anhedonics under the guise of spirituality. -Appalachian Melody."

"In my skeptical days, people who wanted to appear very spiritual were always telling me to forget my questions, to shove them under the rug and go on in "faith." In fact, some of my friends thought my questions were my own devices to dodge the "real issues." They thought I must be morally decadent to voice such questions. -Appalachian Melody."