Chapter XVI: Music That Inspires Me, volume two

I've received some great comments over Twitter concerning the first entry into this series. So much in fact, I'm going to give you another few songs. Now, I warn you. Some of these may seem totally random. You may be left thinking "What is wrong with him?" because I can assure you, like the last entry, some of these songs are in the "deep left field," and some are ones you probably know. Sit back, and enjoy the wild trip through my musical mind! Just so you know, most of these songs are being taken from Youtube, so I can't promise they'll be of perfect quality, because Youtube likes to mess with things.

Let's start things off with one of my favorites to sing along to.

1. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey (Revelation version with Arnel Pineda on vocals)
There's a lot of reasons why I prefer this version over the original Steve Perry version. One is because of the slightly longer break before the third verse (giving you a chance to breathe). Two is because the vocals go a little higher than the original (and I love singing outside my normal vocal range, which tends to surprise people how well I can hit the notes). A third reason would have to be because Arnel is a great fit with the band, and isn't being prickish with the band like Steve Perry has been. Anyways, enjoy.




2. "Night Train" - Bouncing Souls
I'm starting to guess that in this day and age, doing a ballad of sorts is the norm for punk rock bands. Bouncing Souls are one of my favorite punk bands that I was introduced to over the past few years. This was actually the first song I heard by them, by chance, while watching a Ring of Honor (pro wrestling) DVD where current WWE wrestler CM Punk had the song play after his surprise match. It's a great song that talks about having to leave what you love and what you know behind. Something I've had to do in the past in order to better my life. Enjoy.




3. "Rise Up" - Cypress Hill feat. Tom Morello
Okay, I know I'm Straight-Edge and everything, but if there's one thing I am that superceeds this, it's a music fan. Cypress Hill are one of the few rap groups that are still groups. I still remember the day Insane in the Brain came out. It had my friends and I going nuts trying to immitate B-Real's voice on the song during the chorus. This is the first single off their latest album, and I love the fact they're inviting other artists outside the rap game to perform with them. And let's be honest. Who better than Tom Morello, famous for playing in Rage Against the Machine? Enjoy. Warning: Strong Language.




4. "The Right to Go Insane" - Megadeth
Okay, I'm going to be insanely honest. I'm a HUGE Megadeth fan, and I'm looking forward to seeing them live this summer. I really only chose this song because it's their latest single. Sure, I could have gone and put one of their more famous hits, but I wanted to go with something more recent. The video is loosely based on a true story, to which I'll let you search for yourself. Interesting to note, this is the first video to feature original bassist David Ellefson since he rejoined the band earlier this year (which brought great joy to many). Video aside, enjoy the song...as you do have the right to go insane every once in a while.  :)




5. "Coming Back to Life" - Pink Floyd
Kind of funny that quite possibly my favorite Pink Floyd song of all-time comes from the last studio album the band ever released. This song was always fun to play on drums for me because I would literally throw on the additional challenge of the secondary percussionist while drumming. I love the guitar solos in this song, too. It's hard to really put feelings for these songs into words, but I'm trying. :) David Gilmore has always been one of my favorite writers, singers and guitarists. This version is from the Pulse concert that has since been released on DVD (thank God, because the VHS was impossible to find back in the 90's). Enjoy this one.



Alright. That's going to do it for this second installment of the Music That Inspires Me series. I was planning on doing the first podcast last night, but a movie, UFC 115 and gaming with some friends came up. I'll probably get it done sometime today or tomorrow. Stay tuned to the blog for more information. Until then, enjoy your Sunday!

BMW