Since this is a community of writers and poets alike, I'm betting that most of you are really into music. So, I figured I'd ask: what are your favorite songwriters?

For me, I would have to divide it up between three people: Noel Gallagher from Oasis, Pete Doherty from the Babyshambles, and Richard Ashcroft from The Verve. All three of them have their own unique style, and their lyrics are (usually) very rich in meaning, which are the main reasons why most of their songs are ranked among my favorites.

How about you?

I'd like to double vote on dear old Pete...the fellow is a genius. However, I'd give my number one to Amanda Palmer, and of course, a little bit of space in my heart for Bob Dylan

I adore Regine Spektor music, I think her lyrics are so origional and unique. I really like anyone who plays the piano while they are singing though.

~ Hєaтнєя

Roger Waters, although a complete prick, wrote some of my most cherished songs while being bassist for Pink Floyd.

At the moment, my three favorite singers/songwriters would have to be Joey Eppard (from 3), Trent Reznor (from Nine Inch Nails) and Casey Crescenzo (from The Dear Hunter). In all three cases, the lyrics are my favorite aspect of each artist's music.

While there might be more talented vocalists out there, I simply cannot listen to a song with stupid lyrics. Breaking Benjamin used to sound pretty cool to me, from a musical standpoint, but once I actually started listening to the words, I immediately lost interest in their music entirely. The only reason I can still listen to System of a Down without throwing up is that their lyrics are intentionally nonsensical. At least I can laugh at them.

I'm guessing I'm a little older than most on this site - but here's my songwriters.

Ryan Adams - for someone so prolific, the quality is fantastic.
Damon Albarn - seems to have the abilty to re-invent himself.
Neil Young - A timeless quality
Dylan - Class

http://www.hairygymnast.com

Holy fucking shit, Batman!

So I just logged into Facebook, for the first time in a few days, and saw a message in my inbox telling me that Joey Eppard (the favorite singer I mentioned two posts ago) is going to be in town tomorrow. It's really bothering me that I didn't hear about this until less than 24 hours before the event. I was so close to missing it completely. If the lead vocalist from my favorite band was on campus and I missed it, I'd have to kick myself in the face pretty hard.

I guess it's no surprise that I didn't see this coming. Joey Eppard, though amazing, isn't the most famous musician out there, so there isn't a whole lot of hype on my campus. Besides, I'm used to being out of the loop at the wrong moments, especially when it comes to my favorite bands. (I didn't even know about Nine Inch Nails' latest album until days after it was released for free online.)

In conclusion, I'm psyched.

Haha, I was about two MONTHS late on that, and actually found out about it only through one of your posts on here. I usually find these things out on Digg, but I must have missed the link the day the article was posted. Looking back, I'm very disappointed seeing as it's their best album yet, in my opinion.

Yeah... Nine Inch Nails is becoming notorious for releasing albums unexpectedly and without any warning. And while I also think The Slip is a great record, I wouldn't call it the best; it's more like a slightly less-amazing version of With Teeth. Amazing nonetheless, though. "Discipline" is the new "Only."

In other news, I saw Joey Eppard today, shook his hand, got him to sign a CD, and talked to him for about a minute before I decided that I was probably annoying him as well as the other people behind me who wanted to buy a T-shirt. Seeing him in person after listening to his music for so long was probably among the more bizarre experiences of my life. Despite the fact that he isn't yet among the most famous people in the world, it came as a shock to some part of me that the man behind this voice was a real person who I could actually meet, and who actually noticed my existence.

I'd like to elaborate, but I won't hijack this conversation any further...