Singer/Songwriters (official thread) [Archive]

Kid B

06/14/08, 04:04 PM

Discuss your favorite singer/songwriters.
Reccomend lesser known ones.
etc.

Edit:

i'm not even entirely sure what constitutes a singer/songwriter anymore haha. pretty much all my favourite bands have a singer/songwriter, but the term seems to have a strong folk/acoustic association now.
I worried about that. These two quotes pretty much sum it up.

I don't think there's a strict definition of what constitutes a singer-songwriter. Just post artists you feel fit the general premise of the thread. As long as no one posts dumb shit like Max Bemis, it should be alright.
We need to distinguish singer-songwriters from frontmen.

Also, I think it is okay to consider bands like Bright Eyes in the S/SW genre. Ben Gibbard however, is not a singer/songwriter. If they occasionally have a backup band, it should be okay. Nick Drake had Bryter Layter so if you disagree with what I just said then you are wrong.

For Beginners:
Nick Drake
Bob Dylan
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel)
Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
Simon & Garfunkel
Sufjan Stevens
Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes non-Cassadaga)

SickOfStars

06/14/08, 04:15 PM

The Bobs Dylan and Marley (dunno if he counts because it's technically '...and the wailers')

Damien Rice

Regina Spektor. will not get over her anytime soon.

Also, people may do well to check out Elijah Wyman

shit stroll

06/14/08, 04:21 PM

dave dondero

MADSTA

06/14/08, 05:00 PM

For fans of Feist, I's reccommend a local gal by the name of Jenn Grant (http://www.myspace.com/jenngrant1).

pseudonym28

06/14/08, 06:12 PM

guilty pleasure: vanessa carlton, even though she co-writes most of her shit.

listeb to the song "annie"

shit stroll

06/14/08, 06:36 PM

guilty pleasure: vanessa carlton, even though she co-writes most of her shit.

listeb to the song "annie"
Z1xqm7gmBjs

Dr. Acula

06/14/08, 06:58 PM

I recommend you change your user name to KidThreads...you are a BEAST sir.

SanePsychotic

06/14/08, 07:52 PM

I like Ted Leo, but other than that I'm not a huge singer/songwriter person.

IWasaCamera

06/14/08, 08:55 PM

Bob Dylan
Will Oldham
Nick Drake
Sam Beam
Leonard Cohen
Neil Young
Paul Simon
Bill Callahan

Other good ones:

Bert Jansch
Damien Jurado
Josh Ritter
Alexi Murdoch
Justin Vernon
Robert Wyatt
Simon Joyner
Ryan Adams
Sarah Harmer
etc.

hockeyguitar99

06/14/08, 10:20 PM

john ralston is really good

i also enjoy John Frusciante's solo albums

darkog

06/14/08, 10:25 PM

nancy sinatra. she got an a$$ to kill for.

darkog

06/14/08, 10:29 PM

guilty pleasure: vanessa carlton, even though she co-writes most of her shit.

listeb to the song "annie"

holy batman! what, "vanessa paradise" wasn't available?

SickOfStars

06/14/08, 10:29 PM

IWasaCamera

06/14/08, 11:20 PM

how could I forget this li'l guy right here?!
The king of singer-songwriters.

Talibantastic

06/14/08, 11:27 PM

Jackson Browne for me

IWasaCamera

06/14/08, 11:29 PM

Good pick as well.

Cat Stevens
John Martyn
Todd Rundgren

darkog

06/15/08, 12:13 AM

randy newman.

TheOtherAndrew

06/15/08, 12:14 AM

Behcet-Williams

Genuma

06/15/08, 12:14 AM

Haha. I was about to post that, Andrew.

TheOtherAndrew

06/15/08, 12:20 AM

i FUCKING WIN!

Genuma

06/15/08, 12:24 AM

WoNDER TWIN POWERS ACTIVATE!

pseudonym28

06/15/08, 01:23 AM

anyone like "Meiko"?

flash_gorton

06/15/08, 06:27 AM

Steve Schallert

http://www.myspace.com/thetideband

bowl of oranges

06/15/08, 07:08 AM

Kevin Devine
Bob Dylan
Ben Folds
Sam Beam
Leonard Cohen

those are the only ones i have albums from.

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 08:43 AM

Tom Waits
Bruce Springsteen
Bob Dylan
Nick Cave
Neil Young
Ben Folds

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 03:27 PM

:-( at the sight of Kevin Devine and Ben Folds.

bowl of oranges

06/15/08, 03:29 PM

:-( at the sight of Kevin Devine and Ben Folds.what's wrong w/ KevDev and Ben Folds?

SickOfStars

06/15/08, 03:31 PM

The king of singer-songwriters.

a true champion

Cuddleworthy

06/15/08, 03:31 PM

what's wrong w/ KevDev and Ben Folds?

they're not very good

bowl of oranges

06/15/08, 03:32 PM

they're not very goodKevin Devine's one of my all-time favorite artists :shrug:
Ben Folds is good, I wouldn't call him great though.

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 03:32 PM

what's wrong w/ KevDev and Ben Folds?
They don't write particularly good songs.
a true champion
Indeed.

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 04:23 PM

Since I'm listening to the man at the moment, John Lennon.

El_Jeffe

06/15/08, 04:36 PM

i'm not even entirely sure what constitutes a singer/songwriter anymore haha. pretty much all my favourite bands have a singer/songwriter, but the term seems to have a strong folk/acoustic association now. so i'll add:

van morrison
xavier rudd
tim & neil finn
tracy chapman
bic runga
joe strummer (especially with the mescaleros)
ray lamontagne
elvis perkins

chipdip18

06/15/08, 04:39 PM

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 04:41 PM

I don't think there's a strict definition of what constitutes a singer-songwriter. Just post artists you feel fit the general premise of the thread. As long as no one posts dumb shit like Max Bemis, it should be alright.

Not sure where this thread is going though.

chipdip18

06/15/08, 04:46 PM

Alright, well in that case i would probably mention many artists already mentioned:
Van Morrison
Nick Drake
Jeff Mangum
Ben Gibbard
Joey Cape
Tim Kasher
Conor Oberst
Ace Enders

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 04:52 PM

Alright, well in that case i would probably mention many artists already mentioned:
Van Morrison
Nick Drake
Jeff Mangum
Ben Gibbard
Joey Cape
Tim Kasher
Conor Oberst
Ace Enders
Fuck yes.

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 04:52 PM

We also need to distinguish singer-songwriters from frontmen.

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 04:53 PM

I should add that Paul Westerberg is awesome too.

SickOfStars

06/15/08, 04:55 PM

artists published under their own name.

&'s are acceptable.

no bands.

For example: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists and Neko Case & Her Boyfriends are acceptable. Blink 182 is not.

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 04:56 PM

I'm with Bob.

White Noise

06/15/08, 04:58 PM

Good thread, I need some new singer/songwriters.

Cuddleworthy

06/15/08, 05:03 PM

bon iver

El_Jeffe

06/15/08, 05:06 PM

tracy chapman & van morrison are sooo overlooked round here (& just in general really) & for the life of me i can't understand why. both so great

some like xavier rudd is also vastly under appreciated, but he's much lesser know & quite daring

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 05:07 PM

Xavier Rudd is actually pretty big here Craig.

El_Jeffe

06/15/08, 05:10 PM

Xavier Rudd is actually pretty big here Craig.

i know he spends a lot of time there, likes to record with the cree people. how's he received in the states? he deserves so much love haha, the things he does are incredible. are you a fan yourself?

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 05:14 PM

i know he spends a lot of time there, likes to record with the cree people. how's he received in the states? he deserves so much love haha, the things he does are incredible. are you a fan yourself?
I think he's bigger here than in the States frankly. I'm not a massive fan but I do end up going to the shows when he's in town. Great live performer.

allhourcymbals

06/15/08, 05:17 PM

ThisIsNotDan

06/15/08, 06:26 PM

two lesser known guys:

Stephen Brodsky (many of you may know him as the frontman of Cave In, but he has 4+ solo records under his belt, with material ranging from lo-fi 4 track acoustic, psych rock, Beatles-esque pop, and stoner jams. links here (http://www.hydrahead.org/hh/stove_site/), here (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofi le&friendID=104698585), and song clips here (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_1?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=stephen%20brodsky&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Astephen%20brodsky% 2Ci%3Adigital-music))

The Transfatal Express (moniker for CA songwriter Gabriel Garcia. almost Elliot Smith-esque. song downloads can be found here (http://www.myspace.com/thesleepinggiants))

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 07:03 PM

Tom Waits
Bruce Springsteen
Paul Westerberg
Joey Cape
John K. Samson
Ted Leo
Bob Dylan
Ben Folds
John Lennon
Woody Guthrie
Johnny Cash
Butch Walker
Noran Jones
Van Morrison
Nick Cave
Elliott Smith
Keb Mo'
Jolie Holland

Chris Fallon

06/15/08, 07:09 PM

Butch. Caper. Ted Leo. Shit ... actually all the other good ones were named already. Good work.

And what the fuck is wrong with Ben Folds? Suck my dick, he is awesome.

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 07:22 PM

Butch. Caper. Ted Leo. Shit ... actually all the other good ones were named already. Good work.

And what the fuck is wrong with Ben Folds? Suck my dick, he is awesome.
:thumbup: on those, I totally forgot Butch, added him to my list.

agreed, I love Ben Folds. I dunno what's up with the hate.

allhourcymbals

06/15/08, 07:24 PM

I've never really listened to much Ben Folds besides Burn One Down, which I loved haha. What's a good album to start with?

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 07:26 PM

Can't stand Ben Folds.

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 07:27 PM

I've never really listened to much Ben Folds besides Burn One Down, which I loved haha. What's a good album to start with?
If it's Ben Folds Five, then it's Whatever & Ever Amen. If it's just Ben Folds solo, get Rockin' The Suburbs.

allhourcymbals

06/15/08, 07:28 PM

If it's Ben Folds Five, then it's Whatever & Ever Amen. If it's just Ben Folds solo, get Rockin' The Suburbs.
I looked and couldn't find it, but I found Songs For Silverman.

Chris Fallon

06/15/08, 07:30 PM

Can't stand Ben Folds.
You only have love for one Ben.

Chris Fallon

06/15/08, 07:31 PM

:thumbup: on those, I totally forgot Butch, added him to my list.

agreed, I love Ben Folds. I dunno what's up with the hate.
He's a fucking kick live, too - pitch-perfect in every way. He writes a great variety of songs, with sentimental and whimsical lyrics that, for me at least, make me less predictable than many others.

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 07:31 PM

I looked and couldn't find it, but I found Songs For Silverman.
Oh, well that's a good one too, but not quite as much as RTS. Go for it, and if you want, I can upload Rockin' the Suburbs for you sometime.

btw, did you ever get that link to A Guied Tour Of Chicago that I sent you?

IWasaCamera

06/15/08, 07:32 PM

You only have love for one Ben.
Harper?

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 07:33 PM

He's a fucking kick live, too - pitch-perfect in every way. He writes a great variety of songs, with sentimental and whimsical lyrics that, for me at least, make me less predictable than many others.
oh, sweet. I've been meaning to pick up Ben Folds Live sometime but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

allhourcymbals

06/15/08, 07:39 PM

Oh, well that's a good one too, but not quite as much as RTS. Go for it, and if you want, I can upload Rockin' the Suburbs for you sometime.

btw, did you ever get that link to A Guied Tour Of Chicago that I sent you?
Thanks, and yeah, thanks for that too haha. I've been so busy I couldn't respond.

CellarGhosts

06/15/08, 07:43 PM

Thanks, and yeah, thanks for that too haha. I've been so busy I couldn't respond.
Haha, I gotcha. no worries. I'll try and have it uploaded for you soon.

Chris Fallon

06/15/08, 08:10 PM

Harper?
lol

doyouhas?

06/15/08, 08:22 PM

dave dondero

you should be hit for this. i saw this dude open for tilly and the wall and it was terrible. just a very bad version of bright eyes. try again.

chipdip18

06/15/08, 09:07 PM

We also need to distinguish singer-songwriters from frontmen.

Yeah that was part of my problem

Kid B

06/15/08, 11:56 PM

I'm suprised there hasen't been any Elliott Smith yet.

chipdip18

06/15/08, 11:57 PM

Elliot Smith, obviously...

AlternateToLife

06/16/08, 07:09 AM

I think I need to ask, why does Ben Gibbard not qualify? I don't see the difference between any other singer in a band and Ben Gibbard.

odizzle_word

06/16/08, 07:14 AM

AA Bondy. Seriously, check him out. Best thing I've heard in a long time.

http://www.myspace.com/aabondy
http://www.last.fm/music/AA+Bondy

SickOfStars

06/16/08, 07:49 AM

I think I need to ask, why does Ben Gibbard not qualify? I don't see the difference between any other singer in a band and Ben Gibbard.

Precisely, we're not listing singers in a band, the line was laid down on page 3 after people started listing those. These are people who have published under their own name. You can talk about Chris Walla if you want, but Benny has yet to do this.

murrich

06/16/08, 07:55 AM

John Butler is good.

Pete Murray also has some good songs.

AlternateToLife

06/16/08, 08:10 AM

Precisely, we're not listing singers in a band, the line was laid down on page 3 after people started listing those. These are people who have published under their own name. You can talk about Chris Walla if you want, but Benny has yet to do this.

Oh alright so the others are wrong as well?

SickOfStars

06/16/08, 08:12 AM

Oh alright so the others are wrong as well?

yeah, toward the end of page 3 people were just listing singers in bands and we had to put a cork on that one because then it would just become the "everyone ever" thread.

theherowill

06/16/08, 10:53 AM

Damien Rice and definitely Luke Pickett

IWasaCamera

06/16/08, 12:26 PM

Also, I think it is okay to consider bands like Bright Eyes in the S/SW genre. Ben Gibbard however, is not a singer/songwriter. If they occasionally have a backup band, it should be okay. Nick Drake had Bryter Layter so if you disagree with what I just said then you are wrong.
Eh, Bright Eyes as a singer-songwriter is a stretch. Mike Mogis has been far too important a figure in the band for them to fall into this category. Dating back to Letting Off The Happiness, he's been a prominent contributor on every single Bright Eyes release. I'm Wide Awake is really the only album for which Bright Eyes comes close to qualifying.
Yeah that was part of my problem
Anyone who releases music under his/her name or uses a pseudonym while remaining a solo act. Being accompanied is acceptable, being part of a band is not.
I think I need to ask, why does Ben Gibbard not qualify? I don't see the difference between any other singer in a band and Ben Gibbard.
Conor Oberst (barring his solo album), Tim Kasher, Ben Gibbard, Jeff Mangum, and so on are not valid choices.

chipdip18

06/16/08, 02:09 PM

Alright, well in that case i would probably mention many artists already mentioned:
Van Morrison
Nick Drake
Jeff Mangum - doesn't count
Ben Gibbard - doesn't count
Joey Cape
Tim Kasher - doesn't count
Conor Oberst - will count after August
Ace Enders

Correct?