Big 12 Football: Musicology
I don't know anything about sports. But I do know a thing or two about music--except maybe that of the last five years. Thus, when The Barry Lewis offered me the opportunity to write an article on "the Big 12 coaches' favorite musical artists," I accepted the task with alacrity.
Credit goes to Brett McMurphy of the Action Network for gathering the list:
So here are my thoughts on their choices:
Baylor's Dave Aranda -- Dave Matthews Band
Good stuff. Dave is a musical extraordinaire, who manages to combine lengthy improvisatory live performances with strong songwriting. The album "Crash" is still an all-time favorite. And Tim Reynolds, his lead guitarist, is one of the finest, greatest unsung guitar heroes on the planet.
Recommended listening: If he likes Dave, Mr. Aranda might also appreciate The Grateful Dead, Dire Straits, Phish, The Allman Brothers Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Santana, Cream, and Snarky Puppy (featuring Fort Worth's own Mark Lettieri, my friend, specifically named by David Crosby as a better guitarist than Neil Young).
BUY's Kalani Sitake--Bob Marley
Great. A rare artist who is unapologetically political without being unapologetically full of it. And he managed to write some truly great songs in their own right, enjoyable regardless of their topicality.
Recommended listening: If he likes Marley, Mr. Sitake might equally enjoy Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Grateful Dawg, and John Lennon's solo album "Double Fantasy."
Cincinnati's Scott Satterfield--Luke Combs
Who?
Recommended listening: It appears from research that Luke Combs is a country musician. I recommend Mr. Satterfield stick to The Outlaws. And Bonnie Raitt.
Houston's Dana Holgorsen--Post Malone
Malone's fine. Has a good sense of melody. But there ain't a lot of substance in that style.
Recommended listening: If Mr. Holgorsen likes good pop tunes, he could do no better than Prince. Fleetwood Mac and The Beach Boys are timeless melody makers, and bands like The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival needn't even be mentioned. As far as contemporary artists go, I think the most interesting are Niall Horan, Dua Lipa, and my friend, Leon Bridges.
Iowa State's Matt Campbell--Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen is one of the finest, if not the finest, electric guitarists ever to pick up the instrument. Having said that, I've always felt his songs were lacking in craftsmanship. Still, a damn good band and worthy choice.
Recommended listening: Assuming Mr. Campbell likes guitar virtuosos, I can't recommend highly enough Roy Buchanan's "Dancing On The Edge" and Jeff Beck's "Blow By Blow" and "Brush With The Blues." Closer to Van Halen's metallic fire is Living Color. In addition to those, I'd recommend Jimi Hendrix's "Axis: Bold As Love," and "Band Of Gypsys," Cream's "Wheels Of Fire," and Eric Clapton's "24 Nights." Then, if he just likes good three chord rock and roll songs with a masculine edge, he could stick with Led Zeppelin and The Stones.
Kansas' Lance Leipold--Kenny Chesney
Yuk. Having a cousin who at least used to play fiddle for him, it gives me no pleasure to say Chesney is terrible. But there it is. "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" might be the worst country song written in the last thirty years (and that's really saying something). He is the epitome of what Tom Petty described as bad rock and roll with a fiddle.
Recommended listening: Virtually anything else. But if Mr. Leipold has a penchant for laid-back relaxed country tunes, which have nothing to say, and that nothing being their charm, I'd tell him to turn on the late Jimmy Buffett and never turn him off.
Kansas State's Chris Klieman--Cole Swindell
Another country musician I've never heard of.
Recommended listening: Merle, Mr. Klieman. Just listen to Merle.
Oklahoma's Brent Venables--Kane Brown
See above.
Recommended listening: Mr. Venable, I recommend the venerable three: Sir Douglas Quintet and The Flying Burrito Brothers and Emmylou Harris.
Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy--Prince
Great. One of the supreme pop masters, who could play like Hendrix, sing like Marvin Gaye, and dance like James Brown. But most importantly, he was always himself. I like to summarize the genius of Prince, thus: Had he written "Beat It," he would have sung it every bit as well, and he wouldn't have needed to farm out the guitar solo to Eddie Van Halen.
Recommended listening: Hendrix, Gaye, and Brown, as mentioned above. In terms of immaculately crafted pop tunes, played with virtuosity, Lindsey Buckingham's "Out Of The Cradle" is a standout suggestion, as are the first two albums of Crosby, Stills and Nash (the latter of which included a guy no one's heard of named Neil Young).
TCU's Sonny Dykes--Dave Matthews Band
He's great. I'm not sure he merits two mentions.
Recommended listening: Mr. Dykes might consider exploring the considerable richness of Fort Worth's musical heritage, both historic and contemporary, by giving an ear to artists such as Leon Bridges, Delbert McClinton (who taught a guy named John Lennon how to play the harmonica), Bobby Day, and Townes Van Zandt (who fits equally well as a recommendation for all those country listeners above).
Texas' Steve Sarkisian--Tupac
I am deaf to all rap/hip hop. People tell me he's good. I say: "Sure. Whatever. As long as I'm not the one listening."
Recommended listening: To people who know good rap and hip hop from bad, and I'm not that guy.
Texas Tech's Joey McGuire--George Strait
This is going to annoy some people. But I don't get him. He's fine. He's not bad. He's fine. Of course, we have another word for that: mediocre. I recognize there are millions who think he's the best thing to come out of country music since Willie Nelson (but let's be clear: he ain't Willie). And I celebrate their judgment and will be the first to cast my vote in saying George Strait produces music that is "decent or better."
Recommended listening: I'd suggest Mr. McGuire check out a triumphant triumvirate of Strait's contemporaries: Allison Krauss, Vince Gill, and John Anderson.
UCF's Gus Malzahn--The Cars
They're good. And at writing catchy, good old-fashioned rock and roll tunes, they're terrific.
Recommended listening: When it comes to good old-fashioned rock and roll tunes, that are catchy and witty, no one beats The Kinks. And then there's Tom Petty, and that fantastic freshman effort by George Harrison, "All Things Must Pass." As for more recent artists, Mr. Malzahn might like Hot Chip.
West Virginia's Neal Brown--Zach Bryan
I heard "Something In The Orange" the other day and thought it was fantastic. Mr. Bryan is an artist of considerable promise.
As far as singer-songwriters go, it's hard to beat Leonard Cohen, who probably influenced a musician of Bryan's sensitivity. Then there's Paul Simon, of course. Joni Mitchell. But, if we're talking songwriters, might as well go with the greatest of the last fifty years (who wasn't a Beatle): Bob Dylan.
And here we are, all of the Big 12 coaches' favorite musical artists stewed and sweated over. If I have a general suggestion to all of them, it would be this: check out popular music before the advent of MTV. It was better.
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