Your favorite back will get back together

Long ago, I posited that every band would get back together, if they are alive.  Long ago.  I wrote that, specifically, about Pink Floyd.  Since then, the most acrimonious of break ups have re-united.  Pink Floyd got back together, so did Zeppelin.  Van Halen got back with Roth.
So, who is left?  Well, Oasis, but that is easy.  They are attention whores, and will be back together soon.  Tougher?  Stephen Page and Barenaked Ladies.  Will they?  Yes, without question.  Why?  Well, the same reasons all other bands get back together.  Both are not as good without the other.  Both bands are having less exposure, and selling less tickets.  This is common.  Ask Ratt, Motley, Maiden, or Anthrax... who all fired their lead singers... and then had to take them back.
Tougher level of degree > this one is, to me, the holy grail of potential reunions.  not Pink Floyd, or Led Zeppelin.  No.  Guns and Roses.  Will they get back together?  I think they have to.  None of them are doing anything near what they were doing as a band.  I imagine they all became intolerable... we certainly know that Axl did.  However, now they are older (Axl just turned 50) so I assume they have melllowed  a bit.  Plus, there is literally billions of dollars on the table here.  I can't imagine Axl is rich anymore.  He took 15 years to release 'Chinese Democracy', and he refused to do press or tours for it.  So, that is 15 years he wasn't making any money.  Now, he is gigging again, but not making much.  The new Guns shows aren't selling out... yet their costs remain fixed (roadies, union stuff, venue rental, transpo, security etc).  These costs are the same if you sell 1 ticket, or 18,000 (average amount of seats in venues they are playing, NBA arenas).
Plus, each smart local promoter has put fines in place if Axl goes on late.  Axl goes on late every show.  Generally, the new Guns and Roses do not go on until after midnight, and then play three hours.  So, let's say it's a work night (odds are, it is)... the concert is over until 3 am, you get home at 4 am.  The opening band, see, is over by 9 pm.  So, it's 9 pm and beer sales have just stopped. You now have a 3 hour wait to see if they will show.
So... is there any band where the principles are alive that will not get back together in some fashion?  No.
your thoughts?

Zach Brown Band

I don't like country.  I also don't like to start with a qualifier, let alone a negative one.  It must be said, though, I don't like country.  I don't like everything about it.  I don't like pedal slide being jammed into every available breath.  I don't like guys to singing to me about ranchin' and honky tonkin'.  Unless you are old and ugly, I don't want to hear it.  Do you know how to drive a manual transmission with the gears on the column?  It's called 'three on the tree', and it sucks ass.  If you are driving a truck that has this, it likely doesn't have power steering.  Guess what, until you have driving one of these, you can't sing country.  So, shut the fuck up and wipe that cowboy hat off your face.

New country makes me even sicker.  I don't want to hear the working class blues from a guy who is rich and great looking.  That ain't the blues, brother.

Why did I start with that?  To say this:  I love Zach Brown Band.  Maybe I love them because it doesn't sound very country to me.  Maybe it is because the songs are incredibly well written.  Maybe it is because he NEVER wears a cowboy hat.  Maybe it is because live, he is closer to Dave Matthews Band than Toby Keith.  Maybe it is because his videos are brilliant.  Seriously, watch these.  Maybe it is because he covers Ray LaMontagne.  Maybe it is because he was discovered by Kid Rock.

I think it because who turned me on to him.  All my friends know I hate country.  I am militantly snobbish about the whole thing.  The thing is, all these people whose opinions I really respect kept telling me about this guy.

So, I listened to Chicken Fried.  That is his big hit.  God, what a cliched piece of shit that song is.  It is trite, and formulaic.  Sure, I sing along like crazy when it comes on... but I resent myself for it.  See, I told you I was an insufferable snob.  It reminds of me the loathesome Gretchen whatherface that everyone thought was such a bad ass.   So, it didn't start well.  I tried one more song, because I am a nice guy.  I found this and it changed everything.  Dig it!

the Great Guitarists

As a guitarist, I often pretend I am asked who I am influenced by. Plus, Rolling Stone just did one of those stupid 'top 100 guitarists' type lists. So, I want to briefly touch on who I dig, who I don't, and why.

Billy Corgan is near the top for me. Never has anyone done so much with an E at the 7th fret. Just about every song from Gish and Siamese Dream can be learned if you put your hands there, and slide up or down two frets. He gave me melody and power. Speaking of that, they just re-issued the two aforementioned albums this week.

Jerry Garcia > Jerry is the best to me. Better than Hendrix, and all those guys. His sense of musicality is/was amazing. Jerry is one of a VERY few guitarist that I can identify without having ever heard the music before (the others? Santana and Mark Knopfler). Also, his acoustic and blue grass work was as good or better than the Dead stuff. Seriously, go pick up 'Shady Grove'. Plus, I love Jerry as a person. He was never a dick, always cared about his fans, and never even talked, really. There are too few good interviews with Jerry. He didn't want to talk about music, he just wanted to make it. I think Hendrix was like that, too.

Lindsay Buckingham > his technique is amazing. He plays like no one else in rock and roll. How do I mean that specifically? He uses no pick. There is no one else in the business who can do that (except Mark Knopfler, which is why he has such a distinctive sound). Buckingham wrote the soundtrack of the 70's with Rumors just fingerpicking on this little acoustic looking thingy.

Slash - I love Slash's style. His live style, and his solo style, is sloppy. It's not careless, it is just super loose. Jimmy Page has the exact same sound live. Listen to a Page solo off of any live Stairway to Heaven. He plays it loose and sloppy, just like Slash. Plus, Slash gave us all those great riffs from Appetite. He is one of a few who plays a les Paul, which I will never understand. Those are heavy and mean and uncomfortable guitars. Plus, Slash is a good dude, too.

Neil Young > I love Neil's acoustic style. This is an important clarification, as his electric style sounds like dogs being electrocuted. His electric solo's sound like those dead dogs being masturbated. His acoustic style is so loving and melodic. Listen to the first few tracks on 'rust never sleeps'. Sugar Mountain, I am a child, Needle and the Damage Done... it is fantastic and powerful stuff. Also, think of 'Unknown Legend'. It is such a sweet piece of guitar work, that gently takes the song out to meet folks.
This, I must say, is my absolute favorite Neil song.  It is beautiful, and weird, and great.

Prince - because of this. It is said that Price didn't even know the song, and was explained the chords at rehearsal.  Note, Prince doesn't even walk on stage until the 3:30 mark.

Frank Zappa - I can't stand his guitar work. Sorry, these aren't all gushers. I love Frank's songwriting and sense of humor, but his guitar solo's drive me nuts. It is all so dissonant, like a never ending Neil Young solo. Sorry, that last jibe was redundant. There are entire CDs of just Frank playing solo's. The Yellow Shark is one. Skip that shit, unless you are super stoned. Instead, reach for Joe's Garage or Sheik Yourbouti. Those are also good with a shit ton of drugs. Ironically, all of Frank's stuff sounds better on drugs. I say ironic because Frank didn't touch drugs or alchohol.

So, you all have your lists, and this is mine.  Keep up the great work!