Bush

Song: "Little Things"
Artist: Bush
Album: Sixteen Stone

Bush was one of the bands that defined the nineties with its signature grunge-y sound. But these guys were British, not from Seattle, and that's one of the things that made them interesting. That, and they fucking rocked. Sixteen Stone was their powerful debut, and this song is one of the best on the album.

Animals

Song: "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: Animals

This was actually one of the first albums I ever owned, and I recently purchased the whole thing on iTunes. A concept album with songs about dogs, pigs and sheep, I still think this is one of Pink Floyd's best works ever. The guitar work in particular is stellar.

Freeze Tag

Song: "Freeze Tag"
Artist: Suzanne Vega
Album: Suzanne Vega

This was Vega's debut album, and it's so beautifully dark and haunting 20 or so years later. On this song in particular, you can almost feel your fingers and toes getting cold in the winter air, and feel the sun setting on a January day....proof that Vega has a songwriting gift.

"Inside"

Song: "Inside"
Artist: Toad The Wet Sprocket
Album: Dulcinea

Yeah, you already know that Duclinea is one of my favorite albums of all-time. And the whole album is in my iTunes, so it's no surprise that I'm mentioning another song from it. This song is one of the last tracks on the record, and it is worth checking out for the guitar tones alone. Toad just made magic and this is an example of it.

Pat Benatar

Song: "Tell Me"
Artist: Pat Benatar
Album: Go

Pat Benatar is one of the original rocker chicks from a few decades ago, and this was a more recent offering of hers. Pat and husband Neil Geraldo are still out their touring and making music, and still sounding great doing it.

Seafood

Song: "Signal Sparks"
Artist: Seafood
Album: Paper Crown King

Blech. I don't like seafood. But I sure like this band a hell of a lot. They are a British indie/alt-rock band that is still flying somewhat under everyone's radar. But their latest album, Paper Crown King, is their best effort yet. Their songs soar like, um, flying fish, or something. Oh, that was bad. Anyway, go check these guys out.

Megan Slankard

Song: "Dirty Wings"
Artist: Megan Slankard
Album: Freaky Little Story

I have had the pleasure of working with Megan as her publicist, whose claim to fame was a makeover on TLC's What Not To Wear. Over the last few years, she's remained just slightly under the radar, but if you hear some of her songs you'll be scratching your head wondering why she's not yet a household name. She's still in her early 20's though, so has time on her side.