Welcome to my weekly blog: Mad Sounds. I’m a teenager who loves everything about music: playing, listening, and writing. I’ll discuss my personal opinions on music, bands, genres, songs, musical movements, musicians, shows, stage performances and more than likely, a few topics off the beaten path. I play the guitar, primarily electric, but not professionally. On a typical day I spend at least three hours listening to music. Blogging gives me a voice in the local music scene and allows me to share my knowledge as I increase my own familiarity with music and refine my tastes.

My Favorites:

Band: The Black Keys. This band has a genuine feel. They rock and are highly-skilled musicians. They don’t try to be something they’re not.

Song(s): Gold on the Ceiling by The Black Keys and Come a Little Closer by Cage the Elephant. I love Gold on the Ceiling because it’s catchy without being annoying, and it has a tremendous guitar solo. Come a Little Closer is a very creative song. It has several guitar interludes which I find fascinating, and I love the lyrics. I agree with Jack White that “all music is a balance of melody, beat and story.” I’ll cover that idea in the future.

Genre of Music: Classic Rock (by a whisker — I also really like Blues Rock). I admire music of the twentieth century because of several revolutionary changes, such as the birth of Jazz and the British Invasion.

Musician: Jimmy Page, the famous guitarist for Led Zeppelin. He is a master of the guitar. Very few people have been able to match his music writing skills.

Frontmen: Jared Leto (Thirty Seconds to Mars) and Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)

Solo artist: Eric Clapton, Slash, Jack White, John Lennon and Iron & Wine