| | Which song by No Doubt?
In rock music, progressions are inevitably repeated. In a world where John Fogerty has been sued for plagiarizing himself, I think the whole thing has gone out of control. As for the songs being copies-far from it. These songs were folk songs written by our singer/rhythm guitar player Greg Dutton, which were then reworked as rock songs. I was added to the band after these songs were written (except Broken Cup), so I had no part in writing the progressions, etc, although I would certainly grant that they reflect the inspiration Greg and lead guitarist Ryan Smith had from bands they frequently listen to, such as Radiohead, Wilco, The White Stripes, the Strokes, Coldplay, and many other bands who fall into the recently popular category of straight-ahead rock n roll, often with accompaniment from pianos (I have called this the neo-Beatle sound).
I think that fitting into a genre that a band aspires to fit into is not cause to call them "copies." And even so, is it so bad to copy a style which is popular and expressive? Bands like Nirvana, the Beatles, and Black Sabbath all spawned copies, a fact which is an indirect sign of appreciation of these pioneering bands. You can't be a pioneer in music if no one imitates what you're doing. In that case, you're just different.
Greg and Ryan are very much enthusiastic about the style of music they play, and admittedly owe a lot of gratitude to the pioneering bands who have paved the way for Lohio's sound to be accepted and well-received by the public. None of us have ever claimed to be "something different" or completely or partly "original" though I know from growing up with both of these guys that they've been influenced by the Beatles from a young age and have been playing music like this even before bands like the Strokes were getting recognition for it. The neo-Beatle sound has been alive in the underground for quite a while now, and bands are just in the last few years getting recognition for reviving the musicianship-centered aspects that made the Beatles famous.
In decades past, there has been a noticeable decline in musicianship and more of an emphasis on details such as fashion and physical sex-appeal. To their credit, Greg and Ryan are fantastic musicians, both excelling at guitar, harmonica, piano, and singing. Ryan can also play drums, ukelele, bass, and a few other instruments. Greg can play banjo, and is an aspiring luthier, producing a very fine banjo his first try at the craft. Our drummer, B.C. Taylor is the son of moderately well-known musician B.E. Taylor, and B.C. is a virtuoso on the instrument. He is leaving us soon to attend the Berklee School of Music, a very prestigious university for higher education in music. Lastly, I have excelled at bass, play drums and guitar, am learning to play piano, and am skilled in aspects of Latin, African, and other percussion such as bongos, djembe, doumbek, timbales, congas, didjeridoo, and tambourine. I'm also an aspiring sound engineer and have worked on several projects in various studios, both as a session bassist and producer/engineer.
I doubt the typical classical musician, for instance, can play such a variety of instruments, or have the ability to bring them all together. Most classical musicians are like robots playing from the sheets of music in front of them, and without said sheets, are like deer in headlights. Nevertheless, these musicians are always credited with being of utmost musical purity, and all other musicians are considered invalids. Call me a copy, but at least I'm not a robot.
Thanks for your comments though, I do appreciate them.
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