Which musician/band do you wish more people listened to?

Epik High. Their music means so much.

Pink Grease-they're a sleazy rock/electro band from Sheffield. Awesome stuff!

Do you want the soapbox answer? This is a tender subject because I am a musician that writes music that is somewhat unknown at the moment. I do not think that there is a magic band out there that simply MUST be listened to, although it is my opinion that there are far too many extremely popular bands that do not merit as much attention as they currently receive as well as far too many very underground local groups that are far too talented to remain hidden.

Who said Coldplay? Honestly, almost everyone in the civilized world has heard their music, and I personally do not find it life-altering.

This answer may be a bit vague and Zen, but I really think that people should listen to as much as they possibly can from all different sources. Like literature, I do not think that people become well-read if they exclusively read Shakespeare, Keats, or Shelley. There are far too many books and far too many albums to pigeon-hole one's self in only one specific genre or band. So listen to Reggae, Country, Classical, Hip-Hop, Soundtracks (legitimate ones by John Williams or James Newton Howard), World music (from India, China, and Africa, especially).

But to understand and appreciate modern "pop", I think that many people could learn a great deal from jazz greats – Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Herbie Hancock, Louis Armstrong. They should also listen to the great American artists of Blues: Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, BB King, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, et alii. The reason I say this is that when people hear Pop/Rock, they forget that most of what they listen to came from the talented black musicians of the American South. It was only until whites started to listen and adapt it to their own cultural tastes that such superstars as Elvis (and across the Atlantic, The Beatles) really took root.

The irony of it all is that white folks thought that they were "civilizing" the art form, but in reality, the chord structure, emotional intensity and overall soul was diluted and often dumbed down. With the R&B, Funk, and Hip-Hop movements came white imitators that tried to emulate what black folks were doing, with some measure of success. As our world has become more accepting, walls of racism are falling down, and there are many white musicians who are doing justice to many "black" forms.

Now, I do not mean to be racially prejudiced to anyone: I am white myself, but I am proud to be a jazz musician. It is an American tradition that has given birth to Rock and Roll, and subsequently, "popular" music. I love playing funk and hip-hop, and consider myself to be white in skin pigmentation only when I am playing soulful music. If you watch "American Idol", it seems like the successful contestants – black or white – really try to bring out the soul that early black musicians had.

That is why I would say that anyone who listens to the radio should get back to the roots and know where their sterile predictable "pop" music really came from. It is sad to see a lot of the soul sapped out of popular music, but a dose of the real stuff will cure what ails.

Suggested current bands:

Blackalicious

Galactic

Gnarls Barkley

Maroon 5 (in moderation – they are funky and soulful, but not too much in one sitting)

But really, do not limit yourself. My CD library is over 500 albums strong and growing everyday. I still am way behind on what music I need to listen to. I would love to have any suggestions to add to the collection.

Newsboys

Duran Duran, Blondie, The Police.

Why? Very funky songs (:

Personally, I don't care for his voice, but I think that Brett Dennen has a really great message.

Blamm Splatt. You can find it on GarageBand or Ilike or Myspace. Techno baby!!!

Mew, from Denmark. Check them out!

For Today. They are a new Christian Death Core band.

No Doubt. The other day I made my friend listen to it and she said to turn it just because she didn't like the voice (Gewn Stefani).