Bands you associate with cities
There is a handful of legendary bands that instantly make us think of their home cities, because the bands epitomize the zeitgeist of their metropolis. Some examples, and feel free to disagree:
LA - The Doors. No other LA band will ever come within a parsec of matching Jim Morrison’s poetry and charisma and the band’s musicianship. Don’t embarrass yourself by bringing up Motley Crue or Kiss.
San Francisco - The Jefferson Airplane. No other band so captures the 60s like The Airplane, no does any other city. Grace Slick could sing her ass off and Jorma Kaukonen is a criminally Underappreciated guitarist. His style of playing is every bit as distinctive as Hendrix’ and BB King’s.
Boston - My adopted home. The band is Aerosmith. Yeah, yeah, there was the band Boston, whom none of us liked, and the Cahs (that’s how it’s pronounced in Beantown), but we were as proud of Aerosmith as we are of the Sox.
New York - No contest: The Velvet Underground, and Nico. Created by legendary artist Andy Warhol, the Velvets combined impeccable artistic bone fides with Lou Reed’s insane dark gift. “Her-o-win. It’s my wife and it’s my life/Because a mainer, in my vein/Leads to a center in my head/And then I’m better off than dead.” Fuck you. Only The Apple can spawn shit like that.
Atlanta - The Allman Brothers Band. Do I really need to say any more?
Chicago - I know there was a band named after the city, but they played bubble gum music. That just won’t do. When I think “Chicago,” I think “Blues.” They are not formally a band, but guitarists Buddy Guy and Junior Wells play together a lot and that combo is as close as I can come to naming a flagship band for the city.
Houston - The little old band from Texas, ZZ motherfuckin’Top.
New Orleans - I do not have clue. What do you all think? N’W Orleans is home to GREAT food and music and Mardi Gras and Voodoo and Santaria and vampires and a whole lot of other stuff, about which you. Do. Not. Want. To. Know. I’m open to your suggestions.
London - This is a tough one. London has exported so many legendary bands to us, I mean, bands who actually BELONG in the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. I love The Stones with all my heart. The Beatles—as a band, not as composers—have not passed the test of time. So I have a solid tie on my hands. On the basis of vocals, songwriting, live performance, the musicianship “depth” of all the players, sheer Fucking energy and depths of insanity of their fans ( because what is rock, if not insane?) it’s a tie between The Who and Queen. You all know I am a prick, but I think it would be cruel to force someone to choose. Okay, maybe I not as big a prick as I thought.