Mike Keneally

I'm a seasoned Keneally novice, but I was directed to start with Hat which is great and then I acquired "The Universe will Provide" and it is even greater. I've since listened to a couple other of his solo and Beer for Dolphins--he's consistently creative--enjoy

Wow, I can hear where Beardfish got some of their influence from. I always knew they were influenced by Zappa, but I also hear influence from Keneally, I'm noticing it on Spearmint Pup (listen to Beardfish's Sleeping In Traffic Pt 1 to hear what I'm talking about)

Just started playing Hat on Spotify, I'll give you my opinions soon/

You're good to go then.  And get ready to laugh!

edit: Looking over the "Hat" track list again, I really only spot 4 or 5 complete songs that would qualify as "joke songs", so perhaps I overstated the humor aspect.   But musically, it jumps around so much it's comically eclectic.

Edited by HolyMoly - May 15 2012 at 13:33

darkshade wrote: What do you mean by 'high geek-quotient'?

Hard to explain.  Have you ever seen Zappa's concert film "Does Humor Belong in Music?"  To me, those performances have a pretty high geek quotient.  Lots of jokey interjections on the band's part (exhibit A: "Tinsel Town Rebellion"), mugging for the camera, and generally being a clown.  Not anything wrong with that (on the contrary! I love it), but some people would just rather hear the serious music without all the goofiness.  If that film doesn't bother you, then "Hat" won't either.

Geez, I dunno... flip a coin I guess. 

BTW, both Sluggo and Dancing begin with very poppy tracks, so don't let that scare you off.

Also, Hat has a very high geek-quotient, so don't let that scare you off either.

Maybe Boil That Dust Speck is the best place to start, come to think of it.  A little of everything, and lots of it.


edit: OK, Man With Hat says do "Hat" first.   The guy knows his hats, so follow his advice.




Edited by HolyMoly - May 15 2012 at 13:14

It figures that the 2 albums that appeal to me most based
on HolyMoly's descriptions (SLUGGO and NONKERTOMPF) are not on Spotify.

Dancing is there, which he said was similar to Sluggo, is this a good place to start,
or should I just start at the beginning?

HolyMoly wrote: darkshade wrote: HolyMoly,Your descriptions of those albums make me really want to check them out. Did you list them in chronological order? If so, I may just check them on that way. Yes, I believe they are chronological. Curious to hear what you think!

Well... Hat, Boil That Dusk Speck, Wooden Smoke Asleep, Dancing, and Wine and Pickles are all on Spotify. I'll check some of those out soon enough.

He's on James LaBrie's second Mullmuzzler album? I didn't know that, nor do I have that one.

HolyMoly,

Your descriptions of those albums make me really want to check them out. Did you list them in chronological order? If so, I may just check them on that way.

Every time I've seen Mike, I've been amazed!  His guitar chops are unreal, he can play damn near anything (I heard him play some parts from "Tarkus" on an acoustic guitar once!), and he has a wild stage presence!   As a Zappa alum, he brings that "controlled chaos" to the stage.