50 Bands in 50 States

[Vambo]

New Jersey needs about 10 more entries.

The Mad Daddys
The Mad Daddys
The Mad Daddys
The Mad Daddys
The Mad Daddys
The Mad Daddys
The Mad Daddys
The Mad Daddys
Dramarama
R Stevie

Yup, 10 should do it.

[masterofsparks]

Ohio does OK:

All-time best band: Pere Ubu
All-time best solo artist: Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Best New Band: Times New Viking

All good entries, but Pere Ubu all-time best? Really? How about The Cramps? The Dead Boys? The Pagans? New Bomb Turks? The James Gang?

I've gotta second Gilly standing up for Tom Petty - not all-time best perhaps, but he's done a whole lot of good stuff over the years. I like Lynyrd Skynyrd too, but I won't talk about that here.

[masterofsparks]

OK, I've just browsed a few other states because I'm a sucker for this stuff and I've gotta say it's a pretty good list. Sure, there are some "HUH?" moments (Nirvana is the All-Time Best Band from Washington?), but also some inspired picks (The Wipers as All-Time Best Oregon band = Nice! Tim Hardin as All-Time Best Solo Act from Oregon is a daring but excellent pick). And I had to laugh at Don Ho's inclusion as Hawaii's best solo artist.

[AaronC]

Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings did one of these lists recently.  I was surprised to find out that Ken Jennings is a indie rock fan:

http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=784
http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=785

[Laurie]

Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings did one of these lists recently.  I was surprised to find out that Ken Jennings is a indie rock fan:

http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=784
http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=785

Wow, he even put Superchunk on his list. Color me impressed.

[<<<<<]

I'm thinking of a phrase that begins with Cheap and ends with Trick.

Definitely a snub, which is why it's a daring (but not entirely inappropriate) pick.

Then again, picking Cheap Trick as the best band from IL is a little like saying Heart was the best band from WA.

This is definitely a punk-friendly list.  Which I'm totally okay with.  I'll never own a Cheap Trick album, gonna be honest.

[<<<<<]

Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings did one of these lists recently.  I was surprised to find out that Ken Jennings is a indie rock fan:

http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=784
http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=785

Wow, he even put Superchunk on his list. Color me impressed.

His trivial fails at not realizing Johnny Cash is from Arkansas, though.  No one in their right mind would pick Evanescence over him.

[jbissell]

Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings did one of these lists recently.  I was surprised to find out that Ken Jennings is a indie rock fan:

http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=784
http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=785

Wow, he even put Superchunk on his list. Color me impressed.

His trivial fails at not realizing Johnny Cash is from Arkansas, though.  No one in their right mind would pick Evanescence over him.

My favorite:

Maryland Good Charlotte? If Maryland has produced a single legend (or even unappreciated critical darling) of a band, I can’t find it. Edited to add: Commenters pointed out that I missed the Orioles, a seminal doo-wop group with a very Maryland name.

Who knew Spike kept up with former Jeopardy champ blogs?

[<<<<<]

Well, he could have always pulled the swapparoo Boston did in dumping Aerosmith on New Hampshire's lawn by pawning something off on Maryland from DC.  There would HAVE to be examples.   

[Forrest]

I live in Knoxville Tennessee. The good news?

All-Time Best Band: Big Star
All-Time Best Solo Artist: Aretha Franklin
Best New Act: Jay Reatard

The bad news?

All-Time Best Band: Big Star (Memphis)
All-Time Best Solo Artist: Aretha Franklin (Memphis)
Best New Act: Jay Reatard (Memphis)

Cities closer to Knoxville than Memphis?
Columbus Ohio
Richmond Virginia
Raleigh North Carolina
Macon Georgia
Tuscaloosa Alabama
Indianapolis Indiana

Dave, you can't whittle the pride down to your city. Tennessee totally represented and should be proud.

As should my native Georgia, whose best new band on the list, the Black Lips, are only a part of the best garage scene in America that is the ATL.

[Fido]

Some of these sound sorta dubious -- Johnny Cash grew up in Arkansas, but was he really "from" there?  Bird from Kansas (he grew up in Kansas City, MO)?  OK, I'll give Minnesota Bob Dylan, fine, but I think he left Minnesota when he left college.  I know the Jackson family hailed from Gary, IN, but didn't they move to LA pretty early on? 

[Forrest]

I wondered the same thing about Apples In Stereo. I always associated them with the Athens/Elephant 6 scene.

[jamesp]

Some of these sound sorta dubious -- Johnny Cash grew up in Arkansas, but was he really "from" there?  Bird from Kansas (he grew up in Kansas City, MO)?  OK, I'll give Minnesota Bob Dylan, fine, but I think he left Minnesota when he left college.  I know the Jackson family hailed from Gary, IN, but didn't they move to LA pretty early on? 

I think I'd give Minnesota to Prince over Bob Dylan for that exact reason. Dylan went to NYC when he was like 18 whereas Prince has been at Paisley Park forever and discovered a lot of Minnesota talent.

It's cool that the Phoenix picked Superchunk for NC over someone like Ben Folds Five. At least they didn't pick Ryan Adams or Whiskeytown. I think the db's were from NC too so they'd be up there for Best NC Bands.

For Illinois, I'd prefer Wilco or Cheap Trick over Big Black.

[yesno]

Apples in Stereo met in Colorado and did some of their early stuff there. They also have or had a studio in Denver that recorded a lot of the Elephant Six bands.

I'd agree that Georgia (or Louisiana? Was that just NMH?) has a pretty strong claim on them, but it's not like that area of the country is hurting for bands.

[AllisonLeGnome]

All-Time Best Band: The Carpenters
All-Time Best Solo Artist: Liz Phair
Best New Band: MGMT

I can't say I was previously aware that any of those were from Connecticut. This has been very educational.