When I was a young boy, I came up with a game called “Create Your Own Fantasy Supergroup”. My two friends who liked music and I would sit around discussing who we would hand select to create the ultimate band. You got to choose one from each of the following categories:
• Lead Singer
• Lead Guitar
• Rhythm Guitar
• Bass
• Drums
• Miscellaneous musician - this could be anyone that plays an instrument of any kind, excluding skin flute.
• Miscellaneous performer - this could be any performer you want – they don’t necessarily have to play an instrument.
Feel free to get weird.
For example, it could be M.C. Hammer dancing off to the side of the stage in hammerpants with suspenders over his nipples and his dental hygienist glasses. Or it could be Mario Lopez, playing Greg Lougainis in a made-for-TV movie, emphatically nailing can-opener after can-opener into a small pool just behind the stage. Both are performers. Both are eligible for the supergroup.
Back when I was a youngster, I usually went with the likes of Eddie Vedder, Carter Beauford, and Todd Park Mohr. Today, I’m still a big enough douchebag to think about this sort of thing. Here’s my fantasy supergroup as it stands today:
Band Name: The Cockslingers
Lead Singer: Jim James, My Morning Jacket. The non-sexual man-crush runs deep.
Lead Guitar: M. Ward. I don’t like squealing guitars and 3 minute solos. I do like M. Ward’s playing style. Here’s why.
Rhythm Guitar: Josh Ritter. Couldn’t leave him out of the band.
Bass: Brian Reyes, The Little Ones. The bass player needs to be jolly. Never has there been a jollier guy than this guy. He reminds me of someone whose nickname would be “Buddy” or perhaps “Tippy”.
Drums: Julian Dorio, The Whigs. The first time I saw him play he was wearing all white. He looked like a complete assneck. But he delivered the goods and can shred drums. That was also the day we at HearYa met Shirk and we began our path to fame and golden-fleeced loins of glory.
Miscellaneous musician: Stephen Kellogg on kazoo. If anyone has seen this guy on the kazoo, you know what I’m talking about. Plus, hey man…it’s like, hey man, somebody’s got to draw in the high school babes.
Miscellaneous performer: Jewel yodeling topless.
Who’s in your fantasy supergroup? Comment and win my favor.
Here are some free mp3’s from The Cockslingers:
Jim James – Smokin’ from Shootin’ (live solo from SXSW 2008)
M. Ward – Poor Boy, Minor Key
Jim James & M. Ward – Chinese Translation (live from SXSW 2008)
Josh Ritter – The Temptation of Adam
The Little Ones – Boracay
The Whigs – Right Hand on My Heart
