Yet another three local musicians – Shane Leonard, Joe Larkin, and Brian Bethke – pick six songs, albums, and/or artists that have shaped them in some way. An interesting window into the souls and Walkmans of Chippewa Valley music makers ...

Shane Leonard
Kalispell, Bro. Stephen, Stoop Singers

Richard Buckner (Best lyrics around, emotionally evocative and acrobatic vocals, unique guitar parts. Tours in an old pickup. Facial expression like an ogre, personality like a really great school guidance counselor. Favorite records: Bloomed and Meadow.)

Dirk Powell (Master of southern traditional music who also writes awe-inspiring contemporary tunes. Not an overstatement. He's a total instrumental chameleon; the guy plays Cajun accordion, old time fiddle, guitar, piano, and clawhammer banjo fluently as hell. Check out Time Again (best cut: Waterbound) first.)

Bill Frissell (One of few jazz guitarists, in my humble opinion, to craft a truly personal sound. Probably the reason I gravitate to his work is that he re-interprets a lot of traditional American folk music and plays with that simple (yet eloquent) melodic sensibility. He also frequently collaborates with Greg Leisz (pedal steel), another one of my favorite musicians. Check out Nashville, East and West, and Good Dog Happy Man.)

The Louvin Brothers (Ira and Charlie were a legendary duo and pillars of American country music. Close harmonies, superior technical ability on their instruments. Any record of theirs is great, and I think Columbia recently put out a complete anthology of their work.)

Clyde Davenport (Clyde is 90 years old, lives in Tennessee, and is a master fiddler and banjoist in the old time tradition. I've been fortunate to visit his home periodically over the past year, where, without fail, I'm treated to Clyde's wicked sense of humor, his wife Lorene's home cooking, and lots of good music. The tunes he's taught me are among my favorites to play. I admire him greatly.)

Kathleen Edwards (A friend showed me Kathleen's music a few years ago and I liked it. This past spring I rediscovered her album Asking For Flowers, and ever since, there have been few other records I reach for when milling around the house at night or driving long distances. Honest lyrics boldly delivered, and a woman who doesn't market some contrived version of docile femininity. Look out.)

Joe Larkin
Defenestrator, Flags Will Cover the Coffins

Screeching Weasel, Wiggle (An evolution of the Ramones' suburban, blues-less punk rock, Chicago's Screeching Weasel have been putting out albums off and on since the late 80s. This record is a little eclectic when compared to some of their other offerings, but remains my favorite. Alienated, humorous, anthemic, and somehow both hopeful AND jaded, this is Midwestern punk at its finest.)

Townes van Zandt, Live at the Old Quarter (Part of the 1970s "outlaw country" movement, Steve Earle once said that van Zandt "is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” Something like a combination of traditional, Hank Williams-styled country and 60s folk music, songs transcend their genre(s) thanks to Townes himself: alternately haunting and humorous, honest and metaphorical, simple and complex, traditional and innovative. This excellent live recording features many of his best-known songs in an intensely personal setting.)

Amebix, No Sanctuary (Recently reissued to include two additional EPs, the early output of this immensely influential band cannot be praised highly enough. Inspired by the aesthetic of anarcho bands like Crass, the droning music of early Killing Joke, and the unrestrained power of Motorhead, these songs create spacious, lawless sonic frontiers in which – for better or for worse – mankind must determine its own fate. No gods, no masters!)

Profanatica, Profanatitas de Domonatia (Far and away the best American black metal band, Profanatica is not for the faint of heart. Obscene and blasphemous, led by the simple-yet-intricate drumming and shredded-throat vocals of Paul Ledney, this band crafts twisted, savage black hymns to wage ideological war against modern egalitarian society. This death-metal influenced album was released in 2009 after over a decade of absence, and is probably their strongest offering. Throw away all your crummy Dimmu Borgir and silly Cradle of Filth and prepare yourself. In Ledney's words, "Profanatica vomit on your god and s*** on your so-called black metal!")

Hellhammer, Demon Entrails (While Venom gets all the credit for inventing black metal, Hellhammer and Bathory actually did most of the work. Hellhammer's droning, minimalist, disturbing songs are the direct genetic material of death and black metal alike and have lost none of their power in the nearly 30 years since they were recorded. This re-release compiles all of this pioneering Swiss band's output except the also excellent Apocalyptic Raids. A must for any fan of extreme music based on historical importance alone, this band soon morphed into the much more well-known Celtic Frost.)

Big Black, Songs About F***ing (Before he became famous for producing Nirvana, Steve Albini was fronting this Chicago punk/industrial hybrid (and insulting Ministry for being too wimpy – true story). Combining a pummeling drum machine, biting guitar sounds, and Albini's oddly unsettling vocals, the songs of Big Black are mini-narratives of acute misanthropy. Each song centers around a (sometimes semi-) fictional character, like that guy you're friends with even though you can't stand him, or that creepy cat-person down the street. Ambitious, innovative, and entertaining, Big Black has no equal.)

Brian Bethke
The Brian Bethke Band

Sam Sallon (Since signing with Promotion Music Records, I have got to work behind the scenes a bit being an artist scout. This year we received Sam Sallon's album One For The Road great album front to back. Suggested songs Long Way Down, No No No, and I'm Free. Sam will be releasing this album sometime in 2012. SamSallon.com)

Do It Yourself Daisy (Great local rock group. Sounds bigger than the two-man group it is. Great self-titled album and just as awesome live! diydaisy.bandcamp.com)

Tape Deck Mountain, the song Ghost Colony (Spooky indie grunge sound that draws you in. TapeDeckMountain.com)

Josh Ritter, the song Girl In The War (Lyrically beautiful. Reminds me of all the young women who are now coming home from war. JoshRitter.com)

Chris Bathgate, the song Yes I'm Cold (In 2010, this was my theme song. ChrisBathgate.org)

Bon Iver, the album Bon Iver, Bon Iver (One night I was quite ill dealing with a relapse of a chronic illness which caused partial paralysis or my right side, loss of vision, and a big blow to my self esteem. The words of Holocene stuck with me that night: "And at once I knew I was not magnificent." We all seem to feel that way from time to time, but it gives way to becoming better souls. This album deserves more than just one listen.)