Musical Style and Influences
The Badlees forged a distinctive sound through their formative years that fused rock and pop elements with a distinct Pennsylvania style they called "roots rock". This sound was best presented on their breakthrough album River Songs, released in 1995. Some of the band’s later efforts, especially Amazing Grace and Love Is Rain, branched out into several different sub-genres, such as new wave, blues, folk, country, and Americana.
The band members themselves drew their influences from diverse sources. Founding member Jeff Feltenberger was formally trained as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, with a bend towards folk, country, and bluegrass. Guitarist and chief songwriter Bret Alexander cites various influences ranging from John Lennon and the Beatles to Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Steve Earle. Drummer Ron Simasek is a huge fan of Frank Zappa and, along with bassist Paul Smith, the Canadian power trio Rush. Singer Pete Palladino drew his influences from a spectrum of rock and pop artists including contemporaries Counting Crows and Edwin McCain.
Read more about this topic: The Badlees
Famous quotes containing the words musical, style and/or influences:
“If we cannot sing of faith and triumph, we will sing our despair. We will be that kind of bird. There are day owls, and there are night owls, and each is beautiful and even musical while about its business.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I never knew a writer yet who took the smallest pains with his style and was at the same time readable.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“However diligent she may be, however dedicated, no mother can escape the larger influences of culture, biology, fate . . . until we can actually live in a society where mothers and children genuinely matter, ours is an essentially powerless responsibility. Mothers carry out most of the work orders, but most of the rules governing our lives are shaped by outside influences.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)