Charlene September 24, 2012, 12:30:36

How about the band that inspired this whole magazine? The good ol’ Grateful Dead. I never saw them live but I know I’ve listened to more live shows than most folks who did…

Jen September 24, 2012, 12:31:50

In my case it was Phish. I was too young to see them perform and no idea if they would. Then I was at the Jammys back in 2008 when they appeared together and then down at Hampton when it finally happened!

milesfan September 24, 2012, 12:33:33

Miles Davis has inspired me like no other artist. All of his great bands and innovative approaches. I would have loved to have seen either of the great quintets or the Bitches Brew band but the studio work still gives me chills…

Jess September 24, 2012, 12:35:37

Yes, the Grateful Dead! I was five years old when Jerry passed away but I finally worked my way through the Europe 72 Box (I took it slow and steady to make it last) and wow, inspiration just abounds…

Steve R September 24, 2012, 12:37:58

In my case it actually was Dispatch. I was back in high school when some friends introduced me to their music and I am thrilled to say that well over a decade later I’ll finally be seeing them for the first time next week!

Mike September 24, 2012, 16:02:37

Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia Band. Saw them many times but miss them everyday.

Ian James September 24, 2012, 16:40:30

Tommy Bolin (RIP). The classic rock mixed with funk of Tommy Bolin has been my biggest inspiration this year. Tommy replaced Joe Walsh in The James Gang, and then Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple before turing out two incredible solo albums, he died at age 25. He is one of the best guitarists the world doesn’t know about, and upon discovering him myself, he became a huge inspiration for me. Please learn more about the man, and share his name. Its overdue.

Selly September 24, 2012, 16:58:31

I would have to say Frank Zappa. I didn’t really get into Zappa until a couple years ago after listening to “Hot Rats”. My dad introduced me to so many great musicians and this happens to be one of them. I am hooked!! I look forward to someday going to see Zappa Plays Zappa to get my Frank fix. Every Phish show I go see I hope for a “Peaches en Regalia”, but I haven’t seen it yet. I also would put the Grateful Dead on my list. My first two Dead shows were Jerry’s last two. I was 15 years old and my dad took me to Chicago to see the Grateful Dead. My dad is from Chicago so we travel there a lot, but this trip was different. Soldier Field had a different energy than I had ever experienced, it was a time-machine of sorts. We were in the 9th row for that last show and it changed my life forever.

Dallas Terry September 24, 2012, 17:36:09

Rage Against the Machine inspired me and so many other young people in a very forceful way. Their aggressive lyrics and emotion in every song was unable to be ignored. They not only told you their opinions, they shoved them in your face and said “deal with it.” And as a young punk kid, I loved that. BUT the cool think about Rage, was that they were SO musically sound. They were aggressive, yeah, but they had the musicality to back them up. Tom Morello is still one of the most respected guitarists of all time. Unfortunately, none of the offshoot bands of either Zack de la Rocha or of Tom Morello came anything close to RATM. And in this recession of today, I think every kid from my generation should be asking… “Where is the Rage!?”