Here on Rocks Off, we ask local heroes for their top five absolute desert island discs, the records that made them the musicians they are today. This week; Jeremy Kilgore, vocalist and guitar player for Their Name Was Treason.
Nirvana, Nevermind The five albums that influenced me the most would have to begin with Nirvana's Nevermind. The first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" I fell in love with music. I had never heard anything like it, and it was the first time I had an opinion of my own about music. I knew from that moment that music would be apart of my life.
Pearl Jam, Ten Second on my list would have to be Pearl Jam's Ten. I first heard Pearl Jam shortly after becoming addicted to Nirvana and I became hooked. The angst and the energy the band had mixed with Eddie Vedder's vocals showed me how soulful someone could be about being pissed off. I could relate to that.
Metallica. Metallica Third on the list would be The Black Album. I was quite familiar with Metallica before that, but it wasn't until I was a little older that I could appreciate them for who they were as a band. I had already heard what Pearl Jam could do with their guitars, but once I heard Kirk Hammett rip into those leads, I knew I had to be a guitar player.
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon I first heard this album when I was about 13-years-old, and it had an effect on me that made me feel as if I was on drugs. I still haven't experienced anything like it. Those psychedelic sounds fused with those soulful guitar solos really influenced part of the guitar player I am today. In fact I built my own David Gilmour black strat replica.
Deadboy & the Elephantmen, If This Is Hell, Then I'm Lucky The album that really ties them all together. Deadboy is fronted by Dax Riggs, former front man for Acid Bath, a metal band in the '90s, but Deadboy is different. Dax's vocals are mellow and haunting. It's dark and when I heard it I knew then that I wasn't only going to be a guitar player, but I was going to sing as well. So over the years I started playing guitar, listening to grunge in the '90s and I got into that aggressive style Kirk had, but I knew how to slow it down and be soulful like David Gilmour when the time was right. Then I started singing few years ago when I heard Deadboy & the Elephantmen and I just rolled all these influences into one. What's funny to me is that I'm recognized as a singer, and not many people know that I'm a lead guitarist.
Their Name Was Treason plays Saturday, January 10 at Walter's with The Price We Pay, In Resistance, Maninkari The Betrayal Of Abigail.
