SDS Mailbag: Best bands from SEC towns, moving CFP title game day, Georgia’s biggest challenger in 2023
Another college football season is in the books, and what a year it was!
Georgia put a stamp on things in Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game, beating TCU 65-7. That was the largest margin of victory in any bowl game ever.
It’s utterly insane how dominant that performance was from the Bulldogs. I picked the Dawgs to win, but foolishly thought the Horned Frogs would at least make a game of it. Oops.
Now we’ll put a bow on the college football season with this week’s Mailbag. Let’s dive into your questions:
Robert:
What is the best band formed in an SEC college town?
Let’s get this out of the way now – the answer to this question is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They formed in Gainesville and the rest, as they say, is history.
I love the Tom Petty tribute at the end of the third quarter at The Swamp and hope it continues.
So let’s establish that this question is about who is playing for second place. There are actually an interesting number of bands that have formed in SEC towns (even more if you add Nashville). Yes, Nashville is an SEC town, but it’s also the country music capital, so I think I’ll exclude it for purposes of this question. Shout out to Kings of Leon, though.
REM formed in Athens. Hootie and the Blowfish formed in Columbia, South Carolina. Better Than Ezra (a band I really like) formed in Baton Rouge.
I’ll go with Hootie as the second-best band to form in an SEC town, but Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers take the gold medal.
So many good options to choose from, though.
Michael:
Who is the biggest threat to Georgia in 2023?
Can I pick the easy option and say “complacency” is the biggest threat to Georgia?
OK, fine … I’ll pick an actual team. First, a major note. I’m skeptical of teams with question marks at quarterback. Frankly, Georgia has one with Carson Beck. (I know Georgia fans love Beck, but until he proves it in a big SEC game, he’s a question mark. That’s just how it works.)
Alabama has a question mark at QB. Ditto Ohio State. I like Joe Milton, but let’s not forget he lost the starting job at Tennessee a couple of years ago to Hendon Hooker.
I actually think Georgia’s biggest threat comes from the Pac-12, which is crazy, I know. USC returns Caleb Williams. Oregon returns Bo Nix. Keep an eye on both of those teams.
Also, LSU with Jayden Daniels will be a threat. After spring ball, these teams could all have very different rosters via the transfer portal, so check back with me then, but for now, I’ll list LSU, USC, Oregon and Notre Dame (with new QB Sam Hartman) as the biggest threats to Georgia.
And I think Georgia, even with Beck at QB, would be 10-point favorites (at least) over all of them.
Warren:
Which non-SEC player are you most excited about in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Well, I would have said Quentin Johnston, the TCU receiver, prior to Monday night. Then he was held to 1 catch for 3 yards by Kelee Ringo and the Georgia secondary.
I’ll go with Joey Porter Jr., the cornerback out of Penn State, here. I like his size at 6-2. His dad played in the NFL for a long time, so he has pro pedigree. I also love his ball skills.
I think he’s the perfect cornerback for today’s NFL. Heck, just look at the success Trevon Diggs has had with the Dallas Cowboys after switching from WR to CB at Alabama. You need a receiver to run routes with receivers these days.
Porter has that size and athleticism to be a Patrick Surtain II or Diggs style of cornerback. Whatever team grabs him in Round 1 is going to be set at 1 of its cornerback positions for a decade or more.
@Dobbe8:
Should college football move the CFP title game to a Saturday or Sunday to get more buzz?
Well, Sundays are off the table because of the NFL. I get the thought behind having it on a Monday night, as it can dominate the TV schedule that day. There’s no Monday Night Football during the final week of the NFL regular season, so it makes sense from that standpoint.
But college football is (primarily) played on Saturdays. The semifinals were played on a Saturday this year. Even though I’ve previously stated my disdain for having the semis on New Year’s Eve, I had no problem with the games being played on Saturday.
While the title game still did strong TV numbers on Monday night, a lot more people would get together and have parties to watch if the championship were held on a Saturday.
At the very least, I think the networks and the College Football Playoff committee need to try it out once. Then they can make an informed decision on Monday vs. Saturday moving forward.
Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at Adam.Spencer@XLMedia.com.
Back to Back to Beck….
Georgia’s #1 threat next year:
Schedule: Tennessee. By SEC standards, UGA schedule is cupcake city.
SECCG: I’d go with LSU over Bama but it’s close.
Recruiting: Bama
CFPs: Bama, Tennessee, or LSU. The other conferences can’t stack up no matter how much you overhype uscWest Blowgens, Oregono, Chokelahoma, OhioStankU, or Missedagain!
Nashville was the birthplace of Big and Rich, Diamond Rio, Lady Antebellum and a host of others. Not Tom Petty but not bad either.
Knoxville should be able to claim Dolly Parton (nearby Pidgeon Forge), far from a band but an incredible singer/songwriter.
And Dolly has her own amusement park. That’s got to b e worth something.
She has “several”!!
Not sure Tennessee gets to the CFP next year, but it’s going to be soon. Agree, the Vols are the only feasible impediment to a Georgia three-peat, unless the Dawgs play Alabama in the title game. It would be foolish to count the Tide out even in the context of a ‘down’ 11-2 2022 season, although many people are currently gleefully doing it.
1 Pac-12 contender missed, Washington, with CFB 2022 passing leader Michael Penix returning along with all of his outstanding WRs.
UW gets Oregon and Utah at home in 2023; UW does have to play at SC but it has the O to hang against a Trojans D that I do not think will be that much improved in 2023. SC missed OR/UW in 2022 but plays both in 2023 including playing the Ducks in Eugene.
Nix back for the Ducks is great but Oregon has to replace 4 talented OL starters.
With the 2023 schedule will UGA be tested before the SEC champ game? And Beck will have to prove it on the field as will the Bama QB. Meanwhile Kelly has Daniels back and a chance to show off in game 1 versus an FSU team that IMO is getting far too much love coming into 2023.
Hootie and the Blowfish over REM? Laughingly ridiculous.
REM spanned for decades. Hootie had one ok pop album. REM was waaaaaaaay ahead of it’s time.
Exactly
Ditto.
As much as I dislike most things UGA or Athens…I can’t believe Widespread Panic is not included on this list. Different genre than REM, but similarly long and successful career.
NolaVol
The author of this article doesn’t know who Widespread is.
I saw them for the first time at Suwanee University in 1989 and was hooked.
Totally agree. Ain’t life grand ?
And if it weren’t for the B52’s (also from Athens, GA) there may not have been an REM.
Given these choices,I don’t even want to think about what’s on Adam’s playlist.
Da mn Booches you know your music
REM #2 at least. Hootie and the Blowfish? Get out of here!
Yep, dude’s musical taste is definitely terrible. Hootie is generic pop-rock, REM was revolutionary, influenced a generation of musicians.
There would be no Nirvana without REM. Without Hootie? No one would even notice.
As far as my tastes go, Tom Petty over REM is ridiculous too. But Hootie, it’s not even a question that REM is better. Hootie, the Rock and Roll HOF is on the line, no wait, they said wrong number.
Agreed, I’d put REM over Petty in a heartbeat, although I at least can understand it if some people prefer him….was a great songwriter.
But REM basically created (or at least popularized) an entire new genre of music (“alternative”)…seems commonplace now, but at the time was revolutionary.
Gotta agree with you on this one! Matter of fact, I’d put REM as ‘1A’ because their multi-decade career was almost as big a deal to Gen Xers as Petty’s was!
Right! Hootie sucks so bad!
TCU ‘s favorite REM song is “Everybody Hurts”
The best comment Jerry, the best.
I don’t think UGA fans love Carson Beck. How could they? He has rarely played. Personally, I think it’s 50/50 that he even starts. Cautiously optimistic is a much more accurate description. IMO.
Agree, Beck has looked good in limited snaps. I’m also optimistic about him as QB1, but Kirby did mention mobility as a key goin fwd…that ain’t Beck. Then again there are no other QBs in the SEC that scare me in ’23.
Yep, I like what I see from Beck, especially in 2022, but I trust the coaches to identify and develop the best QB on the roster.
Agree Beck is not a lock. As others have mentioned, Kirby and Monken both highly value mobile quarterbacks now. Word is Gunner Stockton earned a ton of respect from the coaches and the team this year. Kirby specifically called him out during the post-game press conference for his work on the scout team. Apparently, he asked Kirby to take the black jersey off so he could take the hits and help the team better prepare for Max Duggan. Guy is also supposed to be a film junkey. Realize he just used his redshirt, so he could still be a year away, but wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a look early in the season given our schedule.
I’m in Texas too, and from this distance my view is that
Beck will have it going on sooner than later. Just needs the protection, but with Georgia’s OL he should have that in spades.
Biggest threat really needs to be put in layers as long as the SEC has divisions.
#1 (East) – TN even with Milton is a bigger threat than anyone else in thEast
#2 (SEC) – Bama (maybe LSU) ’cause UGA has to go through one of those and vice versa
#3 (National) – OSU or Bama again….the Pac12 teams don’t strike fear in anyone.
Tennessee looked pretty good in the Orange Bowl. But if Ohio State wanted any shot of a national title then last year was their one chance. They no longer have a Stroud and other key playmakers. It’s Michigans conference now so long as the “allegations” clear up and Harbaugh isn’t dismissed. Bama will be back and the recruiting class shows. It might be next year to get everyone developed but it’s happening.
TN looked fantastic in the Orange Bowl.
I’m cautiously optimistic about Milton next year. He’s done more to prove he’s ready than any new QB starter for another team next year! The Orange Bowl game is evidence enough.
Michigan has won the last two against OSU but the talent disparity is huge. In the log run it always comes down to talent when there is such a large gap. It is by no means Michigan’s conference. OSU annually has the talent to win it all. Michigan has made the playoffs but really had no chance of winning it all.
The allegations against Michigan are pretty minor. As for Harbaugh the NCAA takes a dim view of lying. They usually hit a coach with a show cause. Bo Davis and Bruce Pearl both committed minor infractions but lied and both got show causes and lost their jobs. Michigan is also losing a ton through the various means.
“Let’s get this out of the way now – the answer to this question is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They formed in Gainesville and the rest, as they say, is history.”
REM is the best. Period.
No they aren’t and it’s not even close. Tom Petty is a legend that made great music every time he put out an album. REM has a lot of clunkers in their discography.
“. Tom Petty is a legend that made great music every time he put out an album. REM has a lot of clunkers in their discography.”
They’re both in the RRHOF, ma’am. REM had a lot of great albums.
“They’re both in the RRHOF”
So are Abba and Eminem
Calling someone ma’am when you are defending REM isn’t a good look.
Lol…Didn’t think of that angle @wadeless, but you are right.
“Calling someone ma’am when you are defending REM isn’t a good look.”
REM isn’t a girl band, ma’am.
I understand the location-based biases. There’s also recency bias, which favors REM. I personally think Tom Petty has iconic status and REM does not, but that could just be my own experience.
There’s huge variation in most online rankings, which seem to overweight album sales and thus favor more mainstream popular bands.
The most credible ranking is probably the Rolling Stone “100 Greatest Artists” ranking, which was copiled by surveying music artists. On that list, REM is #97 and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are #91.
Close enough to keep arguing about it.
^ compiled
Obviously you think the REM catalog is Losing My Religion. Go back and listen to any album by them from the 80’s and find a “clunker” for me.
Dude chill. I have most of those albums. They just aren’t on the same level as Tom Petty. Don’t confuse my argument. And New Adventures in HiFi was a clunker. Out of Time was good not great. REM’s best is Green imo.
They are very different. Many folks that like their early stuff aren’t fans of the later stuff. Same for the other way.
“REM’s best is Green imo.”
$100 says you have a poster of Four Non Blondes hanging up in your double wide.
REM has clunkers in their discography?
REM put out 11 straight amazing releases. From Chronic Town to New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers don’t even HAVE 11 studio albums, you dumb ‘turd.
R.E.M. also has 2 legitimately great albums post-Bill Berry. The rest I would say are just good; definitely not up to the previous standard, but not a “clunker” among them.
They did pretty good, but in the decades that they were together they only sold about 80 million records. This is good, but everyone is putting down Hootie and the Blowfish and they sold about 27 million in the short time they were a band. It just what you like. I was never an REM fan, and couldn’t tell you a song they did, but I can appreciate their longevity and that others did like them.
“but everyone is putting down Hootie and the Blowfish and they sold about 27 million”
Hanson sold 16 million off of Mmmmmbop.
Petty and the Heartbreakers, EASILY.
Blasphemy.
Jackassery
Nope. Another know-nothing.
I like REM but Petty is unquestionably superior. Not even close
Say Petty is 2023 Georgia then REM would be………… Auburn
Florida is Hanson.
HAHAHAHAHA.
New Kids on the Block
I love Tom Petty, Cojones, but Hootie is an icon too. Best band ever though? ZZ Top. It’s a Texas thang, but Tyler Junior College doesn’t have a football team.
“Alabama has a question mark at QB. Ditto Ohio State. I like Joe Milton, but let’s not forget he lost the starting job at Tennessee a couple of years ago to Hendon Hooker.”
UGA has a question mark at QB as well. Not sure how the dude missed that one. Just because Carson Beck played a little after TCU was worn down doesn’t mean he’s going to be great.
“OK, fine … I’ll pick an actual team. First, a major note. I’m skeptical of teams with question marks at quarterback. Frankly, Georgia has one with Carson Beck. (I know Georgia fans love Beck, but until he proves it in a big SEC game, he’s a question mark. That’s just how it works.)”
It was above the statement you put in quotation
“It was above the statement you put in quotation”
I need glasses.
REM isn’t even the best band to come out of Athens. B-52’s baby.
“B-52’s baby.”
Stop it.
There’s a few bands I’d like to namecheck…and one of them is REM…
They didn’t just write great songs, they had other bands writing great songs about them. Green is peak REM to me though. Most people prefer the earlier or the 90s stuff though.
Murmur will always be my fav REM album. Radio Free Europe is fantastic.
“Don’t go back to Rockville” from Reckoning is my all time fav REM song.
Orange Crush
I want to break things when I hear Rock Lobster.
Literally laughed out loud.
“I want to break things when I hear Rock Lobster.”
Whenever I see a Red Lobster sign I think of that song.
Nice, love them too!
They were not a band; they were just irritating.
Music is personal and I assume these are Adam’s favorites. Which is fine. REM actually consisted of UGA students and sold the most music.
My favorite is the B-52s. “Love Shack”!
“My favorite is the B-52s. “Love Shack”!”
SMH.
Widespread Panic!
Nailed it on the head.
Thankyou.
Wasn’t even mentioned. And of all the bands from Athens they are the only ones still touring regularly
“And of all the bands from Athens they are the only ones still touring regularly”
REM members have had serious health issues. Can’t blame them for retiring from music. B-52s played their last concert in Athens last night. I mean, they did play for 45 years.
I believe that show last night is a part of a farewell tour and is their first tour in years so they haven’t been touring continuously.
Petty was touring almost up to the day he died though.
Yeah I’m not sure why everyone is on Adam’s case here. We primarily remember what we grew up with and if his greatest memory of Tom Petty is the Swamp playing one of his songs then he probably really doesn’t remember or grew up with Tom Petty. Which means he probably doesn’t remember REM, the B52’s, etc either. I’m guessing he knows Hootie as a country singer and vaguely remembers the Blowfish so there ya go, and that’s ok.
“Tom Petty is the Swamp playing one of his songs”
Tom Petty left Gainsville in the 70s. Adam wasn’t even born then. Dude graduated from Mizzou in 2012.
So yeah, basically what I was saying…
“So yeah, basically what I was saying…”
Wanted to add to it.
To each his own, but I would rather listen to a dental drill than the B-52s.
LOL
The Dental Drills weren’t all that bad actually, I wouldn’t put them up with the B52’s though.
Agreed. I cannot stand the B-52s.
Tom Petty, Hootie, R.E.M. All good bands, although for a while there I had to stop listening to Cracked Rear View as it was being played EVERYWHERE and it got old really quick! And I actually think Hootie’s follow-up album – Fairweather Johnson – was better than CRW.
However . . .
This is not even a contest, folks. There is no doubt of the bands mentioned, and the ones not mentioned, that the boys from Athens are one of the greatest bands of all time – R.E.M.
Hands down. R.E.Freaking.M.!!!
Bingo!
I’ll still go with Tom Petty, but it’s really subjective. I liked R.E.M., but I still listen to Petty and feel like he had a greater impact on Rock n Roll.
That’s like picking a favorite child. Both amazing
Agree
“but I still listen to Petty and feel like he had a greater impact on Rock n Roll.”
REM influenced most of the 90s bands…..from the very early 80s.
Pearl Jam etc all were influenced by REM.
Actually, Pearl Jam was influence by the WHO, Ramones, Neil Young, Springsteen, Jackson 5….didn’t see them mention anything about REM.
“didn’t see them mention anything about REM.”
I don’t care what you saw, Karen. Eddie Vedder has mentioned REM’s early 80s influence many times.
@Weagle99: Yeah grunge was primarily influenced by Punk and 70’s underground hardcore. In the 80’s Green River to Mudhoney to Malfunkshun to Mother Love Bone basically took it from there to spawn the whole Seattle thing. Vedder was a fan of REM and he inducted them in the RR HOF, but Vedder certainly wasn’t “most of the 90’s bands”.
“but Vedder certainly wasn’t “most of the 90’s bands”.”
No, not at all. Seattle def ran the music scene from 90-93ish.
I’d put Sonic Youth, Pixies at the top of my list for best bands.
The Pixies were probably a bigger influence on 90’s bands than REM, I would definitely agree with that.
“The Pixies were probably a bigger influence on 90’s bands than REM”
MASSIVE influence.
Booches94
Ministry as well. They influenced NIN etc.
Ministry was good, NIN blow donkey’s though.
Cobain was a big fan of Kim Deal of Pixies/Breeders fame (as was I…I love the Breeders). Not the biggest Sonic Youth fan, but I love Kim Gordon. She should have done all of the Vocals when Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll HOF. Kurt would have approved of St. Vincent though.
Hard to say Pixies were a MASSIVE influence. Cobain ripped off their early style quite a bit as did a few others but overall I think late 70’s early 80’s Punk and underground bands like The D amned, Green River, Killing Joke etc. influenced more 90’s bands than the “alternative rock” bands of the 80’s like REM, Pixies, Violent Femmes etc.
“bands of the 80’s like REM, Pixies, Violent Femmes etc.”
Joy Division.
yeah I’d put Joy Division in with Violent Femmes, Echo and the BM. Decent bands but not overly influential.
“yeah I’d put Joy Division in with Violent Femmes, Echo and the BM. Decent bands but not overly influential.”
Joy Division wasn’t around long enough, but I can name many bands that sampled their music/sound.
Interpol being just one.
They both sold close to the same number of albums in their careers.
Evaluating bands by album sales is like evaluating pitchers by wins. It never really made sense.
Darius Rucker is a fraud. Hootie had one pop album, then he had to go be “country” and become a token member of the Opry, an institution that has lost all credibility by letting anybody in now, to save his career and keep the cash flow coming. Country music icon Bill Anderson was born and raised in Columbia, I’d list him WAY ahead of Hootie.
REM had a three decade career. The B-52’s also were from Athens.
Don’t forget Don Felder of Eagles fame was raised in Gainesville, he met a guy named Bernie Leadon, who had moved into town, as a student at Gainesville High and the rest is history.
Like everyone else, you ignore what Washington did in the Pac-12 last year, they have alot coming back, including Penix at QB, and they get both Utah and Oregon at their place this fall. Yet, the Pac 12 won’t threaten any SEC team. The biggest threat to UGA next season is Alabama. That’s it.
Non-SEC player? Big hoss Johnson from Ohio State.
Yes, the CFP title game needs to be on a Saturday night. Ratings would increase.
“REM had a three decade career. ”
1980 – 2011. Hmmmmm.
OK, 4 then I suppose…..still impressive, and Hootie sure as heck shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence with them or Petty.
“Hootie sure as heck shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence with them or Petty.”
BINGO!!!!!!!!!
Nice
Darius Rucker is still being a fraud then. He has made a couple of platinum albums. He has taken his place as a token with Charley Pride, and even Aaron Neville who had some crossover country hits. Let’s not forget Ray Charles and Tina Turner that made country music also. I could list more but that would be too many tokens for one comment.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about!! Besides, a more down-to-earth guy you’d never meet.
I don’t see how UGA doesn’t get to the playoffs. Their toughest game on paper appears to be at UT. Even if UT is able to beat them, UGA will not lose another game with their schedule. At worst case, they’re 11-1, and don’t play in the SECCG. They’d still go with that resume. Aside from complacency or average/poor QB play, it’s almost a lock. I’m a UT fan, but I’m being realistic about UGA.
Because you play the games on the field and not on paper and sometimes the Football Gods root for the other team.
“What’s the Frequency Kenneth” is a work of art.
Dude….dude….listen to Murmur and Reckoning.
I’m gonna get hate from the more hardcore fans, but Green is peak R.E.M. in my. book.
Green was a great album. No hate from me
Music is personal. Nashville is a city with a college not a college town. I’d probably agree with Tom Petty given the combination of legacy and general popularity. Overall Athens has the better music scene though.
Right now I’d say the biggest regular season threat to UGA is UT. May turn out to be AU, just can’t know here in January. Similarly for now I’d say LSU over Bama. Young will be hard to replace. I’m not scare of any OoC team next year. The usual suspects to beat a good SEC team all seem to be rebuilding.
Might as well play the National Championship on Saturdays. Schedule will have to be overhauled with the 12 team playoff anyway.
Sort of like calling Seattle a College Town and crediting the University of Washington with Hendrix, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Brandi Carlile. Technically true but not really the same.
NFL ratings would crush the Championship game if played on Saturday.
Not when they’ve expanded the playoffs to the point that the Championship is after the Super Bowl.
I don’t think that will happen. Much more likely they will start at what we now know as week 0.
“Nashville is a city with a college not a college town.”
Was gonna post the exact same thing.
Do we call L.A. a College town too? I mean it has a couple big time Universities and a few Rock Bands got started there.
Sure, it has more marxists per square foot than any other city except for San Franciso, Portland, or Austin.
Whoever starts at QB next year will have a solid group of receivers and TEs to throw to, but breaking in a new starter is always an uncertain proposition.
I am probably biased, and I do love Tom Petty, but when I was a student we would be at the 40 Watt in Athens, the doors would suddenly close, the stage would light up and REM would come out and give a free concert. How can you beat that?
And my freshman year, while I was moving in and lugging my furniture up the 3 flights in Lipscomb Hall (no elevator) while the B-52s with Stipe were playing a free concert right next door at Legion Field. Good times.
“How can you beat that?”
You can’t. REM was Athens. Tom Petty bolted from Gainesville and never looked back.
But they did retire a UF grounds department lawnmower in his honor, I hear.
“UF grounds department lawnmower in his honor, I hear.”
Tom Petty and the lawnmowers?
The 40 Watt…Thats a place I’ve not thought of for a long, long time.
^^^^^^This!
It was a great time to be in Athens.
Widespread Panic had a free show in Athens and Warren Haynes played at the 40 watt after. That was a fun night.
I’ll sum up both REM and Tom Petty:
REM – for people that love real music.
Tom Petty – for people that shop at Ambercrombie and still think Limp Biscuit is a good band.
I guess you think George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne suck too? No other explanation needed.
The Traveling Wilburys were not from Gainesville. Petty had moved on years before that band got together. And how could you leave out Bob Dylan?
Oops I’m blind.
Speaking of Bob Dylan, didn’t he once something to the effect that analyzing music is like dissecting a frog. No one cares what you think and the frog dies.
Didn’t say they were from Gainesville, only mentioning the other band mates because they must like Limp Biscuit.
Not sure JTF but sounds like something he would say.
It was a joke, ma’am. Go Karen someone else.
I find it funny that your joke was quite ironic.
“I find it funny that your joke was quite ironic.”
I find it funny you follow me around like a stalker.
No one stalks you. You live on every article on SDS and comment 10 time more than the next person.
“No one stalks you.”
Yet…here you are.
I had a discussion some years back with a guy berating Jacksonville because Limp Bizkit was the biggest thing to come out of there. Told him I guess he’d missed that other Jacksonville band that spelled their name a little funny back in the 70’s lol.
Guess he never heard of the Allman Brothers Band
They were from Macon GA.
Less Than Jake is from Gainesville. Best ska band ever. Might not be the best band ever but being a 90’s punk/ska kid, this is it for me.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were the best.
Bosstones are great but since it’s an opinion, I’ll stick with mine. Also Boston is not an SEC town.
You said “Best ska band ever.”
Try harder.
Try harder at liking ska bands?
The Specials were probably the greatest ska band ever, but as far as 90’s ska, give me Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris or Streetlight Manifesto over either of those 2. Bosstones are great musically, just something about D*cky’s (spelled correctly first time but got pinged for moderation) voice has always kinda grated on me.
Streetlight is the most musically talented ska band, the stuff they started doing was far beyond anyone else, still is. I love Catch 22, which is streetlight’s singers first band.
@Ron: Maybe you should try less hard.
“@Ron: Maybe you should try less hard”
Booches, maybe you should stalk someone else.
Adam, did you stop writing about BB because Missouri dropped a couple?
Adam, your taste in music is predictably awful and objectively wrong.
Hootie, who had ONE GOOD ALBUM over REM, who not only has legitimately 12 or 13 great albums, but who changed the face of music? Who white like Kurt Cobain and Thom Yorke described as an important influence on their musical lives? You may have garbage taste in music and no understanding of rock history, but tell me you know who Cobain and Yorke are. You do know, right?
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as great as they are, can’t touch the greatness of output that R.E.M. created.
R.E.M. are the greatest American rock band, and you rank them below HOOTIE you unbelievable idiot???
Who whoa whoa now. I love R.E.M., but greatest American Rock Band?
“but greatest American Rock Band?’
One could make the case due to years, success and influence.
bingo
If that’s your criteria (especially longevity and Success) though, Aerosmith might like a word with you. Their influence on the 90’s bands was unquestionable though for sure. I saw an interview with Cobain where he talked about how they knew they had arrived when REM moved into their neighborhood. Still…Van Halen was an American Rock Band.
“I saw an interview with Cobain where he talked about how they knew they had arrived when REM moved into their neighborhood. ”
REM was making music long after he died. At one point REM was as big as U2 on the world stage.
“Van Halen was an American Rock Band.”
Yep, but two lead singers…
Agreed Ron. When David Lee Roth left the band it became Van Haggar to me.
REM had legitimately 11 straight amazing releases from their first EP Chronic Town to the last album with Bill Berry in New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
Up wasn’t amazing, but it was still good. They finished with a great album in Collapse into Now.
Their output of objectively great work as an American rock band cannot be matched. Not by The Beach Boys. Not by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Not by The Cars. Not by anyone. Nirvana was on the way, but we all know how that ended. (RIP Kurt Cobain – One of the saddest days of my life, for real). Aerosmith? Don’t make me laugh. REM changed rock music. They inspired great bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Radio Head.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were awesome, and they put out a lot of good music in their time, but they can’t come close to the impact REM made in rock music. They changed the game. It isn’t surprising some rando like Adam with awful taste in music doesn’t have a clue, but still, even a rando should know enough to know that even comparing REM to Hootie and the Blowfish is a sign of utter idiocy.
Radiohead… stupid iPhone autocorrect.
“Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were awesome, and they put out a lot of good music in their time, but they can’t come close to the impact REM made in rock music. ”
I like Tom Petty, but never considered them rock. They were kind of in their own category. REM had a 90s alt rock sound in the early 80s.
Oh boy…here we have the gatekeeper where if anyone likes anything remotely popular they aren’t “real music fans”. This is the part of the discussion where people like you tell me all about Neko Case. While the 90’s bands certainly were REM fans, Cobain himself cited the Beatles, AC/DC and Black Sabbath as major influences. Pretty mainstream.
“This is the part of the discussion where people like you tell me all about Neko Case. ”
Oh, she’s talented.
She is one of those singers that elitist music fans seem to like because they are supposed to like her.
And if you are going to use the “They Inspired” arguement, American Rock is Little Richard.
R.E.M. didn’t become “mainstream” until 1991 and Out of Time. Their list of credentials before then is longer than Dirk Diggler’s Johnson.
Cobain was listening to Reckoning and Fables of the Reconstruction and those albums nourished his soul.
Thom Yorke was rocking out to Document and Green before you were done getting your daily supper from your mama’s tiddies, and using how those albums made him feel to create his own groundbreaking music.
Neko Case and The New P o r n o graphers are no better or worse than Aimee Mann and her band. They have their place in alternative and indie rock.
I’m not “gatekeeping,” but I am legitimately non-plussed and understandably angry when some idiot says HOOTIE is better than REM.
Tell me you know absolutely NOTHING about music without telling me you have your head stuck way up your a–, Adam Spencer.
Seriously, Adam should have just said, “While I understand this is a Mailbag and y’all expect me to answer questions, I honestly don’t know anything about music. My tastes are basic. My musical taste isn’t even vanilla, it’s best described as “plain.” I like Tom Petty because he was on Top-40 a lot when I grew up, and because of that one scene in Jerry Maguire, but no, I don’t know enough about music to answer this question with anything approaching intelligence.”
Little Richard isn’t a band, 2021. He’s one guy. I said the greatest American rock band, which REM is.
Though a band of four Little Richards would be pretty awesome.
“R.E.M. didn’t become “mainstream” until 1991 and Out of Time.”
“It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine” would like a word with you.
“American Rock is Little Richard.”
Long Tall Sally is a great song, but little Richard ain’t rock.
That’s a fair point, Ron, however, it’s a bit of a one-off. Out of Time hit MTV and radio like a ton of bricks with what, 5 or 6 singles?
I mean, if we’re talking about the origins of rock music, Little Richard was there, but so was Robert Johnson way back in the 20’s.
There were many others whose finger prints are all over the origins of rock. BB King, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, even Ray Charles.
Of course, it all coalesced under Elvis who took the R&B and rockabilly influences mainstream.
REM didn’t “create” alternative rock, but they took their brand Alt-Rock to the youth of America in the indie underground of the 80’s as the one of the main influences of Seattle grunge (along with The Ramones, The Pixies, and other punk and alt-rock bands) and then fully mainstream in 1991 with Out of Time, and by THAT album, they decided to change a lot of their sound by adding mandolin because Peter Buck liked the way it sounded.
“Out of Time hit MTV and radio like a ton of bricks with what, 5 or 6 singles?”
Document had a few.
Green had quite a few. Both were 80s albums.
“Stand” and “Orange Crush” were huge.
“I mean, if we’re talking about the origins of rock music, Little Richard was there, but so was Robert Johnson way back in the 20’s.”
I thought the topic was greatest American bands.
None of those songs hit “No. 1” and the videos didn’t have a great presence on MTV at the time. When I’m talking about a band hitting the mainstream in that era, it’s with a No. 1 single and a video playing every hour on MTV.
You said Little Richard ain’t rock. That’s what I was responding to.
“None of those songs hit “No. 1” and the videos didn’t have a great presence on MTV at the time. ”
At that time hair bands had the presence on MTV.
And Out of Time was the album and the songs that pushed them off the airwaves. That’s hitting the mainstream.
You’re really splitting hairs here. I’m not saying Out of Time is their best album. I don’t even have it in my Top-5. Maybe not even Top-7.
However, Out of Time was what brought REM and Alt-Rock to the mainstream, that cannot be denied.
Little Richard is cited by Paul McCartney as the biggest influence on the early Beatles. Him, Chuck Berry, Bo Didley…definitely rock.
Until Stand and Orange Crush you had to watch 120 minutes on Sunday Night to see REM on MTV. I’ll agree on Hootie although it is a nice time capsule of the period. Not even the best mainstream album oh 1995 though ( Alanis Morissette wins that imho)
Buddy Holly and the Crickets?
“Buddy Holly and the Crickets?”
Absolutely.
9-3
…is a solid season for the Vols.
Hey I noticed there wasn’t much discussion about Knoxville bands. But I see Aerosmith has played in Knoxville and if we apply the criteria for Tennessee claiming championships, maybr you guys should just claim Aerosmith.
Imagine believing wikipedia.
We won 2 championships during the AP POLL.
That doesn’t mean we haven’t won championships before the AP poll was a thing.
Umm, that source was the NCAA web site, not Wikipedia.
And the AP poll became a thing in 1934. Additionally you claim championships in years that the AP awarded it to someone else. Admittedly, Georgia claims 1942 when the AP gave it to Ohio State (though I didn’t count it for our discussion), but at least multiple rating organizations gave it to them that season. Any title where one organization picked the Vol’s, you claim (see 1967). Thats pretty weak.
1938, 1940, 1950, 1951. Neyland years.
1967, and 1998 were after the neyland years.
The AP came out in 1934. Since then they selected Tennessee as the champion in 1951 and of course 1998. 1938 and 1950 did have multiple organizations select Tennessee (not sure if it was a majority as was the case in 1942) so eh, less sketch but still…the NCAA page doesn’t recognize it. The other 2 are just sad.
1998.
Corny mf can say nothing else besides this.
can’t**
1998
60.
… 1998
Imagine being 60 and yet acting like a 12 year old.
1998…
You can’t just only go with the AP poll method bro.
Nor should you just latch on to a championship when one of the many ratings organizations picks you (1967 and I think 2 in 1950). Georgia’s standard was I believe a majority of the major polls. Tennessee’s was anyone to include middle school newspapers I guess.
And you said those were championships prior to the AP era. They were not…The AP just picked someone else. Your standard seems pretty arbitrary which is fitting I guess.
Only in Knoxville does anyone actually think Tennessee has 6 championships
If you like to look at the totality of the ranking systems, “center of mass”, you could reasonably claim four championships: 1938 (9 of 14), 1950 (tied with Oklahoma at 6 apiece), 1951 (at 4 picks, including AP and UPI, just one behind Maryland’s 5…close enough, with AP/UPI cred, to count), and 1998 (19 of 20).
So then tell that to any other school to get rid of the nattys that they “shouldn’t claim” then.
Yet you claim 1967 because Litkenhous picked them. Fun fact, who did Litkenhous pick in 1968? Yet they don’t hang a banner in Sanford because it would be idiotic.
Because they didn’t have a majority of the votes?????
Hootie and the Blowfish over REM is ridiculous. REM is closer to first than to third.
I had forgotten some of the Athens bands from back in the day and looked up a list. While it certainly has produced some legendary bands it did unleash Colt Ford upon Country so it gets a knock for that.
How about REM and the Blowfish Heartbreakers.
At first glance, I thought you posted “REM and the Blowj(bs.”
Yeah I think you misread a lot of things at first glance…
Pennsylvania guy here – out of SEC country: REM, Petty, and for dark horse 90s pick: Gin Blossoms.
Gin Blossoms are PAC-12 country (Arizona). If we are just talking “SEC Country”, heck Skynyrd is a Jacksonville band.
Allman Bros as well.
Definitely
Gin Blossoms was the only concert I’ve ever gotten up and walked out of after 30 minutes. Horrible band live.
Adam Specer’s girlfriend: “ sweetie pie, for your birthday dinner, do you want Cracker Barrel or Applebee’s?!”
He’d pick Ruby Tuesday.
Oh no, we can tell from his awful taste in music that Adam Spencer is a basic b–ch. His only choice is Olive Garden, the most basic b–ch restaurant there is.
“His only choice is Olive Garden”
What about Golden Corral?
He’s a Mizzou grad, not a Hillbilly Vawl. Hahahahaha!
That’s the only bad thing about CoMo, it’s like the Chain Restaurant Capital of the world. It has a few good original pubs like Booches and Shakespear’s but that’s literally about it. Oh, and I’d put CoMo Smoke&Fire up against any KC BBQ. But overall it really lacks authenticity in it’s food choices.
When I first read the question Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers didn’t even enter my mind. REM. Done. But then I thought, wait, SEC town? UGA and FL play in Jacksonville at TWLOCP every year so it’s gotta be Lynyrd Skynyrd!
Bet Ronnie Van Zant found himself drunk in the parking lot of that game on at least one occasion. But yes, if you let Jacksonville into the discussion I would not disagree.
I’d agreed if Jacksonville counts. And in fairness the best thing Jacksonville has going for it is a college football game.
Eh, it’s a Navy town.
At one time the Jacksonville bar scene consisted of Lynard Skynard, 38 Special, Molly Hatchet, Alman Brothers and someone else …. maybe Blackfoot.
That must have been a great nightclub scene.
If so, it is long gone
By the 90s it was all about Club 5 there. When I went back a few years ago I knew I was old because the whole area was gentrified and the club itself was loft apartments.
FSU would be Creed. Creed is from Tallahassee.
Do the Hurricanes get 2 Live Crew?
or Vanilla Ice?
Gloria Estefan
Georgia’s #1 threat next year:
Schedule: Tennessee. By SEC standards, UGA schedule is cupcake city.
SECCG: I’d go with LSU over Bama but it’s close.
Recruiting: Bama
CFPs: Bama, Tennessee, or LSU. The other conferences can’t stack up no matter how much you overhype uscWest Blowgens, Oregono, Chokelahoma, OhioStankU, or Missedagain!
Nashville was the birthplace of Big and Rich, Diamond Rio, Lady Antebellum and a host of others. Not Tom Petty but not bad either.
Knoxville should be able to claim Dolly Parton (nearby Pidgeon Forge), far from a band but an incredible singer/songwriter.
Know what, You aren’t wrong on Dolly. But Nashville is like LA. Bands go there to get big.
Big and Rich?
Good Lord.
Country died with Waylon
On this we agree.
While I grew up with Garth and Shania, George Strait tried to keep the flame alive in the 90’s, but he was one man.
There’s Chris Stapleton today, and depending on how you feel about The Zack Brown Band, they’re around, too, though I think they have more in common with The Allman Brothers Band instead of being country.
But yeah, country is dead. It’s all awful, homogenized pop music now.
“Country died with Waylon”
No Merle?
As a generality, it’s just something people say, Ron.
I mean, Willie and Dolly are still alive and are still performing. So as long as they are, actual country music isn’t dead.
But when they go, all bets are off.
“I mean, Willie and Dolly are still alive and are still performing. So as long as they are, actual country music isn’t dead.”
Not many left that’s for da mn sure.
Long live Bro Country!
and Possum and Hag….
that George and Tammy miniseries Showtime did was pretty good by the way…..
Country was bad when they were trying to be hip hop country.
The last 3 years, there have been some great new artists emerge: Aaron Watson, Cody Johnson, Jon Wolfe, Josh Abbott Band, Randall King, Luke Combs, Josh Ward, etc
Will they replace Conway, Merle, George Jones, Johnny and Waylon…. man that’s a tough job. I think Aaron Watson is on a trajectory to be one of those guys though.
How’d you forget the Black Crowes? Petty is there. Hootie is a laughable and silly band no one really admits to listening to.
Surprised Darius Rucker left Hootie to go Country Music but I’m sad about it!
“How’d you forget the Black Crowes? ”
Black Crowe’s were from Atlanta.
Rumor has it that TCU’s favorite REM song is “Everybody Hurts”. But I’m not sure.
“It’s the end of the world as we know it.”
Johnny Tillotson…Uf Grad..started while there…best ever
Kind of difficult to rate any of those acts against those that have come out of Nashville over the years. After all, Elvis did bang out a few hundred songs there. I hear a few famous acts have come out of there since….
And in the interests of stirring the pot, Greg and Duane Allman are from the area as well.
That’s like calling LA a college town though.
Hootie & they blow fish? Ridiculous
Their bands weren’t necessarily formed in College Station but legends Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett graduated from Texas A&M, in ‘78 and ‘80, respectively, and actually lived near each other in the bar area north of campus, called Northgate. They would play with each other on their front porches, which is how they co-wrote The Front Porch Song.
I’m a little late to this, but Hootie over R.E.M.??
“It’s a Man Ray kind of sky … time and distance are out of place here.”