Albums That Changed My Life: Jimmy Stadt (Polar Bear Club)
This week's "Albums That Changed My Life" contributor is none other than Jimmy Stadt of Polar Bear Club!The band are currently touring across the country on the Glamour Kills Tour alongside The Wonder Years and then will be spending the summer on this year's Warped Tour.
Rage Against The Machine - S/TThis record came into my life when I was about 15 years old. Months earlier my Uncle had given me an old bass guitar that he was throwing away and that I wanted because I liked the design on the pickguard. I had no idea how to play guitar but when my older sister’s friend got me into this album I would pick up this old bass guitar and alone in my room, pretend to be playing in this band. The guitar and bass tones were so fat and heavy; I really felt it in my bones. It exposed me to rock music and really sparked the notion that I could be in a band.
Pennywise - Unknown RoadI will never be able to describe to you the experience of hearing this record for the first time. I barely knew what punk rock was or sounded like but when the guitar comes in on the first track, it floored me. I had no idea rock could be fast. It was socially themed like Rage and aggressive like Rage but it had an unrelenting drive to it that I would later discover in the band’s own influences but hearing this record for the first time was like waking a sleeping giant. I was ready to just thrash, all day.
The Replacements - TimI only really started listening to this record/band a couple years ago but I think everyone has the time in his or her life where they “discover” the Replacements and I’m jealous of people who have yet to do so. This isn’t the best Replacements album in my opinion but it has the best Replacements songs on it, “Bastards of Young” and “Here Comes a Regular” as well as a lot of other great ones. Me and “Tim” met at a just the right time in my life where I knew I needed something out of this world that I couldn’t quite define and little did I know that Paul Westerberg felt the same way. Love this record.
The Weakerthans - Left and LeavingWe’ve repped this band a lot in recent years. There isn’t much to say that hasn’t been said but this band on this record was the second show I ever saw. It was in a packed VFW hall in Rochester and I didn’t realize it was possible to sound they way these guys did and say the things Samson says with music. Tender, eloquent and funny, when you break this record down there’s nothing ground-breaking about it but still, there has been and never will be anything like “Left and Leaving”.
