Defining Five: Aaron Craker, Shane O’Bryan, Charlotte Boyd and Chad Thomas discuss songs that have had an impact on them

Defining Five is a series at Haymarket Whiskey Bar, during which, each month, four people from the Louisville music community pick five songs that have moved, inspired or impacted them, and then they play them during a DJ set. After each event, LEO Weekly will publish an interview with all five to provide context as to why each song was selected. (Stay tuned to Haymarket’s Facebook page for updates.)

Aaron Craker (Frederick The Younger)

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana from the album Nevermind “I was in fifth grade. It was one of those songs that I remembered where I was when I heard it. I guess up until that point I wasn’t really into music. But I remember being in the car with my sister and my mom, and it came on the radio, and I just remember exactly where I was when I heard it, and I was like … ‘This is what music is.’”
“Tired of Sex” by Weezer  from the album Pinkerton  “I don’t really know why, but I just love this album. I love the songwriting, and I love how Rivers Cuomo — he doesn’t moan all sexy like Eddie Vedder — he just squawks. It’s just a great album.”
“Exit Music” Radiohead from the album Ok Computer  “I remember that Ok Computer was just really out of left field at the time. I listened to that album repeatedly for a year, especially this song.”
“Oh Well, Ok” by Elliot Smith  from the album XO “His songwriting is completely on a different level than anyone else that I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“Girl” The Beatles from the album Rubber Soul “I think if it wasn’t for the Beatles, I never would have started playing piano. I learned ‘Sexy Sadi’ on the piano, and then I decided to major in piano, so I was a music major.”

Shane O’Bryan (Vodoo Economics)

“Date with Ikea” by Pavement  from the album Brighten the Corners “The artist that I’ve been compared to the most is Steve Malkmus, the lead singer and guitarist of Pavement. I really appreciate their whole attitude toward music — he really doesn’t have a good singing voice, but he still makes it work. Which is why I feel I compare to him — I don’t have a great voice, but I try to make up for that with my lyrics, which is what Steve Malkmus does.”
“Pink Triangle” by Weezer from the album Pinkerton  “I’m not a huge Weezer fan, but the album Pinkerton is in my top 10, ever. I love the droning guitar. I love the lyrics. That album is unbelievably-genius lyric-wise.”
“Mr. Grieves” by Pixies  from the album Doolittle  “Maybe my favorite album of all time. It’s definitely up there. I love their energy and strangeness. I love people that can write songs that don’t fit that verse-chorus-verse-chorus thing — they’re weird and abstract as songwriters.”
“Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley  from the album Grace  “I figured that I would choose one love song. I’m not a big love-song guy, but that album, that song in particular, is the realest, truest explanation of love in my opinion — a true feeling of loss that he expresses. Every time I listen to that album I find something new in it.”
“Slow Country” by Gorillaz  from the album Gorillaz  “When it comes to my style of songwriting, I’m all about the word play. I’m all about counting syllables, making everything line up — almost like a hip-hop style. So Gorillaz was my foundation of hip-hop — I love the hip-hop on it, I love the catchy chorus’.”

Charlotte Boyd (Yoga Instructor / Vocalist)

“Cry The Mountains White” by Dayle Stanley from the album “Cry The Mountains White” “It’s just a wonky American folk album with incredible female vocals. It reminds me of being little and whimsical.”
“Sugar Magnolia” by The Grateful Dead  from the album American Beauty  “My dad’s family plays music together, and, every summer on Cape Cod, that is one of the songs that they play, ever since I was a child. ‘Sugar Magnolia’ just reminds me of family, being together, summertime.”
“Bogoroditse Devo” by Rachmaninoff
“It’s a very old choral piece. I sang it in high school. I wanted to choose something from my choral singing days — that’s kind of how I got my start and interest in music. That one is beautiful and sad and simple.”

“No Intention” by Dirty Projectors  from the album “Bitte Orca” “I choose that because that was sort of my first introduction to what I would label as vocal intricacies making themselves present in rock music that I had never heard before. That band and that album mean a lot to me, because it helped me find my interest in singing choral music within my love of rock music, which had never been connected in that way, and that continues to make it self present in other albums and bands, but that was the first occurrence of that for me.”
“I’m From Nowhere” by Neko Case  from the album “The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight…” “She’s my favorite. She’s an idol. She’s a powerful woman, an amazing musician, an amazing vocalist, an amazing lyricist. That’s one of my favorite songs of hers.”

Chad Thomas (Producer of the 48 Hour Film Project)

“Plainsong” by The Cure from the album Disintegration “I remember writing a short story on that song while I was in high school, so that one was pretty obvious.”
“Babies” Pulp from the album His ’N’ Hers “I know a lot of people like ‘Common People’ — that’s the favorite that. But ‘Babies’ is their masterwork — I think it’s the best song they have ever done.”
“Freaks of the Industry” by Digital Underground  from the album Sex Packets “I’m probably more known for the ‘The Humpty Dance’ — I did it at Lebowski Fest a few years back some years back. Everybody’s heard it. No one needs to hear it again. ‘Freaks of the Industry,’ great song and Money-B is an underrated talent in the history of hip-hop.”
“Nick Cave Dolls” by Bongwater  from the album The Power of Pussy  “Bongwater was one of those great modern psychedelic bands. The lead singer is Ann Magnuson, who is an actress. They had a falling out where she ended up suing the label owner, and it cost him his record label. Lots of animosity and hatred for a longtime. But, when they were together, they made awesome fucking records.”
“Gustavo” Mark Kozelek & Jimmy Lavalle  from the album Perils from the Sea “That was the first time that I had ever heard Mark sing over top of non-guitar oriented stuff. It’s an electronic album. I have been a fan of his forever, and it’s unlike anything that I have ever heard from him before.”

This article appears in August 17, 2016.