Radiohead inspires awe in its faithful

By Jay Cridlin, Times Staff Writer
In print: Thursday, May 1, 2008

Lead vocalist Thom Yorke of Radiohead
	[Associated Press]

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What can you say about Radiohead that hasn't already been said a thousand times over? • Rock revolutionaries, the most influential band of their generation, possibly the greatest band on earth — and music industry mutineers to boot. Who else could release an album, charging whatever you feel like paying online, then sit back and watch the traditional version of the same album debut at No. 1 three months later? • For bay area fans, the news that Radiohead's current tour would bring them here for the first time since 1995 was unquestionably A Big Deal. • It's yet another mark of the band's brilliance that so many of those fans are musicians themselves. • Why does Radiohead still mean so much to so many? That's the question we posed to some of Tampa Bay's finest musicians, all of whom will be in the crowd Tuesday night.

Jay Cridlin, Times staff writer

Chris Peters, 18, Odessa

Band: Hat Trick Heroes

Where he's sitting: Section 7, Row AA, Seats 10, 11 and 12 (with bandmates Mikey and Santino Rumore)

Why he's going: "I've always, always wanted to see Radiohead live. You have no idea how much I listen to them; I listen to them probably every day. There's just something about their music — they do something that no other band before or after them has been able to do. They can convey a certain emotion and feeling by using these weird sounds and melodies and moods. . . . For me, the biggest thing is, all of Thom Yorke's melodies are creepy, minor-key melodies that kind of float over the song. When I write music, I try to emulate that — but not to the point where we sound like Radiohead. It happens all the time when we're writing music. We'll be like, 'Aw, that kind of sounds like Radiohead!' 'Yes! That's a good thing!' "

Mat Bowman, 33, Tampa

Band: Jarvik 7

Where he's sitting: Section 14, Row EE, Seat 29

Why he's going: "Every record they put out is completely different than the one prior. They just do what they want to do, instead of putting out the same album over and over again, like a lot of bands. . . . When I heard Paranoid Android from OK Computer, that song blew me away. Paranoid Android is almost three songs in one. It starts with a cool beat and cool words, and then it just takes off and flies back down. It's hard to explain, but the way it comes into that lush sound, then kicks right back into the rock 'n' roll again? That's pretty cool."

Doug Fender, 35, Tampa

Band: Red Room Cinema

Where he's sitting: The lawn

Why he's going: “OK Computer really changed a lot for me, musically. . . .The first time I heard it, I could tell it was an instant classic. The music, combined with Thom's voice, is pretty; it can be haunting and eerie at times; it can be loud and chaotic at times. . . . When In Rainbows came out, I was right back (into Radiohead). I really like the artists' perspective on how they released it . . . I paid full price for the album when it came out."

Dean Johanesen, 35, Bradenton

Band: The Human Condition

Where he's sitting: Section 7, Row D, Seat 17

Why he's going: " I saw them in West Palm the last time they came around, and I was just amazed. As a musician, you get so used to the standard chord progressions and regular melodies that it's nice when somebody branches out, breaks all the rules, and still makes it work. It doesn't seem like they're trying to do something different; it seems like that's just what they do."

Adam Husarek, 25, Thonotosassa

Band: Lush Progress

Where he's sitting: Section 12, Row CC, Seat 33

Why he's going: "There are so many Radiohead songs that I wish I wrote. . . . Actually, one of my favorite Radiohead tunes is one of their less-popular songs, a tune called Climbing Up the Walls off OK Computer. That's a brilliant song. It's just so creepy. It has this darkness to it that's not cliched; it just captures this really eerie, weird mood. I think that's one of the greatest achievements that any artist or musician can make, is capturing a unique emotion that someone else has yet to capture."