Heavy Metal Time Machine: Being thankful, the music edition

I was going to list ten music related things that I am thankful for, but in my thinking I began to realize that some of these are people and some are things. So I will list five musical artists that I am thankful for and five other music related things that I am thankful for. Here are the artists

-Lemmy:The symbol of perseverance in music and I mean all music not just metal.

Kicked out of Hawkwind, he started Motorhead and began a style that was not real popular in the beginning. He has been through line-up changes, first album got shelved, label problems, health problems and all the changing music fads that have gone around him. Yet Motorhead kept going and continue to keep cranking out solid music.

-Jeff Scott Soto:His current position in Journey shows that hard work pays off. He has spent twenty years taking whatever gig he could to make a living and did a good job at whatever it was. He never grumbled and stayed the course building up a reputation as a great talent, a solid live performer and someone who was easy to work with.

-Celtic Frost: I am thankful that they proved that a band can do a comeback album and it not only be great, but actually break some ground. They released their first album in 15 years and it's probably the second or third best album of the year.

-Steve Vai: Actually he did an album last year and just toured a little this year.

However I came to the realization that he is a true guitar hero. He is not only talented and I have known that for twenty years. He is a guitar hero because he is not full of himself (like Yngwie), he doesn't rest completely on his past (like Eddie), he doesn't attempt styles that he can't handle (like George Lynch) yet he plays what he wants and it's always interesting.

-Iron Maiden: It's almost like the 1990's never happened for them. The last three albums have marked a new chapter for them and to me each album has been better than the one before it. They continue to progress yet be true to their past.

They are one of the few old guard metal bands still making music that's relevant.

Here are five other music related things I am thankful for:

-eBay: There are some poor sellers, but plenty of good ones too. You can get some things cheap and easier than years ago thanks to eBay.

-Vinyl still being made: I have not bought too many new albums in recent years, but I am glad that some bands still put their works out on vinyl. It is just such a great classic format that it's good to see it still around to some extent.

-Indie metal/hard rock music labels: Labels like Metal Mayhem, Perris, Escapi and Wounded Bird who are releasing and re-releasing a lot of hard rock and metal artists who are not going to get touched by the majors.

They also release quality products at fair prices. It's labels like these that help keep the scene alive.

-Metal news sites: Sites like Blabbermouth, Brave words and bloody knuckles and KNAC deliver news, reviews and more.

Remember how long it took to hear metal news when it was just magazines? It's great to read the news and keep up with stuff daily.

-Music bloggers: People who write music blogs, read them and comment on them help keep interest going.

It's great because it's being done for the love of the music and an interest in sharing and hearing the views of others.

That's what I am thankful for.

What are you thankful for?