Music for Shredding // Pt. 2

To see part 1, click here.

For a playlist of songs, click here.

In the last “Music for Shredding” post, I threw out some suggestions for what to listen to if you just want to vibe out, cruise a little and shred. Nothing too intense in that post. This time it’s different. Last time I broke my playlist into two general categories: “Cruising It,” and “Pushing It.” These songs are…

For When You’re Pushing It..

Music is my favorite way to get into “the zone.” It helps me quiet the parts of my brain that second guess, throw up doubts, and generally cause hesitation. For when I’m pushing my own limits, I like to listen to something heavier and driving. Probably my favorite band along those lines is Rage Against the Machine. I love funk. I love it so much. So, Rage is up there on my list.

This song is called Wake Up, from RATM’s self-titled debut. I love the funkiness of the guitar riff. The rapping over top adds to the funky drive of the song. I can lose myself grooving to this easily, which is exactly why it’s the perfect song for getting in “the zone” and shredding hard. Other RATM songs on my playlist are Sleep Now In The Fire and Bombtrack.

Another less known, but still kick-ass band is Radio Moscow..

These guys are sick. I think I found them on Pandora a while back. They’ve got a fast and driving type of psychedelic rock going on and I really like it. The song above, Hold On Me, is off their album Brain Cycles. Rancho Tehama Airport is a great track from their most recent album, Magical Dirt.

Middle Class Rut is an amazing band I first heard on an old radio station in the NYC area called 101.9 WRXP. They’ve got a pretty hard style of rock, but they do have some mellower songs as well. Dead End (above) is a great track, but these guys have so many more. Leech and Sad To Know are two tracks that are definitely worth checking out.

This song, called Burnin’ In, is by a band called Spirit Caravan. This group has a more guitar driven hard rock sound. I think this track was released in 1999 but I found it the other day and I think it still rocks. Another good song by them is Dreamwheel. If you want even more to listen to, Them Crooked Vultures is a ridiculous super group made up of John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl, and Josh Homme. What a combo. Check out Scumbag Blues. Another band worth looking into is The Dead Weather. This is actually a Jack White side project, but they have quite a different, interesting sound compared to his other bands. Treat Me Like Your Mother is a great song.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I will add songs to the playlist sometimes that aren’t in any of the posts, so keep an eye on it.

Now go shred.