Murfreesboro's 5 Best
(Current or Past)

1.) Recordings

2.) Bass Players

3.) Guitar Players

4.) Drummers

5.) Pianists

6.) Singers

Self/Matt Mahaffey/Other 'members' of Self would be in, and often high in, every category.

I will have to vehemently disagree with you there Mrs. (or is it Mr?) Carroll. But I suppose we should closely examine the talent pool we're dealing with here. Who the hell else is going to end up on a list like that? Members of the Fluid Ounces? Give me members of Slack and Glossary. However, I think the Features win out on all fronts.

I don't really, I suppose, have the in-depth knowledge of the Murfreesboro music scene to properly reply to this poll.  I could probably count all of the Murfreesboro bands that I am really familiar with on 2 hands.  Having said that, I am still confidant of what I posted above.  However, that doesn't mean that I don't think that the Features don't belong in these top fives as well.  I figured it would be stating the obvious to list them.  They are the best band ever from Murfreesboro, and one of the best bands in America right now, so, yeah, I guess they would be in any sort of Murfreesboro top 5.

I think the features are the best band in America right now and have been since the pumpkins broke up. I think it's obvious they're the best band to ever come out of Murfreesboro but I'd be willing to expand that to Middle Tennessee unless I'm forgetting someone (i'll have to exclude country music since it's kinda 'apples and oranges'). Have you ever watched the band taking the stage right after the features get done playing? They look like they want to crawl in a hole and die (and whenever they start playing, I often feel the same way).

oh i get it murph, yer name is a pun. nice!

best of the boro...............

self
the features
fluid ounces
spike and mallets
basementality
feeble weiner

hell yeah, the wein rock me, as do the slack. the greatest should-have-been band is the roger dabbs all bass orchestra.

spike & mallets are like a mallet driving spikes into my eardrums...gave it a chance, can't stand it. but two thumbs up for the R.D.A.B.O!

Yes. Spike and Mallets are shit.

I'd actually thought of this a long time ago. I think that the Features and Fluid Ounces can write the best damn songs of any of them (my humble opinion), but as far as just straight musicianship and ability to play instruments, the members of Self have a lot up on the rest. (I may get attacked for it, but I don't think Matt Pelham is that great of a guitar player--he plays what he does very well, but it's got no technical flavor).

So, in answer to the questions originally posted, I'd say

2. Jason Dietz
3. Mike Mahaffey
4. Matt Mahaffey
5. Chris James
6. Seth Timbs

I agree. While Rollum's drumming and Matt's songwriting ability are superior, I've always thought the rest was 'above average'.

In defense of Matt Pelham I would like to say that he is one the best rhythm guitarists I've ever seen. As someone who tired of guitar solos years ago, I'm much more impressed by people who can really help drive a rhythm section. I've seen lots of people who can wank but can't keep up with a band to save their lives. Hats off. Also, Rollum is a god of a drummer. Anyone who can leave dots in the middle of his drumheads from hitting them in the same place over and over needs a monument erected in his honor.

When I go back and read that post, it didn't really come out the way I meant. I think Roger, Matt, and Parrish are all good musicians. I just think that the songwriting and drumming are the best parts of the band.

Roger is, in all seriousness, one of my favorite bass players ever. The songwriting is fantastic, but I think that the rythym section is really what makes the Features great. I'll take Rollum & Roger over just about any rythym section anywhere.

I'll have to back up jamie on this one. I think Roger is a bitchin' bassist. He and Rollum are very locked in with one another. However, as is the case with any good band, I think if you remove any of the ingredients the stew is altered to its own detriment. Despite how good Matt's songs might be, if you take them out of the context of what the band does with them they might be kind of uninteresting. I wouldn't know as I've never heard them 'unplugged.' If Rollum didn't have a bassist that could keep up with him the whole damn shithouse would come crumbling to the ground. And if I could imagine a world in which Parrish Yaw did not exist to add the bells and whistles, we might just have a power-pop band on our hands. Also, I don't think anyone has addressed the issue of Matt Pelham's voice which, were it not so unique and uber-cool, we would be without yet another piece of the unique chemistry that is the patented Features sound (god bless david thomas). I don't think it is fair to donwplay anyone's contributions to this unique and amazing Feature-creature.

I completely agree that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts- and it's evidenced anytime any one of them gets lost due to technical difficulties, etc. Suddenly they seem like just another ok band instead of the best band in the land...