Despite my username, I enjoy lots of varied music and genres. Rockabilly and blues just happen to be the first 2 styles I became seriously passionate about, but I alove enjoy loads of R&B/soul/funk/disco, new wave, post-punk, synthpop, jazz (just about all iterations, but primarI'll dixieland, stride piano, swing, bebop, soul, Latin, cool, and hard bop), ska revival/reggae/dub/rocksteady, early traditional American pop (1900s-1920s), glam rock (NOT to be confused with glam metal, although there are some merit able acts in that idiom - early Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, the Scorpions), Broadway/Great American Songbook/Tin Pan Alley, and film soundtracks. I also enjoy some country+western, opera, classical, rap/hip-hop, metal, and non-English singers (Edith Piaf is a goddess!). About the only styles I absolutely detest are folk/folk rock/Celtic music (except The Pogues, who at least had a varied enough musical background to balance out their Celtic-heavy material), singer/songwriter, screamo metal, noise, gangsta rap, hardcore punk, bluegrass (except Bill Monroe, the only musically valid practitioner of that regressive form), and psychedelic/jam band shit (excluding Pink Floyd and a couple of others). If it's heavy on piano, saxophone, trumpet, harmonica, synths, drums/drum machines, clarinet, bass, and/or vibraphones, I'll dig it.

I value music for, what else, the music! Lyrics, unless they're witty, sophisticated, or humorous, hold no appeal to me. Words are not music, and as such I do not evaluate music for lyrical meaning/depth. We already have real literature to critique anyway. I may not know how to read music, but I can identify a solid rhythm, danceable beat, strong interplay/cooperation among musicians, and a nice solo. I don't demand absolute virtuosity, but the music must at least have some oomph or strength.

I absolutely detest any music where sociopolitical messages at the forefront. I firmly believe that music should be created for the sake of music. I enjoy music with or without lyrics and vocals, but if I had to choose one or the other, instrumental music would be my preference. We can already learn about current events and history by digesting them through the proper sources, be it history books, documentaries, news broadcasts, or newspapers (as long as they don't have a pronounced slant toward any end of the political spectrum).

I'm also a super-passionate film fan. Primarily a horror/sci-fi/fantasy/comedy/animation/action/thriller person. I'll watch anything as long as it isn't Micha el Bay fodder, Woody Allen "comedies", talky dramas, mockumentaries, Judd Apatow crap, or pseudo-intellectual, "arthouse" nonsense.