“5 Albums That Changed My Life” with Jesse Andrews (Emperors And Elephants)

There’s something to be said about working hard in the music industry and finally getting noticed. Emperors and Elephants, hailing from Chicago, IL, know a thing or two about this. Their work ethic, combined with a sound that may remind you of Alice In Chains or Chevelle, is a sound they can proudly call their own.

Vocalist Jesse Andrews from the band stopped by to tell us 5 albums that changed his life. Check them out after the jump, and be sure to catch the band at a show!

My top 5 albums that changed my life huh? Well if that’s not a loaded question I don’t know what is! It’s hard because there are so many chapters in a person’s life, so many different stages, and there are so many amazing albums. I know that I’ll leave one or two off that I’ll kick my myself later for not putting in here, but I’m gonna try not to just pigeon hole it to my youth. I’ll try and pick on from every chapter of my life. So here goes.

01. John Denver: Rocky Mountain Collection

Now I know this is a “best of” in some aspects, but it means the world to me. It was the first album I ever bought when I was 10 with my lawn mowing money. My mom was dealing with my teenage sister at the time who was obsessed with bands like Hanson and Backstreet Boys and I think she was shocked when she took me to Best Buy with $20 in my hands and I picked this. I listened to this album so much that both CD’s wore out years later. I credit John for teaching me how to sing, how to write a song and how to sing as if no one’s listening. He to this day for me has the most incredible natural tone I have ever heard. It breaks my heart that I’ll never get a chance to thank him so he most certainly will be on my list always.

02. Nirvana: Nevermind

Now I know this is somewhat “cliché” of me to say but I just don’t care. I was 14 the first time I heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and to this day I still remember what I was wearing, who I was with and the feeling I had when I opened my eyes. I mean colors were different, man it was as if the world itself had changed I had finally found a home, a flag I was willing to fight for! Filled with enough teen angst for 10 kids I went to my local Salvation Army bought as many flannels as I could afford, took sand paper to all my brand new jeans went and bought a pair of chucks. I grew my hair out and completely denounced showering! I was a smelly kid with long hair. I had a nirvana shirt for everyday of the week and no one “got me” and I loved it!

03. Pearl Jam: VS.

Ok so If John Denver taught me how to sing clear and Nirvana taught me how to wear your heart on your sleeve with the message your sending to your fans, then Pearl Jam showed me what it was like to be in a band with not a single weak link. They showed me what I wanted, a brotherhood, a family! I mean I almost put TEN on here, but I don’t think they were truly the band that taught me these things until this album. This album is just flawless. I mean from Jeff Aments bass line in “GO” to Eddie Vedder’s soul shattering performance closing the album out in “Indifference.” This band really were the ones that inspired me to not only start a band, but to learn how to play. To this day they are still my favorite band.

04. Blue October: Sway

Now we’re moving onto my adult life. This band was one of those bands that I always knew their name and I knew all the words to all their “hits”, but for some reason had kinda fallen off of my radar for years. Until I was talking to an old friend that I had recently reconnected with and who I’d always respected their taste in music and I asked what she’d been into lately. Without missing a beat she sent me a text that I think went something along the lines of “Jesse listen to the song “Sway” by blue October and you can thank me later” haha She couldn’t have been more right. From the moment I heard the opening to “Sway” I was hooked. It wasn’t like a normal “hey this is really good”, it was in my bones. It’s what I had been searching for so long! So of course I binge listened to the entire album that night not having felt this excited about the possibilities of music in so long! Blue October became the single most important band of my adult life! I honestly don’t know where I’d be without them in my life right now! I have since seen them a bunch of times! Even met them, shook their hands and told them how much they have meant to me! They are by far my biggest inspiration.

05. TOOL: Lateralus

This to me has always been and always will be the best album ever made to me. Not only is it one of my favorite bands but this is by far the most ambitious album anyone has ever made. From the album when rearranged making one full song to Maynard writing his lyrics in a fibonacci sequence using his syllables! There is just nothing like it and I honestly don’t think there ever will be. More often than not there are always weak links in a band or a stand out person who just bring the rest of the band up with them. But TOOL to me has always been the all-star team. The guys are all just the masters of the crafts they all just build on each other and bring so much to the table that the potential of this band is just kind of offensive haha. From start to finish this album is perfection.