East Coast vs. West Coast

My brother Greg and I were having an interesting discussion last week about the difference between East Coast and West Coast music, or, more specifically NY and Boston vs. LA and SF. I know that on the surface you might not see much of a difference. After all, both areas are metropolitan, overtly liberal and inundated with the same music. But, we were arguing that there is a difference in taste between East and West and we were able to kill the better part of an hour and a bottle of rum discussing it.

If I were a real writer I suppose I could research this topic and identify sales trends for various records before writing about it. But I'm not. And besides, it is more fun to be an asshole without a clue.

So, with nothing more than an opinion, here I go. I argue that the East is much more likely to like an artist who is an "artist", in quotes. For example, take Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, or more recently, the Strokes. Now, I know these guys all sell records on both coasts, but I'd bet lunch that sales per capita is much higher in the East Coast vs. West. Any objective listener would have to agree that all of these bands sound like crap. Poor recording quality, lousy vocals, dead simple song structure, and only a passing familiarity with their instruments. So what is it that makes them so appealing? They are artists. They may sound like crap, but they artists, and that sells records on the East Coast.

Now, about the West Coast. I should start by saying that I am not proud of what I'm about to say. It makes us left coasters look bad. But, what the hell. We are much more likely to be attracted to shiny happy and overproduced bands. We care about recording quality, vocals and musicianship. Unfortunately, most of these qualities are often associated with record label control. These are the type of bands that are dismissed immediately on the East Coast because they are not "artists", rather, they are products of consumer culture created in a hermetically sealed studio. So who fits this bill? Lenny Kravitz. Foo Fighters. Smashmouth (ugh!). Green Day.

Of course there are some bands that manage to sound good and retain their identity as artists and thereby manage to attract bi-coastal audiences. Who fits this bill? U2. ColdPlay. David Bowie.

Have I succeeded in my effort to offend everybody (except the South and the Midwest... I'll get to you soon)? What would you put on the quintessential East Coast List? West Coast List? Cross-over list?