Buckley.

I was randomly surfing just now and was thinking about this artist, Brian McSweeney. He used to be in this band called Seven Day Jesus. After they broke up, he had a 5-song demo or something out. They used to play it on college radio. Sadly, I never had a copy of it. In effort to possibly find something on this demo, per chance to buy the download or something, I came across an "exit interview" with Brian McSweeney - written just after 7Day had officially broken up. Here's a clip.
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we paint a picture just for the beauty. I'll write a song for the beauty. (To) no other living thing did God give that gift. I mean, (take for example) dogs…you can teach them to open a door, only to get to the food that's on the other side. You can teach them to do something only for something else. But why do you paint a picture? Just for enjoyment. I want to do that. I want to create music. I want to give back to music what music has given me. I want to be that Jeff Buckley."

"You ever heard of Jeff Buckley?" Brian continues in a rush of words and emotion. "He was a general market artist. He was a singer-songwriter who was the most intense, passionate person. He died last year. He drowned last year at age 30. He was on Columbia Records. He was a crooner. He was a chanteuse, like just a romance, love song kind of (singer), playing coffeeshops in New York City with his guitar; just an original. He was amazing. And that's what I want to be like. I want to be a singer-songwriter that's passionate about my relationship with God, about my wife, about whatever; just about life. Because there's so many things in life that are beautiful to be thankful for."
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Lately I've been listening to a lot of Jeff Buckley. He had this raw and original way of expressing himself in music and it just inspires me. Everytime my ipod shuffle turns to a Buckley song, I never skip it. It just seems to lure me in... no matter what mood of music I feel like. His vocals are amazing. He's unconventional. He breaks rules. I wish I could've heard him live. But back then, I listened to music that I could put in a box, so to speak. If it had a strict rhythm and chord progression... if I could break it down halfway through the song in my head and be able to predict even the lyrics, that was the type of music I listened to.
Thinking back, I hate some of the music I loved then. And I know for sure that I love some of the music that I would've despised then. Like Bright Eyes. I LOVE Bright Eyes. But the High-School Becca would've totally moaned over Conor Oberst's wavering voice and imperfect rhyme schemes.

One great thing about getting older: Your taste gets better.