Play that funky music

Whether it's rap, country or pop music they're listening to, teen-age fans know what they like and usually can tell you why.

Some bands are hot today and not tomorrow, but that might have more to do with fickle fans than with musical ability.

The Southeast Missourian asked area students to make some predictions about who might walk away with a Grammy award Wednesday. The ceremony will air locally at 7 p.m. on KFVS.

Lisa Lane, an eighth-grade student at Central Junior High School, couldn't pick one single song or artist as her favorite.

"I listen to a lot of stuff," she said.

And she's listening often -- "whenever I'm in the car or talking on the phone," she said. She even sleeps with the radio playing in the background.

J.D. Mungle, also a student at Central Junior High, even has a CD player in his backpack so he can listen to music wherever he goes.

If he were voting, Mungle would pick Alicia Keys' "Fallin'" as Record of the Year. Scott Dunaway agreed. "I just like her song."

But Album of the Year would have to go to the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, Mungle said.

"I've seen the movie six times, and it was killer," he said.

Michelle Noland said, "Everybody knows the songs," which could give the soundtrack an advantage.

The students couldn't reach any consensus about who should get the Best New Artist award. Nelly Furtado was a favorite, as was Alicia Keys and Linkin Park.

But as John Kipper said, he's more into rock now than any other type of music.

Janet Jackson was the favorite for best female vocal performance while Michael Jackson took the predictions for best male vocal performance.

Katie Beussink, a student at Notre Dame Regional High School, was pretty confident in her choices for Grammy winners. "I think they're pretty close," she said.

She chose Faith Hill for best female vocal performance and Craig David's "Fill Me In" as best male vocalist.

Beussink admits she listens more to pop music than any other kind, and usually the top 40 hits that play on the radio.

She's also a frequent consumer of CDs, buying a couple each month, based on what's popular on the radio.

Something for everyone

Musical tastes vary from punk, rap, rock and pop to country, so the Grammys offer something for nearly every fan.

The last compact disc Mungle bought was the soundtrack to the "O Brother" film. For Lee Thomas it was "Celebrity" by 'N Sync and Noland last purchased an album by country artist Kenny Chesney.

Thomas takes some teasing from her friends because she prefers the boy band 'N Sync, but she doesn't mind. "They like their music and come out and you can tell that they love what they're doing," she said.

She isn't such a fan of Britney Spears, more because of her personality than her music though. "I just think she exposes too much and she's not a good influence to young girls," Thomas said.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126