The No.1 website for musicians
It's a US election music special!
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 4 Nov 2008, 9:51 am GMT
As America's voters decide today on their next president in either John McCain or Barack Obama, MusicRadar has decided to cut through the guff of celebrity endorsements and get to what really matters: the music.
Many musicians have their own views on who is the best candidate and what they each think of Republican and Democratic policies.
But MusicRadar has pointed a laser beam on perhaps the single most pressing issue of this campaign season (to us, anyway): If McCain and Obama had house bands of their muso supporters to play at their inauguration, which would really freakin' rock?
With political prejudice put to one side, we're concentrating on musical and performance chops rather than those of a pork-belly variety.
So here's MusicRadar's special. We've studied the stars' allegiances, auditioned the players (on paper and YouTube, at least), and built our perfect lineups of McCain and Obama 'bands'.

Band: The McCainiacs
Song: Ain't That McCain (to the tune Ain't That A Shame)

With Raisin McCain, country star John Rich has written one of the most explicit support songs for Vietnam veteran McCain.
"He stayed strong, stayed extra long
'Til they let all the other boys out
Now we've got a real man with an American plan
We're going to put him in the big White House"
Heartfelt sentiments for sure, but should anyone rhyme 'out' with 'house'? Unless you want listeners to think of an outhouse? (MusicRadar rating) 2/5

She's a Redneck Woman who's more than happy to belt it out with the boys. 'Work hard, play harder' is her motto, even if the Black Crowes are suing her for copyright infringement. And as she showed at a Palin/McCain rally in Ohio, she can out-sing John Rich any day of the week.4/5

An "icon of rock'n'roll" according to McCain spokeman Tucker Bounds, perhaps the only thing hotter than "hardcore Republican" Perry's riffs is his very own brand of hot sauce, which the Boston guitarist can bring along to spice up the evening's menu. 4/5

McCain is an "American buffalo on a mission," according to our Ted and equally The Nuge is the McCain band's biggest attack dog. Not only could Ted perform dual leads with Joe Perry, but he'd be sure to bag a buffalo big enough to feed the party-hearty crowd. And if that weren't enough, the gun-toting Motor City Madman would provide additional Republican security, allowing a few Secret Service agents time to get down. 5/5