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I Feel Like A Dinosaur
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
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I was out raking/blowing leaves this weekend and had the noise cancelling headphones with radio on. I live in the country so the reception is crap and because it was sunny and clear, the only radio station that came in was hip hop or what ever it's called. "Fifth Harmony" genre. I was gobsmacked at the multi-track magic I heard. I'm 65 and I was dancing like a damned fool to the stations music. New respect for these young musicians I have up until now ignored.
Actually the main reason I stayed away from new music was the older gangsta rap with all of the crude lyrics. I shut it off and filed it away as a no go and snuggled up with my 60's and 70's prog., and top 40. Now after doing a little research on some of groups I listened to, I'm finding that quite a few lyrical messages from these artists are about paying attention to humanity and doing something constructive about it and healing the past wounds we have inflicted on ourselves. Kudos to you kids!
You can play on my lawn now. (but don't pick the flowers)
I'll be listening to you.
Actually the main reason I stayed away from new music was the older gangsta rap with all of the crude lyrics. I shut it off and filed it away as a no go and snuggled up with my 60's and 70's prog., and top 40. Now after doing a little research on some of groups I listened to, I'm finding that quite a few lyrical messages from these artists are about paying attention to humanity and doing something constructive about it and healing the past wounds we have inflicted on ourselves. Kudos to you kids!
You can play on my lawn now. (but don't pick the flowers)
I'll be listening to you.
I have a 23-year-old son who is big into music of all years and genres. He and I talk a lot about music, and he's turned me on to some interesting contemporary stuff. Conversely, I've directed him to some of the lesser known blues and rock artists. He loves Nina Simone for example, and a couple of weeks ago we watched the Jaco documentary together.
Music is music. Styles come and go. My biggest complaint about a lot of contemporary popular music is that seems to have forgotten melody and harmony, in favor of rhythm. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
My son enjoys rap, and I've tried to listen to it several times. The new Tribe Called Quest album is pretty good. But there's just too much of the n-word and the f-bomb for me. Whenever I'm finished listening to rap, I feel like someone's just pummeled my face.
Guess that makes me a dinosaur, too.
Music is music. Styles come and go. My biggest complaint about a lot of contemporary popular music is that seems to have forgotten melody and harmony, in favor of rhythm. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
My son enjoys rap, and I've tried to listen to it several times. The new Tribe Called Quest album is pretty good. But there's just too much of the n-word and the f-bomb for me. Whenever I'm finished listening to rap, I feel like someone's just pummeled my face.
Guess that makes me a dinosaur, too.
I know the feeling. Most of the Musicians/Bands I like are either retired or dead. And IMO, other than a few random songs, nothing modern is worth listening to
There are bands out there. Give me an example of what you like from back in the day and I'll do my best to find ya something comparable. Key word comparable. I'd rather hear a new band highly influenced by the past than something of the other.
I for one still have hope for some of the young guard that will take over after my bones are dust
( Thurs of next week, I think
( Thurs of next week, I think
I seriously don't care about being contemporary. I am passionate about 80s music and still finding NOS stuff from that era. I dig a lot of 90s alternative too. For me, that's the last stuff that got me excited about music. The newer stuff I hear my kids listening to doesn't do much for me. Mainstream music is not for me. I do look for new music that sounds like old stuff. Those bands exist in the underground fortunately.
I will say that I've been very impressed with the music some of the Berklee School of Music kids are doing on their YouTube channel. Some seriously good music with real musicians!
I'm 50 and own that sh*t! I'm a dinosaur and my fave cartoon is STILL The Flintstones so go figure! LOL
I will say that I've been very impressed with the music some of the Berklee School of Music kids are doing on their YouTube channel. Some seriously good music with real musicians!
I'm 50 and own that sh*t! I'm a dinosaur and my fave cartoon is STILL The Flintstones so go figure!
LOL
It's easy to come to the conclusion that "old music was great, new stuff sucks." That's because we only listen to the old stuff that was, in fact, great. There was a ton of "old stuff" that sucked and nobody remembers it because it quickly disappeared from radio and record bins, and then when the music transitioned to digital formats, it was never re-released on CD. Why? Because it sucked.
So what we're left with is a legacy of incredibly fantastic music that was recorded during a period of four decades. All the dross got sifted out long ago, and what's left is gold.
The new music hasn't had time yet to go through that process. We're still hearing 10 bad songs for every one that's worth a second listen.
I feel fortunate because my musical foundation is blues. It's the element I'm attracted to in music and it's usually there, somewhere, in every musical style that comes along, if you look for it. And there are frequent revivals. A band like the Black Keys comes along and gives me a new lease on life. Bruno Mars comes along and suddenly all the kids are funking it up again. I don't need or want for music to be static, so long as I can find familiar old elements in the new collage.
So what we're left with is a legacy of incredibly fantastic music that was recorded during a period of four decades. All the dross got sifted out long ago, and what's left is gold.
The new music hasn't had time yet to go through that process. We're still hearing 10 bad songs for every one that's worth a second listen.
I feel fortunate because my musical foundation is blues. It's the element I'm attracted to in music and it's usually there, somewhere, in every musical style that comes along, if you look for it. And there are frequent revivals. A band like the Black Keys comes along and gives me a new lease on life. Bruno Mars comes along and suddenly all the kids are funking it up again. I don't need or want for music to be static, so long as I can find familiar old elements in the new collage.
- Jan 12, 2011
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- Artist, Trickfish Amplification Bartolini Emerging Artist, MTD Kingston Emerging Artist. Artist, Tsunami Cables
I grew up on Bootsy but Larry Graham changed my life forever. I'm Thumping and Plucking until the day I die. Slap has been attempted by Hundreds of Thousands of really just Un-funky players. You have to be funky anyway to Slap and Slap well. To add Slap has been subject to the opinion of many for whom it has no bearing or history or importance. Many folk follow trends and thus a big general opinion gets formed. Just so happens for some reason Slap has been subject to that "thing". I was recently in a Band where the Band leader too said Slap was passe'. So what did I do? I slapped more ahahahahah!!! The youger generation is just that. They have their own thing. To me it just feels different and I just take it that I'm Old, like my Old Music, and will just enjoy playing my Old Music. At 60 I'm not looking to do anything in the Industry anyway. Even if your chops and concepts are current you're (meaning me) not getting that Gig with Lady GaGa or some new Big Act cause you're Old. As far as I know Marcus is a Millionaire so Slap can be considered passe' by the masses but it's putting Food on his table. Then Larry Graham is still active, Wojtek Plichowski, Mark King and even some of the older Funk Groups who are having a second life. My point. You're correct that it's considered passe' by many or even most but not all. There's still a few of us old Funk Monsters around who still slap and slap well. I'm transitioning from a regularly playing Cat to a respected Old Head and carry myself that way. I look at myself as a Consultant to the current Local Young Lions. They are always asking me questions about gear, who's who, how do i still do what I do. I'm still very active behind the scenes. And the thought of having to play a 3-4 hr local low paying gig just hurts. I still do award ceremonies, weddings, anniversary and birthday parties and private affairs as well as local studio sessions despite being a dinosaur. I'm playing till it's over and going down swinging and slapping
- Jan 12, 2011
- 4,578
- 2,460
- Disclosures
- Artist, Trickfish Amplification Bartolini Emerging Artist, MTD Kingston Emerging Artist. Artist, Tsunami Cables
As long as I can listen to Friends by Shalamar, Turn me out by the Whispers, Dynsasty, Cameo, Confunkshun etc. I'm good
I nominate Doc for President of the TB dinosaur club, all us old guys need a home.
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Fools have said "nothing modern is worth listening to" untold times over throughout history as styles changed, and changed, and changed. Fixating on a single point in musical history is dismissing all of the rich musical heritage that came before, while arrogantly assuming that this time it really is the best so there's no point in moving forward. Context and perspective expose statements like "nothing modern is worth listening to" for the lazy thinking that they are. This kind of stagnant thinking is counter-intuitive to any art form.
OK, you will all think that I am trying to derail this thread, but have any of you ever heard this album before? You have to give it some time, because it is bat-poopie crazy. Just got re-connected to it recently.
So, the question is, why is this music bad/different vs/ why modern pop/rap is bad/different? I can live with both!
Friends > Marc Cohen Copland, John Abercrombie, Clint Houston, Jeff Williams
So, the question is, why is this music bad/different vs/ why modern pop/rap is bad/different? I can live with both!
Friends > Marc Cohen Copland, John Abercrombie, Clint Houston, Jeff Williams
It's a good thing there are a bazillion independent bands distributing their music on Spotify and Apple Music now. I can still find stuff I like, and new bands recording it.
I notice my taste moving back in the heavy rock direction lately, since that music is still sort of minimally produced and sounds like people playing their instruments. Stuff like Manchester Orchestra and Silversun Pickups. To your point, though, there is almost no eccentric bass playing in any of it.
I will always dig mellow-ish straight ahead jazz, especially trio music or quartets where the horn is a trumpet. There's a bunch of that happening in Norway, Sweden, Amsterdam, and NYC these days. I can't get to all of it.
I notice my taste moving back in the heavy rock direction lately, since that music is still sort of minimally produced and sounds like people playing their instruments. Stuff like Manchester Orchestra and Silversun Pickups. To your point, though, there is almost no eccentric bass playing in any of it.
I will always dig mellow-ish straight ahead jazz, especially trio music or quartets where the horn is a trumpet. There's a bunch of that happening in Norway, Sweden, Amsterdam, and NYC these days. I can't get to all of it.
It's almost impossible to not like Bruno Mars; his music is so totally inoffensive. But also totally derivative, as I'm sure even he would agree. You can listen to the first 16 bars of any of his tunes and name the artist he's copping. I think it's deliberately his play; his songs sound instantly familiar to people and so people adopt them very quickly.
Lenny Kravitz did that too; there's nothing wrong with it, but as you say it's not moving anything forward.
