Is Rock Dead?

[OptimalOptimus]

It is funny how Rock music has to be popular. Pop or not should never be important

Rock is so deluted that it taste nothing anymore. Rock is almost synonimous of music for some people

 

[QRanc]

We know the new rock, but we don't see it punching through.

Music, any music, is healthier* when it's not in the spotlight. Unfortunately if covering well known rock songs is your bread and butter, I see the dilemma.

*creatively speaking

 

[GBBSbassist]

..... and you totally missed the point by a mile.

Back then, WE didn't have to look for current music. It was all around being pushed to US... Concerts all the time... Radio stations blasting current rock....multiple stations.... Midnight Special on tv, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert on tv, record shops, cassettes, then CDs, etc....

Now, unless we want to be zombied out by Jiffy Pop Country all around us, or listen to some talking head blather about the latest bulltish, we have to actively try to find so-called 'new rock'...whatever that actually is...depending on who you talk to...on what day of the week...

I'm pretty sure I understood your point pretty clearly... New and exciting music doesn't just slap in the face unannounced like it did 40 years ago.

In other news, water is wet.

 

[rashrader]

I'm mad that I can only like this once.

Red Fang is awesome.

 

[BassGH]

Rock is not dead, and neither is Western swing, classical and big band. Not dead, but definitely not contemporary. Defined by people whose hayday was in other times.

 

[easyj]

I hope rock being mainstream is not dead. I hope it is on sabbatical leave.

I clearly remember when the polished and proficient hard rock/metal/hair bands lost their mainstream appeal in the early nineties. The media was even reporting that rock bands could not get airplay, due to the other types of music that were taking over at the time.

Then, the Seatle/Grunge movement came in and everything changed. Everybody took note. Rock was back and it was back solid. We did have to change our guitars from Pink Jacksons, back to Strats and Les Pauls, but we handled it. If any of the younger forum members are familiar with these genres of rock, just consider how different they are, and how drastic a change it was. It was profound. That was the degree of change required, at the time, to put rock back into the mainstream. I suggest, to the younger people here that are trying to make new rock: make a big change, make it something so new and fresh that the world has to acknowledge it.

 

[DJCalamari]

FWIW, the current genre that sounds to my ears most like what was called "Rock" in the mid-70's is modern country. I hear that it's pretty popular, but I'm too old school with country to muster the energy to give it a try.

This

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Consider that this is considered the 1st Rock‘n Roll song:



And Elvis was the considered the King of Rock, I’d say the definition has always been a moving target.

For my addled brain, I lump most music into these categories:

• Music I like
  
• Music I don't like

 

[easyj]

This

I have have several performing musician friends that will say:

Much of modern country is actually just classic rock.
The Black Crowes are actually just classic rock.

....and I am pretty sure they will soon be saying that Greta Van Fleet are classic rock.

Or maybe we can call it Neo-classic rock. New music that created in the classic rock style. There's nothing wrong with any of it, but it's not a new style of rock. We put some classic rock in our set list and this other stuff could be swapped in place of it and it would technically be the same type of music.

 

[BergerHead]

Kingdom Clone!

The band was rather disliked in Europe for its plagiarist manner, way to close to the original; we named them bad-fully the Condom Kings.

 

[higain617]

Creed isn't going anymore, but Scott Stapp has had success marketing his own line of chest oils.

 

[BergerHead]

Creed isn't going anymore, but Scott Stapp has had success marketing his own line of chest oils.

Creed has become one of my absolute faves, they gave Prog a new meaning!

 

[Gravel Gertie]

I also thing a big part of the lack of creativity in all genres in 2019 is the social media effect.

Underground scenes can't develop on their own, insulated, anymore. Some guy in Greece or Pakistan can just hop on Instagram and see what the kids are doing in Portland or Prague, and vice versa. It's part of why you don't see kids walking around as goths and punks anymore. Everything is visible everywhere, and if it's even remotely new and exciting, it gets picked up by marketers before it has time for a 'scene' to develop.

Plus, since we've gone through the angry, abrasive, confrontational style in every genre, there's nothing left to 'rebel' against anymore, which was a big appeal of rock/hip hop. Full of Hell is heavier than Alice in Chains, which was heavier than 70s rock, which was heavier than the Beatles, which was heavier than Elvis, which was heavier than Count Basie. You can't rebel by being brutal and heavy; there's brutal heavy bands that are far beyond anything I'd listen to. And you can't 'rebel' by going soft, it just doesn't work like that.

How do you 'rebel' and 'push the envelope' against grindcore and soundcloud trap? Wearing grandpa cardigans and singing barbershop acapella harmonies?

 

[BassGH]

At 64, I don't listen to commercial radio any more...are there still rock stations out there? What do they play?

Radio is a pretty reliable place
to find rock music. The classic rock stations in the NW play exactly the same rock songs they played 40 years ago. I listen to more rock in my truck (which only has a radio) than I do the rest of the time. And it makes me
feel old.

 

[redwingxix]

Listing favourite bands isn't really an argument either way. I think we might need to take a step back and examine what "dead" means:

1) In terms of nobody making the music anymore, that's obviously not true -- there are lots of amazing bands out there right now.
2) In terms of world-wide sales and exposure, yes, rock is undeniably dead and probably not coming back. There are only a few legitimate rockstars left, and despite the incredible amount of talent out there right now, there just isn't the industry and money left to promote them into public consciousness. Guys like Devin Townsend are more of an anomaly, where they can sell out a stadium in Europe in 20 minutes solely on word of mouth.

Good point, much like Latin being called a dead language. It's still widely used albeit in primarily technical and niche fields, much like rock music now.

It is just the opposite. The bar to entry is so low that thousands of bands have their music on spotify, youtube, apple, etc. Rock is everywhere but because only a couple of people know of these bands, there is no "popular" association with this music. I own tons of CDs where I am pretty sure the lead singers mother and myself have the only copies. My band (lida una) has made 5 albums. But unless you actually knew to search on Spotify for it, no one would ever know.

Every city has 50 awesome bands that nobody goes to see because you can stay home and watch Dan Rather interview old rock stars like Doobie Brothers.

Yep. My biggest problem is how to find something new online that I'll like. For me it's definitely seeing bands live that introduces me to more new music than anything else. Be it a festival or a club or openers for known acts I've gotten into more new bands seeing them live than any other medium lately.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Radio is a pretty reliable place
to find rock music. The classic rock stations in the NW play exactly the same rock songs they played 40 years ago. I listen to more rock in my truck (which only has a radio) than I do the rest of the time. And it makes me
feel old.

Why would they have to rebel?

I don’t think classical musicians ever felt treatened by the desappearance of a style of music.

Baby-boomers sounds like they don’t want rock music to nés because it is so important to their life and who they are that if it is gone then they are gone. It is just how life works

Music and pushing the envelope can happen without things that defined rock and your youth

 

[BOOG]

Thanks for the explanation, friend.

I admit that some of those bands seem silly now, but we acknowledge there former contributions to rock and their success....behind the scenes, in private.

With regard to the quantity of good rock that is available out there: no argument. If you are willing to look, there is ALL KINDS of great music of many genres out there. Rock is probably no more than 1% of what I listen to. I only listen to broadcast music to stay current on what is popular because I am in a cover band. I am open minded to all music and refuse to constrain or tie myself to any genre. However, I respect the venues that book my band and my audience. We are getting paid. We want to make everybody happy, have a good time, and be invited back.

Some things of merit are the mentions of new popular rock bands that the forum members seem to respect.

One thing that particularly struck me was BOOG's statement:



He listed quite a few bands that we know and should probably make an effort to put in our set just for the sake of representing the more popular rock out there. I want to add that we have considered putting songs in by many of those bands already, but were reluctant to do so, due to lack of broad appeal. I think we need to revisit and make the effort.

The one thing I would make sure to do is at the very least announce the band name and song title before playing something like that. I would feel bad if we did a cover of something new and people that are not familiar with it mistook it for something we came up with because they’re not familiar with it.

 

[Gravel Gertie]

Yall should check out David Dean Burkhart's playlist on youtube. It's what the cool kids are up to these days. I highly doubt any of them are making any money, but at least they're being experimental and artsy. Weird mix of lo-fi, new wave, electronic and folk.

 

[catcauphonic]

Could someone point me to the bands that a) have tremendous chops; b) play driving, complex, hooky, ballsy material; c) have a sense of humor; and d) write lyrics and sing about things that make the average drooling consumer recoil in horror and/or threaten the band with boycotts and/or violence and/or arrest? Where are the threatening but musically brilliant bands? Where are the entertaining a-hole bands? Would love to hear some suggestions...

It ain't on the radio, nor well known enough by the average patron going to see a rock cover band (is the OP's dilemma.) Here ya go...

Propagandhi. Go back further in the catalog for more a-hole and newer in the catalog for more chops.

I haven't followed them since 'Less Talk More Rock' (too close to metal after that for me), but wow are they tight! More hooks than a fisherman's tacklebox, and complete Canadian A- holes

Just had to go digging thru my old 7"ers now that you mentioned them >

 

[catcauphonic]

My biggest problem is how to find something new online that I'll like. For me it's definitely seeing bands live that introduces me to more new music than anything else. Be it a festival or a club or openers for known acts I've gotten into more new bands seeing them live than any other medium lately.

If you're a Spotify subscriber, I find they make me a pretty good playlist weekly (Discover Weekly) based on my past listening habits. Also, their artist radio is decent... meaning most all artists listed there have a button on the bottom that will play you somewhat related stuff, though it's hit or miss