I wish I could say that music has just gone stale and bland, but that's not the case because most of the time when something is stale, I still want it bad enough to eat it anyway. So the proper term in this case would be rancid. We live in a day and age where music is less controlled by personality and more controlled by business. It's all about making what will sell. People get paid to find out exactly what will sell in music, and make music based off of the results. It's just the day and age we live in.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
What's Happening To Rock
I truly hate to be *that guy*, saying how "nothing is how it used to be". And it's true (with the exception of very obvious things such as hula hoops. They still suck as much as they used to.) Cars aren't the same, food isn't the same, and Rock and Roll definitely isn't the same. Obviously my point here is Rock. It's DEFINITELY different, and people SAY it's different all the time, but no one gives a reason for why it's different, and they don 't explain what it has become. Luckily for you, me being the genius I am, I've figured it out.
I was watching the MTV Music Awards, looking for the obligatory performance or appearance of Dave Grohl, and I got it, but what I was treated to afterwards was the host of the show talking to a band called Foster the People. He literally said something along the lines of "so, I guess you guys are kind of carrying the torch for rock and roll this year aren't you?" So, being the naive kid I am, I went looking for them. And I was 'treated' to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTZ7iX4vTQ&ob=av2e . Look, it's all fine and dandy if people make this music, and it's all fine and dandy if people enjoy this music, but don't label it what it isn't. This ISN'T rock. Which begs the question, how could a self proclaimed music channel EVER get that mixed up? It's confusion. Rock is changing. More than it ever has.
What WAS Rock:
I'm sure everyone has seen some cliched clip of a movie or a TV show in which a stoner tries to explain why something is "rock and roll". Rock and Roll was edgy. It was what was COOL. Rock isn't at all about the music, but rather the culture, or "scene". EVERYONE knows about the stereotypical rock star. John Bonham choked on his own vomit after consuming WAY too much vodka for breakfast. The Who smashed their guitars. Countless rock stars drove cars into hotel pools. I'll let my best friend Murray explain it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKXMT91Rlc8 He's got it right. Rock and roll was not really about the music. It was about being on the cutting edge. It was about being gutsy. I went to go see Them Crooked Vultures in Seattle. Three of the biggest rock stars of their era: Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones. These are members of some of the most cutting edge bands with some of the most hardcore fans (Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, and Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age) of their time. They had just gotten done playing a MONSTROUS Spinning in the Daffodils, when JPJ hopped on over to the piano. What he ended up playing was essentially and piano recital. And it was ROCK. People went NUTS. The same people that went nuts for Kurt's wailing, Bonzo's drum smashing, and Josh's thrashing were now going nuts for a PIANO recital. The moment was glorious. It was like EVERYONE was connected, and the fact that John Paul Jones had the guts to do that WAS Rock and Roll.
Where Has Rock Culture Shifted?:
This is actually the easiest of the answers: DUBSTEP. It's the music the older generations hate, and do not understand. It's edgy. If someone is a punk now, they don't listen to punk rock. They listen to dubstep. It is the new edge. Every artist between Justin Bieber and Korn is trying to get in on it. It's the culture. It's the same culture as the Zeppelin Fans. It even hearkens back to the Flapper Girls. It's cyclical. Rock was never made to last. Nothing is. Rock will always have loyal fans like myself, but it's the thing of the past.
What Is Rock Now?:
Well, this is the most depressing part of this entry. If people like the host of MTV are to be listened to, it's dead. Foster the People isn't rock. Nothing about it has any similarity to the rock I know and love. Of course, the MTV people AREN'T to be listened to, and there are PLENTY of excellent rock bands out there (which is pretty much why this blog exists). But the point is, excellent rock isn't the norm anymore. It's a rarity. Which makes me sad. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, considering I'm only 18 years old, and ASSUMING that times before mine were just BRIMMING with excellent rock bands (which I know isn't true.) but I do know that rock is changing. It's not the same, and probably never will be again. Long live Rock and Roll.
I was watching the MTV Music Awards, looking for the obligatory performance or appearance of Dave Grohl, and I got it, but what I was treated to afterwards was the host of the show talking to a band called Foster the People. He literally said something along the lines of "so, I guess you guys are kind of carrying the torch for rock and roll this year aren't you?" So, being the naive kid I am, I went looking for them. And I was 'treated' to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTZ7iX4vTQ&ob=av2e . Look, it's all fine and dandy if people make this music, and it's all fine and dandy if people enjoy this music, but don't label it what it isn't. This ISN'T rock. Which begs the question, how could a self proclaimed music channel EVER get that mixed up? It's confusion. Rock is changing. More than it ever has.
What WAS Rock:
I'm sure everyone has seen some cliched clip of a movie or a TV show in which a stoner tries to explain why something is "rock and roll". Rock and Roll was edgy. It was what was COOL. Rock isn't at all about the music, but rather the culture, or "scene". EVERYONE knows about the stereotypical rock star. John Bonham choked on his own vomit after consuming WAY too much vodka for breakfast. The Who smashed their guitars. Countless rock stars drove cars into hotel pools. I'll let my best friend Murray explain it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKXMT91Rlc8 He's got it right. Rock and roll was not really about the music. It was about being on the cutting edge. It was about being gutsy. I went to go see Them Crooked Vultures in Seattle. Three of the biggest rock stars of their era: Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones. These are members of some of the most cutting edge bands with some of the most hardcore fans (Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, and Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age) of their time. They had just gotten done playing a MONSTROUS Spinning in the Daffodils, when JPJ hopped on over to the piano. What he ended up playing was essentially and piano recital. And it was ROCK. People went NUTS. The same people that went nuts for Kurt's wailing, Bonzo's drum smashing, and Josh's thrashing were now going nuts for a PIANO recital. The moment was glorious. It was like EVERYONE was connected, and the fact that John Paul Jones had the guts to do that WAS Rock and Roll.
Where Has Rock Culture Shifted?:
This is actually the easiest of the answers: DUBSTEP. It's the music the older generations hate, and do not understand. It's edgy. If someone is a punk now, they don't listen to punk rock. They listen to dubstep. It is the new edge. Every artist between Justin Bieber and Korn is trying to get in on it. It's the culture. It's the same culture as the Zeppelin Fans. It even hearkens back to the Flapper Girls. It's cyclical. Rock was never made to last. Nothing is. Rock will always have loyal fans like myself, but it's the thing of the past.
What Is Rock Now?:
Well, this is the most depressing part of this entry. If people like the host of MTV are to be listened to, it's dead. Foster the People isn't rock. Nothing about it has any similarity to the rock I know and love. Of course, the MTV people AREN'T to be listened to, and there are PLENTY of excellent rock bands out there (which is pretty much why this blog exists). But the point is, excellent rock isn't the norm anymore. It's a rarity. Which makes me sad. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, considering I'm only 18 years old, and ASSUMING that times before mine were just BRIMMING with excellent rock bands (which I know isn't true.) but I do know that rock is changing. It's not the same, and probably never will be again. Long live Rock and Roll.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
How Things Are Gonna Work
So yeah, even though there are currently 3 followers (hopefully to change soon!), I still feel bad leaving you guys hanging for days on end. In the future, I plan on updating EVERY day, but being a college kid, that could be fairly difficult. In the future, just plan on intermittent updating on days surrounding holidays. SO, I am planning on having several different people write entries and keep me towards that goal, and hopefully racking up more than just 1 blog post per day. In the mean time, I have some pretty meaty subjects to help make up for my poor performance in the past week.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Michael Buble
If anyone needed more proof that mainstream music and good music aren't mutually exclusive, I'm here to prove you wrong yet again with none other than my favorite Frank Sinatra "continuation" (sorry, Frank Sinatra Jr. It's really your fault.) Unless I'm sorely misunderstanding the guy, Buble is trying to bring the Rat Pack era back into the limelight. And amazingly succeeding. Here's a couple videos to prove my point:
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Musical Surprise!
I'm sure that most people will be familiar with Seth Macfarlane and his work in Family Guy, American Dad, and the Cleveland Show (but you probably haven't heard of that one. It's plain awful.) And the people that are familiar with those shows will know that the shows (At least Family Guy and American Dad) have an oddly upstanding tradition of shoe-horning in random jazz songs in the middle of shows that actually sound pretty great. It's good news then that Seth has released a full jazz album hearkening back to the days of the Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra, and as a huge fan of Frank Sinatra, I couldn't be happier.
Kickin' It Off. Christian's Top 20
Just to start off the blog in true fashion, here's my Top 20 List of Songs. This was tough. Originally it was going to be the Top 10, but I flat out couldn't do it. These are my babies. So here you are, my 20 favorite songs. (Sorry about the no imbedding. Blogger and YouTube apparently don't like each other) Don't worry if you don't like these songs, there will be something for everyone on this blog.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Welcome to My Mind
My name is Christian (of course it's not JUST that, but we will leave it at that), and I'm a Mechanical Engineering student at Washington State University, accompanied by a music minor. By suggestion of a friend, I'm here on the interwebz to try and share my innermost musical thoughts with whoever the heck happens to be here. If you're like me, you're lost and drowning in an ocean of hippity hop, American Idol stars turned country stars, hipsters, and (the obligatory) Justin Bieber (I will try to keep that name to a minimum). As Joshua Homme once said, "Music is going through a crazy business phase that really gets in the way of music." I'm not here to proclaim that my music is better, to try and explain why some people like certain songs and not others (although that appears to be mainly generational), and I'm DEFINITELY not here to create a "news blog." What I AM here to do is to try and show *my own* path through the fog of crap that's been stinking up music lately. Music is what I know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)