Rock & Roll: Dead?

OK. But guitar music is pretty much dead.

 

More true than false, and sad. Guitar music is the best music.

 

That's a subthread of its own, but holy shit, does rap suck these days. I don't think I could name more than five new rap songs I've enjoyed since Outkast called it quits. It's a sad state of affairs when Drake is the standard-bearer for the art form.

And yes, get off my damn lawn.

 

True in the current state, but doesn't mean it's dead forever. Could easily foresee the day where the guitar gets 'rediscovered'. Too versatile an instrument to lie dormant.

 

Big Circus becomes my new favorite poster, followed closely by Captain Kirk.

 

Beck is pretty much a chameleon.

But how are the Black Keys not rock? It's blues/garage rock, but it's still at least rock. I mean, hell, Zepplin was blues rock, too.

Also, the Grammys have been a joke ever since they awarded Jethro Tull for "best hard rock/metal performance" over the likes of Metallica and AC/DC.

That said, a larger point stands that I made in the Green Day thread - rock radio has gravitated toward the revival of the New Wave sound from the 80s. Guitar-driven music need not apply.

 

Interesting thread, agree with a lot of what has been said and Big Circus nailed it with the state of todays rap.

I have been a front line manager in a male dominated industry since the late 90s. I remember asking one of the new young dudes to make me a CD of new rap and getting an absolutely awesome mix disc.

I asked for a playlist last year and the new guys couldn't even name what was good. Personally think Drake sucks so not sure who the big thing is.

I have a 17 and 18 year old in the house who are huge Nickleback fans, as are my wife and in laws. I find their music awful but their unironic love for it baffles me.

They also love all the bro country acts and the Blake Shelton tix for her birthday are an enormous hit.

Not sure where the next great rock band is. I sort of Like some Kings of Leon and Arcade Fire but sure it's also a function of my age that finding new music just isn't a priority.

Probably my favorite "discovery" of the past few years is Florence and the Machine who I would have never seen save for their SNL appearance.

 

One way to gauge who the bigtime rock bands are is to look at who headlines some of the European rock festivals. Who is headlining Rock im Park/Rock am Ring in Germany? Who is headlining Glastonbury or Sonisphere in England? So based on that, here are some of the bands who have headlined multiple shows in the last five years (leaving out Coachella and Bonnaroo since they tend to be more eclectic).

Recently formed:
Foo Fighers
Arctic Monkeys
Muse
Kings of Leon
Linkin Park
30 Seconds to Mars
Green Day

Reunions:
System of a Down
Rage Against the Machine
Queen (with Adam Lambert)
Faith No More

Old guys still kicking:
Metallica (they love festivals, working on new stuff apparently)
Rolling Stones
U2
Iron Maiden
Lenny Kravitz
Bruce Springsteen
Bon Jovi
Kiss
Pearl Jam
Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Some sort of rock blend:
Mumford and Sons
Arcade Fire
Coldplay

So there's your list. I'd add in big sellers like Black Keys, Weezer, Radiohead and Jack White/The White Stripes as other big ones.

 

Today in rap: the Raptors would like to inform you that Drizzy has availability.

 

Money, follow the money:

Live Music's $20 Billion Year: Rolling Stones, One Direction, Live Nation Top Boxscore's Year-End | Billboard

 

And Cher farts in everyone's general direction.

 

This shows how delivery of the product has changed over the last 41 years:

41 Years of Music Industry Change, In 41 Seconds... - Digital Music NewsDigital Music News