Rock is far from dead. It's thriving and evolving, as it always has.

Rock sounds a bit different in each decade since the 50's, but it's still rock. Look at the great rock music that was produced during the disco-heavy 70's. And yes, it was declared dead back then too.

The last concert attended by my 28 year old son was Bob Dylan. My 20 year old son is a huge Rush fan. I listen to my 15 year old daughter's music on the radio when she drives with me in the car. It's all current, rock-oriented music. And a lot of it is pretty good.

Sure, there are lots of other genres all around the dial. But there always have been.

Here are the top five grossing tours of 2012:
1 Madonna
2 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
3 Roger Waters
4 Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour by Cirque Du Soleil
5 Coldplay

I'd say rock was well represented.

I was gonna start this exact same thread a few days ago when I posted about Tyler Bryant and his band.

Rock is not dead. That much is obvious. Not only is rock not dead, it's not even close to dead!!! There is more great rock music being recorded and performed live than ever in the history of the world.

What's dead is FM radio, Ed Sullivan, and MTV telling people what to listen to. So what's dead is 3 or 4 bands being HUGE and being all anyone knows about. There can never be another Beatles, Who, and Rolling Stones. We have choices now.

Now we have pandora, youtube, this forum and others like it, the internet, the internet, iTunes ("you might like" function), etc etc.

Rock is as strong as anything can be in this crumbling economic world.

And by the way, even the big "corporate" record companies continue to allow tons of guitar-based music to be released, obtained and heard.

Music is in a good place right now, IMO.

More positivity and I just love this discussion.

Youtube. This forum. We here (us). We all conclusively prove that rock is not dead. WE *are* rock!!!! Look how much we love it. We sit here all day talking about it.

We’re not alone. Look at youtube. The very thing some people make fun of IS rock: legions of people of all ages, from age 5 to 85, putting videos of themselves playing cover songs on youtube. Doing their best. Rocking out. Loving the music. Some of them are actually good, get discovered, put music on bandcamp.com, sound cloud. Youtube.

“The internet might save the people.”

If you can’t tell, I REALLY love youtube. Of all the amazing internet inventions the last 10 years, it might be the best. EVERYTHING that has happenened in the world since 1960 and sometimes going further back is there. Unlike when I was a kid sitting there hoping MTV would play a video I liked, I can simply pull up ANY video, right now, and show it to my young children, which I do constantly. My children are getting an education, and have since birth, in Hendrix, Clapton, Muddy Waters, ZZ Top, Black Keys, Jack White, Madonna, Tina Turner, Heart, Aerosmith, Avril Lavigne, Prince, LL Cool J, the Rolling Stones, Puddle of Mudd, Michael Jackson, Beatles, Led Zep, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Britney Spears and her type of stuff, Grant Green and Wes Montgomery jazz, Dave Brubeck, and everything in between. Millions of other kids are too, I’m sure.

Anything you want to see, pretty much, you can find it on youtube. Absolutely amazing the access we have now. Do you want to see what Wes Montgomery looked and sounded like when he played live in 1965? Here you go (full show): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z7h2nkmO7k.

I think it is nothing less than ASTOUNDING that I can find this video in 0.07 seconds of searching.

FM radio and MTV are dead as far as their influence telling people what they may hear. Rock itself is not dead.

The only problem is there will be so much rock that one will have to be REALLY REALLY good to get noticed, if that’s one’s goal.

But I read a great article just last night in Q music magazine, about how music is there for the music, even if you don’t hit it big.

We ARE rock and we are alive.

Here's some current rock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYq7TgG8P6g. (QOTSA)

They are dropping a new record in a few months with Dave Grohl on drums.

Mr. Grohl, after one recording session, proclaimed QOTSA "the baddest rock 'n roll band in the world." As the legendary Mr. Grohl is, in fact, legendary and a straight shooter, I shall take him at his word and conclude that QOTSA is the baddest rock 'n roll band in the world.

Incidentally, Mr. Grohl also once said, regarding Kurt Cobain: "Every single time he picked up a guitar, it was magic. Every. Single. Time." Again I shall take Mr. Grohl at his word, and I therefore conclude:

1. Magic is real; and

2. At no time did Kurt Cobain pick up a guitar and magic not ensue.

#WINNING.

+1

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

rock is not dead. the foo fighters put out some great stuff. stone sour put out a cd that will be metal album of the year. obviously my taste is well, my taste. these 2 bands help me keep faith in rock. great music.

I think rock is on life support. All the guys that say their kids listen to their albums, they're listening to 30 year old music.
Where's the market for new bands? Where is the market for new music by old bands? There isn't one. The radio stations and the record companies are playing it safe and milking the old hits.
It's a sad state, but I think the rock music that you and I like is going the way of the dinosaurs. Yeah, it'll live on in small clubs, but that's about it.
Boxum, those vids weren't that bad. Certainly not the worse thing I've heard. It's tough to be original now a days.

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'10 American Deluxe HSS Sunset Metallic
'10 JA-90 Thinline Telecaster
'15 Music Man JP-15 Blueberry Burst
'07 Les Paul Standard Faded LCPG #82
'14 Carvin ST300
'12 Carvin CS424S
'66 Guild Starfire IV w/Bigsby
'14 Warmouth Partscaster Daphne Blue

I dont think its dead, but it all sounds the same now. There are some good bands out there, but there is alot of junk too, that being said , there is different strokes for different folks. I grew up in a different era, with different bands, Led Zeppelin was still together, and alot of other classic rock bands. Im not knocking any band at all, it just seems like drop d tuning is the thing now, and it sounds sterile at times. I loves me some Alice in chains and Soundgarden and such, Chili peppers can get the blood goin too

I tried Jay's first link. I got 4 seconds in and had to kill it. It was immediately revolting. The second one wasn't as bad but I still ended up killing it at the 1:30 mark when there was a "guitar solo".

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

You just read my mind

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https://soundcloud.com/#rockfaced/you-aint-me

I'm talkin' 'bout my generation.

Hopefully they will look hard enough into the setting sun

and see that rock music is very far from done


In all seriousness though, I really want my generation to realize that "dubstep" and "rap" are amazingly bad. The day kids my age start listening to rock music is the day the world becomes a better place.

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1995 Fender Mustang

I don't think Rock is dead...
The difference is that back in the day people would buy rock albums, listen to them and go to rock concerts, so Rock albums and songs were on the charts and on the media.
Nowadays the masses only care about Pop music and I'm not saying there's something wrong with that, but obviously the media won't pay much attention to rock bands when people like Britney Spears or Katy Perry or Lady GaGa.
But there are still rock and metal bands out there, you just have to look for them, it's harder to find, but it's worthy! And don't forget to go to rock festivals and their own concerts to support them!

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Vietnam tours-Sapa tours-Paloma cruise

Cool post, thanks for the link. Wes is the best.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

BMW-KIM, you made it further than I did on the 1rst video, I made it 14 seconds, and then only listened to the " guitar solo " on the second one. You have some endurance to make it that far. Not to many guitarist tear it up anymore like this http://youtu.be/xvrNG8nmdrI. I m not a Via or Malmsteen fan , but Satriani can lay it down also like this http://youtu.be/2kpxMJhHoJA, the real action starts about 3:33

... and the kids are being influenced by the music that inspires them. My son is taking songs by Led Zeppelin, G&R, Snake Pit... and oh, did I mention Steve Vai(?) and working on his own stuff... brand new, never been heard, and it's undeniably Rock and Roll. He visits his friends who play... Rock and Roll.
"Market, record companies, and radio stations" are the money end of it. Back around the time "Stayin' Alive" came out, the "market" butted it's ugly head into music and as a result the creativity was taken out of the hands of the musicians and given to the "market". Money sucks as a dictator, but, there it is. Thankfully there are still musicians who are in it for the music.

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IMO (and its ONLY my opinion, don't get all pissy) Rock and Roll is far from dead. It just changed.

Again.

Just because the days of The Who, Zeppelin, The Stones etc are not on the Top 40 list anymore does not mean we need to be engraving the tombstone. Just because there is new original music that you don't like does not mean it's time for a eulogy.

I agree that most kids are force fed music/entertainment/celebrities today. Social media, reality shows, a constant state of being in touch have bred a different form of entertainment marketing.

There is a ton of great new music out there. While cats like Allen Stone, Parachute, Paramore, and yes even the Foo Fighters (insert your own finds if these acts aren't your cup of tea) are making decent music. The list goes on and on.

While it may be harder for guitarists to find the next SRV or Dimebag, trust that he is out there.

Anyway....Rock ain't dead, it's just competing with more than ever before.