Rock is not dead. Far from it.

FM radio and MTV having a monopoly and dictating to the public what they may hear is dead. Good. The witch is dead.

But we have the internet now.

Sure, 80% of kids know nothing but the pop crap they hear on top 40 (which should now basically be renamed "hip hop") radio. But that's "same as it ever was."

For the other 20%, there is a ton of guitar-based (and other played instrument based) music to find, both recorded and being performed live.

Rock isn't dead--what is dead is AOR radio, which (generally) used to be the best outlet to hear rock music, both old and new. The old Q102 and KZEW stations in DFW come to kind.

However, as Gossamer/Her Wanna said, there's plenty out there to be heard on YouTube and all the other hosting websites...the only problem is that people might have to dig through a few layers of poo to find a diamond.

Another thing that makes the casual consumer think that rock is dead is the lifeless bands that are touted as "rock and roll"...Nickelback comes to mind. Bland, boring hausfrau pop with enough distortion to make it seem "edgy"...if that were presented to me as "Rock and Roll," I would assume it was dead, too. (I will confess I bought one of their CDs, but only because Billy Gibbons played on it).

The dominance of hip-hop, NashVegas/Trashville Country, bubblegum pop and modern faux-r&b on awards shows, halftime shows, and celebrity gossip shows like Extra, Entertainment Tonight and Yahoo OMG! makes it seem like that's the only thing going out there, too.

It's funny--new bands that I consider both "rock and roll" and "good" rarely get much mainstream attention, but are selling out concert venues and selling records/downloads/whatever at a pretty healthy rate...Jack White, The Black Keys, and a few others aren't getting the attention Rhiannon and Beyonce and Justin Bieber get. In the case of the first two, it's because they're pretty (and tend to ride on the skirt edge of some type of controversy); in the case of Bieber, there's always been the "pubescent pretty boy with pretty hair" guys for the teen and tween girl market (remember Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett and Frankie Avalon and...?)...When you have a story about a drug-addled Britney or Lindsay and a story about yet ANOTHER Chris Brown brawl, why would you talk about the (relatively) normal wedding of Dan Carney (of Black Keys) or something like that? Lazy "celebrity journalists" (most of whom are failed actors or musicians themselves) who don't appreciate good music need a "shocking" controversy or a (well-planned) "wardrobe malfunction" to fill up 30 minutes of their drivel.

Honestly, most of the attention garnered to Jack White is because if his somewhat odd antics...and I personally think he's not crazy, but rather "crazy like a fox"--he knows his band(s) will get attention if he keeps up his "Salvador Dali with a guitar" act going. His music is (unfortunately) given secondary attention.

Rock isn't dead, it just isn't in the forefront.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

As usual, I agree with most of what SA says.

Both Jack White and the Black Keys, however, are playing on the grammys and the Keys won about 3 grammys at the 2011 show. Some hipsters lament their mainstream success, but I'm simply saying that these guys are even on the corporate shows.

Jack and Meg (White Stripes) played the MTV awards show way back in 2003: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_QbCY9gQJ4 and this song was played on radio constantly.

I COMPLETELY agree that Jack White is crazy like a fox. He is nothing short of a GENIUS to have achieved the fame he has orchestrated. He's been in like 3 movies, too. And TV shows like that one about pawn shops, in which he purchased a stuffed elephant head, for example. Dude is the '80s Madonna of rock.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/itmightgetloud/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Might_Get_Loud

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Grea ... ern_Lights

I also like how Jack -- like Kurt Cobain -- has made it a goal to educate his audience. Observe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fM2qhG8mA4 (go to 5:34).

Jack taught me about Son House. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCWRPrU7e_E

Tru dat, but that's just two bands (out of how many?)...I didn't mention the Foo Fighters (I like them, but there's even some polarizing opinions about them out there), but how many other true Rock bands are there out there with mainstream success?

...and you have to remember, the Foo Fighters aren't a "new" band; theyve been around for a while AND Grohl used to be in another band (can't recall the name right now ).

Also, the first big mainstream attention given to Jack White was when he hooked up with Renee "Do You Have Any Benedryl" Zellweger. Many of us here were aware of the White Stripes before that, but we're not the general public, either--we're musicians and things hit our radar waaay before the mainstream becomes aware.

Green Day, maybe? But I think that's more punk/pop or pop/punk (take your pick)...plus, they've been around since MTV was still playing videos, so they're not new.

So, how many True Rock bands (not "hyphen rock", a la folk-rock or hip-hop/rock or whatever-rock) are there out there with mainstream success and attention?

The fact that I'm having a hard time coming up with some names is why I think the general public believes rock is dead.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Classic Rock is alive and well just look at the tours: Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Paul McCartney, Aerosmith

Most new rock act aren't that good in my opinion and also there has to come a time when a genre of music just dies. We didn't have big band for 50 years. Jazz is barely noticable. Anyone heard ragtime on the radio lately?

Rock n Roll which morphed into Rock has had a very good long run. Rock is probably the most dominant and significant musical genre of the 20th Century.

The contributions of Chuck Berry, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and especially the Beatles towers over anything by any artist in any other genre of the 20th Century.

For the first decade of the 21st Century, the top soundscan music sales were by The Beatles and Eminem. The Beatles a group who broke up in 1970 still a huge seller 40 years later.

So Rock is dying the slow death and it's ok because classic rock is dominating the tours.

and please NO MORE NEW MUSIC FROM CLASSIC ROCK ARTISTS. The music coming from McCartney and the Stones is really bad. Doom And Gloom? godawful. Is the last McCartney album in the same league as Band On The Run...NO!

Please stop the pain!

John Fogerty the great leader of Creedence is releasing a duet album of all his old songs. Yuck

Randy Newman wrote a great song about 15 years ago You're Dead But You Just Don't Know it about older rock musicians. Your new album sounds like your last album but only not as good.

There should be a disclaimer attached to this statement excluding ZZ Top...their most recent album, "La Futura" is excellent by any standard.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

I can't get behind this statement at all. Granted, I wouldn't want to have to endure another Springsteen release but most of the other older bands knew how to make music and I'd be willing to hear some more.

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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.

This RID has been around ever since I was a kid, it really is more based on what is commercially successful....Which let's face it ...is what every band unknown local or international Dud is striving to capture.....
It's great for us , we get to pick and choose.
Personally i prefer to see a band live, there is a lot of solid musicians out there, much more than the the Wal Mart package deals. One just has to venture out to the clubs and check them out.

Within a 2 hour drive of my front door I can go and listen to ....
A Chamber music Quartet or string recital at Yale.
a folk duo or solo at the Vanilla Bean.
If I'm not mistaken Dweezil is playing at Lupo's soon and so is Grace Potter ( not sure of the dates so I may have just missed one or the other.
There is a strong and vibrant Jazz and Gypsy Jazz following in the area.
There is also not wanting for the grunge or Metal nonsense.
But most of the bands in this region are heavily influenced by R&B....
There is also Fall River at The Narrows where I have seen Savoy Brown, Richie Havens and a number of who's who in an intimate incredibly affordable venue. capacity is 200
Also there is the Bull Run up in Shirley Ma. where I had the displeasure of seeing One act which ( I won't name since it involves a personal matter as it is my significant other's friend )

That aside I really think the music is out there but even though we really are spoiled with I-pods, I-pads and all that which connects seamlessly.....
Trust us older one's, the Noobs don't realize how great they have it today. ( Imagine driving cross-country with an in dash Cassette player or worse the 8- track ) Cachunk ...Cachunk

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Dave Grohl was in another band?

I will have to look them up and give it a listen!!!

I will then keep you guys posted on my opinions regarding said band.

Well let's see:

You're right on The Boss "Wrecking Ball" sucked
2 new songs on Rolling Stones Grrrr sucked
McCartney's attempt to sing the Great American Songbook and his last rock album Chaos And Creation both unmemorable
Bob Dylan Tempest is this in any way in the same league as Blood On The Tracks or even Infidels not to mention nearly every album he release in the 60s
I hated the last Who Album Endless Wire. if Who's Next is a 10 then Endless Wire is negative 1000

My main point is that yes many of these albums maybe listenable but in context to their greatest work it is very average. Why continue to be slavish fanboys and give these acts a pass. No one will remember Wrecking Ball or Tempest 50 years from now. But Born To Run and Blonde On Blonde do have a shot at being listened to.

We are still listening to Abbey Road today. Is Back To The Egg (which I actually really like as a big Beatle fan/collector) still significant today. Does anyone even remember the album by McCartney?

I no longer want to give these guys a pass. I'd rather spend my 40 minutes listening to Beggars Banquet than Bigger Bang. Time is too precious to waste on listening to mediocre music even if these artists were one time Kings.

Time will tell on The Black Keys or Jack White [White Stripes/solo] but my bold prediction is they will NOT be remembered.

40 years from now will we be listening to El Camino or Seven Nation Army?

Don't think so.

I just heard both Sympathy For The Devil and Gimmie Shelter in the film Flight.

Rolling Stones up to Tattoo You, still significant music. After, not so much.

I get behind this with the "lost" Jimi Hendrix album scheduled to come out this year. I don't want to hear it. It won't have the same feeling, and probably will be overproduced.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

There is only ONE lost album and that is "New Rays Of The Rising Sun" and all of the potential songs from the sessions have been released.

We no longer need more Hendrix outtakes or even live shows. Enough is enough.

And when we had bootlegs and got those cool unreleased outtakes we were in heaven. Now that they load up a whole second disc with outtakes I have come to realize:

1. Most of these outtakes are outtakes for a reason and shouldn't have been on the album

2. It's hard to slog through a whole 79min CD of outtakes.

3. I've grown to just love and appreciate the 40minute album.

John Fogerty wrote a great album track on Bayou Country "Bootleg" In the song he says how much water would be worth once it's made illegal.

Bootleg outtakes wow, we got 'em and we were in a secret club. Disc 2 of outtakes on the deluxe edition...not so exciting.

Music was so much more fun in the 60s and 70s

Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets Jack Black and Jack White confused when I read their names.....



please

Tenacious D will be forgotten right around the time the White Stipes and Raconteurs will be forgotten.

Hey here's another way to value new music from Classic Rock artist. Check out how much third party sellers on Amazon are selling their new album once 5 years have past.

then check out how much one of their classic albums is going for

It's generally 1 cent vs. 6 to 8 dollars