Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Whatever happened to my Rock N' Roll....and my Easy Listening, for that matter?!!!!

I've spoken at length in the past about how, in the places that I hang out, most of the music that's played is Rock N' Roll/Pop Music from the 70's through the 90's, more or less, regardless of the age group of the bar patrons at that particular time and place.  It's strange how, in a bar full of people of different ages, from their early-20's to mid-40's, they all love the same music, whether it be Guns N' Roses, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, or whathaveyou.  I'll be dj-ing, and 22-year-old girls want me to play more Motley Crue and Depeche Mode....and they weren't even BORN yet when a lot of these bands' songs were originally released, for Christ's sake!


Which begs the question: is music itself becoming something archaic...something antiquated...something that's purely vintage in quality, like a really expensive red wine, or a roughed up pair of Beatle Boots?!!  

Is it nothing but pure nostalgia?  If so, that's sad.  Because that would imply that it's merely, as Leonard Cohen sang, "A shining artifact of the past."  FUCK that!  What about NOW?!


Day-in and day-out, I hear from people that they miss the sound of Loud Rock N' Roll, and they wonder where the hell it went.  And that is a REALLY good question.  I mean, seriously, I usually dj at least twice a week, in the dark Rock N' Roll dives in New York's East Village and Lower East Side, and the only modern bands I can think of that I play with any regularity are my band (the Dirty Pearls, if you live under a rock), my friends' bands, and....bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age, HIM, etc.  Other than that, it's like, my favorite Rock N' Roll bands from the 60's, 70's, 80's, & 90's.  Go figure.  Am I part of the problem?  Is it a problem at all?


I know why it is.  Generally, nobody's buying recorded music anymore, so, no new bands are being marketed (or shoved down the American Public's throats) anymore.  The Music Industry and all its money basically disappeared up its own asshole, due to blind greed, and an overwhelming lack of quality in the music ("product") it generated. 

So, with few exceptions, in order for Rock N' Roll fans to get their rocks off when they go out, the classics have to suffice.  The funniest thing about is that younger Rock N' Roll fans were RAISED on that music by their PARENTS of all people.  So much for Rock N' Roll being "rebellious music."  But that's ok.  Hell, my band has parents bringing their kids to our shows, and for that matter, some people bringing their parents....and that's pretty cool, if you ask me.


But, someone needs to carry the torch for Rock N' Roll, and define the time we're in NOW, don't you think?  


These are open questions; ones of continuous discussion for some time in my case.


What do YOU think?


Thanks for your time!


Marty E.

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