Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Even though I'm a pretty big fan of today's newer rock, I realize that it's only because 'new' music in the last 20+ years has sucked so bad that it could only get better.

I listened to the album "point of no return" (Kansas) earlier.

Listening to it reminded me that incredibly deep songwriting was once in high regard to both the public and the recording industry. Nothing like that exists today, in my opinion, simply because the current model will not support it. It's almost like idiocracy struck the major labels first- music itself has been slowly dumbed down to the lowest common denominator.

And now we get justin beiber and carly rae jepsen (and zillions of others)- equaling nothing more than "opposite sex eye candy" with catchy riffs posing as songs.

/sigh

Agree...kinda sad, especially for the fab artists out there who get overlooked.

Kramer the old record label business model had some worth cause someone would back the bands like Kansas until the broke thru.

The flip side I dont hear majors releasing anything like that, but you can dig around yourself on the net and find some killer groups, they just wont ever be iconic like Kansas was cause they will never get any major airplay.

On a production side of things I still prefer the record or album mastering of material way more than the last 15 years, everything is just too compressed together, listen to an old Sly and The Family Stone album, you can hear so many things on there, even today I listen to old favorites and still hear something new.

Plus Kramer you and I are getting old, Im sure if we were 16 yrs old again and musicians we would be finding something cool.

In terms of art, there are awesome musicians everywhere i look...On BM and in every club... Problem is that nobody really takes it seriously anymore. Music used to be the voice of generation. Now its back-drop and filler.
I said this before...There will never be another 'Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix..." becuse quite frankly, there will never be the kind of audiences they experienced. Nobody gets excited anymore... Like Lennon said once: "The dream is over'

I've seen that too. The only really good rock being published these days is by the older guys who were doing it 40 years ago. Eagles...Tom Petty...Jethro Tull...nothing I've heard lately has been reasonably decent by any of the newer groups.

The major labels, OK the 3 that remain...don't want it, they want hit machines. Crank out a string of hits or you're gone. That means appeal to the radio listening crowd that is content to listen to 23 thousand Nirvana clones. Every female singer I've heard is a copy of Madonna or Whitney Houston. Ditto for males. Hit on a formula, the radio will play it to death. It basically sucks.

What has been decent? A few...Joe Cocker did Leave Your Hat On a while back, excellent tune. (Written by another old timer, Randy Newman) I think the Eagles got a little air play with one or two, Get Over It, great tune, and another one Timothy B Schmidt sang, I can't remember the name. Not much else I can think of, and both long established artists. I have to give John Mayer credit, he's a killer guitar player and writes some really good songs, although I don't like some of them. Still a great writer, and a unique voice. What else? I can't think of much at all. The few times I've tried to listen to radio I didn't last long, between stupid DJ's and the last 8 songs sounded like copies of each other...CLICK...where's my guitar?

If Justin Beiber counts as "eye candy" for the opposite sex, then we have bigger problems than sucky music.

Guys

THere is lots of cool sh*t going down. Check out Europe, expecially Finland, and South America.

EG from E
Subway to Sally
Nightwish
Eppica
Children of Bodom

And don't forget the Mexican maniacs - The Mars Volta.

Talbot

It's out there just not as easy to find like it once was. But there are plenty of good artists in the world though most will never see the patience to be developed by today's industry.

Check out these girls. Play the second tune "When the dragon came down"
first.

http://www.reverbnation.com/coloradoshel

Plenty of quality and talent in the world just find it and enjoy it. The past ways aint comin back!

Humor me guys, pretend you don't know who this is. Many of you may not know who this is. Tell me what you would think if you heard a kid play this solid and sing this well this young. You would call him a prodigy. Would you tell him to pursue it because he has the raw materials?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJWZSEkCrAM&sns=em

Am I a fan? No. I'm not familiar with any of his material. But the backlash alone is enough to make me at least be interested. Is it founded?

Having said that I agree that we are now experiencing the lowest common denominator of music. There was actually a computer test done that showed that popular music is becoming more and more similar In tempo, melodies, and key.

What I find really sad about this situation is that there won't be a huge group of people who understand the greatness of a band like for instance Boston. I mean you can walk around the streets and most everybody you meet will know great Boston songs. The same can't be said for modern acts.

Just generational. When I was a teenager I was into Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc. and my parents were aghast. I mean, they were into big band, bossa nova, Frank Sinatra. They thought music was going to hell in a hand basket. Same thing goes on every generation. Nothing more than that.

fisherman bob wrote:Just generational. When I was a teenager I was into Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc. and my parents were aghast. I mean, they were into big band, bossa nova, Frank Sinatra. They thought music was going to hell in a hand basket. Same thing goes on every generation. Nothing more than that.

I grew up in this SAME EXACT situation. same bands and music styles, from both sides! How many others did?