OT - What is your region's music stereotype?

[69tele]

Southern Europe is mainly Latin based for the pop charts, but also here some soft rock in the charts.

 

and yes we also get hip-hop, rap, etc..

[Fred TBP]

Besides the AOR-FM cover bands, there are the tribute bands. If you want to play 4-6 days a week and take home more than $100/night, join one of the 2-3 booking agencies through a tribute band and start learning. I speak first hand as my band was offered this (can't mention the agency) and other niceties, including a paid trip to Jamaica, if we would include a Heart cover set.

 

Playing just weekends is not an option with these agencies.

[Edendude]

It's Celtic/Irish folk music that's strongly associated with my region. Not my bag exactly, but at least it's roots music with some serious musicianship required to play a lot of it. I have a lot of respect for many of the local Celtic musicians, even if I don't want to be one.

[Rick Hoffman]

Here in LI, it would be The Almighty Radio. To break it down to genre, it would be hip hop/R n B and pop, and oldies, too. but isn't that everywhere?

However I used to live in SF and it was really really diverse. I miss that.

In my cover band we got Smoke on the Water as a song, I think every LI band has played that.But I don't think every band plays it right, either the guitar is wrong, or the bass, or there's no keys, or whatever.

Anyway,(echoing getz),in my travels I have been amazed at how things seem the same away from home...once you're in suburbia-the suburbs are all so cookie cutter similar. The clothes, music, cars, houses, even the garbage pails. The big cities, I think, are different...'cuz that's where the most of that regions musicians will end up and then you can see the difference between regions. I don't think it's so diluted, yet.

When I hear of a band from nashville these days, though, I will wait to hear them before I place a stereotype.

[onelove]

Originally posted by forceman:

So, onelove, which region do you live in?

Haha, oops. I guess I forgot to mention that I live in Winnipeg, Canada.

[73 P Bass]

Originally posted by Edendude:

It's Celtic/Irish folk music that's strongly associated with my region. Not my bag exactly, but at least it's roots music with some serious musicianship required to play a lot of it. I have a lot of respect for many of the local Celtic musicians, even if I don't want to be one.

I listen to the local college station every morning, except Tuesday. Tuesday is Celtic Folk day. I can't stand the stuff, and I'm Irish!

But, my region is most closely associated with anything but original music.

There are exceptions to the rule, but in CT, for live music, you are probably going to see a cover band (guitar duo, top 40, blues, tribute, etc.).

Off the top of my head, Michael Bolton is the biggest act to come from Connecticut.

Al Anderson is from CT, and so is Doug Wimbish, but neither one has achieved the stardom of Bolton, who sings covers.

At least we kick-ass at college hoops!

[Scoot]

Originally posted by 73 P Bass:

Bolton, who sings covers.

I celebrate the guy's entire catalogue.

[butcherNburn]

In my region, and Dr. Taz & Getz would probably agree it's mostly:

 

Hip Hop / Rap - I don't care for most of it. I do/did like some of the earler stuff though, it had more of a hard edge, punk feel. But being out of the scene I only really hear the mainstream stuff and probably not the best stuff. I do like, on rare occasion, when you see an actual instrument backing them, then I change the chanel.

 

Modern R&B - Closley accociated with Hip Hop, but different. It's not Classic R&B (which I adore).

 

Latin Music - Very big in my area. Most of it's dance music and after about 10 minutes it bores me. But hey, most of it is played by musicians. That in itself is good.

 

It's rare, very rare, I hear Rock coming out of someone's window (house or car) in my neighborhood. I seem to be the exeption.

[bassplayer5217]

I live in Potomac, MD. Looking at my high school parking lot, there are more BMW's and Lexus's than Honda's and Toyota's combined. Kids get subwoofers put in their cars for their birthdays and go around blasting "party-rap". Not good rap or even hip-hop, just party rap. And we think we are "gangsta". We wear Abercrombie and Polo and nowadays Lacoste is making a comeback, yet we also tint our windows and buy chrome rims.

 

Have you ever seen that Cingular commercial with the five high school girls who are all, "Like, totally, no way!" and "We're not mean, we're just good shoppers, hehe!" ? Well, that is my school and my town. Wahoo...

 

Anyway, back to the topic of the thread. The most popular "bands" are pro'lly Chingy, Nelly, Jessica Simpson, and the Ying Yang Twins.

 

Hope I haven't scared you too much about who will be "leading" our country in 30 years...

 

- Germain

[davebrownbass]

Well, hmmmm......

 

I have a different take on this.

 

I would suggest that all regional influences are a fairly small part of most of your hometowns.

 

I would admit that, for example, New Orleans might provide employment to a few more Cajun musicians than Chicago.

 

Music is more cosmopolitan than this, and in every region, there are lots of working musicians playing all kind of stuff.

 

Here, in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I've been hired to play everything from Gilbert and Sullivan to Praise music, from Handel's Messiah to 3 piece jazz, from pro theater to Women's Choirs. And a lot of other stuff in between.

 

Hired. Paid. Which means somebody was listening to the stuff.

 

The drummer in the praise band plays in an on the move cajun band called the "Gumbo Kings" The skinny guy in the back who still has black hair!!! But he also toured with Al Hirt for 12 years. And he teaches at a local music store.

 

Regional differences generally come from the birthplace (or supposed birthplace) of musical styles, but they rapidly get absorbed by other places.

 

Think about the impact of Mississippi River 75 years ago; at one time, there was a huge difference between jazz in New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis and Chicago. The differences are probably still there, but you could probably find good Dixieland in Chicago or muddy blues in New Orleans.

 

Here\'s a link to a wedding booker here in the Dallas Area. Scroll down the dozens of various bands and styles. It's amazing; and all in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

 

Strange...I see quite a few friends there!

[chewstermaniac]

Personally I try to stay away from trends that would have you doubting if your taking the right road for yourself. i write, compose, play and act as I do and do my best to take influence from nobody. I have fav. bassists but it mostly is fav. bands. As a bassist your only part of a whole, so do your part!

 

In my area it seems to be goth/punk in the bars, but the a-typical bar band is also the main stay.

[jeremy c]

It seems like I used to be able to tell where a record was recorded just by listening to it.

 

But regional styles are gradually being erased by radio. Or maybe not. Maybe now that people learn by listening to recordings instead of by listening to people, regional styles are spreading all over the world.

 

But eventually they will probably all blend together.

 

Meanwhile, someone said the "San Francisco style" was hippy jam music. That hasn't been true in many a year.

 

The Bay Area is a wonderful musical region. There is great jazz, hip hop, latin, funk, rock and other categories. And often these categories all get mixed together in the same band.

[getz out]

Originally posted by jeremyc:

The Bay Area is a wonderful musical region.

You seemed to have enjoyed the band that opened for The MC5, no?

[jeremy c]

[erikmag]

I said it because i was refering to more of the stereotype of the san francisco area. I know very well that we have one of the most diverse and best scenes around here, and strait hippy music is pretty far from the truth.

[Mike H.]

Country Rock is the "bar band" theme up here. Our band plays along with this a "tish" to please everybody. The rest of it is all newer stuff and we get a lot of compliments on it from the patrons as we "don't play the same stuff" every other band does.