BrianT Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Music used to be better. No, trust me, it really did. Today, music is mostly overly derivative, but I suppose there should be a few welcomed exceptions. Who are those exceptions in your opinion? But back to early rock. Grab Queen's greatest hits and listen to friggin' Freddy Mercury for a while. Who's there today? Listen to John & Paul's writing. Listen to Page & Plant on about the first 5 Zep records. I could go on. That's my opinion, anyway. So what current act is rockin' your world today? Enlighten me, 'cause I'm not hearing anything that moves me very often these days. I mean, is John Mayer supposed to move me like Stevie Ray? I don't think so. Enlighten me, please. And I mean it. Point me at something with some [b]heart[/b] in it. Somebody playing or singing like this is their last day on earth. Regards, Brian T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Me http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offramp Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Will Owsley Ben Folds Pat Metheny Glenn Tilbrook I've upped my standards; now, up yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 I agree. Music seemed better. My favorite was R&B from the 60's. In NC we would dance to it at the beach all summer. We called it Beach Music (but it wasn't the Beach Boys) and the dance was called 'The Shag'. ...But I'm an old fart. My question is - How long will it take for kids in High School (for instance) to switch from wanting to hire a DJ at their dances & proms to realizing that a great live band is so much better? OK, I'll probably get flamed for this comment from the DJs out there. But as a musician, I'm really disappointed that this is the current trend. Am I alone here? "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_dont_fret Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Bob Marley always moves me, but he's not really "current". Hmmmm, about the most current act that I am really digging is that Norah Jones...one hot singer right there, and is she ever scorching! I hear she has a really nasty sense of humor, too (the way I like it!!!). Another current act that is really good is Robert Randolph and the Family Band. A bunch of black guys playing jam/blues/funk style stuff, with the lead singer on pedal steel (yes, a black pedal steelist). My friend says he's the coolest person he's ever met. There's one whitey in the group, on keys. The String Cheese Incident, a blending of folk, country (not so much, but it's there), bluegrass, jazz, blues, and rock, really hits the spot. They like to do covers, and I have live shows of them covering such things as Brubeck's "Take Five", to "Kashmir" and "Walk This Way". An extraordinary live act, but their studio albums aren't as great. You all know I like Widespread Panic and Phish, which aren't so current, even though they keep pumping out records all the time. I definitely suggest checking out those bands for some really cool jams, as well as really cool covers. I saw Panic cover "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" here in November, which was an awesome show. As for all the other current acts, they all suck. No progress is being made, and the music business will suffer. Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offramp Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 This thought just occured to me: Perhaps one reason for this is that the focus of the songs doesn't GO anywhere. Most of today's "tunes" seem to focus on one feeling (usually anger or something related to it), and circle around THAT narrow aspect. Music that seems better tends to explore a moment, a situation, tell a story...tries to GO somewhere with it. I don't get that sense when I hear some Marshall cabinets with 7-strings going 'whomwhomwhomp whomwhomwhomp whomp whomp whomwhomwhomp' or some doll-voiced twit extolling the virtues of someone being 'fine'. Where does it GO? It's like the lyrics of yesterday were short stories, and the lyrics of today are small talk. I've upped my standards; now, up yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffbayson Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Uh... Music doesn't suck. The radio sucks, so it's not always easy to find good music these days. I used to think the same thing: that all current music sucks. I don't think that anymore. Off the top of my head, here are some current groups that I love... Sigur Ros Tortoise Low Kruder & Dorfmeister Shellac The Rapture PJ Harvey Bjork System of a Down The Roots Ween Shellac De La Soul Mr. Bungle I could go on and on. I think it's time to expand the ol' music library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Susan Tedeschi Papa Grows Funk Melvin Seals Melting Pot --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Here's some non-radio friendly folks making current music I think stands up to yesteryear. - Derek Trucks - Young, virtuoso slide player, great jazz influences, he's gonna keep growing. - Eric Gales - Killer blues monster. Authentic. Powerful stuff. - Jeff Beck - His most recent stuff is experimental, vibrant, imho his best ever. - Warren Haynes - the two "Deep End" cd's are amazing. His playing is soulful, sounds great, and the emotions just pour out. Great guest bass players... really a who's who of the bass world. - Mato of Indigenous - another "young gun" his "family" band is playing some great hot blues and jazz influenced stuff... Unique story... Don't expect to hear any of these folks via a ClearChannel station... ya gotta go find them. guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoeditor1 Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 One thing I've noticed is pervasive in music today (versus say 60's thru early 70's), is an overabundance of percussive "stuff". I find today's music has "stuff" in there, happening every 1/16th note (I'm not a musician) - just because we can layer or have 16 virtual tracks of drums.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotown Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Tori Amos. Jotown:) "It's all good: Except when it's Great" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Excellet point Drew - just because you have a zillion tracks doesn't mean that every song has to use them all. Sometimes what you DON'T play is more important than what you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanYmaL X Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by eljefe: [b]Uh... Music doesn't suck. The radio sucks, so it's not always easy to find good music these days. [/b][/quote]Thats the problem... there's plenty of talent and good material out there... the unfortunate reality is that marketing trends are what drives our music industry now. Once a certain 'sound' is found to be appealing to the masses, everyone jumps on the bandwagon and throws more and more of the same into the mix. So instead of looking for new real talent and music with meaning, the result is that we are inundated with mass produced assembly-line music that has no feeling, and the overall impression is that there is no 'good' music out there. Its there, you just have to find it. see a recent [url=http://www.musicgearnetwork.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=003854]thread[/url] in the bass forum for more on this very subject... DX Aerodyne Jazz Deluxe Pod X3 Live Roland Bolt-60 (modified) Genz Benz GBE250-C 2x10 Acoustic 2x12 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix_dup1 Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Yawn. :bor: Not this again. My 2 cents... There is great music being made today. 20 years from now, people will be whining about how the music isn't as good as it was now. There are plenty of DJ's and electronic music that are way better than a ton of live bands. There was crappy music "back then" too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Very true Felix, but OTOH, there does seem to be a stronger industry "stranglehold" on music these days. Back when I was in high school, you could tune in a good FM station and hear a variety of cool music (and, to be honest, more than a few duds too...) in various different genres (Sly Stone followed by Zep followed by Motown followed by the Beatles, etc. etc.), spun for you by a relatively independent DJ who had at least some freedom in what he / she selected for his or her show. Now days, it's all calculated, pre-programmed and restricted in terms of genre and content, with the decisions made by some large corporation like Clearchannel. So while there's still some good music out there, the access to it (at least via radio) is being unnecessicarily restricted and controlled. Hmmm... maybe that's a contributing factor in the popularity of peer to peer download sites and MP3's? Just a thought... I certainly am not condoning that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip_dup1 Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 oh, you can find great music. All you need is a special tuner, descrambler, hi-speed audio connection, satellite uplink, repeater to prevent data disruption, another box to prevent interference with other household items, the actual satellite dish, enhanced subscription package, minor home renovation to accomodate all the hardware, etc. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip_dup1 Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 okay, that`s not 100% accurate, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanYmaL X Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by skip: [b]oh, you can find great music. All you need is a special tuner, descrambler, hi-speed audio connection, satellite uplink, repeater to prevent data disruption, another box to prevent interference with other household items, the actual satellite dish, enhanced subscription package, minor home renovation to accomodate all the hardware, etc. etc.[/b][/quote]:freak: :D Aerodyne Jazz Deluxe Pod X3 Live Roland Bolt-60 (modified) Genz Benz GBE250-C 2x10 Acoustic 2x12 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Actually in most major cities public/college radio is all you need. We have three that are worth listening to here in Los Angeles...up in northern california there's a lot of them. Hell even Cleveland has some decent public and college radio stations. It's not hard to find good music at all...people are just impatient...if you listen with patience you'll find the good shit. http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanYmaL X Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by Stephen LeBlanc: [b]Actually in most major cities public/college radio is all you need. We have three that are worth listening to here in Los Angeles...up in northern california there's a lot of them. [/b][/quote]Anytime I'm in a college town or any big city thats what I look for... unfortunately, the part of northern california [i]I[/i] live in has maybe, well, [i]zero[/i] radio stations that are worth the effort to tune in... I'm in the extreme northwest corner of CA right on the corner where the coast meets the Oregon border... nearest town with college radio might as well be Celevland.\DX Aerodyne Jazz Deluxe Pod X3 Live Roland Bolt-60 (modified) Genz Benz GBE250-C 2x10 Acoustic 2x12 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip_dup1 Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Where I lived in N.Y. there was a great college station-IF you tuned in at the right time. If you didn`t, you would hear a cookie monster vocalist screaming over a pack of wild dogs mugging a box of KFC chicken nuggets-at a salvage yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffbayson Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by skip: [b]a cookie monster vocalist screaming over a pack of wild dogs mugging a box of KFC chicken nuggets-at a salvage yard.[/b][/quote]Dude, that's my band! Are you trying to tell me something? Well, we HAVE tried diversifying our sound... We replaced the "Cookie Monster" vocalist with a "Swedish Chef" vocalist, for example. We tried a "Pigs in Space" vocalist, but he wouldn't lay off the damn reverb. This is now officially a Muppets thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by danymal_x: [b]Anytime I'm in a college town or any big city thats what I look for... unfortunately, the part of northern california [i]I[/i] live in has maybe, well, [i]zero[/i] radio stations that are worth the effort to tune in... I'm in the extreme northwest corner of CA right on the corner where the coast meets the Oregon border... nearest town with college radio might as well be Celevland.\DX[/b][/quote]There's no college radio in Arcata? Or is it just so weak that you can't get it up by Crescent City? At any rate, point your streaming audio player at [url=http://www.kpig.com]www.kpig.com[/url] Fun stuff, and extremely eclectic. There's a strong leaning towards stuff with country roots, but I guarantee you won't hear Shania. :D --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by Dave Pierce: [b]At any rate, point your streaming audio player at [url=http://www.kpig.com]www.kpig.com[/url] [/b][/quote]Ah, crap -- it ain't free anymore. This is just so wrong. God I could go on a nasty rant right about now. The music industry is so ..... I better stop. This could get ugly. I'm gonna go play until I chill. --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Massive Attack. In fact, they just released a new album 2 days ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 kpig is great...yeah it sucks that it isn't free anymore but it's worth the money imo. http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 All valid observations. But I think Brian was mostly referring to commercial radio, which does have the lion's share of the airwaves. And a lot of that shit sucks. Rock doesn't rock that much anymore, and there's no soul in soul music. Rhythm and Blues lopes along with only one rhythm and the difference between hip-hop and rap is arguable. FM stations DID used to mix up the genres, much like a lot of AM stations before them, but now pidgeonhole their markets. It's music in a can anymore, and if not for the salvation of NPR and the handful of college stations, as mentioned, I'd pitch my radio to the curb posthaste! Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundcrafter Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Tool and some of A Perfect Circle's stuff are really good, especially Tool(good is an understatement). Checkout [url=http://www.epitonic.com]www.epitonic.com[/url] it's like MP3.com but I've found it to be tons better...easier to use and easier to find good stuff. It has tons of good music..as well as some crap, but everything does. I also feel music's going down the tubes, but I know it's not...just gotta search through more completely contrived crap in the mainstream to find the real gems that have always and will always be there(mainstream and not). "If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit. Unless you are a table." -Mitch Hedberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by eljefe: [b]Uh... Music doesn't suck. The radio sucks, so it's not always easy to find good music these days. [/b][/quote]BINGO!!!! Definitly a quote worth repeating! The music is there, it's just not being heard! Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaz Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Yeah, where is today's Beethoven or Gershwin? Having to search for good popular music is like having to search for a good hamburger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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