today's music ain't got the same soul...

[njrocker]

i haven't been alive long enough to remember the 60's or 70's or even 80's, but i dont think there's many bands that play with feeling today. thats probly why the only modern guys i dig the white stripes and black rebel motorcycle club. other than them i listen to hendrix and the doors and stuff. anyone feel the same way? (no "everything new is crap guys" please )

[Dave da Dude]

I have been alive long enough to remember all that stuff when it was happenin', and yeah, it's the only stuff I like too

 

The only difference is I figured it was just 'cause I'm an old fart

 

Dave the Old Fart

[grandwazoooo]

i often worry about this, but the situation isn't as dire as one might think. i think you are not alone in noticing this dillution of 'soul' (thanks to clear channel and others), and there are tons of people who recognize that this is the time for rock music to make a revival. i mean, it's ripe for the pickin. there IS a void of passionate performing. i'm lucky to be in a band that is VERY soulful in its playing, and i know there are others like us out there. don't worry, these forces will come to the surface again. and soon. am i just being optimistic? certainly, but i think justifiably so.

 

the music is out there, you're just not likely to hear it (yet) on any corporate radio stations or mtv etc.

 

of course, this tirade puts undue faith in my fellow citizen of the earth to actually recognize great music when they hear it. but i remain upbeat, optimistic, hopeful, and hard working! we can do it! you can too!

 

and yeah, white stripes are great, they're certainly a good example that it can happen.

[antimatter]

A lot of that old stuff got popular by word of mouth, live shows etc. I would have thought the mp3/web craze would help new bands get established, but maybe there's toooo much out there? Kinda like good threads on this forum. One day really popular and cool, next day on page 3.

 

The cream should rise to the top eventually. right?

[Blue Strat]

There's a lot of good stuff out there that's new, just don't expect to hear it on the radio very often. Here's my top five picks from new stuff:

 

1) White Stripes

2) Clutch

3) System of a Down

4) Garbage

5) Blur

[Compact Diss]

This from billboard.com...thanks Bluestrat for the hhok up, the 15th will be here soon. I don't think I am going to see them in the best venue but rock is rock, at least I will be there to see them before the world fins them....just what I think everytime I hear the Dropkick Murphy's...

 

[Compact Diss]

The Billboard info didn't post...

 

Clutch Prepares Its Next 'Blast'

 

 

Veteran hard rock act Clutch will return to the fold March 30 with the release of "Blast Tyrant." The 13-track set is the band's sixth studio album, and first for New York-based independent label DRT.

 

The move to DRT signals a new beginning for the band, which has recorded for EastWest, Columbia and Atlantic. DRT is also home to singer/songwriter John Wesley Harding, former Buckcherry singer Josh Todd, Edwin McCain, former Squeeze principal Chris Difford, Lit and 7 Mary 3.or....

 

http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2075129

[Compact Diss]

Ok, so I feel I should add here before I pick up my guitar...

 

Music is music, there is good music and there is bad music...wait....

There is good music and there is music that I do not feel is good music.

What is good music to me may not be to you. I love Nirvana and am a great fan...but I did not become a great fan of Nirvana until about two months before Cobain's death.

Does this make me not a true fan? Yes, in some peoples eyes...but I still love them and know that they were the last band to come around and be truly about rock. There has been no one yet that has filled their shoes. There has not been a revolution in rock since their demise. A lot of good rock bands have come and go but no one has grasped the entire world like they did.

What happened was a white boy named Marshall stepped in. Eminem ruled the airways and the charts and for good reason, his music and lyrics were good and America embraced him.

If you do not think this is true then just look at the stats. Nothing is wrong with this, in fact we all needed it. I think it was needed because look out there now...who is number one? Who has a true fan base? TRL rules Billboard. MTV rules the world...

I am waiting for the next rock revolution. I want to be a part of it. I want to be involved.

In all honesty I missed all of Nirvana's glory, the same people Kurt hated is why I did not listen, college kids. I wasn't a part of that seen because I was not in school at the time. What can I say, I recognized the greatness of their music after, some people still do not understand, at least I got some experience before he died.

What is good music for the soul today?

Big question. I can only say that the last time I got excited to get to a store and buy a CD was for Dre or Eminem. No one in rock has made me feel like their music has.

The latest CD's I have bought are, The White Stripes, The Darkness, Jet, Miles Davis, and a while back Queens of the Stone Age...but seriously out of all of these none have made me run out to the record store and buy them...I'm still waitng for the next rock revolution....

[musicalhair]

I don't know, I don't hate Sum 41-- and I'm 39 so it isn't like I don't remember the good old days like Foghat and BTO and The Captain and Teneille .

 

I'm not really sure what qualifies as "new", Nelly Furtado I can tolerate for what it is and some of the songs I heard on her first record were pretty good.

 

Nightly I do beg the gods as to why Britanny's 15 minutes aren't up yet, I mean she's like on her 5th album or something and people still are buying the records . OK, I'm not going to say nothing about guys drooling over her videos-- but she ain't my thing, I'm holding out for Beyonce, but I understand-- but who still thinks her music is worth taking a chance on???? Isn't it common knowledge that she can't sing?

 

I'm drawing a blank: what is new, I can't even think of any "new" bands right now. Oh, Evenessence isn't that bad now are they? There hit was kind of cool. We can't all be so jaded as to not give 'em a break to some extent.

 

When I was in high school all we had was Who reunion tour after Who farewell tour and Stones tours and recycled old bastards who far out lived their usefullness, oh and the Clash but there wasn't much "new" on the radio just old old and older interspersed with "the Monroes" and Gary Numan's "Cars". Oh and Van Halen which I didn't get mainly because DLRoth was to much of a clown for my up-tight high school persona to dig.

 

It might not be fair to judge what is "new" now. My first impressions of Stone Temple Pilots was that they were grunge wanna-bes, but they've proven to be as interesting or more so than the bands I thought they were merely imitating.

 

Who does "Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous"? I'm kinda digging that, but maybe I need to get out of the teenage hangout ice skating rink I bring my kids to.

 

Stacey's Mom is a great tune, but Fountains of Wayne ain't new and they're probably my age. Oh and there is new Averil Levine clone, what is her name ... oh, Liz Phair -- does pop-reincarnation count as new?

[Compact Diss]

Funny you mention Liz Phair and that she has been named a "Lavigne" wannabe. I may not be correct but I think Phair was on the underground before Avril came around...not sure though.

I remember high school, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Aerosmith. Many more, Stryper, Europe(?), glam rock, whatever you want to call it.

[revolead]

My picks for new stuff:

 

Dream Theater

Evanescence

Papa Roach

Breaking Benjamin

30 Seconds to Mars

 

Now the only one fo these bands that really has any virtuoso talent is obviously Dream Theater. But Evanescence has some guitar solos, and I think they're music is packed with meaning and expression. And the fact that a chick sings makes it much more refreshing from any other band.

 

Papa Roach is my all-time favorite band, and like them or not, they helped me deal with my anger and problems with my dad in a healthy way. I feel like the band knows exactly where I'm coming from, and Jerry Horton is one of the better guitarists out there now days, Especially with all the drop tuning and 7-string stuff.

 

Breaking Benjamin is cool because they combine punk energy, metal tones, hard rock intensity and heaviness, and catchy choruses to produce some great songs. I really like the fact that their lyrics are more driven by personal struggle. Most bands out there seem to be stuck in a adolescent mentality that it's always someone else's fault. And Breaking Benjamin really steers away from that, almost making me happy without having to sound like a pop punk quartet.

 

30 Seconds to Mars is a sweet hard rock band, edging on progressive rock sounds. The music is very well orchestrated and introduces everything from simple V1-Chorus-V2-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus songs to the complete opposite.

 

Anyway, if you care to check these out go for it. If you don't like them, I won't be offended.

[Compact Diss]

I was very much into Bon Jovi, Van Halen was my god. There was nothing Eddie could do that I didn't try to do, he got me into Marlboro's(thanks Eddie!)(over a year off now!).

I still remember being at my friend John's house and Stryper being on MTV followed by Europe and we were skipping school for the day....Then the Bon Jovi concert with my best friend Michelle....man! I didn't even kiss her and I know she wanted to!!! I'll always regret that...music has always been with me...and forever will be...then the Beastie Boys came along and everything changed for me, basically I developed a drug problem...music went out the door and that life came in...anyway I'm here 17 years later and still talking about music...in 17 years my Bon Jovi will be someones White Stripes....and so music moves on....

[revorhythm]

its true. it seems a lot of musicians are in it for money, or popularity. but i bet that in the 60s 70s and 80s they had their share of in it for the money musicians. however the ones we remember today werent those type of musicians. they are the ones with a message. my all time favorite band is socail distortion. because they send a message, they speak to me with every song.

[doc taz]

I happen to like some of the bands mentioned here, especially Dream Theater. I really could care less about what trends are around these days. Better to listen to whatever you like, regardless of genre. I'm moved by anything that's performed well enough, and with the musicians being into their music.

 

Lately, I've also been listening to more electronic music (80's synthpop, techno, house, etc).

 

Poseurs turn me off, and should be kicked into the curb.

[Beagle1]

In the 60's and 70's, music really meant something to people...it was a symbol of the times. And many of the great artists of these years were actively producing good stuff well into the 80's. I don't think the music of today affects young people in quite the same way. Music has become more a means to get fame and notoriety, rather than to make any sort of artistic statement.

 

That said, I think there is a lot of great music being made out there today, by both the younger and older generations. It is just that you will NEVER hear it on the radio...you really have to seek out the good stuff. The mainstream radio stations are every bit as bad as the big corporate record labels...they are long overdue for a major shakeup.

[batterypowered]

Music in the 50s, 60s, and 70s was not that different. A lot of bands were highly commercial, and made to sell records, same as today. The scene that sprung Woodstock and all these other classic rock & roll shows of the era wasn't a mainstream thing. It was underground. Just like how today, there are a million real musiclovers and people playing with passion, but they're not mainstream, either. It's just that the commercial scene nowadays is bigger and 'better' (worse) than it ever was, and overshadows the underground and indie communities more than ever.

 

It doesn't take too much to dig a little deeper and find people today making awesome music with all their souls.

[Mr.WOW]

FUNK for ya eardrums.

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by Compact Diss:

The Billboard info didn't post...

 

Clutch Prepares Its Next 'Blast'

 

 

Veteran hard rock act Clutch will return to the fold March 30 with the release of "Blast Tyrant." The 13-track set is the band's sixth studio album, and first for New York-based independent label DRT.

More info on Clutch, for those interested:

The Official Clutch Website

[mstreck]

To me, it's a lot more fun to play the old stuff. The new stuff seems so "mechanical". Maybe that's because things are so over-processed in the studios now? I don't know.

 

Or maybe because today's musical "experimentation" seems to rely so much on different sounds instead of different musical statements.

 

Mike

[ihategarybettman]

I agree. I was starting to ask myself, "Am I turning into one of those old farts who think that modern music music sucks compared to the sounds of yesterday?" Well, yes and no. Sure, as you get older you tend to get nostalgic about the sounds of your youth, but I've always hated over-produced dance music and rap, and that's what dominates the charts today. I'm sure that there are amazing bands out there but it's getting harder to find them. It's been a while since a new band really grabbed me, probably the Iguanas back in '93, and my favorites (the Iguanas, Los Lobos, Bruce Springsteen, Howlin' Wolf, the Paladins, Chris Isaak, Buddy Holly, and AC/DC to name a few) all started out before then. Fortunately, musical trends are cyclical, and hopefully the slick, mechanical crap that's on the radio now will go away soon.

[webe123]

Originally posted by ihategarybettman:

I agree. I was starting to ask myself, "Am I turning into one of those old farts who think that modern music music sucks compared to the sounds of yesterday?" Well, yes and no. Sure, as you get older you tend to get nostalgic about the sounds of your youth, but I've always hated over-produced dance music and rap, and that's what dominates the charts today. I'm sure that there are amazing bands out there but it's getting harder to find them. It's been a while since a new band really grabbed me, probably the Iguanas back in '93, and my favorites (the Iguanas, Los Lobos, Bruce Springsteen, Howlin' Wolf, the Paladins, Chris Isaak, Buddy Holly, and AC/DC to name a few) all started out before then. Fortunately, musical trends are cyclical, and hopefully the slick, mechanical crap that's on the radio now will go away soon.

Boy you just said what I was thinking! I was wondering if anybody remembered bands like Kansas (dust in the wind,etc.)or Jackson Browne(running on empty, live!) Or even soloists like Gordon Lightfoot(sundown, wreck of the edmund fitzgerald), James Taylor(The OLD James Taylor....fire and rain type!) and Jim Croce(time in a bottle) ???

 

It just seems the music today is all about money! I am not saying it was not about money in the 60s,70s and 80s because it was, but it has taken on a new form in todays world! It just seems to me that they take some pimple faced kid band that couldn't play a guitar if it would save their lives and give them so much advertisment time that they are almost gauranteed to become a hit!

 

They call the "big 5" the MUSIC INDUSTRY....well what does an industry do?? It produces a product, does it not?? Well the music industry is getting to be the same way! It is not about artists and creativity anymore, but rather how many billion CDs they can package and sell of a particular artist! When THAT comes into the picture....creativity and the artist themself are usually swept aside in the wave of profits!

 

So I am glad that I grew up in the 70s! I have a appreciation for what real artists sound like! Not some "packaged" artist that couldn't carry a tune in a bucket or wouldn't know a guitar if it hit them upside the head, but I like hearing REAL ARTISTS! I am talking about the kind that have put their whole being into what they do, rather than someone who is just made to LOOK like an artist, but has no REAL TALENT!

 

Tere are a few artists like three doors down that I like, but has already been stated....artist that have the talent are getting harder and harder to find, not that they are not out there, but we can thank the music industry for the junk that is out there today! After all, THEY were the ones pushing it!

[TeleCarlos]

Some of you have a bad case of "ForceFedComercialCrapoliosis"!

 

I agree that most of what is heard in radio and video channels Suuuck big time.

 

I too got tired of it. Solution: Head underground! I bet there are circuits in every major city with some cool sounding groups. I'm sure some of you are way older than me and know this better than I do. Underneath the handful of "million selling artists" and airplay hoggers exist "unknown artists" (posting in this same site, I bet) that are way more listenable.

 

So go ahead, search for it. It won' just fall into your lap you know. I actually find it more fun to "hunt" this type of music down. It makes it your own.

 

So yeah, today's radio airplay sucks, but there are some really cool and eclectic communities of musician's waiting to be discovered.

 

Take care...

[Funk Jazz]

sigur ros

phaser

damien rice

steve earle

lucinda williams

john scofield

medeski martin and wood

queens of the stone age

sunny day real estate

morcheeba

brand new heavies

the roots

radiohead

rockhouse ramblers

drive by truckers

 

i could on for days. there is more good & different music now than ever before, hands down.

 

people are just as talented now, but you have to give them a chance. a lot has been said the last 50 years, the message is more subtle now.

 

you have to quit judging musicians before you hear them, and get out and listen.

 

anyone that says there isn't music out there today, just plain isn't looking. all that corporate crap is a distraction for teenagers, and an avenue to sell advertising. ignore it. tune into to your community radio, and npr, go out to some clubs, support a local band.

 

maybe you need to change, not the world.

[Blue Strat]

I blame Clear Channel Communications. There are no "local" radio stations anymore, at least not in my area. Another problem is the hours that they play the local music on the radio stations that do have it. It's played at 1 or 2 AM or later. Who's up at that hour?

[webe123]

Originally posted by funkjazz:

sigur ros

phaser

damien rice

steve earle

lucinda williams

john scofield

medeski martin and wood

queens of the stone age

sunny day real estate

morcheeba

brand new heavies

the roots

radiohead

rockhouse ramblers

drive by truckers

 

i could on for days. there is more good & different music now than ever before, hands down.

 

people are just as talented now, but you have to give them a chance. a lot has been said the last 50 years, the message is more subtle now.

 

you have to quit judging musicians before you hear them, and get out and listen.

 

anyone that says there isn't music out there today, just plain isn't looking. all that corporate crap is a distraction for teenagers, and an avenue to sell advertising. ignore it. tune into to your community radio, and npr, go out to some clubs, support a local band.

 

maybe you need to change, not the world.

I don't need to change at all! I KNOW good music when I hear it, but it AIN'T on the radio any more! There is not much you can do about it, but that does not make it right! And as far as me having to go to every club to just find a decent band, that would take WAY too long and WHY would I want to waste my time doing that??? And YES music DOES need a change! It needs to have these boy groups thrown out and put in some real groups! That is the point!

[sourmash]

I just watched metal mania on vh1 classic. It had been so long since I had heard any of that stuff. Vinnie Vincent, Motley Crue and all those hair bands . I still think those Vixen girls were hot. Brought back some good memories of the fun times I had as a teen. Sometimes it just feels like what you hear when you are young will always be your favorite style. And yes, radio sucks but if you have winamp, you can get some good music continuously streaming with no commercials and they offer almost every genre you could imagine. Also I blame all these labels and producers for dictating what bands should do. I remember reading an article where Chad Kroeger from Nickelback was complaining that his label told them to make an album exactly like the previous one. Everybody I talked to that bought that album said it sucked, go figure.

[njrocker]

Originally posted by WOW

FUNK for ya eardrums.

Mmmm... Funkolicious.

Thanks for all the replies- Hey, soul isn't that hard to find at all! I already found a kick-ass local band. Awesome

[ihategarybettman]

funkjazz, you're right, there are good artists out there (I have CDs from Steve Earle, Queens of the Stone Age, and Radiohead), but it seems like it was easier to find the quality stuff in the "good old days." Albums were cheaper so it was easier (economically) to take a chance on buying a record you weren't familiar with, local radio played a wider variety of music and artists, MTV in its early days actually played music videos, and you didn't have to go into hock to pay for concert tickets. Also, I miss Musician magazine, which had a great section on new artists to look for.

[Dave da Dude]

funkjazz,

... go out to some clubs, support a local band.

Yeah man. Hey, make mine a Beck's on tap

Six beers later, "Hey, that band sounds great now. How come they were so crappy before?"

 

Seriously, I've been thinkin' on doin' just that. Go out and sample the local bands. I think it's a great idea, support your local bands, have a few drinks and meet a few people

 

btw, what the heck is a "npr"?

 

Dave

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by Dave th Dude:

btw, what the heck is a "npr"?

 

Dave

National Public Radio