Rock and Roll is always expanding in terms of taste and composition as it appeals to a more dynamic audience. The past decade has taken rock and formed it to what we know it as today.
Alternative Rock
Alternative music had it's birth in the late eighties, as the Glam and Hair bands were beginning to get phased out. Alternative was a more relaxed yet edgy version of rock that was beginning to take hold as the 90's came to be. It gave rock a more vast appeal to a greater audience by changing song structure from the ballad-type, which is solo-heavy, to the more mainstream formula of chorus and verse we see more of today.
Bands like Sonic Youth, Vertical Horizon, The Verve Pipe, Oasis, Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul, Soul Asylum, Tonic, The Smashing Pumpkins and Live heavily dominated the alternative market. These bands were mainly Pop-inspired rockers but didn't quite fit the "rock" label as it was, so the phrase "alternative rock" soon became a household term.
Alternative Rock is great mood music for days when you just want to chill or are feeling a tad bit emotional and need to vent. The great thing about Alternative Rock is just how many different “flavors” it comes in, there should be something to fit your mood when you aren’t rocking traditional rock and roll.
Alternative is considered to be a product of the 90’s so many people who were raised during this time tend to like Alternative. Even though when it first came out, it was considered to be “wuss rock” alternative has shown it’s true colors to the fans of music all over the world. It’s not just for the people who once considered themselves different from the norm due to artist influences.
Grunge and Post-Grunge
The musical scene had reached out to more and more niches in American culture in the 90's. This included the depressive Seattle scene fronted by bands such as Mudhoney, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. As well as the post-grunge movement which emerged soon after grunge with bands like Bush, Candlebox, and Stone Temple Pilots as their for-runners.
Grunge was based on Punk music in terms of form and style. It had modified the musical formula by introducing melodic, trance-like rhythms headed by powerful vocalists. Grunge performers were often stereo-typical rockers in terms of appearance. Long-haired, metal heads who looked like they emerged from their parents basements.
Grunge also gave the phrase "Power-Chord" a whole new meaning to rock and roll.
These simple riffs allowed for countless garage cover bands to mimic their favorite artists and further push the musical movement forward. The music, however simple, was deep and powerful and heavily based on the angst of American Youth.
Ska
Ska is a genre of music that is heavily based on reggae, faster and sometimes incorporated the use of brass instruments to augment the musical style. It was made popular in the nineties by bands such as Sublime, No Doubt, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, and the Butthole Surfers.
This feel good, positive music often carried a serious message that influenced an audience of millions. This style complimented other styles of the times by playing an up-beat tempo to contrast the muddy grunge genre that held popular during this time.
Ska was mainly formed in California by Surfers and Skaters who were heavily into Punk music. It consisted of strong, aggressive riffs and jazzy swing tones which propelled this genre to many of "top 10" charts across the nation making the bands play in heavy rotation on radios all over the US.
Ska is great music to enjoy when the mood strikes you. If you like rock music but also like horns, then this is the music for you my fellow band geek.
Ska guitar players are big fans of the wah pedal and using up-strokes with their picks to create the feel for their music. They also tend to incorporate their bass lines as a predominant part of their music, using the bass as the main instrument and even holding complex bass solo’s within their songs.
Punk
I could really talk about Punk Music all day long. Punk is fundamental rock that uses easy guitar riffs and simple rhythms to allow a singer to be the most important member for the band. Now, this is not always true and many bands like Greenday, Pennywise, and Billy Talent have put a spin on the genre to help change the peoples mind about punk from the days of the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. Most of Punk is used to convey a message against the powers that be.
Many speak openly about the government and various other tragedies facing the world. Punk has always been seen as an outlet for rebellion and is popular amongst people facing angst of some form or another.
Punk can be really easy to play, I mean have you ever played “Blitzkrieg Bop” on the guitar? Seriously, it takes like 2 minutes to learn the entire song. Many people use this to actually learn guitar because of it’s simple structure and playing style. So I guess it’s a good thing. Punk basically invented the Power Chord as well.
It’s hard to find good punk bands now-a-days because many bands who say to be punk are actually just a mix of Emo and Alternative rockers trying to be tough. You can’t be tough with a flock of seagulls haircut, well unless you have 5 facial piercings and at least 3 tattoos anyway.
If you want to know more about Punk Music, check out the other article here on GuitarWarLord.com about Punk.
Metal
Metal has been developing since the 80’s. Metal Masters like Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Ozzy, and Motley Crue helped to shape the genre using complicated guitar riffs, advanced shredding, speed picking, good pedal combo’s and loud amplifiers to set the genre apart from basic Hard Rock. In recent times, bands like Disturbed, Seven Dust, Slipknot, Lamb of God and countless others have progressed to genre even further.
Some metal bands use screaming as part of their act to add that signature metal sound. Other’s use double bass pedals and high attacks to spice up their music. It really doesn’t matter to tell you the truth because metal is all about being aggressive.
Metal bands don’t have to stick to their genre in the traditional sense however, and many bands like Metallica have used other accompanying instruments to compose full length ballads. This is nice to have on an album because the listener may not just want to hear awesome guitar riffs and aggressive vocals all of the time. Even listeners need a break from time to time and it’s nice that some bands show this in their art.
Modern Rock
The Music from "The New Millennium" took and cleaned up the image 90's grunge bands. It also commercialized underground punk bands, such as Greenday, and cut "the Hair" of Metal in bands like Metallica. Bands that had been around for a while had started to adjust to the new age. Adapting their musical styles to better fit the times and the needs of their audiences.
It weeded out many "cookie-cutter bands" as well. Proving that originality was still key to music and that artists that stayed true to their muse were often more successful than pure "corporate rock". Corporate Rock is where artists write more for their audiences, to boost sales, rather than their own personal muse. Artists that are more original often have better longevity overall and are not as susceptible to Hollywood glitz and glamour as their more commercial counter-parts tend to be. However, in some ways, corporate rock is a necessity. Due to the fact that an artist must write and perform for their audience. This gains a following of fans which, in-turn, boosts record sales and promotional products so that artists can be more successful and comfortable within their personal lives.
Modern times also gave birth to "The Disney Rockers". A slew of pop-inspired performers that started out working for Disney. Some examples of these are Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Hanna Montana. These stars are breed by corporations to sell products. These performers are often labeled "family friendly" but are frequently the victim of scandalous behavior and huge amounts of resulting paparazzi exposure.
And Beyond
Music is the art of story telling and having a good time. At it's core, music is meant to deliver a message, it's meant to bring people who enjoy a certain culture together so that they can enjoy and flourish in everything and everyone around them. And if you aren't going to listen or play music, you can always watch a movie about it…
