Got somethhing against McDonalds? I swear, you foodies just don’t get real food for real people. /s
4 Likes
The cultural throwdown on accessibility is valid, but I do think that he’s entirely avoiding the implications of “real music fans”, here, in that there’s a helluva lot of racialization. This music speaks to the aggressive side of a lot of people we’re used to, so if you’re coming from a very intensively political punk background, and then running into this crowd, what you see is the desire to fit into the aesthetic of things, but to be able to purchase your tickets and consume it, but not think about how it affects others.
I absolutely remember a ‘butt rock’ station being the only option outside of 8 country stations, NPR, and the local Christian station. I can definitely say, heading back home, I am distinctly uncomfortable with the degree that regressive social stances gets wrapped up in this “rebel aesthetic”.
I also cannot, for the life of me, understand how he went an entire video without mentioning Chevelle’s miraculous ability to write hit album after hit album without becoming an laughingstock out of either side.
3 Likes
“Can’t worry bout what another ninja thank, now that’s liberation…”
4 Likes
I’m going to ask a silly question, why is Chevelle bad? They are and have been one of my favorite bands. Maybe its because I was a young 20 something in this time but half of the bands in this video I like. Hell, I think I saw every single one at the 9:30 club at some point.
And no, I’m not a white male incel trapped in middle america. It was an evolution at the time of grudge and metal (so I thought). I will say the current evolution of rock I’m not a big fan of (too many banjos) and the previous hard rock bands themselves seems to still be stuck in the 00’s.
2 Likes
I don’t know this band, actually, but I’d say don’t worry about what others think of the music you enjoy… Maybe I’d hear them and not like them, but what does that have to do with what you like… Nothing!
I say ignore people who think that what they consume makes them morally superior for some weird reason, and just like what you like. 
8 Likes
I like the name “Butt Rock” because I just don’t like that style of music, but it was funny to learn the origin of the term.
I often hear songs and think “ok, what would this sound like if it was done as an acoustic folk song?” Sometimes “bad” songs reveal their true value that way.
Butt the fact that so many Butt Rock bands tend to be right-wing and pro-military gives me plenty of reason to dismiss them and ignore them. There’s a lot of music out there, I can listen to so much of it and never have to stoop as low as Butt Rock.
1 Like
Wording of the article made me think of this:
1 Like
I didn’t mention them to be derogatory, at all. They’re pretty excellent, and it’s remarkable the degree to which they write an album, and find acceptance across the spectrum. I mainly mentioned them because the ‘nothing but rock’ stations are also very fond of them. I was using them as a very good example of someone who managed to hit the aesthetic while also bringing some artistic range and growth.
(And Mindy’s right: there’s no need for me to gatekeep what people listen to, nor was that my intention, beyond stuff that’s clearly intended to be toxic af.)
1 Like
No worries. My bad for misreading. And I want your rock stations. We only have one here now and its just the clear channel station. RHCP to Imagine Dragons to Eminem to Billie Eillish then repeat. I stick to my collection and the occasional pandora.
Oh, I don’t have one anymore. I just have a hits station that occasionally shifts in eclectic yesteryear. A downside to moving to the other side of the world.
Good thing that Spotify just lets me find pretty much everything, forever. Couple that with regular trawling of Heavy Blog is Heavy’s Release Roundup every month and I’ve got a constant influx of really interesting music.
I’ve been thinking about something here that’s bothering me, and it’s how the economics of the commercial component is ignored.
3 companies run most of the record access, they run most of the radio play, and they’re consolidating live performance venues as well. It’s easier than ever to get your music out there, but it’s harder than ever to make any sort of living from it.
So, if you look at pop, the peak of commercial music, you’ll see lots of new faces and new approaches. Look back at alternative and rock, and it’s a lot of repackaging of the same people. There’s very little turnover.
That’s not to say that rock’s dead, by any means. If anything, it’s more engaging and creative than ever. There’s a wealth of new material, particularly in hybridized or heavy genres, but it’s not focused on commercial success because it ain’t gonna be there. What’s happened, though, is that the real play deciders seem to have given up interest in bringing new sounds into the space, and that stagnation is a really big problem to address.
In some ways, our concept of alternative is really shaped by Nirvana. After their success, record companies swept the corners looking for everything else they could market. There were some style shifts since, but I wonder if we’re really not due for a tidal shift from fresh blood.
3 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
