I am new here, but I thought that this question is really interesting and I thought I would add my two cents.

I think that we are currently in towards the end of an ebb in the music title wave. Movements come and go. There is a time of rest before the next big thing happens. However in the music scene where I am from, I have noticed a lot more bands incorporating laptops and electronic elements along with rock and roll. Also more emotional elements too in regard to lyrical content. I have also noticed alot more socially conscious hip hop emerging, as well as of soul and jazz music fusions.

I hope this trend continues to emerge. I also believe that other outlets are helpful too. Internet radio stations and satellite radio stations have opened up the world to new influences which will of course inspire artists and hopefully stir the pot for better and newer styles of music to come.

Thats just my opinion, but at the moment I am really getting into bands that do fusions of electronic and rock elements.

Cheers!!

i would agree with the original poster's opinion about "jam bands." while most of these groups are simply glorified garage bands that feed off the post-phish ex-hippie era, some groups are truly breaking new ground every night they play a show. umphrey's mcgee, a group who i tirelessly "fluff" (say great things about) on this board, is one such group. they do not rely on any one genre of music to draw influence from. nor do they "blend genre's" as so many of today's eclectic groups profess to do. rather, they take bits and pieces from the entire musical spectrum, and create something completely unique and amazing. check out their website, they have free podcasts for you to download. any fan of rock music (or fan of precise, well-written music in general) WILL find something to enjoy in this group; many will take it beyond mere enjoyment.

I was thinking about what I had posted earlier today and realized that something like this was bound to get said; it's my fault, let me try to clarify myself:

I don't think that the mass availibility of music, the accesibility of iPod etc. technology stops or will stop people from discovering new music, i just think that since everyone has access to so much music, it'd be harder for some band to really take hold in a revolutionary way. It's just easier to ignore the "next big thing" nowadays, and follow a more personal musical route. It's rarer now that serious music fans discover someone along with a huge group of people, simultaneously.

Hope that cleared some stuff up.

Panbient, nice link to that article. I always see interesting things on allmusic.com and I really should read more since their editors seem to really know what their talking about.

As far as what the article was about. I never really thought about the whole distribution side of it and how lazy people have gotten. I think that will be a huge effect on the way people listen to music and what music they choose to listen to.

For instance. I think we can all agree that whats currently popular is just trying to give you the most out of the least listening time. Catchy and simple beat, relate able lyrics, and ultra slick production. People just want to cut out all the shit. All the waiting around, like when Led Zeppelin's Dazed and Confused finally comes in, and trade it for quick and direct music, pop-punk. I feel like this is just going to keep getting worse.

But with distribution that is just another side effect of the 21st century. All modes of distribution are just getting quicker and people want everything instantly and yeah that takes away from how much you treasure that. Hell I think even the way we view our meals is a bad idea, I'd much rather sit down and enjoy it but I simply feel like I don't have the time anymore. Maybe I'm decorating this with too many examples but the whole way of living in the 21st century doesn't seem like its headed in the right way. But I guess aslong as you can see through it then why worry?

With Jam bands, I really wish they would catch on but it relates back to the whole directness and quickness thing; people just don't want that out of music anymore. Mastering an instrument seems less and less what bands need to do, its not so much exploring their instruments as much as keeping up with a trend. Jam bands are keeping this alive and I think part of this ties into where I'm going with the next part.

The use of electronics in music. Pawz brings up a good point of talking about the use of Macs in shows and its definitely true, they are getting a lot more popular. I've even seen some local bands with them. I think they could be used appropriately but I also do like seeing just instruments and no electronics. It does seem like the whole jam band scene is going in an electronic direction, Bisco, umphreys a bit, and string cheese with zilla, lotus, sts9, etc. It would be interesting to see if people start making other kinds of bands with more incorporated electronics, pop-punk anyone?

Well if you made it here, props, theres so much to discuss with this topic.

Aren't the former members of Blink 182 in two different electronic/pop-punk bands now?

I started playing some Stevie Wonder in the office today and once again the music I picked cleared out the office. WTF?!? It's Stevie Freakin' Wonder! I don't think it's the music that needs to change. I think it's the musical taste of the average listener that needs work. Most non-musician people I know only listen to what they grew up listening to and never progress beyond that point. I think the populace needs more of the education than the musicians right now.

I guess the coworkers are really going to hate it tomorrow when I bring in the new Tom Waits.

+44 and Angels and Airwaves. Tom Delonge quit Blink 182 abruptly and later started A&A. Travis Barker was in Transplants with lead singer of Rancid. Mark Hoppus, Travis, and two new guys now make +44 who were on TRL last week.

I am actually at the point where many of my musician friends are only listening to what they grew up with, or as I alluded many months ago in the thread that eventually made one of our posters cry and run away, what they think they grew into when they left behind the music they grew up with. This latter crowd is even more curious to me. It's like they just gave up somewhere in their 20's...really sad. Maybe that will be me one day. Maybe as I get older I'll eventually just STOP. Man, I hope not...pushing 40 now and as excited as ever about new music, as well as music that is "new to me."

I don't understand listening to the same thing all the time. I'm with you Seerix I hope I never get to that point. I had a conversation with a coworker a little while ago based on this thread. He stated that he didn't listen to the same thing all the time either, but then went and listed these groups.

Foreigner
Journey
Boston
Night Ranger

I dropped the conversation.

Hello, new here as well. This is something I've considered for a while now, given that fm radio, at least, is in it's worst state ... ever. I absolutely cannot stand the current crop of popular bands at all. So much of the harder stuff they play, at least in LA, seems derivative from Nirvana ... still. I'd take 80s radio over what's going now. Is that fair? I don't consider myself biased per say, by time-period or by genre, and there are bands now that I love - they just get zero exposure.

Perhaps that goes some way toward addressing your post, Onop, because I agree with you in the sense that technology is really disipating the influence that music can have. Moreover, rock n' roll is an old art form by now, and there's really very little revolutionary change going on. However, there is still the possibility of an over-arching commonality in the future that is lacking today. I do think you saw one of those in the 90s. While there were regional scenes, some of them (notably Chicago and Seattle, New York, LA, Atlanta, the last three being hip-hop) were just so damn good that everyone knew them and they influenced those who followed. But there are no such groundswells today, IMO, and true 'gems' seem few and far between.

So is today the new 80s? That's my contention I guess.