A main ingredient to a rock musician: attitude?

As we have seen throughout the semester, there are many genres of music that all produce a different image or theme. Is it safe to say that rock music produces an overall theme of rebellion? I believe that this can be seen in guitarists such as Angus Young, through his roar in guitar playing and his attitude to not behave on stage. Does this come along with the instrument that one is playing also?
We have seen that the electric guitar is a fundamental form to the substance of what is rock music. The Guitar magazine issue December 2008 states that the electric guitar is like a tool for players to use in feeling what they are playing. Therefore do guitar players use the attitude of misbehaving just so that they can feel the hard hitting rock tunes that they are playing?
Look at Jimi Hendrix he is a shining example of some of the things guitar players can do. Hendrix played the guitar with his teeth, is this an example of the perfect rock musician? Is it the norm to act in an unusual way when playing an instrument. A famous trumpet player named Charlie Parker once stated that "if you don't live it, it don't come out your horn," therefore if you as a rock musician don't live your music, you won't produce the right sounds?
I believe this answer is up to it's audience... Some have questioned the acts of Silverchair when they used to destroy their instruments. Daniel Johns once quoted that they do it because "they aren't theirs;" is this a form of rebellion coming through in the acts of Silverchair?
For us audience it can be enjoyable to view these rebellion acts on stage, but I believe that the answer lies within Charlie Parker's quote mentioned above, if one does not live their rock music how can they produce the sounds. This can produce the aesthetically true rock song.
I would love to ask this question to those musicians who mimmick and mime their songs. I wonder if others feel the exact same.

Rock with a twist: Jethro Tull

Have you ever heard of a rock group with a flute player as their front man? Jethro Tull have been circulating the rock musician world for almost four decades. Front man Ian Anderson encaspulated his rock songs with a burst of flute playing which captured many musicians and audience ears and eyes around the world.
Jethro Tull formed in 1967, they are a British rock group who contributed in changing the method of a typical rock band. Jethro Tull have released many live DVDs and can be first seen on the "Rolling Stones, Rock and Roll Circus." Jethro Tull alone have sold more than 60 million Cd's worldwide.
After auditions for a replacement guitarist in December 1968, Anderson chose Martin Barre, a former member of Motivation, Penny Peeps, and Gethsemane, who was playing with Noel Redding's Fat Mattress at the time. Barre was so nervous at his first audition that he could hardly play at all, and then showed up for a second audition without an amplifier or a cord to connect his guitar to another amp. Nevertheless, Barre would become Abrahams' permanent replacement on guitar and the second longest-standing member of the band after Anderson.
The band was soon to be on it's way. Ian Anderson has changed his band members throughout time, however Barre's incredible talent on the guitar has allowed him to stay within the group for such time.
Jethro Tull only toured Australia less than five years ago, playing at the State Theatre in Sydney. They stole their own show by playing songs like Locomotive Breath, Teacher, Songs from the Wood, Jack in the Green to perfect sound as one would hear on the original album. The characteristics developed in these songs are full on rock based, especially Locomotive Breath; it really does hit the spot, when it comes to the feelings that rock songs can give their audience. Locomotive Breath has almost poetry for it's lyrics and the music is hard, strong and tempo changing. The main instruments used for a rock band are facilitated to their utmost complete. However, Anderson brings in his clever flute playing which shows audiences that rock music can be not just a bunch of loud drum playing and amazing guitar riffs.
Jethro Tull are a great rock group who have changed history, in that they use other genres and cultures to mould what is their music. The rock sounds that they produce really blow anyone away, however Andersons flute playing brings another layer to the level that rock music has. The stereotypical stance of flute playing that Anderson uses also lets us audience become aware that rock music is a great thing, it is not just a rebellion image with loud sounds; Anderson expresses it as 'artwork' and I believe he does this through his flute playing and overall creativity within Jethro Tulls songs (not to forget his amazing energy on stage).


-"In the shuffling madness, of the locomotive breath, runs the all time loser, head long to his death."

Rock: A brief history Pt.6

With the end of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's, a whole new wave of artists emerged as well as the expansion of alternative rock. In Chicago, industrial rock was beginning to take a foot hold with two of the more noticeable rock bands of the decade, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry.

Hard rock was still ruler in the aftermath of the grunge movement and bands such as Korn, Stone Temple Pilots and Tool were all adding to the rock movement of the 1990's. Grunge was still a defining genre of rock in the 90's however, and groups such as Nirvana defined the early 1990's with their music. By the end of the decade, Britain was being overrun by Brit-pop, which spawned bands such as the Verve, Oasis, and Radiohead.

Los Angeles may have seen the peak of heavy metal in the 1990's with super star groups such as Metallica, Jane's Addiction, and Guns N' Roses all packing in arenas for thousands of screaming fans. The success of Van Halen and Guns N' Roses in the early part of the decade led to the sustained success of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, U2, and Metallica. This wave of heavy metal soon saw a split into a multitude of sub genres; grind metal, death metal, doom metal and funk rock were showcasing bands across the West Coast with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine in Los Angeles and Primus and Faith No More in San Fransisco. During this time, it was heavy metal phenomenon Marilyn Manson that put life back into the genre.

Although pop-punk was born in Los Angeles, it saw its peak elsewhere, with Green Day in San Fransisco and Pegboy in Chicago. This genre also saw the success of groups such as The Offspring, Weezer and Blink-182. This slew of pop-punk bands would soon begin to merge with emotional rock and eventually lead to the emo movement of the new millennium.

Another genre of music that saw a huge movement in the 1990's was ska. After having brewed underground during most of the 80's, bands such as Rancid, The Might Might Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, and Sublime began to discover huge followings. Emerging from this type of music came a more pop-ska genre that gained a bit more attention with groups like No Doubt and Smash Mouth. Hardcore followers of ska were still held satisfied with Less Than Jake and Catch-22 gaining popularity on the underground scene.

The Main Ingredient to Rock Music: The Electric Guitar

The electric guitar is a musical instrument that is used frequently in many rock songs. It is one of the main ingredients that constitutes a rock sound and the rock image. An electric guitar is a form of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-corded strings, into an electric current, which is generally made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker.

Some examples of rock musicians who frequently use the electric guitar are Jimmy Page, Jimmy Hendrix, John Lennon, Dave Grohl and Angus Young to name a few. The electric guitar is used prominently to create electrifying, hard hitting sounds in guitar lead breaks and rhythms in songs.

The electric guitar was first used by Jazz guitarists, who facilitated amplified hollow-bodied instruments to produce a louder sound in the Swing-era, Big Bands. The earliest electric guitars made were created by the company Rickenbecker, to follow was Les Paul who created the famous Fender Esquire in the early 1950's.

In the early 1960's some rock guitarists began to explore the multiple sounds that the electric guitar can produce. The first example being Jimmy Page's clever use in the song "Dazed and Confused." Page simply distorted the sound of his twelved stringed, double-neck guitar by using a violin bow and changing the volume through the pre-amplifier. The sound created by Page's use of the violin bow simply creates an edgy and fuzzy sound, which encourages the theme of the song to come through within the song.

Today, there are many forms of the electric guitar that one can buy for their rock band. According to musical instrument expert Phil Jack, owner of Music Headquarters in Newcastle, the solid body electric guitars are most popular in purchase. The solid body electric guitars have no hollow internal cavity that creates vibration, and there are no holes to accomodate string vibration. The most common well known solid body electric guitar was invented by the very famous Les Paul. An example is the typical "sunburst" that is used by musicians such as Jimmy Page and formely also Eric Clapton. Other forms of the electric guitar are seen in semi-acoustic, acoustic, semi-string, twelve string and eight and nine string.

To accomodate one's preffered rock sound, they must experiement and try out as many electric guitars as they can. The electric guitar can be studied extremely easily today, through music shops situated in Newcastle; Music Headquarters at Lambton and Muso's Corner in Newcastle city. A rock musician can also study their electric guitars as easy in a magazine. The most common being the "Guitar" magazine which is released monthly and has direct details about all kinds of guitars, guitar players and music shops where stock can be purchased from.

Without the electric guitar, we today would not have rock songs such as "Foxy Lady" by Jimi Hendrix or "Times like these" by the Foo Fighters. The sounds of the electric guitar has encapsulated the imagery and pure nature as to what is rock music.

Rock: A brief history Pt.5

Just as the 60's and 70's defined what we know today as rock music, it was perhaps the 1980's that gave birth to the myriad of sub-genres of rock.

Punk rock began to evolve in the 1980's into a more hardcore scene, and groups such as the Misfits in New York, the Lemonheads in Boston, and Fugazi in Washington began terrorizing their local scenes. The West Coast had its share of the hardcore punk scene, however it was not near as violent, with groups such as Black Flag, X, and The Dead Kennedy's remaining more experimental. This experimental type of punk began the emergence of a new generation of bands with roots in what is called beach punk.

Meanwhile, the southeast was giving rise to a new genre of rock with the emergence of two notable bands, REM and the B-52's. This new form of melodic rock was a mix between folk-rock and pop and culminated into what is now known as college rock.

Neo-rock bands were now beginning to sprout up everywhere, with acts in Boston and New York such as the Band of Susans and the Pixies, known for the genre of rock with was labeled grunge. But it was in Seattle that saw the re-emergence of hard rock and the boom of this new form of grunge rock with acts such as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

Punk rock was beginning to take flight on its own, and bands began to experiment with different sounds and led the music on a path of its own. Psychedelics in the age of punk rock led to the creation of The Butthole Surfers in Texas, the Flaming Lips in Oklahoma,and Phish in New England.

On a completely different level, another street phenomena was taking place, but it wasn't in the recording studios or on the radios quite yet. It started in the ghettos and gradually took over the streets all across America. Hip-hop was revolutionizing the music scene and with bands such as The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Public Enemy bridging the gap between hip-hop and rock.

Across the ocean, Britain was taking a different course in perhaps the opposite direction. Bands began creating simpler, more commercial music. It began with vaguely robotic sounds that gradually evolved into more pop music, and eventually turned into what is now known as synth-pop, music that was typically played on electronic instruments and sung by female or gay singers, although are a notable exceptions. Of the many bands that were successful in this area, perhaps the two most notable bands were The Depeche Mode and The Pet Shop Boys. From this music also came the outrageously successful Irish group U2.

Rock: A brief history Pt.4

With the seventies came the deaths of The Doors' Jim Morrison, Janice Joplin and Jimi Hendrix and the cooling down of rock music. After the hectic 60's, a new form of rock nirvana was proposed by Dylan with the re-emergence of country rock, bringing successful groups such as the Eagles. Raggae was becoming more mainstream thanks to the work of Bob Marley and funk was becoming even more experimental with acts such as George Clinton's band. Soon hard rock and heavy metal began a genre of its own, spitting out acts such as AC/DC, Aerosmith, KISS, Ruch, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult and Van Halen.

As the 70's began, a new generation of singer songwriters led a musical phenomenon that was a direct descendant of the previous generations intellectual ambitions. Artists such Tim Buckley, Lou Reed, Neil Young, and perhaps most famous, Bruce Springsteen established a genre of music that united the classical composer of the old days with the folksinger.

The 70's was a time of slowing for the rock movement, however there was two major phenomena that occurred during this time that would reshape rocks future: disco music and punk rock. Disco music was the first genre of music to use electronic instruments for commercial, mass scale music. But it was punk rock that had an even greater impact because with it came the thousands of independent record label companies jumping at the chance to promote underground artists. Soon the rock industry was split in two: mainstream rock descending from the Beatles and Elvis, and alternative rock, descending from The Grateful Dead and Zappa. Punk rock music however, was load, fast rock and roll, and soon became the moniker for all angry music.

Acts in New York such as the New York Dolls and the Ramones, playing at CBGB, made punk rock more than just a sound, they made it a way of life. In Britain, the Sex Pistols were leading the way for punk rock that had a more politically and socially justified kind of rebel music. But punk rock was not all about anarchy and rebellion, as bands the likes of the Clash and the Fall were making intellectual punk rock music, punk with a brain.

Meanwhile, across the country were bands which were rediscovering the rock and roll of the 50's and 60's. Artists such as Tom Petty, The Cars, and The Fleshtones were untouched by the experimental movement were performing for thousands of fans. Other artists such as Blondie, Talking Head, James Chance, and later, Madonna, took the idea of punk rock to the discos in New York. In Britain came the advent of dark punk rock, with bands such as the Cure, Joy Division, and Sisters of Mercy.

Just as quickly as rock had slowed at the turn of the decade, it had reawakened with the arrival of the mid-70's with a multitude of extremely talented musicians rewriting the book of rock.

Rock: A brief history Pt.3

The impact of British rock and roll on the American scene was equivalent to an atom bomb. Kids in every part of the country began picking up the guitar and playing in their garages, playing this new form of blues music with a certain vengeance. It was Bob Dylan who led the charge on the East Coast. With his first electric performances met with disappointment, it wasn't long before his music, along with the Byrds and Simon and Garfunkels folk-rock began taking off.

At the same time, the psychedelic movement began to take shape all across the country. It was this movement, merged with electric rock and the protest movement that gave shape to bands such the Velvet Underground and the Fugs, who turned rock and roll into an intellectual process. Soon, New York and San Fransisco were hot spots for psychedelic rock.

San Fransisco was becoming the mecca for a new form of rock, one that hippies flocked to. Acid rock was beginning to take shape led by bands such as Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead. These bands recorded complex harmonies and improvised jams, bringing rock and roll back to the free flowing realm of jazz music. Meanwhile, Los Angeles was giving birth to rock legends of its own. Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, perhaps two of the most influential musicians of the century, were recording some of the most experimental records ever, and in the process, turning rock and roll in a serious art form. Psychedelic rock was now spreading like wildfire across the United States and began spilling over into Britain. Soon America begat bands such as The Doors and Britain was pumping out groups with names such as Pink Floyd.

The popularity of rock music helped to resurect the blues, and soon super talents such as Jimi Hendrix and Janice Joplin started to gain noteriety. It was also at this time that bands such as Creedance Clearwater Revival and The Doobie Brothers brought new heights to rock with the revisitation of traditional white and black music. This sudden revival movement in the rock world led to a boom in what is now called southern rock, and bands such as the Allman Brothers and Lynard Skynard were born.

Meanwhile, black music was going through a transformation of its own. Soul music was beginning to be seen as a form of party music thanks to musical acts such as the Supremes. Even rhythm and blues was mutated into an eccentric form of music called funk, which found its home with grand performers like James Brown.

There are many, many more groups who deserve mentioning when it comes to rock and roll in the 1960's. Groups the likes of Jethro Tull, Van Morrison and Cat Stevens helped define many of the sub genres of rock and roll, while experimentation by groups in the 60's led to new forms of rock that had never been heard, or even attempted before. It is true that the 1960's were the classical age of rock and roll.

Rock: A brief history Pt.2

Rock and roll was beginning to take off, but there was still something more needed. This 'something more' came from somewhere unexpected: the underground blues clubs of Britain. Throughout the early sixties, Britain had a poor music scene. Musicians were imitating Presley, and doing a poor job of it. Mainly, the British didn't associate with the rebel attitude of rock and roll, and shunned it. However, the seeds had already been planted in underground blues clubs across the country. Throughout the 50's these blues clubs flourished throughout London, although almost every major city in England had a weekly blues gig. It was these English blues musicians that took blues music, and turned it into some truly innovative. Emphasizing the refrain of the call and response, speeding up the rhythm guitar, extending choruses and adding vocal harmony, these British blues musicians were playing music that was as deeply felt as the American blues.

It was the loyalists to this scene that led to the formation of bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and the Animals. The Rolling Stones were a huge hit in London and went on to record some of the most succesful songs of the era. The Yardbirds were doing things that had never been done before, and was an experimental band and also a training ground for three of the greatest guitar players in history: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimi Page. Unfortunately, the Yardbirds split up, but it was through the death of this band that two revolutionary groups were born: Cream and Led Zeppelin. Both bands set the bar when they began to play what some might call very loud blues. Cream's lengthy solos and Led Zeppelins insane guitar riffs created what is now the very heart of rock music.

At the same time in Liverpool, George Martin was working with both Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Beatles. The Beatles stood out in stark comparison to the underground clubs dominant in England at the time. However, it was just this type of change that was needed to shift the industry, and the Beatles stole the momentum from the blues scene and turned their music into a mass media attration. It was here that rock music became a major business.

Soon came the second generation of rock groups with bands such as the Kinks and The Who beginning to pop up. Both of these groups recorded and published concept albums and rock operas, such as "Tommy" by the Who. This type of music intermingled the sounds of British operetta with that of rock. While melodic rock was still popular, it was The Who's magnificently amplified guitars that began to lead the way to rocks harder future. The Rolling Stones were writing songs about the punks and working class of England The Who were writing songs about the frustrated urban youth, and the Kinks were writing about the life and times of living in ordinary England. Together, these three bands formed a complete picture of that time and would unknowingly influence generations of rock bands for decades to come.

Rock: A brief history Pt.1

Rock and roll has a fairly short history compared to the centuries old traditions of classical music. Finding its roots just over half a century ago, rock and roll music has now become household, with groups springing up all over the world. Over the next couple of articles, I will explore a brief history of rock and roll beginning in the 1950's until now.

The year was 1955, and Chuck Berry was a black man playing black music. As Bob Dylan put it, times were changing, and white kids were beginning to pick up listening to rhythm and blues, and white bands everywhere were mixing their country music with this new form of playing. This new form of music was what the kids of the day were looking for, and these artists epitomized the youth's dream of anticonformity. The music industry soon picked up on this trend and realized that there was a white market for black music, and racial barriers and racism could not stand in the way of progress. Rock and roll became an overnight success story. Soon, recoding studios began to promote white celebrity artists such as Elvis Presley. But as talented as Elvis might have been, it was the real heroes like Chuck Berry we have to thank for the birth of rock and roll. It was these black artists that best represnted the connection between the audience and the performer. Unfortunately, these black artists' careers were often short lived as white artists began recording, often covering songs first written by obscure black artists.

Soon rock music began to lose it's fire and passion, becoming what some might call a little soft toward the end of the 1950's. Artists such as The Everly Brothers, Duan Eddy, and Buddy Holly began mixing in country music side by side with rock. Soon, however, the youth identified with a new style of music, music that dealt with the problems of the system, such as the Vietnam War and civil rights. Arguably one of the most influential artists of the era, Bob Dylan led the charge against "The Man" with simple songs a poetic lyrics. An entire generation followed him as he sang about the changing times.

During the same time in California, a group known as The Beach Boys led commercial rock music onto a new path, and soon surf music was invented. This was still rock and roll, however, surf music incorporated something previously not done before, sophisticated vocal harmonies. California and The Beach Boys had their own idea for rock, and established the music for having fun and parties. Briding the gap between Doo-Wop and rock, this form of rock and roll turned out to be a great way to bring the melodic aspect of music into rock and roll.

Coldplay

Coldplay is a British alternative rock band that was formed in 1998. The band consists of Chris Martin (guitar, vocalist, keyboardist), Jonny Buckland (lead guitarist), Guy Berryman (bassist) and Will Champion (drummer, backing vocalist, multi-instrumentalist).

They have released 4 albums thus far starting with Parachutes, which featured Yellow. Then came “A Rush of Blood to the Head” which won multiple awards. X&Y was released in 2005, which got bad reviews in which The New York Times said “the most insufferable band of the decade.” Finally their big seller Viva la Vida was release in 2008, which sold over 50 million albums. Viva La Vida was their first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and from there on out won many awards.

They are currently on tour around the world and I recently went to see them in Sydney for the sound relief concert, which is only one of many charity projects they performed at. After seeing them at that concert, I would go see them again in a heartbeat. They were really good live performers that got the audience into their music.