Rock Music: Still Young and Alive
We live in a society where throughout the years, styles come and go just like seasons. However others are just so impactful to society that they leave a mark. In this case the genre of rock music. Rock music began in the late 1940s, early 1950s and as time went on, bands began to add their own personal sound creating multiple sub-genres related to rock. Rock can vary from metal rock, a sub genre that has more aggressive tones, to Classic rock that takes place in a specific time of the late 1970s and 1980s, to dark wave that has an emphasize on containing dark tones and thought provoking lyrics. The genre is also known for being a space for individuals to express their misfit ideas and start movements through their radical behavior.
When compared to the '70s and '80s, rock music has had a decline in our society. On average most people tend to gravitate towards mainstream music due to it's frequent exposure on the radio and social platforms. According to Billboard, hip-hop was the most listen genre of 2018.
When asked about why rock music has had a slow decline through out the years, Rob Menez, a student who attended Santa Monica College (SMC) for four years states, “bands today are trying to do what has been done thirty, forty years ago and it is not fresh anymore.” He also claims “people rather spend 800 bucks to see a Rolling Stone show” who “are literally decaying in front of your eyes instead of seeing a new band that is out struggling.”
Elia who has been attending SMC for a year, thinks rock music has a chance on making its way back to society. “I think that especially with the Internet, there can be so many things pulled from every single little like nook and cranny of history that you can kinda find a sub culture or music genre that reflects any point of history.” She goes on to add that rock is not declining but getting spread out.
James Cheesman, a Music Appreciation professor here at SMC goes on to state that the rock genre has a lot of factors to consider before making a final decision. Rock and roll he says "is still a young art form and someone in their forties might not be best person to day it is still alive." Furthermore, he claims that when considering how to answer the question, is rock dead, one must also look at "defining rock and roll" and "defining the death of an art" as it is "crucial."He also states that when trying to find a definite answer it promotes individuals to explore music one is not into or have you go back and "listen to more music and invest deeper into some of the tracks." Cheesman does point out that the attitude that has been associated with rock has been replaced by Hip-Hop.
The genre of rock is not dead. It has simply just gets lost in masses. The genre of rock music needs an awakening and an extreme push in order for it to make a stronger comeback in society. Liliana Summerton, who has been attending Santa Monica College for three semesters and an individual who enjoys the genre of rock, shares that rock will be able to make a comeback “if it gets better again.” She goes on by saying, “I feel like rock has definitely has, like gone down, and the music isn’t as good. so maybe if the music quality is good.”
If rock is to make a full recovery and gain the attention of audiences that normally hear different genres, it needs to improve its content and have the support of all rockers from all age groups. It needs to be open to experiment new sounds while keeping the authentic radical attitude of challenging ideas and society.