A Southern Prophecy
New Orleans, The Big Easy - A town unlike any other, is giving breed to the future. This future, the future of Rock n Roll music, I thought for a long time was desolate...until my friend Hunter moved down South.
I grew up on rock music, it was my first love, but, being born in '94, as I continued to grow older, mine and rock's relationship waned, and so was the case with many of my peers. The last real "rock stars" lived and died in the early 2000s. They were Linkin Park [genre debatable], The Foo Fighters, & Nickelback (I understand "rock stars" as putting out platinum records, selling out stadiums, and dominating the media). Rock and Roll's overly extended dip in the mainstream was met with protest and defiance by groups like Blink-182, Green Day, & The Offspring a little later on, who in turn paved the way for acts such as My Chemical Romance, All Time Low, and Panic! At The Disco in the mid 2000s. With every evolution, record sales dropped, and so did the self esteem of the popular rock bands. Self deprecation became increasing trendy, to the point where it was the standard in rock n' roll, and while I'll confess to owning a replica jacket from the "Welcome to the Black Parade" video by MCR, at a point it all just became too much. With the meteoric rise of accessibility to rap in the suburbs, the brunt of which goes to Eminem, we were all given a choice when I was in middle school, continue to dedicate ourselves to a genre that seemed hellbent on killing itself and us with it, or to expand our horizons and look beyond rock music. Most chose the latter.
To be clear, my intent isn't to throw shade at any of these popular groups, as their taste in music and aesthetic during their time was, in part, a reflection of our own, or at the very least resonative. I'm only trying to express the progression of taste in your average, unattentive-to-music-outside-of-what-they-discover-through-radio-television-and-word-of-mouth, middle-schooler [in 2006], who, lets be honest, are the real driving force behind record sales. [see Taylor Swift]. All the while all the above was going on, indie rock, metal, underground hip-hop, and electronic music were thriving, especially with the internet in play.
When Gen Y decided to swing, a staunch departure from previous generations' general dedication to a solitary genre, rock took the back seat. This is for a couple different reasons. (And more I'm sure I didn't mention)
⦁ Technology: All around hardware and software improved by leaps & bounds after Y2K. When it became typical for every member of a family to have access to their own computer, people became increasingly exposed to new genres that they would've otherwise never discovered. The prime enabling source in my case, was Limewire. Initially released in May of 2000, Limewire was one of the first popular (free) alternatives to iTunes, which to a 9 or 10 year old with no concept of market or industry structure, just seemed like a free library of music. To, what I'm sure, was the annoyance of everyone else with the program who wasn't 9, often when you searched and found the aptly named file on Limewire, what was actually IN the file, was something completely different then what you'd been lead to believe. - No not porn! Well, sometimes porn...but more often than not the Wu-Tang Clan disguised as The Beastie Boys, or, Dutch hardcore techno DJ, Angerfist, disguised as The Red Hot Chili Peppers. While in some cases this was negative (I really did think that the Wu-Tang Clan were called The Beastie Boys for about a week), in other cases, it wasn't so bad (I'd heard RHCP before, so was pretty same in assuming Necroslave by Angerfist wasn't them. That being said, I was pretty captivated by the music, this being my first introduction to any kind of electronic music, and have since moved on to enjoy work from groups like Prodigy, and Death Grips, who I'd argue spring from a similar vein).
Alongside this enlightenment, the market for technology enabling amateurs to create their own music boomed. And, while it is by no means easy to learn to use an MPC, or your way around Logic, these devices are more becoming of users teaching themselves, then say a guitar. To most it is much more convenient, even practical, to use one device in order to replicate several instruments, rather than taking the time to learn to play the several instruments being replicated. The impression is; its also a lot cheaper.
⦁ Showmanship: Rap had more audacious videos and electronic music, for the most part, better live performances. In truth, once the internet snuck up on, it rock left a lot to be desired. The qualities of adaptability and innovation that the internet had inspired in other genres didn't seem to be present in good ol' rock n' roll. While rappers were uploading their mixtapes to the internet for exposure, rock bands were doing everything in their power to keep their tunes off of the web. Hunter, the same friend mentioned at the beginning of this essay, who easily salvaged rock n' roll for me, has born witness to the performance of just about every band under the sun. And among those bands, he testifies that the best live are Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements, etc, undisputed, classic, rock stars. After them, he'll probably tell you to go see Flying Lotus - Gen Y's sensibilities. The powerful showmanship exhibited by rock's true legends continues to live on uncontested, as the children of the music became more and more introspective.
When 2012 rolled around, I thought rock was dead, I really did. I'd dabbled in indie to find out that no matter how "deep" it ever got, that depth generally lacked substance. Then, post-punk, black metal, noise rock, you name it, I tried it, but nothing came close to Sabbath, or Zeppelin, or Nirvana even. Every so often, acts worth mentioning have come out, like Fucked Up, Japandroids, or Cloud Nothings to name a few, but evidence of a real resurgence in rock n' roll has been fantasy...until now.
In the age of social media rock n' roll has finally found its footing. DIY labels, venues, and bands are now more popular, and more open to the public than ever. In fact, right now, somewhere in America, in somebody's garage, shed, or dorm room, the next big thing are plugging in their amps, and tuning their instruments. For the first time in God knows how long, a tangible, digestible, and inspirational movement in rock music is going down.
Below I've listed 10 quintessential bands in New Orleans right now, many featuring members of the others, who exhibit perfectly what rock is, where its been, and hopefully, where its going. Their prolific and often free output of music, coupled with a clear desire to actually impact rock n' roll, truly is the future.
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Ten Bands From New Orleans To Check Out Right Now! ________________________________________________________
Caddywhompus
Caddywhompus is: Sean Hart (drums) and Chris Rehm (guitar/vocals) Record:
Feathering A Nest
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Donovan Wolfington
Donovan Wolfington is: Neil Berthier - Guitar and Vox Matthew Seferian - Guitar and Vox Savannah Saxton - Keys and Vox Chris Lanthier - Bass Michael Saladis - Drums Record:
Stop Breathing
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Frail
Frail is: Ben Polito - vox/guitar Nick Corson - bass Hunter Keene - drums Record:
BONES
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Grotto Girl
Grotto Girl is: Grady Ben Nick Record:
Besides,
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My Father's Rifle
My Father's Rifle is: Christian Baraks Chris Littlejohn Matthew Seferian Alex Skalany Record:
You, Again
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Native America
Native America is: Ross Farbe - Guitar, Vocals John St. Cyr - Bass, Vocals Ray Micarelli - Drums, Vocals Record:
Get Well Soon
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Pope
Pope is: Matthew Seferian Alex Skalany Atticus Lopez Record:
Known Weed Smoker
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Sun Hotel
Sun Hotel is: Devin Hildebrand & Ross Farbe - Drums Tyler Scurlock & Alex Hertz - Guitars John St. Cyr - Bass Tyler Scurlock, Alex Hertz, Ross Farbe, & John St. Cyr - Vocals Ross Farbe - Keyboard Record:
Gifts
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Tare
Tare is: Josh Campbell - guitar Zachary Meredith - guitar/vocals Ian Paine-Jesam - drums Dustin Poelker - bass Record:
By Proxy
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Woozy
Woozy is: Kara Stafford (guitar / vocals) John St. Cyr (guitar / vocals) Ian Paine-Jesam (drums) Record:
The Sun Let Its Hair Down
******************************************************************************** 10 More Bands To Check Out! This Time, From Philly! ********************************************************************************
Alex G
Alex G is: Alex G Record:
DSU
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Algernon Cadwallader Algernon Cadwallader is: Joe Nate Nick Peter Record:
Parrot Flies
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The Chelsea Kills
The Chelsea Kills is: Sam Mercurio - Guitar/Vox Sam Boles - Bass/Vox Ethan Weiss - Drums Record:
Pulp Culture
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The Districts
The Districts is: Mark Larson - Guitar Rob Grote - Vocals Connor Jacobus - Bass Braden Lawrence - Drums Record:
A Flourish & A Spoil
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Dogs On Acid
Dogs On Acid is: Joe Nate Nick Peter Record:
Dogs On Acid
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DRGN KING
DRGN KING is: Dominic Angelella Ritz Reynolds Record:
Holy Ghost/Son of Wolfman
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It Must Be Love
It Must Be Love is: Dan - Drum Nate - Bass Sean - Guitar Record:
It Must Be Love
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Mumblr
Mumblr is: Nick Morrison - Vocals & Guitar Ian Amidon - Lead Guitar Sean Reilly - Bass Scott Stitzer - Drums Record:
Full of Snakes
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Pill Friends
Pill Friends is: Kyle Schwander - Drums Davis Cook - Bass Abby Trunfio - Cello/Vocals Ryan Wilson - Guitar/Organ/Vocals Record:
Blessed Suffering
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Snowing
Snowing is: John Galm, Nate Dionne, Ross Brazuk, Bean Record:
I Could Do Whatever I Wanted If I Wanted
