January 30, 2012

So, what does it mean to be in a rock and roll band? Well, if you have a guitar or bass, know your basic chords, power chords and pentatonic and blues scales in any key, and know basic theory and aural skills, you're probably good enough to be in a rock and roll band, a glam rock band, a punk rock band, or even a heavy metal band. Same if you can play a drum kit or sing somewhat. If a band needs a keyboardist, even basic chords and scalar runs are often good enough. Rock and roll is at its core, simplicity in music. What makes a truly great band however? Is it thinking outside the box, more technical and progressive instrumentation, faster guitars, more drum fills, and higher pitched singers? Many metal bands need fast and technical guitarists, bassists, and drummers and high pitched or low growly vocalists, but what makes one better than another? Is it in the lyrics? Is it all in image and attitude? Do leather clad beer drinkers sell as many records or score as many fans as cross dressing glam rockers or post apocalyptic heavy metal warriors? Does that make the music better? To be honest, it's all part of the musical experience, but none of it truly matters if there's no heart to the music, if you can't feel the passion and effort put into the music. The fastest most technical guitar players may not have the feel of a true rock and roll guitarist, the most powerful singers with the widest range may not be the most expressive, and the fastest most technical drummers may not have the most character, and the best lyrics may lose sight of the music. Is it the sex, drugs, and drinking lifestyle? I'd personally say no because I tend to avoid all that even though I'm still attracted to the music.
What I think it means to be in a rock band is more than just dressing in leather and denim and high tops and drinking beer or whiskey (or is it whisky? Well, Jack Daniel's is American...). That's just what the bands do. What being in a rock and roll band means is going out there, having fun on stage, and expressing yourself through music, no matter how simple or complex, and using that music to unite people, to make them happy, sometimes even to share your sorrow, to make them dance, to give them hope and courage, to make them fall in love, to move them in ways you would never have known you could. Rock and roll has become more than just a type of music, but rather a faith. The stereo or bar or arena has become a church, and the fans are bonded by their faith. The band or artist has become a choir, singing of the glories of music and spreading its music throughout the world. Presently, the true rockers are merely preaching to the converted, for guitar music has been pushed out of the mainstream and pre made, prepackaged pop and rap music became the order of the day. That said, there are still those out there, those who go to rock bars and listen to live music, those who support the local underground rock scene, those who collect vinyl records rather than download MP3s, those who care about genuine music without the gimmicks of modern technology, those who would pick up a guitar and play rather than pick up a knife or gun and cause trouble. If rock and roll is unpopular, how come there are still so many who love it? I believe it's because it's genuine music, written not usually by professional songwriters but by the musicians themselves. It doesn't matter what race, creed, religion, or financial background you come from. It should be enjoyed by all. What started out as working class music for working class people has become timeless music for all people, then gone back to its working class roots once it fell out of popularity. With that said, more young teenagers have started listening to classic rock stations or their father's or uncle's record collection and true rock and roll has seen a resurgence among the youth, which gives me hope for the future of good music.
What is rock and roll? It is an art, a science, a mathematical equation, a society, a state of mind, literature, faith, expression, love, hate, fear, courage, sorrow, joy, drunk, sober, poetry, motion, image, attitude, heaven, hell, and of course music. Rock and roll is everything in life.