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The American Rock Scene Sucks

December 19, 2007 // 7 Comments  // Add yours »

Lately I've been seriously craving some new music.  So I asked around a bit and got some halfway decent suggestions, but none of them overly impressed me.  Then yesterday, I got an email from an Irish friend of mine who suggested that I listen to two different bands.  One of them was The Fratellis - a band from Glasgow, Scotland.  Freakin' incredible...  one of the best new bands I've come across in a while.  So this got me thinking.  Why does the music that's successful in America suck so much?  I mean, about 90% of the music I listen to comes from the UK.  Is there some law that says that the major labels in the US can only release and promote garbage?  Why am I forced to listen to Kid Rock's latest single when I turn on the radio?  Why do I have to reach across the Atlantic ocean to find something that's worth listening to? 

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Comments:

Just throwing this out there, go to local band clubs. I do. Everyband sounds like the fratellis. I'm not joking. And this has been going around for like 4-5 years now. Now, I'm not denying that the best bands come from the UK, infact my favorite bands come from other countries. I'll even list them in Genre. And I'll only list modern bands.
All types of metal
Dragonforce (England)
Rhapsody of Fire (Italy)
Behemothe (Poland)
Manowar (no idea, not US)
System of a Down (They recorded in the US but there from Armania)

Plain rock bands/ Punk Rock/poprock/techno rock
Gnasher (Ireland/ US)
The Birthday Massacre (Canada)
Flashlight Brown (Canada -brokeup)
Flogging Mollys (Ireland I think 99% sure)
Shefield (Scotland/Ireland)

Now I agree with you, the best music does come from overseas. But there are bands that have similar sound in the US, the propblem is that in the US its not main stream. Instead main stream music is what 14-16 year old girls listen to.

I recomend moving to England. One pound in england is two american dollars. Thats one heck of an exchange rate these days.

Posted on: Dec 20, 2007 7:02:16 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, K Fus.

Flogging Molly originated in LA, although the singer was born and raised in Dublin.

"I recommend moving to England." Haha, that gave me a good laugh.

I realize there's some good stuff here, and that most of it goes unnoticed. But that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm annoyed with what's in the mainstream. I'm frustrated that they neglect good music and promote a bunch of garbage instead.

Posted on: Dec 20, 2007 7:15:07 PM

My final count from the rolling stone top 100 songs of the year was 13. THIRTEEN out of one hundred that I liked. I don't like these odds.

It's american mainstream that's the trouble. The thirteen songs were all the "indie" and "alternative" songs that made their way onto the list.

Posted on: Dec 21, 2007 2:01:31 AM

I do listen to the radio every so often to see what's going on, that way I'm not left completly in the dark, but; my iPod is my life. I have everything from Tesla, Motley Crue, Skid Row (basically 80's) to Megadeth, Black Label Society, Ozzy, and Black Sabbath (Metal) back to Nickelback, Sixx A.M., Britney, and The Bravery.
Sometimes with the American music industry, you have to go deep, not just skim the surface. Take your favorite show for example (I happen to like Gossip Girl) I have found that I watch the show to get new ideas for music that I might like!
Other than that, I listen to Virgen Radio UK. I have to stream it through my comp when I'm home, I wish I could take it with me everywhere!
One more piece of advice, dive into the past; weather it be 70s, 80s, or what have you. I have fallen in love with bands from the 80s and you be suprised that most of them are still touring!

Posted on: Dec 27, 2007 8:44:37 AM

XM and Sirius have alot of genre specific stations, MANY of them focusing purely on new, upcoming, and unsigned artists. A lot of music that I hear on those stations sometimes becomes overplayed FM radio mainstream, but not for MONTHS after I'm already sick of hearing it on satellite... they're definately FAR ahead of the game compared to FM radio and TV... and their DJs are allowed to have opinions and declare music they like and don't like; unlike FM DJs and MTV VJs. Top 40 FM radio DJs have a list of songs they're expected to play and promote....I love all my friends in the radio biz, but that concept really sucks! It's propaganda, really.

Posted on: Dec 27, 2007 12:55:58 PM

XM/Sirius and the streaming radio stations sound like great ideas. Definitely gonna give both a try.

Posted on: Dec 29, 2007 10:28:26 PM

umm manowar is an American band...

Posted on: Mar 9, 2008 9:03:27 PM

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