In the mid 80’s in Seattle, Washington, the birthplace of “grunge” with bands like Nirvana, Melvins, Mudhoney Sonic Youth, Pearl Jam to name a few.  But it was Nirvana and Pearl Jam that the movement came to the forefront of mainstream success and thus became the spokespersons of Generation X, which is Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Grunge bands combined guitar rock with punk and metal to give birth to a new movement. The Grunge Rock Alternative Seattle sound by the mid 90s, Grunge moved from a local sound in Seattle through national and international venues and became a part of the musical vocabulary of most subsequent bands. Most modern musicians owe a debt of gratitude to those plaid wearing teens from Seattle.

Grunge is the embodiment of the tagline “WHICH PART OF WE HAVE NO MONEY DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?”

As Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam said, “when commerce is involved, everything changes”.

Now with Grunge Music rising it sprang up grunge fashion

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the city of Seattle was the center for a growing high-tech industry second in size only to California’s Silicon Valley. The city became home for the thousands of young, upwardly mobile professionals (“yuppies”) who worked for gigantic companies such as Microsoft and Amazon. So-called “grunge” fashion developed as a reaction to their chic, dressed-up style by the city’s anti-establishment youth. In deliberate antithesis to the corporate look, Seattle’s young people began to favor the torn jeans, clunky boots, and plaid flannel shirts of Washington State’s lumber country.

Now, These are some Grunge bands now listen to their music, enjoy it.. be grunge…

• 7 Year Bitch
• Alice in Chains
• Babes in Toyland
• Blood Circus
• Green River
• Gruntruck
• Hammerbox
• Hole
• L7
• Love Battery
• Mad Season
• Malfunkshun
• Melvins
• Mono Men
• Mother Love Bone
• Mudhoney
• My Sister’s Machine
• Nirvana
• Paw
• Pearl Jam
• Pond
• Screaming Trees
• Skin Yard
• Soundgarden
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Tad
• Temple of the Dog
• The Fluid
• The Nymphs
• The U-Men
• Truly

The old rock and roll was performed by using two electric guitars only which consist of one lead and one rhythm, a string bass (was added in mid to late 50’s), an electric bass guitar and a drum kit. Though rock and roll is identified with guitars, it was the saxophone or the piano lead the instrument in the late 40’s and early 50’s. Nowadays, the two musical instruments are barely there in rock scene.

It was really in late 1950’s that guitars controlled the rock and roll music.

The beat is basically a boogie woogie blues rhythm with heighten backbeat made by snare drum. I was so surprised that one of rock and rolls origin includes Gospel.

(Photo Source: http://www.lonestarautographs.com/)

If any of you have seen what BBC made, those “seven films, charting the history of rock,” you’ll know that it’s one good read. It talks about the birth of rock music until the way it is seen today, from blues-based Rock to Indie and more.

Seven different films were created to feature the seven “ages” of rock. These are:
1.    Blues-based Rock (1963-1970)
2.    Art Rock (1966-1980)
3.    Punk (1973-1980)
4.    Heavy Metal (1970-1991)
5.    Stadium Rock (1965-1993)
6.    Alternative Rock (1980-1994)
7.    Indie (1980-2007)

Source:
BBC.CO.UK

They are the one who changed the music forever. They are the one who shakes our father’s head and made our mother’s hips swing to the crazy music they invented.

And their great songs passed from generation to generation; in fact I saw some bands following their footsteps from their tuxedo to their eyeliners.

Here I present to you the top 4 best rock bands ever.

1. The Beatles. I remember I had a collection of their music I pinched from my father’s arrays of long playing albums. They are undeniably the greatest and the most famous band ever in rock history.

The Beatles produced great amount of joys that hits the face of throng of people with the consciousness that happiness and high spirits were not only possible but with them around, it is inevitable.

2. The Rolling Stones. I didn’t realized that their single “ I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)” was launched in 1965 because I heard the songs during 80’s and people that time were into that song . My cousin together with his band who used to jam in our place loves to play this song and we kids are having fun sneaking in their music room.

The Rolling Stone are English band whose music was based in rhythm and blues and rock & roll.

When The Beatles didn’t play music anymore their title as “The World’s Greatest Rock ‘n Roll band fell with the little arguments on the Stones.

3. U2. They were formed in 1976, young and with limited musical know-how it was in the 80’s that they become the top international act. Their success as a live act wasn’t greater than their success in selling record though but when they launched their album “The Joshua Tree, they become “heroes to superstars” according to Rolling Stones.

4. The Grateful dead. This American band was formed in 1965. though they became vital body in the psychedelic movement based out of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The band was famous for its exceptional and diverse style, which combined elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, jazz, psychedelic, space music and gospel—and for live performances of long musical improvisation.”Their music,” according to Lenny Kaye, “Touches on ground that most other groups don’t even know exists.”

(Photo source: Musix.org, mp3sugar.com and www.poster.net)

Throughout its history, skateboarding has been associated primarily with two genres of music. Hip hop and punk rock. The rationales behind the associations are reasonable enough. Hip hop being a rhythmic style of music lends itself very well to the groove required when skateboarding. Essentially, the beat in hip hop compliments the skaters bouncing around on their skateboards. Punk music, on the other hand, being loud, last, and aggressive lends itself well to the passion and raw emotion skaters possess when they are out competing.

So, the question here is really, “what is skateboarding about? Looking cool jumping around doing fancy little tricks? Or is it about the passion?”

Really, technical ability can only take one so far in any activity one endeavour skateboarding is no different. Tricks mean absolutely nothing if the skater shows no passion for what he or she is doing. Furthermore, taking into consideration the difficulty of mastering skateboarding, more than anything else, it is about passion.

Therefore, punk rock wins.

Intrinsic to punk rock is the mohawk. More than making the person with the hairstyle feel really cool, people that sport mohawks generally exude an air of unadulterated badassery.

Now, assuming all that you have had your hair cut, all you need to do is spike it up.

Here are three ways to do it.

Expensive gel – The most obvious way.
Pros – May actually be good for the hair.
Cons – Expensive. Expensive. Expensive.

Eggwhites and a dash of beer – A whole lot of eggwhites, a little bit of beer
Pros – Readily available in your mom’s kitchen. All natural.
Cons – Smells like dead rats after a while and gets itchy like nothing else.

Elmer’s glue – A wallop for punk rock goodness.                            
Pros – Cheap. Water soluble.
Cons – Glue begins to look like dandruff after a while. Though water soluble, a bitch to wash off.

Take your pick… See you in the pit.

Punk rock is an anti-establishment rock music genre and movement that emerged in the mid-1970s. Preceded by a variety of protopunk music of the 1960s and early 1970s, punk rock developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where groups such as the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement. By 1977, punk was spreading around the world.

Punk rock bands, eschewing the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock, created fast, hard music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation and often political or nihilistic lyrics. The associated punk subculture expresses youthful rebellion and is characterized by distinctive clothing styles, a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies, and a DIY (do it yourself) attitude.

Punk rock quickly, though briefly, became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom. For the most part, punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream. By the beginning of the 1980s, even faster, more aggressive styles such as hardcore and Oi! had become the predominant mode of punk rock. Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations, giving rise to the alternative rock movement. By the turn of the century, new pop punk bands such as Green Day were bringing the genre widespread popularity decades after its inception.

via [Wikipedia]

Now to sum it all up….

Punk is not what you wear, it’s who you are…
Punk is not a fashion it’s a way of life…

It’s all in the music.. try to listen to these bands.. to understand what I mean

• Iggy Pop & The Stooges
• The Velvet Underground
• The Who
• Sex Pistols
• The Clash
• The Damned
• The Misfits
• The Ramones
• Joy Division
• Public Image Ltd.
• The Cure
• Bad Religion
• Black Flag
• Dead Kennedys
• Social Distortion
• Suicidal Tendencies
• The Circle Jerks
• The Misfits
• Anti-Flag
• Green Day
• MxPx
• NoFX
• Rancid
• Rise Against
• The Offspring
• Alkaline Trio

Deftones is a rock band from Sacramento, California formed in 1988, consisting of Chino Moreno (vocals and guitar), Stephen Carpenter ( lead guitar), Chi Cheng (bass) Frank Delgado (keyboards, sampler and turntables) and Abe Cunningham (drums.) Their sound that has been described as ranging from alternative metal and dream pop to progressive rock and experimental rock.

Critics have often praised them as one of the more unique rock bands of recent years for their innovative, atmospheric music; as Johnny Loftus writes, “Rock critics usually reserve a special place for Deftones above or at least away from the rest of the turn-of-the-century metal movement [...] Deftones have always seemed more curious, more willing to incorporate traditionally revered sounds like dream pop or D.C. hardcore into their northern California alt-metal.”

via [Wikipedia]

One of the songs from Deftones that I like, (well, actually I love all the songs of Deftones) but this one particular song hit the spot, the first time I heard it.

RX QUEEN

Even wrote a post based on the lyrics of the song Rx Queen

A love song for my RX Queen from the moment I saw her, I wanted to be with her. I tracked her down and I can’t take my mind off of her.

“Cause you’re my girl and that’s all right, if you sting me I won’t mind”

You can do anything to me and nothing can stop me from loving you. Dammit… I’m in love…

“We’ll stop to rest on the moon and we’ll make fire, I’ll steal a carcass for you then feed off the virus”

I will do anything for you, I don’t care how much pain you put me through as long as I’m with you, in a way I’m so addicted to you. It’s all in hell and I don’t know what to do anymore. I hope you’re reading this, my RX Queen… Time is seeping fast, all else is a blur… you make me feel good, even though it hurts but it’s the right kind of pain. Pain is nothing compared to the High I get when I’m with you…

via [the QuickStop Project]

Pic Link

panam.nmsu.edu

The Cure are an English rock band that formed in Crawley, Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several lineup changes, with frontman, guitarist and main songwriter Robert Smith—known for his iconic wild hair, pale complexion, smudged lipstick and frequently gloomy and introspective lyrics—being the only constant member.

The members of The Cure first started releasing music in the late 1970s. Their first album, Three Imaginary Boys (1979), and early singles placed them as part of the post-punk and New Wave movements that had sprung up in the wake of the punk rock revolution in the United Kingdom. During the early 1980s the band’s increasingly dark and tormented music helped form the gothic rock genre. After the release of 1982’s Pornography, the band’s future was uncertain and frontman Robert Smith was keen to move past the gloomy reputation his band had cultivated. With the 1982 single “Let’s Go to Bed” Smith began to inject more of a pop sensibility into the band’s music. The Cure’s popularity increased as the decade wore on, especially in the United States, where the songs “Just Like Heaven“, “Lovesong” and “Friday I’m in Love” entered the Billboard Top 40 charts. By the start of the 1990s, The Cure were one of the most popular alternative rock bands in the world and have sold an estimated 27 million albums as of 2004. As of 2007, The Cure have released twelve studio albums and over thirty singles, with a thirteenth album in the works.

Pic Link

Krock

Check out the Cure’s Official site

Progressive rock

Progressive rock bands went beyond the established rock music formulas by experimenting with different instruments, song types, and musical forms. Progressive rock bands borrowed musical ideas from classical, jazz, electronic, and experimental music. Progressive rock songs ranged from lush, beautiful songs to atonal, dissonant, and complex songs. By the late-1960s, German audiences began listening to progressive rock bands from Britain and the United States. During this period, avant-garde musicians in Germany were playing electronic classical music. By the early 1970s, German progressive rock (later called krautrock) bands were blending jazz (Can) and Asian music (Popol Vuh). In Italy progressive rock was also popular in the 1970s. Some Italian progressive rock bands were Premiata Forneria Marconi, Le Orme, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Area International Popular Group.

Although Pakistan has a long history of rock music producing legendary bands such as Junoon and Strings it was only in the 90s that progressive rock made its mark on Pakistani rock scene. Pakistani progressive rock is slowly gaining popularity and more bands are making this kind of music.

There are a few rock bands in India, like Silk Route or Euphoria. In Turkey progressive rock began to grow with Barış Manço in the mid-1970s. His symphonic-progressive rock album 2023, released in 1975, is one of the most important albums in Turkey. He made a contribution to the other genres of rock music with his other albums and became a famous rock star in Turkey.

Soft rock

Rock music had a short-lived “bubble gum pop” era, of soft rock, including groups such as The Partridge Family, The Cowsills, The Osmonds, and The Archies. Other bands or artists added more orchestration and created a popular genre known as soft rock.

Source:
Wikipedia