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Gatekeeping in the metal and rock community.


fraroc
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Over the past few years, I've noticed this trend of gatekeeping among youtube channels, usually run by guitarists, musicians, and music fans that are mostly Gen-Xers that grew up in the 70s and 80s. Where they think they can decide who and what is a "legitimate" rock/metal musician and who isn't.

 

Of course, I agree with them that genres like mumble rap and EDM are absolutely repugnant and should just go away. I don't agree that modern rock and metal musicians should be shamed for using modern technology to make music, like VSTs, preamps, computerized amps, and drum tracks.

 

I also dont think that new retro rock bands should be shamed for trying to sound like retro bands. Personally, I find the whole anti-Greta Van Fleet argument to be just stupid. It's essentially wanting to have your cake and eat it too. You want rock bands to have a retro sound, but you bitch and moan about how unoriginal they are when they do adopt a retro sound.

 

Anyway, my point is, you can’t sit there and complain that rock is dead and us millennials killed it, and then when new retro rock bands break into the mainstream, you start whining that they’re fake and unoriginal. That is gatekeeping at its worst.

Edited by fraroc
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Over the past few years, I've noticed this trend of gatekeeping among youtube channels, usually run by guitarists, musicians, and music fans that are mostly Gen-Xers that grew up in the 70s and 80s. Where they think they can decide who and what is a "legitimate" rock/metal musician and who isn't.

 

Of course, I agree with them that genres like mumble rap and EDM are absolutely repugnant and should just go away. I don't agree that modern rock and metal musicians should be shamed for using modern technology to make music, like VSTs, preamps, computerized amps, and drum tracks.

 

I also dont think that new retro rock bands should be shamed for trying to sound like retro bands. Personally, I find the whole anti-Greta Van Fleet argument to be just stupid. It's essentially wanting to have your cake and eat it too. You want rock bands to have a retro sound, but you bitch and moan about how unoriginal they are when they do adopt a retro sound.

 

Anyway, my point is, you can’t sit there and complain that rock is dead and us millennials killed it, and then when new retro rock bands break into the mainstream, you start whining that they’re fake and unoriginal. That is gatekeeping at its worst.

 

Normally I get bored with your rant posts, but Greta Van Fleet and the backlash from old school fans has left me really annoyed.

 

Yes there are many bands who deserve mainstream success. But it often takes ONE band to hit the mainstream for the door to open for many others.

 

Nirvana helped to aid a massive boom of interest in alt rock in the nineties, in 2003 Evanescence opened the mainstream hearts towards symphonic and female lead metal bands.

 

Greta Van Fleet could easily kickstart interest in old fashioned rock n roll played by young bands, and established bands like Rival Sons, Alter Bridge and The Temperance Movement could easily benefit from this and lead to a whole new wave.

 

But modern rock fans are obsessed with "integrity", subgenres and when any band hits the mainstream, a backlash follows.

 

Ghost, Greta Van Fleet and in the UK at least, Bring Me The Horizon are all helping keep mainstream interest in rock alive but it appears the community is to quick to deride than celebrate.

 

It should be an exciting time for rock music. But its not.

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There is a difference between showing your influences, and pretending you are your influences. Ghost is a band where you can hear their influences without thinking that you are listening to their latest release. Greta Van Fleet is nothing more than a paint-by-numbers Led Zeppelin
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There is a difference between showing your influences, and pretending you are your influences. Ghost is a band where you can hear their influences without thinking that you are listening to their latest release. Greta Van Fleet is nothing more than a paint-by-numbers Led Zeppelin

 

They sound a lot like Zeppelin, but they are young and still developing their own sound I would hope. I'm impressed by what they do with just four guys and their instruments. Time will tell, I guess. (says the woman going to see Blue Oyster Cult 40 yrs after they sounded good . . . :LOL: )

Edited by blueschica
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Old people like to think that their generation made the best music.

 

You see it on every Youtube video featuring an old song. A multitude of comments about how 'music today sucks', which have no relation to the video at all other than a chance for old people to whine about, essentially, being old.

 

This isn't new- long before the internet old people lamented the young for either sounding different or for sounding the same.

 

It's actually one of the most consistently childish thing I see by middle-aged people. As a 49 year old guy it makes me laugh. The idea of middle-aged folk telling kids their music sucks. Like picking on someone for liking red instead of blue. Grow up.

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There is a difference between showing your influences, and pretending you are your influences. Ghost is a band where you can hear their influences without thinking that you are listening to their latest release. Greta Van Fleet is nothing more than a paint-by-numbers Led Zeppelin

 

They sound a lot like Zeppelin, but they are young and still developing their own sound I would hope. I'm impressed by what they do with just four guys and their instruments. Time will tell, I guess. (says the woman going to see Blue Oyster Cult 40 yrs after they sounded good . . . :LOL: )

 

Boc was the saddest concert I ever saw. They played a Club in Salt Lake City in 1996 called Club 90. My band would play their every 3 weeks and pack the place till there was a line out the door, about 600 capacity. Cult played there on a poorly advertised show on the same night there was a Jazz playoff game. To make it worse, the bar owner put the game on a big screen on the side of the stage. I don't think they had two hundred people in there. At that point there were three original members in the band.

Edited by edhunter
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I think is so ridiculous that some people are so anti technology that they dont consider bands that use VSTs and computerized rigs "real bands".

 

What this particular fuckstick doesn't understand is that a lot of the particular brands of retro technology used in the 70s and 80s is no longer available to the newbies because they've been DISCONTINUED. Even the ones that haven't been discontinued cost a lot of money.

 

Have you guys seen what a Hammond B3 costs these days? Well into the $10,000 range. And that's probably without the leslie.

 

 

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As usual I don't know of any of "these people" that piss you off so much. But it's nice to see you back since this place has been DEAD since the start of the year and can use a little bit of livening up.

 

The main problem I see is that a lot of music fans seem to want stuff to sound like what it did when they or their parents were growing up. I don't understand this mentality myself because it's not that particular era anymore why would one hope it still sounded like that today? Music should never sound like it's massively outdated. It should sound like it belongs in modern times. Music is constantly evolving and it's a shame to see that so many people are stuck in the past. If my 73 year old dad wants to stick with his Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and Lynryrd Skynyrd then fine. He's older and set in his ways and probably doesn't care or have the ear to really feel what bands are doing today.

 

But when somebody who is younger and can still follow music sticks to wanting stuff to always sound old school then that is where the bigger problem is. They need to appreciate bands for what they are instead of what they are not.

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As usual I don't know of any of "these people" that piss you off so much. But it's nice to see you back since this place has been DEAD since the start of the year and can use a little bit of livening up.

 

The main problem I see is that a lot of music fans seem to want stuff to sound like what it did when they or their parents were growing up. I don't understand this mentality myself because it's not that particular era anymore why would one hope it still sounded like that today? Music should never sound like it's massively outdated. It should sound like it belongs in modern times. Music is constantly evolving and it's a shame to see that so many people are stuck in the past. If my 73 year old dad wants to stick with his Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and Lynryrd Skynyrd then fine. He's older and set in his ways and probably doesn't care or have the ear to really feel what bands are doing today.

 

But when somebody who is younger and can still follow music sticks to wanting stuff to always sound old school then that is where the bigger problem is. They need to appreciate bands for what they are instead of what they are not.

 

I don't usually like to name drop people, that's why I dont specify who I talk about in public.

Edited by fraroc
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As usual I don't know of any of "these people" that piss you off so much. But it's nice to see you back since this place has been DEAD since the start of the year and can use a little bit of livening up.

 

The main problem I see is that a lot of music fans seem to want stuff to sound like what it did when they or their parents were growing up. I don't understand this mentality myself because it's not that particular era anymore why would one hope it still sounded like that today? Music should never sound like it's massively outdated. It should sound like it belongs in modern times. Music is constantly evolving and it's a shame to see that so many people are stuck in the past. If my 73 year old dad wants to stick with his Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and Lynryrd Skynyrd then fine. He's older and set in his ways and probably doesn't care or have the ear to really feel what bands are doing today.

 

But when somebody who is younger and can still follow music sticks to wanting stuff to always sound old school then that is where the bigger problem is. They need to appreciate bands for what they are instead of what they are not.

 

I don't enjoy name dropping, but its Circle Of Tone on YouTube.

 

If it's on YouTube then you're not name dropping. Obviously if someone is posting videos up on there they want you to know who they are.

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As usual I don't know of any of "these people" that piss you off so much. But it's nice to see you back since this place has been DEAD since the start of the year and can use a little bit of livening up.

 

The main problem I see is that a lot of music fans seem to want stuff to sound like what it did when they or their parents were growing up. I don't understand this mentality myself because it's not that particular era anymore why would one hope it still sounded like that today? Music should never sound like it's massively outdated. It should sound like it belongs in modern times. Music is constantly evolving and it's a shame to see that so many people are stuck in the past. If my 73 year old dad wants to stick with his Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and Lynryrd Skynyrd then fine. He's older and set in his ways and probably doesn't care or have the ear to really feel what bands are doing today.

 

But when somebody who is younger and can still follow music sticks to wanting stuff to always sound old school then that is where the bigger problem is. They need to appreciate bands for what they are instead of what they are not.

 

I don't enjoy name dropping, but its Circle Of Tone on YouTube.

 

If it's on YouTube then you're not name dropping. Obviously if someone is posting videos up on there they want you to know who they are.

 

I'm not sure if you know Circle of Tone, but I find that while he has some good points about the music industry, I feel he chooses to stay willfully ignorant about so many things about modern rock and metal.

Edited by fraroc
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As usual I don't know of any of "these people" that piss you off so much. But it's nice to see you back since this place has been DEAD since the start of the year and can use a little bit of livening up.

 

The main problem I see is that a lot of music fans seem to want stuff to sound like what it did when they or their parents were growing up. I don't understand this mentality myself because it's not that particular era anymore why would one hope it still sounded like that today? Music should never sound like it's massively outdated. It should sound like it belongs in modern times. Music is constantly evolving and it's a shame to see that so many people are stuck in the past. If my 73 year old dad wants to stick with his Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and Lynryrd Skynyrd then fine. He's older and set in his ways and probably doesn't care or have the ear to really feel what bands are doing today.

 

But when somebody who is younger and can still follow music sticks to wanting stuff to always sound old school then that is where the bigger problem is. They need to appreciate bands for what they are instead of what they are not.

 

HALLELUJA!!! This PROVES that SOMEONE ELSE HERE GETS IT! I grew up in the late 50s, and the 60s and 70s! Beatles, Beach Boys, Procol Harum, Cream, EL&P, YES, Jethro Tull, Kansas, B.O.C, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, Foreigner, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath etc. I STILL LOVE THAT MUSIC! I'm still buying NEW MUSIC! If all anyone thinks is The music I grew up with is all there is, THEY NEED A NEW BRAIN, AND EARS TO LISTEN WITH. THEY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO ENJOY MUSIC!

2QaJ2Se.jpg

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RUSH was accused of sounding too much like LZ on their first album, and they readily admitted the imfluence and still do. Hell the whole British invasion was copying blues standards, particularly LZ.

 

The bottom line is do you like the music? If so then don't be so damn anal about it.

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RUSH was accused of sounding too much like LZ on their first album, and they readily admitted the imfluence and still do. Hell the whole British invasion was copying blues standards, particularly LZ.

 

The bottom line is do you like the music? If so then don't be so damn anal about it.

 

This ×10!

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"Gatekeeping" is just resistance to cultural appropriation.

 

If members of a subculture are dissatisfied with the way newcomers to that subculture push its evolution, they are right to advocate against it. I'm getting tired of seeing everything unique get cheapened and milked to serve the lowest common denominator. I think we should all be so insistent about preserving our art and our cultures in the face of the devaluation that comes with popularity.

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There Will always be new people creating new music. If you don't like it, don't listen. If you like what you grew up with, I hope you have a great collection of their albums. Go listen to 'em again. Don't expect new people to copy them. I like Psychedelic Retro type music, and a group called "The Dandy Warhols" does that style of music. WELL! I've just about gotten all of their albums...STRESS is another group that did that type of music. Unfortunately they're gone. Their album [they only did one] is still available, if you're into that style of music, it's an EXCELLENT ALBUM!

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Edited by OldRUSHfan
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I love Rival Sons.....a wonderful quartet in the vein of LZ. They are seriously a great band but never got the traction that Gretta has gotten. A shame since IMO they are worlds better.

 

I love a lot of new rock. Ghost, Muse and Rival Sons for example (although Muse has been around for a while they have old school influences big time).

 

I am a gen X guy. Born in 1970. I love when I hear new bands with old school influences. It excites me that there is still a pulse out there for Rock music.

 

I listen to Octane a ton on XM/Sirus radio. There is a lot of new and exciting hard rock out there that many people are not hearing.

Edited by Todem
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I'm up there in age :codger: and love my 60-70's bands/albums but this band is the cat's pajamas.

 

Rock is not dead. It's out there if you are willing to take the time to find it.

 

 

http://youtu.be/IFIn6EeRGXQ

Edited by custom55
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