Modern Rock Is Dead – Embrace Your Eccentricities

[ 0 ] May 2, 2011 | NewRockstarPhilosophy

I was walking through a mall the other day when I heard a song that sounded exactly like a friends band.

After realizing that no, it was not my buddy’s song, I questioned ‘what were the characteristics that fooled me?’

The sound of the singers voice, the mix and the production were all nearly the same, and the lyrics could have been standins for each other.

Although It’s true that rock radio has found success with this ‘Modern Rock’ sound, it’s clear that, that world is dying. There are way too many copy cats. It’s like it’s the 1980′s again and rock radio is saturated by second rate hair bands.

Remember what happened there? Nirvana and the Grunge destroyed most of the hair band world because it had a new and exciting sound. YOU MUST FIND YOUR OWN SOUND.

Are you just another modern rock hair band?
Are you cultivating your own world?
Are you writing about things that resonate with you?
Are you providing anything for the listener?
Are they learning something from you?
Or is music just a masturbatory exercise for your closest friends and family to sit through?

I hope these sort of fundamental questions are digested by musicians often, but I’m afraid they’re not. Websites, YouTubes, booking shows, building hype, booolshit as the ol’timers refer to it, typically that stuff gets in the way.

Finding your own sound, is about embracing your eccentricities. The weird stuff that you do, the stuff that doesn’t fall into the ‘Modern Rock’ sound, embrace that stuff.

Not only will it help you stand out from the rest, but if you truly intend to make music a long term game, then you’ll have more credibility when you shape your sound if the current trend goes out of style.