As I have aged, I find musical genres to be less and less important. I guess you could say, I dissent with this capitalist marketing ploy of musical genres. Does an adjective for a style of music really matter? I don’t think it does. Of course my spectrum of musical listening is vast and diverse, whereas the average person may have a very limited palette of musical listening pretty much set in stone since their 10th to 13th birthday if you follow Dr. Edwin Gordon’s musical aptitude studies. Let’s wander and explore.

Let’s start with the genre of Rock music, or rock n roll music. Here are some of the many genres of rock: Pop, R & B, Soul, New Wave, Alternative, Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Industrial, Liquid Metal, Folk Rock, Country Rock, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, Punk Rock, Rap Metal, and Indie Rock. The list is pretty vast and encompasses everyone from Frank Zappa, Nine Inch Nails, The Eagles, Beastie Boys, Rage against the Machine, and Adele. Yes, I have every artist on that brief list in my music library. I could also add Dream Theater, Yes, ACDC, Sting, Alanis Morrisette, and even the Bare Naked Ladies. I have all of them too… in the music collection…

Why do we even need all of those adjectives? If the music speaks to you, then obviously it is perfectly good music for you. If the music does not speak to you, let it go. There are so many artists that have released a lot of material that just defies pigeon holing for a particular genre. Examples include Yes, Green Day, Evanescence, Sting, and Trent Reznor (aka Nine Inch Nails.) How does one label Danny Elfman or Stewart Copland? The latter are rock/pop musicians that now write film scores, operas, and orchestral music. I still hear the New Wave/Rock tendencies in both Elfman’s and Copland’s orchestral music.

There are two styles of music I purposely left out of the rock genre and that is Country and Rap. Country music in my opinion has lost its connection to rock music with this overly homogenized, overly produced, and pseudo patriotic nationalist music. It feels the music has become propaganda rather than an extension of the art of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Glen Campbell, and Roy Clark. This list of artists I have included could easily fit in with rock. Loretta Lynn was about as punk as one could be in country music. Lyle Lovett has dabbled in everything Blues, Rock, Folk, and Traditional Folk/Country. I’m simply isolating the country artists that fit into that Nationalist trend that has been harming the world.

Rap music has become a genre of its own outside of Rock. When rap music erupted onto the popular scene in the 1980’s it sampled or actually used rock music for the popular releases. The underground or cultural rap music of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, etc. all had specific identifiers musically. This expanded to include Gangsta (gangster) rap of the inner city with opposing entities in different cities, and then things blurred into a Hip Hop style. I was in a conservatory practicing for my Bachelor’s degree when Rap music exploded. There have been so many artists and styles of speech within rap music that just missed my ears. Furthermore, Rap music falls out of my cultural awareness or practice. As a white lower middle class young adult I had zero exposure to gangs, inner city problems, or blatant racism these artists experienced. Rap music awakened me to the cultural issues facing my country when race is concerned. Artists like Ice T, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, and Kendrick Lamar have caught my attention with their music. I still am not truly qualified to comment academically on this style of music. Some of my elementary students are more qualified than I as they have grown up under the influence of Rap/Hip Hop since birth.

Now let’s get back to rock music. Is there really a need to separate the artistry of rock musicians? The processes some of our greatest musicians use while composing their music aligns with each other. Neil Peart’s lyrics and Rush’s three piece orchestrations have influenced the likes of Dream Theater or Evanescence. One could say the same about Pink Floyd’s influence on generations of rock artists. If you listen to Adele’s lyrical performances you can hear the influence of Soul, R & B, Jazz, and even Country music. I feel Adele has listened to Loretta Lynn, and Nina Simone as I hear her deliver certain lyrics (Hello, Chasing Pavements, Rumor Has It, etc….)

We are at a spot in music and technological development that the separate genres are no longer needed. Rock music has become the classical music of the 21st century civilization. These works or pieces of music capture the essence of living in a post modern world where entitlement and selfishness collide with anger and resentment of the modern excesses we all witness daily through the media. We see this even on social media when artists who write music about the political bullshit we all have to deal with are greeted with criticism by fans whose biases collide with the artists creative voice. Artists like Dave Matthews, Taylor Swift, Green Day, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Bad Bunny all come to mind.

These artists are simply an extension of Neil Young, Crosby Stills and Nash, Jefferson Airplane, and many others from the 1960’s and 70’s who opposed the Vietnam War and actions that harmed Civil Rights protestors. The music is the same, it just has better engineering and production thanks to technology. The materials of music making have just evolved rather than being replaced. It is still sound.

I guess the only argument for keeping all of these ill-defying genres would be the use of technology. Popular music styles that are marketed towards teenage audiences have become increasingly homogenized with auto-tune and synthetic instruments. The use of only two or three chords with the music being developed linearly rather than vertically. Even though that is the trend lately, teenagers are still using the internet to explore rock music. When you hear a twelve year old sing a song by Tears for Fears, Backstreet Boys, or Styx you can feel a little hope that modern media is sharing good rock music to new audiences.

Do we really need all those genres? I don’t think so. I can easily listen to Five Finger Death Punch and follow that up with a classic from The Police without issue. Are their artists that I just don’t like within the genre of rock? Sure thing, I have many. I am not a fan of Korn, System of the Down, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, or N’Sync in a short list. Those artists I dislike are appreciated by thousands if not millions of people. Why would I criticize? These musicians are creating music in the same way my favorites do. These folks belong. People who are fans of these artists outnumber those that don’t like them. Their music speaks to them. I can’t argue with their success. In fact I admire their hard work. I simply am not their audience. It does not cheapen their music at all. They all belong in my genre of rock music.

BTW, I watched the Era’s Tour by Taylor Swift on Disney. It was an authentic musical experience. I was moved emotionally, even though I’m not the market she sings for. For me it was the power of the musicing in that arena that moved my emotions. The community of music Swift has fostered was inspiring, even though the songs did not speak to the old man I am. The Dave Matthews Band has also formed that community of music, and they speak to me… cause we are all of similar age and gender. Taylor Swift will always have my respect, as will the others on my short list.

Rock doesn’t need 30 sub-genres. It needs one. It is up to the listener to differentiate and determine whether that style of music is good or bad for them. There is nothing to be ashamed of for liking what you like, or disliking what you do not like. Why should your dislike be based on genre? It shouldn’t. Always be open to new sounds, and new music. Rock music is an extension of humanity. We have something for everyone.

“There are only two types of music: good and the other kind.” – Duke Ellington

…so it goes…