Author: Black Sunshine Media
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What Is Progressive Rock? The Ultimate Explainer
Frank Zappa said that “progressive rock is anything that doesn’t sound like regular rock [music].” By regular rock music, he meant all rock music that gets played on the radio and MTV. When asked if he thought Genesis was progressive rock, Zappa said, “Sometimes.” Zappa’s right about Genesis, but he also didn’t think his music…
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What Is Alternative Rock? The Ultimate Explainer
Alternative rock functions less as a singular aesthetic and more as a sprawling ideological umbrella that sheltered the fringes of guitar music for nearly two decades. It emerged as a direct rebuttal to the polished, synthesized sheen of 1980s pop and the theatrical excess and machismo of arena rock. While the genre eventually conquered the…
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Rock Genres Beginning With S (Sa–So)
We’re getting near the end of the Rock Genres Explained series and I’m vaguely relieved to see a glimmer of hope at the terminus. I have never so deeply underestimated a project from conception to completion. What I thought would take a month has taken nearly a year. Would I do it again? Definitely. Since…
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150+ Rock Memoirs: The Ultimate List
Have you ever wondered why there’s been a two-decade wave of rock star memoirs and autobiographies on the bookshelves and in our virtual bookstores? We’ve compiled the ultimate list of the best rock memoirs to demonstrate the incredible variety of musicians who’ve added “author” to their resumés. But first, let’s understand why this phenomenon is…
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Rock Genres Beginning With I
After the hardcore heaviness of rock genres that start with ‘H,’ we arrive at the letter ‘I,’ which carries its own idiosyncratic set of genres. Some of these are global twists on rock, others are indie offshoots that reshaped the last three decades of popular music, and a few are wonderfully obscure micro-movements. From sitar-fueled…