Fearless appreciation of rock music since 2012
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The list of rock genres will throw us a curveball every now and again. That’s why we started the Rock Genres Explained program. I got tired of saying, “Huh…what the hell does ‘metalstep‘ mean?” Every rock genre in the M…
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Top 50 Rock Bassists of All Time (According to Me)
Much in the same way I rate guitar players by their influence on my playing, rock bassists are only as good as their best line—the one that sticks with me. Though I mostly came up as a guitarist, from the…
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Discovery of the Week: The Cure | The Top (2006 Remastered Deluxe Edition)
Discovery of the Week is a weekly series that digs through a box of 40 well-traveled CDs I’ve carried across the ocean for nearly two decades. Each disc has its own history—where I found it, why I kept it, and…
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Discovery of the Week: The Introduction
As a long-term expat, I’m keenly aware of stuff, and by stuff, I mean shit you own and take for granted at home. Books, records, lamps, furniture, appliances, etc. For many aspiring and current expatriates, the main source of anxiety…
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Rock Genres Beginning With L
As far as rock genres categorized alphabetically, the letter L could stand for “lonely.” Only the letters K, Q, V, and Z have an equal number or fewer genres. Though it’s lacking in numbers, L includes at least one major…
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25 Songs About Japan
From Buck Owens to The Flaming Lips, artists have been singing about Japan for decades—sometimes as wide-eyed tourists, sometimes as dreamers, and too many times as creepy reports of the Asian fetish. This list vaguely explores how musicians across genres have…
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Rock Genres Beginning With K
It’s a slow week for Rock Genres Explained. Not a lot of action over here in the letter K, but these three genres pack an interesting punch. At least one of these genres had a massive influence on the development…
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Rock Genres Beginning With J
Some genres of rock music live in the shadows, tucked between the household names and the recycled yacht rock playlists. That’s where the rock genres beginning with J reside. From the anti-climactic improvisations of jazz fusion to the whimsical mysticism…
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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…
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25 Songs About Friends
Sometimes when I’m creating these lists, there’s a shocker at the beginning. For example, in 25 Songs About California, I open with a spiel about not including “Hotel California”, an obvious choice that appears on every other list. Likewise, in…
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Top 50 Rock Guitarists of All Time (According to Me)
I haven’t picked up or played a guitar in several years, but my perception of great guitar playing is tainted by 40 years of learning the instrument. So, I think of “the best rock guitarists” in terms of how they…
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Top Rock Music Producers of the 1980s
Rock music in the 1980s was a fascinating era marked by excess, experimentation, and the gradual but inevitable shift from analog tape machines to the digital frontier. It was the last gasp of the “classic” recording studio setup: massive consoles,…
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Rock Genres Beginning With H
I took a break from music and blogging while I finished writing Year of the Dragon & Everything After, the fourth and final book in my Lunar New Years series. I’m back with the letter H in the rock genres…
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Brothers & Sisters: 75 Siblings in Rock Music
The combustible chemistry between siblings has powered some of the most iconic moments in rock history. There’s something flammable about the connection between siblings who share both a stage and a last name—whether it’s the tight harmonies, the creative tension,…
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Artist Spotlight: Grand Funk Railroad
Explore the story of Grand Funk Railroad — from their Michigan roots to sold-out stadiums and everything in between.
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Top Rock Music Producers of the 1970s
The first compact disc wasn’t burned until 1983, so 1970 to 1982 was the Golden Age of Albums. The period also welcomed album-oriented rock (AOR) radio formatting, which allowed disc jockeys some leeway to play longer songs and deeper cuts.…
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Great Rock Bands from the 2000s (You Might Have Missed)
Not that anybody is keeping track, but I’ve probably said “rock music died in 1991” at least a dozen times in print and hundreds of times in conversation. I believe that once digital audio software (ProTools), samplers, sequencers, and synthesizers,…
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Rock Genres Beginning with G
As the seventh letter of the alphabet, G represents a healthy portion of rock genres, but I’m reminded of how far I’ve yet to go before A to Z are covered. You’ll find a couple of solid headliners in the…
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Artist Spotlight: Them Crooked Vultures
Supergroups have the potential to really be special. Them Crooked Vultures prove that with their unique modern take on rock and roll.
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Top Rock Music Producers of the 1960s
In the mid-1960s, rock musicians and producers began shifting focus from singles to albums as the primary medium for creative expression and listener engagement. The Beatles and Bob Dylan were at the forefront; their work helped elevate rock music’s cultural…
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Great Rock Set Lists from 1976
If you wanted to know who’d be touring in 1976, you looked at the record bins. It was an action-packed year for new releases and epic hard rock set lists. Riding on the excitement of the previous year, it seemed…
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30 Rock Bands from the 1990s (You Might Have Missed)
For many of us, the 1990s were dominated by the rise (and fall) of grunge and alternative rock, and the emergence of rap and hip hop as the beacon of popular music and culture. There are dozens of rock bands…
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25 Songs About New York
I enjoy the freedom of telling you what to expect at the beginning of a post because it either gets you onboard with the program or sends you on your way. Both are positive outcomes. If you’re looking for songs…
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What Does a Rock Music Producer Do?
Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the music we love and cherish was created under the guidance of a music producer. Only a minuscule fraction of listenable music has been created without production values. Even a lack of production can be part of…
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Brothers by Alex Van Halen Book Review
When approaching an intimate memoir like Brothers by Alex Van Halen, it’s important to establish what the book isn’t trying to do. Brothers isn’t a rock star tell-all. It’s not a searing fuck-off to former band members. It’s not a…
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