Alternative rock Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Alternative rock | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins: | Punk rock, rock and roll |
| Cultural origins: | early 1980s US/UK |
| Typical instruments: | Guitar - Bass - Drums |
| Mainstream popularity: | Limited, except grunge in the US and Indie & Britpop in the UK |
| Derivative forms: | New Wave - Grunge |
| Subgenres | |
| Britpop - College rock - Dream pop - Gothic rock - grunge - Indie rock - Jam band - Madchester - Shoegazing - Twee pop | |
| Other topics | |
| Bands - History | |
In 1982, only a handful of college radio stations, like Danbury, Connecticut's WXCI, broadcast alternative music. Commercial stations completely ignored the genre. As alternative rock became more popular in the mid-1980s, it spread widely to other college radio stations, leading to the name "college rock." Finally, in the late 1980s, a few commercial stations such as Boston, Massachusetts's WFNX adopted the format.
Although these groups never generated spectacular album sales, they exerted a considerable influence on the generation of musicians who came of age in the 80s. Alternative music and the rebellious, DIY ethic it espoused became the inspiration for grunge, an early 90s movement led by Nirvana which, paradoxically, took alternative rock into the mainstream. While previously "alternative" was simply an umbrella term for a diverse collection of underground rock bands, Nirvana and similar groups fashioned it into a distinct style of guitar based rock which combined elements of punk and metal; their creation met with considerable commercial success.
By the mid-90s, alternative was synonymous with grunge in the eyes of the mass media and the general public and alternative culture was being marketed to the mainstream in much the same way as the hippie counterculture had in the 1960s. By this time, however, alternative bands who were leery of broad commercial success had developed indie rock, a new genre that espoused a return to the original ethos of alternative music.
In the first decade of the 21st century, mainstream rock has continued to evolve beyond alternative's 80s roots and low-fidelity ethos. Today's most popular rock music acts, typified by youth oriented modern rock groups such as Linkin Park, incorporate complex electronic beats and highly produced albums, but owe a heavy debt to their metal and grunge influences. In spite of being influenced by alternative rock, many fans of the genre do not see these bands as being alternative, but instead as part of the nu-metal genre.
| Table of contents |
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2 Styles 3 See also 4 Footnotes 5 External links |
This is an Article on Alternative rock. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Alternative rock Influences
Styles
See also
Footnotes
External links