Guitars: Gibson LP Studio, MIA Fender Precision, Carvin C350Originally Posted by Spudman
Amps: Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 + Avatar B212 / Genzler 12-3, Acoustic B20
Pedals: Pod HD500X, Diamond Compressor, Tech 21 VT Bass, Sonic Research Turbo Tuner
I’ve heard/read the “dad rock” moniker as well in many reviews and I’m puzzled as to what it means, but it seems a pretty shoddy descriptor of music.
Does it mean their music sounds a certain way because they’re fathers? For that matter, are they all fathers? Do the ones that have kids play differently than the ones that don’t?
Does it mean their music appeals specifically to fathers? I saw plenty of women at the show and many men I suspect might not have had children. In fact, my wife (also not a father) who has been to hundreds of shows of every style of music commented on how varied a crowd Wilco drew.
What does the term mean in reference to Wilco’s music?
Which brings me to the “indie” thing...
I really don’t understand how that’s a useful term for describing music either. Sure, if you’re writing a piece about an artist’s business practices and marketing it’s entirely relevant to discuss whether they’re on a major label, or with an independent, or a self-marketer, but how does the term “indie” in any fashion describe the music?
Sleigh Bells and Bon Iver are both bands that are constantly described as “indie” and they sound about as similar musically as Mozart and Kid Rock.The SST label is famous for its DIY approach, and yet we don’t call Black Flag an indie band do we?
Is it iTunes that has forced us to slap a genre label on everything? You know you can adjust the preferences and make that column in the browser go away. All the attempts at genrification are just useless exercises in trying to pigeonhole a sound with words.
As Steve Earle said, "there are two kinds of music, good music and bad music."
I listened to the album this morning and not that impressed to be honest, no outstanding tracks for me. You are better off buying JoeB's new album which to me sounds a lot better. I am not sure which direction Mayer is trying to go at the moment, I would call this middle of the road music.
I need a few more listens before I deceide to buy this, it might grow on me or maybe not.