6/20/18 - "A Calm Before the Storm" Have you noticed the sudden lack of significant personalities, of "stars", in pop-culture? No one that provocative has hit the scene in a long time. Leading up to the 90's, there were many musicians, for example, that became household names - That inspired, directed culture, or got under our skin and elicited strong emotions. I see the 90's as an incredible burst of outstanding talent, especially in the Rock genre. But, after that, things just sort of fizzled out... Some of the old-timers are still making music, but they are all past their prime; And, the songs become redundant, as is the nature of music from an individual musician's mind. I'm hoping to fuel a new era of fine art in this category. It seems, as though the mind has left the building, in pop-culture. New genres were constantly evolving, new stars were being born, and music was exciting for people like me. Some people might say they prefer the newest music to old "passé" fads. The lack of apparent fads in music might be seen as the new development - It may be a good thing that music isn't so trendy! But, I am sure, that this only indicates the lack of new stars - Where a star would periodically come along and start a trend single-handedly before, no one in the current scene is really a leader. (You can argue that there are still popular trends, but none of them have leaders that stand out as true "stars" in their genre.) Perhaps, it is that logical possibilities have been expended. There are only so many creative takes on how to make music, and it has all already been done. I want to be a new leader in music, but most people will apathetically categorize me as "grunge". I think that's what people expect my music to sound like, but if you listen to everything I do, you'll notice that I don't strongly adhere to a particular sound. I try to draw my sound from a universal set of influences, but I also, of course, have my preferences. I'm not naturally a prejudiced person, so I think a little bit of everything gets into it, as a natural part of my creative process. You can see how an uninhibited imagination could do a lot more, not being constrained by a set of ideological rules, to suit the ego that an individual adopted. Perhaps, I can open up new possibilities in others as well, after they have learned how to drop their guard against anything that doesn't fit the stereotypes that culture assigns to them. If you don't understand that, then nevermind... Good, real musicianship will speak for itself. Stop listening to the record industry (As most of you already have). Try something more genuine, and it will torment you until you need to drop your act, and accept it as true. |