RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Yeh, but I think, if I read Woody correctly, he's asking what the new 
non-derivative "rock" is. I mean, yes, there was sometimes a grain of 
truth to the "Polvo bite Sonic Youth hard" accusation, at least 
superficially, but at root it was fairly off-the-mark inasmuch as Polvo 
seemed really to be working in a whole different direction.

But apart from the occasional SY and/or Savage Republic comparison, 
Polvo seemed to be breaking new ground, or at least doing their 
damnedest to attempt it, in the field of 2-gtrs+bass+drums+vox "rock" music.

& so I think Woody is asking if anybody is still trying to come up with 
new vocabularies for that basic "rock" combination or if everything has 
pro/regressed to recombination of chunks of previous eras. Certainly the 
stuff that's getting the press/attention/airplay seems to be 
by-and-large blenderizing the 70s/early 80s. To the extent that it 
attempts to toss wildly different genres into the blender, it's still 
interesting, but it's not working in the same uncharted-territories vein 
that Polvo were.

I suppose one could extend the Lightning Bolt/brutal prog thing to 
include stuff like the Locust, although that's just Locust:Devo::Anal 
Cunt:Metallica, or something.

I'm glad Woody asked the question, too, as my ears are getting really 
weary of "rock" with guitars, particularly in all its seemingly-infinite 
70s-retreading of late.

But I dunno the answer. I wish Fugazi would tour again so I could get 
over myself & remember how much I love smart punkrock, regardless of 
subgenre allegiances or influence. Although I suppose one could argue 
that Fugazi have consistently tried to stay a step or two ahead of 
whatever genre was chasing them.

Ross

Chris Rossi wrote:
> Electronica is the new post-rock.  At least, as near as I can tell from 
> eavesdropping on my roommates.
>
> rossi
>
> Woody wrote:
>
> > I had to think of you good folks recently as I just picked up the above
> > mention Polvo album used last week and suddenly its 2005 and I'm
> > listening to way too much Polvo again.  Richard chimed in recently
> > about current musings so I will too...
> >
> > at first, I wasn't sure if I was nostalgic for the rock of an earlier
> > era but I think Polvo sort of symbolizes the last breath of modernism
> > in rock... maybe?  I mean like Polvo was actively working on a
> > development of some sort of new music or new guitar work or some sort
> > of furthering of the rock genre.  I mean there were a number of Chapel
> > Hill bands that while referenced the rock past, had something of a new
> > sound.  I'm just saying this in reference to the ummm post-rock to
> > follow.
> >
> > I mean Polvo faded out as Tortoise sort of became the CMJ darlings.
> > Tortoise on the other hand, with the exception of their 1st cd, is more
> > or less just a combination of a number of 70s bands.  Following
> > Tortoise, is a slew of bands now combining their favorite moments from
> > the 60s, 70s, and 80s or are just hyper-stylized versus content.
> >
> > While not qualifying any of these developments, am I just out of it as
> > far as interesting new rock or am I right that indie rock or whatever
> > has made the transition from formalist developments to
> > recontextualization of its past?  I mean the late 90s saw Storm and
> > Stress and all those Kranky bands taking rock away from its rhtymic
> > constraints and Polvo challenging melodic content (in ways much
> > different than the no wave 20 years before).  Am I making sense?  What
> > I am missing going on now that counts as rock other than Lightning Bolt
> > and brutal prog?
> > -Woody
> >
> > PS. Uncle Woody Sullender @ Nightlight March 3