This morning we were going to church and the radio station we listened to started playing AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell”. Talk about irony. It was no big deal though.
Our favorite radio station was off the air because it was sold and will be changing formats from the hits of the 70s to the 90s to something religious which seems to be further irony.
A person I work with made me aware of a term for the music of my generation, “Dad Rock”. Music from people like Huey Lewis and the News, Boston, Phil Collins, Genesis, Kansas, Supertramp, Cheap Trick, Steely Dan, Heart, Foreigner, Jefferson Starship, Rick Springfield, Styx, Toto, Chicago, Van Halen, Peter Frampton, and the list goes on. All of these artists are important to my generation.
I am not a dad but I won’t shy away from embracing the term. Friends I am a middle-aged person who came of age in the 1980’s.
As the scene is dominated by Taylor Swift, Jay Z, Beyonce’, Fall Out Boy, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Megan Trainor, Katy Perry, etc. today its safe to say that “Dad Rock” in some way influenced today’s talent in much the same way my father’s “Dad Rock” inspired the music of my generation.
It is interesting that music of my generation is being used in commercials to appeal to my age range. The nostalgic angle is a good one to sell goods and services. It’s all good though.
In Honor of Canada Day I present to you Toronto’s very on RUSH performing “Tom Sawyer”.
Last night at our Rivervend Festival, Stone Temple Pilots were the featured act on the big Coca Cola Stage. They have a new lead singer Chester Bennington who replaced the much troubled Scott Weiland. The show was very hard rocking and a lot of fun. STP made a huge splash in the 1990’s like their fellow alternative bands Nirvana and Pearl Jam. This song is one of my favorites of theirs.
The Tony Burgess Blog 