What happened to rock/music

[icepac]

[Animl-AW]

[icepac]

[Animl-AW]

Quite the metaphor of where we are now.

As I posted far upstream, 1981 Iron Maidan started their American debut tour at our concert venue/bar Pointe East in Lynwood, IL that held 3,200 people, where I started my career. 1 mile from my home. I was 21 yr old. I witnessed their first shows here.

Quite a few artist either came from that rock club or did reunion shows there. Yanni came from the band Champlain that got their boost there, killer stage show.  I also became friends with Rare Earth, Cheap Trick hung out there and met Joe Perry there, my first show as sound engineer was Rick Derringer there. We were at the time the biggest rock club in the country. It was an amazing place. Never one like it since.

Now 40+ yrs later this guy represents where we are now. Old and gray. Most our comrades gone now. This guy actually lived that era. I’m now going on 66 yrs old myself. So its not an oddity, he’s rolling through fond memories of yrs gone by. Actually drew a tear, we are fading.

https://www.loudersound.com/features/it-was-total-overkill-we-were-getting-in-all-sorts-of-trouble-i-thought-ive-got-two-months-of-this-im-going-to-be-dead-at-the-end-of-it-the-epic-story-of-iron-maidens-conquest-of-america

[Animl-AW]

Losing 2 precious eras to time.

[Animl-AW]

It may not be the format, but ya can't stop me
The 70s story tellers. Travlin Thanksgiving

[Banshee7]

Have any of you guys listened to Mammoth? I seem to remember someone else mention them in this thread, but I am too lazy to look back.

[Animl-AW]

This thread has become way too heavy, my phone had problems reloading to reply. It's about well done now.

This was my very start.
I hadn't heard the current Mammoth band until this thread. Not bad.
HOWEVER, it sinks me back into the late 70s-80s days when I was was just cracking out of the egg in this stufff. This is when I actually got my boost.

There was a band named Mammoth a local band that got some tours. But they were our rivals when I worked for my second band called Radio London, I was only 20.

It was a deep rival because we both had great stage shows. The competition back then was was a bit harsh. Well they out did us one time and rented a concert sound and light system for this huge rock club called Pointe East.

I met a guy named Gene Sleeman who was supplying gear for the big shows there. He also worked for a band called The Boyzz. He hired me to help with a Humble Pie show, we became best friends. SO I told him we need to wipe this band called Mammoth who out did us.

So he rented us his concert sound and light show for half price. He told me this crowd has never seen what we're about to do. That's when he taught me Pyro. So we pranced in there keeping everything secret. I was running sound, lights, spot light and pryo by my self. Seriously had my hands full. Got to the point in the show when we unleashed our surprise. I was blowing off 30' flame throwers, start burst, concussion pods..... the crowd just lost their ever loving minds. It was basically a kiss show pyro.

From that point on until now, I became in high demand to do that for other bands... but it was a Radio London signature act, so the answer was no. ya they tried it themself and got in trouble, one band burned a lighting truss because the powders had gotten moist and didn't flash explode they just burned like a fire.

Blowing Mammoth away is exactly when my phone rang off the wall. My next show was my first on monitors, Rick Derringer.

Sorry for the hijack, that name Mammoth always takes me back to my beginning.
We built a concert sound system together and started our own company.

Here's the band my friend who took me under his wing and taught me everything that got me going. To this day we are still alive and best of friends,..he showed up one day last yr and brought me a home entertainment system he built from scratch for me. Took us back when we built our first system in 83.

I think I posted an album

[Masherbrum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02QDuPb5Bm0&list=RD02QDuPb5Bm0&start_radio=1

Back when bands would give you two for one.

[Animl-AW]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02QDuPb5Bm0&list=RD02QDuPb5Bm0&start_radio=1

Back when bands would give you two for one.

Back in the day when rock vocals made the song/band and btw listen to this killer guitar riff.
Thats when it was more inclusive to females because they are drawn to vocals/lyrics and beat. Females liking a band can make it or break it, as they did the Beatles.

Today much is flip-flopped testosterone over-load geared to pretty much just males. Listen to my guitar and btw I can read lyrics too. They lost 50% of the audience and cannot break mainstream without females. They chased females off to other things like techno, because of the beat and fake autotune vocals. Very few bands have both great vocals and gtr.

IMO, they lost their way. To reach the big audience the vocals must be hot. Ya won’t do it with just gnashing gtrs and looking the slob.

The biker world is basically dead, who are you attracting? Wannabe dudes some females.

Old reunion bands can make it because of vocals and lyrics that are lacking in today's rock. They can fill that void and an arena.

When I was mixing monitors on stage I can see who is in front rows and to watch the audience change from band to band was telling where we were going. I lost interest and yanked the plug. When I saw mostly just dudes I figured they’d do 1-2 tours on top and fade away. No longevity at the top. Here today, gone tomorrow. I would not commit to stuff like that to make a living. Just one-offs for a paycheck.

There is a lot of wasted talent out there, because they just don’t have the vocals that draw attention. Thats mostly in young female stuff now and thats where your females went. American Idol gave a rebirth to vocals, most winners are females.

These male bands with fake devil vocals have a single audience, angry males.

IMO, thats why old rock and pop live forever.

Even Pink Floyd, the vocals and lyrics are gripping, they suck you in, the rest is cool sounds.
Jeff Beck only had 2 instrumentals that broke into mainstream, its all gtr.
A LOT of females at Journey shows.

Rant #2357

I thought this thread died, but feel free to carry on.