Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word “alternative” refers to the genre’s distinction from mainstream rock music. The term’s original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, “alternative” has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock (including some examples of punk itself, as well as new wave, and post-punk).
Alternative rock is a broad umbrella term consisting of music that differs greatly in terms of its sound, social context and regional roots. By the end of the 1980s, magazines and zines, college radio airplay, and word of mouth had increased the prominence and highlighted the diversity of alternative rock, helping to define a number of distinct styles (and music scenes) such as noise pop, indie rock, grunge, and shoegaze. Most of these subgenres had achieved minor mainstream notice and a few bands representing them, such as Hüsker Dü and R.E.M., had even signed to major labels. But most alternative bands’ commercial success was limited in comparison to other genres of rock and pop music at the time, and most acts remained signed to independent labels and received relatively little attention from mainstream radio, television, or newspapers. With the breakthrough of Nirvana and the popularity of the grunge and Britpop movements in the 1990s, alternative rock entered the musical mainstream and many alternative bands became successful.
– Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
If Griefer, my shitty one-man band, is about anything, it’s about boredom and anxiety. I started it because I wanted to make something really, really loud – the volume helped, somehow. Then it morphed into something else. It lets me show a bit of myself that I usually have trouble showing. Music makes me a better person. I think it’s as simple as this: the reality of being a “bedroom musician” is waking up alone, surrounded by reminders of work you need to finish.
My second album is somewhat of a time capsule. These are the songs I wrote between realizing I needed to get better and doing something about it.
My alcoholism and dependence on other addictive behaviors (weed, sex, etc.) had progressed to a point where they had begun destroying every semblance of a good life I’d managed to build despite them. To preserve any chance I had at living well, I needed to change the way I spent each and every moment of my time. In order to honestly document these in musical form, I stripped away every instrument other than my voice, guitar, laptop, and tape recorder.
I’m Jesse, an independent singer/songwriter/producer. I’ve been recording music in different projects since 2009. Juliet’s Funeral, The Freddy Velcroman Expedition, and International Spies just to name a few. I’ve always been inspired by the DIY concept of garage rock and punk bands. I’m a huge fan of the ’60s and ’70s psychedelia and pop music.
I would describe my music as Alternative Pop Rock with explorations into Folk/Blues, Reggae and Jazz. I’m trying to find that someplace out there for my music, those ears to hear it and hearts to feel it. It’s been hard with such a wide range of influences. That’s when I realized I’d have to carve out my own corner here on this earth to fly my freak flag.
The Noble Kind is a three-piece Indie-Rock band based in Rochester, NY. TNK performs at benefit shows to raise money for “Noble” causes in the community. Their latest EP Aeternum was recorded near their home town and has solidified their indie sound.
Keno Nifty is a band made by the artist and part-time musician Ricky Alexander (also known as Chazz Forte online). It’s about a group of fictional musicians (left to right: Marlene, Penny, Apollo, and Niomi) who travel around, get into fights and use music as a coping mechanism.
by Hannah McCausland (aka Berry)
Music is a reflection of experiences – your own experiences, the things you see, the things you hear, the things you do, the things that happen to you, the things that happen to the people you are connected to. To me, making music has become a way of taking what is so deep inside and/or what is so out of of grasp outside and turning it into something that does its best to conceptualize what is impossible for me to understand at the time. And then, hopefully, people can connect with the emotion and relate to it.
by Johan Wiberg
AOD – Angel Of Dust
A presentation of a band that doesn’t settle with just one genre…
by Firgun
What if you couldn’t love the difference in the world?
All the excitement of feeling love, fear, hope…
You would be someone else; but who?
We are nothing more than a bunch of insecurities and uncertainties!
We are always lost in a dark room; full with presumption and bad mood…
But we just want to be happy!
It’s simpler than we think…
Really! I’ll show it to you!
by Sam Nicholas
I’ve always been told I’m a perfectionist. I’m still not sure if this is the case. This is a sentence I’ll re-write several times, this a phrase I’ll think about for a few weeks.
by Riley Hart
Less Than Three is a project that has brought me so much joy and so much frustration in the span of little over a year. Being a small artist in a big industry feels so lonely at times, and yet, I find myself continuing to put so much work into my music. The only thing you can really do in my position is just put yourself out there and hope. These feelings of helplessness and self-pity are what drove me to write my first full-length album Impostor Syndrome.