It was a scene of vibrating rock concertos taking place in arenas packed with thousands of psychedelic drug induced college kids who would later grow up to be our boring suburban parents, partly explaining its disappearance.

The counter culture generation, who wrote songs about escaping war mongering and hatred, pretty much transformed into the Fox News generation.

But why didn’t the next generations pick up this sub-genre from where the boomers left off?

It is noted that progressive rock anthems can be nearly impossible to recreate. They were often time long ballads, spanning up to over 10 minutes a track, and didn’t rely heavily on a chorus or any sort of decipherable catchy tune. This made progressive rock bands unpopular on the radio and were rarely played at events that someone might expect to dance at.

However, when we look back on some of those most mainstream progressive rock songs, they mostly don’t fit all this criteria. Pink Floyd’s, “Another Brick in the Wall” and, “Yes’s Roundabout” are head bobbingly infectious rather than free form jazzy. These songs have an immediately recognizable sound, yet has made their message trite and even boring because of it being so overplayed.

Perhaps that is what halted prog rock’s legacy: selling out and fitting in.

I suppose it is worth pointing out that there are progressive artists that have found a following in recent years. Porcupine Tree and its front man, Steve Wilson found its niche in the current world of indie rock and may have even managed to bring progressive rock back to its roots while expanding on its fuzzy horizons.

But when it comes to new listeners needing mind-altering sounds or songs of social change, most turn to electronic and punk artists.

So no, progressive rock should not be proclaimed dead.

The legacy of those bands from the late 60’s and 70’s continues to inspire new artists today, so they will be referenced and imitated for decades yet to come. And, who knows, maybe progressive rock will make a comeback someday.

Until then, continue to support artists that do their best to take up where they left off.

The post What Happened to Progressive Rock? appeared first on Red Roll.

Berlin Based DJ Dax J was feeling himself so much and getting down that he decided to turn it up a notch and mix in some local music; you know pretty standard stuff. Turns out the song bit he played was a religious prayer song and the crowd really didn’t know how to react or feel about it. Apparently the place got shut down, the DJ received death threats, people got arrested, so a bunch of mumbo jumbo just because of some mixing. It even got to the point where he was sentenced to ‘six months for public indecency and six months for offending public morality’, said Ylyes Miladi, a spokesman of a court in the nearby town of Grombalia” [resource Metro.UK]

The Tunisian Ministry of Religious Affairs condemned his actions, saying he had “mocked the opinions and religious principles” of Tunisians, which was “absolutely not acceptable.”

First off, I’m not a DJ and I don’t speak for any DJs out there, but if I were spinning at a music festival, playing “Jesus died on the cross for me” isn’t really gonna turn me the fuck up.

Second, for all we know, this guy was just out and about on one of his DJ adventures and got introduced to a new song he liked. He’s loving it, but nobody tells him it’s religiously sacred so the poor guy goes out on stage and makes a scene.

Third, as an independent contractor shouldn’t you do a little more research on the music you decide to play before you go put on a show you’re getting paid for in front of a LIVE audience?

The questions and statements are many, but the real “hot enchilada” of the matter is the question: should you really get arrested for your art if there is no physical harm being caused to the public? I mean I’ve seen public perversions of human society passed off as art with no legal consequence. That thought would lead you to try to understand the laws and culture of a place where someone could get arrested for their art.

This doesn’t just go for places in Africa, there are accounts of people playing music in the streets of Cuba and getting in legal trouble for it. In places like North Korea or the Middle East, you can get prosecuted for making a Heavy Metal band. It’s beautiful to see the world growing up and maturing to the point where we won’t let verbal expression get to our egos and destroy celebration. Simply put, if you don’t like a show, walk away or fire them but don’t go incarcerating people for these kinds of things.

In the end, DJ Jax J can officially say his beats shut down the club xD Check out the tune in the video provided!

Links to other Articles if your looking for some more info on the story

Metro UK

British DJ Dax J jailed for a year for remixing Muslim call to prayer

BBC news

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39522342

The post So you hire a DJ and get arrested…What do you do? appeared first on Red Roll.

More and more often I find myself experiencing moments of dread and misery while in the spaces that were supposed to be safe. A safe escape to another dimension, where status, beauty, and ego didn’t matter; all that mattered within the confines of the festival was the music. I have been catching myself feeling like an old grump, wanting to chase the riff raff away from my beloved home. However, festivals are not just my home; they are home to so many others. One can’t help but wonder if any other veterans out there are starting to feel like something is seriously amiss.

Why are you even here?

Music festivals, to me, are one of the most beautiful ways to celebrate life and enjoy music. Lately, I’ve been made to feel increasingly out of place (while standing directly in front of the stage, mind you) for quietly listening to the music. All around me mouths are flapping and yapping interminably. This almost entirely mindless babbling severely drowns out the music I came all this way to listen to.

I’m not saying everyone needs to be mute, but there’s a time and place for everything. Festivals don’t create space away from the stage for no reason. If you’re rolling your titties off and there’s nothing more you’d rather do than gossip with your girls, by all means, do it sister (or brother); but for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE do not stand deep in the crowd with your loud mouth self. Some of us actually came to hear music.

I hate that I have been leaving festivals with disdain for humanity. This was supposed to be one of the only places one could go to recharge our love and faith in our fellow man. Must I really need to weigh the factor of how crappy the people are at the festival when deciding if I want to attend? It hurts that I even have to say these things.

Can we talk about the cell phones?

It is apparent that a large portion of people in this modern age are addicted to their phones. I won’t, for a second, act like I don’t fall into that category.
Hopefully it isn’t news to you that this tiny computer that you hold so close to you is seriously messing with your brain.

When looking around at a festival, it’s painfully common to see people glued to their phones. It never takes long to spot people who have fallen down the rabbit hole of social media-induced narcissism; ignoring the beautiful set unfolding before them to scroll through the 37 selfies they took during the last performance (which they probably weren’t even listening to). People can be seen taking Snapchat videos of others without their knowledge; captioning snarky, rude things.

Technology and social media have the power to be amazing forces for change, goodness, and community. Instead, it’s inflated our egos and further separated us. I can’t help but feel that an increasing number of people these days care only for themselves – the kicker being that many don’t even truly love themselves. Too many people are occupied with spicing up their profile to see the very real beauty right in front of them.

I really hope that people don’t soil festivals altogether. Not to mention the careless trash heaps left behind by many festivalgoers (I’ll save that rant for another day). If everyone took the time to be mindful of their surroundings as well as their internal dialogues; maybe the world (and consequently, festivals) would be a better place. Who knows, though, maybe I’m just a crazy, cranky music snob?

The post Call Me Crazy… appeared first on Red Roll.