Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Zakk Wylde says that it's a load of crap to say that younger bands don't have a chance in today's music environment.


The article:

Zakk Wylde: To Say that Younger Bands Don't Have a Chance Is a Load of Crap

Discussing his ridiculous cover of Adele's "Hello," Zakk Wylde touched on the matter of young bands, stressing it's "a load of crap" to say that the younger guys don't have a chance.

During the chat, he sang praises of Adele, calling her talent "undeniable."

The man tells Loudwire: "Everyone always says how the music business is shot, it's done, it's finished.

"But when you have somebody like Adele come along, that is just living proof that pure, god-given talent will always - like Freddie Mercury said, 'Talent will always out.' It always will.

"If Van Halen came out today, it would be as mind-blowing as when Eddie came out with 'Eruption' back in 1977. 'Cause it's undeniable. If Guns N' Roses came out today with 'Welcome to the Jungle,' it would still have the same crushing impact. Or Nirvana... I'm just saying, it's undeniably good.

"The music business is definitely different than back in the day, but to say that younger kids and younger bands will never have a chance - that's a load of crap. All they gotta to is keep working hard and they'll be heard, they'll be noticed for sure, without a doubt."



https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/zakk_wylde_to_say_that_younger_bands_dont_have_a_chance_is_a_load_of_crap.html

Much different for rock bands though, I think.

The days of being signed out of the clubs and given a 3-4 album deal to prove your worth...is that happening?

I think in principle this is true.

But practically? Not so sure...

There is some good artists out there still having a crack... but 99% of what is making waves in the music scene these days is shit. I remember when Slash was last out here in Australia, he did an interview with Triple M... and they asked him about todays music and this was his answer, " The quality of todays commercial music is in the toilet". He then expanded on it and said something along the lines of all these talent shows like american idol and x-factor etc has fucked everything up. Not to mention youtube (thats another story). On top of that it depends what Genre you are speaking about... which leads to the next point....

It's hard to disagree with that opinion in my opinion. These labels are more willing to have a bunch of writers who have already written songs... then its a case of finding a face whos got sex appeal or a clean cut look (guys) or a heap of them and forming a boy or girl band and getting them to do the song..

You will always have an example of a supremely talented individual breaking through... that will always happen... but the way the business is today?????? Not sure... the last rock band.. that kind of broke through was Kings of Leon... theyve had 2 mainstream albums now.. and not much since thats made any waves down our way.... since then? i dunno....

QOTSA too (albeit they are a bit older).

I don't think those kind of album deals are happening today.

But on the other hand, there are cheaper and easier ways for rock acts to get their music out there today, reaching many people.

With this easiness comes the problem of over-saturation of course, you have to make sure you stand out among a bigger crowd of bands. I guess that was Zakk's point, if the true talent is there, you will stand out and make an impact. It is possible.

The trouble seem to be that the truly impactful bands are few and far between these days. Could it be a culture of not working as hard on your art as they did in earlier days? Not sure.

I guess you have to make your own breaks a bit more today.

Freedom is great, but guess it does indirectly cost you some things like promotion and contacts.

Back on booze zaKK?  ;D

Rock isn't the music dujour right now (but it will be back).

If a band builds a following both in live shows and with a strong online presence (Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) and the songs are awesome they will definitely have a career.

However, people's tastes are so fractured now thanks to all the various distribution channels that you may never have a "super" band like GNR or U2. I like it better today anyway because I can listen to the music I want when I want instead of waiting around for it on MTV or the radio.

I agree somewhat.... not sure GnR or Nirvana would be big in today's music scene.  I think for them it was the right place, at the right time.

The glam scene was cool because it was legit...The bands of the time were being outrageous and paying homage to their inspirations..GNR came out and were genuine with their tamed down glam look and auto-biographic songs..The changed the 80's glam genre and were the true introduction to the gritty grunge movement of the 90's...

I don't think GNR would have nearly the same impact. Van Halen...hell no. people aren't interestetd in Hard Rock and guitar solos anymore. at least not the mainstream. I'd see better chances for Nirvana having a "impact" in todays music-scene. they always had that emovibe and Kurt was kind of a hipster.

I agree to a certain extent.  I guess I'm being idealistic when I say this, but I think the GNR's and Nirvana's would catch on to some degree whenever they released music.  I believe that the time they hit the scene was a time when bands like that were much needed.  They might not be the mega stars today that both bands were back in their heyday, but you would still know of them. 

I think he makes an excellent point. Great art will make people stand up and take notice. The musical HAMILTON is another example. Who would have ever thought that a hip hop musical about a foumding father would take Broadway and the country by storm. Personally I think the soundtrack to that musical could be described as the Love Child of Appetite for Destruction  and Staight Outta Compton.

I don't think his point is valid.

Using Adele as 'proof' that talent always rises to the top is pretty laughable.  She's an ok vocalist, semi-decent songwriter who pairs up with professional songwriters to create nice ballads.  She's certainly no indicator that talent is always rewarded, as there are hundreds of better songwriters than her.

Not sure how you'll back up this statement.

Is there any information to how big a part in the writing of each song she had? She has co-writing credits for almost all her songs.

Hard to back up.

I like Adele and like 21 ('Someone Like You' being the obvious stand out, 'Don't You Remember' and 'Lovesong' are good album tracks)

I am involved in the music scene and I actually know Dan Wilson(who co-wrote two of the above) so I'm aware of what she brought to those particular songs.

There haven't been good memorable riffs and hooks in a rock song in a long time, that stick in peoples' heads. Rock riffs occasionally make their way into other genres.

Seven Nation Army is the last one I can think of that's now part of mainstream consciousness. 

Just had a look and saw that Seven Nation Army came out 13 years ago now.  Meaning we are now further away in time from that song than that song is from Use Your Illusions  :confused:

Yeah, that's nuts.  I'd throw in the 'Take Me Out' riff as a personal favorite from the 2000s, though obviously it's not as popular as SNA.  But even that was 12 years ago. 

Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire (2008): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF0HhrwIwp0

Queens of the Stone Age (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QetvK6ldl2s

May not be as memorable because those were not a huge mainstream hit? I dunno, but I think there's still some good stuff out there, we just dont hear it on the radio anymore.

IMO, today is the best era to be an artist.  Think of all the music that nobody ever heard because it didn't fit into the category a record company wanted.  Think of all the great music that never got recorded simply because you couldn't afford studio time.  Now, all you need is a $200 laptop and an internet connection and everyone can hear you. 

It is a great time to express yourself for sure.  Artists who never would have gained an audience can now use the internet to their advantage and get themselves out there.

The negative side of this?  We have an abundance of  really bad music because there are no more filters and people with limited and in some cases zero talent could just put out anything they want.  Also, the more  music these types of people put out the more it saturates social media and the internet in general making it harder to notice the ones who are actually talented.

I disagree with Zakk Wylde, GNR and Nirvana would not have the same impact if they came out today.  Neither would The Beatles or The Rolling Stones for that matter.  Yes he is correct, they are undeniably good, but the chances of them being noticed for more than 2 seconds today are slim.    There is so much sensory overload with social media, people move very quickly from one thing to the next.  The shelf life for really creative art today is very short, people are always on to the next thing.  This is true across all entertainment mediums.  GNR would definitely have success, but biggest band in the world success?  I doubt it.  It has nothing to do with their ability, but the average fans attention spans.

Do you know why The Beatles and Stones made such an impact?  It is because options were very limited and they were the ones who were forced on the general public.  They are both great of course, but they never would have become iconic household names in the year 2016.

There will never be another biggest rock n roll band in the world, because the current system makes it impossible for there to be one band that mass amounts of people are focused on.  Every so often you'll get an Adele, but that is because her audience skews older and they still happen to buy music.

Guns N Roses and Metallica are my two favorite bands.  How did I get discover them?  MTV told me that I liked Guns N Roses and Metallica in the Summer of 1992 when they put them on TV every second of the day.  The reason I am still a fan is because they are undeniably good.

Yeah, there are a lot of music sites that curate content.  So instead of MTV curating it for you, let them sort it for you.  Problem solved

I think in certain cases it still happens but not often,can you imgne WTTJ coming along now?wow itd be over produced to withn an inch of its life no doubt with a Justin Bieber cover along quick smart,to get down wid da kidz so to speak.

No its a classic becuae it came out at the right time and i cant really see anything like it happening again any time soon

I don't know.  With the right exposure GNR could have another mega hit.  LET IT Go from the movie FROZeN became a worldwide sensation. I was really happy that The Idina Menzel version got the recognition and not the Demi Lovato version 😎 when GNR releases a new song they just need to put it in a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy.

Sorry, but there's absolutely no way a band that could write as many good songs as The Beatles would not get noticed today. We haven't seen talent on that level for a very long time.

And frankly i doubt we ever will,the Beatles where a real one off