New generation of music needs a voice

For years commercial pop music in all its glorious superficiality has dominated the American music scene. \nThe most successful acts of our era, "artists" like Britney Spears and N'Sync, are manufactured prototypes--polished and perfected into teen composites that embody anything and everything that could possibly appeal to America's youth. The end result: teenage girls buy as many lunch boxes and Barbie dolls as albums, and everyone makes millions.\nThese acts represent a trend in American popular music, and one that is all too reminiscent of the '90s, when the New Kids On The Block and Tiffany were the resident pop icons. I know you all remember those days. \nNowadays, exciting things are beginning to happen in music, a transition is taking place. Boy bands and pop princesses are on the outs, cashing in on their pop star status by selling themselves to companies in multi-million dollar endorsement deals. People are looking for new sounds, and real artists, and those that write and play their own music are once again gaining recognition. \nNow there is a band emerging on the scene that might cause as much change as its ancestor of 10 years ago.\nIn 1992, Nirvana released Nevermind, forging an all-out grunge movement and paving the way for other legendary Seattle bands Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains… the list goes on and on.\nSo is that what we need now… another rock movement? At this point, almost anything would be a welcome change. Music execs admittedly are waiting and hoping for the next Nirvana to sweep the nation, defining an entire generation with their music and selling lots and lots of albums. \nPersonally, I don't think another Nirvana is within reach. \nThe beauty of Nirvana's music is that it was an expression all its own. The band never thought it would be famous, and even dismissed the notion, loathing the fame when it did come. Sadly, its musical potential was never fully realized, as Kurt Cobain died in 1994.\nThough now disbanded, the legacy of Nirvana lives on, and still may prove instrumental in the evolvement to bigger and better music. Surviving members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic have pursued solo careers. Grohl has found success with the Foo Fighters, while Novoselic recently started a band that is being referred to as the "new supergroup," although they haven't even released an album. \nThis "musical lifeboat," a trio called Eyes Adrift, might be just what the music scene has been waiting for. Made up of bassist Novoselic, guitarist Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets, and former Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh, Eyes Adrift is one of the most highly anticipated bands of the moment. \nThe idea started with the guys just wanting to jam together. Last fall, Curt Kirkwood was on a solo tour, and Novoselic caught his Seattle show and was impressed. The musicians are old friends, as the Meat Puppets were one of Nirvana's bigger influences. Friends of Bud Gaugh saw Kirkwood in L.A., and urged Bud to call him, too. \n"Everybody knows each other through a strange roundabout way," Kirkwood said in a recent interview with The Sacremento Bee. "But Krist and I had never met Bud. I heard the Sublime record and was impressed with it. I'd never seen them live, but I met Brad Nowell right before he passed away."\nEyes Adrift officially formed last December, went into the studio right away, and had nearly completed their debut album by the year's end. "We set up in the studio and recorded our first song within a day, and we had never been in the same room and played together," Kirkwood also told the Bee. "We could immediately tell what worked -- you'd play one note and it would just go 'boom!'"\nUnderstandably, there has been a lot of hype surrounding Eyes Adrift, though the members don't encourage it. For now, they are playing a series of small venues on the West Coast and putting the finishing touches on their album, which is expected to come out in the next few months. Their sound stems primarily from folk-rock influences, with Kirkwood and Novoselic both contributing lead vocals. \nWhether Eyes Adrift will spark a musical revolution remains to be seen, but it is definitely something to be watching for. Other bands, such as the Strokes out of New York, and the White Stripes from Detroit are making a scene in their own rights, exploring new musical avenues and putting out great music. Although there is no certainty in what music this decade will bring, one thing remains clear. As Bob Dylan so aptly put it, "The Times, They Are A-Changin'," and I for one, can't wait.