Sometimes I'm still pissed

As everyone knows, the rock revival is in full force. And as someone who grew up on punk rock in a medium-sized Midwestern city, I was annoyed at first. I felt betrayed; since middle school I had listened to underground music, wore the thrift-store clothes and espoused leftist politics. Around this same time, I wondered why amazingly talented bands that I loved were receiving no mainstream attention. My conclusion: that these bands (International Noise Conspiracy among them) had integrity -- they didn't want to, ahem, sell out. \nAnd then they did. In droves. Dozens of underground bands received national attention; it wasn't selling out though, because they weren't doing anything different. At a time when my music tastes were expanding to include old rock 'n roll and blues, the rock revival was gaining momentum. Mick Jagger's swagger was all over MTV2 and blues-influenced rock was being played through the stereo of suburban girls everywhere. I was acutely aware of the complete lack of musical knowledge for which most pop music fans are notorious and was, well, pissed. \nBut now that I don't have anything to prove to the world -- I have a lot more to learn and only a little to teach, I realized -- I am more comfortable with the rock revival. My distaste for it was largely based on my insecurities, as distastes are wont to do. Only now I am concerned with the rock revival's origins and effects: where did all of these rock fans suddenly come from? And why are almost all the bands from New York and Scandinavia?\nNew York is such a hodgepodge of artists from different areas of the world that musicians are unable to create something new without first returning to the old -- a musical common ground. And that's fine, as long as the music evolves and not everyone looks to New York as an example.\nThe only exception to the role seems to be The White Stripes, who have not only been at it for longer than most of the other bands (almost ten years now), but who carry a sound that is distinctly regional. Their sound can be described as derivative, but most prefer the term "influenced." At the moment, Detroit is on top of the music game in almost every genre: in rock, there's The White Stripes; in hip hop, it's Eminem; and for the slightly more underground (and almost passé) electroclash movement, there's Adult. The Detroit music scene is so prolific because of its regional identity, something which places such as New York and Los Angeles lack. And while one can see similarities between different musicians adhering to the Detroit sound, these bands and artists are easily distinguishable from their contemporaries.\nIn Midwest cities and small towns everywhere there are kids trying to play music like The Strokes rather than the Rolling Stones -- or better still, rather than John Lee Hooker or Nina Simone. The rock revival is no longer a mere annoyance; it is a small threat to budding musicians. It may inspire musicians to play, but it will not teach them to take a look back to see from whence their favorite artists come. The days of sitting in one's garage playing with guitars and pedals are not over, but they are accompanied by dreams of a fame and fortune previously unavailable to underground musicians. And dreams of fame and fortune always stifle creativity.\nIs this column simply a complaint or a legitimate concern? Aspirations of fame and money have always corrupted would-be musicians into creating derivative and forgettable music, but never before has the music been so close to my heart. So for my sake, let's call it a legitimate concern; I spend many a night playing Nintendo to a soundtrack of Bikini Kill and The Donnas. The Donnas got a makeover and Bikini Kill is on the "Not Another Teen Movie" soundtrack, and to be honest, I'm still slightly pissed.