Huffington Post: Is Prog Rock the New Folk?

[Brian Griffin]

We called it art rock back in the mid-to-late 70s where I lived in eastern PA.

I used that term a bit but it honestly wasn't too widespread in Queens / Manhattan at that time

By that time "progressive rock" was more the moniker as I recall

BG

[Wounded Land]

I know that I've said this before, but as a high-school teacher, I can definitely say that kids who are into music are very into prog. Artists like Pink Floyd, Rush, Opeth, Dream Theater, Tool, King Crimson, and the likes are must-know bands for these kids. I think that mainstream acceptance is a bit of a fantasy, but there are definitely young people getting into the scene.

[rcarlberg]

Yeah, I envy the youngsters discovering all this for the first time. What a ride they're in for!

[JJ88]

I know that I've said this before, but as a high-school teacher, I can definitely say that kids who are into music are very into prog. Artists like Pink Floyd, Rush, Opeth, Dream Theater, Tool, King Crimson, and the likes are must-know bands for these kids. I think that mainstream acceptance is a bit of a fantasy, but there are definitely young people getting into the scene.

I grew up hearing some of the classic stuff, and got into 'oldies' in general from the 50s, 60s, 70s etc, almost every sort of popular music from then. It's all stuck with me!

[Mikhael]

We called it art rock back in the mid-to-late 70s where I lived in eastern PA.

We did too, in Appalachia. But you lived in PA and don't think prog was mainstream? Yes set attendance records in stadiums in PA; that surely points to mainstream acceptance.

[Mikhael]

In regards to today's kids, I think the tonal of the times has changed. In Prog's heyday, people would sit in a room, listening intently to every note of a new album, while pondering the album art. Total concentration on the music.

That doesn't happen now. Music is a background noise to whatever else is going on in their life. A much smaller percentage of the population concentrates on music the way people used to. It's the pace of life, current technology usage, and the amount of crap that's vying for one's attention nowadays. It's simply not that important, unfortunately. I think they're missing out on the feeling that music can bring, other than being a beat to jog by. But it's the way things are.

[No Pride]

In regards to today's kids, I think the tonal of the times has changed. In Prog's heyday, people would sit in a room, listening intently to every note of a new album, while pondering the album art. Total concentration on the music.

That doesn't happen now. Music is a background noise to whatever else is going on in their life. A much smaller percentage of the population concentrates on music the way people used to. It's the pace of life, current technology usage, and the amount of crap that's vying for one's attention nowadays. It's simply not that important, unfortunately. I think they're missing out on the feeling that music can bring, other than being a beat to jog by. But it's the way things are.

I generally feel the same, but there have been enough startling exceptions to give me hope. I've witnessed many young jazz, prog and fusion players come out of the woodwork over the past two decades; seriously talented and ambitious artists. I don't know what I'm more amazed by, how good they actually are or how they managed to want to do what they're doing while growing up in such a vacuous artistic climate. Not that it matters; what does is that they're keeping the flame burning and proving that not everybody succumbs to the imposed dumbing down of culture.

[ronmac]

We did too, in Appalachia. But you lived in PA and don't think prog was mainstream? Yes set attendance records in stadiums in PA; that surely points to mainstream acceptance.

I stated that WIOQ wasn't mainstream, in the sense that they weren't top 40. Prog was certainly mainstream while I grew up in the Lehigh Valley during the 70s.

BTW, what stadium attendance records did Yes break? I'm not sure they even played any stadiums in PA.

[Mikhael]

I stated that WIOQ wasn't mainstream, in the sense that they weren't top 40. Prog was certainly mainstream while I grew up in the Lehigh Valley during the 70s.

BTW, what stadium attendance records did Yes break? I'm not sure they even played any stadiums in PA.

I remember reading it; I think it was in Philly. They played the Spectrum 37 times, I think.

[Burley Wright]

37?

[ronmac]

I remember reading it; I think it was in Philly. They played the Spectrum 37 times, I think.

That's not a stadium. It's (or was) an arena. I do believe they played that many times, though.

[profusion]

BTW, what stadium attendance records did Yes break? I'm not sure they even played any stadiums in PA.

They played JFK Stadium in Philly on the solo albums tour in 1976. It was their biggest show ever in the USA, I believe, with 130,000 in attendance. Only their Rock in Rio appearance in Brazil in the '80s drew more people.

[ronmac]

They played JFK Stadium in Philly on the solo albums tour in 1976. It was their biggest show ever in the USA, I believe, with 130,000 in attendance. Only their Rock in Rio appearance in Brazil in the '80s drew more people.

And, which record did they break, besides their own?

[profusion]

And, which record did they break, besides their own?

None, I believe.

[Reginod]

as a high-school teacher, I can definitely say that kids who are into music are very into prog. Artists like Pink Floyd, Rush, Opeth, Dream Theater, Tool, King Crimson, and the likes are must-know bands for these kids. I think that mainstream acceptance is a bit of a fantasy, but there are definitely young people getting into the scene.

I emphasized a bit of your post that I reckon is crucial, and which is also the reason that I believe that there will always be at least a small flame kept burning for inventive, harmonically "involved" music, whether it's called "prog" or not.