By Dare McNinch, Staff Writer

When you go to listen to music, what’s the first thing you think of to play? What is it that makes that song come to you? Every generation has a certain style that they identify with, what’s popular in their time growing up and what they listened to. Our generation, however, has recently differed from that path and found itself in the great music before 2000. Anything from British Invasion Rock to Golden Age West Coast Hip Hop, whatever speaks to any of us has now made its way back around.

We all have our reasons for why we like what we like. Maybe it’s the pure sound of the instruments, beats, or vocals.

“I like classic rock like Guns and Roses and AC/DC just because of the catchiness and style of the electric guitar,” sophomore Reagan Pearson said.

There’s not much to argue on this front. If you’re really into the sound of true rock and roll and the electric guitar, it doesn’t get a lot better than bands like that.

Or maybe we’re coming back to these bands because of the mood that the song puts us in throughout the day or in different parts of life.

“I started listening to the Grateful Dead when I was super young when my dad would play it in the car. I still do now because it’s great no matter what mood you’re in,” sophomore Jasper Dean said.

There isn’t any other group in history that can compare to the Dead’s ability to spread across different varieties of music and appeal to different people. Their talent takes psychedelic rock and bluegrass to a new level. This among other reasons is what draws the Deadhead fanbase to the sound — the ability to vibe to it no matter what it is you’re doing at the time.

A lot of people go back to certain artists because of what they bring to the table that no one else does the same way.

“I love to listen to Biggie Smalls,” junior Raejahn Greeley said. “I like the amount of emotion and hype he brings into most of his songs.”

Freshman Ivy Doyle also backs this up when she said, “Nirvana is great because I really like Kurt Cobain’s voice and the whole band’s musical style.”  

There’s an increasing gap between what music as a whole is like before and after 2000. These differences may also contribute to the comeback in older music.

“Older bands are really cool to listen to because there isn’t auto tune,” sophomore Sam Fitzgerald said. “They play real instruments and write their own music.”

There’s some real truth behind this. Older bands mean older technology, and because there was no availability to use computers or auto tune the music that you hear is raw talent. This just helps you appreciate the skill that these musicians had to possess to make it anywhere.

“Most things today are repetitive and lack actual talent or flair,” senior Robert Thomas said. “Nothing can compare to the diversity that comes with the older styles.”

I’m not trying to say that the music now isn’t any good, or that nobody listens to it. What I’m saying is that we as a generation don’t just run with the crowd. We listen to what we want to listen to, not what’s cool at the time. Many famous artists have spoken about how the music they listened to growing up was a major influence to their work later on. Frank Zappa once said, “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”

So what could this mean for the music of the future? We’ll just have to wait and see. Or hear.

Sophomore Dair McNinch can be reached at mcninchle1121@daretolearn.org.