The rock group No Doubt has been very successful as a band. They have released multi-platinum albums (1995’s diamond-certified Tragic Kingdom, 2001’s Rock Steady, and a 2003 singles collection) and they also have many hit singles (“Just A Girl,” “Don’t Speak,” “Hey Baby,” “Hella Good,” “Underneath It All,” and “It’s My Life”). They have sold-out international tours and won two Grammy Awards and five MTV Video Music Awards. The group was invited to perform for Paul McCartney and President Obama at the annual Kennedy Center Honors in 2010. Gwen Stefani is the lead singer of the group. She has been very successful as a singer by herself with two best-selling solo albums. She also has been very successful as a fashion designer with her L.A.M.B., Harajuku Lovers and Harajuku Mini clothing lines. Other members of the group have been successful as well when they have worked on individual projects.
The group’s latest album, Push And Shove, is a blend of rock, dancehall, and electronic pop. People who have liked their music for a long time will really enjoy this album and be happy to hear the sound they always liked from No Doubt but may also be a little surprised by some of the music that is new and different. People who did not listen to No Doubt when the group started over twenty years ago will like this album too. This term project will discuss the history of “No Doubt,” the music that influenced the group, successes as a group and as individual musicians, and the group’s influence on rock music.
The way No Doubt got together sounds like something from a television show. Eric Stefani and John Spence met at a Dairy Queen (in Anaheim, California) and talked about getting a group together to play music. Eric got a keyboard and gathered s...
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Several members of the band have come and gone over these many years but the heart of No Doubt is still there. They will always have fans at their concerts and buying their albums. The fans are also very supportive when some of the band members would like to work on a solo project or two, or when the bandmates have wanted to focus more on their families. The bandmates show each other support for their family and careers too, This kind of support and friendship is not seen very much in the entertainment business, making No Doubt a great example of friendship and hardwork for people of any age to admire and follow. It does not always work out well when groups break up and then decide to get back together, but the members of No Doubt reunited after ten years of working apart, are sounding better than ever, and are excited for the future of their band.
Named the most successful female music artist ever by the Guinness Book of World Records, Diana Ross has been one of the top RnB singers since the beginning of her career in 1959. Between her work with The Supremes and as a solo artist, she has released 53 studio albums and 70 singles. Ross continues to record and tour to this
West London-based Mumford & Sons is a folk/indie-rock band that favours atypical instrumentation, conjures up a unique sound, and appeals to a wide range of listeners. Emerging from what some in the media have labeled as the “West London Folk scene”, Mumford and Sons features four 20-something multi-instrumentalists and close friends: Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall, and Ted Dwayne. The English foursome joined forces in December 2007, bonded over a mutual appreciation of folk, rock, country, and bluegrass, and adopted the stage name of Mumford & Sons to give the band a familial connotation. Four years and several live performances later, Mumford & Sons achieved widespread, multi-platinum success with their unique brand of music. Following their performance at the Grammy Awards in February 2011 (alongside Bob Dylan, nonetheless), the band found itself topping music charts, having sold millions of copies of their debut album, Sigh No More, worldwide.
Philip Auslander’s book “Performing Glam Rock” talks about a type of music that until this class, I have not heard much about. When I think Glam Rock I think of artists like Prince and Kiss, ...
In Rock- The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Yorke provides a chronological approach to rock and roll from 1877- 1974. Although it is not extremely detailed, a general overview of each year’s music is presented. Throughout the book, many descriptive summaries of individual artists may be found along with classic pictures.
The band consist of 8 members, Nathan East bassist/vocals, Andy Fairweather-Low, lead guitar/vocals, Steve Ferrone- drums, Chuck Leavell-key boardist, Ray Cooper- tambourines, Katie Kissoon and Tessa Niles- vocals, and Eric Clapton- composer, rock n roll guitarist, lead vocalist. The band members dressed in casual attire. The band members were professionals, they knew exactly how to orchestrate every chord, they collaborated with the lead singer and each other in ways that wasn’t so noticeable to the audience but they knew which chords to use for every song, the band was a top notch team. The tempo of the songs were a mixture of fast, slow, to a medium style beat. The texture of the songs was homophonic and well put together lyrics. The style of the music was from the 1960s-1970s which genres were rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock, jazz and blues.
The biggest influential song on Nirvana’s Nevermind album was the first song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It reached number 6 on the Top 40 Charts. This song was groundbreaking for Nirvana and the alternative music scene as a whole. After the release of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” white, middle-class youth of the United States finally had a style of music to call their own and express their “teenage anthems” (Stuessy, Joe). This was the first song to emerge from alternative rock and to be known in the mainstream of rock and roll, expressing their generation’s expectations, “...here we are now, entertain us”(Stuessy, Joe). “Smells like Teen Spirit” was Curt Cobain’s “attempt to write the ultimate pop song”(Nevermind, Nirvana). He used the soft-loud dynamics of his favorite band, the Pixies. The insidious hooks also showed his admiration for the Beatle’s John Lennon(Nevermind, Nirvana). The style used in this song is simple, plain, loud, and straight-forward. Musically, there is nothing very “innovative” or difficult. However, the reason it is important to rock history is because it brought America’s attention to the once before underground style of grunge. “A driving drum beat, powered by Novelsek’s rhythmic bass, and a memorable guitar riff and solo, mix perfectly with Kurt Cobain’s depressing yet humorous lyrics” (Kastner, Patrick). While it has certainly been overplayed in the past years, it is still an essential part of Rock history.
Demi Lovato is a famous singer, songwriter, and actor born in 1992 in New Mexico. Although she was on “Barney & Friends” as a child, most people know her from her years as an actress and an occasional singer on disney channel. She co-starred in the famous movie series “Camp Rock” and also in the television series “Sonny with a Chance.” After these acting positions, Lovato began a career in singing. She has released many albums and has had many hit songs such as “Heart Attack” and “Cool for the Summer.” In 2012 and 2013, Lovato was a judge on “The X Factor” (Wikipedia). Singing is a huge part of Lovato’s life, and she pours her heart and should into her lyrics.
Throughout their years at the top they were shrouded in mystery and intrigue, and seemed to leave behind a trail of question marks wherever they went. They were not a “public” band (they didn’t hire a publicist until their 9th US tour, almost five years after their formation!); they continually distanced themselves from the media, instead relying on word of mouth and their often-astounding live performances to promote themselves. Not surprisingly, this low profile led to wild rumors about their lifestyles and habits and as a result little was known about the men behind the music.
Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.
... in Amityville in 2009 when they opened for Rise Against. Dan Campbell, the singer, gave everyone a free copy of their album just to get their name out there. They are now at the peak of the pop punk genre by selling thousands of albums, playing the main stage at Warped Tour and headlining a show at Best Buy Theater this April. Bands that make this sacrifice and eventually make it to a successful level deserve the natural rush music gives them.
In closing, the undoubtable influence of music, more specifically of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society is responsible for a number of changes to the status quo. These range from sexual liberation and racial desegregation all culminating with other influences to create an intergenerational identity. Despite the desperate attempts of older generations to smother these influences, these changes ultimately shaped the years that followed, molding the country into what it is today. Along the way these changes as well as individual involvement in them has also eased the lives of many through empowerment and a feeling of community and purpose. Despite a lull and renewal Rock ‘n’ Roll continues to serve as an agent of influence and change in today’s youth culture and continues to burn in the heart of past generations of loyal fans.
Rock music is a term that should be familiar. Originally dubbed “rock and roll” in the 1940’s and 1950’s, rock and roll is almost always fronted by an electrical guitar and heavily influenced by blues, R&B, and even country music. By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s rock and roll began to be shortened to just “rock music”, and the entire style starting branching out into other sub-genres such as punk rock, heavy metal, garage rock, hard rock, among others. The sub-genre in question however is Alternative Rock, which is generally defined as despite following the fundamentals of rock music, it strays away from what is considered “mainstream” at the time by using concepts such as extensive underground music association, muddied or distorted guitars, more prominent use of power chords, and even a sort of rebellious or defiant attitude in lyrics and sound.
The rise of rock and roll into the limelight is to a large extent attributed to the teenagers of the 1950’s. Early rock music listened to by teenagers during the 1950’s was formed by blending together Rhythm and blues with country music. This kind of ...
The genre of pop rock has taken the music industry by storm, giving record companies enormous amounts of power and endless financial success along with a way to reproduce it. Owing its popularity to the “light” nature and simplistic, yet catchy melodies, pop music is one of the broadest genres. There’s no way of clearly defining parameters as to what distinguishes a pop music song from other genres. This is largely due to the genre's’ reliance on popularity. Pop music has taken many forms over the decades, keeping characteristics through each generation it passes through.