The definition of Alternative rock music (hereafter referred to as simply “Alternative”) has been a very blurred one. However the genre has recently regained popularity after a brief period of being buried far underground near the end of the 1990s, marked by the untimely death of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, and more has come out about the history of the genre and its place in music.
The Beginnings of Alternative Music
Alternative has its beginnings in Punk rock music; therefore in order to understand Alternative, it is important to understand Punk rock. First off, Rock music came about in the 1950s as a combination of African American rhythm and blues and white country music.
Secondly, a punk is defined as a smoldering stick used to light fireworks fuses. Therefore it would make sense that the Punk Rock developed in America in the 1970s was a subgenre of Rock that was sent to set off some fuses, and this was generally done with offensive lyrics and themes that flow against the stream of popular culture.
Alternative is simply punk rock music, but with a focus on those independently produced music groups, and those groups who are considered underground, or not mainstream. Indie music, a subgenre under the term Alternative, was named such as a shortened form of “independent,” as it is formed from groups of independently produced musicians.
Other subgenres of Alternative that make it what it is are indie pop, gothic rock, Britpop, and grunge. The magazine Alternative Press, which began circulation in 1985, covers all underground music including metal, punk, grunge, and other babies of Rock ‘n Roll.
Alternative Rock Music and the Subculture
While it is technically the musical genre of a subculture, since its creation, even in its low times, it has had at least a few faces in the mainstream music scene, such as Nirvana, R.E.M, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. As with most subcultures, Alternative music seems to have found its silent majority to connect to its purpose, along with the purpose and message of individual bands within its wide array of subgenres.
It is my opinion that where there is an institution, or a norm, there will be a group that oppose and challenge those institutions and norms, and that this is part of what makes a healthy society. If there were no subcultures, such as those that brought about Alternative music, that question our government and culture, we could not grow but would simply be blindly following what others say is good and right and normal.
Sources
- Princeton WordNet, http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=rock%20music
- Alternative Press. http://www.altpress.com/
- Answers.com, http://www.answers.com/topic/punk
Brandy Andrew - My name is Brandy Andrew. I am a university student working towards a degree in English with a concentration in writing studies. I hope ...
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