Secrets of the City

To my amazement, retread lame-ass post-Dead jam bands seem to be able to let it bleed for longer than most (Phish, Widespread, DMB, etc.)…so I guess this lame-o group might have a shot

On a more serious note, I saw MMW in a small ghetto coffee house on a steamy summer night 11 years ago, and it still ranks in my TOP 5 SHOWS EVER…it was before they bought into the Phish Jam Band Successful Business Model

Manheim Steamroller

none.

As the poster of this thread, I hate to agree with you, but I think “none” as well. That’s bothersome.

Although, I would put Radiohead and Bjork up for discussion, even though they’re hardly recent entrees.

i’m still blown away by the black keys.

i’ve never heard two people rock like that before.

my kid will NOT be “rocking out” to bjork in 20 years. seriously.

i think “legends of rock” is a thing of the past. with the interwebs and millisecond attention spans…it doesn’t seem like people get that into bands that much anymore… such is life.

Nice dig…g rote.

I don’t think you’ll see those guys for much longer. Too many kids. I’ve always loved the “smallness” of MMW, as well as bands like Fugazi. Although my $25 MMW ticket wasn’t anything like my typical $5 Fugazi ticket.

I think music is fundamentally different that it used to be. Back in Aerosmith’s day, they could simultaneously be hugely popular and totally great at making music. The two of those combined = staying power. Now the two are always separate. Hugely popular music is corporate-made filth, good music is obscure. Therefore, no staying power… even the best small time bands will only be replaced with new small time bands. But that’s probably not really bad anyways.

I blame the Monkees for the beginning of the end of good yet commercial music. Motown, in some of its forms is in there, too. I think the Supremes/Temptations “TCB” special was the direct ancestor of Beyonce.

The Monkees weren’t about music, Tom. They were about rebellion, about political and social upheaval!

I think the “none” answer is stupid.

Of course some of the bands/artists around today will be around in 20-30 years. I bet in the eighties, if the internets existed, they would have been saying the same thing, but there are bands and artists with staying power. U2, Madonna, Prince, Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi are just more examples.

So, who will be around and still rockin’? I don’t know, but I have high hopes for the Decemberists.

Every once in a while a band comes around that seems legendary the first time you see them. When U2 came to town on March 19, 1985, that was one such night. At least for me.

white stripes?
air?

I thought of the White Stripes, too, but I don’t think Jack White has the attention span to keep it going that long.

I could see Beck, the Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam still doing shows in 20 years, but they all date back to the mid-’90s alterna-splosion. As for more recent acts … um … maybe some crap like Staind or Linkin Park or whatever. Beyond that, I’m sure Ryan Adams will still be around and putting out 16 albums a year.

I think you’re onto something. Probably not The White Stripes, but Jack White seems like one of those guys who can’t do anything with his life but music.

The State Fair show made a believer of me. Flaming Lips: A band for the ages.

I second the comment on Jack White. There are always going to be a handful of geniuses in any generation who will be too good to ignore. The days of the Who/Stones/Dead stadium bands are fading fast though. Don’t think I’ll miss that too much.

(btw: They Might Be Giants: rocking my kids right now)

Tool? Maybe the White Stripes; certainly not the Strokes.

Just because GNR, Aerosmith, the Who, and the Pretenders are touring doesn’t mean they should. I went to one quasi-nostalgia concert this week (Lemonheads @ the 400) and was bored, bored, bored.

I’d rather see a bunch of kids do something new and exciting than someone cashing in on songs he wrote 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still pay good money to see a few older artists (Neil Young, Lou Reed) but that’s just because I’ve never seen them before, and I’d like to take in at least one show before they die.

Music made by musicians has the staying power ability. Thus, there may be a band that can add the ability to adapt and change to the public tastes. Therefore, this band will stick around. It really doesn’t take much to stick around if we get to include “Bon Jovi” in bands with staying power. Thus, you can add “Rat” and “Motle Crue” to that bunch. Thus, we’ll have years of “Cold Play” to look forward to. (I haven’t listened to popular music in 10 years, so beyond that, I cannot give an opinion.)

It kind of makes me chuckle, a little, that nobody’s been able to come up with anybody actually *new*. Not because none of the new acts have staying power, but because none of you actually listen to new music. What kind of white-belters *are* you that you don’t even listen to white-belt music?

Meh. Correct me in ten years, but I bet ten bucks My Chemical Romance will still be there and be hugely popular, and I bet we’ll still be enjoying/enduring Fallout Boy as well, depdending on your opinion of same. I bet, annoyingly, that Nickelback and Hinder will still be cranking out music for the red-staters, and groups like Decemberists and Shins will still be crankin’ it out for the MNSpeakers.

Attention spans aren’t any shorter now than they ever were. The kids are still into music as much as YOU were. You just don’t know their bands.

I won’t even address Tom’s dig at the Monkees. I won’t even go there. Even though I so badly want to.

My morning jacket?
Arcade Fire?

Flaming Lips are already pretty old.

My Morning Jacket will be around for a long time.
Arcade Fire – I’m not so sure…….

The Hold Steady, I wonder? Wilco, or at least Jeff Tweedy. Jack White in some incarnation. Beck. Heartless Bastards. Joseph Arthur. Spoon?

I think lots of the troubador-singer-songwriter types will still be making music years from now: people like Rufus Wainwright, M. Ward, Will Oldham, Jason Molina. Amy Mann. Matt Pond PA, Robert Pollard. Sufijan Stevens, if only to complete the other 47 states.

In terms of remaining vital and “relevant” (whatever that means), as the 8 ball says, it is unclear at this time.

Dude, not that I need to defend my hipsterism, but I listen to lots of new stuff. It’s just hard to peg what has staying power and what doesn’t when you’re talking about stuff that’s only been around a year. Tons of bands put out a couple good albums and then break up. You have to consider that when you’re discussing who’s going to be around in 20 years. It’s natural to limit the discussion to bands that have demonstrated at least some ability to stick around for more than a couple of years, otherwise, what are you basing it on? As Aerosmith shows, the quality of the music has little to do with staying power. It’s more about band dynamics and their abilty to adapt to changing tastes and/or milk their previous popularity.

Beck.

Although I’m not the hugest fan, he has always done something new on each album. The are artists who’ve ‘grown up’ — releasing boring crap cause they’ve run out of ideas (REM, Elvis Costello, etc), but even if this happens to Beck, his mellow stuff is great and will probably be like Sea Change.

But if he’s still putting out insane music 20 years from now, it’ll be even better cause he’ll be old.

sufjan stevens will be hitting #50 on his death bed — “alaska you are so cold, or, stanly johnson hails the large iceberg!”

Maybe Goldgrapp? hee hee…When I’m middle aged, I want to go see them and get nostalgic for my twenties.

There’s a huge disconnect here in that you’re comparing bands who sold millions of albums and had Billboard Top Ten hits to white-belt bands who can barely afford a rusted out Ford van.

If you really want to look at who will be touring and playing for “the kids” today in 20 or 30 years, look at what bands are selling millions of records. No, I’m not saying it’s all about money. But I don’t think you can make the leap that a band like Arcade Fire is going to be playing shows for the kids in 20 years.

I’m betting it will be Justin Timberlake, Outkast, Incubus, Good Charlotte, John Mayer, etc., who are playing for “the kids” 20 years from now.

Oh, and I almost forgot: Robin Thicke. Ok, that was a joke. And a bad one at that. But I love any joke that involves Alan Thicke, no matter how tangential. Who doesn’t loves them a good Thicke joke?

I think Molly P. is right. Take somebody like the Hold Steady who, in spite of widespread acclaim from critics and bloggers, cannot seem to crack the top 100 in album sales. In twenty or thirty years they will probably do a reunion show at 1st Ave or some other club and a good time will be had by all, but that’s about it. As for my own preference, I hope none of acts I’m listening to now are around in twenty or thirty years and if they are, I can assure you I will not be listening to them. Why? Because I generally hate listening to old stuff, or even new stuff that sounds like old stuff.

OMG Molly I am so into Robin Thicke. Or, at least, three of “Evolution’’s songs!

Maybe GNR will release “Chines Democracy” in 30 years….not 20 though.

I second Yowza’s Ryan Adams endorsement, and everyone seems to agree on Jack White with or without Meg.

I will add: The Shins, Bright Eyes (yes, you heard me right), Ray Lamontagne (yes, AAA but he’s authentic), Damien Rice, ……….and Tapes N Tapes (if Josh quits his day job)

the question was – which “bands” of today will have staying power…most of the musicians mentioned are individuals – prince, springsteen, jack white….of course great musicians will have staying power, but i think great bands is a thing of the past. theoreti…..wait, wait, wait…did sombody actually say “hinder”?

i can’t wait for the destiny’s child reunion tour, circa 2030.

I think the Supremes/Temptations “TCB” special was the direct ancestor of Beyonce.

I have this on vinyl, and don’t really care for it…I think it might make a great lump-of-coal stocking stuffer for Tom.

Here’s what Jack White has to say about the White Stripes lasting, why he needs to constantly challenge himself & reinvent and about fame in general. It sums up the brilliant simplicity of what he does.

Well you’re in your little room
and you’re working on something good
but if it’s really good
you’re gonna need a bigger room
and when you’re in the bigger room
you might not know what to do
you might have to think of
how you got started in your little room

Although I agree with some of the submissions (Flamming Lips) and hope that others are accurate (mainly Wilco), I am a bit suprised to see that no one has mentioned The Roots as of yet. What other band is out there that can appeal to a larger demographic while dealing with sensitive social and political issues, all the while rocking out to an ‘always changing for the better’ sound? ‘Things Fall Apart, ‘The Roots Come Alive,’ ‘Phernology,’ and ‘Game Theory’ all have a legitimate claim as the best album of their respective years. They are here to stay.

Coldplay will unquestionably continue to be influential — lots of bands sound like them, and I think it’s likely that Coldplay will be the Pearl Jam of the ’00s, in terms of influencing a lot of really terrible, popular groups. So tandemly, Radiohead — who are unquestionably Coldplay’s biggest influence — will continue to be influential in their own right, though I think the irony of that is that Radiohead’s earlier albums will be thought of as much more influential sonically than their later ones, though I suspect farty young “experimental” bands for 20 years will cite post-”Kid A” Radiohead as an inspiration, even if they don’t much sound like them.

I think OutKast will remain popular, as well, for a long time — at least in terms of creating truly popuist popular music that bridges gaps of class, race and genre. I think it’s entirely likely that if Danger Mouse continues at his current clip, he’ll jump into that company, too.

Apache 4-Ever!!!

None of these guys hold a candle to Korla Pandit.

Coldplay is an interesting call. Personally, I find their formula completely tiresome. They need a new drummer who can play something other than loud cymbal emo-crap.

People who have mentioned that the thread to longevity is often an individual (e.g. Neil Young, Jack White, Beck) is usually right because a band usually has a dominant songwriter/freak who can’t live without it and their bands come and go.

One of the best shows of the past few years I saw was the reunion of Jane’s Addiction in Las Vegas in 2001. Then again, it was JANE’S ADDICTION IN LAS VEGAS!!!!!!!!!

The Who, and Aerosmith

Couple of other comments…

Jonny, totally agree with you. A lot of really current stuff hasn’t been mentioned. I would pose that DJs like DJ Shadow, DJ Spooky, Mark Farina and Jack Dangers might become the new Flood, Steve Lillywhite, Rick Rubin and other producers of the future.

I also want 12 Rods back.

g rote. I used to have it on vinyl, too, but it succumbed to a drunken skeet shoot one night when I was in high school.

Rock was so much better when Rex was here.

My roommate hucked mine at a zombie.

Max, I suppose you and Sailor “shunned” them first…nice work.

Rock was so much better when Rex was here.

Actually, it was. There was much more music talk around here back then, and less bullshit bickering.

Green Day, Christina Aguilera (she seems to possess reinvention qualities and can actually sing unlike many of her contemporaries), and William Shatner. Shatner’s a rising star.

First we shun, then we huck.

you mother shunhuckers

Mother Shunhuckers would be a great band name.

William Shatner and the Mother Shunhuckers

Thank you.

Today’s popular music seems like more of a producer’s art, and that’s just fine with me. Guys like Timbaland, the Neptunes (especially Pharrell), Kanye West, Scott Storch, Jermaine Dupri and others have produced/co-composed countless hits over the last several years, and I can see them continuing to do so well into the future.

Gnarls Barkley.

Reading through the thread, I’ll keep voting for Tool and add Green Day, Coldplay, Radiohead, Incubus, and Nickelback. And Robbie Williams.

Also, this guy called you all “old farts.”

Ew.

I’ll GLADLY take an MNSpeak thread (even one with Dizzy and Maz and the Buds) over spending a day with spoiled precocious anklebiters and their stageparents.

Here’s my list:

Cake (Undefatigable)
Beck (David Bowie of his generation)
Bjork (Timeless)
Jay Z (Genius)
Tom Waits (will never stop being influencial)
Har Mar Superstar (just a hunch)
Haylee Bonar
Rufus Wainwright
Deathcab for Cutie
and you can just see Pearl Jam touring 20 years fRom now..

I don’t know about 20-30 years from now…I just hope my kids are done with this ASAP.

I know Hans Eisenbeis. Hans Eisenbeis is a friend of mine. And senator, you are no Hans Eisenbeis.

Yeah, I can only think of bands that have already been around for ages. Ash, Golden Smog, The Flaming Lips, Weird Al…

Well, let me think. TV on the Radio, Radio 4, Kasabian, Bloc Party, and there have got to be enough double entendres in the world to keep Louis XIV going a while…

Trent Reznor has been rocking since 1989 and he’s still going strong. He takes a few years in between albums but he always re-invents his sound somewhat and manages to stay relevant (and popular).

Even though he’s no longer with us, I’m surprised no one has mentioned Elliott Smith. I think it’s a bit premature to anoint the Hold Steady while ignoring Smith’s body of work. In 20 years, I think it’s more conceivable that people will be listening to Either/Or or XO than Boys & Girls In America, or that silly My Chemical Romance band that someone mentioned.

Beck’s place in history is secure, Radiohead and Wilco are no-brainers, the Shins could get there with a couple more albums. It’s possible that A.C. Newman will be looked back upon the way we look at someone like Todd Rundgren now — a gifted, if askew, pop genius. Green Day, but god knows what their status will be. And the guy who compared Coldplay’s influence to that of Pearl Jam was right on.

Not that I’m not necessarily “down” with all of these, but these are my best guesses of who will will be on a rock-ish station in 2025 that “plays hits from the 00’s, 10’s and today!”:

The Killers, Snow Patrol, Yo La Tengo, The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Pavement, Radiohead, Coldplay, Keane, Oasis, Evanescence, Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck… and various singer/songwriters who may be around just in different forms (Jack White, AC Newman, Sufjan Stevens, Thom Yorke, Stephen Malkmus). I will also predict the strange yet triumphant return of Jeff Mangum.

Just have to add my two cents…

-Pearl Jam (20 years…hmmm, maybe, but a great band none the less)
-Matt Costa
-Jack Johnson
-Ben Harper

Which bands of today will still be around in 20-30 years?

Stones. Who. Aerosmith. Crue.
(or some facsimiles thereof)

that’s about it.

I don’t care what anybody thinks, Robin Thicke rapping over ‘A Fifth of Beethoven’ is craptastic! The fact that it’s so wrong in so many ways makes me like it more. There, I said it!