NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Geek rock

Geek Rock (also known as nerd rock, but distinguishable from the hip hop genre Nerdcore) is a musical subgenre of alternative rock, although unlike many genres, the term is somewhat loosely applied as far as the style of music performed is concerned. Rather, the phrase is more often used to describe the artists and performers, whose personalities and/or looks would usually see them described as "geeks" or "nerds". Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Power pop is a long-standing musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop music. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set - the latter an old-fashioned term) is a collection of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a sole percussionist (drummer), usually for jazz, rock, or other types of contemporary music. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other uses, see Synthesizer (disambiguation). ... Nerdcore hip hop is a musical genre. ... Grunge redirects here. ... In popular music, indie music (from independent) is any of a number of genres, scenes, subcultures and stylistic and cultural attributes, characterised by perceived independence from commercial pop music and mainstream culture and an autonomous, do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. ... Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring rock, alternative rock, hip hop, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 506 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): They Might Be Giants Geek rock Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 506 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): They Might Be Giants Geek rock Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960) is an actor and musician from Brooklyn, New York (though born and raised in Lincoln, Massachusetts). ... A promotional photograph from the late 1990s. ... This article is about the musical group. ... Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ... Nerdcore hip hop is a musical genre. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... A geek is a person who is fascinated, perhaps obsessively, by technology and imagination. ... For other uses, see Nerd (disambiguation). ...

However, there are certain common musical traits that many geek rock artists share, although a good number of the bands described as such may display a sound far removed from the considered standard. Such elements include heavy use of synthesisers and electronic keyboards, harmonic vocals (and, sometimes, extensive use of female-led backing vocals) and idiosyncratic use of instruments not usually associated with alt-rock, such as accordions. Some mainstream bands that exemplify the geek rock "sound" include DEVO, Weezer, R.E.M., Jonathan Coulton, They Might Be Giants, Fountains of Wayne, The Aquabats!, and Barenaked Ladies. Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American New Wave group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... For the albums, see Weezer (1994 album) and Weezer (2001 album). ... R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Michael Stipe (vocals). ... Jonathan Coulton is a folk rock singer-songwriter. ... This article is about the musical group. ... Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop/rock band, formed in 1995. ... The Aquabats! are a band from Southern California known for their comedic lyrics and superhero personas. ... Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated BNL or occasionally BnL) is a Canadian alternative rock band currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart, and formerly Andy Creeggan. ...

In addition, a number of lyrical themes are quite common to the genre - these include themes of isolation, loneliness and failing love lives, and a fascination with "geek" pop culture such as video games, comic books, science fiction and fantasy. In addition, significant doses of irony and humour can be found in many geek rock lyrics. The average age of a geek rock band, meanwhile, is demonstrated by the recurring preoccupation with pop culture of the 1980s. Bands like Ozma, The Minibosses, Nerf Herder, The Franchise and hellogoodbye are indicative of this trend. This article is about computer and video games. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Ozma has several meanings: Ozma is the name invented by L. Frank Baum for Princess Ozma, ruler of his fictional land of Oz, and later given to his own granddaughter. ... Minibosses EP album cover. ... Nerf Herder is a pop-punk band from Santa Barbara formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass) and Steve Sherlock (drums). ... The Franchise is a Washington, DC band specializing in geek rock. ... For the song by The Beatles, see Hello Goodbye. ...

Bands that are considered in the geek rock genre have been almost exclusively American or Canadian, but there have been a few bands from other countries as well. One noteworthy band is Wir sind Helden (We are heroes) from Germany. Wir Sind Helden earned their title as "German Geek Rock" with their music videos for "Guten Tag" and "Nur ein Wort," both of which deal with geek pop culture, dictionaries, and comic books. The song "The Geek (shall inherit)" from their third album makes this inclination explicit. Wir sind Helden (German for We are heroes) is a German musical band. ... Soundso (German for likethisandlikethat) will be the third studio Album by the German Band: Wir sind Helden. ...

It is worth pointing out that the term "geek rock" as we know it is a relatively recent development, but it has been retrospectively applied in a number of cases. The early progenitors of the genre are generally considered to be certain experimental and intellectual proponents of new wave music from the late 1970s and early 1980s, most notably Oingo Boingo, Devo, XTC and Talking Heads. While these bands all carry undoubted musical influence down to the current geek rock bands, however, it is the somewhat nerdish demeanor of their (in all cases bespectacled) front men that is also seen to qualify them. Indeed, the tendency to label as "geek rock" music that is performed by geeks (as opposed to music that simply sounds "geeky") has led to figures as far back as Buddy Holly being described as geek rock "icons".^{[citation needed]} In addition, artists including Pixies, Ween, Grandaddy, The Decemberists, OK Go, Nada Surf, Beck, Moxy Früvous, Eels, Maddison Street Riot, Clyde, and The Young Knives have found themselves labeled as "geek rock" on occasion. New Wave was a pop and rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the early-to-mid 1980s. ... For other uses, see Oingo Boingo (disambiguation). ... Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American New Wave group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... XTC are an influential new wave band from Swindon, England. ... Talking Heads were an American rock band existing between 1974 and 1991, composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. ... For the Weezer song, see Buddy Holly (song). ... The Pixies[1] are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. ... Ween is an alternative rock group formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. ... Grandaddy was an indie rock group from Modesto, California, United States. ... The Decemberists are a five-piece indie pop band from Portland, Oregon, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy . ... This article or section may contain too much repetition. ... Nada Surf is an American alternative rock / indie rock group formed in 1992. ... This article is about the musician. ... Moxy FrÃ¼vous was a folk-pop, socially conscious, politically-satirical band (1990-ca. ... Eels (also sometimes eels or EELS, depending on the album) are an American rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as Mr. ... Clyde may refer to: The River Clyde and Firth of Clyde in Scotland. ... The Young Knives is an English indie rock and post-punk revival band from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. ...

References

Categories: Articles that may contain original research since October 2007 | Articles lacking sources from November 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with topics of unclear notability from November 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Articles for deletion | Alternative music Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Alternative metal is an form of music that gained popularity in the early 1990s alongside grunge. ... Britpop was a mid-1990s British alternative rock genre and movement. ... C86 is the name of a celebrated cassette compilation released by the British music magazine New Musical Express (NME) in 1986, featuring new bands licenced from independent labels of the time. ... College rock was a term used in the USA to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term alternative came into common usage. ... Dream pop is a type of alternative rock that originated in Britain in the early 1980s, when bands like Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons UK, The Passions, Dead Can Dance, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane (to whom the term has been attributed) began fusing post-punk experiments with bittersweet... Dunedin is a southern New Zealand University Town that spawned The Dunedin Sound. Similar in many ways to the traditional indie pop sound, the Dunedin Sound uses jingly jangly guitaring, minimal bass lines and loose drumming. ... Gothic rock (sometimes called goth rock or simply goth) is a genre of rock music that originated during the late 1970s. ... For the language, see Grebo language. ... Grunge redirects here. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Industrial rock is a musical genre which is a fusion of post-industrial music and rock music. ... Lo-fi is a subgenre of indie rock which uses lo-fi recording practices. ... An NME Originals issue covering the Madchester movement. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Noise pop is a term used to loosely describe a number of alternative rock bands that fuse punk rocks attitude and anger with the atonal noise, feedback, and free song structures of noise music, presented in a decidedly pop context. ... Paisley Underground is a term used to describe a genre of rock music, based primarily in Los Angeles, California, which was at its most popular in the mid-1980s. ... Post-grunge is a very diverse subgenre of alternative rock music that emerged in the mid-1990s immediately following the downfall of grunge music as an offshoot. ... The post-punk revival is a movement in modern rock music consisting of Indie Rock, Punk Rock, Goth Rock, and Electronic bands that draw from the conventions of the original Post-Punk sound of the early 1980s, as well as the early 90s Britpop, 80s New Wave and... The term post-rock was coined by Simon Reynolds in issue 123 of The Wire (May 1994) to describe a sort of music using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs and powerchords. ... Riot grrrl (or riot grrl) is an indie/punk feminist movement that reached its height in the 1990s but continues to exert influence over alternative cultures. ... Shoegazing (also known as shoegaze or shoegazer; practitioners referred to as shoegazers) is a genre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. ... The term slowcore, generally used interchangeably with sadcore, refers to a subgenre of alternative rock that developed from the downbeat melodies and slower tempos of late 1980s indie rock. ... For space rocks, see asteroid. ... This is a list of alternative rock artists. ... Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. ... This is a timeline of alternative rock, from its beginnings in the 1970s to the present. ... In popular music, independent music, often abbreviated as indie, is a term used to describe genres, scenes, subcultures, styles and other cultural attributes in music, characterized by their independence from major commercial record labels and their autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing. ... Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring rock, alternative rock, hip hop, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. ...