Rock music is an extremely popular genre that developed from ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ in the 1950s. Later, it took on a style of its own. Despite being discouraged by many owing to its loud and rebellious nature, rock music enjoys a massive fan following. It also has a rich history. This is one particular genre that allows you to express your emotions freely. 

So, if you wish to know more about this type of music, you must certainly listen to podcasts. Of course, they must not be the random ones but those dedicated to rock music. We’ve picked a few podcasts that would help you learn more about this genre. So, why wait? Let’s go through the list right away.

1. Sound Opinions

A Chicago-based radio talk show and podcast, Sound Opinions was started in 1993. It has now been turned into a podcast, hosted by Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis. The producers of this podcast are Andrew Gill and Alex Claiborne. Sound Opinions speaks about rock music, its history, famous artists in the genre, and their hit albums. 

Every week interviews with well-known rock artists are hosted on the podcast. You can also expect some good conversations about the music industry in general. Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot are renowned rock critics of the United States. They take you through the rock music timeline and keep you engaged in their discussions about the recent additions.

2. The Classic Rock Podcast

Anyone can easily guess that this podcast is about classic rock. Hosted by Tim Caple, it provides valuable information about the important icons of rock music every month. The podcast also has discussions on the recent happenings in the world of music. It has a segment titled ‘Album of the Month’. A classic rock album is picked and discussed in detail in this segment. 

It talks about everything from its history to the inspiration behind it and the process of its creation. You’re also told about the new features in various music magazines. The podcast also takes a look at the Rock Album Charts.

3. The Rock and Roll Geek Show

This podcast was created by Michael Butler based in California, United States. Michael has his own band, but The Rock and Roll Geek Show became the reason behind his fame. He plays the bass guitar and performs vocals for his band, American Heartbreak. 

Besides these ventures, Michael is also a host of other podcasts. Cooking with Butler, Hairbanger’s Ball, Roll Geek Indie Cast, and Bangin’ with Butler. The Rock and Roll Geek Show is seen as rock music’s original school. It gives you some fabulous information on rock ‘n’ roll music.

4. The Loudini Rock and Roll Circus

The Loudini Rock and Roll Circus is all about guitar-driven rock music. It covers the genre from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. You’re taken on a journey through these eras while listening to the podcast. It would allow you to experience the origin of authentic rock music. 

You can also listen to the current happenings in this genre of music and its future. This podcast also talks about the most inspiring rock artists and their uplifting stories.

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Songs that belong to the hard rock style of music are played on radio even today. The bands in this genre have continued to garner lots of fans until this day. When it comes to choosing the best bands from the world of hard rock, the task seems quite difficult. However, there are three bands that have made a place in the hearts of hard rock fans. Let’s take a look at these bands:

1. Led Zeppelin

This is one band that started a whole new generation of music. Led Zeppelin went on to become an influential band in rock music. One of its members, Jimmy Page, wrote some of the unforgettable riffs of all time. Robert Plant, a charismatic individual, lent his voice that gelled perfectly with Page’s riffs. 

John Paul Jones’s bass lines were a key component of all their songs. The solid beats of John Bonham formed the basis of the band. When all of them came together, Led Zeppelin became one big machine of hard rock. They created magic that could excite you with a thrilling number or slow you down with a mellow song. 

All members of the band could create some incredible varieties of songs together. All four of them shared musical chemistry that remains unmatched. When you get to know them, you realize that they’re truly more than just another rock band.

2. Black Sabbath

Many would get goosebumps with just the mention of this name. You begin to get some Satanic vibes when talking about Black Sabbath. They had become the defining force behind the hard rock genre within a short period of time. After The Beatles, they can be easily considered the most influential band of all time. 

Black Sabbath rose from the sombre industrial parts of Birmingham in the late 1960s. It all began when Tony Iommi was working on his old job. The last day at work turned out to be a nightmare when he lost the tips of three of his fingers. He was told he would never be able to play again, but destiny had different plans.

The factory foreman inspired him to continue playing his guitar. He learned to play his guitar right-handed but eventually decided to continue with his left hand. He fitted homemade thimbles to extend and protect his injured fingers. 

He was later joined by Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. Together, they survived the hatred of critics and the punk movement of the 1970s. Ultimately, they earned their place as hard rock’s undisputed kings.

3. Aerosmith

Some call them the bad boys from Boston. During the 1970s, Aerosmith was mostly on tours, delivering blues-based hard rock hits. From the earliest days of the band’s existence, the group were crisscrossing the United States. They performed in halls, arenas, and clubs. 

As a result, they were seen as a people’s band. Aerosmith provided a steady stream of hard rock LPs. Among them were Get Your Wings, Toys In The Attic, and Rocks. The band rocked out in a big way from the stage, no matter where they were performing.

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They used a do-it-yourself work ethic and this enabled them to thrive on the music industry’s fringes. Strong scenes of punk music were witnessed in New York City, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. It served as an inspiration for many other young musicians to explore other genres. 

The musical language of Kurt Cobain, pioneer of grunge and lead singer of Nirvana, was shaped by punk rock. This genre is a fusion of other popular genres but is generally more aggressive and faster than pop music. People often underestimate punk rock bands owing to their smaller size. However, fewer band members don’t mean a softer sound. 

Most of the members of punk rock bands came from the working class. As they were growing up, they mainly listened to the traditional mainstream radio. This exposed them to a great extent to styles like British Invasion rock, country music, and folk-rock. All these genres had a considerable influence on punk rock numbers.

A glimpse of punk rock’s history

The roots of punk music can be traced back to the 1970s. Although it is believed to have originated in London, some argue that it simultaneously started in New York City. The British punk scene thrived with several bands like The Clash and The Damned. They mixed elements of garage rock, folk music, hard rock, and reggae. As a result, the tracks had the perfect mix of catchy melodies, raw edge, and speed. 

The British punk rock bands readily inspired the surge of this genre in New York City. In this city of the United States, crowds of punk music fans packed the venues like CBGB in Manhattan. They were all crazy for bands like Blondie, Ramones, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids. 

Punk rock scenes also emerged in other parts of the United States. Among them were Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, and Washington, DC. With the punk rock scenes emerging in these areas, many bands also rose to prominence. The Germs, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Flipper, MC5, and Iggy & The Stooges were some of them. 

Record labels that specialized in punk rock also sprung up in several places. Two of such records were SST Records of Long Beach and Dischord Records of Washington. Yet another impressive record label was Alternative Tentacles Records of San Francisco. A few bands like the Sex Pistols and Ramones managed to stay with the mainstream record labels. 

This was also made possible due to the spirit of the anti-establishment bands in the past. One of them was The Velvet Underground. Over the years, many local music scenes have contributed to diverse varieties in sound. This has also given punk rock a wider acceptance.

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Hard rock songs often feature repetitive, rhythmic, and distorted blues-based riffs. They also feature guitar solos. A heavy or hard feel to the song is provided by deploying feedback. Just like many other sub-genres of rock, the roots of hard rock can be found in American blues. Songs belonging to the hard rock style are meant to be energizing. They hinge on themes such as freedom, partying, sex, and beautiful partners. 

Origins

Hard rock originated from American blues and the performances of artists such as Hubert Sumlin and Elmore James. The bands belonging to the era of the British Invasion were strongly influenced by blues. The amplified and assertive work of the electric guitar laid the foundation of hard rock. Louder and more heavy vocals and guitar riffs were added to the blues format. 

This can be felt in songs like My Generation by The Who and You Really Got Me by The Kinks. Feedback, longer guitar solos, and acts of distortion were added to the blues-rock sound. The credit for this should go to psychedelic rock performers such as Jimi Hendrix. Even The Beatles had explored the hard rock style with songs like Revolution.

Development

Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple were the bands that took a hard rock to greater heights. This was made possible with the release of their debut albums in 1969 and 1970. All these bands had tremendous sonic power in their riffs. The similarities between the acts of these bands were only in this particular aspect. The acts of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin were purely based on hard rock. 

They swung on rhythm and blues riffs. Singer Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath used tones that were heavier, darker, and more distorted. The band also played an important role in the first wave of heavy metal. Sounds of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin were adopted by several other sub-groups of rock. They included bands that belonged to progressive rock, glam rock, and shock rock.

Influence on the metal scene of the 1980s

The Who, Boston, and Queen and several other rock bands defined hard rock in the 1970s. This sub-genre of rock continued to nurture many offshoots. A few bands like Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, and Aerosmith stuck to their blues roots. Others like Motorhead drifted towards metal music. 

Van Halen was an innovative rock band that belonged to this era. They created a blend of R&B, pop, metal, and hard rock. This influenced the metal scene of the 1980s and the MTV-friendly ‘hair metal’. The harder-edged bands like Guns N’ Roses and Quiet Riot had also influenced the 1980s metal scene considerably.

The dominance of hard rock

In the 1990s, the amazing rise of speed and thrash metal lessened the dominance of hard rock. This happened mainly owing to the acts of Metallica, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden. Despite this, the established hard rock bands like Aerosmith continued to flourish. 

A new breed of hard rock bands came to the fore by the 2000s. They also included alternative bands such as Foo Fighters, Creed, The Black Keys, and The White Stripes.

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Kalun and Zesty got replaced with Hans Hessburg on bass and Kalen Anderson on drums. Later, Josh Wildhorn stepped down and his position was filled by Sean Rosario. The debut album of Dragged Under is The World Is In Your Way. It was in the Top 10 of US Alternative iTunes charts. On the Billboard top alternative new artists, it grabbed the 18th position. It is also on the current music charts of hard rock.

Formation

All the earlier members of Dragged Under were a part of the musical group Rest, Repose. The lineup of Rest, Repose had Ryan Bruce, Josh Wildhorn, Tony Cappochi, Jared Dines and Christopher Ghazel. Josh Wildhorn was the newest member of the band at the time. Jared and Chris left the band sometime later. Tony, Ryan, and Josh decided that they’d go ahead with the second album of Rest, Repose. 

They needed to get a new drummer and rhythm guitarist for the band. After spending some time practising and recording new music, they thought that it was not worth continuing. Instead, they formed a new band, Dragged Under. What was supposed to be the second album of Rest, Repose became the debut album of Dragged Under. It was not known how much of the former band’s second album was completed.

Releases and debut album

The band released their debut single on the 8th of June, 2019. It was titled Here For War. On Friday, the 12th of July, their second single Hypochondria was released along with the song’s music video. The band performed as Dragged Under on the 27th for the first time in Santa Cruz. They had recruited Zesty Sams and Kalun Wertz sometime back. 

Sams played the bass guitar and Wertz was on drums. On the 7th of September, they performed in their first show at a concert in Seattle. The band performed along with the bands Avoid, Into the Flood, and For The Likes Of You. Jared Dines, YouTuber and former bandmate of Rest, Repose had hosted the event. After this concert, drummer Kalun Wertz departed due to reasons unknown. 

Zesty Sams also departed in order to work for Jared Dines. On the 17th, the band announced that they were about to embark on their first-ever tour of North America. This announcement was made via social media. They also offered their support for Being as an Ocean. Two days later, an announcement was made that the tour had been cancelled. 

On the 11th of October, they released their third single called Riot along with its music video. Next was their tour of Portland, Denver, Spokane, Los Angeles, Grand Junction, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, and San Francisco. They announced on social media that Kalen Anderson would be drumming for them. The announcement also said that Hans Hessburg will be playing the bass guitar. 

They released their 4th single titled Instability on the 22nd of November. On the 17th of January, 2020, the band released their debut album The World Is In Your Way. It received a lot of appreciation from fans as well as critics.

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