Rock and Roll is Here to Stay

Rock 'n' roll is here to stay
Date	April 07, 2010
Section(s)	Generations
Byline	By LINDSEY ADKISON The Brunswick News
The Rolling Stones said best: "It's only rock 'n' roll, but I like it." The lyric is short, simple and dead-on. Several generations have agreed on it. Rock 'n' roll is something that has transcended time and space. It started with the likes of Buddy Holly and Little Richard. After them came The Beatles and then Led Zeppelin. While many think that young adults today don't appreciate their parents' music, that's simply not the case. Like many children whose parents came of age with the Woodstock Generation, Jessica Holloway has a thing for classic rock. It has played a huge role in the life of the 28-year-old St. Simons Island resident. "I was raised by a hippie-turned-pastor father, so we had all these great influences, like The Doors, The Beatles, The Stones," she said. But that wasn't the only type of music that Holloway picked up at home. In addition to rock 'n' roll, she listened to gospel and folk music. "We also listened to John Prine, as well. And other good folk music, like Bob Dylan. There was just a huge variety," she said. The mix helped Holloway come into her own as a musician. She plays the keyboard and sings with the local group Marshland Groove. Her performance style mimics her musical upbringing. That is, it mixes a little bit of everything. "The huge variety totally influenced the way I play music. I call it 'eclectic soul.' That's the best way I can describe it. It's my parents kind of music with a bluesy, Bonnie Raitt-ish feel to it. But I try to take a song and make it mine," she said. While she brings her individual style to her work, she thinks that old-school rock will continue to influence musicians. "I don't think that classic rock will ever die. It was the first of its kind. No one had see anything like that before. All of the pop music now is just a version of a classic," she said. Jared Kuykendall agrees. The lead singer of the local band Honey Blue says all music is an evolution. "No one has come out with a completely new type of music. It all draws from previous generations. So I would have to say there isn't a gap. The music of today is just an evolution of our parents'," he said. "Mainstream and non-mainstream musicians have influences from the generations of artists prior to them." He also thinks that pinning down the "music of today" is easier said that done. "There are what I would refer to as 'MTV artists,' like Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and The Black Eyed Peas," he said. "But there are artists that have a strong following that aren't a part of the mainstream. Some that I personally listen to are Wilco, The Avett Brothers, and Blitzen Trapper. Because of the Internet, bands whose sound does not fit in with those on mainstream radio and television have another way to find an audience." Kuykendall and Honey Blue have a lot of different influences. They draw from alt-country acts like Ryan Adams, Wilco, The Old 97's and The Jayhawks. But the group also relies heavily on the standard classic rock bands like The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Neil Young. "The Beatles and Neil Young are the two artists that my parents listened to that are the biggest influence on me. I can remember listening to 'The White Album' when I was 7 or 8 years old. At the same time I was listening to more recent artists, like MC Hammer and Michael Jackson," Kuykendall said. "The bands of my parents' generation have had a more lasting influence. I still listen to those albums today. The kind of music that was popular when I was younger only held my interest for a few years."