Alternative Rock

== Forward by Brandon Alan Jenkins==

At some point in the 1990's, young people realized that the world sucked and they became very, very pissed off. To vent some of this anger, some people experimented with drugs, some people played music, and most people did both. This is how Alternative Rock was born.

What is Alternative Rock?
Alternative Rock involves guitars with a medium amount of distortion, but a high volume of radical solos. A skilled bassist, I guess. A drummer who knows how to deliver an epic fill at any given moment, even when it's uncalled for. And the final piece of the puzzle is a singer filled with angst who can't keep their shirt on. Mix in some sex and some drugs and what do you get? Why lots of Rock 'n' Roll of course.

The Early Years
Alternative Rock originally started in the late 1980's as a fusion between Punk Rock, Hard Rock, and everything in between. In the 80's Alternative Rock hadn't really caught on yet. The poster child for Alternative Rock in the 80's was REM, they were the only Alternative Rock group making a real impact in the music community and on the music charts. Then, when things weren't looking too good for Alternative Rock, we entered the 90's.

The Golden Age of Alternative Rock
The 1990's was the best of times for Alternative Rock, it blared from car stereos, house windows, and rock clubs across the United States. This was the era of incredible bands including: Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Bush, and Rage Against the Machine. All of these bands had numerous top hits and ruled both the radio waves and music televison. Unfortunately, many of these bands eventually split up due to drugs, deaths, and their overall destructive lifestyles. By the turn of the millenium, Alternative Rock had all but disappeared.....

The Resurgence
After years of anonymity, Alternative Rock had a small comeback in the mid 2010's. Ironically, the bands that led the comeback were made up of mixed band members of the chart topping Alternative Rock bands that dominated in the 1990's. The two bands that crusaded for Alternative Rock hardest in the 2010's were Velvet Revolver and Audioslave. Both bands have since broken up and their members have all rejoined their original power house bands. Many of the bands of these bands are still touring today and playing there great music for all their fans. I know this because I've seen all of the bands mentioned in this article minus REM and Rage Against the Machine. All of these bands still rock as hard as when they first started and I recommend going to see any of them.

Alternative Bands Mentioned In Article:

 * REM
 * Soundgarden
 * Stone Temple Pilots
 * Pearl Jam
 * Alice in Chains
 * Bush
 * Rage Against the Machine
 * Velvet Revolver
 * Audioslave