by Russ Austin

Created on: March 27, 2009

Below the stars is a piece about liking and respecting all kinds of music. It's from my 1996/1997 writing sessions. At the time, I was going to have this as a section in my never-completed book on Heavy Metal. However, metal is really only a part of this piece.

While I did do some editing, I wanted this piece to look how it was written in the 90s. And while some of this may not have a lot of relevance in 2009, it was VERY relevant when it was written. If you followed music and culture the way I did, you'll see a lot of that 90s attitude in what you're about to read.

I'll have more on the other side.

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GOOD MUSIC IS GOOD MUSIC
"In 1968 Psychedelia ruled, flowers and guitars, protest and imagination, dominated the airwaves and the headlines. While students around the world tried to change politics, musicians expanded the way people listened. Along with the gentler strains of The Beatles, Donovan and The Byrds, another type of music was making itself heard. Bands, mainly from England, sang about young men's Blues, Strange Brews and being experienced, over the sounds of bass, guitar and drums. Groups like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who and Cream all shared a mixture of speed, aggression and feedback."(295)

The popularity of harder music, including harder Alternative, Heavy Metal and, more recently, Punk, has increased and is still increasing. Bands like MEGADETH, METALLICA, NIRVANA, KISS, GREEN DAY, THE OFFSPRING, SLAYER, AC/DC, SKID ROW, BLACK SABBATH, PANTERA, FACE TO FACE, SOUNDGARDEN, BIOHAZARD, SEPULTURA, RUSH, THE EXPLOITED, QUEENSRYCHE, NOFX, DEEP PURPLE, GWAR, ALICE IN CHAINS, LED ZEPPELIN, SEX PISTOLS, OVERKILL, WHITE ZOMBIE, PEARL JAM, MOTORHEAD, ALL, ANTHRAX, and countless others, have huge fan bases and/or have had a great influence on their culture and the society at large. I know that`s a lot of artists to mention, but hopefully you get the point.

If it`s good music, and especially if it`s aggressive too, it shouldn`t matter what category the industry or the media puts it into. Evan Seinfeld, the bassist/vocalist of BIOHAZARD, said, "I love Punk Rock music, Hip-Hop, Hardcore. I like all kinds of New and Old music. I like Funk. I've been listening to a lot of Straightedge demos like Snapcase and Strife. And, of course, the almighty James Brown. Lately, I've also been listening to The Method Man, The Old Dirty Bastard, the first Rancid album, the first Offspring album, Sisters Of Mercy and NOFX. Other times you'll find me listening to [Dr.] Dre or Snoop

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