The State of Instrumental Rock Music Today

Los Straitjackets

The State of Instrumental Rock Music Today

November 2015

Instrumental music is a more important part of rock, country and R&B than usually acknowledged, but since Electronica emerged, much of the best instrumental music has not been labeled rock, appropriately much of the time.*1

Even during the new wave days, when instrumental muisc was derided and displays of virtuosity were taboo, there was some good long instrumental passages in many Television songs and the vocals on many B-52s songs were just frosting on a good instrumental (i.e. Rock Lobster). The Pretenders dared to put two cool instrumentals on their debut album. Guitarist Robert Fripp brought King Crimson back to life in the early eighties to play sophisticated, but hard edged instrumnental music with minimalist, African and funk influences using the newest instrument at the time: Simmons electronic drums, Roland synthesizer guitars and the Chapman stick. Sonic Youth and Butthole Surfers often emphasized the playing over the vocals or song with thick evolving textures prominent rather than easily discernible leads or melody.

Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes, eight string guitarists with Animals as Leaders

Tortoise and Animals as Leaders are instrumental bands safely in the rock genre and do pretty well. There are a few other 'post-rock' instrumental groups like Tortoise around and there are a few instrumental metal bands in addition to the shredders like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.

The genre defying Nordic bands Jaga Jazzist and Sigur Ros*2 usually are filed in the rock section.

There are the bands in Allman Bros/Grateful Dead jam band tradition and the Brit Prog-rock tradition that play a lot more than they sing and there are second and third generation jam bands that do so also or are entirely instrumental ie. Humphrey's McGee. Many of the best rock players have crossed into fusion at times-ie. Guthrie Govan with the Aristocrats, Derek Trucks and Jimmy Herring.

Govan Guthrie and Bryan Beller with the Aristocrats.

The newer players in the jazz rock fusion*3 area have strong rock influences and can rock out as well or better than anyone and have worked with rock players extensively. Especially Oz Noy, but also Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Wayne Krantz.....

Guitarist John Scofield with Govt. Mule.

For over thirty years there have been healthy scenes around NY producer/ bassist Bill Laswell (Material, Method of Defiance) and British producer Adrian Sherwood (African Headcharge, Tackhead) that do a lot of music, roughy half of it instrumental, with a strong, but not always dominant, rock element (often from Buckethead or Nicky Skopelitas) that freely mixes with hip hop, electronic, reggae/dub, experimental/avant/noise, funk, jazz, African and Indian influences.

There are also solid scenes for neo surf and retro instrumental bands such as the The Mermen, Los Straitjackets and Man or Astroman?

*1 However many electronica bands esp Big Beat ones like Crystal Method, Chemical Bros and Fat Boy Slim truly rocked and crossed over to rock radio a good bit, they just didn't use guitars.

*2 Neither group is strictly instrumental, but voice is most often used as an instrument in these groups, with the words deemphasized on the few occasions they are used.

*3 Not to be confused with fuzak or "quiet storm music."

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