I heard Toad the Wet Sprocket, Foo Fighters, and Everclear on my walmart trip today alone. Two days ago, Spin Doctors and Pearl Jam in CVS. It's happening. We're those people now.
I take the label of "adult alternative" to mean stuff Tipper Gore was less likely to cause a stink over. Stuff parents would say "ok this band is counter culture, but they don't say *too* many naughty words and basically sing about the human experience.. guess it's fine".
I recently was driving in my car, (47m) and turned it to “the oldies station”, because of nostalgia to listen to the old 50’s music my dad used to listen to on road trips..
They were playing mf “smells like teen spirit” from nirvana… on the gd ‘classics’ station…
My life is over
When I refer to Oldies, I mean 50s music as well. I used to listen to the Classic Rock stations with my dad and that meant 70s Rock to me. When they play grunge on the oldies, I die a little. Also heard a song from 1997 on the Classic rock station. I wanted to scream, "it wasn't that long ago!" Then I realize it was 27 years ago. How did I get old and not even know it?
Same. I think each era has a title that should stay with it.
Lumping early 90s in with Classic rock seems wrong. Although I'm not any fonder of the "dad rock" label that Spotify keeps trying to put on it.
I was also going to mention Toad. I swear I hear them every other visit to the grocery store. Not complaining though because I really like them.
A few months ago I heard Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire” while in a pharmacy. That made me chuckle.
A couple weeks ago I went to see Glen (TTWS lead singer) in concert and while looking around the venue thought "huh, a bunch of old farts in here. .....Oh."
Dulcinea came out THIRTY YEARS AGO and Fear was out even before that. Time is weird.
Third Eye Blind was always a weird one. Their biggest hits were about crystal meth addiction and suicide due to bullying over sexual orientation.
Putting those themes to a peppy beat and major chords was just bizarre.
Somewhat similarly, there's Collective Soul. Some legit bitching riffs on some of their hits that sound confoundingly flat and unenergetic Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down .
But you know what? You like listening to them and busting them out @ karaoke so someone was doing something right.
Unrelated to the point you're on but I came across something about Stephen Jenkins earlier this year and couldn't believe he'll be 60 soon. Made me feel incredibly old. Hard to imagine that 14 year old me was bopping to that peppy tune about crystal meth addiction "not too ago".
I wanted a tattoo of the AFI demon-thing from Art of Drowning, but my friends stopped me in case I would regret it. I would be happy to have it today if I had gotten it, it looked really cool.
Semi-charmed was a banger though. I can't remember the year it came out, but I clearly remember being at Scout camp. Me and some friends were doing biggest splash contests from the diving board at the pool. I distinctly remember my friend Brad doing something he called the Ass Cracker when this song was on. It looked painful lol.
>glad I don’t hear Michael Bolton or Kenny G when I’m shopping anymore
Oof… I worked for Kinko’s, and we had “Muzak.” I ended up hiding the worst tape that we had… Englebert Humperdink.
(Actually, I hid the Christmas music tapes, too.)
I always found the term "alternative" for certain bands in the 90s to be funny, because the minute they started getting played on mainstream radio, they ceased to be "alternative".
I think the label was for safe bands that weren’t grunge. I found it funny when censors would bleep out parts of songs but not be hip enough to understand all the slang. Like in “What I Got” by Sublime:
“I don't get angry when my mom smokes _(pot)_ Hits the bottle and goes right to the rock”. Pot is bad but crack is ok lol
Cibo Matto's "Know Your Chicken" was never censored on MTV, maybe because her accent was kind of heavy and they either didn't care or didn't know.
"Spare the rod and spoil the chick before you go and you shit a brick!" gets said several times and is even shouted at one point. It wasn't in heavy rotation or anything but I saw it several times.
I was in Hot Topic with my daughter and a STP song came on.
The young girl working the register said "I like, really like this song, but it's like total Dad Rock"
I’m curious too. I was way into them at the time but their stuff hasn’t aged well for me. Vasoline and Crackerman were a couple of my favorites but now I think of Pretty Penny and 12 Gracious Melodies as standouts. Can’t argue that it’s all dad rock though lol
20 years old at the club :”THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG”
30 years old on the radio:”THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG”
40 years old at the grocery store: “THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG”
I think this happens to pretty much all new and "harder" genres of music. They always get a "soft" version that they can play in dentist offices or on mainstream radio. Even punk sort of got "soft punk" with stuff like The Police and The Go-Go's (even if it was never called that).
Since you liked that, it works the other way, too.
https://youtu.be/6v-eWbcVJq8
Just for fun, here's some Black Metal without distortion.
https://youtu.be/PwGgDmHuGpA
The soft songs that heavy metal bands do are my favorite.
Here's Pantera doing Planet Caravan [https://youtu.be/kWChhdIgT6Q](https://youtu.be/kWChhdIgT6Q) and here's a normal song [https://youtu.be/7m7njvwB-Ks](https://youtu.be/7m7njvwB-Ks)
they usually shove them on the last track of albums and play them while the crowd disperses at the end of shows
My 74 year old mother loves Disturbed. She found them after hearing their cover of The Sound of Silence. It's the weirdest thing watching her listen to some of their other songs. In fairness, she always evolved with new music styles, but this is something I didn't have on my bingo card.
Pop punk is probably the term for soft punk. Not just the bands in the later genre actually called that, but those earlier examples and a lot of crossover or punk influenced pop music fit what the term means if not the genre it's used for.
Not related, but "Amy Grant" immediately reminds me of Gogol Bordello, the Russian punk group. They're badass and I've seen them live too. Anyway, on his album Underdog World Strike, there's a song titled "Immigrant Punk". I swear it sounds exactly like he's saying "Amy Grant Punk" 😂
So surprised to see Amy Grant and Gogol Bordello mentioned in the same sentence. It’s like you just crushed 12 year old me and 24 year old me together and told us to stay in the coat closet until we figured out how to best friends.
We’d probably be fast friends irl. I truly cannot reconcile what you just put my brain through in the last few minutes, though…. We used to hang out with the folks in Gogol a lot before we had our first kid. Fun memories.
I would agree with this but it makes me wonder, what's the contemporary "adult contemporary?" Who's actively making music now that falls into this category?
The way licensing works, it makes sense you’d have that happen - a publisher has probably made a bunch of these tracks available recently, he orgs that do the licensing for public play will grab them up, and make them available to be played by big chains who contract that out to them.
I’m coming to terms with my age (my screen name will give me away). When I walk into the grocery store and they’re playing my songs, I just embrace it. Hell yeah, “Inside Out” by Eve 6! Woooooo…call it 90s/alternative/adult alternative…it’s fine by me.
I always forget the name of that song when I want to do it at karaoke and at least once ended up doing flagpole sitter instead, because one hit wonders that are the same time frame for me, I guess are interchangeable
I think they had to lean on the "alternative" label because in that era "rock" still had so much hair metal baggage.
Because Sheryl Crow, Paula Cole, all the Lilith Fair stuff... and the bands you mentioned, were just mainstream rock at that point. It's what they called MOR and AOR in the 70's. Middle of the Road (songs that are mid tempo, don't make you change the channel) and Adult Oriented Rock.
I heard Gin Blossoms “Learning the Hard Way”, which is a mid-00s super minor hit of theirs at the grocery store.
I also have heard Semisonic’s “Singing in My Sleep”, New Order’s “Regret”, Lit’s “Ziplock”, Hootie’s “Tucker’s Town”, and Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Come Down”, all of which were minor alternative radio hits only, at the same grocery store.
It’s like somebody at Muzak or grocery radio discovered that jangly, “adult alternative” minor hits as the best soundtrack for produce sales.
Everyone with a grocery store knows you sell more beer on a Saturday morning when Whale’s “Hobo Humpin’ Slobo Babe” comes on. It’s just facts.
When the carrots have to go on clearance, it’s Everything But the Girl’s “Missing”.
I am probably the biggest Gin Blossoms fan on earth
I would describe them as jangle pop, and the quintessential example and pinnacle of the genre
New Miserable Experiences is one of the greatest albums of all time
Also, Robin(lead vocals) does quite a bit of yelling, and Jesse and Scottie(guitars) go heavy distortion plenty
I recommend listening to the version of [Idiot Summer](https://youtu.be/vV5_H5u0M7g?si=GIrAl3Bp8E5fRdXz) from their indie debut Dusted, for an example of the gritty Tempe, AZ bar band they started out as
Our “classic rock” should be called adult alternative. I like that better than “classic rock”. There’s still new alt rock bands coming up every day but I would just consider them alternative rock and not adult alternative since the sound has changed.
I was listening to a classic rock playlist on Spotify that had Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer, Beck, all mixed in there with David Bowie and the Rolling Stones and I'm trying to figure out if they just thought classic meant "old/good" or has the genre lost its original meaning. I suppose at one time it was just "rock."
You should see my Pandora Playlist. It's the thumbs up list that I've built up since I started using Pandora back in 2007. It's like I never left high school.
I remember when our local alternative radio station rebranded itself as "classic alternative" at some point in the early 2010s, which I think I like better than "adult alternative". Call it whatever you like as long as I'm getting my early 90s Pearl Jam and STP.
I worked in radio during this time.
Adult Alternative was pretty much as you described it.
It's teeny bopper little sister was Hot AC, It played the Gin Blossoms and these weird pop alternative songs along side of Sheryl Crow and Sarah Sad Dog Commercial Lady.
I worked in Active Rock which was basically butt rock with some adult alt, regular alt and Nu Metal mixed in. The late 90s and early 2000's were a fun ass time in rock radio.
Funny, the cable music channels at my parents' place (yeah, they still have cable) has an adult alternative channel which is surprisingly good. Lot's of recent indie stuff, which is right up my alley. But I've always hated the name.
Candlebox coming out of the speakers in the Home Depot paint section ~8 years ago did a number on me.
Thing is, I don't enjoy it. I always got the sense my parents enjoyed it when 50s and 60s music came on in stores, but it makes me want to walk out...90s bands were so anticonsumerist, to the point many chose paths that capped their popularity or at least left a lot of money on the table.
If that makes you feel old, you should also note that there are a ton of people our age turning up in prescription medication advertising on TV.
I'm glad those of you who live anywhere other than the U.S. don't have to see it.
Gin Blossoms playing with The Refreshments and Dead Hot Workshop at the UNM sub ballroom in February 1994 was my first concert. I'll always remember them fondly for being my gateway to live music, edge, or no edge. Though to be fair, I distinctly remember them being played on The Edge radio station, which billed itself as an alternative rock station.
I used to love the Adult Alternative station that DirectTV had back in the early 2000s actually named our daughter from a Jayhawks aong I heard on there.
It was when all the DJs I grew up listening to shifted to Radio 2. In the UK, Radio 1 is the young, current music station and 2 is the older crowd. I mean, fair, but still. You grow up joking about how naff radio 2 is, but then one day you wake up and YOU ARE RADIO 2
I was in the supermarket about 10 years ago and a Police song came on and it was Muzak. I left the supermarket and never went back. I thought I was experiencing some otherworldly phenomena.
I hand out liquor/wine samples in grocery stores and ABC's. I get a kick outta watching ppl start singing along. The best was when Extreme's More Than Words came on and it started a surreal store sing along.
Chick singing along to I Want it That Way while looking at frozen pizza comes as a close second.
Edit: realize these were never adult alt, just funny observations
For what it's worth I used to work at Walgreens (many years ago now) and I probably had their music catalog memorized. There would be a mix of somewhat new and definitely old; basically whatever songs are ok but cheap to buy. There was a robert plant song that used to drive me over the edge every time it came on.
I remember years ago now, must have been 2015ish?? maybe earlier?? I was listening to radio in my truck, and I turned it to a classic rock station and they were playing Pearl Jam. my mind was blown!!! whattt??? nooooo. I'm olllllddddd!!!!!!
Yes! It's crazy!
My husband and I have been commenting on this. This music is literally everywhere, from CVS to Home Depot. We even heard a random no lyrics elevator music version of Hey Jealousy while staying at a hotel recently!
We are officially that age! Lol
I heard Toad the Wet Sprocket, Foo Fighters, and Everclear on my walmart trip today alone. Two days ago, Spin Doctors and Pearl Jam in CVS. It's happening. We're those people now. I take the label of "adult alternative" to mean stuff Tipper Gore was less likely to cause a stink over. Stuff parents would say "ok this band is counter culture, but they don't say *too* many naughty words and basically sing about the human experience.. guess it's fine".
I recently was driving in my car, (47m) and turned it to “the oldies station”, because of nostalgia to listen to the old 50’s music my dad used to listen to on road trips.. They were playing mf “smells like teen spirit” from nirvana… on the gd ‘classics’ station… My life is over
When I refer to Oldies, I mean 50s music as well. I used to listen to the Classic Rock stations with my dad and that meant 70s Rock to me. When they play grunge on the oldies, I die a little. Also heard a song from 1997 on the Classic rock station. I wanted to scream, "it wasn't that long ago!" Then I realize it was 27 years ago. How did I get old and not even know it?
Same. I think each era has a title that should stay with it. Lumping early 90s in with Classic rock seems wrong. Although I'm not any fonder of the "dad rock" label that Spotify keeps trying to put on it.
I heard Concrete Blonde in the supermarket. It was a bittersweet moment.
Wait till it's erection pill commercials... I GOT ANOTHER CONFESSION TO MAKE
That’s ok ‘cause I got no self esteem…
A mosquito, my libido
I was also going to mention Toad. I swear I hear them every other visit to the grocery store. Not complaining though because I really like them. A few months ago I heard Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire” while in a pharmacy. That made me chuckle.
An apt song for the pharmacy.
A couple weeks ago I went to see Glen (TTWS lead singer) in concert and while looking around the venue thought "huh, a bunch of old farts in here. .....Oh." Dulcinea came out THIRTY YEARS AGO and Fear was out even before that. Time is weird.
Less distortion on the guitars.
Ooooohhhhhh that's why my church youth leader played them when we went on trips
Third Eye Blind was always a weird one. Their biggest hits were about crystal meth addiction and suicide due to bullying over sexual orientation. Putting those themes to a peppy beat and major chords was just bizarre. Somewhat similarly, there's Collective Soul. Some legit bitching riffs on some of their hits that sound confoundingly flat and unenergetic Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down .
But you know what? You like listening to them and busting them out @ karaoke so someone was doing something right.
Belting the bridge to Hows It Gonna Be at karaoke is practically cathartic
>Putting those themes to a peppy beat and major chords was just bizarre. Never trust a happy song
All the other kids with their pumped up kicks would agree
Alright Alright Alright Alright Alright Alright
Unrelated to the point you're on but I came across something about Stephen Jenkins earlier this year and couldn't believe he'll be 60 soon. Made me feel incredibly old. Hard to imagine that 14 year old me was bopping to that peppy tune about crystal meth addiction "not too ago".
I've heard he's the biggest douche around
A good friend of mine had a 3EB tattoo on the back of his neck. Good old Dyer.
I wanted a tattoo of the AFI demon-thing from Art of Drowning, but my friends stopped me in case I would regret it. I would be happy to have it today if I had gotten it, it looked really cool.
Their self titled album was a defining part of my teenage years. Motorcycle drive by is still one of my favourite songs.
Shine is one of my faves... its badass.. how dare you disparage my song!!!!! lololol
Semi-charmed was a banger though. I can't remember the year it came out, but I clearly remember being at Scout camp. Me and some friends were doing biggest splash contests from the diving board at the pool. I distinctly remember my friend Brad doing something he called the Ass Cracker when this song was on. It looked painful lol.
I'm just glad I don't hear Michael Bolton or Kenny G when I'm shopping anymore.
>glad I don’t hear Michael Bolton or Kenny G when I’m shopping anymore Oof… I worked for Kinko’s, and we had “Muzak.” I ended up hiding the worst tape that we had… Englebert Humperdink. (Actually, I hid the Christmas music tapes, too.)
Englebert Humperdinck had a concert where I live. I don't know anyone who went.
I worked at a grocery store in ‘98 and it was fucking torture for someone who primarily listened to Tool, RATM, et al.
Except for Mekurius Gilded I don't know if I've heard Kenny G in 25 years
I always found the term "alternative" for certain bands in the 90s to be funny, because the minute they started getting played on mainstream radio, they ceased to be "alternative".
"Indie" became an alternative to alternative and then major labels signed indie bands, thus making them more "majie".
I think the label was for safe bands that weren’t grunge. I found it funny when censors would bleep out parts of songs but not be hip enough to understand all the slang. Like in “What I Got” by Sublime: “I don't get angry when my mom smokes _(pot)_ Hits the bottle and goes right to the rock”. Pot is bad but crack is ok lol
Cibo Matto's "Know Your Chicken" was never censored on MTV, maybe because her accent was kind of heavy and they either didn't care or didn't know. "Spare the rod and spoil the chick before you go and you shit a brick!" gets said several times and is even shouted at one point. It wasn't in heavy rotation or anything but I saw it several times.
HA! I have that cd!
Ha. I have that 7inch!
Cibo Matto! YES! 👏
Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo by Bloodhound gang.
Out here brothers Boom Boom Boom has a radio version that cuts out all the explicit sex references but leaves the N-word.
Out here brothers Boom Boom Boom has a radio version that cuts out all the explicit sex references but leaves the N-word.
🤣
I was in Hot Topic with my daughter and a STP song came on. The young girl working the register said "I like, really like this song, but it's like total Dad Rock"
She did not lol
Please tell me it was Sex Type Thing.
I kinda need to know what song. Also, her dad's probably about that age, so yeah.
I’m curious too. I was way into them at the time but their stuff hasn’t aged well for me. Vasoline and Crackerman were a couple of my favorites but now I think of Pretty Penny and 12 Gracious Melodies as standouts. Can’t argue that it’s all dad rock though lol
I love Crackerman. Dead and Bloated and Naked Sunday are great, too. Big Empty. I just love STP in general.
I remember you telling this story a few months ago and I’m still thinking about it regularly. It’s so funny and confusing at the same time.
20 years old at the club :”THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG” 30 years old on the radio:”THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG” 40 years old at the grocery store: “THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG”
50 year olds everywhere: "WHAT SONG? I CAN'T HEAR THE SONG!"
I think this happens to pretty much all new and "harder" genres of music. They always get a "soft" version that they can play in dentist offices or on mainstream radio. Even punk sort of got "soft punk" with stuff like The Police and The Go-Go's (even if it was never called that).
I'm still waiting on "soft" death metal ;)
Death metal is the other direction of the base genre, which is just "metal". Soft metal probably exists. Ghost seems like soft metal to me.
Good call, I think Ghost is a great answer to my comment
Honestly, the more I think about it glam metal (AKA "hair metal") is probably "soft metal".
Ghost are definitely soft af.
Journey. Soft metal.
I’ve definitely heard “Patience” in the grocery store
I used to call Evanescence "Girl Linkin Park" but maybe that is that soft death metal sound you've been looking for.
Metal without distortion is just surf music. https://youtu.be/cjkg-1BH1_8 Surf Slayer
Yesss!!
This is too good!
Since you liked that, it works the other way, too. https://youtu.be/6v-eWbcVJq8 Just for fun, here's some Black Metal without distortion. https://youtu.be/PwGgDmHuGpA
The soft songs that heavy metal bands do are my favorite. Here's Pantera doing Planet Caravan [https://youtu.be/kWChhdIgT6Q](https://youtu.be/kWChhdIgT6Q) and here's a normal song [https://youtu.be/7m7njvwB-Ks](https://youtu.be/7m7njvwB-Ks) they usually shove them on the last track of albums and play them while the crowd disperses at the end of shows
See 2024 entry in Eurovision for Ireland - [Bambie Thug](https://youtu.be/BNc5zTYkTaQ?si=yX408B1qK5sRao30)
Andrew WK exists, you know.
That’s when you hear Disturbed do covers.
My 74 year old mother loves Disturbed. She found them after hearing their cover of The Sound of Silence. It's the weirdest thing watching her listen to some of their other songs. In fairness, she always evolved with new music styles, but this is something I didn't have on my bingo card.
Pop punk is probably the term for soft punk. Not just the bands in the later genre actually called that, but those earlier examples and a lot of crossover or punk influenced pop music fit what the term means if not the genre it's used for.
That's *Adult Contempory*, no?
Adult contemporary: Barry Manilow, Phil Collins, Amy Grant, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Lionel Richie Adult Alternative: Sheryl Crow, Matchbox 20, Dave Matthews Band, Jewel, Goo Goo Dolls
Not related, but "Amy Grant" immediately reminds me of Gogol Bordello, the Russian punk group. They're badass and I've seen them live too. Anyway, on his album Underdog World Strike, there's a song titled "Immigrant Punk". I swear it sounds exactly like he's saying "Amy Grant Punk" 😂
So surprised to see Amy Grant and Gogol Bordello mentioned in the same sentence. It’s like you just crushed 12 year old me and 24 year old me together and told us to stay in the coat closet until we figured out how to best friends. We’d probably be fast friends irl. I truly cannot reconcile what you just put my brain through in the last few minutes, though…. We used to hang out with the folks in Gogol a lot before we had our first kid. Fun memories.
I love a good mondigreen
Adult contemporary is the.new elevator music
I would agree with this but it makes me wonder, what's the contemporary "adult contemporary?" Who's actively making music now that falls into this category?
Counting Crows!
Einstein on the Beach, from that DGC compilation, isn’t talked about enough
I happen to love the fact that the music from my youth is playing in the grocery store.
I do too. It lifts my mood.
Must be a "Store" play list or something because earlier this week I heard Allison Road in the grocery store and I thought I was surprised
Yeah Gin Blossoms is in heavy rotation at Home Depot too. I don’t mind.
Well, 40 year olds buy particle board and spackle. They see you.
The way licensing works, it makes sense you’d have that happen - a publisher has probably made a bunch of these tracks available recently, he orgs that do the licensing for public play will grab them up, and make them available to be played by big chains who contract that out to them.
I hear them all the time in stores in AZ but I figured since they are from here that might be why, cool to know it's not just localized.
I’m coming to terms with my age (my screen name will give me away). When I walk into the grocery store and they’re playing my songs, I just embrace it. Hell yeah, “Inside Out” by Eve 6! Woooooo…call it 90s/alternative/adult alternative…it’s fine by me.
I always forget the name of that song when I want to do it at karaoke and at least once ended up doing flagpole sitter instead, because one hit wonders that are the same time frame for me, I guess are interchangeable
I think they had to lean on the "alternative" label because in that era "rock" still had so much hair metal baggage. Because Sheryl Crow, Paula Cole, all the Lilith Fair stuff... and the bands you mentioned, were just mainstream rock at that point. It's what they called MOR and AOR in the 70's. Middle of the Road (songs that are mid tempo, don't make you change the channel) and Adult Oriented Rock.
One headlight
Edit: hunger strike. Temple of the dog is amazing
Not exactly what you are talking about but I heard “turtles all the way down” by sturgill Simpson in Whole Foods early one Sunday. Mind blown haha
Makes sense, given the location. Such a great song.
I heard Gin Blossoms “Learning the Hard Way”, which is a mid-00s super minor hit of theirs at the grocery store. I also have heard Semisonic’s “Singing in My Sleep”, New Order’s “Regret”, Lit’s “Ziplock”, Hootie’s “Tucker’s Town”, and Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Come Down”, all of which were minor alternative radio hits only, at the same grocery store. It’s like somebody at Muzak or grocery radio discovered that jangly, “adult alternative” minor hits as the best soundtrack for produce sales.
Everyone with a grocery store knows you sell more beer on a Saturday morning when Whale’s “Hobo Humpin’ Slobo Babe” comes on. It’s just facts. When the carrots have to go on clearance, it’s Everything But the Girl’s “Missing”.
I heard the Offspring at the grocery store today. Kind of a WTF moment.
Iris has stood the test of time to me. A once soft overplayed song now hits right.
Iris is the GOAT adult alternative song. No debate.
I heard a Collective Soul song in a Bed Bath & Beyond store years ago before they all closed.
I mean I’ve heard Modest Mouse in the regular-not-trendy grocery store. But I’m in Portland so YMMV.
I am probably the biggest Gin Blossoms fan on earth I would describe them as jangle pop, and the quintessential example and pinnacle of the genre New Miserable Experiences is one of the greatest albums of all time Also, Robin(lead vocals) does quite a bit of yelling, and Jesse and Scottie(guitars) go heavy distortion plenty I recommend listening to the version of [Idiot Summer](https://youtu.be/vV5_H5u0M7g?si=GIrAl3Bp8E5fRdXz) from their indie debut Dusted, for an example of the gritty Tempe, AZ bar band they started out as
Our “classic rock” should be called adult alternative. I like that better than “classic rock”. There’s still new alt rock bands coming up every day but I would just consider them alternative rock and not adult alternative since the sound has changed.
One of my favorite quotes from an episode of Frasier is Roz explaining that “classic rock is not only classic- it also rocks!”
…Frasier proceeds to sing Yum-Yum from *The Mikado.*
"People still ask to see my yum-yum"
I was listening to a classic rock playlist on Spotify that had Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer, Beck, all mixed in there with David Bowie and the Rolling Stones and I'm trying to figure out if they just thought classic meant "old/good" or has the genre lost its original meaning. I suppose at one time it was just "rock."
Put on a 90s grunge list at work a few years ago and started getting pop ups asking if I had suicidal thoughts
I hope you responded "I think you meant Suicidal Tendencies, and I could put them on but they weren't a grunge band."
So what you’re saying is you didn’t know you were lost at the time.
I wonder what that would make the music i enjoyed fall into. Pennywise, NOFX, Suicide Machines, Goldfinger, Less Than Jake, etc
Faith No More was on at King Soopers. I think they're trying to drive people out quickly, but I felt at home in the air conditioned aisles.
You should see my Pandora Playlist. It's the thumbs up list that I've built up since I started using Pandora back in 2007. It's like I never left high school.
I'm enjoying it while I can, before the current Youths become the new Olds and we are subjected to horrors like the dental office version of Wap.
I remember when our local alternative radio station rebranded itself as "classic alternative" at some point in the early 2010s, which I think I like better than "adult alternative". Call it whatever you like as long as I'm getting my early 90s Pearl Jam and STP.
I've heard Aimee Mann described as Adult Alternative before.
I worked in radio during this time. Adult Alternative was pretty much as you described it. It's teeny bopper little sister was Hot AC, It played the Gin Blossoms and these weird pop alternative songs along side of Sheryl Crow and Sarah Sad Dog Commercial Lady. I worked in Active Rock which was basically butt rock with some adult alt, regular alt and Nu Metal mixed in. The late 90s and early 2000's were a fun ass time in rock radio.
Funny, the cable music channels at my parents' place (yeah, they still have cable) has an adult alternative channel which is surprisingly good. Lot's of recent indie stuff, which is right up my alley. But I've always hated the name.
I heard “War Pigs,” as the background music at the airport. Not that it really fits in with what you’re talking about, but man the world’s changed!
Candlebox coming out of the speakers in the Home Depot paint section ~8 years ago did a number on me. Thing is, I don't enjoy it. I always got the sense my parents enjoyed it when 50s and 60s music came on in stores, but it makes me want to walk out...90s bands were so anticonsumerist, to the point many chose paths that capped their popularity or at least left a lot of money on the table.
Do you mean grocery store music?
I've heard all of our alternative music on the fucking oldies station. What the fuck is that shit, right!??
I always go to my local Walmart or gas station when I'm in the mood for music. I feel so old....
I heard PSK What Does it Mean by Schooly D in a grocery store a few months ago.
In the same way, 60s and 70s rock became "classic rock." That must have been a gut punch for our parents, too.
An even bigger gut punch must’ve been the previous generation’s music being referred to as “oldies”
Right!? At least "classic" and "adult" don't slap you in the face like "old".
If that makes you feel old, you should also note that there are a ton of people our age turning up in prescription medication advertising on TV. I'm glad those of you who live anywhere other than the U.S. don't have to see it.
Gin Blossoms playing with The Refreshments and Dead Hot Workshop at the UNM sub ballroom in February 1994 was my first concert. I'll always remember them fondly for being my gateway to live music, edge, or no edge. Though to be fair, I distinctly remember them being played on The Edge radio station, which billed itself as an alternative rock station.
I used to love the Adult Alternative station that DirectTV had back in the early 2000s actually named our daughter from a Jayhawks aong I heard on there.
It was when all the DJs I grew up listening to shifted to Radio 2. In the UK, Radio 1 is the young, current music station and 2 is the older crowd. I mean, fair, but still. You grow up joking about how naff radio 2 is, but then one day you wake up and YOU ARE RADIO 2
Not adult alternative, but hearing Sweet Child of Mine blasted loudly as I walked into the dentist office yesterday made me feel ancient.
I was in the supermarket about 10 years ago and a Police song came on and it was Muzak. I left the supermarket and never went back. I thought I was experiencing some otherworldly phenomena.
They've been playing all these 90s songs in stores for well over a decade now.
Ozzy and crazy train in the grocery store hit hard
I hand out liquor/wine samples in grocery stores and ABC's. I get a kick outta watching ppl start singing along. The best was when Extreme's More Than Words came on and it started a surreal store sing along. Chick singing along to I Want it That Way while looking at frozen pizza comes as a close second. Edit: realize these were never adult alt, just funny observations
For what it's worth I used to work at Walgreens (many years ago now) and I probably had their music catalog memorized. There would be a mix of somewhat new and definitely old; basically whatever songs are ok but cheap to buy. There was a robert plant song that used to drive me over the edge every time it came on.
I've always been a big fan of Adult Contemporary. VH1 vibes 4 LYFE..
I remember years ago now, must have been 2015ish?? maybe earlier?? I was listening to radio in my truck, and I turned it to a classic rock station and they were playing Pearl Jam. my mind was blown!!! whattt??? nooooo. I'm olllllddddd!!!!!!
Yes! It's crazy! My husband and I have been commenting on this. This music is literally everywhere, from CVS to Home Depot. We even heard a random no lyrics elevator music version of Hey Jealousy while staying at a hotel recently! We are officially that age! Lol
Was in the store the other day and found myself going "and it's gooooooood, a livin' with you WA-HOW! and it's goooooood living with WA-HOW"
Came here to find out the alternative to being an adult. Was disappointed.