Heartland Rock

[westen44]

Although I was familiar with the artists themselves, I'm just now discovering that there is a genre called heartland rock which, frankly, I was unaware of.  The main artists in it seem to be Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty.  As I've noted in another thread, I'm not really very fond of Bruce Springsteen anyway, but I honestly didn't know, either, that he is supposedly the most successful artist in this genre.  Certainly, I've listened to Bob Seger and Tom Petty and enjoyed their music, although never really considering myself a fan.  But when it comes to the other two, I've found myself usually passing over their music.  My research is very fragmentary, but it seems one artist which might be a pioneer of this genre was Mitch Ryder.  I suppose his success was limited, but I did like very much his mid-60s hit with the Detroit Wheels, "Devil With A Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly."  A current band associated with the heartland genre is the Killers.  In general, I haven't liked most of their songs, but I do like "Somebody Told Me."  Maybe it's because my experience in America has been so far away from the heartland, the rust belt areas, and other areas associated with heartland rock, but I really do kind of feel I've been left in the dark on all this.  Probably, though, because of my own negligence.  According to the article, heartland rock reached its peak in the mid-80s or so.  My attention was mostly on other music at that time.  I suppose there is only so much music a person can keep up with. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartland_rock


As far as I'm concerned, this song kicks ass--

[SKATE RAT]

that is not a genre, it's a region. but i guess the Nuge fits in with those dudes

[westen44]

that is not a genre, it's a region. but i guess the Nuge fits in with those dudes

I'm also seeing Neil Young in some places as being part of heartland rock.  He is from Canada.  The more I look at this the more I disagree with the use of this term.  It seems too broad and loose to have very much of a precise meaning to me.  I probably wouldn't consider it a real genre, either. 

[dadagoboi]

PR B.S.

[gweimer]

PR B.S.

[Pilgrim]

Mitch Ryder was often called an example of "blue-eyed soul", indicating that he was essentially singing the same way that black soul and R&B artists of the period sang.  I don't disagree with that. He was also a prime example of something called "Detroit soul" which is a pretty loose term too.

I loved his stuff - and I know that he was still touring as of a couple of years ago. http://www.mitchryder.net/   His website doesn't list any events, so he may have retired - he's 68 years old.

I can buy Springsteen, Young and Mellencamp as all belonging to a kind of blue collar/heartland ethos, regardless of whether they're Canadian or not.  But I can't say that I find the term very helpful.  Not everything needs to be categorized, and music has gone way too far down that road already.

[westen44]

PR B.S.

PR BS from who?

[Pilgrim]

This purports to be a list of music genres - do we REALLY need need to add heartland rock??  http://www.musicgenreslist.com/

LIST OF TYPE OF MUSIC | MUSIC GENRES

Alternative
Alternative Rock
College Rock
Experimental Rock
Goth Rock
Grunge
Hardcore Punk
Hard Rock
Indie Rock
New Wave
Progressive Rock
Punk
Shoegaze (with thx to Jackie Herrera)
Steampunk (with thx to Christopher Schaeffer)
Anime
Blues
Acoustic Blues
Chicago Blues
Classic Blues
Contemporary Blues
Country Blues
Delta Blues
Electric Blues
Children's Music
Lullabies
Sing-Along
Stories
Classical
Avant-Garde
Baroque
Chamber Music
Chant
Choral
Classical Crossover
Early Music
High Classical
Impressionist
Medieval
Minimalism
Modern Composition
Opera
Orchestral
Renaissance
Romantic
Wedding Music
Comedy
Novelty
Standup Comedy
Country
Alternative Country
Americana
Bluegrass
Contemporary Bluegrass
Contemporary Country
Country Gospel
Honky Tonk
Outlaw Country
Traditional Bluegrass
Traditional Country
Urban Cowboy
Dance (EMD – Electronic Dance Music – see Electronic below – with thx to Eric Shaffer-Whiting)
Breakbeat
Dubstep
Exercise
Garage
Hardcore
Hard Dance
Hi-NRG / Eurodance
House
Jackin House (with thx to Jermaine Benjamin Dale Bruce)
Jungle/Drum'n'bass
Techno
Trance
Disney
Easy Listening
Bop
Lounge
Swing
Electronic
Ambient
Crunk (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Downtempo
Electro
Electronica
Electronic Rock
IDM/Experimental
Industrial
Enka
French Pop
German Folk
German Pop
Fitness & Workout
Hip-Hop/Rap
Alternative Rap
Bounce
Dirty South
East Coast Rap
Gangsta Rap
Hardcore Rap
Hip-Hop
Latin Rap
Old School Rap
Rap
Underground Rap
West Coast Rap
Holiday
Chanukah
Christmas
Christmas: Children's
Christmas: Classic
Christmas: Classical
Christmas: Jazz
Christmas: Modern
Christmas: Pop
Christmas: R&B
Christmas: Religious
Christmas: Rock
Easter
Halloween
Holiday: Other
Thanksgiving
Indie Pop
Industrial
Inspirational – Christian & Gospel
CCM
Christian Metal
Christian Pop
Christian Rap
Christian Rock
Classic Christian
Contemporary Gospel
Gospel
Christian & Gospel
Praise & Worship
Qawwali (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Southern Gospel
Traditional Gospel
Instrumental
March (Marching Band)
J-Pop
J-Rock
J-Synth
J-Ska
J-Punk
Jazz
Acid Jazz (with thx to Hunter Nelson)
Avant-Garde Jazz
Big Band
Blue Note (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Contemporary Jazz
Cool
Crossover Jazz
Dixieland
Ethio-jazz (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Fusion
Hard Bop
Latin Jazz
Mainstream Jazz
Ragtime
Smooth Jazz
Trad Jazz
K-Pop
Karaoke
Kayokyoku
Latino
Alternativo & Rock Latino
Baladas y Boleros
Brazilian
Contemporary Latin
Latin Jazz
Pop Latino
Raíces
Reggaeton y Hip-Hop
Regional Mexicano
Salsa y Tropical
New Age
Environmental
Healing
Meditation
Nature
Relaxation
Travel
Opera
Pop
Adult Contemporary
Britpop
Pop/Rock
Soft Rock
Teen Pop
R&B/Soul
Contemporary R&B
Disco
Doo Wop
Funk
Motown
Neo-Soul
Quiet Storm
Soul
Reggae
Dancehall
Dub
Roots Reggae
Ska
Rock
Adult Alternative
American Trad Rock
Arena Rock
Blues-Rock
British Invasion
Death Metal/Black Metal
Glam Rock
Hair Metal
Hard Rock
Metal
Jam Bands
Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Psychedelic
Rock & Roll
Rockabilly
Roots Rock
Singer/Songwriter
Southern Rock
Surf
Tex-Mex
Singer/Songwriter
Alternative Folk
Contemporary Folk
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Folk-Rock
New Acoustic
Traditional Folk
Soundtrack
Foreign Cinema
Musicals
Original Score
Soundtrack
TV Soundtrack
Spoken Word
Tex-Mex / Tejano (with thx to Israel Lopez)
Chicano
Classic
Conjunto
Conjunto Progressive
New Mex
Tex-Mex
Vocal
Barbershop (with thx to Kelly Chism)
Doo-wop (with thx to Bradley Thompson)
Standards
Traditional Pop
Vocal Jazz
Vocal Pop
World
Africa
Afro-Beat
Afro-Pop
Asia
Australia
Bossa Nova (with thx to Marcos José Sant'Anna Magalhães)
Cajun
Caribbean
Celtic
Celtic Folk
Contemporary Celtic
Drinking Songs
Drone )with thx to Robert Conrod)
Europe
France
Hawaii
Indian Pop
Japan
Japanese Pop
Klezmer
Middle East
North America
Polka
South Africa
South America
Traditional Celtic
Worldbeat
Zydeco

[dadagoboi]

PR BS from who?

Whoever made it up.

[westen44]

Whoever made it up.

But that's what I'm interested in knowing.   I'd be curious to know.  In my opinion, it is something which has mostly been used by people (I could name a few) who like using terms like that to lump things together and sell more music to the public using over simplified categories.  I don't even think it's something real, though, now that I've had a little more of a chance to check into it. 

[westen44]

This purports to be a list of music genres - do we REALLY need need to add heartland rock??  http://www.musicgenreslist.com/

LIST OF TYPE OF MUSIC | MUSIC GENRES

Alternative
Alternative Rock
College Rock
Experimental Rock
Goth Rock
Grunge
Hardcore Punk
Hard Rock
Indie Rock
New Wave
Progressive Rock
Punk
Shoegaze (with thx to Jackie Herrera)
Steampunk (with thx to Christopher Schaeffer)
Anime
Blues
Acoustic Blues
Chicago Blues
Classic Blues
Contemporary Blues
Country Blues
Delta Blues
Electric Blues
Children's Music
Lullabies
Sing-Along
Stories
Classical
Avant-Garde
Baroque
Chamber Music
Chant
Choral
Classical Crossover
Early Music
High Classical
Impressionist
Medieval
Minimalism
Modern Composition
Opera
Orchestral
Renaissance
Romantic
Wedding Music
Comedy
Novelty
Standup Comedy
Country
Alternative Country
Americana
Bluegrass
Contemporary Bluegrass
Contemporary Country
Country Gospel
Honky Tonk
Outlaw Country
Traditional Bluegrass
Traditional Country
Urban Cowboy
Dance (EMD – Electronic Dance Music – see Electronic below – with thx to Eric Shaffer-Whiting)
Breakbeat
Dubstep
Exercise
Garage
Hardcore
Hard Dance
Hi-NRG / Eurodance
House
Jackin House (with thx to Jermaine Benjamin Dale Bruce)
Jungle/Drum'n'bass
Techno
Trance
Disney
Easy Listening
Bop
Lounge
Swing
Electronic
Ambient
Crunk (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Downtempo
Electro
Electronica
Electronic Rock
IDM/Experimental
Industrial
Enka
French Pop
German Folk
German Pop
Fitness & Workout
Hip-Hop/Rap
Alternative Rap
Bounce
Dirty South
East Coast Rap
Gangsta Rap
Hardcore Rap
Hip-Hop
Latin Rap
Old School Rap
Rap
Underground Rap
West Coast Rap
Holiday
Chanukah
Christmas
Christmas: Children's
Christmas: Classic
Christmas: Classical
Christmas: Jazz
Christmas: Modern
Christmas: Pop
Christmas: R&B
Christmas: Religious
Christmas: Rock
Easter
Halloween
Holiday: Other
Thanksgiving
Indie Pop
Industrial
Inspirational – Christian & Gospel
CCM
Christian Metal
Christian Pop
Christian Rap
Christian Rock
Classic Christian
Contemporary Gospel
Gospel
Christian & Gospel
Praise & Worship
Qawwali (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Southern Gospel
Traditional Gospel
Instrumental
March (Marching Band)
J-Pop
J-Rock
J-Synth
J-Ska
J-Punk
Jazz
Acid Jazz (with thx to Hunter Nelson)
Avant-Garde Jazz
Big Band
Blue Note (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Contemporary Jazz
Cool
Crossover Jazz
Dixieland
Ethio-jazz (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
Fusion
Hard Bop
Latin Jazz
Mainstream Jazz
Ragtime
Smooth Jazz
Trad Jazz
K-Pop
Karaoke
Kayokyoku
Latino
Alternativo & Rock Latino
Baladas y Boleros
Brazilian
Contemporary Latin
Latin Jazz
Pop Latino
Raíces
Reggaeton y Hip-Hop
Regional Mexicano
Salsa y Tropical
New Age
Environmental
Healing
Meditation
Nature
Relaxation
Travel
Opera
Pop
Adult Contemporary
Britpop
Pop/Rock
Soft Rock
Teen Pop
R&B/Soul
Contemporary R&B
Disco
Doo Wop
Funk
Motown
Neo-Soul
Quiet Storm
Soul
Reggae
Dancehall
Dub
Roots Reggae
Ska
Rock
Adult Alternative
American Trad Rock
Arena Rock
Blues-Rock
British Invasion
Death Metal/Black Metal
Glam Rock
Hair Metal
Hard Rock
Metal
Jam Bands
Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Psychedelic
Rock & Roll
Rockabilly
Roots Rock
Singer/Songwriter
Southern Rock
Surf
Tex-Mex
Singer/Songwriter
Alternative Folk
Contemporary Folk
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Folk-Rock
New Acoustic
Traditional Folk
Soundtrack
Foreign Cinema
Musicals
Original Score
Soundtrack
TV Soundtrack
Spoken Word
Tex-Mex / Tejano (with thx to Israel Lopez)
Chicano
Classic
Conjunto
Conjunto Progressive
New Mex
Tex-Mex
Vocal
Barbershop (with thx to Kelly Chism)
Doo-wop (with thx to Bradley Thompson)
Standards
Traditional Pop
Vocal Jazz
Vocal Pop
World
Africa
Afro-Beat
Afro-Pop
Asia
Australia
Bossa Nova (with thx to Marcos José Sant'Anna Magalhães)
Cajun
Caribbean
Celtic
Celtic Folk
Contemporary Celtic
Drinking Songs
Drone )with thx to Robert Conrod)
Europe
France
Hawaii
Indian Pop
Japan
Japanese Pop
Klezmer
Middle East
North America
Polka
South Africa
South America
Traditional Celtic
Worldbeat
Zydeco

I don't see the Nordic Roots Revival genre on there.

[gweimer]

I don't see Satanic Bluegrass.  Hogscraper would be upset.

And with all these labels, Jethro Tull still managed to get the heavy metal grammy.

[westen44]

I don't see Satanic Bluegrass.  Hogscraper would be upset.

And with all these labels, Jethro Tull still managed to get the heavy metal grammy.

But that's more of a sign of how utterly meaningless the Grammys are.  As big of a joke as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

[luve2fli]

While I can understand the label "Heartland Rock" ...... a few points: a) The Killers have NOTHING to do with this style of music. They are so completely far removed from this that I'm Gob-smacked they're even mentioned. Not to say I dislike their material - quite the contrary - but I'd say they fall more into an 80's Brit Pop Revival style, b) "Heartland Rock" does not refer to a geographic region - it's a genre. Where you're located or originate from has NOTHING to do with it. Funny - while I was reading this thread I thought "Whoa! Where's mention of Steve Earle? Of Southside Johnny? CCR? Joe Ely?" ..... then I read the Wikipedia entry.  

You can call it Alt-Country, Blue-Collar Rock, Working-man's Rock ..... Heartland Rock ..... whatever you want. It appeals to the average Joe, harkens back to guitar/piano/sax-driven rock from the late 60's and 70's and draws on 50's Rock, Blues and Country at it's core. It's the complete opposite of the commercial dance-pop band-in-a-can crap on the airwaves today. A heavy emphasis on well-crafted songs, the genre - whatever it's referred to as - has spawned many fine songwriters. Definitely up my alley, I've found that many died-in-the-wool blues guitarists and bassists have gravitated to this genre as it's still very roots-based but really is a melting pot of styles and has a real "open-ness" to it.

A few others deserving of mention (IMO) are John Hiatt, Los Lobos (although def more Tex-Mex), Sheryl Crow, The Blasters, The Band, Delbert McClinton, even Wilco to a degree. In Ottawa, there's a whole movement with at least 20 bands playing some variation of this style of music and yearly festivals to support it all, not to mention all the Blues and Roots bands in town. It's been this way for literally years, too. Really a great scene that nurtures this style. But ..... it's nothing new - someone's just given it a new name.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

"Heartland Rock" sounds like the title of a Time Life infomercial collection of songs by the aforementioned artists. My favorite one of those is still "Freedom Rock" just for the entertainment of the stupidity of the commercial itself. The intro is this:

"Is that Freedom Rock, man?"
"Yeah, man."
"Well, turn it up man!"

I want to know how many takes and how much pot it took those actors to get through that intro without busting out laughing.