
I believe that the terms 'indie' and 'alt', and the multitude of sub-genres spawned by them, are a form of subterfuge designed to confuse people over the age of 35.
38 days until Coachella…
ALT ROCK
Primal Origin: A holy trinity of sorts involving the creation of The Sex Pistols, the release of Patti Smith’s Horses and Lou Reed’s Metal Machine.
Birth: R.E.M.
Favorite Son: Kurt Kobain
Aesthetic: Multi-culturalism fused with junk culture.
Source of Angst: Drug use, depression, the environment (and of course a smattering of teen angst).
Credo: Screw the media, screw the man… Although it’s okay to be famous if you dress down.
Band Names: Single words that bear no meaning, or combination of words that signify nothing. If all else fails, use of Band Name Generator is acceptable.
Fan base: Liberal Arts Majors
Fan base aesthetic: Boys: Skater chic. Girls: Nylon magazine.
Life blood: Shows in Clubs (preferably crappy ones) because Music Festivals no longer feel authentic.
Minor Dieties: Ska, Post-Punk, Skater-Punk, Pop-Punk
Harbinger of Doom: Coldplay
INDIE ROCK
Primal Origin : Velvet Underground
Birth: Elliot Smith
Favorite Son: Jack White
Source of Angst: Whiny vocals focused on lost love, mean parents and other teenage issues.
Aesthetic: DIY. Urge to shun everything prefab, safe and or typical.
Credo: It’s not cool to make money. Bands should either be unsigned or with a label that no one’s ever heard of.
Band Names: If using just a noun and an adjective, the adjective should have no realistic meaning when paired with the noun. Other names can be vague phrases from a book, or a combination of words that makes absolutely no sense but sounds mysterious, deep, and/or like an inside joke.
Fan base: Known as “Indians” they typically discover a life changing band approximately three times a year.
Fan base aesthetic: Guys should look homeless. Girls should be very cute and otherwise out of the guys’ league.
Lifeblood: Outdoor music festivals.
Minor Dieties: Shoe-gaze/dream pop , lo-fi, and math rock.
Harbinger of Doom: Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie sign big deals







