Welcome to Rock and Roll Dynasty

Welcome to my new blog. Here's a little background on me.

I'm a self-confessed record geek who worked at record stores for over a dozen years before getting a straight job. Before I left the world of music retail I felt like having to stay on top of every new release was beginning to take its toll on my listening enjoyment. I felt myself developing conditioned, knee-jerk reactions to new music. I wasn't ever able to spend the time absorbing records like I used to or be able indulge in the kind of deep listening that some records require.

I've found a lot of criticism online to have some of the same issues. There is little space or time for context or deep consideration. Everything seems to have become a race to be the first to post a leaked track, spread a tour rumor, or review an as-yet-unreleased record and a give an off-hand, often off-base judgment before moving on to the next piece of product.

My posts and reviews will likely not be as up-to-date as other blogs, but what I lack in timeliness will hopefully be made up for with a greater sense of perspective that comes with time. I hope this blog brings back a sense of slow patience to music criticism. I may gush at times; I may be critical. I hope never to play to hype or fall back on snide snarkiness. If nothing else, I hope for you to understand your own tastes better by comparing them to mine.

So why Rock and Roll Dynasty? Because I believe no music is born in a vacuum. I'm primarily interested in Bloom's anxiety of influence as it applies to popular music. This is about lineage - about the analysis of the root systems of the family tree of rock. How's that for pretentious? Trust me, that's just the beginning.