And the winner for “Best Metal Performance” is…

Dissident Aggressor

Judas Priest

Track from: A Touch Of Evil - Live

[Epic]

But you wouldn’t have seen that award on the telecast last night. Nor would you have known that Judas Priest were competing against Megadeth, Ministry, Lamb of God, or Slayer. Surely a respectable crop of artists, but hardly one that screams the year 2010–or 2009 which is what this show is based on.

On the hard rock side AC/DC edged out veterans Metallica, Alice in Chains, Linkin Park, and Canada’s own Nickelback.

Poor categorizations aside, it was a dismal night for music. It was much less an awards show than a 3.5 hour concert featuring today’s heavy mainstream hitters. Thankfully Tivo saves the day by cutting out commercials and lip synching ordeals.

I do have to believe that we’ve reached the end of the road. We look for decade and century markers to signify new eras and times of hope. At this stage, we can only hope that the teen years of the 2000’s yield just that; a turbulent and experimental period in which art converges with the technological marvels of today. When distribution is free and accessible magic can certainly happen.

“To say the Grammys are a reflection of music today is akin to saying what airs on NBC defines America. It doesn’t. People have more passion for niche channels like Discovery than those trying to appeal to everybody networks.” - Bob Lefsetz

True enough that niche is the future. I hope though that niche doesn’t imply an over-abundance of choice as consumers are typically creatures of habit and influence on one another. Let’s settle on somewhere in between mainstream and the underground.

Filed under: Rants, The Future, Music Industry

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