Ok so maybe a little musical lesson is in order. First lets talk about Bon Jovi (though I cant stand his music), he still sells out stadiums, is still current, and on March 12, 2013, Bon Jovi released their 12th studio album. Thats 12 albums that sold quite well world wide.
Ok so not 40 years but still going strong at 33 Loudness. They are still selling out venues. As long as Akira Takasaki keeps playing those killer riffs I will continue to listen. The Sun Will Rise Again was released recently (april) and is awesome!
Chilli Peppers seem to be doing well 31 years later. They are working on a new album right now as we speak.
2016 will be 40 years for U2. They are still relevant and sell out world wide. Awesome musicians and some great songs that will be remembered for a long time to come.
Kiss must still be relevant or else you wouldn't have brought them up. I am not a fan of the band personally but do like some of their songs. I remember the days when we waited in anticipation for our favorite artists to get back in the studio after a long tour and write some more songs and crank out that new album. Now days when it comes to artists it seems like they tour for 6 months while someone else writes their new albums for them. Lay down the vocals and voila another tour for another BS album.
If you want to get deep into the relevance of some of the artists of yesteryear how about Aldo Nova? Most of you remember him for his song Fantasy. What you most likely didn't know is that he has written hit songs for Celine Dion, Clay Aiken, and many others. He wrote the guitar riff for Bon Jovi's song Blaze Of Glory too!
Now even though they have gone through a few lead singer changes, Journey still sells out concert venues to this day. I can't stand Don't Stop Believin' that song really doesn't showcase who they are as a band. Obviously there is only one Steve Perry however Jeff Scott Soto did an awesome job filling in. Steve Augeri did a rather amazing job too. I do like Arnel Pineda however I just don't seem him having the staying power of either of the latter. Either way, ROCK ON JOURNEY!
So many artists have done great things off of the radar and are presumed no longer relevant. I disagree. Being in the spot light doesn't make you relevant, its your body of work both past and present that make you relevant. I don't much care one way or another (take them or leave them) about KISS however they do show a lot of support for our military and also help several charities out a lot. Eric Singer gets a huge thanks from me personally for donating some things via me to the American Cancer Society.
If artists like Lil Wayne, Rhianna, Nicki Minaj, Nickelback, and some of the other garbage I hear on my radio stay mainstream then I believe music as we know it will continue to suck. I remember when songs stood for something, head heart, and were actually written by the artists themselves. Stop all of this so called "popular music", same as the next guy shit and be original.
I have been involved with music for over 20 years of my life but what do I know? I am just an aspiring musician, producer, song writer, and probably never will be with a passion for killer riffs, pinball, and fast cars (or in my current case El Caminos) lol.