In the first episode of our series Under the Influence, we go from the streets of the Lower East Side all the way to South Korea to examine one of the most distinctive genres to sprout from the concrete of New York City: hardcore. Along the way, we’ll meet with everyone from tattoo shop owners to chefs to government workers—all of whom have been inspired by the teachings at musical meccas like CBGB’s and A7 and found ways to apply the lessons learned from the scene to their own lives. Join us—as well as members of Agnostic Front, Title Fight, Youth of Today, Incendiary, and more—as we explore a world living under the influence of New York Hardcore.
In the second episode of our series Under the Influence, we examine the late-70s ska revival in the UK, a movement built upon the fusion of punk rock and traditional ska. Led by the Specials, we look at how the cultural climate of the time period in the UK inspired the founding of 2 Tone Records and how that led to the ska movement in the 80s and 90s. Under the Influence looks into some of the most important music scenes of our time, exploring the people, bands, and styles that changed the course of music forever. Narrated by modern day punk legend Tim Armstrong (Rancid, Operation Ivy, Transplants), Noisey delves deep into the worlds of New York Hardcore, British 2Tone Ska, and German Krautrock to find how these scenes were created, and how they continue to shape art, music, and culture today. Join us as we circle the globe to meet to everyone from x to y, to witness life under the influence.
From the ashes of World War II arose one of the most original and influential movements in musical history, Krautrock. A generation of German musicians embraced their country's cultural blank slate and a new technological future; deconstructing pop music and spawning some of today's best electronic, Hop Hop, and experimental rock and roll. Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Daniel Kessler (Interpol), Dan Deacon, Zachary Cole Smith (DIIV), members of Can, Neu!, and more take us through this unique genre's history and possible future.
After Woodstock and before Punk, Glam Rock reimagined the Rock ’n Roll experience as outlandish fantasy. By becoming objects of art themselves, Glam’s performers defined rock stardom as self-invention, stripping away common notions of identity, gender, and sexuality. As David Bowie and the pillars of London Glam - The Sweet, Mott the Hoople, Slade, and T. Rex - dominated the pop charts, America’s Glam movement manifested in the form of Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, and The Velvet Underground; giving birth to a durable Rock ’n Roll aesthetic template to be embraced or rejected for decades to come. Under The Influence shows how Glam Rock’s legacy helped give us Disco, Goth, Hair Metal, Prince, KISS, REM, Twin Shadow, Lady Gaga, filmmaker Todd Haynes, LGBT rights, platform boots, and a generation of young artists in the developing world reimagining life as art.
Nashville has long been the center of the Country Music business, but in the 1960s and 70s the balance of power moved out West. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard pioneered the “Bakersfield Sound” in California, while Texans Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings left Nashville to pursue a folk infused sound and Rock n’ Roll lifestyle in their home state. Johnny Cash revived his career by recording a live album in Folsom Prison and embracing counterculture. Country Music would never be the same. Under The Influence shows how Outlaw Country reinvented an American art form and changed the worlds of fashion, pop music, politics, and of course Nashville’s Music Row.
Black history is American history, especially when it comes to music. African-American musical traditions set in motion a culture that's given us Jazz, the Blues, Rock n Roll, Funk, Disco, Soul, and Hip Hop. Despite this evolution, for much of the 20th Century “Rhythm & Blues” was a blanket term applied to any music marketed to black audiences, changing meaning with each era. As Hip Hop entered the picture artists like Teddy Riley, Jodeci, and members of New Edition incorporated the new sound and style into a classic R&B template. Since then, the line between the two would continue to blur, influencing pop music forever. Under The Influence shows how New Jack Swing married Hip Hop and classic R&B to give birth to something entirely new for the 90s, paving the way for today's artists like Kehlani, Ty Dolla $ign, Dreezy, and Phantogram, while helping make millions of babies.