Geek rock

Geek rock (also known as nerd rock or dork rock[1]) is a musical subgenre derived from pop rock and alternative rock within the nerd music group. It is characterized by the standard instruments of rock music often combined with electronic and unusual instruments, references to geek culture and specialized yet mundane interests, whimsy, and offbeat humor in general.

Geek rock
Other names
  • Nerd rock
  • dork rock[1]
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate-1990s geek culture and nerd music, United States
Typical instruments
Derivative forms
Other topics

Characteristics

Geek rock is characterised by strong use of both electronic instruments and more atypical musical instruments, such as accordions or ukuleles.[2]

Lyrically, the genre is generally characterised by subject matter that covers topics such as geek media pop culture (including science fiction, comic books and video games), academia, technology and related topics. Kyle Stevens, co-founder of Kirby Krackle (along with Jim Demonakos), expands this to include any passionate interest, saying in a 2013 interview: "To us now, what we consider or genre of 'nerd' or 'geek' rock means anything we are really passionate about, whether that be traditionally geeky subject matter or a song about how we're really into tacos. In essence, they're love songs directed to whatever we're really passionate about."[3] Irony, self-deprecation and humour are major elements.[1]

While mainstream rock music tends to be aspirational, representing things the average male audience member wants or wants to be, geek rock celebrates the mundane, common things that its audience members would find familiar.[4]

History
Photograph of two women singing and playing instruments on stage.
The Doubleclicks – Aubrey Turner and Laser Malena-Webber – performing onstage at JoCo Cruise Crazy 3

The first band to describe themselves as "geek rock" is believed to be Nerf Herder.[5] The success of They Might Be Giants' 1990 album Flood may have begun making geek culture and geek rock more mainstream.[5] Billboard has referred to They Might Be Giants as "Nerd-Rock Kings".[6] Similarly, "Weird Al" Yankovic has been called the king of nerd rock.[7]

The label "proto-geek rock" covers both similar musicians performing before the term was established and those that were adopted by geek culture but were not strictly part of it themselves.[5] Alex DiBlasi contends that Frank Zappa is the archetypical geek rocker and antecedent of geek rock.[4]

Earlier filk music was based around fans performing at science fiction conventions. Geek rock, however, is not necessarily connected to conventions in the same way and, while often still connected to fandom, is more adjacent to the fan community than an out-growth of it.[5] Geek rock musicians are professional rather than amateur and band members need not be fans themselves. For example, Chicago Doctor Who-based band Time Crash was started by Doctor Who fan Ronen Kohn but the band's drummer, Andy Rice, had not seen the TV series until some time after the band started.[5] This was made possible by equipment becoming more affordable and the growth of the internet.[5]

The term "nerd rock" was previously used as the title of a 1977 sketch on the American sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, named by writer Anne Beatts after Elvis Costello appeared as the musical guest star. She is on record as thinking, while watching his performance, "this isn't punk rock; this is nerd rock." The sketch was the first in their "The Nerds" series following the same "nerd" characters.[8][9]

Geek rock, and related genres, have grown large enough to support music festivals such as Rock Comic Con.

Derivative forms

Some subgenres and derivative forms of geek rock are focused around specific parts of geek culture and fandoms. Others are based on subgenres of rock music.

Nerd punk

Nerd punk is a fusion of nerd music and punk rock. It shares the characteristics of geek rock with the fast-paced songs, hard-edged melodies and singing styles of punk. Bands include The Descendents and Thundering Asteroids!

Twi-rock

Twi-rock (or twirock) developed from Twilight fandom with bands such as the Bella Cullen Project.[5][10] While initially successful, and entering into a rivalry with wizard rock, the twi-rock genre turned out to be short lived.[11][12]

Time Lord rock
Main article: Time Lord rock

Time Lord rock (or trock) was developed by British band Chameleon Circuit in 2008. It was directly inspired by the existence of wizard rock.[5][1][13][14] Time Lord rock was initially dominated by British and Australian bands but the genre has spread to the United States with groups such as Time Crash, Legs Nose Robinson[15][16] and singer Allegra Rosenberg.[17][18]

Wizard rock
Main article: Wizard rock

Wizard rock (or wrock) developed from Harry Potter fandom in the United States with Harry and the Potters in the early 2000s.[5] The subgenre has since expanded internationally with hundreds of bands and established its own music festival, called Wrockstock.

List of geek rock bands and solo artists
Further information: List of geek rock artists

References
  1. Weisbard, Eric (December 2000). "Geek Love". SPIN. pp. 158–162.
  2. Danesi, Marcel (2010). Geeks, Goths, and Gangstas. Canadian Scholars' Press. p. 96. ISBN 9781551303727.
  3. Selinker, Mike (2013-01-08). "Geek Love: Kirby Krackle, The Doubleclicks, and the soul of nerd rock". Wired. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  4. DiBlasi, Alex (2014). "Frank Zappa: Godfather of Geek Rock". In DiBlasi, Alex; Willis, Victoria (eds.). Geek Rock: An Exploration of Music and Subculture. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442229761.
  5. Chaney, Keidra (January–February 2015). "The Evolution of Nerd Rock". Uncanny. No. 2. pp. 129–133.
  6. Blistein, Jon (November 16, 2012). "They Might Be Giants Q&A". Billboard.
  7. Bell, Mike (April 24, 2013). "Weird Al Yankovic leads parade of geek music at Calgary's Comic Expo". Calgary Herald. Not so with Weird Al Yankovic, the true, unabashed and remarkably enduring king of a now growing genre of nerd rock – a man who's had a pretty remarkable 30-year career wearing his uncoolness on his accordion strap.
  8. Nugent, Benjamin (2008). American Nerd. Simon and Schuster. pp. 61–62. ISBN 9781416565512.
  9. Hill, Doug; Weingrad, Jeff (2011). Saturday Night. Untreed Reads. ISBN 9781611872187.
  10. Carroll, Larry (July 8, 2008). "'Twilight' Tribute Band The Bella Cullen Project: From 'Sexy Vampire' To Debut Album". MTV. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  11. Vineyard, Jennifer (August 18, 2008). "'Harry Potter' Vs. 'Twilight': Battle Of The 'Bands About Books'". MTV. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  12. McKenna, Bree (November 16, 2011). "The End for Twi-Rock?". The Stranger. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  13. Wilkes, Neil (8 June 2009). "Introducing Trock: Songs about 'Doctor Who'". DigitalSpy.com. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  14. Harvison, Anthony (17 June 2009). "Chameleon Circuit review and interview". Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  15. "'Doctor Who's Day Roundup: Between a Rock and a Hard Place". BBC America. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  16. "'Doctor Who' lands in Clarksville". The Leaf Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  17. Kirby, Megan (November 19, 2013). "Time Crash brings Time Lord rock across the pond". Chicago Reader.
  18. Borrelli, Christopher (December 14, 2011). "Allegra Rosenberg is all plugged in, ready to Trock". Chicago Tribune.

Further reading
  • DiBlasi, Alex; Willis, Victoria, eds. (2014). Geek Rock: An Exploration of Music and Subculture. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442229761.
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