what exactly is "roots rock"?

[arbarnhart]

My answer is that it is blues. But blues is (oddly, in my opinion) in a different forum than rock. I usually post my rock/blues questions in the blues/etc forum or in the theory/technique forum and rarely post here. Does "roots rock" mean something else?

[Wadefox]

I think it just means early rock and roll and modern music influenced by early rock and roll, since early rock is a lot closer to its roots of country and blues.

[Santiago]

So it's rhythm and blues as opposed to blues?

[Jim M.]

I think of roots rock as being rock based on roots music, whatever those roots are. It could be based on blues, but I also think of Los Lobos as being roots rock, most of the time, based on the music of their Mexican heritage.

[Jim MacDaniel]

I've used the term as Jim M does, but when I just did a quick google of "roots rock definition", there are even more interpretations of the term out there than are listed above. Some of the definitions are narrow, while some quite broad in scope, and I saw more than a few that specify it as a predecessor to, or a a synonym for, Americana/alt.country/Insurgent Country.

[j-hill]

I would agree with jimmacd and lump it in with Americana. Roots rock is typically acoustic guitar driven a la John Mellencamp, Chris Knight, etc. Magazines like No Depression will frequently have information on artists I would consider Roots Rock. My definition would be that it's not at all like Blues. I'm sure opinion's will vary.

Jason

[arbarnhart]

I get it - it refers more to rock that is "flavored" by the roots of the writer or performer, rather than meaning the roots of rock.

[mangorockfish]

I may be all wet here, but coming from a drumming background, when I hear the term "roots rock" I visualize lots of hand drums and hand percussion along with electric instruments and drum set.

[Jim MacDaniel]

I've been doing a little surfing on this topic after remembering that the lineup of Vancouver BC's Root Fest a few years ago suggested that some define "roots" in a more global -- and organic -- context. Here are a few roots-centric web sites that I found that tend to follow this same school of thought, including Dirty Linen, which I assume more than a few of us may have read in the past:

Roots World (http://www.rootsworld.com/rw/) magazine

Rootster (http://www.rootster.com/) internet search engine

CDroots.com (http://www.cdroots.com/) "music from the world less travelled"

Dirty Linen (http://www.dirtylinen.com/) magazine

[kvk]

I would classify roots rock as rock music heavily influenced by music that followed a folk tradtion. The folk tradition being music that was passed from artist to artist rather than thru commercial recording and/or publishing.