Musical interests span the generations

If you've attended a classic-rock concert the past few years, you might have noticed that a significant faction of the audience for artists such as Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Billy Joel is composed of pre-teens and teens.

Wait, aren't kids supposed to think their parents' music is eye-rollingly unhip? And aren't parents supposed to be yelling at their kids to "turn that nonsense down" since the younger generation is expected to be listening to some newfangled band with the shelf life of an open container of milk?

That used to be the scenario.

But, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, the musical tastes of parents and their offspring have aligned to new heights.

In a national representative sample of 1,815 people ages 16 and older, rock reigned as the favorite musical style in all age groups up to age 64. (Those 65 and older prefer country and classical, with rock as their fifth choice).

The survey also discovered that while Frank Sinatra topped the poll as the favorite artist among those 65 and older, The Eagles for those between 30 and 49 and Michael Jackson in the youngest demo of 16 to 29, one band burst through with a strong showing among all generations: The Beatles.

The band was the favorite of those in the 50-to-64 age range but also scored in the top four of the other demographics, proving what many already believe - that their appeal is timeless.

When The Beatles' catalog was reissued in September, the goal was twofold: to finally give diehard fans the sonic experience the band's music deserves, and to expose the songs to a new generation.

Those reissues set sales records in North America, Japan and the United Kingdom, with consumers purchasing more than 2.25 million copies.

"One of the reasons The Beatles are having so much chart success even today is their music appeals to all generations as it still sounds incredibly contemporary," said Bill Gagnon, senior vice president and general manager of catalog marketing for EMI Music North America.

That, and the fact that many of them probably heard "All You Need Is Love" from the time they were in the womb.

"Children generally prefer what is familiar. Therefore, most of them probably prefer what they hear at home," said Vernon Burnsed, a coordinator of music education and a professor of music at Virginia Tech.

"However, school and social groups play a powerful role as kids mature. By middle school, kids are trying to separate from their parents and identify with their peers. That is when their musical tastes are likely to diverge from those of their parents."

Richmonder Chuck Wolf took his 11-year-old son, Noah, and 15-year-old daughter, Emma, to the U2 concert in Charlottesville last month.

"It was an awesome show for me, and it was great to be there, but watching it through my kids' eyes was the cool thing for a parent. To be able to see that they're engaged in it the same way that I am, that they could walk away and say, I can see why this is as meaningful to you as it is - it verges on a spiritual experience," Wolf, 45, said.

Noah, who said he knew almost all of the words to every song played during the show, became interested in U2 when he was 5.

The father-son duo also hit Virginia Beach a couple of times over the summer to see Creed and Nickelback in concert - bands that Chuck introduced to his son - as well as the old-school pairing of Yes and Asia at Innsbrook.

While Wolf's daughter, Emma, is a U2 fan, her musical preferences harken to definitive classic pop artists such as Sinatra and Dean Martin, whom she discovered after hearing their songs in the movie "The Parent Trap."

"I loved the feeling it gave off: classy, romantic, elegant, something that will never go out of style. Such a change from what is played on [Top 40]," Emma said. "Now, some of my friends have bought the songs that I'm constantly singing in the halls. I think that secretly, they find my music more light-hearted and fun."

Wolf attributes his offsprings' interest in music to the simple fact that it was a constant presence since their earliest formative years.

"The kids' mother and I have consistently exposed the children to all forms of music and arts since a young age. In particular, I insisted, as my father did with me, that we attend musicals," Wolf said. "As a result, I believe the kids have become well-rounded in their musical tastes and can respect and enjoy a wide variety of genres."

Noah, meanwhile, is also a burgeoning Beatles fan.

. . .

As The Ramones' "Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio" blasted through the Verizon Center, its stomping rhythm being used as the introduction to Green Day's arrival on stage, Brian Illes stood at his seat, thrusting his fist toward the ceiling.

In the moments before the house lights dropped and Green Day thundered out, 50-year-old Illes was the only person standing in Section 112.

Self-conscious? Not for a second.

When Green Day arrived in a blaze of serrated punk-rock guitars, Illes was still standing, reveling in the chest-rattling thump being played by guys half the age of the (living) Ramones.

With him to share the excitement were stepsons Ryan Daniel, 10, and Austin Daniel, 14, who popped to their feet in their own adrenalized rush.

In theory, at least three decades and a revolving door of musical tastes separates Illes from the boys. But age is no match for the connective muscle of music.

Illes, vice president of operations for On Hold Marketing, has the musical pedigree of having worked in radio for 20 years, many of them at WRXL (102.1-FM) when its focus was classic rock.

He's a diehard Rolling Stones fan but readily embraces and shares an interest in the musical choices of his stepsons. "I think the first thing [the boys] really took to was a version of 'Brown Sugar' from a bootleg I have," he said.

"I think Ryan and I bought [the new Green Day album] at Best Buy the day it came out," Illes said. "When we got home, it went on everyone's iPod, and I made a copy for my car, where it has stayed since and gotten substantial play . . .

"The kids have benefited from my extensive CD collection, my background and knowledge, but I think it's been a result of their early exposure to music from their mom and dad, and from their natural curiosity about music. Another kid might see my racks of CDs and just not care."

. . .

Antonio J. Garcia, director of jazz studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, said he doesn't really see a trend with students falling into the same listening habits as their parents and thinks that impressionable music fans are as likely to stumble upon a genre of music on their own.

"There are some students who will say, 'Oh, my dad turned me on to this music,' but some found it through their friends or other means," Garcia said.

And sometimes, the sharing of musical tastes works both ways.

One of Garcia's students, Josh Nichols, a piano performance major, grew up listening to what his parents had playing in the house - Christian rock and classic R&B.

Now, "my parents have come to love classical music, and especially late romantic/post-romantic music because of my fascination with Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Schumann and Wagner," Nichols said.

Meanwhile, the hip-hop genre tends to appeal primarily to a younger generation, but because of that demographic's affinity for artists such as Kanye West and Jay-Z, it's often impossible for parents not to become familiar with that type of music.

"Most parents then will be exposed to hip-hop through their children's associations and musical explorations," said Virginia Tech's Burnsed. "Plus, we are bombarded with hip-hop culture through the mass media, which uses it to attract young customers, but a side benefit is that the parents also become exposed to it.

"The hip-hop culture has also been popular for about 20 years now, so many of today's adults developed their preferences for hip-hop during the earlier hip-hop days when artists like MC Hammer were popular."

According to the Pew study, hip-hop is the second favorite genre of those 16 to 29 (behind rock), the fourth favorite of those 30 to 49 (behind rock, R&B and country) and the least favorite of anyone over 50.

"The age breakdown of hip-hop's fan base is probably not much different from what rock's was a generation or two ago," the research states, "though it remains to be seen if this newer style will be able to match rock's long march to the top."

A familial strain also connects Erin Freeman, conductor of the Richmond Symphony, and her mother with a shared affection for classical music.

"When I began ninth grade, my mom thought I needed even more exposure to great music, so she and I ushered almost every week at the Atlanta Symphony for four years. We really fell in love with the music at the same time."

In the Pew survey, classical music ranked fifth out of seven among those 16 to 49, edging to fourth for the 50-to-64 age group then second for those 65 and older.

But Freeman's formative years were hardly about only Tchaikovsky and Bach.

"I remember one attempt of my mom's to prove to me and my sisters that the music of her generation was cool," Freeman said. "She gathered us in the living room and made us sit there while she played the entire LP of 'Hair.' I was 10 and [my sister] Lauren was 14 and, well, we just giggled the whole time. Now, however, I love it - and even put it on a symphony concert last year."

. . .

These days, with the inexhaustible popularity of "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero," a different outlet for shared musical interaction exists between parents and their children.

And, next month, Harmonix, the company that created the "Rock Band" franchise, will try to woo even younger fans when it unveils "Lego Rock Band," featuring animated Lego musicians and a soundtrack of pop songs to perform (Bryan Adams, Pink, Elton John, The Jackson 5).

Those Beatles CD reissues, meanwhile, weren't the only products to incite a Fab Four revival.

"The Beatles: Rock Band" sold more than 700,000 copies its first week - and it's a safe guess that the video game, which includes 45 Beatles songs to master - isn't only being played by dads and uncles.

The week before the game arrived, a demo version was set up at many Best Buy stores nationwide.

At the Short Pump location one night, a father grappled with the guitar part on "Yellow Submarine" while his pre-teen son attempted to keep the beat steady.

"Sorry, Dad, I keep messing up," the young man said, getting frustrated when he couldn't keep up with the bass drum in the song.

"It's OK," his father responded reassuringly. "No one expects you to be perfect. You don't even know these songs."

Yet.

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or .