What Is Garage Rock? A Genre Profile

Garage Rock evolved during the first wave of the British Invasion and has a shares lineage with Psychedelic Rock. As the name of the genre suggests, the main component of Garage Rock is its raw, low-budget sound. Energetic performances are favored over technical proficiency and the simple songwriting styles of blues and rock 'n roll are another key underpinning to the Garage Rock sound. Although the genre's heyday was the mid-'60s, a Garage Rock Revival sprouted in the '80s, and a third wave is underway in the 2000s. Along with distorted guitars and banging drums, the organ is often a component of Garage Rock's sound.

Garage Rock, originally called "punk rock," had its title supplanted in the late 1970s with the arrival of bands like The Ramones and The Sex Pistols, who are now regarded as the originators of Punk Rock. Those groups were heavily inspired by '60s Garage Rock. Hailing mostly from the Western and Midwestern United States, the style's earliest innovator was probably Seattle's The Wailers. It was their approach to "Louie, Louie" that would inspire Portland, Oregon's The Kingsmen's famous rendition. Other major Garage Rock bands from the early '60s include The Sonics, Paul Revere And The Raiders, and The Trashmen.

Along with British Invasion music of the mid-60s, Garage began to take on a Psychedelic tinge. The most popular band from this stylistic cross-section was 13th Floor Elevators. Along with the hard-riffing style that's foundational to Garage Rock, the bands of this time period introduced folk elements as well as an increasing use of sonic experimentation. Other key acts of this era include The Chocolate Watchband and ? And The Mysterians. The top singles of this period of Garage Rock are grouped on Rhino Records' two Nuggets box sets. By the late 1960s, interest in the first era of Garage Rock had largely passed.

NY State's Chesterfield Kings were among the very first bands to kick-start the Garage Rock Revival that would survive as an underground force all through the '80s. Other acts include Lyres, The Fleshtones, and The Mono Men. Borrowing from the parent style of the '60s, this next generation of Garage Rockers also used fuzz-toned guitars and Farfisa organs, often as tribute to the older bands that inspired them. By the end of the '80s, the sound had acquired a more modern recklessness, leading to the offshoot called Garage Punk. Although the Revival never died out completely, it remained mostly dormant through the '90s.

The massive fame of Detroit's The White Stripes has led to a sustained interest in Garage Rock in the 2000s. The duo of Jack and Meg White first attained significant attention for 2001's White Blood Cells. However, the first hit Garage Rock album of the new century was 2000's Veni Vidi Vicious, from Sweden's The Hives. Indie rockers The Strokes incorporated elements of Garage into their sound, while Australia's The Vines are another important band from this third wave. Always evolving, yet always refreshingly unevolved, Garage Rock has now survived for nearly 50 years, and will likely renew itself time and time again.

Garage Rock Bands:
• The Kingsmen
• The Sonics
• The Trashmen
• Paul Revere And The Raiders
• 13th Floor Elevators
• The Chocolate Watchband
• Shadows Of Night
• The Electric Prunes

Garage Rock Revival Bands:
• Chesterfield Kings
• Lyres
• The Fleshtones
• The Fuzztones
• The Milkshakes
• Thee Headcoats

Third Wave Garage Rock Bands:
• The White Stripes
• The Strokes
• The Hives
• The Vines
• Kings Of Leon
• The Detroit Cobras
• The Von Bondies
• The Mooney Suzuki
• The (International) Noise Conspiracy