If anyone wants any band doing, link to the bio.


My second grader asked me what this passage means:
"""
Pride & Glory was a side project formed by vocalist/guitarist Zakk Wylde, best known at that time for his prior work with Ozzy Osbourne. It was the first project for which Wylde also served as lead vocalist, prior to releasing his first solo-album, 1996's Book of Shadows. Wylde subsequently formed the band Black Label Society in 1998, which remains active.
"""
I rephrased it for him, in plain language a second grader can understand:
"""
Pride and Glory was a band that Zakk Wylde was in. It was the first band he was in where he was the lead singer. He then started a new band called Black Label Society.
""
He said "Oh, I get it" and moved on to the next passage.
I don't know what the teacher's intent was, but I know what the result is. My son has learned to tune out anything that doesn't make sense to him.

My second grader asked me what this passage means:
"""
Guns N' Roses, often abbreviated as GNR, is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.
"""
I rephrased it for him, in plain language a second grader can understand:
"""
Guns N' Roses is a rock band. They play music.
""
"Why do they have so many members?" he asked.
"Because they need a lot of people to play their music," I said.
""
"But they can't all play at the same time," he said.
""
"No, but they can all play at different times. And when they all play together, it sounds really good."
""
"Why do they have to?"

My second grader asked me what this passage means:
"""
Shellac is an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, composed of Steve Albini (guitar and vocals), Bob Weston (bass guitar and vocals) and Todd Trainer (drums and vocals) and formed in 1992. Their music genre has been classified as post-hardcore[1][2] and noise rock[3] but they describe themselves as a "minimalist rock trio."
"""
I rephrased it for him, in plain language a second grader can understand:
"""
"They are a band that makes loud music."
""
I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't want my kids to be stupid, I want them to learn to think critically and read and write well. But I also don't want them to grow up in a world where they can't understand what they read. I don't want them to grow up in a world where they can't understand what they see on TV, or what's being said on the radio.

My second grader asked me what this passage means:
"""
Sunn O)))'s musical style has been described as drone metal,[9][10] doom metal,[1][11] experimental metal[12][13] black metal,[14][1] noise rock,[1] and dark ambient.[1] Sunn O))) experiments with a variety of styles and sounds, progressing beyond the primarily guitar and bass style of The Grimmrobe Demos and ØØ Void. On White1 and White2, the band noticeably expanded on conceptualization by inviting several guests, resulting in everything from quiet meditative ambient sounds ("A Shaving of the Horn that Speared You" from White1) to a bizarre bass experiment track ("bassAliens" from White2). Black One continued in this direction, utilizing far more electronics, synthesizers, and other instrumentation than earlier Sunn O))) material, yet still marking a significant return to their traditional sound.
"""
I rephrased it for him, in plain language a second grader can understand:
"""
Sunn O))), a band, has a special way of making music. It's different than other bands. They make music that's slower and louder than other bands. They make music with guitars, bass, and drums, but they also use electronic sounds and sounds from other instruments. They make loud music that's not like other bands.

Sunn O)))'s music is so loud that it's hard to hear the words. But the band says that it's not about the words. It's about the feeling. And their music makes people feel like they're in a big dark room with no doors or windows, and no one else around.

Sunn O)))'s music is so loud that it hurts your ears. But people who like their kind of music like the way it hurts their ears. It makes them feel like they're in a big dark room with no doors or windows, and no one else around.

These are all great but that Sunn one is poetry

My second grader asked me what this passage means:
"""
Considered one of the UK's first psychedelic music groups, Pink Floyd began their career at the vanguard of London's underground music scene, appearing at UFO Club and Middle Earth (club). According to Rolling Stone: "By 1967, they had developed an unmistakably psychedelic sound, performing long, loud suitelike compositions that touched on hard rock, blues, country, folk, and electronic music. Released in 1968, the song "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" helped galvanise their reputation as an art rock group. Other genres attributed to the band are space rock, experimental rock, acid rock, proto-prog, experimental pop (while under Barrett), psychedelic pop, and psychedelic rock.
"""
I rephrased it for him, in plain language a second grader can understand:
"""
Pink Floyd was a band that played music that was a little different from other bands. They played at clubs in London. Their music was loud and long and sometimes had strange sounds. They were the first to use electronic music in their songs.
I showed him this video of Pink Floyd performing Careful With That Axe, Eugene:
He was fascinated by the video and asked me to watch it with him several times. He noticed that the drummer was wearing a mask, and asked me why he was wearing a mask. I told him the drummer was wearing a mask because he wanted people to focus on his music and not on his face. He asked me if I could find him a mask to wear when he plays the drums. I told him I would see what I could do.
He also noticed that the guitarist was wearing a big hat. He asked me why the guitarist was wearing a big hat. I told him the guitarist was wearing a big hat because he wanted people to focus on his music and not on his hair. He asked me if I could find him a big hat to wear when he plays the guitar. I told him I would see what I could do.
He also noticed that the singer was wearing a black shirt. He asked me why the singer was wearing a black shirt. I told him the singer was wearing a black shirt because he wanted people to focus on his music and not on his shirt. He asked me if I could find him a black shirt to wear when he sings. I told him I would see what I could do.
I asked him if he liked the music in the video, and he said he did. He asked me if I liked the music in the video, and I told him I did. He asked me if I thought the band was cool, and I told him I thought the band was very cool.
He asked me to play the video for him again, so I did. Then he asked me to play it again.

My second grader asked me what this passage means:
"""
Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977,[1] who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, advocating direct action, animal rights, feminism, anti-fascism, and environmentalism. The band used and advocated a DIY ethic approach to its albums, sound collages, leaflets, and films.

Crass spray-painted stencilled graffiti messages in the London Underground system and on advertising billboards, coordinated squats and organised political action. The band expressed its ideals by dressing in black, military-surplus-style clothing and using a stage backdrop amalgamating icons of perceived authority such as the Christian cross, the swastika, the Union Jack and the ouroboros.

The band was critical of the punk subculture[2] and youth culture in general. Nevertheless, the anarchist ideas that they promoted have maintained a presence in punk.[3] Due to their free experimentation and use of tape collages, graphics, spoken word releases, poetry and improvisation, they have been associated with avant-punk[4][5][6] and art punk.[7]
"""
I rephrased it for him, in plain language a second grader can understand:
"""
"Crass was a band that believed in not hurting animals, girls, or people. They didn't like the government, and they didn't want to hurt the earth. They didn't want to hurt anyone. They wanted everyone to be friends."
""
I told him that he could look up the word "anarchist" in the dictionary if he wanted to, but it would be hard to understand. I told him I'd explain it when he's older.
""
He asked me if I was an anarchist, and I said no, I'm a libertarian. He asked me what that is, and I told him it was like an anarchist, but not as extreme.
""
He said, "Oh. Okay."
""
I don't know if he understood it or not. He's only six.
""
But he knows now that "anarchist" doesn't mean "bomb thrower." And that's progress.