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"Loud" is not just the description of a sound. It is an attitude. Rock and roll musicians took "loud" and built it into one of the defining artistic movements of the twentieth century. Fashion, art, politics -- all were influenced by rock music and its countercultural appeal.
The wail of the electric guitar and the distortion of amplifiers became the currency of early rock musicians, who understood the power of volume to command attention like never before. That sound -- piercing, pounding, vibrating through audiences -- would evolve into rock and roll's signature.
This exhibition explores the instruments that came to define the music. Often an extension of the artists themselves, these objects are designed and engineered to perform both visually and audibly. They are decorated, exaggerated, and, most importantly, beloved -- by those who play them and those who watch in awe. They are the link between the artist and the audience, the physical source of a glorious noise.
The iconic instruments here were played by some of the most influential musicians across seven decades of artistry. In their own way, they represent the countless instruments picked up by ordinary individuals, inspired by their musical heroes and rock and roll's defiant spirit. |