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I am 56, and I have a similar past to you, although I liked blues-oriented rock more than prog rock. I am talking about Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Steppenwolf - those are maybe a little before your time. I was certainly into King Crimson, ELP, Yes, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd also... so we share some of the same tastes.

I would not put Nine Inch Nails in your big kettle. Of all the artists that I have discovered in my second childhood (or mid-life crisis... you pick), NiN is my favorite. Trent Reznor is a musical genius. The composition, themes, hooks, instrumentation... it is all first-class. The Downward Spiral and The Fragile are simply amazing albums. You really owe to yourself to give these 3-4 listens each before forming a solid opinion. I sincerely believe you will grow to love it. When you do, try Year Zero also.

My additional recommendation for you is Evanescence, especially "The Open Door".

P.S. I am a charter member of Team Old Audio Fart (OAF), so I know whereof I speak!

This is an excellent assessment of the music industry written by David Byrne in Wired magazine last year. Very interesting.

David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists

I developed my taste for the music of the 60's and 70's right after I got into hifi. The music is still superb. Most 2000's music I listen now is jazz. Bela Fleck, Bill Frisell et al. Jazz doesn't stop creativity. Well, nor do the others but I don't like the new pop scene much.

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Thanks for the link, Spyro. I remember reading that when it came out, and I think I enjoyed it even more this last time around. I like everything about that man.

You guys make me feel fortunate. My preference has always been tightly centered around classical and jazz and has never been better served than it is today. I'm totally clueless about most of the current stuff, some of which hardly qualifies as music to me. Sounds stodgy, eh?

OP, I am older than you, and share in a lot of your tastes. I refuse to be stuck in the rut of only hearing old stuff, though, so I am always trying new bands.

A few recent favorites include Modest Mouse, Secret Machines, Gomez, Goldfrapp, Explosions in the Sky, Drive By Truckers, Kings of Leon, Granddaddy, My Brightest Diamond, Dismemberment Plan, Minus the Bear, and Dido

I'll recommend checking out Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash. I hear serious influences from the 60's and 70's rock style, but with a contemporary indie rock sound. Back in the day, it would probably be described as art rock or prog rock based on the song crafting, but with a serious three piece rock backbone. It's one of my favorites from this year (actually my #1 pick) and if you spin vinyl, get in on vinyl.

P.S. I am a charter member of Team Old Audio Fart (OAF), so I know whereof I speak!

Where do you sign up. Is there a form?

I'm a big fan of Costello, and I like the Talking Heads. The rest of the bands you listed, not so much, so I don't know that I can give you recommendations along those lines, but perhaps that's for the best. Anyway, some of the better music I've heard in recent years:

El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
M. Ward - Transistor Radio
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave
Gandalf Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams - The Great Unravel
The Roots - Game Theory
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Jim White - Transnormal Skiperoo
Joe Henry - Civilians
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Thomas Truax - Why Dogs Howl at the Moon
Cunninlynguists - A Piece of Strange

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that's cool. the bands I listed in the original post were intended more as a core sample, not a limit. Like most people here my tastes are pretty eclectic, and in addition to progrock I also listen to classical, rockabilly, bluegrass, etc. I like Buck Owens. I like Brahms. I also like The Butthole Surfers. I didn't list Dylan, SCOTS, The Who, Tool, Rev. Horton Heat, The Clash, Leon Redbone, and many more -- but they're all favorites of mine too. But my point in making this thread in the first place was to find some modern bands whose music is 1) for the most part made on real musical instruments (i.e. not trance/techno), with their hands, and 2) is large in scope and 'trippy' without being syrupy. To me, King Crimson exemplifies these conditions better than anyone, including Floyd. That's why KC is in the title for this thread.

I'm impressed with the quantity of great suggestions, the reassurances from my elderly brethren , and the life the thread has taken on its own. And, I will have some Porucpine Tree to listen to by the time I get home tonight. Too many have reinforced that recommendation to ignore it. Thx.

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My collection includes a few hundred CDs in the jazz/new age genre. In terms of recording/mastering sound quality, it tends to be reference and keeps getting better. Certain labels, in particular, consistently release exceptionally well-recorded material. These include Heads Up, Narada, and Gemini Sun.

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Yes, in fact, there is. It's right here. Feel free to join up. It's cheaper than AARP.

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Man, I'm with ya! And some of the SOTA remastering produces phenomenal results as well. I'm listening to Brubeck's Just You, Just Me album (Telarc) via a MacBook Pro with W3s. In a word, scrumptious!

While I love many types of music and a widely varying array of artists, Steely Dan, King Crimson and obviously Zappa are a few at the top of my list. There are a lot of good bands out there making great music right now, they're just a little harder to find while sifting through all of the garbage. Here are a few bands I suggest you give a try, with a starter album for each:

1- Umphrey's Mcgee - "Anchor Drops"
2- moe - "Tin Cans & Car Tires"
3- Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - "Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo"
4- Phish - "Rift" or "A Live One"
5- Buckethead - "Welcome To Bucketheadland 1 & 2"
6- Galactic - "Late For The Future"

Most of these bands allow live recordings of their shows to be legally distributed as long as they aren't an officially released recording. You can find live free shows for 4 of these bands @ furthurnet and etree if you want a legal taste for free. Many recordings found there are soundboards of non-released shows. Also, if you ever go to see concerts anymore you need to do yourself a favor and look up Zappa Plays Zappa.

Get "The Fragile' Git your teeth through the rockers and be meserized by the rest. Quite trippy and a little downbeat (I like downbeat). Real hands on instruments, isn't it the truth? Electronica has its place,but I used to play with it on the Mac with programs like Reason - you can mass produce that stuff without even thinking about it.On the other hand, I was trying to play ONE George Harrison guitar riff today and couldn't muster it.