When Motley Crue released Shout at the Devil , Chance Vanderhoof, 13, wasn't even born. But Chance knows the song now. He proved it by playing along with the tune at a recent Guitar Hero competition.
With the widespread popularity of Guitar Hero and its classic rock-packed sequels, many of the songs in the games have made their way into teen gamers' play lists.
"I used to listen to songs that just came out, but now I'm listening to songs that came out in the '70s," said Chance, a rising eighth-grader at Columbia Middle School.
Chance attributes his expanded musical tastes to the game, as does Nick Perry, 14, a rising freshman who will attend Evans High School. Nick also is a participant at the Columbia County Library's Guitar Hero competition.
"It started getting me into other music, like metal," Nick said.
Jordan Pope, 15, a rising sophomore at Evans, donned a Guitar Hero T-shirt for the competition. She said she listens to all kinds of rock, including classic and more contemporary alternative rock.
"I got some of the songs I listen to from here," she said.
Not all Guitar Hero players are music converts, however. Michael Lechner, 15, a rising sophomore in home school, said he already listened to the classic rock tunes of the game.
But for musicians, the Guitar Hero song list is more of a compilation of the greatest hits of popular rock.
"It may have reintroduced a song or two," said Adam Tolar, the owner of Big City Music.
He sells a Guitar Hero and Rock Band music book, though the chords aren't color-coded.
"It's not a real playing experience, though it is what it is -- it's a game."
"For the real musician, they'll come in wanting to learn the songs," he said.
The trend for teens to get into classic rock music isn't new, said Sharon Gibbons, assistant manager of FYE who has worked at the store for 25 years. She said the younger generation knows music, even Beethoven and Bach.
"You would be surprised how well they know," she said.
Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.
PLAYERS GUIDE
Classic songs are being played on gaming consoles with Guitar Hero games.
Games include Guitar Hero (on PlayStation 2, downloadable for Xbox 360 through Xbox Marketplace), Guitar Hero II (PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360), Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (PlayStation 2), Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Rise to Rock Royalty with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PlayStation 2 and 3, Xbox 360 and Wii). Rock Band features a microphone, drums, guitar and bass.
Artists' songs featured include hits by Motorhead, Muse, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, Cheap Trick, Spinal Tap, Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine and Weezer.
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