Best way to find out what's going on is to hit pubs & clubs and hear travelling acts. Hit The Tractor Tavern once in awhile.

I swear, the Bush years turned out to be even more culturally barren than The Reagan years.

The 80's were only slightly better than the 70's, America wise. At least the 70's had Punk Rock and the CBGB scene that actually did more to influence modern music than anything before.

I detect a pattern here:

The Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I & II all were disastrous for the musical arts.

The conclusion is Conservativism is the arch-enemy of intellectual development and artistic expression.