Just curious. Does “Rock & Roll” really even exist as something people are doing new work in these days?
If you ask me, I’d say it moved to indie rock. Listen to a band like Velocity Girl, especially Sympatico or their Gilded Stars and Zealous Hearts and it is hard to miss the sound as straight rock. The only reason I even put “indie” before it is because few have heard of them (they broke up anyway, damn it). Probably more like pop rock (sort of upbeat and, well, poppy) and less like Led Zepplin style rock, though. I also feel that the most recent release of Sleater-Kinney is really rock & roll rather than anything else, but not in a pop rock sense. Their prior release, too, as I recall.
Hard to know what you think rock & roll is in the first place, though. Could mean lots of things. 60’s? 70’s? Should you hear the blues in it? Etc.
Sunny Day Real Estate, who used to be (to some) the emo qua emo band (again: to some), got back together a few years ago. Those two releases were really rock-y. Especially The Rising Tide which, for some reason, really reminds me of an updated Yes. (FTR my mom, 50, independently made the same observation when she first heard it.)