In this set of fieldnotes, I have decided to focus on what makes a rock festival different from other concerts. According to Wikipedia, a rock festival is a “large-scale outdoor rock music concerts, featuring multiple acts, often spread out over several days”[1]. The festivals that I have chosen to focus on (Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, SXSW, and Coachella) all fit these criteria, but is this what defines them?
One important characteristic that separates these rock festivals from normal rock concerts are the parts that are not the music. For example, many of the festivals host comedians, speakers, and other events besides bands playing. Vendors line up and sell food and merchandise, and SXSW and Coachella include a film festival and an art festival respectively. Lots of foresight by concert planners is involved, due to the length and size of the festival. Without adequate facilities, such as food, water, and bathrooms, the concert will fail. At smaller, shorter concerts, these details do not make or break them, whereas they would at larger festivals.
Perhaps the greatest attribute of a rock festival is its ability to be separate from the real world. Due to its length, commitments such as work or school would have had to been moved or cancelled. A person immerses themselves in music and culture for several days, unattached to anything else. At several of these festivals, many people camp at the site for a few days. Physical barriers such as distance in the case of Bonnaroo, or a gate, in the case of Lollapalooza, keep the attendees of such festivals away from normal civilization.
As an example of the separation between worlds festival-goers may experience, I interviewed a friend who had been to both Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo via an instant message. He wrote: “drugs were basically legal there- it was awesome- the event staff would watch you take a hit of whatever you wanted-but do nothing about it”. This lack of law enforcement would not normally take place outside of the festival.
Furthermore, Urban Dictionary writes of a disease called “festival flu”, which is defined as: “An illness which inevitably sets in when one returns home from attending a music festival. Causes include: Between 2 and 10 hours sleep over a five day period, Living in your own dirt, Shouting and screaming a lot, Excessive consumption of both legal and illegal substances, Being too tight to buy food and hence going without for five days, Dehydration” [2] Concert-goers voluntarily experience these so-called causes of festival flu, in order to participate in the experience that being away from the rest of the world, with thousands of people who share an appreciation for music.
Talking to several people about the festivals revealed a type of “aura” these concerts exude. Although many concerts generate excitement, the mere fact that these festivals, are large-scale and spread out over several days contribute to the certain feeling many would describe when there. Being around many people whose goal is to listen to music and have a good time may be something that all concerts share, but festivals simply beat out normal concerts in sheer numbers (80,000 for Bonnaroo [3]; 225,000 for Lollapalooza[1] ; 65,000 for Austin City Limits[4]; 149,000 for SXSW[1], 50,000 for Coachella[5]). Not only is an attendee of one of these festivals surrounded by people who share similar musical preferences, but many have traveled from other states and countries to be there.
I would like to leave you with a quote taken from WBRU’s blog covering Lollapalooza 2008:
“Covered in the sweat of a thousand men and wearing a shirt that will probably never be wearable again, I exited Grant Park, this time at the same time as everyone else, as opposed to hanging around late to check out backstage, and I witnessed something remarkable. As the crowds pour out into the streets, there were random bursts of applause and cheers. I looked around to see what people for cheering for, and there’s nothing there. They’re cheering for nothing. Nothing, and everything that they just saw and experienced over the last two days. It’s exactly the feeling I would get walking between stages, the feeling of being completely ecstatic just to BE here, that I would just put my fists in the air for no apparent reason in a personal, private celebration. And here was everyone, doing the same thing, the cheers following us down streets and around corners. That’s what Lollapalooza is: un-containable excitement.” [6]
Future Work:
For my next post, I will interview Alex Korzec, along with several other attendees of various music festivals. I have already asked them permission. I have some questions planned. I want to make sure that I do not influence their viewpoints with my own.
In the next set of fieldnotes, along with questions from my interview, I would like to look at the bands that play these rock music festivals. Many bands repeat at these festivals. For example, some bands have played at Bonnaroo for several years in a row. Additionally, the Raconteurs showed up at almost all of these festivals last year (2008). What makes bands such as the Raconteurs appear again and again? What qualities do they possess that make them superior to other bands on the bill? There are interviews available with such bands about playing at these festivals that I will look at, as well as interviews of the people who enjoy the bands about why they consistently play at America’s premier rock music festivals.
Finally, I will write about my own experience of being at Lollapalooza last year.
References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_festival
2. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=festival%20flu
3. http://www.bonnaroo.com
4. http://www.aclfestival.com/
5. http://www.coachella.com/
6. http://www.wbru.com
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Critical Review #4 - Schilt - "Riot Grrrl is..."
Schilt, Kristen. Ch. 6. Music Scenes.
"Riot Grrrl is...": The Contestation over Meaning in a Music Scene.
Riot grrrl was/is a genre that attempted to keep itself undefined in order to be whatever the person wanted it to be. Unfortunately, mainstream media, in its attempts to label the movement, may have destroyed it by focusing on its fashion of cut-up aesthetic, instead of the values held by members of the movement.
Described as a punk DIY mixed with feminist politics, Schilt portrays riot grrrl as more of a political movement than a musical one. Riot grrrls attempted to take control of the mainstream media by being a part of the production of fanzines and bands and using these as a format for discussing sexism. Although the subculture attempted to be all-inclusive, saying that anyone could be involved, mostly female, white middle class punks became a part of it; and eventually alienated other races and classes from joining.
This article also discusses the topic of mainstream vs. independent. How does one get a political message out to the masses without being a "sell-out"? This is an issue that bands struggle with across all subcultures, not just riot grrrl. By joining a major label, bands lose subcultural capital (no longer being as cool), but may gain more fans due to exposure.
Although she attempts to mention that those involved struggled between having a political message or being musicians first, Schilt herself focuses a lot more on the politics than "the music itself". She uses lyrics as an example of the feminist nature of bands such as Bikini Kill, but says nothing of the music or sounds that the band created.
Schilt does mention that the riot grrrl subculture may have been frustrated with the increasing amount of moshing at concerts from punk bands at the time - does that mean riot grrrl bands played music less "moshable" than punk? does the riot grrrl genre have any specific musical characteristics other than being "punk"? Or is it just punk with a feminist political message? I'm more interested in "the music itself" in other words, not just its lyrics.
"Riot Grrrl is...": The Contestation over Meaning in a Music Scene.
Riot grrrl was/is a genre that attempted to keep itself undefined in order to be whatever the person wanted it to be. Unfortunately, mainstream media, in its attempts to label the movement, may have destroyed it by focusing on its fashion of cut-up aesthetic, instead of the values held by members of the movement.
Described as a punk DIY mixed with feminist politics, Schilt portrays riot grrrl as more of a political movement than a musical one. Riot grrrls attempted to take control of the mainstream media by being a part of the production of fanzines and bands and using these as a format for discussing sexism. Although the subculture attempted to be all-inclusive, saying that anyone could be involved, mostly female, white middle class punks became a part of it; and eventually alienated other races and classes from joining.
This article also discusses the topic of mainstream vs. independent. How does one get a political message out to the masses without being a "sell-out"? This is an issue that bands struggle with across all subcultures, not just riot grrrl. By joining a major label, bands lose subcultural capital (no longer being as cool), but may gain more fans due to exposure.
Although she attempts to mention that those involved struggled between having a political message or being musicians first, Schilt herself focuses a lot more on the politics than "the music itself". She uses lyrics as an example of the feminist nature of bands such as Bikini Kill, but says nothing of the music or sounds that the band created.
Schilt does mention that the riot grrrl subculture may have been frustrated with the increasing amount of moshing at concerts from punk bands at the time - does that mean riot grrrl bands played music less "moshable" than punk? does the riot grrrl genre have any specific musical characteristics other than being "punk"? Or is it just punk with a feminist political message? I'm more interested in "the music itself" in other words, not just its lyrics.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Critical Review #3: Maira 1999
Maira, Sunaina. "Identity Dub: The Paradoxes of an Indian American Youth Subculture (New York Mix)." Cultural Anthropology. Vol. 14, No. 1. 1999. pp. 29-60.
After starting in an ethnographic moment of an Indian American club scene, Maira argues that fashion and music as displayed in such clubs and desi parties are of the utmost importance to the Indian American youth subculture. The second-generation subculture mixes hip-hop with traditional Indian music brought from overseas, therefore giving them a unique identity of both the old and the new. However, she points out that this does not necessarily mean that the group is trying to assimulate and become part of the "melting pot" by mixing the two cultures.
Maira also points out that the although the subculture likes to hold onto both American and Indian aspects in their life, many times these two different cultures can be at odds. She writes about a few teenagers who have to change clothes before going out, so they may be wearing conservative clothes in front of their parents, but more provacative clothes upon entering the club. She also writes about the male notion that Indian females should be cool, and therefore go to the parties, but also maintain a virtuous side, so that they can be good wives someday.
A quote in the piece I found interesting was a quote from Simon Frith: "for young people... music probably has the most important role in the mapping of social networks, determining how and where they meet and court and party." (34)
I do not totally agree with this sentiment. While I agree that it has meaning to me, because I place so much importance on music, I know many others that do not find music as important in their lives. They'll listen to a certain genre, but perhaps not as often as I do, nor do they place the importance of making friends who share their taste. Some of my friends and I don't listen to the same type of music at all. We met each other through sports teams or clubs, but not music. Music is important to the lives of young people - but the most important? That may be a bit too strong of a phrase. Besides music, what else plays an important role in the social networks of a culture?
After starting in an ethnographic moment of an Indian American club scene, Maira argues that fashion and music as displayed in such clubs and desi parties are of the utmost importance to the Indian American youth subculture. The second-generation subculture mixes hip-hop with traditional Indian music brought from overseas, therefore giving them a unique identity of both the old and the new. However, she points out that this does not necessarily mean that the group is trying to assimulate and become part of the "melting pot" by mixing the two cultures.
Maira also points out that the although the subculture likes to hold onto both American and Indian aspects in their life, many times these two different cultures can be at odds. She writes about a few teenagers who have to change clothes before going out, so they may be wearing conservative clothes in front of their parents, but more provacative clothes upon entering the club. She also writes about the male notion that Indian females should be cool, and therefore go to the parties, but also maintain a virtuous side, so that they can be good wives someday.
A quote in the piece I found interesting was a quote from Simon Frith: "for young people... music probably has the most important role in the mapping of social networks, determining how and where they meet and court and party." (34)
I do not totally agree with this sentiment. While I agree that it has meaning to me, because I place so much importance on music, I know many others that do not find music as important in their lives. They'll listen to a certain genre, but perhaps not as often as I do, nor do they place the importance of making friends who share their taste. Some of my friends and I don't listen to the same type of music at all. We met each other through sports teams or clubs, but not music. Music is important to the lives of young people - but the most important? That may be a bit too strong of a phrase. Besides music, what else plays an important role in the social networks of a culture?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Ethnography Project Proposal: US Premier Rock Festivals
For my project, I would like to focus on the so-called "premier" rock music festivals in the United States. These include South by Southwest, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits. Many people travel hundreds or thousands of miles to attend these concerts, braving harsh heat, rain, and other weather. Their price tag alone is enough to deter some listeners. Therefore, what types of people decide to attend these concerts?
I know that I personally drove to Lollapalooza last year to be a part of the action. Therefore, I have some opinions on the subject already, but I will base my research on web research and interviews of attendees of such shows. Furthermore, I will use interviews from bands who have played at such festivals, from both the media and my position at WBRU in Providence.
There is a lot more to music festivals than just "the music itself". The people that attend the events create a certain attitude - is there a way to define this intangible feeling? Furthermore, sponsors and vendors create all types of exhibits, games, and other events during the shows. How do these factor in to a concert-goer's experience?
In addition to the thoughts already posed above, some other questions I would like to answer in my project include:
-What makes these particular concerts stand out among all the music festivals in the US?
------What makes them different from regular concerts?
------What makes them different from other festivals?
-What types of people attend these events?
------How many are "repeat consumers"? Do they form a type of community?
------How many are one time attendees? Why do the choose to only go?
-What aspects of premier rock festivals do attendees most enjoy?
-Who organizes these events?
------How do they get the majority of their money? (Ticket sales, sponsors?)
------How do they affect the cities that host them?
-What types of bands play at these events? What has their experience been like?
------Why do many of the same bands attend all of these shows in a particular year?
------How do they change their set from a normal concert? (Besides duration)
Sources:
"Music Festivals" in Music Scenes: Local, Translocal, and Virtual. p149-167.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_festival
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/17492739.html
Extra Stuff:
Bonnaroo's 2009 Lineup!
Girl Talk from Lollapalooza 2008!
I know that I personally drove to Lollapalooza last year to be a part of the action. Therefore, I have some opinions on the subject already, but I will base my research on web research and interviews of attendees of such shows. Furthermore, I will use interviews from bands who have played at such festivals, from both the media and my position at WBRU in Providence.
There is a lot more to music festivals than just "the music itself". The people that attend the events create a certain attitude - is there a way to define this intangible feeling? Furthermore, sponsors and vendors create all types of exhibits, games, and other events during the shows. How do these factor in to a concert-goer's experience?
In addition to the thoughts already posed above, some other questions I would like to answer in my project include:
-What makes these particular concerts stand out among all the music festivals in the US?
------What makes them different from regular concerts?
------What makes them different from other festivals?
-What types of people attend these events?
------How many are "repeat consumers"? Do they form a type of community?
------How many are one time attendees? Why do the choose to only go?
-What aspects of premier rock festivals do attendees most enjoy?
-Who organizes these events?
------How do they get the majority of their money? (Ticket sales, sponsors?)
------How do they affect the cities that host them?
-What types of bands play at these events? What has their experience been like?
------Why do many of the same bands attend all of these shows in a particular year?
------How do they change their set from a normal concert? (Besides duration)
Sources:
"Music Festivals" in Music Scenes: Local, Translocal, and Virtual. p149-167.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_festival
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/17492739.html
Extra Stuff:
Bonnaroo's 2009 Lineup!
Girl Talk from Lollapalooza 2008!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Critical Review #2: Hodkinson 2004
Hodkinson, Paul. "Translocal Connections in the Goth Scene."
from: Bennett, Andy and Richard A. Peterson. ed. Music Scenes: Local, Translocal, and Virtual. Vanderbilt University Press; Nashville. 2004. 131-148.
In this piece, Hodkinson focuses on what he terms the "abstract" and the "concrete" areas of the goth scene, and how both demonstrate the translocality that this group possesses. During an ethnographic study in Britain, an abstract connection he found was that goths had similar attitudes and tastes toward both the glamorous and macabre. In addition, many valued the same subcultural capital, as evidenced by the concrete evidence found in the number of identical articles of clothing or cds that the goths owned.
Furthermore, Hodkinson emphasizes the fact that although there are slight differences between goths from specific areas, their similarities trump all. They do not discriminate against goths who are not from their town. In fact, many agreed that they would like to meet non-local goths, which is evident due to the success of the Whitby Gothic Weekend in uniting goths from all different areas around Britain.
Discussion Question:
Has the "fanzine" lost all of its popularity? Is the internet completely responsible for the demise of the fanzine? What are some negative consequences of losing this media item?
from: Bennett, Andy and Richard A. Peterson. ed. Music Scenes: Local, Translocal, and Virtual. Vanderbilt University Press; Nashville. 2004. 131-148.
In this piece, Hodkinson focuses on what he terms the "abstract" and the "concrete" areas of the goth scene, and how both demonstrate the translocality that this group possesses. During an ethnographic study in Britain, an abstract connection he found was that goths had similar attitudes and tastes toward both the glamorous and macabre. In addition, many valued the same subcultural capital, as evidenced by the concrete evidence found in the number of identical articles of clothing or cds that the goths owned.
Furthermore, Hodkinson emphasizes the fact that although there are slight differences between goths from specific areas, their similarities trump all. They do not discriminate against goths who are not from their town. In fact, many agreed that they would like to meet non-local goths, which is evident due to the success of the Whitby Gothic Weekend in uniting goths from all different areas around Britain.
Discussion Question:
Has the "fanzine" lost all of its popularity? Is the internet completely responsible for the demise of the fanzine? What are some negative consequences of losing this media item?
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