Friday Blog #3 & #4

Week Three and Four: 9/23 - 10/7

Within these two weeks I read from pages 231 to 420 of Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad.

New Vocabulary

-catharsis: (259)the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

-precipitously: (231)  very steep, happening in a very quick and sudden way, done too quickly and without enough thought or planning

-charlatans: (232) a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill; a fraud.

-syncopations: (239) a temporary displacement of the regular metrical accent in music caused typically by stressing the weak beat.

-archetype: (233) a very typical example of a certain person or thing.

-blasphemous: (238) sacrilegious against God or sacred things; profane.

-gurus: (256) an influential teacher or popular expert.

-juxtaposition: (262) the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

-galvanized: (274) shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action.

-rembrandt: (289) something dead, cool, and classic

-amicable: (310) (of relations between people) having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor.

-impunity: (327) exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.

-simulacrum: (331) an image or representation of someone or something, or an unsatisfactory imitation or substitute.

-puerile: (337) childishly silly and trivial.

-laconic: (349) (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words.

-introspective: (350) characterized by or given to introspection.

-bastion: (377) an institution, place, or person strongly defending or upholding particular principles, attitudes, or activities.

-bespoke: (392) (of goods, especially clothing) made to order.

-affinity: (400) a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something.

-wry: (416) using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humor, or (of a person's face or features) twisted into an expression of disgust, disappointment, or annoyance.

-fecklessly: (415) "ineffective," but is also used to describe someone who is irresponsible, incompetent, inept, or without purpose in life

Analytical Blog #3

In Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad, there is a recurring theme of sobriety. Some bands throughout the book have not remained sober, and in some cases the abuse of alcohol, drugs, and other substances was a major factor as to why a band broke up. On the other hand, I think that many bands either succeeded or strived to remain sober and live without unnecessary distractions, as well as encourage their fans to do the same. I keep reading about the term “straight edge”. Sadly the whole concept of being straight edge at the time was considered to be “uncool” or what have you but I think one of the best parts of the indie scene is being cool was so unimportant that it was in a way, a goal to not fit in. Being a member of a band is like being a teammate on a sports team. One person could potentially bring down the entire team if there become an issue regarding lack of effort when the rest of the team is working as hard as they can reach their shared goal.

In Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad, there is a recurring theme of sobriety. Some bands throughout the book have not remained sober, and in some cases the abuse of alcohol, drugs, and other substances was a major factor as to why a band broke up. On the other hand, I think that many bands either succeeded or strived to remain sober and live without unnecessary distractions, as well as encourage their fans to do the same. I keep reading about the term “straight edge”. Sadly the whole concept of being straight edge at the time was considered to be “uncool” or what have you but I think one of the best parts of the indie scene is being cool was so unimportant that it was in a way, a goal to not fit in. Being a member of a band is like being a teammate on a sports team. One person could potentially bring down the entire team if there become an issue regarding lack of effort when the rest of the team is working as hard as they can reach their shared goal.

picture link

In general the bands that remained sober were a lot more influential to me personally. The stayed true to their vision and were consistent in advocating for those who didn’t have the desire to completely numb themselves to their surroundings. They stood for something real. Something unaltered and true. That is the kind of music and the kind of role models that I am happy exist. There is a lot of pressure to abuse drugs and alcohol today, probably more than there was back then. But when I, and many others, listen to “straight edge” punk music, all of that pressure feels insignificant. Listening to music from the underground indie scene in the Eighties and Nineties makes me feel like not conforming to what a majority of my social surroundings perceive as “cool”, makes me a better person and makes me proud of giving myself the opportunity to take in as many experiences as life has to offer, that others may be closed off to due to the lack of sobriety.

Screaming for a Change by Uniform Choice

Quote Blog #3

This week while reading Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azerrad wrote about Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, and the beginnings of Big Black. This section of the book highlighted the struggles and the journey each band went through to achieve their goals and get to the point of success (whatever success meant to each individual band). Because they signed with independent labels and were part of the underground punk scene, it was not as easy to gather a huge following or be accepted by venues where they could potentially find financial income. Having a smaller and tighter group of people that cared about their music and shared their vision was exactly what they strived for but created financial hardships, and blurred the lines of being successful and staying loyal to their original beliefs.

picture link:

When writing about Sonic Youth, Michael Azerrad wrote, “Even their intensity functioned as a shield. ‘If you put out a certain amount of energy while you’re doing something,’ says Gordon, ‘it’s almost like a buffer so nothing else can come of it.’ Even the lyrics are guarded - often, they are opaque, even nonsensical; when they are personal, they are heavily veiled,” (259). In this quote Azerrad was explaining that sometimes punk bands, or just bands in general, (but specifically Sonic Youth in this instance), can feel uncomfortable being fully emotionally vulnerable when performing or making music. Kim Gordon, a member of Sonic Youth, was explaining that there is a lot of emotions within their music and the work she does but it feels safer to be more vague and metaphorical within lyrics and by being very aggressive and loud while performing, it helps mask vulnerability that comes from expressing one’s true emotions.

This quote is very interesting to me for a couple of reasons. While listening to music on the radio, it is common to hear the artist being very open and vocal about how they feel, like in love songs and what have you. I think that in a way this reflects the ability we as a society have generally have found to express our emotions and be okay with being open to others. I am not saying that people were not open with their feeling in the Eighties and Nineties; there were many strong opinions being shared at that time. I do believe that many people are closed off and self conscience about being themselves and voicing their true opinions. I found that the quote, although made in the Eighties by a member in a Punk band from New York City speaking about their music, it relates to the modern day youth. Translating this quote from being really loud and maybe not very open when writing lyrics to the way we work socially, I think is a huge connection. With social media and countless levels of peer pressure that we face every day, it can be hard to feel comfortable exposing your true feelings, or even your real personality. It’s a lot easier for many people to put on a front or not really say what you mean when placed in a social setting. So, I just thought it was very interesting that there is a connection between two very different groups, teens in 2016 and punks in the Eighties.

Quote Blog #2

The section of the Our Band could Be Your Life that I read this week, Michael Azerrad finished discussing Minor Threat, and wrote about Husker Du, and The Replacements. Through celebrating individual thinking, personal autonomy, and their artistic expression, these bands inspired adolescents and young adults in the Eighties and Nineties that either didn’t fit in, or simply didn’t believe in fitting in. They didn’t want to fit in because these musicians and fans viewed conformity as a limit to creativity, and in a way, an easy way out. Being the minority and sticking to what you believe in is no easy task. It can be financially tolling, one could face people that oppose what you believe in like police brutality and rejection from the music world.

Independent bands represented independent thoughts and motivated people to not fear voicing their opinions and sticking to their personal morals or values. In reference to underground punk music Michael Azarrad wrote, “The music was resolutely unmelodic, humbly recorded, and vastly unsexy. It was a point of honor not to reach out beyond their own nationwide tribe. It was not only a way to feel powerful at a time in life when one can feel particularly powerless: the Man would never take this music away,” (151). No one can take away your ability to express yourself and let yourself understand that perfection isn’t possible nor is it important. Sometimes having something very simple in front of you can make you think harder help appreciate the energy that came from the artist or musician that created or express the troubles of not feeling control.

Abstract drawings aren't beautiful and precise but have so much meaning and emotion in the gesture “The Man” could metaphorically be any factor that has a large presence or potentially a large influence over one’s life. “The Man” in this quote was referring to the government, law enforcers, etc. I personally thought one could also associate the term with mental illness or internal difficulties, people in your social life that you may feel pressured by or just your social surroundings in general, authority figures, and anything that may lead to insecurities or criticism. Abstract art is like breaking free from the traditional ways of viewing the world in the same sense of breaking free from social norms and what was also expected in the music world during the Eighties and Nineties.  

Here are some abstract drawings I have done:

Music Video to Husker Du's "Makes No Sense At All"

Friday Blog #2

Week Two: 9/9 - 9/22

This week Pages 136 to 230 of Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad.

New Vocabulary

-vehement: (137) showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense

-mercenary: (145) (of a person or their behavior) primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics

-camaraderie: (148) mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.

-hucksterism: (151) a person who employs showy methods to effect a sale, win votes, etc.: the crass methods of political hucksters.

-elitist: (156) a person who believes that a system or society should be ruled or dominated by an elite.

-benediction: (161) the utterance or bestowing of a blessing, especially at the end of a religious service

-counterculture: (167) a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm

-pragmatism: (173) an approach that assesses the truth of meaning of theories or beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application.

-preeminent: (174) surpassing all others; very distinguished in some way.

-shambolic: (211) chaotic, disorganized, or mismanaged

Analytical Blog #1

Throughout Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad, there is a constant symbol of conformity (or lack thereof). By not representing themselves through big labels like CBS and WEA and creating music through independent labels, bands in a way are rebelling against societal standards through rebelling against the social norms within the music business. Fans of underground music and the musicians that created the underground scene, are resisting conformity not just in music, but in the way they live their lives. In the introduction Azerrad explained that “The breakthrough realization that you didn’t have to be a blow-dried guitar god to be a valid rock musician ran deep; it was liberating on many levels, especially from what many perceived as the selfishness, greed, and arrogance of Reagan’s America,” (6). People were no longer putting a huge level of importance into what the majority believed and lived by, and focusing on how amazing it is to be apart of something much deeper even if it is the minority.

There was such an obvious outbreak of superficial and fake lifestyles, it was just natural for some people to feel angry or out of place, or both. In the 1980’s when indie punk and hardcore Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States. Politics is the equivalent of controversy in a general sense so of course people around the country had strong views on the vast amount of social issues that were plaguing America at the time. If you listen to some of the bands that are covered in the book you will find that there is a strong political vibe throughout a lot of their work. Many musicians in the punk and hardcore scene share the same frustration and anger towards the amount of contradiction that came with the republican and conservative values. It is so interesting to hear and see that in addition to the lyrics, the sudden bursts of noise, and the relentless aggression that you can feel while listening ties in so deeply with anti-conformity. By making music that doesn't sound pretty and is so raw and straight forward, the bands are directly and indirectly going against what was expected from the average American citizen.

In music at the time “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll” was just how rock music was. Punk and hardcore completely challenged it (or at least a large fraction of the bands). The idea was to promote individual thinking. Inspire people to not numb themselves to all of the experiences that were available to them and not limit themselves to the amount of information or ideas they could take in and process. The term “straight edge” was a word commonly expressed among this music scene. Drinking and giving into substance appeared to be just a normal or at least accepted aspect within the youth’s social world. Conforming to regular social norms was unnecessary and took away from the powerful experience. To truly understand and fully be able to form one’s own opinion, it was completely necessary to be present.

http://www.ifsociety.com/img_upload/artists/243a.jpg

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiQi-nQw6XPAhVDOz4KHUZVAgMQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fkim67melton%2Fpunk-rock%2F&psig=AFQjCNEit-cHd7O8Rc634FqmrYZNgWQPpQ&ust=1474721352427980

Music Video to Minor Threat's "Straight Edge"

Quote Blog #1

The pages I read throughout the first week of read Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad covered four chapters that talk about four different bands. I read about Black Flag, The Minutemen, Mission of Burma, and the some of Minor Threat. It is interesting because each chapter is not connected to the last but each band has a different story as to how they found themselves in the underground indie scene. While reading this week I noticed that although each chapter held history and backgrounds from many different parts of America like California to Washington D.C., these bands are so unified in the sense of their beliefs and agendas.

I quickly understood in the first couple of pages that the author has amazing insights and understandings of the true essence of the American Indie Underground Movement. Maybe I am just biased because the bands he writes about are some of my favorites, but Michael Azerrad adds many quotes and pieces of interviews in his book, which I find brings a huge sense of life and realness to his work. Azerrad added a quote on page 119 by the lead singer of Minor Threat, “A lot of people I know - everyone, maybe - just feel a great uselessness. You’re a human being and the world is so big; everything is just so untouchable. They just want to do something that they can be a part of and they can mold and they can make,” (Ian MacKaye, 1983). Essentially MacKaye was describing the idea that the world we live in is so large and inconceivable while most people have the need to somehow find a place in it. Commonly, this feeling leads to a desire to somehow make a difference, affect one’s environment, and provoke someone to feel something. Even if it is just a small influence, people just want there to be meaning in what they do with the time they have.

    This quote is very much open to interpretation and in my opinion I honestly think anyone can resonate with the general message Ian MacKaye was speaking of. Personally, when reading the quote I immediately thought about my desire to pursue a life in the art world. There are endless possibilities surrounding art and the entire world is influenced by the creations of countless artists within it. Finding a place in this type of environment is very easy and also very difficult at the same time. Although one can simply choose to express themselves through art and writing, many people associate success with the number of people who know your name or failure with the amount of money you make, but in my opinion that is not the case. Of course it is common for and an artist to desire validation for the work they give so much meaning to but in the end I feel that as long as your work has some importance to you, it shouldn’t matter nearly as much if it is acknowledged in the same way by others. The art world is such a vast and open area that it is somewhat hopeless to try to find one’s place in it. Taking that into consideration, I find that breaking down the concept of the art world into the fairly small amount of people that I have the opportunity to share either my writing or my art work with, proves to make a small difference and that small difference sincerely makes me feel like I belong to something because I have accomplished to touch even just the life of one person, with something I have created and found a way to visually put a piece of me into the world.

Friday Blog #1

Week One: 9/8 - 9/16

This week I read page 1 to page 135 of Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad

New Vocabulary

-conglomerates: (3) noun - a number of different things or parts that are put or grouped together to form a whole but remain distinct entities. verb - gather together into a compact mass.

-behemoths: (5) noun - something enormous, especially a big and powerful organization. - a huge or monstrous creature.

-political radicalism: (6) noun - denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways.

-stoicism: (9) noun - the endurance of pain or hardship without a display of feelings and without complaint.

-yuppies: (9) noun - a well-paid young middle-class professional who works in a city job and has a luxurious lifestyle.

-dilapidated: (17) adjective - in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect.

-sardonic: (19) adjective - grimly mocking or cynical

-enigmatic: (19) adjective - difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.

-disaffected: (20) adjective - dissatisfied with the people in authority and no longer willing to support them.

-tribulation: (44) noun - a cause or state of great trouble or suffering.

-synergy: (99) noun - the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

-cataclysmic: (112) adjective - relating to or denoting a violent natural event.

-syncopation: (131) noun -  a temporary displacement of the regular metrical accent in music caused typically by stressing the weak beat.

 

Quarter One Plan

My first quarter topic will be on 80’s and 90’s rock music. Since a young age, music has been a huge part of my life. People have been able to create bonds and connections through different genres of music for centuries. One of the best parts of music is that it lives forever and will continue to have meaning decades later. Music isn’t just for one specific group of people or one generation. It is meant to touch the lives of anyone who can find meaning in it which I find so important. Throughout my life I have been exposed to many different types of music, whether it be from family members, friends, or just my own discoveries. I began exploring music from the Eighties and Nineties when I was around fourteen and it opened my mind to so much. In those decades there were so many new beginnings and people had a new sense of empowerment. Music was becoming more than fame and glamour. It was becoming an outlet for people who felt discontent with the way things were socially, politically, and personally. I am looking forward to reading about artists in the Eighties and Nineties, and the journeys they went through to transform not only the music world, but the culture that derived from it.
 

Essential Questions

-What motivates people to create music?

-In what ways does the area in which a band comes from affect their music or image?

-Does music shape culture or does culture shape music?

-How does politics affect music?

-In what ways did music from Eighties and Nineties challenge the social norms of that time?

Book List

-Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad

-Controversies of the Music Industry by Richard D. Barnet & Larry L. Burriss

-Parents Aren’t Supposed To Understand by David P. Bianco

-American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Bush

-Dance of Days - Two Decades Of Punk In The Nation’s Capital by Mark Anderson & Mark Jenkins

-The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Neil Strauss
 

Reading Calendar

9/15 - pg.135 (Start Our Band Could Be Your Life)

9/22 - pg.230

9/29 - pg.290

10/6 - pg. 420

10/13 - pg.501 (Finish Our Band Could Be Your Life)

10/20 - pg.90 (Start Controversies of the Music Industry)

10/27 - pg.180

10/3 - pg.270 (Finish Controversies of the Music Industry)