"Early Rock 'n' Roll" presentation
All:
Please read and respond (via "Comments") to at least 3 of the following observations/queries arising from this presentation. Both team members and other class members should comment, and should particularly focus on ways in which insights from this presentation reflect, nuance, or contradict insights from your own fieldwork. Make sure your comments address this latter point.
Website at http://www.webpages.ttu.edu/cpeoples/
Please read and respond (via "Comments") to at least 3 of the following observations/queries arising from this presentation. Both team members and other class members should comment, and should particularly focus on ways in which insights from this presentation reflect, nuance, or contradict insights from your own fieldwork. Make sure your comments address this latter point.
Website at http://www.webpages.ttu.edu/cpeoples/
- You mentioned that the “Majority of building is not taken up with Buddy Holly”, despite the fact that it is named after Buddy Holly. Why might this be? What are the issues of "cultural ownership" and "cultural power" that are involved in the naming of things? If the building entails a number of other functions, what does that reveal about community and/or cultural priorities?
- As I said in class, this is an excellent example of “urban ethnomusicology”. What sorts of tools does this require? What is the impact of presentational choices (e.g., how, using what methods, and with what sort of structure) upon your presentation's clarity and impact? How can an ethnographer make sure that the format in which the data is presented avoids distorting (and ideally clarifies and deepens) the insights implicit in the data?
- Good observation about the necessity of timely attendance at crucial events, regardless of their convenience. What are other examples, from other teams' experience and from our readings, in which an ethnographer found him/herself unexpectedly provided an opportunity for fieldwork? How do you, as fieldworker, make sure you're prepared?
- Issues of “identity,” “appropriation,” and “ownership”; who owns a cultural legacy?
- Unpack nature of your own interactions;
- Nice observations about future work; eg. “so what and who cares”?
- Good question about generational stuff and “passing on” of cultural value
posted by CJS at 11:26 AM
22 Comments:
2.) Conducting an urban ethno project music means you must be prepared at all time. Thus, I always carried a backpack containing a digital camera (that also has video capability although limiting), a small digital audio recorder, legal pads and pens, and my letter of introduction. For an urban project, a website is a good way to present the material because many in the community have access to and are adept with using the Internet.
4.) Who owns a cultural legacy? This can be a dissertation in itself. In Lubbock, the city and those it gives power make decisions on the cultural legacy events that take place. Although the Hispanic community has large well organized events they are not promoted within and outside of the region as much as the music festival that has focused primarily on early rock and roll.
6.) So what and who cares? When you a re spending 125K and up for events and promoting them with a particular theme, everyone in the community is affect because it is placing a possible “label” upon the community, and has an economic impact on the city’s business community. I think the city’s festival promotions are an injustice to the community because it focuses on only one kind of music. This region is very diverse and needs a more comprehensive festival. In 1999 they had the Crossroads music festival which had many styles of music and was well attended by a variegated audience.
3. Here’s a great example: http://muhl5321.blogspot.com/2006/10/bonus-fieldwork.html
I just went to see a friend play but I found out that three of the band members were products of the SPC program. I wasn’t exactly prepared, so I had to take my notes on the back of a DPS form.
5. I found this aspect of the research particularly disorienting. Being an extrovert, I usually don’t need to find a reason to interact with people. As such, I had no problem going in and quickly forging relationships with the similarly extroverted members of target community. The problem came when it was time for me to switch from “I’m getting to know you in a friend sort of way” mode to “I need some information from you in a researcher sort of way” mode. I’m sure that there’s a delicate dance here that is all part of the research-chops thing. Now I can see how a longer period of contact with the community would help with this problem.
7. Bluegrass and western swing aren’t exactly white-hot commodities in the recording industry, but the instructors are passing it down to their students at SPC. One informant spoke of the need to “keep the pedal steel alive.”
1. Interesting about “Buddy Holly Center” not being completely devoted to Buddy Holly. I’m wondering if the intent behind the building was to put a famous face out to the public in hopes of bringing in ‘tourists’. With a slightly more positive outlook, was the intent to bring an association of the advocating of visual and performing arts with a famous name, who may have dealt with the same issues being deal with by artists today.
3. Great example- the famous cockfight observed by Clifford Geertz. Enthographers may often find themselves unintentionally in fieldwork situations. The best way to be prepared, if there is one, is too be as informed as possible (without bias) before launching into a community that may be associated with your researched topic. Be prepared, but don’t be afraid of human error. You are, of course, observing something that is human. Be a novice, and let yourself be taught by the situation. While having tried to research Ballet Folklorico before entering the community, my ignorance as to what was going to happen next may have led to a less bias interpretation of the information and a willingness to allow unexpected field work experiences to happen.
7. Passing on of cultural value… This is very interesting to me. I never thought of the cultural value genre of music in the United States as having a need to be passed on. I know that view is archaic and rather naive…. It brings up a good point of inquiry into the culture of a country built on the histories and cultures of other nations and regions (even if that ‘acceptance’ is widely disappearing… sorry, political plug… I digress). Point being, this presentation opened my eyes to the advocating of a music that perhaps changed society and marked a turning point in our nations social behavior. I see a parallel into Ballet Folklorico, in that its purpose is some cases is to pass down a realization of cultural value to a generation that may, like myself, be clueless.
1 and 4. Ownership of cultural legacy is such an interesting idea. Why is the Buddly Holly center so named if such a small portion of the building is dedicated to his legacy? The cynic in me believes this is in some degree driven by consumerism. Iconography is a powerful advertising tool, for example Coca Cola.
3. The Balinese Cock Fight article is another example of timely ethnography. A researcher who is an outsider does not have the insight to understand the importance of events until after significant hind-sight. This does lead to an interesting question, if you don't know what you are looking for, how can you be prepared?
3. Although we did not have to deal with a lot of unexpected fieldwork. We can still very much relate to the idea of untimely fieldwork that is done despite of its inconvenience. Because salsa nights are generally events that are done at dance clubs and bars it tends to make events happen very late at night, and at least here at he venues in Lubbock, these events happen in the middle of the week. Even though being there late during the middle of the week was taxing in addition to classes, our regular attendance was crucial in the people their believing in our dedication to actually give an accurate representation as well as simply being able to develop more personal relationships with the insiders in this community.
5. The nature of our own interactions with the people at the salsa nights where ones of mostly all positive experiences. We came across a bunch of really nice people that where excited in our interest in learning more about an even that plays a very important role in their lives. For many of the people that attend these salsa nights, this is the one time in the week that these people are able to catch up with their old friends and keep up important relationships. It was very fun and rewarding to see these people come to really look forward to our attendance as well as their other friends.
6. We also have some ideas of things we would like to do for future research in the salsa community. There had recently started in our last couple of weeks a dance competition that was to be a several week process which Jacob, the director of the salsa night at Melt, was hoping would bring in more people. This was an area in which we would have liked to have further explore how the insider vs. outsider mix was effected as well as the dynamic and sense of community that goes on at Melt.
3) A day or two after this assignment first got started, Mariachi Amistad played in the Student Union. I went down to observe them, but at that point in the project I really had no clue what I was looking for, or listening for. Unfortunately I did not take any notes, but it did end being the group we "focused" on.
1) Judging from some of the pictures it looks like the Buddy Holly center is used for gatherings and celebrations. This shows a feeling in the culture of the community coming together around music, and we "cash in" the Buddy Holly name, since it's all we got. Buddy Holly put Lubbock on the map, so it is only natural that there are "shrines" to him.
Danielle’s Early Rock ‘n’ Roll Comments
1. The fact that the building is actually named after Buddy Holly can reflect Buddy’s enormous influence and significance in the community. After all, the building could’ve been named after anyone else or given a generic museum title. Thus, he must be viewed as an integral part of the community’s culture to have been included and recognized in this fashion.
3. An example of an unexpected fieldwork opportunity was found in our reading of The Canned Sardine Takes the Mic. Our salsa group had unexpected opportunities when our group found out about the salsa night at Melt by accident. My first dancing opportunity was also very unexpected when I found myself being dragged out onto the dance floor by a dance instructor present.
6. Future research in the realm of salsa could include investigating the new salsa night which will be opening on Friday or Saturday night at Fire and Ice. It would also be interesting to see the impact of the dance contests and how that impacts attendance at Melt’s salsa night.
1. I think the importance of naming places has both increased in propensity and decreased in meaning. We see more and more places named by sponsors or large corporations whose only desire is to make money from their investment. The value of a name is now clearly defined in doller values as opposed to cultural significance.
The concern over a name is one of the motivations behind VoL's separation from an established church. Instead of being associated with the name of a church, they formed their own name which could communicate different things.
4. The contestation of identity is also seen in our fieldwork with VoL. Gospel music has aquired many different prefix words, for example urban gospel or new soul gospel, in order to allow people to distinguish the music they listen to from other musics.
7. The passing on of cultural and music values was quite apparent at the Meadow Musical. What speaks out the most to me is the young musician playing and learning from the older musicians in the room. Playing bass inadequately and being “demoted” to the mandolin.
1. In Meadow, the gathering place is called the Meadow Musical. This identifies the building with a specific purpose, music. Including Meadow in the title may have just been convenience, or it could serve in building a strong communal identity, “We are Meadow and music is important to use”. The interior of the building, while conducive to music making and enjoying, seems to hold other functions as well. While not observed it appears that town meetings are held in this location, and the presence of a snack bar indicates that other social events other than music are held in the building.
4. A good example of contestation over who has control over a cultural legacy can be seen in the Dunbar-Hall article. The Indonesian government wanted to exploit Balinese culture in order to bring in tourism. Left alone this would have presented a far different view of the Balinese people and their culture than desired. The Balinese authorities declared what they perceived to be the appropriate kind of tourism and as a result channel where and what is seen of their culture.
3. One night, I was just going to Cricket’s to hang out with some friends. I did not really think about the fact that it was a Tuesday and one of our informants would be performing there. When we arrived, it was a set break so no one was on stage and I still didn’t realize John was performing that night. I got a drink with some friends at sat down at a table. Five minutes later, John jumps on stage and starts playing “Piano Man.” I was so mad at myself for not thinking about this opportunity. But then I remembered I still had some notebook paper and a pen in my purse, so I began to take notice of the performance and the audience.
4. In my opinion, I think the family should own a “cultural legacy” legally. It’s like and inheritance passed down. If the family wants to build a memorial or a location in which the items of that legacy are stored and maintained, I think that’s appropriate. I believe that if they want to donate the items to the “space” that the cultural legacy has impacted, I believe that’s appropriate as well. As we know, “space” is…wide, so that comment is kind of left wide open
5. I think the implication of future work shows the impact of how this fieldwork pushed its way into the lives of it’s researchers. I know that in my experience, my fieldwork won’t necessarily continue, but my visits to the Koko will. I think this is important for the “so what and who cares” because it shows a more personal level to this fieldwork. I wasn’t solely about number crunching, taking notes, and analyzing data. It was about the people.
1. I figured the building was so sparse with actual Buddy Holly artifacts because it was one young man focusing on one aspect of his life. They had what artifacts the city had acquired. The family donated a few I believe, but they all focused on his rock and roll career, which was very short because of his sudden death.
2. I think urban ethnomusicology really requires and understanding of the culture, just as with every type of ethnomusicology. It is however, perhaps slightly harder because one has to overcome their own preconceived notions since they will most likely be relatively knowledgeable on some aspect of the subcommunity (language, heritage, religion, etc.).
4. I think was one of the most interesting issues we encountered. “Owning” a legacy seems completely immoral to me. In my mind it is paralleled with slavery. Yes, the person is dead, but the fact that they are dead takes away their voice just as the status of a person in slavery takes away their voice. Either way people are trying to use a person for their own gain, usually through money or status. How to overcome this I’m not sure, since there is no way to give a legacy a voice.
3. Danielle and I had one "impromptu" field experience for which I posted field notes. I think we were actually fairly prepared because I (stereotypically) carry about a billion things around in my purse. Among those things was a pen, and a mini composition book that I used to take field notes in for most of the prokect so that came in handy. We also got together after everything to trade ideas.
I also had a semi-impromptu experience. One night I showed up at Melt fairly early and the kitchen was open so I ordered an appetizer (very tasty). I had my handy-dandy notebook with me so I whipped out a pen and looked over what was on the menu because I think what's on a menu is a pretty big clue as to the economic/social status of a business. There were actually several items on the menu that you wouldn't find at a "blue-collar" resteraunt, but they also had several versions of a hamburger, which is the ultimate "safe" food to order at a resteraunt. I also got the chance to see people interact as they came in for work, such as Jacob, the regular hostess, and DJ Mario. I also had my camera and took advantage of the slightly better lighting to get a picture of the inside of Melt. I think on almost every occasion at least two people in our group had a camera. That really helped out because it kept us ready for anything. Any special thing happening could be caught on camera or in notes.
4. A very common theme in our fieldwork was the proprietary attitude of the majority of our informants. Everybody seemed to believe that they were integral to salsa, either for the business, the music, or as a part of the scene. This was never really disputed between informants and it was interesting to note that they all seemed to share the idea that they all had a stake in what was going on. It was a very "we" attitude, but without the "us" and "them" connotation. Everyone was willing to share the salsa toy and not hoarde it to themselves.
7. Many people in the salsa community expressed an interest in expanding salsa in Lubbock. They wanted more people to know about salsa night, more people to be interested and invested in what was going on and were happy to give us any and all information they could. By being open about salsa night and about the community, the history, and their own love of salsa music and dance, they can "pass on" the culture not through generations, but through new faces in the community. For example, DJ Mario commented that a lot of the foreign students and people in the community are transient, and rather than take a loss every time someone graduates or moves away, they'd prefer to just keep bringing in more local and permanant people so they can keep salsa alive in Lubbock.
Danielle’s Early Rock ‘n’ Roll Comments
1. The fact that the building is actually named after Buddy Holly can reflect Buddy’s enormous influence and significance in the community. After all, the building could’ve been named after anyone else or given a generic museum title. Thus, he must be viewed as an integral part of the community’s culture to have been included and recognized in this fashion.
3. An example of an unexpected fieldwork opportunity was found in our reading of The Canned Sardine Takes the Mic. Our salsa group had unexpected opportunities when our group found out about the salsa night at Melt by accident. My first dancing opportunity was also very unexpected when I found myself being dragged out onto the dance floor by a dance instructor present.
6. Future research in the realm of salsa could include investigating the new salsa night which will be opening on Friday or Saturday night at Fire and Ice. It would also be interesting to see the impact of the dance contests and how that impacts attendance at Melt’s salsa night.
1. I think that the building is called the Buddy Holly center for financial reasons. If it were called the Bud Jefferson center, who would go? No one knows Bud Jefferson. In fact, I don't even know a Bud Jefferson. It is the name that draws people in, and the items that keep them there. Buddy Holly is one of the most well known early rock and rollers. I think his name alone is enough to draw people into a building, and that is what the city of Lubbock os banking on.
3. I have a similar situation from the Gospel project. I was at the fair, before we had settled in on using the VOL as our main research, and I stumbled upon people singing gospel music. I did not think that I would stumble upon people singing gospel music at a county fair, and for that I was definately unprepared. I had no paper, pen, camera, or video camera. Luckily they had a flyer that I was able to take, but I wish I had paper and a pen to jot down some things that experienced.
6. I like Curtis' observation upon further investigation on this subject. I think it would be nice to do follow-up research on these topics or take them on different avenues, just for a different perspective. I would like to find another gospel choir in Lubbock and compare and contrast the two choirs.
The 'Buddy Holly' Center is another attempt by Lubbock to feign interest in what could have been (& should be) one of the biggest sources of regional (& national, & global) pride. the fact that most of the building is dedicated to selling stuff, (although in all fairness, they do try to sell stuff from Texas artists), is indicative of the community's interests, exploiting anything they can to make a couple of bucks while keeping it at arm's length.
Who owns cultural legacy? those who continue promoting it through performance, blood, sweat, & tears. Paul McCartney (ugh) owns as much of the Buddy Holly legacy as Marshall Crenshaw, Sonny Curtis, or Waylon Jennings (RIP). Whoever 'runs' the BHC owns nothing, & neither does Lubbock (IMO), they didn't care then & they don't care now.
3. One of the most memorable of the unexpected fieldwork experiences in the readings we were exposed to is that of the cock fight and the ethnographer running from the police with his soon-to-be informants. I think the only way you can really make sure you’re prepared for unexpected fieldwork is to keep your eyes and ears open and keep your mouth shut. Before you go into the fieldwork situation, I think you need to draw mental boundaries about what you’re willing to participate in and what you’re not, so that if questionable situations arise, you prepared to decide if you want to observe/participate or not. You should always keep a small notebook and pen with you so that you can jot down thoughts. Most importantly, be open.
6. So what and who cares? That’s what it all come down to really. At the end of the day, the fact that I believe SPC serves as a modern day form of Apprenticeship isn’t really what matters. What does matter, and what people should care about, is the idea that vernacular cultures adapt to changing contexts and landscapes. This tradition is surviving through programs like SPC and the musical landscapes surround the formal program.
7. One of the most interesting things I discovered about SPC, was that within ensembles there was the passing on of cultural values and musical priorities between generations (besides from professor to student). The fact that SPC’s ensembles are comprised of older musicians who have grown up in the tradition as well as younger musicians who are just starting in on the tradition means that the tradition still gets passed on from generation to generation. It doesn’t necessarily stay within the family like it used to, but it’s still transmitted from person to person through the generations.
2. It seems to me that “urban ethnomusicology” might require more networking tools. I say this because for most of our fieldwork, we might be attending rehearsals or performances of specific groups that we’re researching, where all the people are there maybe once a week for a specific amount of time, this is not the case for “urban ethnomusicology.”
6. I think the idea of what’s in store for the future of a music can offer a lot of insight into these questions, “so what and who cares?” Our own predictions as outsiders would be useful but more importantly, if we were to ask our informants about their opinion on where their music is going, this could shed some light on the reasoning behind what is really going on.
1. Lubbock has a place in the world because of Buddy Holly. Putting the name on this building helps in many ways. One, it gives the center great community clout. If it were called something else it may not get as much attention. Two, it makes it seem more like a museum. It does have a decent collection of memorabilia. Three, it makes it a venue for local musicians to play in front of audiences that may not care for the bar scene any more, but appreciate the music that is happening in the community.
1.4 What are the issue of “cultural ownership” and “cultural power” in Lubbock? When I was the first time here in Lubbock, I had several impression of the city. One of my thought was that here were many Hispanics and white Texan who have very strong personality image. Despite so many populations of Hispanics, I did not find enough clues for their culture. However, I saw a very strong white Texan culture. I think that Buddy Holly center and street are a very good example of that I mention. 5. As I mention above, Buddy Holly center and st. represent of Lubbock cultural ownership and power which is pretty much Rock ‘n’ roll basis. I think that this also could be a nature of Lubbock local music. For example, if you go any clubs or bars in Lubbock even not Buddy Holly st., you will most of time hear Rock ‘n’ roll music. Yes, there is some other kind music such as salsa, but their salsa is not good as real salsa group. I don’t think that even they are not closed to salsa. However, their rock music is absolutely strong than any others.
1. I remember being at the Buddy Holly Center for the Day of the Dead festival. I saw a flyer for calendar events and ‘happenings’ going on at the BHC while I was there. I was impressed to see that everyday there is something going on. There were Arts and Crafts and Guitar lessons to photo exhibits and meetings. It made me think that this was more of a ‘community center’ rather than just focusing on Buddy Holly. They started it as a tribute to Buddy and it became what it is today. I get vibes that are battles going on between what can be ‘Buddy Holly” related. If the name is all they can use with a small showcase, I think it is a tribute to name it after the building that houses great community events.
5. The nature of my interactions were different than the ‘everyday meetings’ I usually experience. We were lucky because the Southwest Collections had done research recently, so they were use to the idea of people asking questions and giving out great information. I am also an extrovert, so I tried to make situations as comfortable as possible for those we were with. I heard from one informant, Daniel the oral historian, that I was a warm person to talk to. I was happy to hear this because that is the vibe I want to put off to people we are trying to gain trust and information from.
7. I liked liz’s comment on cultural value for America. I don’t have as much pride in American music as those of the Ballet Folklorico community do. Most of my heritage is Kiowa Indian and I wished my grandparents would teach me heritage of it like those of the ballet folklorico community. The parents want their children to do it because they did it and it brings everyone great pride of Mexico. The teachers teach it because they are passing down the history and the knowledge of Mexico. This shows how much they do value their culture. I wish mine was the same.
2. I think this is perhaps the most crucial observation listed. The unique make-up of our group and the pairing of our group with our community, even more unique, in that we were not unique by our community's most superficial guidelines (caucasian Texan adults). We fit in like a glove so far as anyone knew. I'm about the only one who knew I didn't really "belong" in the sense of community membership. But to get back to my point, our tools were shaped dramatically by the sheer scale of the project, and by the fact that we were substantially an insider-looking-in group. This made objectivity especially difficult for Curtis, and somewhat so for Amber as well. Of course, we explored a dozen directions, all of which could make substantial ends unto themselves. However, none of them were explored with the depth necessary to demonstrate what I think I can speak for the group what I consider to be our implicit understanding that further research would demand BALANCED coverage of BOTH festivals. (We just had our topic ironed out the Tuesday after the actual Buddy Holly Festival, one example that made this impossible.)
(6)Further to this point I would add that just as the performer often comes to some point of intellectual/spiritual synthesis over a piece a short time AFTER the culminating performance, so I believe I am continuing to understand and discover the most germinal and essential elements to this project. One realization I have had is that we have really taken the simple steps to begin to problematize the Buddy Holly mythopoesis. Its origins, its contested status, and its future. The Iconography, the listenership, the economic advantages, the past and present usages (and a comparison thereto) are just a few of the areas that come into question.
4. Who >does< own a cultural legacy?! It is ironic that we should be primarily using the word, "own," figuratively to refer to possession in a metaphysical sense, while in this case, our project reveals, in part that it can come down, in one sense, to a literal ownership baught with dollars. However, something that is, again, only ocurring to me now is that western art music survives on this very method., and the (people with the)money behind "classical" music has about as much an impact on the classical musical community as the musicians themselves. Wow, I am just full of surprises today!
1. I think its obvious that they use this name because it sells. It is an internationally known name and most people would know nothing else about lubbock texas other than Texas Tech. People are always looking for ways to promote to a larger crowd and are always looking to exploit anything they have to the fullest as long as it helps.
3. I think one of the most obvious examples of this from our study was when we were taking a "Break" at the diez y seis festival and were having a drink at the bar. We had all our books packed away and the camera shut off and were talking about information we had gathered during the day. Some one overheard our conversation and made it a point to give us HIS idea of mariachi which was interesting to say none the least. This helped me get ready for something i might face in future research, that is, to take in all information, but to definitely not believe everything that is said. This is a great example of an informant who is just trying to talk rather than give positive information.
4. I think a cultural legacy is owned by its researchers and people who still act on it. I think if you care about it enough to know the truth about it and can preach it then its yours. You have shown interest and can take ownership.
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