Performance Report 2

Opening night of Side Show the musical was on Thursday April 8^th at 8pm. The musical is an artistic recreation of the Hilton sisters’ lives. The musical runs through the highs and lows of their singing and acting careers as permanently conjoined twins.

Personally, I had never been in the university theater and it seemed like a lot of the people who attended had not either. I was in the Jonsson Performance Hall before I realized I was in the wrong place. I met a family that wanted to follow me to the theater (honestly I wasn’t quite sure if I was even going the right way…but it all worked out). They were relatives of a performer. It seemed that most of the audience was comprised of family and friends, not to mention several students from a certain music class. Walking in there were plenty of “well this is cool” and “I didn’t know we had this going on”. It wasn’t the biggest theater but it did allow for some interaction between the audience and the performers. The performers went completely unnoticed lining up along the stairs until the mood lights cut on. They were close enough to touch, something that would not have been possible in a larger theater. Jake, the Cannibal King had time to stare down almost every person in the front row and even climb a few stairs away from the stage and get up close and personal with one of the parents sitting on the outside row.

Like most modern musicals side show also concentrates on developing a plot and rounding out its characters. The use of song and dance was not only used as entertainment but also to portray characters and express the mood of the scenes. There was a lot of music styles used, all of which was performed by a small orchestra that surprisingly was stationed on stage, just behind the opened curtains. Before the show began an overture was played as well during the majority of the scene changes. The music was also changed with the emotion. More sentimental periods were generally represented by more lyrical pieces of slower tempos like the pieces Who Will Love Me As I Am? and You Should Be Loved. Violet and Daisy are both very good singers but in the show Buddy says “You know it’s all about Violet” and either the talent of the other singer was mitigated or the stronger vocalist was put on her part because Violet’s character always had a slightly greater impact on the overall tone. Jake’s character, with the exception of You Should Be Loved had a heavier texture than all the other characters to show his anger. Jake flashed the shackles that he was put in at the beginning of the show once again after his solo and the music recapitulated to emphasize that angry demeanor from the introduction. The only texture close to Jake’s was Terry’s. The music helped to bring out the “villain” and “good guy” roles of the two. We heard that Terry’s themes never quite matched Jake’s, and then we saw that Jake was right for being suspicious of Terry and Buddy. Even though The Boss did not have the biggest role his character was essential to the plot of the story, and this necessity was also given a unique musical representation as well.

The closeness to the stage gave a more personal connection to the performers. Every expression was seen, every breath and every word was heard clearly, which made it easier to see that time and work really went into preparing the musical. Yeah, okay, so it wasn’t big time but everybody has to respect effort. That’s why I think the audience responded with appropriate applause after solos and even more applause as the performers ran through each of their roles once more at the end.

Blog 12 Progressive Rock

Progressive rock also called “prog” rock, takes several characteristics from traditional rock n’ roll and adds a few of its own. Progressive rock mimics rock n’ roll in the sense that the instrumentation is the same. Progressive rock still uses the electric guitar and emphasizes singing. The creative use of technology is probably more evident in progressive rock than any other subgenre, because the layering of separate tracks was necessary to create that psychedelic effect. That is a unique feature of “prog” rock. The time of progressive rock was a time of experimentation and individuality.

The radical sense of thinking is first introduced by a mouse inside a light bulb as the album cover. The band uses a lot of synthesizes to create that “psychedelic” sound. It is a very long introduction that really establishes the tone for the entire recording. In comparison to the music the voices of the singers are relatively soft and smooth which emphasizes the music or places the music as the focal point for listeners. This is another common characteristic of “prog” rock, it is influenced by art music, and the music here reflects this. The first song played was actually taking about war and fighting. In the 1970’s was the time of the Vietnam War. Progressive rock entailed was known to be acknowledgements of the war as well as attacks against the war.

Gullah

Although separation from the African coast and industrialization has taken hold of the previously isolated island that belonged to the Gullah people many traditions have remained intact. The music is original, still reflecting the songs that were sung during times of work in the rice fields, really only contains words to uplift spirits. I read that “Out Shouting” circles is a tradition that has completely died out but when the people come together to dance and celebrate for whatever reason some of those same aspects still remain. Music is played on drums by the men, the women dancing, and instead of a circle the floor is open and whenever somebody got the need they could jump up and dance a little, all the while there was a woman giving random outbursts. It may not be the same “Out Shouting” circles that were seen in the past, but these gatherings today still reflect strongly old Gullah tradition. What is different about the preservation efforts of the Gullah music culture as well as the rest of the culture is that it is not limited to elderly members of the community. The knowledge is shared with all ages, more young people are involved which has probably contributed to the strong sense of individuality that has remained with these people. Gullah people of all ages can speak the language, dance the dances, as well as sing the songs and play the music.

Performance Report 1

On March 26, 2010 at 8pm, I attended the opening night of Shakespeare in Song. It was conveniently located on campus and free of charge to all that wanted to attend. Not only did this help turnout it was also after classes but not too late either, nor was it a long performance; ending before most eateries and other entertainment facilities in the area closed. So students, the majority of the audience, and busy parents could attend. So canceling the rest or your plans for the night wasn’t immediately necessary. It was casual and if you absolutely had to leave or the opposite, it was no big deal; people were walking in and departing throughout the performance’s entirety. There was also a short intermission so people could politely exit and enter at that time as well. Even with all of this the crowd remained relatively sparse, maybe 70 people in attendance.
During the intermission there was a lot of movement, but not necessarily to the restroom. Since the crowd was mainly comprised of students, that means it was also comprised of friends. The crowd separated in to little “clicks” even a few singers came from backstage to get a few words in with their friends. I chatted with a parent next to who coincidently wearing the same brand of black flats. She told me that her daughter studies biology, “absolutely loves Shakespeare”, and actually ended up majoring in music. Apparently, many of her peers up there on stage have similar stories. Many of them have completed their fine arts requirements but are drawn to this group just because of a sheer love for music. And the few senior members we saw on stage just love Shakespeare and wanted to be a part of it anyway they can.
Throughout the performance there were so cases of the group’s strongest voices, and even one of their weakest… or most improved?? Anyway, the soloist voices ranged from the soprano voice all the way done to the bass voice. Maybe it was to demonstrate the group’s texture. Not only did several singers take turns coming down and showing off their skills, they even became actors and actresses. Paired with the appropriate tune, they traded off reading the dialogue from the high points of Shakespeare’s play; sometimes before the song and sometime after. To add to the effect everyone was in costume, even the pianist and conductor. Other than the costumes there weren’t many props. The young man who played Trinculo, who is a drunk, jerked a bottle around with him as he swayed and swigged during his act. So when the wind came “…knocking at the door” the sound was created by a vocalist stomping on the floor.
The costumes helped bring the past alive, as well as the style used during the performances. It wasn’t readily accepted by all the performers but as the play went on more and more of them began to either read their dialogue with an accent or at least contributed to it during the group sections. The songs were sung literally as they were written. Instead of “Oh, robin” like you would hear in our area, but instead “Ay, robyn” sounding more like “Eye, row-bin” which is more characteristic of Shakespeare’s time. Surprisingly, only a handful of the songs performed were from Shakespeare’s era or before (Director’s Notes). Most of the songs performed were written by a Julliard graduate named Mathew Harris who seemed to have a knack for composing song that captured what is perceived as the essence of Shakespeare (Director’s Notes).
I stuck around for a while to listen what people had to say about the performance. And to my surprise almost all of the conversations that I was eavesdropping in (haha) weren’t about the performance at all. It was centered on “what’s next” or “yeah call them and let’s go” or just plain texting. I have to say based on what I say and what I was hearing, this performance was more of just a chance for friends and family to see their loved ones do something they love. Maybe attending the second performance on Saturday could have filled in the blanks.

 
Works Cited
Evans, Kathryn . "Director's Notes." Shakespeare in Song. Richardson: Kathryn Evans, 2010. 4-5. Print.

Blog 10 - Otello

I chose act three because it gives many dynamics to the play without giving anything away. It begin with the conductor introducing the pit orchestra. The scene begin with just them playing the music is already quite ominous . The act shows Otello and another man plotting to set up Cassio, the man at question. The music seems to become more complex when the “handkerchief” has a deeper meaning attached to it. The music isn’t completely once sided, seemingly mixing mystery with curiosity, overall creating a sense of instability in Otello mind. When his wife enters there is more mixing of joy and mystery. Otello himself is speaking with his wife about how lovely her hand is but yet it is tainted some how. Otello allows her to rest her head on his chest, the music is light and calm until it the orchestra rests. The music remains at rest only for a pause, it becomes violent at the wife’s inquiry about Cassio, and at the same time Otello throws her off of him to show is disgust. The music also changes to emphasize the wife’s feelings as well. She yells “you frighten me!” and the music seemingly yells along with her. The music also moves as Otello’s accusations become more clear. Otello tell his wife to declare herself “chaste” would be to damn herself. Even so she does and then we get that sense of the world “spinning out of control”, but it is perceived musically at first through runs exchanged between the upper string to the cellos and violas back and forth. Then, before the end through long descending then ascending runs performed by the upper strings and heavy down beats from the bases.

Blog 9 - Avatar

The Na'vi people are supposed to be primitive when compared to humans, but they sure do posses a music culture that, at least, makes them sound equal. Why? The music used to create the sound scape of pandora was modeled after music we have heard from around the world. The sample music comes from many of the film soundtracks composed by James Horner himself. The films include "Aliens" and "Titanic". Titanic had a lighter sounds, using more instruments that mimicked the sound of a woman's voice in that case Celine Dion. The Na'vi people tended to be represented more by these types of tones as well as vocals. Only time we hear the introduction of a heavier tonality was during time of distress for the people and when humans we present. When it come to creating a theme for the humans it resembles more so to the soundtrack of "Aliens". In the main theme for "Aliens" there is heavy drumming. And unlike the minor cords used with the Na'vi, that create some sense of awe, the minor cords that didn't resolve gave me more of a feeling of suspense or danger awaiting.
Although these are the obvious aspects of the music, there are sounds that don't relate to these two films. In the main theme of the "Avatar" sound track there is "singing". I heard something that extremely resembles melismas (if in fact there are syllables in those vocals). To create the dreamlike (but no actual dream) stage of Jake's entrance into the avatar they based it off of India's mythology, believe it or not! So who is to say some of the music didn't fall in as well.

Musical Ethnography

Musical Ethnography: The Big Daddy Band of Dallas
Introduction: There are many “cover” bands around the world today that play the music of their favorite artists whether it is in tribute or just for the sheer pleasure of getting paid to perform the songs that move them. This particular band performs the music starting from the 1960’s to the music of today.
Most of the information provided in this ethnography unfortunately had to come from the internet, and previous knowledge about the music culture. The band didn’t seem to be to open to the public outside of networking. I began sending emails to the band members two weeks before the performance, with no replies. I went to Sherlock’s Pub where they perform every Tuesday night at 9:45pm in Addison, Texas on Belt Line Road. I was only allowed to stay there for fifteen minutes, because I was not of drinking age. It was about enough time to get in three songs and a glass of water. I was hoping, since an interview with a band member wasn’t likely, to get a interview with one on the “regulars”. But to my surprise I found that many of the people next to my closely monitored table, where already very inebriated. But I must say if you are of drinking age and are looking for a nice break from the sounds today, this would be a great get away.
• Ideas about music: When dealing with cover bands like The Big Daddy Band there comes this general consensus that the music being performed or the music or going to listen to is music that everyone seems to appreciate. Sometimes it comes in the form of just hearing something that was familiar during one’s younger years and enjoying that familiarity or it may even be simply “I love that song!” Music in this culture is usually selected by popularity. Here in the United States we would most likely associate this with our “top ten lists” when it comes to pop music. Lesser known areas of the culture tends to involve musical styles like classical. All though classical music cover groups necessarily don’t have a “top ten list” to report on, their choice of music still depends on popularity. They may use record sales or scholarly assessments to determine popularity amongst their listeners. Bringing back the music of the past helps bring the worlds of the new and old together. The radio (not xm satellite or it counterparts) is playing more of the popular music today, and it is getting harder to find the music of previous times. This particular band is of the many bands that help keep the music of the 20th century alive.
• Activities Involving Music: The music played is music that can be found where ever it will be had. Cover bands serve more of a public and social source of the music, which is one of the reasons cover bands have been able to sustain themselves. Big Daddy is usually found in adult venues like bars and pubs as well as personally booked venues. Apart from getting itunes or pirating these songs off your favorite torrent site, there is really no other way to bring an unfragmented music database (fragmented source i.e. radio). Usually we find that the same people who are looking for social sources of this music become the source they crave. They may be people musically inclined or not, but all of them will start out playing and performing for personal enjoyment or for the enjoyment of friend with similar interests. The groups a little more musically trained may find that they are decent in the recreation of the music. This is where an amateur group may become professional. As time progresses music preferences change inspiring the addition of new music groups, fans, and followers.
• Repertoires of Music: Music played by cover bands range from one genre to the next, it all depends on popularity. The music played by the Big Daddy Band has lyrics, some of the songs may have dances that came out with the song during its time; songs like “The Twist” or “C’mon and Swim”. A main goal of the band is to inspire listeners to get up and dance. Popularity is truly a personal preference. If it can inspire just one person, one person can become a true basis to build on. The music is of course composed by people ranging from “still in the game” to deceased. A great example of the two extremes may be Kiss tribute bands and Elvis Presley fanatics.
• Material Culture of Music: Cover bands have many different ways of meeting the demands for the recreation of the music they choose to play. Usually in these bands the music being performed is performed just as it would be if the real deal where there. Bands may sometimes choose to stick to one genre and one genre only because of preference or due to the fact that they do not have the capacity to take on the instrumentation of other genres or pieces from other composers. The Big Daddy Band only has two guitarists, one drummer, and a single vocalist. But because their repertoire entails a wide range of music they must use a synthesizer to make up for missing instruments and to beef up the sound. There is an example of this below. Clearly there is no synthesizer on stage, but yet it is heard. By no means is alcohol a material culture of all cover bands but it is a great factor in the Big Daddy Band. Where this band is alcohol isn’t too far away.
Conclusion: The Big Daddy Band is the epitome of cover bands in Dallas. There are well known musicians and have become extremely popular since coming out in 2000. Got to their website to learn more (not that much more) about their band, listen to some clips, and maybe even check out their calendar.

Here are a couple more clips of the Big Daddy Band.

this one cut off early….sorry the kicked me out 