Serenade Me Under the Arch

There was a hype going around as I anticipated the Brown Derbies special performance at the arch between Morris and Champlin. There was not actually any hype about the performance amongst students on campus, and it wasn’t one of the things that you had to go to or else you’d be missing out on a critical college experience, it was just an acapella performance. Nevertheless, I was excited to attend my first arch sing ever, which could be why I was more enthusiastic than the average attendee. Sadly, in all my excitement I didn’t leave for the performance until 10:35, but when I got there they had just begun their performance, so I didn’t miss much.

The first thing that took me by surprise was the amount of people gathered under the arch. Although there were only about thirty or so people, I always thought of acapella as something that only the performers’ close friends would come to attend. But the fact that they had regular attendants and actual fans surprised me. While wearing my soccer sweatshirt and sweatpants, I felt very out of place as I looked around at the audience who thought of “casual” clothes as jeans, layered tops, jackets, and scarves. I was completely out of place, but once the Brown Derbies began to sing I could have cared less about what I was wearing. I don’t know what kind of songs I thought they were going to sing, but I never would have expected to hear a song by Yellowcard, an alternative band, at an acapella performance. From that point on, I looked exactly like every other person in the audience; I was smiling and truly enjoying myself.

I watched for a few minutes when I realized that the Brown Derbies usually perform in Wayland arch, but they were making a special appearance on the Pembroke side of campus because that is where their newest member, Austin Boxler, lives. Their acts were centered on the introduction of Austin into the Brown Derbies, which alluded to Simba being brought into the circle of life from the Lion King. In each of their acts the whole group would form a semi-circle around one or two “lead singers.” For each song that they sang, there was a different person singing the lead for the song. I had never been to an acapella performance before so I had no idea what to expect, but the fact that they each shared the spotlight gives me the impression that an acapella group functions as a unit where each member is important, a very “family” type of atmosphere. There was also a part of their performance that stood as a sort of “initiation” for Austin as a new member of the team; he had to tell a joke. Although he completed the task with ease, it was interesting to see the other members encouraging him with some jokes of their own. The fact that the Brown Derbies would come across campus to make a special performance just for their newest member portrays the acapella scene, in my point of view as an acapella rookie, as a friendly, courteous, and intimate scene.

For their main performance the Brown Derbies sang songs like “Say Yes,” by Elliot Smith, “Way Away,” by Yellowcard, and other songs that are available on their albums. Each song was executed so well, I even thought that they wrote one of the songs themselves because I’d never heard it before, but when they sang it sounded like it could have been. There were also a couple of the Brown Derbies that were not bass or alto’s, but they were beat boxers. Something like beat boxing, which is usually associated with hip-hop and rap, was a very interesting aspect of the performance. It enhanced the sound of the song as a whole by creating more dimensions, other than voices and humming. A key characteristic of acapella seems to be the ability for a group to make natural voices sound like instruments. The sound of multiple voices overlapping into a harmony is beautiful. When they sang “Say yes,” I was moved by the softness in their voices as the tempo of the song slowed and the emphasis on certain beats decreased. I even noticed a girl in the audience fanning away the tears that were accumulating in her eyes. The power of the human voice is not something that is limited to only speeches, but also includes songs and singing.

During the half hour that they performed, the Brown Derbies not only entertained the audience with their amazing voices, but also with some humorous improvisation antics and interaction with the crowd. As an old man walked through the arch during one of their songs, a Brown Derby exaggerated a courteous gesture to let the man through. In another song, the lead singer said, “If I could play a guitar it would look like this,” while pretending to play a guitar. These little parts that they creatively made up as they went made the performance more enjoyable by relieving and tension with humor. By creating an enjoyable atmosphere, the Brown Derbies were able to manipulate and connect with the audience on a level beyond the sound of their music.

After being surprised by the number of people that attended the acapella singing and how much I enjoyed the performance, I realized why there is an acapella scene. In a sad attempt at being a good ethnographer and talking with the members of the Brown Derbies and some of the people who were there, I was able to exchange a few words with one of the singers. However, due to the cold weather conditions and the fact that the Derbies were all going to the Blue State coffee shop, I wasn’t able to talk long. Just as he was walking away, the singer I was about to interview invited me to the coffee shop with the Derbies, and their close friends, to continue the interview. At this point I was convinced that the reason a scene that seems very uninteresting and slow paced like the acapella scene is still around is because they show the same respect and kindness to their audience that they do towards each other.

Although they only performed for a short thirty minutes, I was able to learn about the acapella scene at Brown University simply through observation. The courteousness that the Brown Derbies exercise amongst each other permeates into the audiences that come to watch them, creating a scene that holds these ideals in high regards. With a perfect balance between their comedic improvisation and uniformed outfits, the Brown Derbies are an example of an acapella group that captures the ears and hearts of its listeners. (1126 words)

Field notes #1

1998 album "...Baby one more time"

• "From the Bottom of my broken heart" is a song from her first album in 1998. About first love...High School...Music video made up of a lot of cliche high school romance moments...sitting in the middle of the football stadium at night with the lights on...
• "...Baby one more time" hit song of album. Slightly more promiscuous than previous video. Upbeat song...lyrics are more aggressive...different vocals...lots of background singers...her voice is less singing...
• "Your drive me crazy" lots of oooohs and ahhhhs...more about boy-girl relationships...girl thinks about boy a lot...

2000 "Oops!...I did it again"

• "oops!...i did it again" background vocals...girl toying with boys emotions...still about relationships...more "girl power"
• "Stronger" girl being strong and independent...doesn't need a boy around...upbeat...harder voice..."I don't need nobody, not anybody."

2001 "Britney"

• "I'm A Slave 4 u" sexier voice...lots of seductive sounds...oooohs and ahhhhs...song about becoming a woman..."I know I may be young...but i need to do what i feel like doing..."
• "Boys" bhangra background sounds...more sexy talking and less singing...girl power "And when a girl is with one [boys] she's in control."

2003 "in The Zone"

• "Toxic" very different by incorporating violin...bu-bum-bum bu-bum-bum beat...very sexual video...song is about how intoxicating a guy is but the video shows a typer of 'superwoman' villain that kills the guy...one outfit looks like she is wearing almost nothing...

2007 "Blackout"

• "Gimme more" takes place in a strip club...very seductive tone...vulgar language...lots of bass...less pop than other songs.

After listening to her songs from beginning to end, it is pretty evident that there has been a change in the sounds, vocals, and themes of Britney's songs. Obviously some of her more recent songs are not suitable for younger teenagers because parents would hope that teens at that young are are not exposed to a lot of vulgar language and sexual content.

As for fan sites, they range from positive to negative comments. mostly are positive and are mainly used to update on Britney's current news, such as her legal struggles, tour dates, new sites and wallpapers, and her new album. I am hoping to find a way to get in contact with some of the fans to see the age range of her current fan base and see if they are new fans, or have been for the past 10 years.

NEW ethnography topic

So, because my last topic choice was quite vague and involved too many variables, I have narrowed down my topic and almost completely changed it, but not quite.

In the past few months I have once again realized how influential of a pop icon Britney Spears is. After listening to some of her more recent songs, I became curious about the change she and her music have undergone in less than ten years. The once innocent teenage pop star has gone through marriage and divorce, rehab, and some very chaotic times up till now. Recently she has just released a new album that is very upbeat and sexual, completely different from her original albums. The interesting thing is that the style and sound of Britney Spears has not changed over night, but with each album there was a different attitude involved. What I would like to investigate for my ethnography project is the teen Britney vs. the now Britney.

Some questions I hope to address are...

• how has Britney Spears' fan base changed over time?
• what kind of influence has the media had on Britney Spears?
• how has the image of Britney Spears changed over time? what could be some of the causes for these changes?
• Why is Britney Spears so successful? is she successful?

The methods I plan on using to research this topic reading and keeping up with the fansites on-line, interviewing people to see what kind of fanbase exists now, hopefully going to one of her concerts, and also looking into the events of her life and how they have affected her music. I also want to look into her songs and find changes in her subjects and "messages."

"Riot Grrrl: The Contestation over Meaning in a Music Scene" -Schilt

Going with the title of the article, “The Contestation over Meaning in a Music Scene,” introduces Schilt’s main point about the definition of a music scene and its purpose. The flexibility of the Riot Grrrl scene that had allowed for so many members to join it was also the reason the scene had faced issues concerning the purpose of the scene; either political or musical. Schilt also brought up the point that scenes are faced with external pressures, like the mass media, as well as internal pressures from distressed members, such as the minority groups who felt left out from the middle-class white girls that dominated the Riot Grrrl scene. In this particular example with Riot Grrrl, the mass media didn’t know the meaning of the scene or the ideals that it embodied, so they took it upon themselves to turn it into a fashion trend. However, although Riot Grrrl is no longer an active scene, Schilt makes that point that the ideal of independent women embodied in Riot Grrrl is carried on through its members. The true meaning in a music scene.

This article is relevant to the class because it addresses an issue in a particular music scene. In this case, the internal and external pressure of a music scene as well as the affect media has on a scene. Schilt found an issue, and researched it by interviewing members of the scene who are in positions of authority and are well informed of the scene itself. I also think it is important to understand the meanings of the scene you are studying as well as its ideals and purpose, the way Schilt did with the Riot Grrrl scene.

Although it isn’t a scene, the band Green Day has very political lyrics. Are there other scenes that make references or are “involved” in politics? Is it inevitable for scenes with ideals that go against the norm to be mistaken as political?

Ehtnography Research Topic

I would say “when I was a teenager,” but the truth of the matter is that I am still a teenager. I look at the songs I listen to, the new and more seductive Brittney, Beyonce, Secondhand Serenade, My Chemical Romance, Mae, and I wonder how it compares to the music my brothers listened to when they were my age. Although we are less than ten years apart, I feel like the gap within our own generation is huge. I would like to research the difference between the current teen scene and the teen scene of the past. I’d like to be as general about what particular genres of music were listened to because I feel that there is a larger variety of scenes now than there were ten years ago. But, if I had to specify a scene that I want to focus on it would probably be “mainstream,” or hip-hop. I’d like to use Brittney Spears as an example of how “mainstream” music has changed over time.
My planned approach to research for this project is to look up the most popular songs during the early 90’s. I’ll listen to some of the songs and research some of the reviews of them online, looking at the lyrics of the song as well as the feeling the song invokes, and then I’ll look at the artists themselves and the type of ideas that they portray and support. If I incorporate multiple scenes in my research I will take note of the different scenes that were popular at the time. For the interview portion of my research I can interview other people my age and possibly interview graduate students to represent people from the same generation as me, but possibly influenced by a different youth scene when they were teenagers.
Some of the guiding questions for my research are:
• Are there differences between the teen scene of the early 90’s and the early 2000’s? If so what are they?
• What could have caused these differences?
• Why do you think there is a gap within a generation over such a short period of time?
• How does this difference compare to previous generations? For example, is the difference between the 90’s and 00’s more or less dramatic than the differences between the 70’s and 80’s?

"Music in Diaspora: The View from Euro-America" -Slobin

The main points that Slobin is making in his writing are about how diaspora is incorporated into the superculture of the larger community around it, diasporic communities as a subculture, and the ideas of a changeable definition for music-culture. Although many make the generic definition of “subculture” as diasporic communities, a community can be diasporic but there can be opposing ideas within it, making it different from a subculture. I think it was important to understand the role that a superculture plays in the creation and recognition of a subculture through their control over the media, money, and control. Slobin also makes the point that the future musical component of a group’s culture is “volatile, changeable, and improvisatory.” To me, Slobin’s point is that the unknown events of the future, such as a war or conspiracy, could change, not the type of music but, the sound of the music to match the native culture at the time.

This reading helped me to understand what a subculture is, which is especially important in a class where we are studying ethnography, a way to collect data about subcultures. Especially in the parts about activists and oppositionality, it helped me to understand that understanding a subculture is more than just the record labels and sales. A good ethnographer would have to take into consideration how that subculture views the music, but know that ethnicity does not apply to subcultures.


Slobin wrote that “music is central to the diasporic experience, linking homeland and here-land with an intricate network of sound. Whether through the burnished memory of childhood songs, the packaged passions of recordings, or the steady traffic of live bands, people identify themselves strongly, even principally, through their music.” Does the United States have a specific “taste” that Americans can connect to?

"Translocal Connections in the Goth Scene" -Hodkinson

The title of the chapter “Translocal Connections in the Goth Scene” summarizes what Hodkinson was trying to accomplish through his research. I felt the main point of the chapter was that the Goth scene in Britain, though it is spread around the nation, is a scene that does not vary dramatically in different localities. The reason for this general “sameness” between the scenes of different counties is probably due to the role that commerce and media play on the way new music and products that are involved with the scene are distributed. For example, various CD stores that sell Goth music get the new albums from generally the same vendor. The point that Hodkinson made was that the Goth scene is very interactive with its different localities, the Whitby Gothic Weekend, which brings all the Goths together so that they can exchange new products and sounds, as well as make friends.
This chapter was helpful in understanding the types of issues that ethnographer’s research; in this case it was ‘why and how are translocal connections in the Goth scene made?’ Since I will have to do an ethnography project this semester, Hodkinson provided a good example of how I can go about doing the research and the types of issues that I could look into. Hodkinson wrote that in his research he conducted “interviews with more than seventy individuals.”

Hodkinson wrote, “…while there were some indications that certain sounds or looks held marginally more prominence in some places than others. There seemed no sense in which, for example. The same appearance would result in veneration in one area and a total lack of it in another. This level of agreement on membership criteria is illustrated most effectively by the ease with which goths were able to identify one another, regardless of where they were.” With this in mind, why is the Goth scene so distinct in its appearance? Or, why is the appearance of the Goth scene so easily distinguishable as compared to other scenes like hip hop or indie?