Performance Report 2

Introduction
For my second performance report, I attended the Thursday, April 15th showing of Side Show: The Musical. It featured a full cast of actors and musicians pulled from UTD arts program. All of these students and the faculty who aided them put forth a couple of years to make the production as successful as it is.

Music
With a full repertoire of at least 25 songs, the intermission was the quietest moment in the show. The small pit orchestra played for almost 2 hours strait. Almost every moment was built upon the emotions from the music that continually flowed. Most songs were put to a slow tempo with somber and quiet moods or slightly uplifting melodic contours. Although there were many times the music rised in tension with the play, none of the songs expressed discordant anger. At most a swelling of passion was expressed during emphasized events.

Performers
All the students who performed did well and were well versed in their practicing roles. The orchestra was composed of 5 woodwinds, 6 brass, 2 guitarist, 2 percussion and a synthesizer. The stage design broke visual contact of the them most of the time, but the amount of feeling in their composure was easy to hear. The actors sold their parts well and the emotions were easy to believe. Accessory to the visual representation, the musicians filled any doubt to the emotional composition of the story.

Audience
I expected to see mostly students cramming in to take notes for report writing, but was suprised when that was not necessarily the case. I observed a number of older audience members and several faculty as well. Several times the audience was asked to fill in middle seats in order to fit in more. By the time the performance began, the theatre was quite packed. Despite the lack of a heavy young influence among the audience, participants were still quick to begin chatting and gosipping during intermission and after the show. Almost no empty seats became available after intermission finished and the performance resumed.

Time and Space
The performance took place in a medium sized theatre on campus. This allowed for the small orchestra to still be heard clearly throughout without having to enhance their volume or loudly distort them. It was very packed performance. I think this was enough to cause a good case of stage fright, but the applause would have been loud enough to still inspire the performers. Being that I attend the free admission for everyone Thursday performance, even the people who came but wouldn't otherwise pay to see it would have been glad they came. Performances always seem to be better when they are a pleasant surprise, and this performance seemed to have that sort of air about it.

Conclusion
The performance of the actors and the musicians seemed more well put together and refined than I have previously witnessed from UTD theatre performance. The event received a standing ovation and well deserved it. The story, musicians and the visual representation of it all supported each other very nicely.

Post 12 - Rock (Death Metal)

1)
Death Metal is a subgenre of Heavy Metal which derives from Rock. Attributes of Death Metal include blast beat drumming(rapid and dynamic beats that are more akin to sonic violence than music), low and rough guttural vocals, minor key signatures, and multiple tempo and key changes. Although, some of its own subgenres break from these constraints. Bands of this genre usually include two electric guitars, one bass, a vocalist and a drummer. Song vocals are usually focused around extreme acts of stylized violence. Though, this may not be where the genre gets its name. "Death" was one of the pioneer bands to play this style of music and claimed to play their own version of Metal "Death's Metal". Live performances often encourage heavy crowd interaction and can easily get out of control.

2)

Deathbox by Mnemic


Lyrics
"I'm in a state of despair
Nothing seems to fit my mind
And although I can't be there
but I don't know that there's a place for someone just like me
Will I ever wake up
Wake up to see the box I'm in
Will I ever stand up
I'm standing on the edge of inability
And though I'm trying it still penetrates my body
All these demons that I carry deep inside
The changing faces forces me to leave the traces
Of the stranger things that are growing in my mind
Oh I know that I have
Done this once or twice before
The names are still a blur
I'm arrogantly close to falling off the edge
I know I'm not insane
Though my head hurts on the inside
The images disturb me
I know I'm not insane, I'm not what they call me
They're no good - still surrounding me
Forcing my actions upon me
The blood just paints my world
They're no good - still surrounding me
Forcing my actions upon me
They're forcing my actions upon my deathbox
And though I'm trying it still penetrates my body
All these demons that I carry deep inside
The changing faces forces me to leave the traces
Of the stranger things that are growing in my mind
Now will I ever wake up
Wake up to see the box I'm in
Will I ever stand up
I'm standing on the edge of inability
Now is this a failure
My project kill is right awake
I'm all burned out from pressure
My thoughts have brought me to my knees
Awake in pain
They're no good - still surrounding me
Forcing my actions upon me
The blood just paints my world
They're no good - still surrounding me
Forcing my actions upon me
They're forcing my actions upon my deathbox"

0:00 Almost silent intro. Ominous electric flutters dance in the air.

0:08 Song quickly fades in over the next three seconds, starting with a death growl and simultaneous rhythms form all instruments.

0:21 Vocals begin and drums begin to break away from uniformity as the song begins to pick up.

0:42 Vocals change in contour. Harmony is added and pitch is raised for some time while the drums cut back to accentuate it even more so.

1:00 Lyrical and Melodic break for a few seconds before being brought back with another drawn out death growl.

1:07 Begins syncopated and alternating guitar from left and right.

1:12 Vocals resume

1:24 Echo effect used on vocals

1:34 Repeat of vocal pitch and contour change at 0:42 but without harmony and distinct guitar melody difference.

2:00 Musical interlude.

2:07 Add vocal harmony.

2:25 Phrase Break. Begin last repeat of vocal and musical changes until end.

3:20 End vocals, trailing music till end.

Post 11 - Gullah

The Gullah are a group of people of strong African culture that reside in South Carolina and Georgia. They have preserved their culture and some third generation Gullah still speak their language. Though their culture is still strong, they fight to keep their original lands gained in emancipation. Resorts from the coastal islands contend for the choice land that many Gullah own.

The music of the Gullah culture focuses heavily on the spoken words. Drums are added sometimes, but often someone seems to just be speaking or yelling to a group of people. In co-ordinance with their fight against slavery, they express the self and promote others to do the same. Performers dance and sing what they want. They stick to many traditions but self expression is highly valued. Audience members are encouraged to do the same, to get up and dance and physically express themselves. Time and Space seem to shape the music as much as it does the individuals performing at the time.

Unrelated to their music, I don't understand why they follow a "Queen" Quet.

Performance Report 1

China Invasion Tour


Introduction
For my first performance report, I attended the Chinese punk concert at the Double Wide, south of downtown Dallas, on March 28th. It featured the three Chinese punk bands AV Okubo, Carsick Cars and P.K. 14. All of these bands have made a strong impact in Beijing and have come to demonstrate their potential, and possibly that of the entire genre as it exists in China, to us here in the USA.

Music
All of the music played that night was, as far a I could tell, original songs of almost entirely Chinese vocals. As with punk music in our own country, It can only be described as original because there isn't much about it that is musical other than the usually constant beat. The texture was course throughout and most likely offensive to anyone not used to it. The Carsick Cars were the smoothest and best performed of the three bands. The timbre is metallic in nature. Short songs filled with harsh and well defined notes mingled with the entourage of electrical modulations of sound. There was an ample supply of feedback in much of the performance.

Performers
Overall they were skilled technically. AV Okubo kind of reminded me of The Romones with their lead vocals, Yu Lan, commanding some stage presence by belting out some serious yells. The lead guitarist of Carsick Cars was also impressive. P.K. 14, despite being the headlined band, seems lackluster compared to the other two bands. In general, they performed on a individual basis. They all do their own thing and when they can, they show off what they can do with their instruments. To add to their individuality, each member dressed flashy. The total stage presence was reminiscent of early rock and roll performances.

Audience
The amount of energy from the audience that I experienced was only second to that of some Japanese punk rock bands at the annual A-kon convention, and that was probably only because of the increased size. If you pieced together scenes from grunge, indie and early rock, and US punk concerts you might have and accurate visual of the crowd that attended. It was hard to estimate the size of the crowd because it was so packed, but everyone looked to be mid twenties or older. Everyone was allowed to enjoy themselves, and I think everyone did. The show and audience, however dispersed as quickly as they showed up for the start of it.

Time and Space
The concert took place a small stage. The largest significance of this being that it allowed greater interaction between the performers and audience. Each of them were able to feed of each others energy. The loud cheers from the audience drove the bands to be more energetic. It was very packed and crowded at the performance. I almost thought that I wouldn't be allowed to enter when the place went from nearly empty to a line a few blocks to get in. People were definitely excited to see what these new bands had to offer and all of that excitement changed the overall experience of the night. Despite the amazing impact of the performance, the musical elements employed would have been better suited for a larger and better equipped stage. I think the loud speaker to the hand held microphone was unintelligible even for those who spoke Mandarin. Less tenuation between electrical cords would have yielded clearer magnification of complex guitar rhythms.

Conclusion
The performance and the elements of this performance were very similar to those in our current punk and early rock and roll bands. The methods of performance and the energetic stage presence incited the crowd and vice versa. The venue and stage setup provided a medium for the excitement, but a larger stage would have increased the quality of the music. All and all it was a life changing experience.

Post 10 - Opera

At a hotel in West Layfayette, IN today. Youtube, nor any other videos will load from the internet here, so I'll be making my post upon my return on Wednesday evening.

Post 9 - Avatar Music

The music score of the movie and the music of the na'vi both seem to be ripped from pages in the same book, so to speak. They seem to have the same sort of western influence in the instrumentation and general rhythmic feel. Both sides seem to dawn the same orchestral interludes and movements.

What distinctly sets the music of the na'vi apart from the rest of the movie's music score is the lyrics. The general music score of the movie contains a lot of harmonic, English vocals. The music of the na'vi replaces them with chanting and strong drum beats. They also tend to add a taste of African or Asian music to that of the na'vi with the occasional flute or drum far different than those found in western music.

I find that the music of the na'vi is made different enough from that of the movie's music score to stand out. However, the the general feeling from the movie received in part from its music, never strays far from and empathizes with that of the na'vi.

Music Ethnography

Every weekend, popular nightclubs are host to DJs that supply music for a group of inebriated and incoherent fans. This is the common scene of the music culture that I have spent the past couple of months observing. The rave culture in Dallas is a very active one and can be witnessed at a number of location across the city. Deep rooted in rebelling attitude and experimental drugs, rave culture provides an intense but not hostile environment. People are accepted easily and encouraged but not often forced to partake of often illegal forms of entertainment.

Before I started to actually see what rave culture was like in Dallas, I had to find out what kind of penetration it had across the city. Once I started looking, I found it easy to track down the venues where this culture congregated. From the same source, I was able to gauge the relative popularity and frequency of these congregations. I have participated in this music culture before analyzing it in this ethnography. I have attended events at The Palladium Ballroom and The Lizard Lounge. Most recently I attended, for the purpose of this project, the event at the Palladium on February 26 that headlined Killswitch Engage. The best part about the Palladium is that, for your ticket price, hours before the main show other popular and local artists play music. Killswitch Engage is not the type of music that normally promotes rave culture, but by the time they came on stage there was plenty of electronic music introduction to be had. Personally, when going to rave events, I don't get involved with any of the available drugs being passed around. However, I stayed away from even having a drink that night to keep a clear view of my surroundings in order to analyze the culture I was submerging myself into. I am familiar with the music and activities that are a part of raves, but because I don't participate in any drugs, this has always been a weaker area of understanding for me. In researching drug use at raves, I found catalogs and safety guides. The TRIP website was very informative in the possibilities and precautions that should be adhered to drug use. In the interviews I conducted, I focused on drug use. I wanted to know why it seems to be popular, why people decide to try it in the first place. I was able to talk to some of my friends who do partake in drug use at raves, all of which want to remain nameless.

People enjoy the rave culture for different reasons, but most will agree that it involves being with like minded people and having a good time. This is the role that music plays in all rave culture and especially here in Dallas. Dallas rave culture is almost completely restricted to clubs, which means everyone involved is surrounded by the same music. Regardless of whether someone is sober, high or wasted, they feel the same loud music coursing through their bodies and it unites everyone in that fashion. All music at raves is loud, usually to point of being dangerous to the ear drums. In a way, the music is the rave itself. It gives the party life. The music always continues on through the night until there is no one to listen to it anymore. All rave culture, including here in Dallas, is a descendant of illegal London warehouse parties during the mid 80s.

Being that the music is what unites people, the music can be found at live concerts. In Dallas you will find a large variety of amateur and professional performers at these concerts, but certainly none of them could be said to be doing it as nothing more than a hobby. As such, most artists found in the Dallas area produce CDs through labels or by personnel means. Like the diversity in performance artists, the same holds true for the audience. If you go raving at any of the dance clubs in Dallas you will find mostly young people from every ethnicity and social background banded together to enjoy the music and other activities. In accompaniment to the music, drugs, alcohol, and strobing neon lights serve to unite people in this culture. Alcohol and other downers are common because they lessen brain activity and take away the desire to focus on anything but the music playing at that moment. A variety of other drugs are used at the rave scene, most common among them is ecstasy for its cheap accessibility and effectiveness. All of these substances combined with the type of loud music at raves, according to friends, provides a sense of total well-being both in mind and body. In that sense of well-being with your mind slowed down or overloaded, some simple things can cause extreme euphoric sensation. Tactile and visual sensations are multiplied under the effects of drugs like X. Strobing lights, both from stage set-ups and audience performers, serve doubly in this music culture. They are a form of art, and shown off as a skill and they provide less sober participants with a vivid light show that won't soon be forgotten.

There are many genres of music that fit into the rave culture, some being Techno, Trance, and Jungle. The largest unifying quality is a repetitious pattern of beats. Some of the music has lyrics. Whenever they are present, lyrics fit in with the experience of most drug users in the audience. They play with themes of death and rebirth or transcending the mortal coil in some sort of spiritual experience. Since it shares a common lyrical theme, death metal has been known to be mixed into Dallas raves. It doesn't seem ideal, but in the end it works as long as its loud.

There isn't so much of a unifying material culture in Dallas rave culture. Individuals often by CDs from artists they enjoy in attempts to support them and keep them in business. The culture being a hodgepodge of social and economical backgrounds means the same variety in dress. Anything goes, even niche garb shows up, i.e. Lolita/Victorian and Bondage wear. From my associate that do drugs like X, it appears commonplace to grind your teeth while under its effects. My friends often complain the next morning of their jaw hurting. It can usually be noted that a few people will carry pacifiers on their person for this purpose, which are bought from baby supply stores.

Despite the Dallas rave culture, like most rave culture in general, being focused on the use of illegal substances, it can easily accept those not willing to partake. The people that are using aren't doing it to prove something. They just want to have a good time and share it with others. In having taken a deeper look at this culture, I have learned more about the people around me and a bit about myself as well.