Evolution of Music in Washington D.C - Research Paper Example

Evolution of Music in Washington D.C Introduction Punk music has played a crucial role in the evolution of music in different parts of the country. Punk as a way of culture has worked to show how music can be as artistically expressive as an idea or an art, therefore highlighting on the importance of history of popular music to the understanding of cultural past as the history of art (Andersen & Jenkins, 2009). Likewise, punk music has also led to the development of other forms of music and in the process changing the music world. This paper will keenly examine the role played by punk music in the evolution of music in the state of Washington D.C. This will be done by looking at the different music styles which had their roots in the state and also at the implications caused as result of the evolution in punk music. Evolution of the emo music The word ‘EMO’ was first started in the ‘80s’ and was used to describe music which was being composed during depressing times. They target to console and bring closure to the audience, the listeners and the singer. The lyrics featured in this genre of music are often emotional and very expressive. The first band to play the genre of music was the ‘sunny day real estate’ and later on the scene was completely changed with the arrival of ‘sound garden and nirvana’. Initially, it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore music. Emo music often brings out a distinctive relationship between artists and fans. It often describes the different aspects of fashion, the various behaviors of people in our societies and the various cultural practices among people (Troy & Cannato, 2009). The genre of music has also been associated with such practices like promoting cutting and self –mutilation. A good example is that in the album ‘taking back Sunday’, the cover on the one of the album consist of a song called ‘cute without at E. There are different EMO bands and some of the most popular ones are the ‘Panic!’ ‘At The Disco,’ ‘Fall out Boy’ among others. These names were given to the albums because of the type of music in question and the general appearance of the music. EMO songs represents or talks about different depressing situations and involves themes like love, loneliness, fallacy amongst others. Such aspects clearly spell out the expressive nature of EMO. It is a genre of music that shows the exact feeling of an individual and through this music; one can clearly express these emotions. The fans of EMO music are known as scene kids. Scene kids often wear neon colors and have their hairs colored at least more than two colors. However, in today’s society, EMO has completely evolved to encompass a new meaning as it is used in describing individuals especially teenagers who are always unhappy about life or just generally depressed due to a number of reasons (Greenwald, 2003). People with such emotions are often isolated by the society and seek consolation in this kind of music. Moreover, EMO is also being used as fashion slang for the females wearing jeans or clothes which are too small for their body. This paper, however, will examine the evolution of EMO music in Washington D.C (Shepherd, 2003). Despite what many individuals believe, emo is not short phrase for the emotional rock rather it is a short phrase for ‘emotive hardcore’. Other than being hardcore, emo is very expressive. The music origins are traced back to hardcore music as hardcore music was also a genre of music hence leading to the birth of the emo music. In the late 1900s, Washington D.C was popularly known for its punk kind of music. Most residents living in the state were fans of the music and individuals who were visiting the state or new in the state could not fail to notice the enthusiasm which citizens in the region exhibited towards the music. They would also learn to appreciate and enjoy this kind of music known as hardcore punk which later gave birth to the rise of emo. This music was characterized by the high amount of energy which was used by the musicians to address various traditional issues which were responsible for defining the ethos applied towards punk music (Shepherd, 2003). The issues which the hardcore punk music addressed through their music were both social and political issues. Interestingly, the famous Ian MacKaye was the one heading the revolution which was being experienced in the punk music in the 80s. A good example is that in 1980, the musicians released an album titled ‘straight edge’ under a band known as Minor Threat. The album could later prove crucial to the start of the straight edge movement which swept through the streets of Washington D.C. later on the mid 80s, MacKaye and other artist came to the conclusion that as much as hardcore music was effective in tackling major issues in the society and politics, the music did not address issues which were being experienced by individuals at personal levels. In essence, the music could not exhaust the social issues affecting people at an individual level. Therefore this differentiated hardcore music from rock music because it lacked the emotion of mainstream rock. The result of their realization led to the coming together of four musicians whose sole purpose was to introduce a new music which catered for the personal issues experienced by individuals at the ground. With this music, they would target to reach a greater audience who would identify with the music and relate more with the issues addressed. The music would give each individual a personal touch. The group created an album referred to as Rites of Spring which was to be the first emo band in the history of the Washington D.C and the world at large. However ,the band was short lived because the different members moved to focus on other types of music in the society , but the results of the first emo album formed was that it brought a combination of sound, energy and passion which is synonymous to the hardcore punk blending with traditional music (Lornell & Stephenson, 2009). Moreover, punk rock has been known to offer graphic and striking images which no music can offer. Hence music has evolved in D. C because individuals who strive to posses this skills are seen as doing some things like graffiti and just relate to music industry and more so the punk rock (Duncombe & Tremblay, 2011). These new skills have revolutionized music within the state into a new era because skills like graphic and striking skills can only be acquired through attending such classes like media classes amongst others. This has given this genre even more popularity and acknowledgement across all ages and genders. It has been accepted even more after this realization. Therefore, the inclusion of hardcore punk into various musical aspects which has their origins in D. C ensures that music artists are also imparted with some basic skills which are only available in formal sectors. The artists appear even more competent and much more entertaining in their fields due to these skills acquired. Moreover, such individuals like media personalities who have not mastered the skills availed by hard core punk are changing into musical sectors as they are afraid of being left behind by the new change occurring in the music sector. Gradually over time, emo music led to the development of good melodic sounds which were later reflected by such successful bands like Texas Is the Reason amongst others. In the mid 1990s, different emo bands started to tone down emo as genre of music because as they created changes to make the music much slower and more melodic in nature. This was a complete change as opposed to the earlier music with a much faster tempo. A good example of an album produced during that particular period was the ‘diary’ created by Sunny Day Estates Band. After the mid 90s, emo as a genre of music did not receive much growth or expansion until 2000s when the success of new bands like Saves the Day brought the music again to limelight as they had received too much support and different fans from different regions loved it. They had the obligation to satisfy their fans and in the end they did not disappoint (Lornell & Stephenson, 2009). The emocore style This music style has become broader and wider over the years because a look at the beginning of bands which were formed in Washington D. C was majorly composed of individuals who were playing in the hardcore punk bands. However these individuals did not find satisfaction in the genre of the music as they found themselves buried in its limited forms. Therefore, the emocore style in Washington D. C was a result of the adoption guitar oriented, mid-tempo, rock based sound with the help of emotional punk vocals which had been established in the early years of the century. The uniqueness of the emocore style of music was the use of guitar which had been previously ignored by the previous bands within the state as to create the style of music; the guitar was distorted, in cases of duo unison it was strummed with continuous highlights from the riff. This led to the creation and development of the classic D.C sounds which most musicians in different parts of the country have largely marveled at. Hardcore emo evolution The evolution of the emo style in Washington D.C led to the formation of other uniform and catchy melody and guitar playing which later gave birth to the rise of hardcore emo. This type of music is easily distinguishable from all other types of emo music because it is louder as compared to other forms. Louder things are always quick to distinguish because they either disrupt ones attentions from concentrating into a more important task or raises ones curiosity to find out what is going on. It is also catchier to the ears even when one is not paying attention. Hardcore music has this characteristics and above all, the music is always harder thus a faster version of the emocore style. The guitars used in playing the songs are always distorted making it very difficult for individuals who do not have skills of playing a guitar to recognize the different chords which are used at different stages in music. This kind of music often requires more skilled people to keep up with the fast tempo and accurately play the guitar. It is the kind of music where training may be crucial before venturing into so as to perform as expected. In addition, musicians associated with hardcore emo do not always make an effort in playing the guitar rather they strive to produce a chaotic feeling amongst audiences and which is one of the reasons why it is largely celebrated in the D.C. The lyrics for the style of music are always not in harmony with the theme of the musician in question therefore branding them as obscure and disorganized. More emphasis is given on the performance on stage as opposed to the lyrics of the music. The more electric and energetic a performance is, the more popularity it gains with the fans. At such performances, people do not pay much attention to the content or the message of the music but only to the satisfaction they get due to the performance. A good example of the hardcore emo is the Antioch Arrows. In addition, the hardcore emo could be in different situations referred to as hardcore punk as it was purely based on punk rocks enabling it to strip the musicality essence to much more meaningful essence. However, the style played in America was based on the British style and still being considered as an indie rock since most who were responsible for the production of different albums were the same ones who went ahead to produce the indie albums (Duncombe & Tremblay, 2011). Post emo indi rock evolution The emo music has been responsible for different sub-genres of music and post-emo indie rock was created as a result of adoption of watered down version by bands which considered them to be independent. This type of music does not involve a lot of screaming or harshness like in other bands rather it emphasis on the chords of guitar which has impacts of shaping the outcome of the music positively. The tempo of the music is relatively slow. The lyrics used in the type of music are always not deep and occasionally takes on the structure and design poems as compared to other sub-genres like emo and emocore. The lyrics are also more elaborate and can be easily heard and understood by the audience. Since the lyrics are often poetic, the message is crucial and people tend to relate to it. Those touching on social issues are more relevant and most people tend to identify with them more. An example of band playing this type of music is the Promise Ring. Some indie bands which later signed in with other larger bands are still being considered as indie. Moreover the word Indie used in the music is also used in referring to the different attitudes and traits displayed by a musician (Hopkinson, 2012). The personalities of the musicians have to portray the message of the lyrics. They have to play the part and convince the fans. Many artists related to the indie music always share an independent perception which is always results to them staying on smaller labels to retain their freedom. However, as much as most artists in the Indie label may refer to their music as an alternative of pop music, the truth is that the majority of the numerous music classified as Indie are considered to belong in the category of punk music. Therefore, it should be noted that punk music contributed to the formation of the indie music which has its roots in D.C (Gentry, 2012). The sub music genre became popular because of the DIY beliefs which were basically focused towards teenagers’ behaviors in the society. The idea behind this genre of music was that it was meant to bring closure or a close relationship between an artist and a listener (Greenwald, 2003). This makes all individuals part and parcel of the music community in contrary to the popular belief that music is the assets of producers and artist. The artist then has to make sure that his/ her music brings out the connection with the audience. The artist has to know and understand issues that commonly face their target audience and come up with a way to reach out to them through his music. To excel in this field, it is imperative for an artist to take their time to study and learn their listeners, only then can they satisfactorily capture their listeners (Troy & Cannato, 2009). Moreover, the indie sound produced with genre of song was so much real compared to those produced in such genres like pop or punk. This is because indie artists are forced to rely on the skills of a musician to produce a song which is widely acknowledged and accepted by the society. Moreover, the music genre has incorporated different elements from punk, grunge and heavy metal mainstreams leading to production of sounds which are considered to be political yet also cynical in nature. Likewise, use of various instruments has brought the genre closer to its audiences .The use of such instruments like the tambourines and percussion utensils has made music produced by artist in the genre to posses certain qualities which make the music sweeter to the ear as such music are usually characterized through such qualities like calmer musings and religious or loving sounds. As opposed to other genres, the music is more appealing and quite unique. It is soothing to the listener and communicates more to the inner self. After a long day, it can be very soothing and tends to make a bad day seem not that bad. It can also be therapeutic to a stressed up person (Gentry, 2012). Women in independent rock Before, men in the society were the ones dominating underground music scenes. However, punk music was critical to the introduction of women in independent rock within the state therefore creating a major evolution of music in D.C based on gender. The initial notion that men performed far much better in music has changed. Women have also taken up the challenge and have proven to be good enough if not much better. In D.C the boy band format was very successful as they were the ones which majorly played on different channels. In such things like events, it was rare to find female artist being featured on a tour as the tours and events were always dominated by the males in the society (Hopkinson, 2012). Moreover, the success of many male artists made it difficult for women to succeed in their careers especially those who were pursuing music genres related to punk music. However, punk changed the course of music for women in Washington D.C when Sarah McLachlan who was a poet ventured into ventured into producing music which resembled folk rock. Her first album ‘touch’ was released in the year 1988 leading to widespread popularity of her music. Sarah was able to successfully perform well in this role as she was a poet; it was therefore not difficult for her to come up the lyrics that could speak to the listeners. The end result was that women from other states and countries began venturing into production of music which was basically categorized to be in the punk genre hence removing the barriers which had previously prevented them for entering the male dominated punk genre. Over the years, women have been able to prove their competencies in this field. Other than passion, most of them currently pursue this field as a career and income earner. Grunge Moreover punk also led to evolution of music in Washington D.C because it almost completely influenced grudge which involves the use of heavy metal in making a musical piece. Punk played a critical role in influencing the creative ethos of grunge which was being used by musicians who composed related songs in parts of Washington D.C. Musicians here are like those in the genre of hardcore used similar rigor and strengths as those displayed in the hardcore genre. Their performances were electric and targeted to entertain more than educate. Therefore, punk has played a critical role in ensuring that such musical performances and songs related to grunge are full of life and rigor there by changing the aspect and direction of music as the audiences are engaged in such activities like dancing unlike in the past where music genres did not emphasize the essence of rigor in the creation of their different bands of music. This kind of music was also embraced because the audience was fully involved in the performances. By dancing to the tunes, the listeners would enjoy the music much more and would fully identify with the artists. The creation of grunge music paralleled hardcore music genre because of the differences in the virtuosity and musical shape in which the later had adopted. Its purposes can be said that it was aimed at reducing the popularity of hardcore and heavy metal music genre. It also served to incorporate and involve the audience that had actually been left out in the past. This inclusivity of the audience has led to even greater appreciation and acceptance of this genre. It seems to be the greatest evolution of music in Washington D.C (Starr & Waterman, 2013). Impacts of Evolution of music in Washington D.C The impact of music evolution in Washington D.C led to the development of numerous sub cultures within the state and in different parts of the world. The first impact was the development of the Goth structure which is traced back to gothic rock. Gothic rock has its roots traced to punk rock and post punk rock in the 70s. This subculture has led to the rise of different fetish behavior because of the macabre outlook and the dressing modes encouraged and widely promoted by different artists .Gothic culture over the years has gained popularity especially among the youth as they use this culture to boost their self esteem and have a sense of belonging and identity. The second sub culture was that the new wave of music which was also developed from the punk influence on the evolution of music in the D.C regions. The new wave subculture led to the combination of the punk music alongside fashion which resulted to a dangerous dressing or fashion style which did not encourage the concepts of morality in the society. This lifestyle was believed to undermine the different cultures and way of life of people. The set standard of morality was equally defied by this way of life. This kind of music hence received a lot of criticism. New wave music later came to be a popular musical movement in the early 1980s, but died later in the middle of the same decade. It was not widely accepted by many. Thirdly, the evolution also resulted to the straight edge which was based around a lifestyle of abstinence from such things like drugs and the abuse of alcohol. This way of life is often viewed as a corrective action from the previously ‘destructive’ way of life. It was meant to restore the morality earlier lost and give guidance to the society as a whole. This movement had its roots at Washington D.C and later spread to other parts of the country. Examples were made from leaders of the punk movement who was Ian McKaye as he did not indulge in any elements of drug. He was symbolic to this way of life and was a mentor and icon to many. This made it easy to convince teenage fans of the music genre as they looked upon the leader in different situations in which they were tempted to abuse drugs to fit in the peer pressure of meeting the punks’ culture. This way of music was also easily accepted by parents as they felt it provided guidance to their children who often rebellious toward their parent’s guidance. Straight edge music was widely accepted among different age groups. Conclusion In conclusion, Punk has indeed played a critical role in the evolution of music in Washington D.C. This is because the origins of various forms of music are traced back to D. C and it is interesting that they have all borrowed from different concepts of punk music. A good example is that the music has led to the production of the emo style which is unique music style discovered because of the presence of Punk within the society. Moreover, the evolution of music in D. C has also played a significant role because through emerging sub-cultures which arose in the region, the idea of developing a body or organization to educate individuals on such things use of drugs and the relationship between music and drugs was introduced. Likewise, Indie music has also played an important role in the evolution of music in the D.C and other states because it worked to rescue the new music industry as it was appealing to different audiences hence gave hope to audiences that there were other types of music genre which had not discovered and were also not in nature. This was owed to music genre strengths of versatility and flexibility. Moreover, the nature and impact of punk rock has evolved with time to receive coverage in such areas like the media, press and from different commentators across the world. So far, a lot has been achieved in terms of the viability of punk music as numerous sub-cultural styles has been created hence creating diversity in the different music genres existing and known to men. References Gentry, B. (2012). Capitol contingency: Post-punk, indie rock, and noise pop in Washington, D.C., 1991-1999. New Orleans: Garrett County Press. Troy, G., & Cannato, V. J. (2009). Living in the Eighties. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA. Shepherd, J. (2003). Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world. London: Continuum. Duncombe, S., & Tremblay, M. (2011). White riot: Punk rock and the politics of race. London: Verso. Greenwald, A. (2003). Nothing feels good: Punk rock, teenagers, and emo. Andersen, M., & Jenkins, M. (2009). Dance of days: Two decades of punk in the nations capital. New York: Akashic Books. Hopkinson, N. (2012). Go-go live: The musical life and death of a chocolate city. Durham: Duke University Press. Nicholls, D. (1998). The Cambridge history of American music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lornell, K., & Stephenson, C. C. (2009). The beat!: Go-go music from Washington, D.C. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. Starr, L., & Waterman, C. A. (2013). American popular music: From minstrelsy to MP3. Read More