The topic I've chosen to research is the post-hardcore scene in Massachusetts, and possibly Rhode Island as well. It's a scene I've been somewhat involved with, but always curious to learn more about. I think Massachusetts has a strong history in the scene, with band's I've listened to like The Receiving End of Sirens (tragically disbanded recently) and Therefore I Am (and Monty Are I in Rhode Island), and others I haven't, like Vanna, A Loss For Words, and Four Years Strong. The origins, definition, and goals of post-hardcore would be interesting to delve into. Additionally, there seems to be a lot of dedication to promotion of local artists within this scene, the networks of which would be worth exploring. Focusing specifically on the members of the scene - clothing, musical tastes, and behavior during live performances would also be topics for investigation. I'm thinking this geographical area will be about the right size, but I may also explore the Northeast as a region, as many important bands to the genre have come from NY, DC, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Perhaps they will figure into the local scene in their own way.
Questions I would like to ask include:
-What exactly is "post-hardcore"? What is required by the definition, and how solid or fluid are its boundaries?
-What values do its listeners/musicians hold musically? Why does the music itself appeal to them? What other music do they listen to?
-How is this music and the members of its scene viewed from an outside perspective?
-What kind of overlap is there between post-hardcore and emo (or hardcore, or metal, or punk)? How do members of the scene feel about that relationship?
-What kind of localized artist promotion networks exist? Why do they exist? Is there something about the music or the place that is conducive to these networks?
-What is appropriate/expected behavior at live performances? How does this behavior relate to similar/overlapping genres?
-What is the demographic for this music? What is the look, how is it obtained, and where did it come from? Are there personal traits/attitudes associated with the members of this scene?
-What venues are home to this music? What connotations do these venues carry with them?
-What are the origins and influences of post-hardcore? Have their been multiple iterations of post-hardcore? What are the current influences? Where is the genre heading?
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I think this a very interesting topic, and our location makes it even better--the post-hardcore/hardcore scene in Mass. and RI is huge. In fact, many of the internationally well-known bands are from this area. I'm curious to see what you can find out about the scene. I'm especially interested in seeing what people involved with the scene define post-hardcore to be and what differentiates it from hardcore.
ReplyDeleteI also suggest you go to Nice Slice on Thayer St. Sean Murphy, the singer of the (recently disbanded) band Verse works there. They're extremely popular (have toured internationally) in the post-hardcore scene, so that might be a good place to start, especially because of its proximity to campus.
-Andrew
Alex, it looks like you're well-equipped to take on this topic and have already thought through some of the key questions that will help you focus your fieldwork. You should begin drafting a list of interview questions that could help you get people talking about the matter of genre definition. Often people are able to say that Band X belongs to a particular subgenre and Band Y does not, but getting to the subtle reasons for those distinctions can be a challenge (and can be very productive, in terms of revealing guiding aesthetic and ideological values for a scene). I'm delighted to see that Andrew has a suggestion of another good local connection.
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