WEEK 9: Songster 2 2017

I really enjoyed listening to 'Fishin' Blues', both the version by Taj Mahal and Henry Thomas. It recalls a simple pleasure of catching and cooking your own food. The quaintness of the music is endearing and makes me happy. 'Sitting on Top of the World' is also a pleasant song, but its lyrics are quite a bit darker and deal with losing an important loved one. Both 'Fishin' Blues' and 'Sitting on Top of the World' have an optimism to them though that makes them pleasant to listen to.

Mississippi John Hurt's Candy Man is a deceptively naughty song. Upon first impression John Hurt's warm and soft voice betrays the scandalous nature of the lyrics. It almost reads as a child overhearing what the women in the town are saying about this "Candy Man'. There's an innocence in the way he sings that gives an otherwise dirty song a humorous slant. Reverend Gary Davis's version has a similar feel, but is more visceral and desperate in his delivery. He is not a child, but a man. This makes the song not as comforting as John Hurt's version. I googled the term "Candy man" to see if it meant anything beyond song lyrics and wikipedia states that it is, "used to refer to a candy street vendor or slang for a drug dealer". I'm not sure whether to trust this information because they do not provide a source, but if it is true then Gary Davis's delivery in his version has an important dark undertone to it.

The chord progression of all these songs has an uplifting feeling to it that can distract from their lyrical content. 'Cocaine Habit Blues' once again takes a whimsical instrumental and combines it with a more serious, almost disturbing song topic of being addicted to drugs.

Blues music is interesting for its contrast between instrumental and lyrics. I'd never listened too intently to it before but it goes against my original expectations. I expected the Blues to sound sad, but somehow the realization that a lot of Blues music sounds happy has thrown me for a loop. Once again I think about how the people who originated these songs must have used them as mood lifters or coping mechanisms. The power of music to distract you from your problems and change your perspective is valuable. In my piece I decided to depict a woman in the middle of dancing joyfully. The bruises on her legs and dirtiness of her feet are in juxtaposition with the carefree nature of her actions. I find this same juxtaposition to be present in the Blues and am interested in exploring it.

WEEK 8: MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT

Art by Winfred Rembert

Mississippi John Hurt is an inspiration and testament to the power of culture in connecting and healing people and the role that music has in keeping culture present and relevant. It's apparent in his name (Mississippi John Hurt) that the place he was born and raised played a tremendous part in his music. His tumultuous history with music and the fact that he was self-taught makes his story even more heartfelt. Making music was a way for people in rural areas to express themselves, pass the time, grieve, and celebrate. Music was an integral part of John Hurt's everyday life and a very personal thing for people of the time. I've been talking with my friends recently about the personal role of music in our lives. I remember being 11 years old and recording covers of songs with my brother. I think about the times I've gone karaoke singing with my friends and how the communal energy felt. Songs have an inherent history that can connect you with other people almost instantaneously. It saddens me that in many places, music (and art in general) has become something to be commodified and gate-kept, only afforded to those who conform to the society's standards of what is "good" (technically proficient, academically trained, etc.). The fact that the art realm has become so classist is a topic of conversation that gets my blood boiling every time. Not only that, the appropriation and imitation of "poor culture" is something that also happens frequently in the art world. People who have the privilege to artificially construct struggle for themselves in order to generate art are taking attention away from those who are also making art  from that struggle but actively living and working close to the poverty line. This is why I find Mississippi John Hurt's story so compelling, because he was an example of a genuine artist creating art through his experiences. Many times the world never gets to hear artists like him, and I'm sure there are still many people as talented as he was waiting to be discovered.

(side note, John Hurt's story reminds me a lot of Winfred Rembert)

Week 7: APPALACHIA II: THE BRITISH BALLADS

All the ballads have a tinge of melancholy to them, especially the American ballads. You can hear the European influence very clearly in the American ballads. I noticed a connection among some of the songs (such as Omie Wise, The House Carpenter, Barbry Allen, and the Lowlands of Holland) in that they all share a theme of separation, heartbreak, and death. Omie Wise was murdered by John Lewis, both Willie and Barbry died, the husband and wife of The Lowlands of Holland are separated by war (he is implied to have died), and a woman is lured away from her husband by the Devil and murdered in 'The House Carpenter'. You can hear one or more of these themes in almost all the songs mentioned this week. Perhaps the the lasting power of some of these songs is due to their melancholy nature. I speculate that many of the people who sang these ballads could relate to the feelings of physical and mental isolation.

I felt those feelings as I was listening to Barbry Allen, which I based this week's piece off of. I related to this quote from the Mike Yates article of Olive Campbell hearing 'Barbara Allen', "I saw again the long road over which we had come, the dark hills, the rocky streams bordered by tall hemlocks and hollies, the lonely cabins distinguishable at night only by the firelight flaring from their chimneys.  Then these, too, faded, and I seemed to be borne along into a still more dim and distant past, of which I myself was a part". At the time I was listening, I was dealing with some demons of my own and the emptiness of the rendition by Jean Ritchie resonated in me. I tried to channel those feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and guilt from the lyrics and my heart onto my piece. The warped perspective and deconstruction of the lines/shape/form reflects my mental state and the spiral of self-loathing that resulted from all these negative feelings.

Week 6: APPALACHIA

At first glance, 'Banks of the Ohio' is a hard song to get into. The lyrics illustrate a scenario so disgusting and reprehensible that there seems to be a cognitive dissonance between the lyrics and the melody. The casualness in the way Ashley and Watson sing it is jarring. The version sung by Ollie Gilbert feels more in line with the actual content of the lyrics. Her version is stark and bare, with careful attention given to each phrase so that the listener can hear it very clearly. I appreciate the ability of the song to tell a complete story in such a short amount of time.

The version of 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' by Watson and Ashley is almost solemn and retrospective. It feels calming and emotional compared to the stiffness of the Carter Family version. The tempo difference adds to the difference in feelings of the two versions of the song. The Carter version is almost robotic and commercial. It's very much performance while the Watson and Ashley version comes closer to front porch. However once again, neither come close to the rawness of Ollie Gilbert's version. Ollie's voice and cadence reminds me of a grandmother singing to their grandchildren. The lyrics of the song are very sad and, like 'Banks of the Ohio', are at first betrayed by their instrumentals.

When I did research into Appalachia, I found images of poor, rural scenes that reminded me of where my mother came from in rural China near Shanghai. The cold and hazy landscape that is beautiful to the eye is also very harsh and unwelcoming to live in. People that have grown up or lived long lives in these areas seem to have a hardness about them, a toughness that can only come from overcoming hardship. I think music is one of the few ways that people can process and cope with the tragedies and traumas around them. Both 'Banks of the Ohio' and 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken deal with tragedy in their lyrics, whether it be the death of a mother or the senseless murder of a woman. Being able to resolve these events in song means being able to accept life and carry onward. For my piece this week, I thought a lot about the lyrics to 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' and how it applies to my life. The line "There's a better home a-waiting In the sky" made me think about my unresolved relationship with spirituality and the afterlife. Like many people, I want to believe in something better after death, but my skepticism continuously reminds me that I have nothing to base that hope off of. Hearing songs of grief like this one make me wish I could have more faith in the unknown. For a moment when I listen and sing along, I can feel some of my unresolved grief be assuaged. Sadly, for me songs can only be a temporary escape and not a therapy.

I wish to keep the content of my piece a secret until we meet. After reading what I have wrote above I am curious what people's first impressions and assumptions of my piece will be. 

Update:

My piece is a reflection of my family, with the chrysanthemums representing my grandmother, the roses my mom, the sunflower being me, and the dragon and snake representing my brother and grandfather, respectively. It is a piece representing the transition and flow of life, circling and eventually coming back together.