From Broadway to the Bronx: New York City's History Through Song, 2024
A comparative examination of legendary artist Gil Scott-Heron's "New York City" (1976) and "New Y... more A comparative examination of legendary artist Gil Scott-Heron's "New York City" (1976) and "New York is Killing Me" (2009), this essay looks at the conditions in which Gil Scott-Heron lived. The first piece follows his own success and emits love for a city in the throws of de-industrialization and strife. "New York City" embraces the city and its inhabitants, particularly the Black and Latino working classes who struggle to make ends meet. In "New York is Killing Me" Gil reflects on his own alienation and desire to reverse migrate back to Tennessee, where he spent his childhood. Filled with pain and sounds from music of the African Diaspora digitally looped and remixed, the song represents the feeling of being pushed to the side by New York as it went from rough and tumble to the belle of the ball, a globalized hub for commerce and wealth.
The musical elements of political advertising change with the times. From songsters, contrafactum... more The musical elements of political advertising change with the times. From songsters, contrafactum songs with lyrics that extoll one candidate or party and denigrate the other, to television and radio jingles and online ads, the aesthetics of the campaign mirror the media diet of the public. Early television ads imitated jingles of the day: They were simple, catchy, and repetitive. Both Eisenhower’s “Ike for President” and Kennedy’s “Kennedy” follow this mold. Johnson’s 1964 campaign breaks this mold with “Daisy,” an anti-Goldwater ad known for deploying the eerie sounds of nuclear war. Successive campaigns sought to use a similar recipe, employing cues from film scores and trailers to dictate the emotional content of the ad. Recently, online advertising has bloomed, including tribute videos and promotional spots made by citizens and submitted to the campaign, adding grassroots allure and authenticity.
Americana : The Journal of American Popular Culture, 1900 to Present; Hollywood, Apr 1, 2012
In a July 1976 interview with AP reporter Kathryn Johnson, Rosalyn Carter was asked how the White... more In a July 1976 interview with AP reporter Kathryn Johnson, Rosalyn Carter was asked how the White House would be different if she and Jimmy Carter occupied it instead of Gerald and Betty Ford. Rosalyn Carter candidly replied that for one thing, there would be square dancing in the White House. The humorous quip eloquently composed sharp distinctions between the earthy populism of the Carters, the erudite cosmopolitanism that symbolized the flamboyant Kennedys, the Johnsons' Texan charm, and the drab conservatism of the Nixons and Fords. It was also Rosalyn Carter being characteristically honest. She and Jimmy Carter enjoyed square dancing, and were avid participants in Georgia (and according to Jimmy Carter in a recent personal communication concerning this article, they still are). As far as the truth of this comment is concerned, square, circle, and line dancing, as well as a host of other American folk and ethnic cultures ranging the performing and visual arts, were featured in what the Carter administration dubbed "The People's Inauguration" in January of 1977. The Carters also hosted square dances on the White House lawn during their tenure on Pennsylvania Avenue.This particular comment sparked a unique outpouring of enthusiasm from square dance enthusiasts around the country. Many took the time to write letters of gratitude to the Carters on behalf of themselves and their organizations, which are now housed in the Carter Presidential Archives in Atlanta, in a box oddly labeled "Unsolicited Occasional Music." The letters in the archive emphasize an affective connection between dancers, their communities, and the Carters through square dance. For the writers, square dance embodied distinctively American hopes, dreams, and practices, an ethos of American populism: embracement, egalitarianism, integrity, and timeless, wholesome simplicity. Respondents noted the significance and importance of square dancing in and to American life, nationalistically projecting outwards by generalizing their own interests, ethics, and assumptions onto the populace at large. For them, square dance was a personal practice that embodied the melting pot, inclusive ideals of Americanism, civility, and community - and connected them to the hopeful first family and others around the country. This art form was accessible (regardless of age, race, gender, economic and social status, geography), communal, cross-generational, appropriate, and enjoyable for all. It is clear from the letters in the archive that the writers also felt a personal resonance with the Carters. They read the ideals of the dance into the personal stories and personas of Carters - being uniquely American, accessible, populist, humble, organic, locally grounded but nationally fit, and in many ways, collectively shared, a veritable couple for, of, and from the people.The Rantoul Running Bears, from Rantoul, Illinois, wrote a lengthy letter to the Carters thanking them for emphasizing an important part of American culture and offering them honorary membership as Running Bears. Along with the letter was a signature page on which each member couple signed both their names and where they were from, indicating what while the group was based in Illinois, their members hailed from across the country. There was no indication in the archive as to whether the Carters accepted. The International Association of Square Dance Callers - housed in Los Angeles, California and Lexington, Massachusetts - sent a formal citation of appreciation, along with a healthy handful of their promotional material. In their letter, they emphasized the benefits of square dancing as a wholesome social activity as well as a salubrious form of recreation for all ages. More interestingly, they touted square dancing as a unique American Folk expression which embodied many aspects of our American culture, history, and values.After Carter's victory in November of 1976, his fledgling administration was approached by Congressman Richard Nolan of Minnesota who advocated on behalf of his constituents in St. …
The roar of the crowd was otherworldly, shaking Investco Field from top to bottom. The concrete a... more The roar of the crowd was otherworldly, shaking Investco Field from top to bottom. The concrete and steel shook below my feet and my ears split from the cacophony of 75,000 cheering, whistling, yelling, and stomping, and my hands stung from clapping. While my voice had succumbed to the dry mountain air and repeated abuse long before the denouement of the acceptance speech, the enthusiastic ululations heatedly billowed into the night sky. The people around me, many of them complete strangers mere hours before, hugged each other, offered high-fives and the then-infamous fist-bumps, and shouted words of courage and victory. Fireworks shot up into the sky, red, white, and blue confetti rained down, and the celebratory music of Brooks and Dunn's "Only in America" was subsequently drowned out by the wild applause of the participants. My friend Kirk,1 a burly former Texas high school line-backer and University of Texas Young Democrat, turned to me and gave me a bear hug. On t...
Music programs should include pop pedagogy, a serious engagement with applied popular music, as t... more Music programs should include pop pedagogy, a serious engagement with applied popular music, as they adjust their curricula for the twenty-first century. Pop pedagogy is relevant for pragmatic reasons of future employment and also to meet long-standing missions of higher education. Pop performance, arranging, and songwriting have implications beyond creating music professionals—they open a music department up to students who might never take classes otherwise, teach critical communication skills and civics, provide opportunities for student leadership and applied learning, and prepare skilled amateur musicians for lifelong engagement with music making. Through flipping the classroom and creating a rigorous atmosphere for students to engage with musics that they regularly listen to and participate in, pop ensembles augment the intellectual and practical experiences of students, diversify the curriculum, and keep music education relevant.
I began working on this article in 2014 in the wake of the 2012 presidential campaign. I was intr... more I began working on this article in 2014 in the wake of the 2012 presidential campaign. I was intrigued by the intersection of campaign music and the resurgence of populism in both the romney and obama campaigns. as the article was coming together in the summer of 2015, it became difficult to isolate 2012 from the looming 2016 campaign. The populism that often manifested as whisper, tremor, implication, and innuendo in the face of 2012’s establishment politics was more than insurgent in 2016, it was part of mainstream discourse and ethos. Populist rhetoric and policy were animating forces in the campaigns of both Donald Trump and bernie Sanders. as this article goes to press, the nominees have been chosen, but it is unclear how the republican and Democratic national conventions will play out, what tone the general election will take, and what effect populist sentiment will have on the party platforms and musical representation in the general election campaign. I attempt to address the sonic similarities between 2012 and 2016 and provide food for thought as 2016 races toward its conclusion and we are left to ponder how we arrived at this historical moment and how we move forward. as political
From Broadway to the Bronx: New York City's History Through Song, 2024
A comparative examination of legendary artist Gil Scott-Heron's "New York City" (1976) and "New Y... more A comparative examination of legendary artist Gil Scott-Heron's "New York City" (1976) and "New York is Killing Me" (2009), this essay looks at the conditions in which Gil Scott-Heron lived. The first piece follows his own success and emits love for a city in the throws of de-industrialization and strife. "New York City" embraces the city and its inhabitants, particularly the Black and Latino working classes who struggle to make ends meet. In "New York is Killing Me" Gil reflects on his own alienation and desire to reverse migrate back to Tennessee, where he spent his childhood. Filled with pain and sounds from music of the African Diaspora digitally looped and remixed, the song represents the feeling of being pushed to the side by New York as it went from rough and tumble to the belle of the ball, a globalized hub for commerce and wealth.
The musical elements of political advertising change with the times. From songsters, contrafactum... more The musical elements of political advertising change with the times. From songsters, contrafactum songs with lyrics that extoll one candidate or party and denigrate the other, to television and radio jingles and online ads, the aesthetics of the campaign mirror the media diet of the public. Early television ads imitated jingles of the day: They were simple, catchy, and repetitive. Both Eisenhower’s “Ike for President” and Kennedy’s “Kennedy” follow this mold. Johnson’s 1964 campaign breaks this mold with “Daisy,” an anti-Goldwater ad known for deploying the eerie sounds of nuclear war. Successive campaigns sought to use a similar recipe, employing cues from film scores and trailers to dictate the emotional content of the ad. Recently, online advertising has bloomed, including tribute videos and promotional spots made by citizens and submitted to the campaign, adding grassroots allure and authenticity.
Americana : The Journal of American Popular Culture, 1900 to Present; Hollywood, Apr 1, 2012
In a July 1976 interview with AP reporter Kathryn Johnson, Rosalyn Carter was asked how the White... more In a July 1976 interview with AP reporter Kathryn Johnson, Rosalyn Carter was asked how the White House would be different if she and Jimmy Carter occupied it instead of Gerald and Betty Ford. Rosalyn Carter candidly replied that for one thing, there would be square dancing in the White House. The humorous quip eloquently composed sharp distinctions between the earthy populism of the Carters, the erudite cosmopolitanism that symbolized the flamboyant Kennedys, the Johnsons' Texan charm, and the drab conservatism of the Nixons and Fords. It was also Rosalyn Carter being characteristically honest. She and Jimmy Carter enjoyed square dancing, and were avid participants in Georgia (and according to Jimmy Carter in a recent personal communication concerning this article, they still are). As far as the truth of this comment is concerned, square, circle, and line dancing, as well as a host of other American folk and ethnic cultures ranging the performing and visual arts, were featured in what the Carter administration dubbed "The People's Inauguration" in January of 1977. The Carters also hosted square dances on the White House lawn during their tenure on Pennsylvania Avenue.This particular comment sparked a unique outpouring of enthusiasm from square dance enthusiasts around the country. Many took the time to write letters of gratitude to the Carters on behalf of themselves and their organizations, which are now housed in the Carter Presidential Archives in Atlanta, in a box oddly labeled "Unsolicited Occasional Music." The letters in the archive emphasize an affective connection between dancers, their communities, and the Carters through square dance. For the writers, square dance embodied distinctively American hopes, dreams, and practices, an ethos of American populism: embracement, egalitarianism, integrity, and timeless, wholesome simplicity. Respondents noted the significance and importance of square dancing in and to American life, nationalistically projecting outwards by generalizing their own interests, ethics, and assumptions onto the populace at large. For them, square dance was a personal practice that embodied the melting pot, inclusive ideals of Americanism, civility, and community - and connected them to the hopeful first family and others around the country. This art form was accessible (regardless of age, race, gender, economic and social status, geography), communal, cross-generational, appropriate, and enjoyable for all. It is clear from the letters in the archive that the writers also felt a personal resonance with the Carters. They read the ideals of the dance into the personal stories and personas of Carters - being uniquely American, accessible, populist, humble, organic, locally grounded but nationally fit, and in many ways, collectively shared, a veritable couple for, of, and from the people.The Rantoul Running Bears, from Rantoul, Illinois, wrote a lengthy letter to the Carters thanking them for emphasizing an important part of American culture and offering them honorary membership as Running Bears. Along with the letter was a signature page on which each member couple signed both their names and where they were from, indicating what while the group was based in Illinois, their members hailed from across the country. There was no indication in the archive as to whether the Carters accepted. The International Association of Square Dance Callers - housed in Los Angeles, California and Lexington, Massachusetts - sent a formal citation of appreciation, along with a healthy handful of their promotional material. In their letter, they emphasized the benefits of square dancing as a wholesome social activity as well as a salubrious form of recreation for all ages. More interestingly, they touted square dancing as a unique American Folk expression which embodied many aspects of our American culture, history, and values.After Carter's victory in November of 1976, his fledgling administration was approached by Congressman Richard Nolan of Minnesota who advocated on behalf of his constituents in St. …
The roar of the crowd was otherworldly, shaking Investco Field from top to bottom. The concrete a... more The roar of the crowd was otherworldly, shaking Investco Field from top to bottom. The concrete and steel shook below my feet and my ears split from the cacophony of 75,000 cheering, whistling, yelling, and stomping, and my hands stung from clapping. While my voice had succumbed to the dry mountain air and repeated abuse long before the denouement of the acceptance speech, the enthusiastic ululations heatedly billowed into the night sky. The people around me, many of them complete strangers mere hours before, hugged each other, offered high-fives and the then-infamous fist-bumps, and shouted words of courage and victory. Fireworks shot up into the sky, red, white, and blue confetti rained down, and the celebratory music of Brooks and Dunn's "Only in America" was subsequently drowned out by the wild applause of the participants. My friend Kirk,1 a burly former Texas high school line-backer and University of Texas Young Democrat, turned to me and gave me a bear hug. On t...
Music programs should include pop pedagogy, a serious engagement with applied popular music, as t... more Music programs should include pop pedagogy, a serious engagement with applied popular music, as they adjust their curricula for the twenty-first century. Pop pedagogy is relevant for pragmatic reasons of future employment and also to meet long-standing missions of higher education. Pop performance, arranging, and songwriting have implications beyond creating music professionals—they open a music department up to students who might never take classes otherwise, teach critical communication skills and civics, provide opportunities for student leadership and applied learning, and prepare skilled amateur musicians for lifelong engagement with music making. Through flipping the classroom and creating a rigorous atmosphere for students to engage with musics that they regularly listen to and participate in, pop ensembles augment the intellectual and practical experiences of students, diversify the curriculum, and keep music education relevant.
I began working on this article in 2014 in the wake of the 2012 presidential campaign. I was intr... more I began working on this article in 2014 in the wake of the 2012 presidential campaign. I was intrigued by the intersection of campaign music and the resurgence of populism in both the romney and obama campaigns. as the article was coming together in the summer of 2015, it became difficult to isolate 2012 from the looming 2016 campaign. The populism that often manifested as whisper, tremor, implication, and innuendo in the face of 2012’s establishment politics was more than insurgent in 2016, it was part of mainstream discourse and ethos. Populist rhetoric and policy were animating forces in the campaigns of both Donald Trump and bernie Sanders. as this article goes to press, the nominees have been chosen, but it is unclear how the republican and Democratic national conventions will play out, what tone the general election will take, and what effect populist sentiment will have on the party platforms and musical representation in the general election campaign. I attempt to address the sonic similarities between 2012 and 2016 and provide food for thought as 2016 races toward its conclusion and we are left to ponder how we arrived at this historical moment and how we move forward. as political
Taken from the fall 2018 SAM Bulletin. Compiled and Edited by Dana Gorzelany-Mostak (Georgia Coll... more Taken from the fall 2018 SAM Bulletin. Compiled and Edited by Dana Gorzelany-Mostak (Georgia College)
A short piece on Bernie's Sanders' 'It's a Revolution' ad done for In Media Res as part of an exh... more A short piece on Bernie's Sanders' 'It's a Revolution' ad done for In Media Res as part of an exhibit on Bernie Sanders.
Proceedings from a round table at the 2017 IASPM Conference.
Participants:
James Deaville
Dana G... more Proceedings from a round table at the 2017 IASPM Conference. Participants: James Deaville Dana Gorzelany-Mostak Travis Gosa Justin Patch
Review of Paul Christensen's "Orchestrating Public Opinion", a monograph on music in presidential... more Review of Paul Christensen's "Orchestrating Public Opinion", a monograph on music in presidential ad campaigns from the 1950s through 2016
Review of Paul Christiansen's "Orchestrating Public Opinion: How Music Persuades in Television Po... more Review of Paul Christiansen's "Orchestrating Public Opinion: How Music Persuades in Television Political Ads for US Presidential Campaigns, 1952-2016"
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Papers by Justin L B Patch
Participants:
James Deaville
Dana Gorzelany-Mostak
Travis Gosa
Justin Patch