history
Iconic moments in music history.
Womyn in Punk
I often wonder what makes the sound of my voice so different from that of my three sisters. The way I pronounce short vowels and grumble, how my laugh sometimes sounds violent, why I swear so often and cringe when I hear the word “like” too much. I used to attribute my sarcastic, matter-of-fact tone to a younger, subconscious need to stand out from my hyper-feminine sisters—the youngest in a family of six, I was always seeking small ways to rebel, to get attention, to be heard. But now I have to wonder if the way I talk and laugh and write is a direct result of growing up in the punk scene, and because of it. I feel certain that spending all of my free time in crowds of mohawked girls and men in tight pants taught me more about gender—and rebellion—than I could have understood at the time. The lyrics of my favorite songs, the way brusque, angry women would scream from their stomachs when they sang, the humor of their pseudonyms and song titles, and the brash attitudes they donned in interviews were speaking directly to the norms and standards against which I was also trying to rebel. Today, with a greater understanding of gender norms, subcultures, linguistic use, and of course, myself, I see that an analysis of women within the punk movement can be a valuable place to look for manifestations of social and political resistance through self-expression.
By Kristina Sarhadi5 years ago in Beat
Essential Rock Stories: "Doctor My Eyes"
Welcome to the first edition of a series I like to call Essential Rock Stories, a deep dive on your favorite classic rock artists, songs, and albums that will change the way you think about Rock & Roll! Today we're directing our focus on Jackson Browne, and his smash hit, "Doctor My Eyes."
By Sierra Richardson5 years ago in Beat
Bob Dylan and Conversing with Jesus
"Dear Landlord"is one of Bob Dylan's most enduring songs and it has many messages that can be interpreted from its lyrics. It marks the beginning of a new era of folk music for Dylan and many have interpreted this song to mean something along those lines. Many have stated that there are clues in the songs of John Wesley Harding that give meaning to Bob Dylan's new semi-acoustic folk era. But, I believe that there's something more religious going on here. I know I talk a lot about Bob Dylan's religious aspects and well, I believe he is in conversation with Jesus Christ about his past and present positions. Though John Wesley Harding is known to be pretty religious, I think that there is something special about this song. "Dear Landlord" seems to be, ultimately, Bob Dylan begging for one more chance, something where he'll redeem himself.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Beat
The Sound and The Fury: Bob Dylan's "Dirge"
As we know, a "dirge" is a funeral song, and William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury is no different to a dirge in my opinion. So, is it true that there are similarities between Bob Dylan's cast-iron torch ballad, and Faulkner's prize-winning Southern gothic novel?
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Beat
Bob Dylan's 'Time Out of Mind' and Telling Two Parts of the Same Story
The album Time Out of Mind (1997) is well-known for being one of Bob Dylan's darker albums, in which the songs, instead of depicting just the image of the American Folk Hero, tend to also depict a time extreme desperation. Even in the epic "Highlands," though of poetic genius, is darker than other Dylan epics, such as "Visions of Johanna"or even the song "Hurricane."
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Beat
Protest Music: Traditional and Contemporary
Race issues in the United States are coming to a breaking point. The number of minorities being killed and intimidated by the hands of police and other political authority figures is growing, and though this killing and intimidation is being caught on camera, there are few prosecutions.
By Azaria Brown5 years ago in Beat
Bob Dylan and Three Modes of Autobiography
Bob Dylan has been known to intelligently use autobiography in his songs, but there are several songs in which Bobcats and Dylanologists have no idea whether Dylan actually put himself into them, or if he was entirely separate. However, I personally believe that there are three modes to which Bob Dylan refers to himself within his songs and each one of these is entirely different to the last. They are:
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Beat
A Song Turned to Protest
“Music is moonlight in the gloomy night of life,” words written by the romantic writer Jean Paul Richter, and they are ever so true. There have been numerous gloomy historical events within America’s 242 years since its establishment. One gloomy event in particular was the Vietnam War, and this war also became known as "America’s First Rock n Roll War." Anti-war songs were almost on every musician’s album, played on every radio, and added fuel to fiery protests against the war all over the nation. There was a musical being preformed on Broadway promoting these ideas against war. Protesters plastered lyrics from anti-war songs on signs as their rally cry. War, any war, can shape and change many things for the people being effected by it, but the Vietnam War, while changing and shaping different things, did something very important: It changed music in the late 60s and early 70s that showed just how powerful music really was and is. This war helped define the rebellious way that is Rock n Roll.
By Catherine Agati5 years ago in Beat
How The Beatles Helped Heal America's Broken Heart. Top Story - February 2019.
Almost everyone that was alive at the time can recall when, where, and what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot riding in his motorcade through the streets of Dallas, Texas.
By Shandi Pace5 years ago in Beat