In class this week, we were given a worksheet that consisted of boxes to fill in. We were asked to go outside of the classroom and walk around our large campus filled with many different environments. The sheet suggested we go to a quiet and woodsy area, a busy, pedestrian filled area, and other areas … Continue reading Listen Closely
Category: #bluegrassclassVT15
“Rising Appalachia”
Thursday night (4/23) I attend a Rising Appalachia concert at Radford University. I had seen them before at a couple of music festivals, which were all outside and very different environments. Doing the sonic footprint activity before this concert made a huge difference because it made me pick up on this I never had before. […]
“Listening to myself for once”
This past Monday our class did a very special activity where we walked around different parts of campus listening to a variety of sounds (and lack of them) while identifying the impact we personally had on the area. Sounds crazy right? I did not really buy into it much when I first looked at the […]
Can you hear what I hear?
On Monday, we were given a worksheet with lenient directions to go listen to what is around us as we walk to different places. The first place I went was the Duck Pond on campus because it is away from all the hustle bustle of campus and it is a quiet place to just relax. … Continue reading Can you hear what I hear?
Listen to Your Mother
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” – John Burroughs As artist paint a scene on canvas, so too do musicians create images, evoke feelings, and remind us of scenes we have witnessed or enjoy imagining. In many ways the music we listen to reminds … Continue reading Listen to Your Mother
A Folk Tradition: Mountain Music in Montgomery County and Giles County
1965-1968: Alan Jabbour records old time fiddler Henry Reed in his home at Glen Lyn, VA 1967 and 1969: Alan Jabbour gives the recordings to the Library of Congress 1973: the first and last Blacksburg Bluegrass
More on the bluegrass scene today [Wendesday 4/22/2115]
Happy Earth day week! What is newgrass? The term new does not refer to a temporal component, but a progressive style. The name is directly connected to the group New Grass Revival. Sam Bush is often heralded as the Father of New Grass. More on him here: http://bluegrasstoday.com/sam-bush-documentary-trailer-goes-live/ Lesser known groups who have had … Continue reading More on the bluegrass scene today [Wendesday 4/22/2115]
Sound and Sonic Footprints
For class on Monday, we were assigned to walk around campus and just listen, which is not something I typically do. I primarily walk to campus and back, and always have music going into my ears as I walk. After doing this assignment though, I became more aware of the noise around me. One of […]
Reflection on Authenticity: Mumford & Sons
Our class discussion about authenticity a couple weeks ago got me thinking a lot about Bluegrass and the standards I hold for authenticity within the genre. Mumford & Sons is one of those bands who certainly push boundaries, but retain the instrumentation, themes, and look of a folk band from the past. I used to be … Continue reading Reflection on Authenticity: Mumford & Sons
Bluegrass Trav 2015-04-18 03:41:54
Bit of an informal post this week, but I just wanted to share some Bluegrass covers that have been done of songs from different genres. I enjoy listening to covers and have a decent amount of memory on my mp3 player being taken up with cover songs from an array of genres. For example, I … Continue reading