Introduction Appalachia has been known for the larger part of history as a primarily white Anglo-saxon population. The truth of the matter is that Appalachian culture and heritage happens to be as rich as the soil that sprouts its tobacco and as diverse as its mountainous terrain. That being said, bluegrass is largely claimed as … Continue reading Mixtape – Bluegrass: Transcending Genre & Race, Uniting in Place
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Event: Amber Collins and Branch House Pavilion
On Saturday, April 25, 2015, bluegrass trio Amber Collins and Branch House Pavilion performed at the Floyd Country Store, one of the major venues on the Crooked Road. I was familiar with the group because the guitarist, Scott Patrick, spoke to our class the month before, but had never been to the famous venue. […]
Event: Rising Appalachia
On Thursday, April 23, 2015, sister-duo Rising Appalachia performed at Radford University. I purposefully didn’t listen to their music before the show, so I would be surprised by whatever I heard when the concert started. Oddly enough, the music was the least surprising part of the whole experience. Chloe and Leah Smith performed songs […]
Event: T-Pain vs. Old Crow Medicine Show
On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, Florida hip-hop artist and rapper T-Pain came to Burruss Hall to perform seventy-minutes of his greatest hits. The event almost filled the 3,000-seat Burruss, which spoke to T-Pain’s relevance despite his not releasing an album since 2011. He was the fifth rapper to come to Virginia Tech this school […]
YouTube Playlist for Annotated Mixtape
The Grasscutters
Cecil Creasey Sr. and Mary Creasey, January 1958
First vinyl album cover, “Mowin’ on Down the Line”
Band members:
Cecil Creasey (fiddle and vocals)
Bill Parrish (guitar and vocals)
Mel Hughes (mandolin and vocals)
Warren Rodgers (bass and vocals)
Eugene Roberts (banjo and vocals)
[CLIPS]
“I’m […]
Gender as Articulated by Bluegrass Music
“In writing it, Ledford did a rare thing for her time: she made the free-wheeling, globe-trotting, banjo-playing protagonist a woman. If her man thinks he can persuade her to give it up and stick close to home, he might as well save his breath” – Jewly Hight It would be difficult to discuss gender in Bluegrass without … Continue reading Gender as Articulated by Bluegrass Music
Examination of Bluegrass Identities Through Theories of Identity
Performance Theory & Articulation Theory “When one starts to think carefully about how discourse might be said to produce a subject, it’s clear that one’s already talking about a certain figure or trope of production. It is at this point it’s useful to turn to the notion of performativity…So what I’m trying to do is … Continue reading Examination of Bluegrass Identities Through Theories of Identity
Bluegrass Presentation
What is the Crooked Road? The Crooked Road is a music heritage trail that runs along the southwest region of Virginia in and around the Appalachian Mountains. It is home to many bluegrass/old time musicians, music venues, and other musically historical sites. This trail follows US route 58, starting in Franklin County, Virginia and ending … Continue reading Bluegrass Presentation
Nostalgia in the Songs of Women in Bluegrass
My topic for my final project is looking at nostalgia in the songs of women in bluegrass. I found that each song talks about home in a different way. Some have left home and are longing to go back, some left home and have now returned, and some are where they consider home but it … Continue reading Nostalgia in the Songs of Women in Bluegrass