On
The List: A Multidisciplinary Study of the Musical Open Mic Night
Abstract
One of the most significant
contributions to the global culture that the United States has made in the last
century has been its musical traditions. American vernacular musics such as
rock & roll, blues, hip-hop, jazz, and country can be found almost anywhere
in the world that commercially recorded music has travelled. Traditional
conceptions of audience-performer identity have been challenged in this music
through community-based, participatory events known as open mic nights. During
these events, the artistic output of the participants in the community is
developed and consumed. Additionally, the physical and cognitive space in which
the community ritual of the musical open mic is adapted to better suit the
needs of the community. In a national artistic environment in which the
traditional boundaries between artistic producers and consumers are changing,
it is of utmost importance that academics and both formally trained and amateur
musicians gain an understanding of the musical open mic night as a vehicle for
American musical community.
This paper argues that analysis of
musicological, spatial, and ethnographic forces reveals that OMNs are
structured to reflect the cultural priorities and geographies of their
participants. Using data-gathering methods from the disciplines of ethnology,
anthropology, musicology, and historiography, this paper will provide
observation and analysis of the dynamics at work within participatory arts
communities in two cities in Texas. By doing so, this paper aims to make a significant
contribution to the academic and professional literature on American vernacular
music and provide suggestions for ways they can be used within a wider
analytical framework for observing creative communities.
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