Notes from the Field

Curated by Samuel Montagne

A Finnish Medley: Forging Folk Metal

In 1990, the Swedish black metal band Bathory released Hammerheart, in which they turned from worshipping Satan and cursing Christ to praising Odin and longing for Valhalla—thus Nordic folk metal was born.

Iron Lion: "Black Music" and African Migrants in Urban Israel

Club Rasta is a tiny place on HaRakevet Street in south Tel Aviv: 20 square foot dance floor, DJ booth, nicely stocked bar, a few tables and chairs.  Small as it is, you can’t miss the entrance; it’s marked by a larger-than-life painting of a crowned lion in front of an Ethiopian flag, and the sounds of heavy bass that spill into the street.  Open on Tuesdays and the weekend, Rasta is the neighborhood bar of choice for Et

Record and Ride

On the 7th April 2012, I, Nicholas O'Brien, set out for a 5 month cycling and recording adventure around Europe.

Beating the Drum to See Poverty: Experiencing Music as Labor among Roma in Vranje, Serbia

When I first began to conceptualize my dissertation project, I was most interested in the ways that musical performance shapes ethnic relationships and identity politics for Romani musicians in Vranje, Serbia. As such, I eagerly anticipated conversations in the field about performer strategies, musician-patron interactions, and musician roles in celebratory rituals.

Voicing “Angels”: Conveying Musical Experience at Windham Tolland 4-H Camp

On one particularly hot week this past July during the two-week stretch of time I planned to spend at Windham Tolland 4-H Camp, Connecticut experienced a series of hot, muggy, and exhausting days. A storm was scheduled to roll in and, accordingly, rest hour was extended to protect the campers in case of thunder or lightning. Lightning indeed struck, and not just from the sky.

Dispatch from Northern Jalisco – Return to Huilotita & the Ethics of Documentation

In June of 1944, U.S. researcher Henrietta Yurchenco and a team of Mexican government workers set out on a multi-day journey from the old mining town of Bolaños in northern Jalisco. The team, aided by donkeys carrying supplies and audio recording equipment, were on a mission—funded by the U.S.

Dispatch from Northern Jalisco - “Wixárika” vs. “Huichol” & Ethnographers as Brand-makers

Greetings again from Colotlán, Jalisco, Mexico. In response to a comment on my first blog post, this entry explains a little bit about the difference between the words Wixárika and Huichol that are both used to refer to the indigenous group with whom I’m studying here in Mexico.

House Music in Macedonia: Expecting the Unexpected

In planning my fieldwork trip this summer, I decided to focus my research on the “ethno-band” scene in Macedonia, and hoped to spend a lot of time with musicians who are continuing folk music traditions in contemporary contexts. Upon my arrival in June, I began contacting the musicians I know in that scene as well as friends who are active jazz musicians in Skopje, Macedonia’s capital city.

Dispatch from Northern Jalisco - An Introduction

Greetings to Ethnomusicology Review readers! I’m delighted to begin my correspondence from Colotlán, Jalisco, México. As many of you know, Jalisco is often considered the home of what we might think of as stereotypically Mexican: mariachi, tequila, and the traje de charro.

Pages

"Sounding Board" is intended as a space for scholars to publish thoughts and observations about their current work. These postings are not peer reviewed and do not reflect the opinion of Ethnomusicology Review. We support the expression of controversial opinions, and welcome civil discussion about them. We do not, however, tolerate overt discrimination based on race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, and reserve the right to remove posts that we feel might offend our readers.
Subscribe to RSS - Notes from the Field