Is this the real thing?

I'm now in the early stages of putting together a literature review. I feel like I'm standing at the base of the foothills, bracing myself for a lengthy trek through the entire mountain range of published material that relates in some way to the study of amateur music and outlets for folk and traditional music.

Last week I gave a presentation to my colleagues at UCE plus a few postgraduate students. The event was part of a series of monthly research seminars that we run in the Department of Media and Communication and I was pleased with the turn-out and interest. The presentation was similar to the one I gave at the IASPM Conference in September but included some work-in-progress.

The discussion session afterwards was quite lively (three of us continued it today outside the building during a fire alarm exercise!) and much of it focused on questions of authenticity. Is 'traditional' folk in some way a 'true' or 'pure' form of music and can it be preserved as such. How does music (or dance) get defined as 'folk' anyway - and does this description or category somehow bring the music closer to the lived experiences of 'real' people - or does it make it more distant from consumers of popular culture such as the X-factor, hip hop or Abba tribute bands?

These questions of authenticity are certainly going to be important in my own research. One colleague suggested I take a look at David Grazian's book Blue Chicago and I have now located a copy. The author knows the Chicago blues scene well, as a punter and as a musician and is interested in questions of authenticity. Do venues in Chicago offer a 'genuine', authentic experience of the blues? Hmm - does a visit to the local folk club offer a genuine, authentic experience of folk music?

Grazian discusses authenticity in an interview and addresses such questions as (basically) whether white men can sing the blues. I may well be addressing questions on whether folk music can only be performed by people over 50 (as some people seem to think!), or whether such concepts as nu-folk or folk-rock or Young Tradition awards offer a challenge to popular concepts of 'authentic' folk.

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research proposal   IASPM   David Grazian   blues   authenticity   literature review