Wednesday, March 4, 2015

How Indie Came to Be

Slanted and Enchanted by Kaya Oakes explains how indie literature, indie music, and the DIY way of life came to be, and how they change as Indie culture molds to fit the new generations that take it on. Oakes starts form the beginning, reviewing how Indie culture got its start in the west coast during the fifties and sixties, and she makes her reader aware of the culture’s punk roots. She goes into detail about poets, bands, and independently owned businesses to provide examples about how DIY and interconnected the culture is. Oakes strongly believes that networking between artists, zines, college radio shows, independent printing presses, and independent record labels are the reason for the spread of Indie awareness and the growth of the culture itself. It’s incredibly hard to go into detail about the views displayed in Slanted and Enchanted. Kaya Oakes clearly knows what she’s talking about and she has an abundant amount of knowledge on this topic. I’m really glad I was lucky enough to find such and amazing book that provides so much information on a topic most people don’t write about.


I intend on using Oakes’ viewpoints to enforce how Indie rock and the bands associated with the genre connect to the aspects of Indie culture. Oakes focused on the importance of independent record labels, so I’ve decided to look into Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small by Laura Balance. I strongly believe that independent labels are vital to Indie music (mainly because the artists are able to stay “independent” while producing their music) and I’m excited to see the story behind an important Indie label. Some of my favorite bands, such as Spoon and Neutral Milk Hotel, are Merge Records artists, so I feel like I’ll be able to focus on one band and connect them to the information provided in Slanted and Enchanted. I love having knowledge about the bands I listen to, so I’m pretty excited to discover more about record labels and the bands behind them.

4 comments:

  1. It certainly appears that you are on the right track with your research thus far. I'll be interested to see how you compile all of this data into a paper about the human condition from the lighter indie side as compared to mine. I'd just like to caution you about the only using the history as a supporting factor in the bigger cultural picture (this is a Humanities class after all). Keep up the great work Gabby!

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    1. I definitely plan on focusing on the music aspect of the culture more than the history aspect of it. I would only use the history to support the philosophy the musicians have behind the music, which is the most important part of the creative process. Thanks for the tip, though! I'll keep it in mind!

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    2. Anytime you need sage advice, MrNicky900 is always available! Haha

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  2. Gabby,
    I really appreciate your love of indie culture and music evident in love of the research. I feel that it will be interesting to see how you move forward. This book did a great job describing the timeline an I hope you use it to move forward but also look at the way the music and culture go hand in hand. It seems the music isn't a result of the culture but more a vital aspect.
    I hope that you look at the way in which the music and the culture effect how people live and look at life. Comparing the culture in Washington with that here. Also how the indie culture spread as you said it started on the west coast but it is gaining popularity across the country not just for its music but also its values.

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