Rock Music And Class Identity

Great Essays
I attended Portugal. The Man’s concert at Rams Head Live in Baltimore, MD. They displayed their cultural and class identities through their music and performance style along with their attire, background, upbringing, venue choice to reinforce certain values they hold.
Rock music is a popular genre of music that developed throughout the United States and United Kingdom in the 1950’s. Rock music was heavily influenced by the popular music of the time: Blues, Rhythm and Blues, as well as Country music. Rock music originated from the rock and roll genre of music in the United States and quickly spread throughout the world. In 1951, the DJ Alan Freed began playing rhythm and blues music and coined the phrase ‘rock and roll’. In the early 60s, rock
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These genres of music are often associated with a range of themes including love, rebellion against social norms, and social concerns. The genre of rock music “has often been contrasted with pop music, with which it has shared many characteristics, …show more content…
The Man shows their class identity through their music and performance style. They express their class in they way that they perform and hold themselves at performances. John Gourley grew up in rural Alaska and never really had much. His father moved to Alaska with $300 and the records he purchased before he left. When the band set out to Portugal to launch their career as musicians, they maintained this identity and didn’t sign a major label until 2010, after they had independently produced 4 albums. In an interview with Brittney Lewis after signing Atlantic Records, Gourley stated “It definitely makes you want to live up to something. But it’s more because of their diversity. I want to contribute to Atlantic Records. I don’t just want to be on the label expecting shit from them. I want to write the best songs we can” (Citation). Portugal. The Man wanted the freedom to do and write whatever they wanted and an independent label allowed them to do this. The band members maintain that they make music for the enjoyment of making music and using music as a medium for sharing ideas, not for the profit of it. Gourley recalls a hunting experience in which his father has a clear shot at a moose but hesitates and says, ‘we’re not going to get it – because we don’t need it” (Citation). This attitude is shown in the band’s music and performance style in a few ways. Upon the release of one of their albums “the band announced a partnership with Smithsonian 's National Zoo and

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