Connectivity: The Importance of Time, Dedication, and Passion Within An Artistic Community As Seen Through The Eyes of Pop-Punk Band Semi-Pro.

Abstract

My senior project is aimed at understanding and acknowledging the important themes of connectivity, dedication, the value of time and passion within an artistic community as seen through the rise and development of a local Hudson Valley pop punk band called Semi-Pro. As I took a step into the artistic world, I saw first hand the ritualistic processes and overall commonality of art as an understanding among its participants through its various extensive branches. This was done so through witnessing first hand how the members of the band resourcefully used key relationships with fellow artists within the community such as other musicians, photographers, solo artists, etc. I delved into other literary works of scholars to back up my argument as well as toured the extensive back story of the pop punk genre where I drew parallels to my key points of interest. I sought to uncover the understanding of this band through bridging the gap between anthropologist and individual by getting to know them on more personal levels than I had previously. This was accomplished by integrating myself as a "member" of the band so that there was no unnecessary awkwardness or fear of expression when my fieldwork was conducted. I felt it be of utmost importance to include summaries of the members and their previous band excursions throughout their life as musicians to show specifically their diverse backgrounds which ultimately is the glue that keeps them together and in sync with one another. Diversity is key! Throughout the paper, I included various forms of content to further enhance my arguments by incorporating pictures, video footage, and translated dialogue of interviews and personal experiences that I had encountered along the way. I explored and navigated my arguments through the history of the punk genre and delved into the rise and subsequent fall of pop punk through its predecessor(s), focusing on the dynamics of how it came to be such a popular form of music and its struggle to continue to do so to this very day. Important areas of discussion of which I focussed my fieldwork on was the importance of connectivity via music and networking relationships of fellow artists within the community, dedication to one's music and progression to becoming better artists, the D.I.Y. culture and its impressive influence it holds within the subculture, and much more. One of my main goals when writing this paper was to be a reliable and relatable narrator/ethnographer, not one who wrote extensively on boring subject matter nor one who fudged the lines between accurate writing and excitable content. I aimed to gain ground within an equal medium by writing honestly through the lense of an amateur Anthropologist and a devoted music fan of the pop punk genre.