I\u2019ve now been back long enough to start drawing conclusions from the experiences of the past 5 weeks. The initial goal was to become immersed in the city. I feel this was accomplished. If you want to study the connections between the city and music, what better way to understand than through the eyes of a musician? From this perspective is where we were able to centralize our ideas and it also allowed us to immerse ourselves immediately. Knowing we might have potential show opportunities, everyday consisted of the right amount of work and leisure time to ask questions from an artist\u2019s point of view as well as an audience point of view. (Audience referring to the people watching the city as if the city itself were a performance piece)<\/p>\n
From here the second goal was to try and understand while Los Angele is such a musical hub and what was the way so many musicians became inspired in this city. Our listening playlist consisted of many talented Southern California artists such as Tyler the Creator and his team of collaborating artists including: Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt Domo Genesis and others that make up the group Odd Future. Other artists were: Kendrick Lamar (Compton) Pusha T (Compton) The Dirty Heads (Huntington Beach) and many more that I can\u2019t remember.<\/p>\n
What we found in LA was a mindset that fueled the ecosystem of the city. People everywhere were working hard to find new ways to be successful and proactive. The people and their common life style choices create an atmosphere the surrounding establishments have to cater to. You\u2019re basically forced into eating healthy or terrible there\u2019s no in between. The places where the gym, whole foods, acai berry stores and \u201cgreen\u201d stores are, are all together and visa versa for the fast food restaurants and convenient stores. Common interests connect all sections of the town and the people in those areas are working towards common goals.<\/p>\n
From my musician point of view the city is like the music. Its what the artist has worked for to show the audience and let the audience observe and understand. There is no real connection between the city and the music like there is no connection between the acai berry and Los Angeles. They may not have acai bowl shops around Washington but its not because it doesn\u2019t grow there \u2013 it\u2019s the idea behind eating it and it being healthy – it goes with the mindset of the people in California. The music being played in LA wasn\u2019t grown there; it\u2019s a bunch of bands from everywhere else that play there because the music resonates with the mindset of the people.<\/p>\n
The connection between cities and music is the people. Everything else stems from the people.<\/p>\n
The image of the city of Los Angeles is not distinct for me; it\u2019s not a skyline or an iconic building. For me the image I think of is a suburbia house with a business being started in the garage. It\u2019s a person seeing the potential in their own dreams and rather than sitting around waiting for the opportunity to arise, they are up the time the suns up making opportunities with the people and resources that their given. The connection is to the audience; Los Angeles resonates with the audience because it\u2019s where it is happening<\/em>. But it\u2019s made for the right kind of people. If you\u2019re not ready for it will eat you right up. The connections ive seen between all artists \u2013 Steve Jobs to Kendrick Lamar \u2013 is that you\u2019re going to get knocked down, but you gotta pull yourself up and keep going, because that\u2019s what being successful is all about.<\/p>\n