Before arriving in San Jos\u00e9, I need to figure out how I want to go about my research, keeping in mind that I am both an observer and a participant in the scene.<\/p>\n
“San Jo” is my hometown, and both prior and since moving to Olympia, I’ve been loosely involved with the punk and ska scenes. I have something of a foot in the door already with a history, developed perspective, and some ready contacts. That means I also have a bias towards certain veins and circles of music, which I will have to keep in mind and counteract. Still, I mean to use what I’ve got to my advantage and to focus on what I’m most interested in, so I’ll be mainly focusing on the punk and alternative scenes in my research, with forays into other genres where they present themselves or where I feel compelled to seek them out.<\/p>\n
I’m starting with what I know: a medley of bands, both well established and fringe-clinging; a handful of record labels, music shops, and venues (including a couple big-hitters); some venues (both coliseums and dives), and a network of friends and acquaintances. I am using these\u00a0 to seek out others and thus compiling both a shortlist of interest interview candidates and getting a preliminary sense for the layout of the scene.<\/p>\n
Next, I plan to consider the city of San Jos\u00e9 by examining its history (from Native American habitation to recent events), ethnography\u00a0 and class structure (with an eye on distribution), geography (with relations to nearby elements), industry, civic structure, and city design.<\/p>\n
I intend to interview professionals in both musical and civic areas to guide my own observations and lay person interviews about them, while taking care not to get so stuck on the professional concept or viewpoint that I lose the common perspective.<\/p>\n
I intend to attend as many performances as I can, mainly in San Jos\u00e9 proper, but all around the South Bay where reasonable. I also mean to keep an eye out for special events and celebrations (for instance, Japantown’s 125th anniversary). At all events, I mean to immerse myself and learn as much as possible within proper bounds, while also taking other patrons aside when appropriate to pick their brains about the event and the city in general.<\/p>\n
I shall also draft a plan to examine the different Lynchian elements and civic aspects of the city in focus, devoting days to particular areas. With an ambient and analytic impression (and professional input), I will conduct random interviews in these areas on general and emergent topics.<\/p>\n
All of this, I mean to record by a combination of photography, video, audio, and a journal (I should look into what materials I would need for this)<\/strong>. The interviews I will cross-examine for overlapping or outstanding threads, which will further guide my research.<\/p>\n There is a personal aspect to this project, which will likely evolve over its course. My current idea is that by reexamining my hometown with some distance introduced, I might learn a new appreciation for it, come to see what I could not or would not before because it was too close too home, and maybe even give a little back to it from what I’ve learned or will learn in my research. This last point is critical to me. I do not want to trounce into these cultures and pick them apart from the inside without anything to give back to them (member though I might be). Examining and interacting with a wide range of cultures might give me the ability to act as an agent of networking for people of similar interests. Alternatively, I could learn about the city’s civil services, and offer that.<\/p>\n I’m not sure what I was expected to put in these initial posts.<\/p>\n Wooo!<\/p>\n