Paper short abstract:

I chose to observe the social dynamics of live music in North Bay. I observed how on the small, local scale, the interactions between performers and the audience set the stage for a discourse of power, and how musicians fought back against the control of their artistry.

Paper long abstract:

I chose to observe the social dynamics of live music in North Bay. I observed how on the small, local scale, the interactions between performers and the audience set the stage for a discourse of power, and how musicians fought back against the control of their artistry. Although there are positives to it, a large part of small scale performance in North Bay involves an attempt at the domination of musicians and a theft of their visible authority they have while performing. My research explores how the audience and the employers try to control the performers through heckling, the restriction of artistic freedom, and the restriction of financial reward. I also examine how performers, through their onstage actions and song choices, can construct hidden transcripts (to borrow James C. Scott's terminology) that ultimately allow them to resist this power. Finally, I show how this setting represents a constant flux and movement of power that is never completely settled.