MEPaperMotherfolk
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School
Clackamas Community College *
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Course
105
Subject
English
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by JusticeDangerTiger17
Musical Experience
You must either attend a live concert, watch a video or television performance, listen to an
entire CD or watch a musical movie. You may choose any type of music for this required
paper and receive a total of 50 possible points if you meet all requirements.
Practices and Standards
12 points
Describe the Concert Setting and media (Video, CD, DVD, Live Performance):
A
minimum of 3 sentences.
I watched a YouTube video of my favorite band Motherfolk playing a live performance
for Audiotree Live. I watched it on my TV from my bed, but they played in a small,
dark studio lit with purple and pink lights. It was just the band and the Audiotree Live
host, so there was no audience in the room.
Date of concert, place of concert, name of group, programs provided, program notes
provided, spoken remarks, include the names of all the selections:
Date of Concert:
They video is from July 19, 2019. I watched it on May 5, 2020.
Place of Concert:
Recorded at Audiotree Live Studios in Chicago, Illinois. I watched it
in my bedroom
Name of Group:
Motherfolk
Program provided:
no programs
Any Spoken remarks:
The band made comments between the songs, and the host
would ask them questions as well. They messed up the beginning of “Something in the
Middle” and Bobby jokingly asks “Wait, is this live?” and the host says “No, it’s
Audiotree not Live.” After “Something in the Middle,” the host mentioned their then
upcoming album Family Ghost, and asked, “What can we expect from that record?”
and Bobby replies with, “Some songs, yeah, mostly songs.”
Names of ALL the Selections you listened to:
Kill the Ghost
Somewhere in the Middle
Control
Kill the Sun
Fold III
Kate Hudson
What did the solo/group consist of (instruments, voices):
A minimum of 3 sentences.
Bobby sings and plays guitar. Nathan also sings and plays guitar, and he is married to
Karlie, who plays keyboard. Clayton is the bassist and Ethan is the drummer.
How would you describe the style or genre of the music, e.g., rock, folk, new age,
classical, jazz, etc.
in a minimum of 3 sentences.
Motherfolk is an indie folk rock band. Bobby and Nathan write all the songs and a lot
of their songs have sad lyrics, but not all of them have are slow. Some of their songs
have abrupt tempo changes that add to their fun performances.
Self-Assessment
12 points
Choose two works from the program and fill in data below using the musical terms.
Some definitions of musical terms used below in case you need some ideas.
Melody
– an organized succession of tones, something you can easily sing along with.
Rhythm
– pertaining to the duration of musical sounds consisting of pulses or beats, e.g.,
toe tapping or not.
Does it sound like a waltz or march?
Harmony
– simultaneous sounding tones usually chords, sometimes voices singing
different notes or a solo voice with instrumental accompaniment [homophonic].
Texture
-
patterns of sound created by performers falling into 4 types:
monophonic
consisting of melody all alone; polyphonic consisting of 2 or more different melodies
sounding at the same time; homophonic consisting of a melody with accompaniment; and
heterophonic consisting of 2 or more voices elaborating on the same melody at the same
time.
Most pop music is homophonic and sometimes heterophonic [gospel music].
Tempo
– the speed at which the music is performed, fast/slow/medium.
Dynamics
– the loudness or softness of a musical selection.
First Work
Composer:
Motherfolk
Title:
Kill the Sun
Melody:
This is one of their really fun songs, it’s the one I would choose to play for any
of my friends who have never heard the band before.
Rhythm/Meter:
"Kill the Sun” has a very upbeat rhythm overall. There is a part where it
slows down and they sing the first half of the chorus, and then it goes back to its original
speed for the last half and the rest of the song.
Harmony:
Nathan did vocal harmony for several parts throughout this song.
Texture:
Homophonic. It has one melody sung by Bobby and he is accompanied by the
rest of his band.
Tempo:
It is fast for the most part; there is just one small part where it is slower.
Dynamics:
This has varying dynamics. Most of the time the melody and instruments are
at a moderate, maybe leaning towards a little louder volume, but at one point they get
quieter and then really loud to the point where Bobby is practically shouting, and then
they finish it out with their original moderate volume.
Instruments/Voices:
Bobby sings the melody and plays guitar, Nathan sings harmony
and plays guitar, Karlie plays keyboard, Ethan plays drums, and Clayton is on bass.
Mood:
This has a very high-energy, happy, encouraging mood.
Second Work
Composer:
Motherfolk
Title:
Control
Melody:
The melody starts off soft and then the instruments transition it into a louder,
more energetic melody.
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Rhythm/Meter:
The rhythm in this song is consistent, it keeps it going so it is not slow
and not too fast, but it pushes the song forward.
Harmony:
Bobby sings vocal harmonies for this song.
Texture:
Homophonic. It has one melody, sung by Nathan, and he is accompanied vocally
and with guitar by Bobby and instrumentally by the rest of the band.
Tempo:
The tempo starts off a little slow, but then is moderate throughout the rest of the
song.
Dynamics:
This song never gets very loud. It begins soft, then gets a little louder and
stays like that for a while. There is a part about ¾ of the way through where Nathan
briefly almost shouts a line and then it gets very soft again.
Instruments/Voices:
Nathan sung melody and played guitar. Bobby harmonized and
played guitar. Ethan was on drums, Clayton on bass, and Karlie on keyboard.
Mood:
The mood is more on the hopeless side, but not so sad as much as calm.
Contextual Awareness
12 points
What was your overall reaction to the concert, CD, movie? What did you learn from your
listening experiences and how it might relate to your future listening experiences.
A
minimum of 3 sentences.
I loved it; Motherfolk always puts on an entertaining performance and their fun,
easygoing personalities show in this video. I have seen them in concert twice and had a
good conversation with Bobby and Nathan after one of the shows, and they come across
exactly the same in person and on video. The listening experiences helped show me
more elements of music that I can pay attention to and think about when I listen to
songs I have already heard.
How do these listening selections relate to your personal experiences, family experiences
and what you learned in this course.
A minimum of 3 sentences.
My brother and I first heard Motherfolk when they were opening for The Classic
Crime. A couple days after, my brother came up to me and showed me he was listening
to “Wreck of a Man” by Motherfolk and I pulled out my phone to show him I was
listening to the same song, and we have loved them ever since. We listen to a lot of the
same music and have gotten to go to several concerts together because of it. This course
has helped me to see how rock has changed and how it has been influenced by different
styles of music. I can identify parts of Motherfolk songs that have elements inspired by
blues and country, even though they are a folk rock band, because I can see the
connection between the genres.
Connections to Experience
14 points
How do these listening experiences relate to the historical significance, global issues, and
cultural influences we studied this quarter
.
Motherfolk is clearly inspired by classic rock trademarks, like their high energy
performances. I know Nathan has said he has always been a fan of Hall & Oates. They
carry on the blues-influenced rock element of emotional lyrics; they have a lot of songs
that talk about death and sadness.
How do these listening selections relate to musical genres, ethical or aesthetic traditions
we studied this quarter.
Motherfolk started with just Bobby and Nathan writing songs together in college. Now,
they get to play live for fans and record albums and go on tour, just like how so many
early bands had to start with very little before they were given the opportunity to live
their dreams. The raw emotion in their songs and incredible vocals are reminiscent of
older rock legends, but in their own style of indie folk rock.