GWSS 241 Blog Post 1

Jaelin O'Halloran

GWSS 241 Blog Post 1

This week’s articles share a common theme about our often exclusionary historical narratives. Michelle Habell-Pallán’s article analyzes Alice Bag’s relationship to West Coast punk culture in the 1970s. Alice acknowledges that unconsciously, “she did bring the influence of Mexican/Chicano musical culture to the Hollywood punk scene” via the Mexican genre of canción ranchera (Habell-Pallán, 250). Alice cultivated a new subgenre of punk by utilizing a wild and rough vocal aesthetic called estilo bravío in which, “women sing with aggressive, fearless, and bold expression, appropriating so-called masculine traits” (Habell-Pallán, 250) seen in her performances such as her performance of “Gluttony.” Both of the museum exhibits mentioned, American Sabor and Vexing, relate Alice Bag’s punk performances to Mexican and Chicana culture, which was previously ignored. These exhibits, “compel audiences to reevaluate received narratives about the production of punk in the U.S.” (265). Along the same vein, Gayle Wald’s biography of Rosetta Tharpe, as discussed in her article, sheds light on the Rosetta Tharpe’s power as a performer, and in doing so, critiques dominant historical narratives about U.S. popular music. These projects, the museum exhibits and the biography, both serve as critical interventions in our writing of history as they allow audiences to “re-remember” a broader history that includes influences from minority groups typically marginalized and historically erased. Further, these projects frame this erasure as, “a social practice, not merely a function of the passing of time” (Wald, 160) which reminds us to be vigilant of the same dangerous practices as we cultivate the narratives about our society today.

The Plugz – Electrify Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQG29kCTB-U

Isabel Davis – Bless the Lord (Live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEL-0mItsMg

The songs I have included in this post are Electrify Me by The Plugz and Bless the Lord by Isabel Davis. I have chosen to include The Plugz because they were a Latino punk band from Los Angeles during the 1970s, similar to Alice Bag. It is interesting to think about the similarities in the origins of The Plugz and Alice Bag and also the differences in how they each identified themselves at the time. I have also chosen to include Bless the Lord by Isabel Davis because she is a female, black gospel singer, similar to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Isabel Davis is a current artist. It is interesting to think about how she will be remembered in our historical narratives.