Dissonant Identities: The Rock'n'Roll Scene in Austin, Texas (Music Culture)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 312 pages
• Published by: Wesleyan
• Edition: 1st Edition April 15, 1994
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0819562769
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0819562760
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1.1 pounds

From Library Journal
Regarding the abundance of local documentation on Austin music, the iconoclastic Michael "Corky" Corcoran says, "Jeez, fewer words were written about the Civil War." Formerly of the Austin band Black Spring, Shank (American studies, Univ. of Kansas) is brave to include such an insightful comment here, when one realizes that the implicit criticism is dead-on as regards his own book. Shank's doctoral dissertation-cum-academic treatise tries to set itself apart by bringing a template of "critical cultural studies ethnography" to the subject, and it does indeed reveal the conflicting social and economic forces inherent in the development of rock music in Austin. Unfortunately, his critical-anthropological intent often takes him on long-winded intellectual benders that will frustrate most general readers, but the numerous interviews with local musicians are excellent. For all Texas music collections and academic libraries collecting the critical analysis of popular music.
Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Review
"Captures some of the essence and truths about the Austin scene, especially within the punk and new wave movement of the early Eighties . . . fascinating." --Austin Chronicle

"Some of the most incisive commentary I've yet to read on the music of Daniel Johnston, Ed Hall, Grains of Faith, and the interdependencies of artists and audience in Austin, Texas . . . A provocative addition to the short shelf of indispensible books about Austin music."--Austin American-Statesman

"Any book that begins with a Reality Sandwich at Austin's famed Hole in the Wall nightclub displays much promise . . . A must-read book for those who with to understand popular music-making in Austin, and others who seek a case study in the complexity of music ethnography."--Notes (Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association)

"With two powerful chapters on identity and commodification in the music industry, Shank covers much Austin ground and other pertinent music-scene grounds in general. Interviews abound, and Shank's work on the institutionalization of 'alternative' music in the major media conglomerations helps make Dissonant Identities a must."--The Rocket (Seattle, WA)