Appalachia has its fair share of cultural distinctions, the same as many places. Although things like our food, dance and dialects separate us from others, I find our music to be one of our regions most recognizable aspects. People forget that over the years, our voice has been most successfully heard through country and bluegrass, rather than shouting protestors.
Most commonly associated with bigots and hicks, the sound of fiddles and banjos is commonly misconceived as another hindrance for our region. Few people have considered the fact that the music that now only sits in the shadows has played one of the largest roles in shaping our culture. The roles of music in the 19th century were much different than those of today’s music.
Today, the only involvement in protesting is people standing in front of government buildings with signs, or going to extremes and physically intervening in an issue. Years ago, songs and books spoke for so much more. Appalachian music fueled the protests of coal wars and made our state’s opinions so much louder.
Although efforts are being made to keep Appalachian music alive, I doubt a revival is possible. People have simply lost interest in music actually speaking out about something. All I think we can do is to push support for local artists still playing cultural music.
-L
1 comments:
Personally, I love Appalachian cultural music. However, it is disappointing to see eveyone dismiss the old folk songs and mountain airs in favor of the instrumental music. The folk songs tell the story of the earliest people to arrive in the mountains, and it is a shame to lose them.
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