Sitting in the Grad Center Bar (GCB) is a surreal thing. Having been a part of Brown’s student culture for three years prior to my current status as a senior of age to drink, I feel as if I have acquired some sort of object in the pre-graduation scavenger hunt of Brown social life. It is early enough in the evening that the rush of 21+ undergraduates throngs the space and it appears as if a friend I came with and I are the only two undergraduates here. Those at the table right in front of me are speaking what I could recognize as Portuguese, while those at the table across the room are speaking Spanish – my friend tells me that they are talking about poetry. The background music seems to be from a 1990s video game and the art around me reflects this feeling with abstract art covering the left wall, a vintage comic print of scenes from Providence, and a wooden sculpture apparently describing the trap of alcoholism encased in a plastic box in an enclave of the wall leading into the dart room.
I couldn’t find a DJ or anyone who was in charge of what music was being played, so I couldn’t ask for specific tracks, but I was surprised at how little cohesion the music had the longer I sat there. It went from playing an unrecognizable noise-art string of tracks to playing generic alternative rock from the 1990’s. It was at a loud enough level that the lack of cohesion made me actually jump when one song was transitioned over to the other. That being said, aside from a comment about that one startling track, not much was mentioned about the music. I don’t think it was because most of the patrons didn’t like the music, I think that it was because everyone here was not here for the music, some not even here for the alcohol as two people at one of the tables just had their laptops out and were doing work, not drinking nor talking. It wasn’t a weekend night, so understandably there would be those here not in that specific mood.
When I came back two hours later, the place was much more lively than it had been earlier in the evening. The music was louder and a little more current, but having no designated area to dance, there was no way for the patrons to really interact with the music that they were passively listening to. There also still was no DJ, creating a lack of any personification of the music or anyone to talk to about a potential change. Here, the listener is completely removed from the music (or is it the other way around,) thus making this a conducive space for small groups to get together, but there was very little mingling of groups or the illusion that there is a big group made out of these smaller circles. In some of the other places I’ve visited, it is this cohesion between music and atmosphere that resonates with all of the patrons and often brings people together. The GCB being a pretty clear opposite acts both to fortify my conclusions about music’s connection to atmosphere, but also goes to illustrate that the GCB lies in some hazy middle-ground between hang-out space and dive bar, having elements of both, but the true atmosphere of neither.
I really like the narrative style and voice of your fieldnotes. As a freshman, I've (obviously) never experienced the Grad Center Bar, but I'm curious as to its role in the larger culture you're researching. What elements of the GCB speak to its Providence-ness? What elements stick out when compared to other places in Providence? And does it mean anything that it's located on College Hill as opposed to downtown?
ReplyDelete"everyone here was not here for the music, some not even here for the alcohol..." seems to me to be the most interesting thing about this experience. I think it might be interesting to explore the tensions between the academic and the non-academic in a place like GCB.
Overall awesome job and I'm psyched to read more.
-Tristan
I enjoyed reading your fieldnotes, and as a fellow 21+ senior, you pinpointed some of the things that I have noticed myself from going to the GCB. You did a great job analyzing the structure of the social space, and its lack of one specific purpose having a definite effect on the way the music is integrated into the experience. Since the bar is open to a variety of ages, both undergrads and alumni, on both weekdays and weekends, the music cannot have one obvious preference for setting a party or "chill" atmosphere. As you said, and I completely agree with, it "lies in some hazy middle group between hang out space and dive bar." The fact that it does not have a definite place on the spectrum of social spaces makes it an even more interesting area of research, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to me that a place like the GCB, which does not seem to devote much attention to its music, still has music playing in the background. I wonder why then it even has music playing. I think that you were much more attentive to the music because it was your first time there. It seems that the regulars did not even pay attention to the music because they were so used to it. Thus, you stated that the listener is completely removed from the music. However, I wonder if that is really true at GCB. I think that if your standard of interaction with the music was dancing, then the GCB definitely failed. However, can’t the patrons still be interacting with the music someway even if they were not dancing? I wonder how the regulars would react if the music was not playing. While I think that you have great analysis for your argument, I think it can still be said that the music there did have cohesion to the atmosphere, but just not one that brought people together.
ReplyDeleteIf the regular patrons of the GCB have become so used to the discordant music that they do not even pay any attention to it, then wouldn’t the music still be an integrated part of the soundscape of GCB? It has become so normalized by the patrons that it belongs as part of the collective background, a constant atmosphere. I think it would be great if you can interview a GCB regular to get his/her thoughts on the music there.
It is difficult to dissect the role of music in this environment. On one hand, it seems almost irrelevant to the scene, but at the same time, the shift you experienced a couple hours after your first visit definitely signaled a change in crowd and atmosphere. The music, therefore, had some relationship to the social experience of the GCB. It seems that the music that played later on as the bar became more crowded could have been danced too if a dance floor had been available. I wonder if the (perhaps subconscious) knowledge that this music is related to the dance-aspect of a party atmosphere triggered a change in the atmosphere of the bar.
ReplyDeleteI think your comment about the lack of DJ was very interesting. This lack of a clearly displayed controller of the music makes the music seem like less of a social thing and more of an atmospheric aspect. It almost puts music on the same level as the artwork or lighting in the GCB- something that remains in the background but definitely impacts the overall environment.
I like your assessment of the GCB as that is exactly how I feel about it. The music never has a distinct style or vibe and the DJ (or lack there of) does not transition between songs. He merely sits at the bar and changes songs on an Ipod or so it seems. The GCB is also unlike any other bar in that it is a true dive bar. People go there to hang out and relax in an informal environment while having a drink. The GCB is also an interesting locale because the people that frequent it are always 21 plus. Unlike some of the other bars on Thayer where the owners do not really care if the users are 21 or not, the GCB is very strict on ID. This also causes a different scene and different type of person to attend the bar. Also, it was interesting to note that the GCB filled up later in the night and was quiet in the beginning. This could be because once the grad students or undergrads finish their work, they normally go out and reward themselves with a drink. Interesting assessment, I cannot wait to read your final blog post.
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