Item 2 – House Show Archetypes
Collected From: In-person interviews (on separate occasions)
Date Collected: March 17, 2021, March 19, 2021, and March 30, 2021, respectively
Informant(s): Connor H., Katy Z., and Paige J.
Collector: Alex Hunt
Text
Connor H.: “You’ll see a lot of the same people, the same kinds of students, the same kinds of dress. Its just not students you peg to be in the Kelley school. It is a lot of the art kids, the music kids. There’s a lot of converse and flannels and winged eyeliner. Just sort of an art student, counterculture look, and you see it a lot at these house shows and a lot of like, the residual kind of emo punk stuff. I mean, look at me, flannel and converse (laughs). Its also kind of nice because people are dressed up a little bit, you know, its an occasion. I mean you got people in dresses and collared shirts sometimes too. A sense of casual formality. People are there to have a good time, show off their outfits, and maybe get a little inebriated. Its kind of funny to see this formality juxtaposed with punk and rock music being played, I guess.”
Katy Z.: “House shows basically gave me my friend group, and that’s really crazy to me. Without going to see them play music, I wouldn’t have the people in my life I have today…House shows contain just a lot of fun-loving, free-spirited people. I don’t know, House shows are a place for you to leave everything at the door and just be present in the moment and, like, that’s just something we all shared collectively. Just finding the freedom of music together…Yeah, though, I can definitely tell by looking at people that they go to house shows, by the way they dress and present themselves. More alternative, colored hair, piercings, tattoos…I don’t really know about specific clothing, but like kind of hipster clothes? Flannels, skinny jeans, vans…like punk rockers and hippies enjoying music together. I guess they kind of go hand-in-hand, you know, both kind of fighting the man but in their own way.”
Paige J.: “Yeah I definitely feel like I can usually tell when someone goes to house shows, just, like, if I see them walking around or something. There’s definitely an aesthetic, for sure, like mom jeans and women with mullets or colored hair and that whole type of look. At the shows people try to find a balance between looking cute and staying comfortable because there is a lot of standing and dancing and moving around and what not.”
Analysis of Texture
It seemed as though the informants found it a bit difficult to discuss the typical appearance of a house show attendee, as they are members of this folk group themselves. All three of them came off as somewhat shy as they spoke, and I believe this came from the awkwardness that arises when describing one’s own ‘archetype.’ A few nervous smiles occurred as they described their own perspective of what an attendee would look like, and Connor H. even laughed and pointed to his current clothing as he mentioned flannels and converse. Each individual named their own grouping of clothing, with colored hair being the only repeating descriptor, but all clothing items seem to be in the same genre of style. This style of dress seems to be a call back to some of the biggest eras of rock music, taking influence from various genres including punk/post-punk, grunge, indie, alternative, etc.
Context
There is no specific dress code for house shows, but it seems as though there is an expectation of a certain kind of attire. Attendees understand that this context is present at whatever house show is occurring, and I believe it leads to some conformity. People are still expressing themselves as unique individuals, but there is an element of matching everybody else’s overall vibe. Paige J. discussed in our interview how seeing someone who is not dressed in the expected kind of alternative attire is somewhat jarring, as they truly stand out from everyone else. Failing to conform does not involve any kind of designated punishment or ridicule, but one may feel out of place if they fail to consider the scene’s loose expectations. People definitely dress up to go to these house shows, but there is no sense of outright formality. Katy and Paige mentioned that they do have a preconceived notion of what they need to wear to these house shows, as one would have such an idea about what to wear to church or a rodeo, but, like those contexts, it is not as if they are playing some sort of character: Dressing up in this context is not about changing or masking oneself, but, rather, exaggerating one’s own qualities in a way that still abides by the expectations of the group.
Interpretation
Community presents itself as an important core concept, as my informants all believed that they would be able to tell if someone was a house show attendee based off only their physical appearance. It can be assumed that this conformity arises from shared attitudes towards the world, being that clothing, piercings, and tattoos are forms of bodily self-expression. Although this is a bit of generalization, it seems as though those who think alike tend to dress alike, and, being as those who go to house shows are fond of the same types of music, it is easy to see this shared interest reflected in their attire. Having similar interests in self-decoration makes it easy for strangers to experience a connection before a word has even been spoken, as they will be able to tell there is already some common ground. This form of expected attire also makes it somewhat easy to become a part of the community, where dressing this certain way will allow one to gain the trust of those around them. It seems as though this would lead to a lack of exclusivity among this folk group, as there is no form of serious initiation, but this is not really the case. As it is still somewhat of an underground scene, many feel as though they are a part of a select few that are blessed to have discovered these house shows. It seems as though the only initiation rite is coming to a show for your first time, where attending and truly feeling/understanding the music will lead to a change in one’s own style. Another important core concept is identity, where attendees take their own idea of what attire is expected and use it to reflect their own specific music taste. Those that favor grunge or alternative music will most likely wear flannels, sweaters, Converse, and Vans; those that favor punk music will most likely wear band t-shirts and skinny jeans with colored hair; and those that favor psychedelic or indie music will wear bright or pastel colors, typically in the form of tie-dye. This is by no means a strict or exhaustive list, but this reflective styling of oneself seems to be a method of informing others in this folk group of one’s own traits. Being that it is a live music event, people identify themselves by their music taste, silently shouting out what genres they favor in hope that someone responds in the form of approaching with conversation or a compliment.