AURAL SUBSTANCE: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION OF REGIONAL BURN SOUNDSCAPES A Thesis Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF MUSIC by Rebecca Elyse Rosenbloom May 2017 Thesis Approvals: Dr. Shana Goldin-Perschbacher, Thesis Advisor, Department of Music Studies ! © Copyright 2017 by Rebecca&Elyse&Rosenbloom All&Rights&Reserved ii ! ABSTRACT Once a year over the week leading up to and including Labor Day, tens of thousands of people drive hours into Nevada’s barren Black Rock Desert to build an ephemeral city equal to “the size of downtown San Francisco.” This place, Black Rock City, home of the annual Burning Man event, only exists for a fraction of the year. For one week, participants gather together at Burning Man and operate under its ten guiding principles, including “radical self-reliance,” “communal effort,” “radical self- expression,” and “participation.” Everything, with the exception of porta-potties and ice, must be brought in and packed out by individuals. The decommodified, volunteer-run city is what its inhabitants make of it. At Burning Man, attendants are their own event planners, food providers, structure builders, gift givers, and activity coordinators. On the penultimate night of the event, an effigy of a forty-foot man is set aflame, a ritual left open for interpretation by participants. Two days later, the entirety of Black Rock City is torn down, leaving scarcely any trace that it ever even existed. Burning Man has gained social traction exponentially since its launch in 1986, leading to the formation of dozens of individually organized regional burns across the United States of America and internationally. Scholars from many disciplines have flocked to the event attempting to unpack its distinct subculture. While publications have analyzed Burning Man’s ethos, logistics, business organization, community, art, rituals, fire, and performances, only two have considered sound worthy of focus and few have addressed the regional burn network. “Aural Substance: An Ethnographic Exploration of Regional Burn Soundscapes” analyzes Burning Man’s regional network, expanding on sound artists Stephan Moore iii ! and Scott Smallwood’s brief initial study of the national event's sound by way of ethnography and field recording. From June 2016 through February 2017, I conducted fieldwork and collected fifty-five hours of field recordings at seven different regional burns. I employ ethnomusicologist Steven Feld’s concept of “acoustemology,” or “sound as a way of knowing.” Through my observation, analysis of recordings, and interviews, I consider how the sounds at regional burns can signify the time, date, and location to burn participants. Sound-studies scholar David Novak writes that “noise is a crucial element of communicational and cultural networks.” In this study, I analyze how noise at a burn is not solely a by-product of participants’ “anarchistic freedom,” but a key part of the burn that relays information about regional burn values, public and private spaces, and burners’ lived experience. ! iv This thesis is dedicated to the burner community, whose unwavering creativity, humor, ardor, and love inspire me every day. I could not have gotten here without your sincerity, kindheartedness, and encouragement. For every learning experience, for every “a-ha” moment, for every goal you’ve helped me to achieve, thank you. v ! ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my grandfather, Joel Rosenbloom, my mother, Shari Rosenbloom, and my father, Eric Rosenbloom, thank you for motivating me to attain a graduate degree and helping me see through it to the end. To my sister, Stephanie Rosenbloom, and my cousin, Leah Rosenbloom, who attended graduate school at the same time as me, thank you for your emotional support. To my grandmother, Helene Nathanson, thank you for being so sweet and for the frequent snapchats that brightened my writing days. To my Grandpa Buddy and my Grandma Joan, I miss you every day. To my advisor, Dr. Shana Goldin- Perschbacher, thank you for believing in me, even when I couldn’t, and for your wisdom, your guidance, and your patience. My time spent as your student, teaching assistant, and advisee the past three years has had an extraordinary impact on my graduate school career and growth as an academic. To the professors and staff at the Boyer College of Music and Dance, specifically Dr. Cannata, Dr. Latham, and Dr. Klein, thank you for all of your help and for making learning so much fun. To the organizers and participants of Wickerman, Firefly, Transformus, POrtalburn, Playa Del Fuego, Alchemy, and Frostburn, thank you for welcoming me and my project into your community, your help and participation with/at Thesis Camp, and your continued interest in my results. To Andrew, Pyrocelt, Tiger, Jessie, Dale, JoAnna, and Teeth, thank you for the fantastic interviews! To Monty, thank you for your love all these years. Finally, to Phart Camp— the best friends anyone could ask for, including Brian (my editor extraordinaire), James, Jilly, Evan, Kate, Rachel, Ozzy, Ruben, Amy, and Paws—thank you for being my sun. I ! vi am so grateful for your love, acceptance, trust, and friendship, and energized by your beautiful imaginations, silliness, and zest for life. U R Killin’ It!!! ! vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...iii DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………..vi LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………..xi LIST OF FIGURES……………………....……………………………………………...xii LIST OF SOUND-CLIPS……………………………………………………………….xiii CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW…….………………………………………………………………...1 Preface………………………………………………………...…………...1 Introduction.………………………………………………….....................5 Aural Ethnography.......................................................................................6 History of Burns…………………………………………………………...9 What Happens at Burns?............................................................................14 Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………..21 2. METHODS…………………………………………………………………........28 Initial Intentions and Pros of Studying Regional Burns............................28 Participant Observation Design.................................................................32 Thesis Camp...................................................................................32 Daily Routine.................................................................................36 Technology....................................................................................38 viii ! Consent..........................................................................................39 Collected Audio Data.....................................................................44 3. AURAL SUBSTANCE.........................................................................................46 Burn Sounds...............................................................................................46 Time...........................................................................................................47 Date............................................................................................................53 Location.....................................................................................................62 Public and Private Spaces..........................................................................70 Experience..................................................................................................75 4. CONCLUSIONS...................................................................................................85 Weaknesses of the Study...........................................................................85 Biases.............................................................................................85 Study Design Issues.......................................................................86 Technological, Weather, and Structural Issues..............................88 Recommendations for Future Research.....................................................93 Future Intentions........................................................................................95 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………..97 APPENDICES.................................................................................................................107 A. ANDREW J. INTERVIEW.................................................................................107 B. PYROCELT INTERVIEW..................................................................................120 C. TIGER INTERVIEW...........................................................................................134 D. JESSIE INTERVIEW..........................................................................................139 E. JOANNA INTERVIEW......................................................................................143 ! ix F. CONSENT SCRIPTS..........................................................................................147 G. IRB LETTER.......................................................................................................148 ! x LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Regional Burns Attended.......................................................................................29 2. Number of Raffle Tickets......................................................................................36 3. Audio Data.............................................................................................................45