Traces of the Spirit: The Religious Dimensions of Popular Music
Millions of people have had some of the most profound spiritual experiences
of their lives through music - not just in traditional religious settings,
but at concerts, on dance floors, and even at home. In Traces of the Spirit,
Robin Sylvan explores why music is such a powerful vehicle for spirituality,
not only in religious services and ceremonies, but in many forms of popular
music that take on religious dimensions for today's fans and fanatics.
Traces of the Spirit examines the religious aspects of popular music,
focusing on four musical subcultures - the Grateful Dead and the Deadheads,
the rave/electronic dance music scene, heavy metal and metalheads, and
rap music/hip hop culture - analyzing their audience's religious experiences,
rituals, and worldviews. With anecdotes from útrue believersî of these
groups that are both poignant and profound, Sylvan shows how the subcultures
serve the function of religious communities and, in fact, that they represent
a new and important religious phenomenon.
Very few studies of popular music have focused on their religious dimensions
and, even then, only on the lyrics, offering little insight into the religious
nature of the music itself. Traces of the Spirit takes a fresh approach
to charting the religious influence of the popular music world.
Through his own observations at musical events and interviews with fervent
fans, Sylvan explores each musical subculture in depth, offering detailed
descriptions and analysis, allowing the participants to speak for themselves
directly as much as possible. From Deadhead gatherings to mega-raves,
headbangers' balls to hip hop block parties, dedicated music lovers explain
how their hopes, dreams, and faith are instilled in the music and the
fellowship of community. The book also charts the history of West African
possession religion from Africa to the Americas and its influence on the
religious sensibilities of American popular music.
For anyone interested in how music, religion, spirituality and popular
culture are intertwined in our society, Traces
of the Spirit is an informative and entertaining look at this
very modern phenomenon.
Robin Sylvan, Ph.D., is founder and director of The Sacred Center, a San
Francisco Bay Area educational foundation edicated to the exploration
of spirituality, the arts, nd popular culture. He has been Professor of
Religion and the Arts at the College of Wooster in Ohio, and Program Director
at The Ojai Foundation in Ojai, California. He is also a musician and
spiritual practitioner with a lifelong passion for music and religious
experience.
Paperback ISBN 0-8147-9809-8
List price $18.50
To order from New York University Press,
please call 1-800-996-6987
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