The revenge ofMe and THE BAND’its: A narrative inquiry of identity constructions in a rock band of ex-inmates

Abstract

This article explores the themes of community of practice, rock culture and identity construction in Me and THE BAND'its, a rock band of ex-inmates. Using a narrative inquiry approach, two specific scenarios provide the background for two narratives being presented in the research. The first narrative is rooted in a dramatic life-threatening knife assault in which the lead singer in the band was almost killed. Considering different violent options, Me and THE BAND'its decided to take revenge by not taking conventional revenge. The context of the second narrative is the negotiation between the band and the cultural administration of the community about a performance production. Meeting with a bureaucratic and cumbersome system led to frustration but at the same time strengthened the inner bonds in the band. This resulted in the decision to take "alternative revenge" by developing skills and authenticity of their music instead. Me and THE BAND'its alternative action of doing music instead of taking revenge in traditional violent ways can be viewed as creative adjustment in opposition to the traditional approaches of the Correctional Services. The resource being used by Me and THE BAND'its in the process is mainly the community of practice that their rock band establishes. Me and THE BAND'its is embedded in rock culture, using alteration as a strategic repertoire for identity construction. In conclusion, the identity of members is defined and reinforced in the community of practice.

Music as a way out: How musicking helped a collaborative rock band of ex-inmates

“…Both of these categories were rich and complex. The first core category, Music as revenge , explores the themes of community of practice, rock culture and identity construction in Me and THE BAND ’ its and has been written about in the article ‘The Revenge of Me and THE BAND ’its: A Narrative Inquiry of Identity Constructions in a Rock Band of Ex-Inmates’ (Tuastad, 2014b). The second core category called Music as a way out is presented here.…”

Between guidelinitis and post-truth

“…Music therapy has always supported the most vulnerable in society, as can be seen by browsing through the last few issues of the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (NJMT). Our authors have reported on their work with children in extreme poverty (Kim, 2015), children and adolescents in child welfare and child protection (Jacobsen & Killen, 2015;Kruger & Stige, 2015), criminal offenders (Tuastad & Stige, 2015), and children in poor countries (Winter, 2015). We should be proud of that role and continue to advocate for those who are marginalised and vulnerable.…”

Humour in music therapy: A narrative literature review

“…Following this: "Sometimes the humour was directed toward the child or was a funny comment made by one of the adults that only the adults might understand" (p. 122). This is not discussed in further depth but could imply, as Tuastad and Stige (2015) showed, that humour might be used as a way of strengthening bonds, promoting rapport (Maratos, 2004;Silverman, 2014), creating and uniting a group, and/or communicating certain information between one person/group, which another person/group, might not understand.…”