Music in T2K

[Raellus]

Alt-rock band Cage the Elephant has a new song called, Black Madonna. As far as I can tell, it has nothing to do with the Virgin of Czestochowa but, of course, it got me thinking about T2K.

We have a few scattered threads dealing on and off with music but I'd like to restart those conversations in a central location.

What music makes you think about T2K?

Oddly, Al B Sure's late '80s slow jam, Nite and Day. It must have come on the radio when I was pouring over the v1.0 for the first time. Every time I've heard it since, I've been transported back to that special moment.

What music inspires you to play T2K?

I've never played an Armies of the Night campaign, but I think Billy Joel's,Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) is a perfect soundtrack for that module.

What are your thoughts on music in the T2KU?

I think music- live music, especially- would become even more important in the T2KU than it is today. Without electricity, there would be fewer entertainment options. Entertainment would hearken back to earlier times. That one annoying guy at the party that picks up an acoustic guitar and starts strumming Coldplay and singing "Yellow" would suddenly become more popular. Remember the scene near the end of 1917, when the runner encounters the unit in the forest, and the Tommies are all sitting around listening to the haunting voice of the company's best singer?

I can see music becoming a way to record and transmit history again. I reckon that bards/troubadours/minstrels would once again become a thing.

Working record, cassette, compact disc, and MP3 players (depending on your timeline) and corresponding media would a valuable commodity.

Surviving commercial radio transmitters, as well as broadcasting news/propaganda and whatnot, would play music to raise moral.

Feel free to share whatever thoughts, recommendations, ideas, ect. you have about music as it pertains to T2K.

[Legbreaker]

By 2000 I'm thinking very little "commercial" music due mainly to the lack of batteries and working players. Most will be live using whatever instruments are available.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

By 2000 I'm thinking very little "commercial" music due mainly to the lack of batteries and working players. Most will be live using whatever instruments are available.

That's a good point.

How common are hand-cranked "survival" radios in Europe (and elsewhere outside the U.S.)?

I can visualize a platoon rotating who plays "DJ" ( i.e. the unlucky fellow who pedals the bike-powered generator) so that the rest of the unit can listen to the radio or a cassette or whatever.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Raellus

How common are hand-cranked "survival" radios in Europe (and elsewhere outside the U.S.)?

They exist in Australia, but not many are aware of them. Only sailors, serious hikers, etc really. Getting your hands on one could be another problem again, not to mention that without broadcasts, they're just another piece of useless crap you probably don't want to be carrying about.

Perhaps a more important point is music is not very conducive to stealth and concealment. Only a unit with an idiot in command would consider music a good idea generally. In the middle of a cantonment, or rear echelon of a battalion plus sized unit then maybe, but otherwise, it's almost an invitation to be attacked.

Civilians may be more lax especially in the early days, but having a working radio could be seen as a sign of relative wealth and again invite attack from marauders. By 2000, any travelling group will likely highly value avoiding attention, but within the "safety" of a settlement music of some sort will probably be fairly common (provided the overall morale isn't too low due to starvation, disease, etc). In those situations almost any type of music or entertainment could be greatly valued with strong interest shown in new records, CDs, tapes or even decent musical instruments and sheet music. When you've had only the same dozen CDs for 6 months ANYTHING different is good!

[Olefin]

We know that in the canon there are low power AM stations still broadcasting - New America was using them for propaganda purposes - one of them was mentioned in Urban Guerrilla - thus there have to be people using car radios, hand cranked radios, battery powered radios to pick it up - but may be limited times - i.e. "we will be on from 6am to 9am every other day" kind of operations

Also there are areas with power that is still on - Western NY from the generators at Niagara Falls, the area around Colorado Springs from the nuclear power plant there, etc - there you would have actual radio stations broadcasting and people listening to music on radios

As to performers - betting there will be lots of live music of various kinds ranging from a couple of guys with guitars or a banjo and fiddle all the way up to established musical figures - can see Ted Nugent for instance (who was and is a major survivalist figure here in the US) still around and still performing

[Enfield]

Originally Posted by Olefin

We know that in the canon there are low power AM stations still broadcasting - New America was using them for propaganda purposes - one of them was mentioned in Urban Guerrilla - thus there have to be people using car radios, hand cranked radios, battery powered radios to pick it up - but may be limited times - i.e. "we will be on from 6am to 9am every other day" kind of operations

Also there are areas with power that is still on - Western NY from the generators at Niagara Falls, the area around Colorado Springs from the nuclear power plant there, etc - there you would have actual radio stations broadcasting and people listening to music on radios

As to performers - betting there will be lots of live music of various kinds ranging from a couple of guys with guitars or a banjo and fiddle all the way up to established musical figures - can see Ted Nugent for instance (who was and is a major survivalist figure here in the US) still around and still performing

I was actually just working on this.

On YouTube you can find a lot of acoustic versions of popular music. For example, I'm going to have the party aware of someone playing Green Day's "Basket Case" in a bar or on a street corner and it drawing a larger crowd than it would have prewar.

Places with a larger population might also have choirs, particularly more religious communities. There are choral versions of popular music as well.

[rcaf_777]

There is this option too

http://www.wantokent.com/products.htm

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Olefin

Also there are areas with power that is still on - Western NY from the generators at Niagara Falls, the area around Colorado Springs from the nuclear power plant there, etc...

How much of that power is for personal consumption is a big question though. My thoughts are priority would be given to vital industry, food production/processing, the military (again pretty heavily rationed though) and if there's anything left, then the general population might get a trickle for an hour or two.