Loren Kajikawa Podcast Series
The team at Trax on the Trax has enjoyed many fruitful collaborations over the past five years: a workshop at the Clinton Presidential Library, digital lectures (with the support of the Society for American Music and the Great American Songbook Foundation), a digital lesson with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and four Constitution Week Concerts with partners across the Georgia College campus, just to name a few. The most rewarding collaborations have been with educators across the country who have worked to incorporate campaign music into their curricula. In 2016 we partnered with Prof. Emily Abrams-Ansari and her students at Western University. The podcasts and essays that came out of that partnership are published on the Trax on the Trail website. This year we were thrilled when Prof. Loren Kajikawa (George Washington University) reached out to us. In lieu of a midterm exam, Dr. Kajikawa’s students developed their own research projects on the topic of campaign music. We are thrilled to bring you four podcasts and a lecture (with slides) created by his talented students. Interested in developing your own course unit on campaign music? You can access Dr. Kajikawa’s here.
Anatomy of an Ad: Joe Biden and the Blind Pig, Nick Schor, October 15, 2020.
Nick Schor is a Senior studying Political Science at The George Washington University. Despite coming to Washington DC to study politics, he quickly found himself interning at The Bullitt Agency, an international electronic music booking agency. Nick then took over as President of DC-based and student-run record label and booking agency, Searcher Records. You can find his thoughts on music, politics, and New Orleans Saints football on Twitter @nikolaiisays and you can check out @searcherrecords on Instagram.
Bernie Sanders, Brooklyn, and Jay Z, Silvia Popoca Gonzalez, October 15, 2020.
Silvia Popoca Gonzalez grew up in Denver, Colorado and currently attends The George Washington University. At GWU, she is pursuing a major in Philosophy and minor in French.
Kanye West 2020, Jolien Louis, October 15, 2020.
Jolien Louis is a theater artist and writer born and raised in New York City. She is in the class of ‘21 at The George Washington University in D.C., finishing her degree in Theatre, and is looking to further her academic work in graduate school.
Obama, Clinton, and the Power of Campaign Music, Maureen Rafter, October 15, 2020.
Maureen Rafter is a freshman at the George Washington University studying political science and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. After college, Maureen plans to continue in academia to further study American culture and ideology. To stay in touch, you can follow her @mo_rafter on Twitter or @morafter on Instagram.
For Cameron Thiel’s lecture and accompanying slides on Taylor Swift, please check out our classroom materials page.
2020 (New!) Podcast Series
Trax on the Trail, Pt. 9, Andrew Fletcher and Andrew Scotchie on Music’s Place in Progressive Politics, featuring Naomi Graber, Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, Andrew Fletcher, and Andrew Scotchie WRGC 88.3FM (aired October 27, 2020)
Trax on the Trail, Pt. 8, Eric Kasper and Benjamin Schoening on Pop Music in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, featuring Naomi Graber, Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, Benjamin Schoening, and Eric Kasper WRGC 88.3FM (aired August 7, 2020)
Trax on the Trail, Pt. 7, Paul Christiansen on the Evolution of Music in Television Political Ads, featuring Naomi Graber, Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, and Paul Christiansen WRGC 88.3FM (aired January 25, 2020)
In collaboration with WRGC 88.3
Trax on the Trail Podcast, Pt. 1 “Super Tuesday Edition,” featuring Dana Gorzelany-Mostak and James Deaville WRGC 88.3FM (aired March 1, 2016)
Trax on the Trail Podcast, Pt. 2 “The Candidate Takes the Mic,” featuring Brian Barone, James Deaville, Cannon McClain, and Dana Gorzelany-Mostak WRGC 88.3FM (aired April 26, 2016)
Trax on the Trail Podcast, Pt. 3 “Parodying the Presidency,” featuring Christianna Barnard, Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, and Sarah Kitts WRGC 88.3FM (aired June 9, 2016)
Trax on the Trail Podcast, Pt. 4 “The Candidates Take On Broadway,” featuring Naomi Graber, Elissa Harbert, James Deaville, Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, and Sarah Kitts WRGC 88.3FM (aired July 25, 2016)
Trax on the Trail Podcast, Pt. 5 “The Soundtrack of Populism,” featuring Justin Patch, Matthew Jordan, Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, James Deaville, and Cannon McClain WRGC 88.3FM (aired September 22, 2016)
Trax on the Trail Podcast, Pt. 6 “The Empire Strikes Trax,” featuring Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, Cannon McClain, Sarah Kitts, and Aly “Sam” Campbell WRGC 88.3FM (aired November 11, 2017)
Emily Abrams Ansari Podcast Series
In fall of 2015, Trax on the Trail joined forces with Prof. Emily Abrams Ansari’s Music and Politics class at Western University in Ontario. Each student penned an essay or created a podcast that explored a specific intersection between music and presidential politics.
An Unknown Legacy: The 1840 Election and Political Campaign Songs, Caroline Gleason-Mercier, March 3, 2016.
Vote for Change: John Kerry Will Not Surrender, Nikki Pasqualini, January 21, 2016.