Rocket's Red Glare (DJ Dubble8 Version)
Erik Spangler
Published
This piece was composed in 2014 for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s exhibition “For Whom It Stands”, focusing on reinterpretations of the American flag. A sound installation and concert curated by Shodekeh Talifero, commissioned by the museum, focused on remixes and reinterpretations of “The Star Spangled Banner”, which was written in Baltimore 200 years earlier. Baltimore Boom Bap Society was one of 3 groups invited by Shodekeh to perform on the concert. As one half of Baltimore Boom Bap Society, with Wendel Patrick, my part of the piece focused on a collage of samples related to controversial reinterpretations of the national anthem - a theme also explored in Shodekeh’s sound installation for the exhibition. The piece begins with a spoken account by Baltimore’s own Ethel Ennis, on her interpretation of the song at Richard Nixon’s 2nd inauguration.