ABSTRACT
This thesis presents the meaning of anarchism, punk, and DIY anarchism in relation to Cakalak Thunder, a radical protest drum group in Greensboro, North Carolina. The author presents the history of Cakalak Thunder and its influences, such as the Infernal Noise Brigade and various Brazilian samba groups. She presents the history of anarchist communities and certain anarchist individuals in America, as well as the history of one of the collective houses in which many of Cakalak’s members reside. Notions of value and exchange in anthropology have influenced this study, in that the members of Cakalak have created alternate notions of value and modes of exchange that rebel against capitalism. The role of community in the formation and music of Cakalak Thunder is of prime importance. The author presents the many levels of local and global musical activity that informs the music of Cakalak, which is influenced by Slobin’s spheres of cultural exchange. Also, how the synechdocal relationship between music and culture has been approached in ethnomusicology is presented, as well as an analysis of how Cakalak’s musical and social structures inform each other.
