Reclaiming Identity Through Music After Becoming A Parent | Rock Street Family Band | TEDxPortsmouth
The band Rock Street claims its journey from a nightlife-focused group to a family band exemplifies reinvention, asserting that while experiences cannot be retrieved, they can be combined with new gifts to create something new. They ground this message in a physical move from Brooklyn, New York, to Portsmouth for family proximity, highlighting the contrast between past intense identities and present domestic life. The central message, *"you can create again,"* emphasizes adaptation and the richness found in new life stages. ## Speakers & Context - **TEDx Portsmouth** — The event setting. - **Rock Street** — The band performing, identifying themselves as a "family band." - **The speakers/performers** — Describe their evolution from a group whose identity was separate from their family life to a cohesive unit. ## Theses & Positions - Identity and personal life are dynamic and capable of reinvention. - The core message is that while you cannot retrieve what you lost, you can *create* something new by combining previous experiences with present blessings. - The move to Portsmouth allowed their identities "room to grow." ## Timeline & Sequence - **Pre-2010:** Members had separate, intensely focused identities (e.g., staying up until 4:00 a.m. rocking the party). - **2010:** Moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Portsmouth. - **Post-move:** Life became complicated by having "two kids under two" (diapers, naptime, meals, snacks). - **Period of growth:** Experienced a "sweet spot" where life became more fun, indicating an evolution beyond the initial struggles. ## Named Entities - **Brooklyn, New York** — Previous location of the band's activity. - **Portsmouth** — Current location, chosen for proximity to family. - **Rock Street** — Name of the band/group. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Family band** — The current, evolving identity of the group. - *“you can create again”* — The central philosophical thesis. - **Hot feet** — A rhythmic descriptor used in a song segment. - **Rock Street baby** — A chant/callback used during performance. ## Examples & Cases - **Past identity example:** Used to stay up till 4:00 a.m. rocking the party; previously used to spit dope flows. - **Contrast:** Shifted from intense partying/writing to singing "sweet lullabies." - **New reality example:** Life necessitated managing "diapers naptime's meals snacks." - **The core shift:** The realization that the initial phase with kids was challenging but led to a "sweet spot." ## Tools, Tech & Products - **DJ** — Person who drops the beat for the performance. ## Numbers & Data - Year of relocation: **2010**. - Number of children: **Two** (under two). ## Examples & Cases - **Performance structure:** Included song segments naming "hot feet," "pizza," and a callback to *"ruby slippers"*. ## Verbatim Moments - *"we family band Rajshri me yo what up"* - *"we weren't always a family band"* - *"i used to spit dope flows now i find myself singing sweet lullabies"* - *"we moved from Brooklyn New York to Portsmouth to be closer to family that made it a lot easier to give our identities some room to grow"* - *"you can't go home again but you can create again"* - *"give you hot feet like the summertime concrete precise with the rhymes"* - *"Rock Street equals"* - *"it's folklore from Brooklyn streets where i would throw the heat crashing mansions fans stand-in to their feet"* - *"now we're up in launch lid we lifted all the heavy loads like a forklift cast spells like the sorceress sorceress and rock the house like a granite fortress"* - *"thank you ten exports anthrax treat"*