Unterberg1 Adam Unterberg Ms.

Olding English 200 3 November 2013 The Rhetorical Analysis of Zac Brown Band and KISS Zac Brown Band, a country music icon, and KISS, a rock and roll phenomenon, clash in this essay to understand the similarities and differences in their musical styles. The obvious will be mentioned included the genres of the groups, but will also search deep within the meaning of the song to connect these two groups together. The first part of the paper will explain the two bands background information, then explaining ethos, pathos, and logos and the representation of those throughout the songs, and finally explaining two famous tracks and how they illustrate these ideas previously stated. Zac Brown bands, Jump Right In, along with KISS, Rock n Roll all Night will be the two songs by their respected bands being explained. Ethos, pathos, and logos are famous philosopher Aristotles 3 appeals that are used in persuasion in deciding what decisions to make. Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader, Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response, Logos is an appeal to logic, and is a way of persuading an audience by reason. (YourDictionary)

Zac Brown band is a country music group that has created a unique sound for themselves combining the use of musical instruments, including the banjo, and the lead singer, Zac Browns distinctive vocals. The September 11, 2001 tragedy prompted him

Unterberg2 to pursue what he loves most, music, because life was too short to do something he did not enjoy In 2008, the band were signed to Live Nation Artist Records but the label closed, prompting Atlantic Records to overtake the distribution of the band's single "Chicken Fried (aceshowbiz). The song Chicken Fried was a very well known song in the country music world because of its unique sound. The second band being studied is KISS, a high-flying, energetic rock band that was created through the glam movement. There use of face paint and dagger-like tongues got everyones attention when they were on stage. The quartet formed in the heyday of glitter and rock theater, and it set out to define, at first, evil cartoon-character personas, highlighted by Gene Simmons' bass-playing, fire-breathing, tongue-wagging ghoul (rollingstone). Their style was completely different from that of Zac Brown and seemed to go the opposite directions to fulfill their ultimate goal of success. Jump Right In was a song by the Zac Brown band that seemed to relate to a lot of peoples emotions. This song demonstrates ethos because of the connection that it brings to its audience. Because of the bands past success in country music, the credibility and believability that the listeners have for this band is truly remarkable. He seems to relate to his songs and does not just put on a mask while on stage. While I was at one of his concerts over the summer, I remember him distinctly saying that it was all about connecting to the audience. Making it seem as if your life is the song and youre along for the ride. The credibility of the band is very strong with his fans, and that of country music. Within this song, Aristotles pathos, or the emotional aspect of the song, is very strong. The Zac Brown Band is a very emotional band on stage and touches the feelings

Unterberg3 of the audiences they perform in front of. Emotionally I can connect to the message of this song because it reminds me of lying on the beach with no worries in the world. Every summer my family would go to our house in Florida and I could see us lounging in our beach chairs with this song playing on the iHome. I listen to this song and it reminds me of those good times that we had. He bases his message relaxation and enjoying the little things in life. I feel that he assumes that the people listening to his music have the same emotional feelings as he does regarding the messages of his songs. The vocal and instrumental representation adds a lot to the message of the song because it uses very soft and relaxing tones. Overall, pathos was very significant in getting the message across to the audience and getting the reaction they desired. The third appeal is logos and explains the organizational aspect of the band. Zac Brown Band uses evidence and logic in this song because it focuses on the good things in life. In his music videos, they show that there are positives in every situation. Reacting to the bad in a positive manner can help strengthen the self. Logically, the title of this song says it all. Jump Right In is a title given by the band to illustrate the importance of perseverance when dealt with difficult situations. The second song by KISS is Rock n Roll all Night. Like the song previously mentioned, this one also has very strong ethos, pathos, and logos appeals. Ethos is the credibility of the artist and song. The band represents itself as a very strange, unique band. They paint their faces to leave the audience questioning who they actually are. The persona on stage uses a lot of movement that makes them very credible in talking about the song. The simplicity of the lyrics allows the listeners to understand the message and bridge the gap of uncertainty.

Unterberg4 My emotional aspect, or pathos, of this song is not as strong as it is for Jump Right In. KISS uses a lot of electronic instruments and loud vocals to give their message. This type of delivery does not appeal to my musical preferences. The instrumentation and vocals seems to fit well with the message and accurately depicts what the band is trying to explain. The edginess of KISS adds to the meaning of the song. The last appeal is logos, which again deals with the organizational aspect of the band. It is hard to find a strong example of logos because of the simplicity of the lyrics. There is no evidence that states the bands knowledge or that reinstates their lyrics. I feel that there is not much to look at when asking oneself about the logic of the song. After reviewing these two songs from Zac Brown Band and KISS, it is evident that they use ethos, pathos, and logos similarly in there songs. They both use their stage presence and lyrics to capture their audiences attention and appeal to there wants. They choose happy topics in there songs to give a positive reaction to each of their listeners. Using different instruments and vocals gives a particular sound each band wants and gives them a sense of uniqueness, which allows people to know who sings the song. They are both credible sources to there songs because they seem to live the lifestyles they are talking about. They do not, like I said earlier, put on a mask and give a false representation of themselves on stage. Overall, they use similar techniques in portraying their message to fans. There were not many differences in the bands techniques except for the logos in KISS. I feel that there isnt much evidence or logic in there lyrics. They are so simple that it is hard to actually find underlying meaning within their song.

Unterberg5 In conclusion, I think that these songs, for the most part, use great examples of Aristotles appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos. Although very different styles in there music, they use different aspects to appeal to there respected audiences. Taking lifestyles and habits in consideration, they create the music to get positive feedback. Zac Brown and KISS are two completely different bands with totally different styles of carrying themselves. Although very different on stage, they both use ethos, pathos, and logos to strengthen credibility, appeal to emotions, and provide evidence to back up their lyrics.

Unterberg6 Work Cited Eddy, Chuck. "Kiss Biography." Rolling Stone Artists. Rolling Stone, 2001. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kiss/biography>. "Examples of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 3 November 2013. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-ethos-logos-andpathos.html>. "Zac Brown Band Biography." Aceshowbiz: The Ace in Entertainment Zone. Aceshowbiz.com, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/zac_brown_band/biography.html>.