Although the American rock band Fall Out Boy has had a great impact upon the popular music scene since their first album in 2003, little academic literature exists exploring their musical and cultural influences and impact. Through careful transcription and analysis this thesis defines Fall Out Boy’s compositional tendencies and contextualizes their work in the greater Western popular music canon. My composition, AQUA, is a continuation and response to Fall Out Boy’s seminal album, So Much (For) Stardust. Grounded in influences from Fall Out Boy’s music and my personal journey as a musician and queer individual, AQUA represents a deeply personal and thematically rich exploration of identity, resilience, and artistic expression. The central goal of AQUA is to bridge the narrative gap between So Much (For) Stardust and my own work, adapting their musical language with my own compositional practices. Through a multifacited approach that embraces diverse influences and explores complex themes, AQUA represents a significant milestone in my creative output. It intertwines the realms of rock music and contemporary chamber music and offers a unique perspective on the intersection of identity and creativity.
","abstract_html":"<p>Although the American rock band Fall Out Boy has had a great impact upon the popular music scene since their first album in 2003, little academic literature exists exploring their musical and cultural influences and impact. Through careful transcription and analysis this thesis defines Fall Out Boy’s compositional tendencies and contextualizes their work in the greater Western popular music canon. My composition, AQUA, is a continuation and response to Fall Out Boy’s seminal album, So Much (For) Stardust. Grounded in influences from Fall Out Boy’s music and my personal journey as a musician and queer individual, AQUA represents a deeply personal and thematically rich exploration of identity, resilience, and artistic expression. The central goal of AQUA is to bridge the narrative gap between So Much (For) Stardust and my own work, adapting their musical language with my own compositional practices. Through a multifacited approach that embraces diverse influences and explores complex themes, AQUA represents a significant milestone in my creative output. It intertwines the realms of rock music and contemporary chamber music and offers a unique perspective on the intersection of identity and creativity.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Buehler, Blake"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Music","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Stephen Lias","Dr. Ben Morris","Dr. Kathryn Fenton"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-04-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-04-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z","subjects":["Fall Out Boy","Popular Music","Contemporary Chamber Music","Contemporary Composition","Queer","AQUA","Composition"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/530","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Stephen Lias","Dr. Ben Morris","Dr. Kathryn Fenton"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Buehler, Blake"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-04-29T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Music"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Fall Out Boy","Popular Music","Contemporary Chamber Music","Contemporary Composition","Queer","AQUA","Composition"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/530"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Although the American rock band Fall Out Boy has had a great impact upon the popular music scene since their first album in 2003, little academic literature exists exploring their musical and cultural influences and impact. Through careful transcription and analysis this thesis defines Fall Out Boy’s compositional tendencies and contextualizes their work in the greater Western popular music canon. My composition, AQUA, is a continuation and response to Fall Out Boy’s seminal album, So Much (For) Stardust. Grounded in influences from Fall Out Boy’s music and my personal journey as a musician and queer individual, AQUA represents a deeply personal and thematically rich exploration of identity, resilience, and artistic expression. The central goal of AQUA is to bridge the narrative gap between So Much (For) Stardust and my own work, adapting their musical language with my own compositional practices. Through a multifacited approach that embraces diverse influences and explores complex themes, AQUA represents a significant milestone in my creative output. It intertwines the realms of rock music and contemporary chamber music and offers a unique perspective on the intersection of identity and creativity.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["So Much (For) Saving Rock and Roll: The Musical DNA of Fall Out Boy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Stephen Lias","Dr. Ben Morris","Dr. Kathryn Fenton"],"dc:creator":["Buehler, Blake"],"dc:date.available":["2024-04-29T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Although the American rock band Fall Out Boy has had a great impact upon the popular music scene since their first album in 2003, little academic literature exists exploring their musical and cultural influences and impact. Through careful transcription and analysis this thesis defines Fall Out Boy’s compositional tendencies and contextualizes their work in the greater Western popular music canon. My composition, AQUA, is a continuation and response to Fall Out Boy’s seminal album, So Much (For) Stardust. Grounded in influences from Fall Out Boy’s music and my personal journey as a musician and queer individual, AQUA represents a deeply personal and thematically rich exploration of identity, resilience, and artistic expression. The central goal of AQUA is to bridge the narrative gap between So Much (For) Stardust and my own work, adapting their musical language with my own compositional practices. Through a multifacited approach that embraces diverse influences and explores complex themes, AQUA represents a significant milestone in my creative output. It intertwines the realms of rock music and contemporary chamber music and offers a unique perspective on the intersection of identity and creativity.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/530"],"dc:subject":["Fall Out Boy","Popular Music","Contemporary Chamber Music","Contemporary Composition","Queer","AQUA","Composition"],"dc:title":["So Much (For) Saving Rock and Roll: The Musical DNA of Fall Out Boy"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Music"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z"}