Anyone Can Be a Hero: How Watching Power Rangers Helped a 9 Year Old Hold His Head up Despite Being Bullied with Elanders Frazier of Volta Percussion - Pensacola FL

23-07-2021 • 1 hr 6 mins

Join Christian Jones and Regan Bell with their guest Elanders Frazier as they chat about Power Rangers and how it transformed their lives growing up. Elanders is one of the co-hosts of the Volta Percussions Podcast, providing percussion education to designers, educators, and performers. His love for Power Rangers began at age 9 when the live-action show was first released on Fox Kids back in the 90s. With elementary school being a turbulent time for him, he immediately connected to the show, and it gave him the strength to get by. Today, he shares his thoughts on what has kept Power Rangers around for so long and how a show like it can shape a generation. If you want to hear more about it, stay tuned and enjoy the episode!

About Elanders Frazier:

Elanders Frazier is an arranger, designer, and creator based in Pace, Florida. He currently serves as the Co-Caption Head, Battery Arranger, and Supervisor for Percussion at Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps in Mobile, AL. Elanders has been a percussion instructor, visual designer, adjudicator, and clinician for grade schools and independent ensembles in the Gulf Coast area since 2002.

Elanders holds an A.A. in Business and a B.S.B.A. with a concentration in Management from the University of West Florida. His collegiate performance credits include Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida Symphonic Band. As for professional marching credits, he has Eminence Indoor, Spirit Drum & Bugle Corps, and Music City Mystique.

Elanders is also a member of the Percussive Arts Society and proudly endorses Innovative Percussion Sticks and Mallets. He has an active presence of educational and performance videos on Instagram and YouTube under the username “elfsnare.” Mr. Frazier also co-hosts the internationally broadcasted percussion education podcast “Volta.”

For Extended Show Notes Go to www.fantasticpeoplepod.com

Outline of the Episode:

[02:40] Power Rangers as the epitome of 90s culture and the return of 90s nostalgia
[05:42] Elanders’ first experience watching Power Rangers on television
[09:29] The similarities and differences between Super Sentai and Power Rangers
[12:13] How Super Sentai today has started to mirror Power Rangers’ campiness
[14:23] The difference in storytelling geared towards Japanese and American audiences
[16:54] How Power Rangers is a new medium, and the problem with fanservice and nostalgia
[20:00] What has kept Power Rangers around for so long, and why kids need to see it
[22:59] How the show impacted Elanders’ life growing up and the life of other fans
[26:39] The importance of shows like Power Rangers in shaping a generation
[30:18] Elanders’ favorite thing about Power Rangers as a whole
[33:58] Why Elanders keeps coming back to the medium and what iterations he wants to see
[38:06] How Power Rangers came to be and how it has changed over the years
[43:33] What cemented the material to become a franchise under Disney
[48:11] The repetitiveness of Power Rangers and how some seasons are better than others
[50:54] How Super Sentai celebrated their 35th anniversary and the Power Rangers multiverse
[55:06] Elanders’ constructive criticism for the Power Rangers cinematic universe
[01:00:08] What the future holds for Power Rangers and what Elanders is looking forward to about it
[01:04:33] What Volta Percussion Podcast is and where to listen to it