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Music
Thursday, April 4, 2002
Behind the music Professionals, pop artists, public invited to Seattle conference ROSS RAIHALA, THE OLYMPIAN Originally published Thursday, April 4, 2002
SEATTLE -- Finally, an answer to the question many a music fan has asked: "Why Can't Spin Find Anyone Cool to Put on the Cover?"
That's just one idea set to be tackled during the first Pop Music Studies Conference, planned next week at the Experience Music Project in Seattle.
While the four-day conference's theme may sound rather unwieldy -- "Crafting Sounds, Creating Meaning: Making Popular Music in the U.S." -- the idea behind the event is simple. More than 100 academic types, critics, industry people and musicians will gather at the museum to spend a long weekend doing one thing: talking about music.
"I wanted to design a conference that would be inviting to people who are not only interested in music, but interested in thinking about music on a more intellectual level," said Eric Weisbard, EMP's senior program manager.
"I inherited what was a standard academic conference. My feeling was to open it up to journalists and musicians and to bring some different worlds together. Just as the best pop music is neither stupid nor inaccessible, I wanted this to be something that was smart and open to people."
To that end, the conference -- the bulk of which will fall on April 12 and 13 -- features 30 panel discussions covering everything from the work of experimental electronic artist Aphex Twin to the culture of obsessive record collecting.
Those panels are populated by writers, musicians and academics from across the country and abroad who submitted papers that will later be published in an EMP book.
A few of the issues set to be discussed include:
- "Will the Circle Be Unbroken: The Undying Loyalty of Traditional Country and Western Fans" by longtime music journalist Holly George-Warren.
- "Authorship and Authenticity, or, She Sounds So Sad -- Do You Think She Really Is?" by Sarah Dougher, a musician who has released work on Olympia's K Records.
- "24 Hours a Day with Aerosmith, Kiss and Metallica" by roadie Julie Peterson.
The conference also will feature a musicians-only panel featuring Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, Calvin Johnson of K Records, Sam Coomes of Quasi and Mark Arm of Mudhoney.
Weisbard said he wanted musicians to have a voice in the conference and that "a scene as vibrant as Pacific Northwest rock" was begging to be included.
Seattle's Charles R. Cross, author of "Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain," will moderate one panel that includes discussions about the careers of Neil Young, Ray Davies and "The Auteur Theory of Merle Haggard."
"Essentially, this conference is a chance for critics and historians and scholars to riff, if you will, on more theoretical ideas than they would in rock criticism," Cross said. "These are topics worth pontificating over when you're sitting around with other people who enjoy pontificating."
Ross Raihala covers entertainment for The Olympian and can be reached at 360-754-5406 or rraihala@olympia. gannett.com.
- What: A four-day event featuring critics, academics and musicians discussing topics related to: "Crafting Sounds, Creating Meaning: Making Popular Music in the U.S." Highlights include a musicians panel with Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, Calvin Johnson of K Records, Sam Coomes of Quasi and Mark Arm of Mudhoney at 6 p.m. April 13; and a live concert featuring Quasi, Sarah Dougher and the Mountain Goats at 9 p.m. April 13.
- When: April 11-14 (most events take place April 12 and 13).
- Where: Experience Music Project, The Seattle Center.
- Tickets: A full-conference pass is $45 or $25 for EMP members; a single-day pass costs $12 or $10 for EMP members.
- For information and a full schedule: Call 877-367-5483 or see www.emplive.com.
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