Staging Sound in Bahia, Brazil: Negotiating Musical Knowledge, Technology, and Power in Professional Music Performances
Music
Wed 18th April 12-1pm
Venue: Bishop Otter Campus: Room LO3
Free admission
This presentation examines the knowledges necessary to make popular music by examining the many nuanced interactions that take place immediately before performances by professional musicians. Building on work by Tom Porcello (1998) and Paul Théberge (1997) that emphasizes the centrality of technological understanding and the ability to communicate such knowledge, I focus on the micropolitics of interactions between musicians, sound technicians, and producers in the context of live performances and recording studios. At stake for these negotiations is often the success of the presentation, which can, in turn, have implications for career trajectories and professional survival.