Living History Series
A Conversation with Steve Waksman:
Listening for Loudness in Music History
Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 3 to 4:30 pm
In person at Historic Northampton and online as a virtual event on Zoom
Steve Waksman
Photograph by Karen Brown |
Steve Waksman, the “Doctor of Rock,” will soon be moving from Northampton to begin a five-year research project in England on how sound amplification technologies have impacted music, live events, political activism, and culture.
Before leaving the area, Waksman will share his story, which includes: his early fascination with music, playing in a local band, and his teaching and research career at Smith College. Waksman’s wide ranging interests in music--from rock to heavy metal--led to his most recent book on the history of live music in America. In this conversation with noted interviewer Buz Eisenberg, he will also offer a preview of his forthcoming initiative, The Amplification Project. Following the conversation, in-person attendees are invited to join a celebratory send-off reception featuring light refreshments. |
Sliding Scale: $10-35
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Register for the In-Person event
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Register for the Zoom event
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About Steve Waksman
Steve Waksman is Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor of Music at Smith College, but is known on WRSI radio, The River, as the “Doctor of Rock,” where he offers bits of popular music history in support of Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
The author of several books on popular music, his latest book, Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé, received the Music in American Culture Award from the American Musicological Society and won third place honors for the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award, given by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In January 2025, he will join the faculty of the University of Huddersfield, UK, as the Leverhulme International Professor of Popular Music, a position which comes with nearly $7 million to investigate the history of amplification.
Steve Waksman is Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor of Music at Smith College, but is known on WRSI radio, The River, as the “Doctor of Rock,” where he offers bits of popular music history in support of Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
The author of several books on popular music, his latest book, Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé, received the Music in American Culture Award from the American Musicological Society and won third place honors for the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award, given by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In January 2025, he will join the faculty of the University of Huddersfield, UK, as the Leverhulme International Professor of Popular Music, a position which comes with nearly $7 million to investigate the history of amplification.
About Buz Eisenberg
Buz Eisenberg is an attorney, co-host of WHMP's Talk the Talk radio talk show, and longtime Ashfield Town Moderator. Buz makes up for his lack of musical talent by a profound appreciation of those who share theirs with the rest of us ... such as Professor Steve Waksman.