Blogging at the intersection of urban studies and popular music

Posts tagged "arts-based urban revitalization"
the day before the Brooklynites come: Basilica Music Festival in Hudson, NY

the day before the Brooklynites come: Basilica Music Festival in Hudson, NY

Hudson NY: the day before Basilica Music Festival, a set on Flickr.  For best results, view this set as a slideshow with captions on (click “Show Info”). One of the more interesting new festivals to launch this year is the Basilica Music Festival. Running three days starting tomorrow in the Hudson Valley city of Hudson, in...
creative contradictions and tango tourism: a review of "Culture Works" by Arlene Dávila

creative contradictions and tango tourism: a review of “Culture Works” by Arlene Dávila

Ten years ago Richard Florida, a regional planning professor then known mostly for comparative studies of industrial management, published The Rise of the Creative Class. His dual thesis — that “creative” sectors were at the forefront of developed-world economies, and that their cauldrons of innovation, economic relations, and human labor were organized by urban form —...
the dull ubiquity of placeless music festivals

the dull ubiquity of placeless music festivals

Some questions for investigations here, presented in the form of a rant. As part of my research in musical urbanism, I consume a fair amount of music coverage in print and online. Jesus Christ, all I seem to find these days is “writing” about generic touring festivals headlined by Coldplay/Metallica/Fiona Apple/Beach House/you name it. News about new music...
photodump of O+ Festival

photodump of O+ Festival

O+ Festival, Kingston, NY, a set on Flickr. I caught a bit of the scene over the weekend at Kingston, NY’s second annual O+ Festival, a “festival of art, music and wellness… wherein artists barter their contributions directly for medical, dental, and other wellness services from art-loving health care providers.” Admittedly, I missed almost all...
looking for the Hudson Valley hipster

looking for the Hudson Valley hipster

In the town where I live, there’s been a lot of chatter over a recent NY Times article which reports how Brooklynites (an apparent synonym for NYC’s mobile, creative types) are descending upon the Hudson Valley area some 75 miles north of the city to live, visit, consume, and generally do their Brooklyn thing.  Local businesses,...
getting ready for Maryland Deathfest, part 1: statement of intent

getting ready for Maryland Deathfest, part 1: statement of intent

Grades have been turned in, the school year is over, and now I turn to more important responsibilities — road trip! In eight days I’ll be attending Maryland Deathfest to experience the state of the art in extreme heavy metal. As the event’s website states, “With an emphasis on diversity, the festival brings together the very best death...
4/20/11 panel: "Media and the Community: A Concept of Public Culture"

4/20/11 panel: “Media and the Community: A Concept of Public Culture”

I haven’t been able to write on the Musical Urbanism blog for awhile, thanks to the crush of teaching, grading, and overseeing surveys for the city of Poughkeepsie’s community food assessment, all of which have peaked in the month of April.  (Twitter has been a good time-suck, too, I’ll admit.)  So I’m excited to be participating...
just stay put: an alternative vision for arts-based urban revitalization

just stay put: an alternative vision for arts-based urban revitalization

Here are some thoughts about a different way to think about arts-based urban revitalization, written in the form of a suspiciously confident manifesto.  These ideas are completely pie-in-the-sky and fly in the face of the prevailing wisdom in this field, but I’m fine with that if it reveals some fallacies and unspoken assumptions of most...
branding alienation with Tony Wilson

branding alienation with Tony Wilson

I recently watched Joy Division (2007, dir. Grant Gee), an exciting documentary that carries more intellectual heft than maybe any other film about a rock group.  Great interviews not just with the surviving band members and others who knew them, but also early followers who were deeply affected by the band’s records and performance.  I’m struck, for...
adventures in arts-based urban revitalization: the RoboCop statue in Detroit

adventures in arts-based urban revitalization: the RoboCop statue in Detroit

On February 7th, someone tweeted the mayor of Detroit with a passing thought: “Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & Robocop would kick Rocky’s butt. He’s a GREAT ambassador for Detroit.”  The city’s mayor (and former NBA all star) Dave Bing replied, “There are not any plans to erect a statue to Robocop. Thank you...

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