Pop & Politics: Music Making Change

September 29^th to October 2^nd, 2005
Montreal

The Rights & Democracy Network is proud to be a partner of the "Pop & Politics: Music Making Change" conference again this year. This conference is held in association with the 4^th Pop Montreal Music Festival.

• See the schedule
• Pop & Politics: Music Making Change
• Program
• Workshops
• For more information

Pop & Politics: Music Making Change

What is the relationship between music and politics? How does music shape our political views and what are the responsibilities of musicians to society? How does music support human rights and activist movements, and how are musicians sometimes threatened into silence?

Pop & Politics: Music Making Change conference provokes us to tackle some of these questions and more. This year we charge the conversation with even more fire, shifting our focus to the role of subversive technology in relation to music, the increasing visibility of hip-hop in social movements around the world, building sustainable movements amongst musicians and activists, women in independent music, and methods of resistance through art.

Building upon the success of last year, POP Montréal International Music Festival partners with the Guava Collective to engage artists and young people in more substantial and pertinent ways.

This year our focus includes workshops for young people and artists, panels, and multi-media presentations featuring key figures in music and culture. In addition, a short guide on “Women, Rights and Music” will come out of the conference proceedings .

PROGRAM

Opening Event , Thursday, September 29^th

19h Keynote: Saul Williams
Club Soda

22h Show: K’naan avec Tumi & the Volume
CLUB SODA

20h Show: LAL
MAI

Friday, September 30^th

19h Keynote: David Barsamian
UNIVERSITÉ CONCORDIA, THÉÂTRE D.B. CLARKE

20h Spectacle : Cipher Stage emceed by Josephine Watson, with Naila keta mai (aka. Nah-ee-lah), Busdriver, Toni Blackman, Subtitle, Kyra Shaugnessy, and more….
MAI

20h Spectacle : Women Across Genres with Gina Young, Falu, Abigail Lapell, Bad Flirt
El Salon

Saturday, October 1^st

11h Welcome and coffee

The panels are meant to start discussion, not to be a definitive answer and we hope for lots of participation from the audience. Take the time to listen, to speak up and to learn.

11:30 – 12:30 Hip-Hop and the new DIY

What is the situation in punk music and DIY in the midst of the extreme corporatization of music? How have some hip-hop artists been following the example of DIY in their labels and community ethics? Is there really a 'community' that is working outside the system, or is it over hyped and idealist? What are the differences between the hip-hop do it yourself protocol and what has been happening in punk and hard-core?

• Mr. Dibbs, Self Core records
• Lou Piensa, Nomadic Massive
• Rebecca Foon, Silver Mount Zion

12h30-14h Subversive and counter-culture uses of technology in music

How is technology being used to disrupt dominant spaces and markets (ie. Torrent technology)? This panel looks at critical uses of technology in music as a subversion and contestation of the typically capitalist music paradigms. What is the impact of the home studio on recording and the song writing process itself? How has corporate culture influence freedom of expression? How can technology be used to bring communities together that otherwise might not? This panel brings together people already working in subversive technologies to share strategies, debate, and challenge the way we think about music and creativity today.

Speakers:

• Scott Beibin
• Dont Rhine, Ultra-red
• Kembrew McLeod
• Bernie Bankrupt, Lesbians on Ecstasy

14h30- 15h30 K’naan et Sol Guy present 4Real Africa

Travel with your guide Sol Guy as he takes you on an unforgettable adventure through Kenya with Somalian born poet and emcee, K'naan – The Dusty Foot Philosopher. Now living in Toronto, Canada, this is K'naan's first trip back to Africa since he escaped the war in Somalia in 1991. K’nann returns to film his first music video for his song "Soobax" a protest song that speaks directly to the warlords of Somalia. Along the way Sol, K'naan and the crew meet an inspiring local hero named Salim Mohammed who takes them to his community, Kibera, the largest slum in East Africa with a population of over a million people. Here Salim runs a medical clinic and a community development sports program involving over 5,000 young people They also connect with Kenya's vibrant hip hop scene to bring you a never before seen view of contemporary life in East Africa.

15h30-17h The Global Hip-hop Movement

"One love, one music, one people, one movement, one heart, one spark, one gift, one lift, one stance, one shift, one way, one day." (Immortal Technique)

Is it all hype? Is there a global hip-hop movement? What are its attributes and how are musicians within it straddling the divide of time and space? Why is there a need to build a global hip-hop movement? Is it even desirable? Is the where you are at as important as where you are going?

Speakers:

• Davey D
• Spin
• Sol Guy
• Busdriver

17h – 18h Women in Independent Music

We know that women are rocking hard in almost every genre of music out there, but we don't know much about the obstacles, changes, benefits and difficulties they are dealing with on a daily basis. In this panel we hear from a number of innovative women artists on how and why women are working inside and outside of independent music in Canada, the US and Cuba.

Speakers:

• Gina Young
• Jas (Bad Flirt)
• Bernie from Lesbians on Ecstasy
• Rosina Katsi (LAL)
• Naila Keta Mai

Exhibition Running on Emptiness

Curator and photographer Guillaume Simoneau has brought together an amazing collection of photographic images from around the world focusing on the intersection between art and political realities. From the civil rights movement to war photography, these images provoke, disturb and inspire.

Photographs can remind us of what might otherwise be forgotten and to provoke us to act. Sometimes, even the most repulsive images are the ones that we are least likely to forget. As Susan Sontag wrote in Regarding the Pain of Others:

“Let the atrocious images haunt us. Even if they are only tokens, and cannot possibly encompass most of the reality to which they refer, they still perform a vital function. The images say: This is what human beings are capable of doing - may volunteer to do, enthusiastically, self-righteously. Don't forget."

Sunday, October 2^nd

11h Welcome and coffee

11h30-13h Maintaining Independent Cultural Networks in a corporate environment

Festival directors and cultural creators from around the world will be with us in this interesting panel on how they see the current state of independent cultural production in a global environment. This panel gathers together some key players in the international cultural and musical community to give us a glimpse of what things look like from where they are sitting.

• Francis Aquerone - Canadian Cultural attaché in China
• Jesper Ohlson - Sweden (Lugerinc AB)
• Kevin Arnold - Noise Pop Festival (USA)
• Craig Stewart - SXSW buyer, (USA)
• Brendan Palmer - Next Wave Festival (Australia)

13h-14h Irwin Chusid, Songs in the Key of Z

Understanding the political in music can mean far more that deciding what side of the politic spectrum you stand behind. In the case of Irwin Chusid's presentation, we are able to look at how musicians on the margins continue to make evocative and innovative music. What are the furthest outreaches of 'independence'? What are it's sonic qualities, if any? Chusid takes us on a trip into 'outsider' music and invites us to think about some truly unique frontier makers and innovators.

14h30-16h Musique, médias et corporations

More and more, music is intertwined with the information media. What gets played and why? How are artists reacting to the corporatization of our public and private spaces through culture and media jamming? What are some of the forums through which musicians and music is stepping outside traditional boundaries and offering new voices? What role does the Internet have to play? Dead Prez urge, “Turn off the radio” but is radio still a place where change can ignite?

• Pedro Carvajal, director POPaganda: The art and crimes of Ron English
• Paul Shore, GNN
• Chantal Dumas

16h-17h IAN SVENONIUS speaks on "US Cultural Hegemony and Rock & Roll"

As a special treat we will have Ian Svevonius (Weird War, formerly of The Make Up) bring us his views on rock & roll, politics and the current state of affairs in the US today.

17h-18h Youth Speak Back

Youth speak back from the various workshops that happened in the community.

WORKSHOPS and OTHER ACTIVITIES

Saturday at the MAI

Girls, Freestyling and Hip-Hop, by Toni Blackman, 14h – 16h

This is a girl-focused event where Toni will teach about the origins of freestyling and give some hands on training. An amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with this incredible woman.

Socially Engaged Entrepreneurship by Drex, from Inner City Visions, 16h-18h

How do you bring your own music/art to the next level? How can we market and promote ourselves and stick true to our vision while still making a living. This is a hands-on, interactive workshop that gets to the heart of the matter while also being totally fun.

Sunday at the MAI

Ska, Migration, and the anti-fascist movement in the UK by Aaron Lakoff & Indu Vashit, 14h-16h

This workshop is open to anyone/everyone who want to come young or old! Through film clips, music and discussion Aaron and Indu will trace the roots of Ska and the Anti-Fascist movement. This shoud be an amazing session and really informative from two kids who really know what they're talking about!

Dans la communauté

Graffiti café, workshop on the 4 elements with hands-on training in spray art, held Sept 27^th at the Native Friendship Center of Montreal

A Cappella: Language of Resistance, a workshop with dub poet Nah-ee-lah held Sept 28^th at Dawson College's project Leave Out ViolencE (LOVE)

Poetry Will Set Us Free: Cultural pride, accountability and inspiration, a workshop by spoken word artist and activist Spin held on Friday, September 29^th at Head & Hands youth community center, NDG

To sign up for these workshops, contact Josselyn Alvarado at incalinda@gmail.com.

Exhibition: Running on Emptiness

Curator and photographer Guillaume Simoneau has brought together an amazing collection of photographic images from around the world focusing on the intersection between art and political realities.

For more information

To read the summary of last year's conference...

Visit Pop & Politics' Website...

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