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Aug 19, 2016

Music Historian To Host Austin Music Scene Talk September 15

The Front Porch is proud to present The Crisis of Music in Austin with Ted Gioia as the latest installation of its “Unplugged on the Front Porch” music series. Gioia will address the current state of Austin’s music industry on Thursday, September 15 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church located at 209 W. 27th St., Austin, Texas 78705. The evening will kick off with a keynote presentation by noted author and music historian Ted Gioia, who is sponsored in part by the Soul of a Musician music series. He is followed by a panel of important figures in the music industry moderated by NPR’s John Burnett, who will lead the conversation exploring the status of musicians and music-making in Austin. Panelists will include: Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Jennifer Houlihan (Executive Director, Austin Music People), Will Bridges (Venue/Studio Operator), Harold McMillan (Founder/Director of DiverseArts Culture Works & Kenny Dorham's Backyard), John Mills (Professor of Jazz Studies, University of Texas @ Austin) and Nicole Bogatz (Secretary/Treasurer, American Federation of Musicians & Austin Local 433). The event is free and open to the public. Working musicians and other industry professionals are especially encouraged to attend. To RSVP, please see here.

 

KUT’s Views and Brews will record and podcast the event and BookPeople, Austin’s independent bookseller, will host a book signing in a meet and greet with Mr. Gioia afterwards with a portion of proceeds being donated to the Health Alliance of Austin Musicians. Austin arts and music advocate Letsbevy will proudly sponsor The Philip Marshall Trio who will play during the book signing.

 

“Austin won’t be the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ for much longer if we keep losing musicians and music venues, and the struggles that the local music industry is facing are also being faced by the entire creative ecosystem,” says Mayor Steve Adler.

 

“We’re trying to deepen the talk about saving Austin’s soul through its music. What we add to this conversation is the voice of nationally acclaimed music historian Ted Gioia, who offers a unique global perspective to help us better understand our local crisis,” said Stephen W. Kinney, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Front Porch. “The keynote and panel response seeks to further the dialogue between influential stakeholders of the musical community and will provide a wider frame for addressing the issues and questions raised in Mayor Adler’s Austin Music & Creative Ecosystem Omnibus Resolution.”

 

“The evening will be devoted to addressing the practical concerns of working musicians in the ever-changing musical, cultural, technological and economic landscapes by providing a wider, more global perspective to the local situation in order to make better sense of the concerns of Austin musicians and venues,” said Kinney.

 

The Front Porch is a nonprofit “public house” - a contemporary “pub church” - that creates opportunities for people of all faiths to connect through dialogue, art and music in a world often divided by religion, politics and culture. Each month, the organization hosts multiple gatherings at different venues across Austin—it is where compassionate community and practical spirituality meet. For more information on The Front Porch, please see: www.frontporchaustin.org

 

Some upcoming Front Porch events include:

 

  • 11, 2016 –Pub Church on 9/11 with William Inboden, Director for Center for National Security at UT; with NPR’s John Burnett and musician BettySoo at Scholz’ Garten
  • 15, 2016 – “Unplugged on Front Porch: Crisis of Music in Austin” with Ted Gioia and Mayor Adler
  • 18, 2016 – Pub Church: Introduction to Karen Armstrong’s “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life” at Scholz’ Garten; with musician Raina Rose
  • 25, 2016 – Pub Church: Charter for Compassion at Scholz’ Garten; with musician Curtis McMurtry
  • 20, 2016 – “Unplugged on Front Porch” with musician Matt the Electrician at All Saints’ Episcopal Church

 

About Ted Gioia:

Ted Gioia is a jazz pianist, author of ten books, and expert on the entertainment industry. His books have been translated into eight languages, and two have been honored on the New York Times list of the 100 best books of the year. Gioia has also written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and many other leading periodicals. He is currently a columnist for The Daily Beast, which reaches 20 million website visitors per month. Gioia has also been active as a performer, and his recordings as a pianist and composer have received airplay on more than 500 radio stations. Over the last several decades, Gioia has undertaken on-the-ground projects in 25 countries on five continents and has consulted to Fortune 500 companies as a professional with McKinsey and the Boston Consulting Group. He has negotiated more than 30 merger and acquisition deals, run a $200 million business unit and helped SOLA International do a successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. He has also worked as record producer, music educator, frequent public speaker and founding editor of the website www.jazz.com.

 

Gioia holds degrees from Oxford University and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, and previously served on the faculty of Stanford University.