before the music dies, a film and a discussion on Portland's music culture

tomorrow i will be on a panel for a discussion about local music issues after the screening of the film Before the Music Dies. The film is about the stagnation of music culture under the thumb of the corrupt major labels. The guy setting up the screening saw a post i made on sam adam's blog about my thoughts on local music business and culture I guess we are going to talk about how this sort of thing plays out in our local music culture in Portland, how musicians and bands and artists are carving out livings in the 21st century, new alternatives to being on a major label, new means of the distribution of music as an art form and as a commodity. Stuff like that. Others on the panel will be Bruce Fife (president of the American Federation of Musicians Local 99, which is the big national musicians' union), Tim Ellis (owner of Kung Fu Bakery Recording Studios), Dave Allen (Gang of Four dude, local new media entrepreneur), and Amy Maxwell, manager/promoter for the Patrick Lamb Band.

here is the official word:

BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES
US 2006
Director: Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen
Tue Jan 16 7PM Whitsell Auditorium (PORTLAND ART MUSEUM)

Weaving together outstanding performances, historic footage and revealing interviews, Shapter and Rassmussen take a critical and comedic look at the homogenization of popular music, creatively pulling back the curtain to expose the sad truth behind today's "artificial" music stars, where marketing, conformity and appearance take precedent over art. Among the interviews with musicians, fans, industry executives, and music journalists in 20 cities are the perspectives of Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Bonnie Raitt, Branford Marsalis, Erykah Badu, Questlove, Calexico, and Les Paul. (95 min)

Cosponsored with Musicians Union Local 99. Following the film, Union President Bruce Fife, along with special guests, will discuss issues raised in the film of importance to local musicians.

more info here:
http://www.afm99.org/B4MDPage.htm
http://www.beforethemusicdies.com/
http://www.nwfilm.org/screenings/?volissue=351&series=1