Dr. Matt Donahue was once in a band called Guitar Heroes, which existed way before the video game was even a concept. So it’s fitting that the BGSU professor has organized a conference dedicated to the electric guitar and its place in popular culture.
The conference will take place mainly within the Bowen Thompson Student Union on the BGSU campus. Off-campus, coffee spot Grounds for Thought will be an additional site used for live music performances.
World influences
While the electric guitar is commonly viewed as a uniquely American instrument, scholars from all over the world, including India, Finland, England, Canada will discuss their own take on the instrument and its influence, globally. Topics range from the “Adaptation of Electric Guitar in Indian Cinema” to “The Electric Guitar in the Creation and Globalization of Nigerian Neo-Traditional Music.”
“We wanted to mix it up and provide an experience that is diverse and [educationally] beneficial for the community,” Donahue said.
Presenting scholars include Martin Popoff, an author of more than 45 books on hard rock and heavy metal, and Dr. Steve Waksman, author of Instruments of Desire. Ken Haas of Reverend Guitars will provide an industry perspective.
Any examination of the electric guitar as a cultural force will, of course, mention Jimi Hendrix in its discussion. But lesser-known discussions of legendary musicians and their idiosyncrasies will also be explored, such as the signature tuning style of Lou Reed.
Performing culture
In addition, there will be performances by Toledo’s own Chuck Stohl of Damien fame, Kelly Richey, a well-known blues guitarist from Cincinnati, Chris Buzzelli, an acclaimed jazz guitarist from BGSU, and Kimi Karke, a Finnish folk/metal guitarist, and Donahue’s rock/punk/metal inspired music project MAD 45.
Skip McDonald, a.k.a. Little Axe, was a guitarist for Wood, Brass and Steel, a pioneer funk/fusion group. He was also a writer and arranger for many of the legendary Sugarhill Records cuts, including “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash. He was a member of Tackhead, and has worked with a number of well-known artists and producers, including Sinead O’Connor, Dub Syndicate, and Adrian Sherwood.
Donahue links the study of the electric guitar and the study of popular music to the growth of popular culture as an academic discipline. “Popular culture, as we define it, is anything and everything in our daily lives. And the study of popular culture really represents the new humanities…it’s liberating to study the people’s culture,” he said.
And what could represent the “people’s culture” more than the cogent wail of an electric guitar?
This event is free to the public. Bowling Green State University, Bowen-Thompson Student Union, Bowling Green. 9am, Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28. More info at bgsu.edu/egpc or scholarworks.bgsu.edu/egpc.
