The Edmonton Free School
Sunday November 4 1:30PM
Location: Humanities 1-14, The University of Alberta (enter Humanities through south door)
All-Ages, All-Welcome

“The Edmonton Punk Scene, part II”

Last class, we did some digging around the history of the Edmonton punk scene, and discussed our first punk homework assignment: to look around the current local community and see what we could find.

So, this time around, come to class with a little info on an Edmonton band and tell us a little about ‘em. Playing a song means your mark will be moved up from an A+ to an A++. Try and find a band that fits the punk “attitude” we’ve been discussing. Afterwards, we’ll compile a list of all the bands and get it out there to people using this worldwide web thing that seems to really be catching on.

Also, we’ll have punk stalwart Jim Nowhere join the class to talk about his participation in the local scene!

Readings: TBD

Playlist: TBD, but it’s going to be AWESOME.

Saturday 14 July 1:30PM
Location: Humanities 1-14,
The University of Alberta All-Ages, All-Welcome

Money for Nothing and the Chicks for Free: Diet-Grunge and Punk-Lite

After punk broke into the mainstream via Seattle, the city reversed a trend that had held true since Ray Charles left the region for a record deal in Los Angeles: instead of leaving, bands started coming to the Pacific Northwest to further their music careers. Rather than trying to sound like the latest hair metal band, imitators were latching on to the sonic characteristics of punk bands…and wearing lots of flannel.

This week we will trace the legacy of punk since 1991, and the bands that cashed in on the angsty grievances of a generation. Not all the musicians that became successful were doing it just to get on MTV though, so we’ll examine milieu participants that stuck to their ideals, and the punk attitude, as they navigated their way from community hall shows to Top 40 rotation. The hardest part, of course, will be telling the difference between authentic punks and the marketable pretenders. So we’d better bring food to share, be prepared to sit outside and the sun, and let the debate begin.

Readings:
This is Not For You: The Rise and Fall of Music Milieux in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, 1950s -1990s, pp. 167-180.
That Tom-Tom Club bought all the Wack Slacks, Fuzz, Plats and Kickers!
In Defense of Nickelback or: How I learned to stop worrying about having credibility

Playlist:
The Offspring -”Jennifer Lost the War” live on public access 1988
The Offspring – “Days Go By”
Green Day – “Disappearing Boy”
Green Day – “When I come Around”
Rancid “The War’s End”
NOFX – “Bob”
Bad Religion - ”Stranger than Fiction”
Pennywise – “Fight Till You Die”
Good Charlotte – “The River”Avril Lavigne – “Sk8er Boi”
Simple Plan – “I’m Just a Kid”

The Edmonton Free School
Saturday 23 June 1:30PM
Location: Humanities 1-14, The University of Alberta
All-Ages, All-Welcome

“Not All Quiet on the Western Front: Punk in Eastern Europe during the Cold War”

Dr. Lucy Robinson podcast for class #7 from Sussex on gay identity & punk identity.

http://echo.uscs.susx.ac.uk:8080/ess/echo/presentation/525ec90f-cd53-4b4b-954a-72aa855715f8

During the Cold War, Western music had subversive implications for Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. In this seminar, we will examine what happened when the punk got through the Iron Curtain. Specifically, we will look at Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the USSR. We will also look at what happened when the Eastern Bloc variants of punk traveled to the West.

Just like last week, we’ll start with a short lecture, and then transition into our intellectual picnic format – so bring food to share if you can!

Readings:
Tomáš Pospíšil, “Making Music as a Political Act: or how the Velvet Underground Influenced the Velvet Revolution”
“Hungary Scene Report” Maximum Rocknroll #39
Czech Scene Report – Maximum Rocknroll #42 November 1986
“Radio Free Lithuania” Flagpole Magazine
Dropping the Iron Curtain
“Personal Expression vs. the Powerful’s Repression”

Playlist:
The story of The Plastic People of the Universe
Plastic People of the Universe – ‘Podivuhodný Mandarin”
Plastic People of the Universe – “Slavná nemesis”
DOA – “General Strike”
Beats of Freedom Trailer
Dezerter – “Szara Rzeczywisto??”
Bix – Saves Neapgausi

The Edmonton Free School
Saturday 12 June 1:30PM
Location: Humanities 1-14, The University of Alberta
All-Ages, All-Welcome

“Racism, Gender, & White Male Punk Privilege”

The punk movement is often generalized as largely male, white, and straight. Such a view, however, excludes many participants. This seminar will examine Riot Grrrl feminism, Homocore, and scene members that didn’t fit the typical stereotype.

This week we will be starting with a short lecture, and then moving outside to discuss things in our usual intellectual picnic format. Bring food to share if you can!

*Following the class, we will have a podcast lecture from Dr. Lucy Robinson, The University of Sussex, posted online.

Readings:
Lester Bangs – “The White Noise Supremacists” 
Not Just White Noise Supremacy: The Diversity of the Underground Punk Network in late 1970s-early 1990s America
Kurt Cobain’s Interrogation of Hegemonic Masculinity
Gimmie Something Better, pp. 409-419
Grunge is Dead, pp. 303-314
Top 5 songs to play for someone attending a white pride rally
Joining the 27 Club isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be

Playlist:
The Replacements – “Androgynous”
Pansy Division – “Groovy Underwear”
NOFX – “Jamaica’s Alright if you like Homophobes”
Propagandhi – “the only good fascist is a very dead fascist”
Nirvana – “Been a Son” 
Bikini Kill – “Double Dare Ya”
7 Year Bitch – “The Scratch” 
The Gits – “Insecurities”
The Offspring – “Cool to Hate” 

The Edmonton Free School
Saturday 9 June 2:00PM
Location: Humanities 1-14, The University of Alberta
All-Ages, All-Welcome

“Folk = Punk”

Traditionally, folk and punk music were kept separate in the literary discourse. Instead of bringing to light any similarities, the differences between the two genres have been highlighted. This seminar turns away from this historical framework. Instead, we will examine a shared sound of protest, and a mutual attitude that spans across genres.  

Folk expert Dr. Michael MacDonald will be joining us for the class, which will again be in picnic form. If you can, please bring some food to share!

Readings:

Fashion is a Passion, pp. 15-16I, Shithead, pp. 177-181
Tyler Butler - Folk vs. Punk vs. Punk
Lyndsay Hobbs – The Evolution of Punk
The Many Sides to Nowhere: Blurring the lines between music and art 

Playlist:

Woody Guthrie – “This Land is Your Land”
The Clash – “Know Your Rights”
Billy Bragg - ”Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards”
 Joe Keithley – “Playlist for the Planet”
Tom Morello – “This Land is Your Land”
Billy Bragg & Wilco – “All You Fascists”