How Music Dies or Lives ─ Field Recording and the Battle for Democracy in the Arts

All recordings document life, arising from a specific time and place, and if that place is artificial, the results will be as well. Culled from a lifetime of learning through failure and designed to provoke thought and inspiration for artists in every medium, How Music Dies (or Lives) is a virtual how-to manual for those on a quest for authenticity in an age of airbrushed and Auto-Tuned so-called artists.” Author and Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan chronicles his own journeys to find new and ancient sounds, textured voices, and nonmalleable songs, and he presents readers with an intricate look at our technological society. His concise prose covers topics such as:

‧The damages of colonization in generalizing distinctive variations
‧The need for imperfection
‧The gaps between manufacturing and invention
‧The saturation of music in everyday life

This guide serves those who ask themselves, What’s wrong with our culture?” Along with possible answers are lessons in using the microphone as a telescope, hearing the earth as an echo, and appreciating the value of democratizing voices.

Ian Brennan, a Grammy-winning record producer (Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Bill Frisell), travels the globe in search of music. Since 1993, he has lectured internationally over one hundred times a year regarding violence prevention and is the author of two books on the subject, Anger Antidotes and Hate-less. A native of San Francisco, he is currently based in northern Italy.