… Event set for March 1-3
OXFORD, Miss. – Just as the South has produced musicians, so has the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, and this spring both will be celebrated with a special event.
The Music of the South symposium is set for March 1-3 at the University of Mississippi and other Oxford venues. It focuses on the 25th anniversary of the center’s Master of Arts degree program and recognizes the varied and rich tradition of music research explored by students in the program and the many people who have studied, written about, produced and filmed music.
“Our goal is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the M.A. program and recognize the work of Southern studies students and alumni in the field of music,” said Mark Camarigg, publications manager for CSSC. “In addition, this is a great opportunity to showcase the center’s curriculum and resources to prospective students. Our Office of Media and Documentary Projects assists students with filmmaking, oral histories and field work.
“Additionally, students can work with our music publications, such as Living Blues, and of course, research and study music cultures of the South with Southern studies faculty.”
The interdisciplinary nature of the M.A. program makes it particularly suited to the study of music and music’s role in history and the culture of the region. Since they are trained as scholars, a number of graduates are also musicians with local, regional and even national recognition in different genres.
The symposium kicks off March 1 with a special “Thacker Mountain Radio Show,” which broadcasts live from the Oxford Square from 6 to 7 p.m. and will feature Southern studies alumni. Music at various venues around town, including Proud Larry’s, Two Stick and Rooster’s, ends the evening.
At 9 a.m. March 2, Greg Johnson, UM blues archivist, will give a tour of the Blues Archive at the John D. Williams Library, followed by various academic panels. There is a campus reception at 5 p.m. for CSSC students, faculty, alumni and friends in conjunction with the Bill Steber photography exhibit at Barnard Observatory. The evening concludes again with music on the Oxford Square at different venues.
The panels March 3 include discussions about teaching music, how music fits with religion and creativity, and Elvis. The day’s big event is a 25th anniversary concert at 8 p.m. at the Lyric Theatre, 114 Van Buren Ave. The event will be emceed by Tyler Keith, a 2011 Southern studies master’s graduate. Musicians will include the Tim Lee 3, Jimmy Phillips and the Ruminators, Caroline Herring, Adam Gussow, Tommy Bryan Ledford, the Archibald’s, Maybelle’s Lovers, Jay Lang and the Devil’s Due, Los Buddies, Jake Fussell and Double Date.
“With the breadth of panels, films and lectures, we will cover most Southern music genres” Camarigg said. “The Southern studies M.A. program has attracted a number of talented musicians throughout the years, and they will be showcased with our concert at the Lyric Theatre on the Oxford Square.”
The Blues Symposium, Living Blues, Highway 61, the Music of the South Conference, the Elvis Presley Symposium and the role of Southern studies in the “Thacker Mountain Radio Show” are all good examples of work done by or around the center, said Ted Ownby, CSSC director.
“Studying music and making music have been crucial to the center’s history,” Ownby said. “This event should be both fun and smart, and we hope everyone involved or interested in the center will come, whether they make music, write about it, listen to it, or just want to see their friends.”