thank god for the iphone: pics from AMS Philadelphia

have pictures from the conference? please share them!

ok so this first one is me in traffic by the Kissena Blvd exit on the LIE (which is where Queens College is) but i had to do it.

acts of conspicuous symphonization

con⋅fer⋅ence  [kon-fer-uhns, -fruhns]
–noun
1. a meeting for consultation or discussion: a conference between a student and his adviser.
2. an event where like-minded people geek out over like-minded things. “I just got back from the AMS conference!”

okay, so i made up that last definition, but don’t you think that sums it up? AMS Philadelphia 2009 was great and just like any other academic conference, had its ups and downs. granted, the downs for me included getting lost, getting lost, getting lost, getting stuck in traffic, paying way too much money for tolls, driving for seven straight hours, getting lost and getting lost but the ups, both personal and professional overshadowed all of that.

(okay, maybe i still like the getting lost stories. they’re really rather funny.)

for the business side:
as per usual, i go to AMS to see other students, colleagues and professors, catch up and hopefully hear some interesting papers. saturday proved to be the best day all around: caught some really fascinating papers on Avant-Garde Diaspora, Luxe Pop and Pastiche and Neo-Classicism. saturday also happened to be the day where i saw the most people, had the best conversations and of course, attended the giant joint reception. (have to say, not a fan of the format and i’m sticking to that.) the big downside, however, to going to a four day conference is the toll it takes on your body and mind. as i sat diligently in the British Topics session, hearing about Constan Lambert and RVW, i found myself fighting to focus – and not because i wasn’t totally enthralled by the paper. my body had had it! which leads us to…

the personal side:
now last year at AMS in Nashville, i was the only Peabody student who attended. yeah, i had friends but it was a little lonely. it was nice this year to have other students and other Peabody professors there along with the slew of friends i’ve made over the years. went to some great dinners and lunches, saw Philly and enjoyed being in the company of other musicologists. if you’re interested in my thoughts in real time from the conference, check out my twitter feed at www.twitter.com/idmbassoon, for which, i’m sure, i’ve already gotten in trouble. (also do a search for #amsphilly2009 and see what other friends & musicologists were saying about the conference)

on the whole, the conference was great. sure, i went to some not-so-great papers but that’s to be expected. i learned enough but what i will take from it are the connections that have been made and cemented and the time spent.

oh yeah, and this:

(god, that will never stop being funny.)

itunes playlist – #amsphilly09

my itunes driving playlist from baltimore to philly (with stops to newark and NYC in between. yes i know they’re not between baltimore & philadelphia. just forget it) in no particular order:

Aphrodisiac – Bow Wow Wow
All is Love – Karen O (Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack)
Stand Back [Hani Radio Edit] – Stevie Nicks
Don’t Want To Hurt You – The Sounds
Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
L’appuntamento – Ornella Vanoni
Golden – Jill Scott (from Dave Chappelle’s Block Party)
The Baltimore Song – Spoke Ensemble
Don’t Worry About It – N.E.R.D
Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas
Loba – Shakira
I Get Crazy feat. Lil’ Wayne – Nicki Minaj
Itty Bitty Piggy – Nicki Minaj
The Glow of Love – Luther Vandross
Circus – Britney Spears
Off The Wall – Michael Jackson
Champion (Nick Catchdubs Remix) – Kanye West
In My Bed – Amy Winehouse
Estoy Aquí (Extended Remix) – Shakira
Golden Age – TV on the Radio
Middle Of The Road – The Pretenders
Bodysnatchers – Radiohead
HGP Anthem – Hybrid Groove Project
I Would Die 4 U – Prince
Send A Little Love Token – The Duke Spirit
Flashing Lights (Diplo Remix) – Kanye West
Stand And Deliver – No Doubt
Summertime – Will Smith
Drop It Like Its Hot – Snoop Dogg
Creator – Santogold
Celebration – Madonna
Nothing Can Come Between Us – Sade
Breezin’ – George Benson
White! (On The Floor) – Sa-Ra
Symphony no. 9 in E minor, op. 95 “From the New World”, III. Scherzo. Molto vivace – Antonin Dvořák (Philadelphia Orchestra, Sawallisch)
Lost! – Coldplay
Bamboo Banga – M.I.A.
You Know and I Know – Bebe & CeCe Winans
Kill Joy – N.E.R.D
Allentown – Billy Joel
Symphony no. 4 in F minor, op. 36, I. Andante sostenuto – Moderato con anima – Peter Illych Tchaikovsky (Philadelphia Orchestra, Muti)
Running up That Hill (A Deal With God) – Kate Bush
Pro Nails – Kid Sister
8th Wonder – The Gossip
Queen of Apology (Patrick Stump Remix) – The Sounds
This Is Why I’m Hot – M.I.M.S.

let the adventure begin.