Is there a place for music criticism in the context of the local, regional, geography-bound music journalism that you will find in the Ithaca Times? Does a community such as Ithaca offer the possibility for observing, analyzing, and commenting on trends and developments in new music, be they popular, avant, or classically oriented genres of music? And if so, what sort of commentary might one expect from a regional music journalist? For whom are we writing? What might the goals for such a writing be?
These are questions that Popcorn Youth often asks. And the answers always seem to be the same: a resounding ‘yes.’ Though it may not be Manhattan or Berlin or Tokyo, Ithaca is a lovely place for encountering provocative and finely crafted music, be it traditional, classical, or experimental in orientation (each of which has its own appeal). There are, for example, the many local Ithaca venues for classical, traditional, roots-oriented, rock-oriented, and avant music: Ithaca College and Cornell with their many musical events; local performers of the calibre of Johnny Dowd, Jennie Stearns, Hank Roberts, Mary Lorson & Saint Low (to name but a few of the most obvious successes); and venues like Castaways, Club Euphoria, and Pixel, where you can hear the latest hip-hop and dance music, including dubstep, leftfield drum ‘n’ bass, and minimal techno. This is to say nothing of record shops such as No Radio and Volume Records, or the second-hand shops where jazz and prog gems wait patiently for a new home.
Since space is limited at the Ithaca Times proper for extended pieces on art and music criticism, the bulk of thinking related to developments in the national and international artistic and musical landscape will take place here, at the blog. Since much of what we will discuss intersects more widely with regional, national, and international music, the blog is in fact the logical place for the writing to occur — perhaps friends other than those who live in the area will want to read and comment on discussions related to Ithaca-related music happenings, and vice versa. In other words, we would like to think (actually, we already know) that the Ithaca musical universe could serve as a point of departure for wider discussions about the state of contemporary music, be it in Brooklyn, London, Atlanta, Vienna, Tokyo, or elsewhere. And so here at the blog we will attempt to see and synthesize for readers the best of what our local scene offers, but will also try to bring the best of non-local new music to our readers for further consideration. The only thing better than a healthy local music scene is a community of listeners who are eager to encounter and discuss the music around which the community of listeners is based.