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NEWS RELEASE

01-11-02

Contacts:
Pat Miller, Lectures (515) 294-3720

RAPPER CHUCK D IS KEYNOTE FOR ISU MUSIC LECTURE SERIES

AMES, Iowa -- Rap artist Chuck D will be the keynote speaker for "The Business of Music," Iowa State University's 2002 Institute on National Affairs lecture series.

A variety of speakers will discuss the dramatic changes that have occurred in the music business in the last 10 years, including technological advances, and concerns about artistic control. All the lectures are free and open to the public.

A schedule for the lecture series is below.

Ian MacKaye
Topic: Talking about Music
Tuesday, Jan. 29, 8 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union
MacKaye is a member of the punk band Fugazi and co-founder of Dischord Records. Fugazi has shunned multimillion-dollar offers and lucrative tour deals to maintain its independence and keep CD and concert ticket costs low. MacKaye will speak on his experience in the D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) movement.

Chuck D
Keynote Address: Rap, Race and Reality
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 8 p.m., Stephens Auditorium
Chuck D is the leader and co-founder of rap group Public Enemy. He has hosted his own segment on the Fox News Channel, worked with music industry non-profit organizations MusicCares and Rock The Vote, and started the record label Slamjamz. He also has launched BringTheNoise.com, an Internet radio station. Public Enemy was the first multi-platinum selling act to release an album via the Web before it was available in retail stores. A major proponent of music on the Internet, he launched a multi-format "supersite" on the Web, Rapstation.com. He is the author of "Fight the Power."

Carle DeSantis
Topic: Can Chicks Rock? Sexism in the Music Industry
Wednesday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union
Carla DeSantis is the editor of "Rockrgrl" magazine and the founder and organizer of the ROCKRGRL conference for women musicians. She also is the editor of Women Who Rock, a quarterly magazine. She was a commentator on VH1's "From the Waste Down," and has written for Rolling Stone and other publications.

Jeffrey Vallier
Topic: Technical Innovation in Popular Music
Wednesday, Feb. 6, noon, Sun Room, Memorial Union
Jeffrey Vallier, an Ames native and Iowa State graduate, is senior engineer in the research and development division of the Gibson Guitar Corporation. He is working on a project to develop a standard for transmitting quality audio digitally over a standard Ethernet cable for musicians, recording studios and eventually consumers.

Robb Vallier, Dave Deibler, Barb Schlif, Kyle Munson
A Panel: The Business of Music: Making It In Iowa and Beyond
Thursday, Feb. 7, 8 p.m., Sun Room, Memorial Union
Robb Vallier, an Ames native, is music producer in Los Angeles. He works with Sublime, Methods of Mayhem and other groups. He also writes music for films and television. He was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category for co-producing Wailing Souls. Dave Diebler and Barb Schlif are the husband and wife team responsible for forming the legendary Iowa band House of Large Sizes. The band was signed to major label Colombia Records, but opted to be Iowa-based. Kyle Munson, Des Moines Register music critic, will moderate.

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