Not a Metallurgy class! This veteran crash-course is coming back in full force and will have you head banging, air guitaring, and devil horn raising in no time! Learn everything you ever wanted to know about Heavy Metal, including how Metallica tries too hard to be cool, why Lemmy IS God (RIP), and why you might already be a metalhead and not even know it.
We'll look at metal cultures, explore the fringes of the most extreme forms of metal, and, of course, listen to some SCREAMING HEAVY METAL! This is guaranteed to be the most BRUTAL class ever offered at MIT!
WARNING: This series most definitely goes to 11! Earplugs optional.
Like the flyer design? Check out more of Dan Kilbridge's work on his Instagram page, @kildanbridge.
Full 2020 Schedule of Events Below! (All events start at 6:30 PM in Room 4-149!). Click here for a map.)
Heavy Metal 101: Music and Culture
Tuesday January 7, 2020
An introduction to Heavy Metal. Topics include the musicology of Heavy Metal as well as an examination of Heavy Metal culture. This multimedia extravaganza covers everything you ever wanted to know about Heavy Metal!
MIT Heavy Metal 101: Paul Buckley, Developing Metal Vocals and Understanding the New England Metal Community
Wednesday January 8, 2020
MIT Heavy Metal 101 is pleased to present guest lecturer, Paul Buckley. A powerful and versatile vocalist, he will be discussing how to develop and maintain a harsh vocal style and how to produce and release material as an independent artist around the Boston area.
History of Heavy Metal: Part I
Thursday January 9, 2020
A seminar examining the history of Heavy Metal from the late 1960s through the early 1990s. Topics will include Hard Rock, Archetypal Heavy Metal, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), Power Metal, Thrash Metal, and the Big 4.
History of Heavy Metal: Part II
Tuesday January 14, 2020
A seminar examining the history of Heavy Metal from the early 1990s to the present. Topics include New American Metal, Metalcore and Grindcore, Black Metal, Death Metal, and Extreme Metal.
MIT Heavy Metal 101: Mary Church (and interview with special guest Bob Mayo of Wargasm)
Wednesday January 15, 2020
MIT Heavy Metal 101 is pleased to present guest lecturer, Mary Church. Mary’s session will focus on her experiences within the Boston metal scene. Specifically from the perspective of a woman in a heavily male-influenced industry, Mary will be discussing her work with putting out albums, booking metal shows, and hosting the successful Deathkiss Radio Show on WEMF. Mary’s special guest will be Bob Mayo from the legendary New England thrash metal trio Wargasm, who released 3 albums, 1 E.P., and toured internationally from 1986-1995. Their first album ‘Why Play Around?” is widely considered a classic of underground thrash metal. Bob will be discussing all things 'Gasm and metal's influence on the arc of his life.
History of Heavy Metal: Part III (Guest Lecturers: Aristeidis Karalis and Ravi Gupta)
Thursday January 16, 2020
This seminar will focus on Progressive Metal, namely what it is, what elements make music "progressive," and a smattering of examples from various genres including progressive heavy metal, progressive power metal, progressive thrash metal, progressive death metal, progressive black metal, progressive doom metal, and others. This seminar will be instructed by guest lecturers Aristeidis Karalis and Ravi Gupta.
MIT Heavy Metal 101: Vishnu Reddy, Transcending Your Boundaries as a Metal Drummer
Tuesday January 21, 2020
MIT Heavy Metal 101 is pleased to present guest lecturer, Vishnu Reddy. Vishnu's lecture is titled, "Transcending your boundaries as a metal drummer." forefront. As a metal drummer, it is important to adapt to the world around you, and the lecture will deal with engaging both hemispheres of the brain for optimum performance not only as a drummer but as a musician. Bringing creativity into metal drumming by utilizing influences from a wide range of genres and becoming fluent in the universal language of rhythm is just as important as listening to your body and understanding the ergonomics of the drum kit to maximize efficiency and minimize effort. Live demonstrations will be present!
MIT Heavy Metal 101: Christina Schwarz, Metal and Fashion
Wednesday January 22, 2020
MIT Heavy Metal 101 is pleased to present guest lecturer, Christina Schwarz. We've looked a lot at how metal formed and took shape. Though, how can you better look the part? Come by as we look at various metal fashions. P.S. Bring your battle vests, cuffs, and best corpse paint for this lecture.
MIT Heavy Metal 101: Aaron Gray and Laura Filippi, Booking Metal Shows and Tours
Thursday January 23, 2020
MIT Heavy Metal 101 is pleased to present guest lecturers, Aaron Gray and Laura Filippi. Both accomplished members in the metal scene, they will be discussing some of the specifics for how talent can make the transition from playing local venues to becoming a touring act. This session will also largely be Q&A. So, if you have questions about how to help and progress your own band, please bring them!
MIT Heavy Metal 101: Colin Brumley, The GUTS of Heavy Metal: Metal Music Theory
Tuesday January 28, 2020
MIT Heavy Metal 101 is pleased to present guest lecturer, Colin Brumley. Titled "The GUTS of Heavy Metal: Metal Music Theory," join Colin for a night of music theory and find out just exactly how it all works. Topics will encompass foundations in classical music theory and their analogs in metal, modernism composition techniques to get mileage out of your riffs, how to build your own scales and modes, resources to explore metal through other genres, and how to use all of this as a both a listener and songwriter. Participants of all levels of music understanding are invited – we’ll take a deep look into it all, but no prior training is needed!
History of Heavy Metal: Part IV
Wednesday January 29, 2020 RESCHEDULED TO Friday January 31, 2020
This will be a seminar examining the many of the remaining genres of Heavy Metal. Topics will include more obscure genres of Metal Fusion, Experimental and Avant-Garde Metal, and really whatever else we missed so far. It's going to get weird.
MIT Heavy Metal 101: Matt Zappa, Evolution of Metal Drumming
Thursday January 30, 2020
MIT Heavy Metal 101 is pleased to present guest lecturer, Matt Zappa. An accomplished metal drummer, his talk will comprise of three sections: (1) a metal drumming masterclass, (2) life as a touring musician, and (3) tech of metal drumming all while breaking down the evolution of metal drumming with a live demonstration.