update: See a video from the event at TheScientist.com
Guest blog by Joseph E. LeDoux, Ph.D.
On Tuesday, March 3, scientists who have alter egos as musicians will get together with rock stars at the Highline Ballroom in New York City for the Rock-It Science Festival. As a member of The Amygdaloids, an NYU-based band, I'm one of these scientists. Other scientific musicians include Pardis Sabetti and Thousand Days (Harvard), David Soldier and the Spinozas (Columbia), and Dan Levitin (McGill). The fabulous guest artists are Rufus Wainwright, Lenny Kaye (guitarist, Patti Smith Band), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), The Kennedys, Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate), Gary Lucas (Gods and Monsters), Peter Holsapple (the dBs), and more.
The Amygdaloids play original music, mostly love songs, about mind and brain and mental disorders. Not everyone reads books, but almost everyone likes music. That’s why music is the ultimate communication tool. My goal in writing these songs is to put enough about the brain in each song to make the listener think, "Hey, that's kind of interesting." Then hopefully they will be motivated to pick up a book by me or some other brain scientist and find out more. We're looking forward to Rock-It Science since it will allow us to pretend to be real rockers for one night, but I have to admit, it's pretty daunting to think about being on stage with the folks we've lined up.
Rock-It Science is associated with a conference on emotion regulation called Sensation to Emotion. The conference will be held on Monday and Tuesday, March 2-3. Rock-It Science is being put on by Knock Out Noise, and sponsored in part by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in celebration of Brain Awareness Week.
The show starts at 6:30 on March 3 at the Highline Ballroom (431 W. 16th St., NYC). Tickets are $25 and are available at www.highlineballroom.com.
Joseph E. LeDoux, Ph.D., is a University Professor, Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science and a member of the Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology at New York University. Dr. LeDoux also is a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.
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