Billy Joel and the American Musical Landscape

Joshua S. Duchan, Ph.D., an ethnomusicologist specializing in American popular music, will discuss the music of Billy Joel tonight at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Archives. He will addresses two kinds of places found in Billy Joel’s songs: "geographical (specifically the American West and New York) and social or cultural (suburbia)." The lecture will draw from personal interviews with Joel to show how his music "offers a commentary on American life and culture rooted in both his personal experience and the time during which it was composed." The talk begins at 7 p.m. and admission is free. (Niesel)