Unconvention Debriefing
The Edge recently hosted the first ever Australian ‘Unconvention’ independent music conference. Spread over two days and featuring over 30 guest speakers, there was a LOT of information flying around.
For the most part, response to the event was positive. I spent a lot of the weekend ducking in and out, setting up gear for the lunchtime showcases and organising my own panel. But I did see a lot of engaged kids, scribbling in note-books, looking sternly at the stage, thinking ‘Hmm, this rock and roll caper doesn’t sound quite as much fun as it did in that Rolling Stone feature I read when I was 14.’
Which is a great thing. There’s an atypical type of person that goes to these seminars: it’s usually someone who wants to learn about the experience of working (paid or unpaid) in the music sector but don’t have the scene connects to see what it’s like first hand. And if you look at the history of Brisbane independent music, it’s not only populated by people who know people. It’s also the noobs and folks from all corners of the music landscape: the suburbs, share-houses, the conservatorium, from middle class boredom, upper class bohemia and all other down-and-outs, up-and-comers, pro-ams, punks and bona fide losers and winners. Brisbane music takes all these people and cobbles them together and if look at any clique of people active in the scene, they usually have a few of each.
So hats off to Unconvention for bringing in some of the over-worked and underpaid music arts workers of the future! May they dream of a less stressful hobby while getting things done.
Read about Unconvention #1 here:
• The offical site is a stupidly comprehensive archive of everything that was said and played at the event.
• Jodi Biddle of Plus One blog wrote up the event here.
• Music From The Laundromat blog gave a two run-down.
• Mess&Noise promoted the event (with attendant internet trolling included).
Filed Under: Journalism
