Black Metal is for Everyone!

Black metal is extreme music: fast tempos, heavy guitar, screeching vocals - it's not usually thought of as everyday, easy listening., that’s for sure.  Black metal got its start in 1990s Scandanavia and was associated with church burnings, Satanism, and acts of extreme violence.  But those days are now largely (though not completely) over, and black metal musicians are increasingly singing in favor of environmental causes, social justice, and anti-racism, especially here in the United States. Black metal is still noisy and aggressive and sometimes it is also pretty bleak.  But black metal might just be for you.  So come see what all the noise is about.  Everyone (except the fascists) is welcome.

 Funded by the IU Arts & Humanities Council. Organized by Michael S. Dodson.

Feb 28 

10:30am to 2:00pm - Black Metal Drawing Jam with Amory Abbott @ The Cook Center

5:30pm - Margaret Killjoy @ The Bishop Bar (Queer Methods Workshop, Ages 21+). More info here.

Feb 29 

1:00pm: Welcome Remarks

1:15-2:45pm: Songs that Mean Something:  Black Metal and Social Change. Roundtable discussion with guest commentator Shane Greene, IU Anthropology. PLAYLIST

3:00-4:30pm: Black Metal Rainbows:  Reimagining Heavy Metal as Anti-Racist, Anti-Fascist, and Queer-Friendly. Roundtable discussion with guest commentator Olga Rodriguez-Ulloa, IU American Studies.

4:30-5:30pm:  Reception and artist meet-and-greet

5:30-7:30pm:  Black Metal Marketplace 

Above events (Feb 28 & 29) are open to the public and take place at The Cook Center, Maxwell Hall, except as noted.

Feb 29 evening

9:30pm - Black Metal Fest ‘24 @ The Bishop Bar (Ages 18+). More info here.

With Fell Ruin and Eudaemon. Entry by donation ($10 suggested) benefitting Girls Rock Bloomington.

Participants:

Amory Abbott, Emily Carr University 

Laina Dawes, Case Western Reserve University

Larissa Glasser, Harvard University

Joan Jocson-Singh, Lucas Museum 

Rose Johnson, Falmouth University

Margaret Killjoy, author and activist

Daniel Lukes, co-editor of Black Metal Rainbows                

Stanimir Panayotov, co-editor of Black Metal Rainbows 

With:

Michael S. Dodson, IU History 

Shane Greene, IU Anthropology

Olga Rodriguez-Ulloa, IU American Studies.

Rebekah Sheldon, IU English / Cultural Studies

Additional support provided by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; the College Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the College Arts and Humanities Institute; and the Media School.