The Soundtrack to War

Here's a word cloud of my chapter for the book Virtual War and Magical Death: Technologies and Imaginaries for Terror and Killing, co-edited by Neil Whitehead and Sverker Finnstrom. Just sent it off!

MRE 2011

Taliban Bodies

Operation Phantom Fury

America's Army (gameplay)



Citizen Soldier: 3 Doors Down
Accelerate Your Life: Godsmack, "Awake"
Accelerate Your Life: Godsmack example 2
Marines commercial: "Leap"

Metallica: The Day That Never Comes

Martyr Machine

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Trailer

4th25 Trailer

Videos for 2009 AAA meeting

Chapters finished

I've sent in final revisions to my chapter, "Free Jazz. Punk Rock." It will appear in the forthcoming volume Nyuu jazu sutadizu [The New Jazz Studies], to be published in Japan. Fellow ethnomusicologist Dave Novak also has a chapter in the volume. Thanks to Dave for solid and challenging critiques and to Scott Carter, as always, for being my primary sounding board.

I've also completed my first draft of an article, "Music, Aesthetics, and the Technologies of Online War," for an upcoming Critical Interventions volume through Berghahn Books. Still some work to do, but it's nice to have the first draft out. I'll present a version of this paper at the American Anthropological Association conference next week, December 6. Looking forward to it.

My music

I have a few different home recording projects linked online.

Sun Silo

• Michael Gallope, synths/samples
• Jason McGrath, guitars
• Aaron McKain, bass
• Matt Sumera, drums/percussion
• Travis Workman, keyboard

Wide Open Spaces

• Matt Tracy, Guitars
• Will Tracy, Bass
• Erik Wells, Guitar
• Matt Sumera, Drums

Giant Panda

• Jack Krebs, guitar, bass, percussion, vocals, production
• Jerry Fess, cello, percussion
• Matt Sumera, drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals

Incinarator

• Scott Hreha, bass, guitar, vocals, keyboards, production
• Matt Sumera, drums, marimba, percussion, vocals, keyboards, production, samples

Aremus
Mostly solo stuff I've done over the years.

Book Chapter

I've been asked to contribute a book chapter to Berghahn Books' "Critical Interventions" series. The issue will be devoted to "Magic and the global war." Working title for my chapter: "Mapping the Auditory Logic of War on Screen."