Loren Glass and Kembrew McLeod–both University of Iowa Professors–dropped by Little Village Live on Wednesday to give us a little taste of their all-mobile phone cover band, The Killer Apps.
Known by their stage names, Dr. G and RoboProfessor, Loren and Kembrew had more than just music to share with us, however. Their interest in the telephone communication medium led to some interesting discussion regarding the music industry itself, as Kembrew explained how the contemporary music industry has shaped how we both perceive and consume music:
“In terms of the art form of the album, you know this cohesive suite of songs–ten songs fifteen songs. People have been lamenting the demise of the album, but really when you think about it, the album existed for fifty years, sixty years now. And songs, music have existed as individual units for, well, at least thousands of years. So, in my opinion, as much as I love them and love certain albums, the album is really just kind of a blip–a historical anomaly. . .For ten thousand years there’s music, and for one hundred years there’s a music industry.”
Check out both interview segments, hosted by Matt Steele, followed by a live performance by The Killer Apps in the final video. You can also see The Killer Apps performing on stage with much better sound amplification here.
