Susan Rogers: This Is What Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About

Please join KPFA Radio at The First Congressional Church of Berkeley on Tuesday, October 4th at 7:00pm when we welcome Susan Rogers to celebrate the release of her most recent book, This Is What Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You. This live, in-person event will feature Susan Rogers in conversation with Terri Winston, founder and executive director of The Women’s Audio Mission in San Francisco.

“In brainy yet breezy prose (and) combining erudite analysis with plenty of soul, this will have music lovers rapt.” Starred Review - Publisher’s Weekly

A legendary record producer–turned–brain scientist explains why you fall in love with music

This Is What It Sounds Like is a journey into the science and soul of music that reveals the secrets of why your favorite songs move you. But it’s also a story of a musical trailblazer who began as a humble audio tech in Los Angeles to became Prince’s chief engineer for Purple Rain, and then created other No. 1 hits as one of the most successful female record producers of all time.

Now an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience, Susan Rogers leads readers to musical self-awareness. She explains that we each possess a unique “listener profile” based on our brain’s natural response to seven key dimensions of any song. Are you someone who prefers lyrics or melody? Do you like music “above the neck” (intellectually stimulating), or “below the neck” (instinctual and rhythmic)? Whether your taste is esoteric or mainstream, Rogers guides readers to recognize their musical personality, and offers language to describe one's own unique taste. Like most of us, Rogers is not a musician, but she shows that all of us can be musical—simply by being an active, passionate listener.

While exploring the science of music and the brain, Rogers also takes us behind the scenes of record-making, using her insider’s ear to illuminate the music of Prince, Frank Sinatra, Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, and many others. She shares records that changed her life, contrasts them with those that appeal to her coauthor and students, and encourages you to think about the records that define your own identity.

Told in a lively and inclusive style, This Is What It Sounds Like will refresh your playlists, deepen your connection to your favorite artists, and change the way you listen to music.

Susan Rogers, PhD is a cognitive neuroscientist and an award-winning professor at Berklee College of Music, as well as a multiplatinum record producer. She resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

Terri Winston, the founder and executive director of Women's Audio Mission in San Francisco, has created a community and platform for women to train, network and find positions in the music industry. She is currently serving on the Recording Academy's (Grammy's) National Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion and The Academy of Country Music's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

EVENT DETAILS:

Tuesday, October 4th 7:00pm

Susan Rogers book release for This Is What It Sounds Like

The First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2330 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

Tickets $15.00 in advance / $20.00 at the door (discounted student and fiscally challenged available)

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2330 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, United States