Concerts, Panels and Workshops.

VersoFest is The Westport Library's annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered - a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge.

VersoFest includes panels where experts share their perspective and vision. Intimate workshops provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft. Performances entertain and inspire.

Schedule:

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

All 5 days

Exhibit: thinking inside the box

Free

The forum

This versofest, be sure to explore the library’s first mixed-media art installation, thinking inside the box, where more than 20 artists from around the area will fill the grandstand in the trefz forum with unique and thought-provoking art.

4-5:30 pm: workshop: hands on hip hop history presented by teachrock
Free
The forum
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore hip hop technology and the practices on which hip hop music was constructed, investigating what it means to “sample” from another style, who has used sampling, and how. Through their investigation, students will discover how sampling demonstrates a powerful creative expression and can make social and political statements.

7 pm: verso visionary: musician, visionary, activist, and author chuck d
Presented by darcy travlos
Presold $50 | gate $60
Trefz forum

Thursday, April 4, 2024

6:30 pm: The Lemon Twigs with DJ HYSTERICA

Presented by Darcy Travlos

PRESOLD $20 | GATE $30

Trefz Forum

The Lemon Twigs Bio

Friday, April 5, 2024

7 pm: Spin Doctors with Nick Depuy

Presented by Webster Private Bank

PRESOLD $50 | GATE $60

Trefz Forum

Spin Doctors Bio

Saturday, April 6, 2024

11 am - 5 pm: versofest record fair, presented by record riots

free

the hub

record riots dealers command the hub of the westport library in versofest's second record fair. A handful of vinyl dealers will wheel and deal, adding to the electricity of saturday's versofest events.

11 am - 5 pm: exhibit: diamond dogs at 50: david bowie exhibit by paul brenton with set designer mark ravitz

free

the hub

collector and curator paul brenton brings a "diamond dogs at 50" david bowie exhibit, featuring the original stage models from the 1974 diamond dogs tour and other rare ephemera. Pioneering stage designer mark ravitz will be in attendance, having designed numerous bowie tour sets (diamond dogs, glass spiders, and serious moonlight tours) as well as sets for kiss, whitney houston, and backstreet boys.

11 am - 12 pm

workshop: pitch your podcast. With connecticut public, featuring meg dalton and jack hitt

free

the forum

it seems like everyone has a podcast these days. But how will your podcast stand out? Pitch your idea for a podcast to a panel of audio storytellers including meg dalton and jack hitt , who will give you feedback on everything from the podcast's name and description to potential audience and obstacles. You'll have just a few minutes to make your pitch, whether it's narrative-driven like radiolab or chat-style like wtf with marc maron.


1 pm: verso visionary: legendary music producer tony visconti in conversation with paul cavalconte (wfuv)
presented by les and samira dinkin

trefz forum

free

tony visconti will be in conversation for the westport library's third annual music and media festival, discussing his art and career as one of pop music's longest working and most influential producers (david bowie, t. Rex, thin lizzy, and more.).

Beyond music, visconti has created moments blooming into cultural movements (glam rock), art linked to collective memory in bowie's "the man who sold the world," "rebel rebel," and "heroes," and t. Rex's "get it on (bang a gong)," "cosmic dancer," and "20th century boy."

paul cavalconte can be heard on wnyc, where he delves deep into the american songbook, mining for gold as he revels in the tradition's countless wonders. And in the midst of a whirlwind weekend, paul squeezes in a sunday show at wfuv, the station where it all began more than 30 ago.

3 pm: verso book club: i thought i heard you speak: women at factory records with author audrey golden; moderated by karen ponzio
trefz forum

free

factory records has become the stuff of legend. The histories of the label have been told from many perspectives, from visual catalogues and memoirs to exhibitions. Yet no in-depth history has ever been told from the perspectives of the women who were integral to factory's cultural significance, until now, thanks to audrey golden .

The untold history of factory records is one of women's work at nearly every turn: recording music, playing live gigs, running the label behind the scenes, managing and promoting bands, designing record sleeves, making films and music videos, pioneering sound technology, djing, and running one of the most chaotic clubs on the planet, the haçienda.

Told entirely in their voices and featuring contributions from gillian gilbert, gina birch, cath carroll, penny henry, and more than 50 interviewees, i thought i heard you speak is an oral history that reveals the true cultural reach of the label and its staying power in the 21st century. In conversation with karen ponzio .

3-4 pm: workshop: musician career coaching: know your worth, set your rate, and get paid with matt starr

free

brooks place

matt starr  is a connecticut-born musician and career coach. He has toured the world and made records with members of kiss, guns 'n roses, foreigner, whitesnake, and others.

The number one reason musicians/artists give up is that they are not able to monetize their talents. They end up getting part- or full-time jobs and their passion becomes a hobby. Learn how to set your rate, quote your rate, and get paid what you deserve.

4:30 pm: john densmore in conversation with alisyn camerota on the doors unhinged: jim morrison's legacy goes on trial

free

trefz forum

john densmore  is the drummer for the legendary rock band the doors, who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. In 1993, he was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, and since then, he has earned a grammy lifetime achievement award and a star on the hollywood walk of fame. Densmore's latest book, the doors unhinged, details his conflict with bandmates over the right to use the doors' name, revealing the ways in which this struggle mirrors and reflects a much larger societal issue.

Tom waits said of the book, "there are some of us out there who still have principles and cannot be bought. John densmore is one of them. He is not for sale and that is his gift to us."

cnn anchor alisyn camerota joins densmore, returning to the westport library just a week after her memoir launch event for combat love. While known for her reporting presence, camerota came of age during late 1970s punk rock, forming close bonds with red bank, new jersey, band shrapnel. The band's 1979 single "combat love" features backing vocals from shrapnel confidant joey ramone and is being reissued as a limited 7" record with camerota's memoir.

Sunday, April 7, 2024

11 am - 5 pm: versofest record fair, presented by record riots

Free

The hub

Record riots dealers return on sunday for a second day in the hub. A handful of dealers will be on hand, with myriad options for fans and collectors of vinyl.

11 am - 5 pm

Exhibit: diamond dogs at 50: david bowie exhibit by paul brenton with set designer mark ravitz

Free

The hub

Collector and curator paul brenton brings a "diamond dogs at 50" david bowie exhibit, featuring the original stage models from the 1974 diamond dogs tour and other rare ephemera. Pioneering stage designer mark ravitz will be in attendance, having designed numerous bowie tour sets (diamond dogs, glass spiders, and serious moonlight tours) as well as sets for kiss, whitney houston, and backstreet boys.

11 am: panel: connecticut, wplr, and the birth of buckingham/nicks era fleetwood mac, featuring dick kalt and special guests; moderated by dr. Jennifer dauphinais

Free

Trefz forum

Buckle up for a wild rock 'n' roll ride. New year's eve 1974, lindsay buckingham and stevie nicks join fleetwood mac after the departure of key members in a new era of style and sound. October, 23, 1975, fleetwood mac record and play a radio concert for a small audience of 100 at trod nossel studios in wallingford, ct broadcast on burgeoning fm rock radio station 99.1 wplr fm. Just months after the release of fleetwood mac's "white album," the oft-bootlegged recording captures the band tearing out of transition into a fully realized rock 'n' roll powerhouse who would go on to conquer the world a second time over.

Essential for any fleetwood mac fan, or connecticut music aficionado, hear the twists and turns of this historic event from the organizers and broadcasters who brought it forth. The panel discussion will featuring rare photographs and recordings on verso studios 18' screen and concert grade sound system to bring this crucial connecticut legend to life. Featuring dick kalt , eddie wazoo and bruce manke , moderated by musician dr. Jennifer dauphinais .

11 am - 12 pm

Workshop: mind your business: legal workshop for musicians with marcus thomas

Free

Brooks place

This hour-long workshop will provide advice on publishing, royalties, contracts, and more for up-and-coming musicians. Strategize and simplify the business aspects of your creativity.

Marcus thomas is an educator and entertainment attorney who is also trained as a screenwriter and publicist. During his 25-year career, he has maintained a boutique entertainment law practice and held several in-house positions with entertainment companies, including a major record label, major-affiliated music publisher, and the nation's largest education music print publisher.

12:30-1:30 pm: workshop: video game music composing with tom salta

Free

Brooks place

Learn the landscape, approach, and technique behind video game composing in this hour-long workshop.

Ascap award-winning and bafta-nominated composer tom salta is one of the most versatile and prolific music artists/producers working in film, television, advertising, and video games. Renowned for crafting emotionally engaging soundtracks for multimedia, salta has received widespread industry acclaim for his world-class-produced hybrid scores featured in film, television, and video games such as red barrels' the outlast trials, arkane studios' deathloop, machine games' wolfenstein: youngblood and cyberpilot, microsoft's iconic halo series, ubisoft's prince of persia: the forgotten sands and red steel (ign award for best original score), tom clancy's ghost recon and h.a.w.x series, as well as the epic theme music for the record-breaking online multiplayer game playerunknown's battlegrounds, which has sold more than 75 million units with more than 700 million players.

2-3 pm: workshop: unlock the secrets of radio airplay for emerging artists with peter gray

Free

Brooks place

Peter gray is a singer/guitarist with a lifelong passion for music. He currently has three songs on the radio in the u.s. and europe on stations including wfox, wfuv, wusb, wapj, sunshine 96.7, ocionews (in spain), excitementradio, and others. Gray is currently #12 on wdfn and also #11 on germany's nb radiotreff and #50 on radio ara in luxembourg.

His songs can be heard not only on the radio and also on spotify, apple music, amazon, pandora, deezer, tidal, iheartradio, and most other major streaming platforms.

1 pm: music oral history: glam to punk — a fashion round table: alice cooper, bowie, blondie, and beyond with cindy dunaway and tish and snooky (manic panic), special guest dennis dunaway; moderated by christine ohlman

Free

Trefz forum

Explore the ultra-close, ultra-edgy, ultra-beautiful twinship of fashion and rock 'n'roll with three of its most fabulous creators, moderated by snl's beehive queen christine ohlman .  

Cindy dunaway 's visionary glam-era-defining designs for the alice cooper group shared inspiration and crossover with bowie, elton, and so many more. Dunaway, an iconic, revered seamstress, will bring several historic pieces to share with the audience; many more were included in last year's highly-attended versofest23 alice cooper group retrospective exhibit.

Tish and snooky 's gorgeously punk'd costumes—self-designed, razor-bladed, safety-pinned and schoolgirl-skirted—lit up stages (along with their vocals, beginning with the earliest lineup of blondie), in nyc and beyond, leading then to open the nation's first punk boutique and found the groundbreaking manic panic cosmetic line. Their futuristic fashion sense continues to strongly influence the now of 2024.

Dennis dunaway , rock and roll hall of famer as the alice cooper group's bassist, will join with his unique performer's perspective, as photos and videos flash throughout on the trefz forum's giant 18' screen.

3 pm: performance and panel: wild style, celebration, the first hip hop motion picture

Free

Trefz forum

In panel discussion, performances, and clips surrounding the groundbreaking 1983 film wild style, this event will focus on the formative elements of hip hop culture, including deejaying and turntablism, rapping, graffiti, and break-dancing. Hip hop originators trace how a neighborhood phenomenon transformed into a leading global artform, with wild style serving as one of the first mass media representations of the culture.

Hosted by tony crush and rodney c. And featuring grand wizzard theodore, prince whipper whip (both fantastic 5), rodney c (funky 4+1 and double trouble), the cold crush brothers (tony crush, dj ultamite, grand master caz), jdl, easy ad, and almighty kay gee.

Date: April 3-7, 2024

Location: The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Rd, Westport, CT 06880

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