1968 Beatles Highlights
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE:
four Mondays
at 5:30 PM EST
starts April 29th
live presentations
plus option for discussion seminar
or virtual band
recording project
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTHONY DECURTIS OF ROLLING STONE (MAY 13TH)
In this four-week course, we'll be exploring the hidden aspects of Paul McCartney's perfect melody in "Hey Jude," investigating how John Lennon's "Across the Universe" prepares the way for the group's immersion in all things Indian, and delving into how "Lady Madonna" opens new tonal, instrumental and stylistic doors for the late Beatles. These and other great tracks from 1968 show that the Beatles were at the top of their game even as they felt a need to make their biggest change of direction ever, leading from the studio-based psychedelia of 1967 to the budding solo careers and live performances of late 1968 and 1969.
The first 45 minutes of each class will be devoted to All Together Now, a live multimedia presentation and discussion on Zoom, with Beatles scholar Walter Everett and multi-instrumentalists Jack Petruzzelli and Cameron Greider. Afterwards, you have the option of staying on for a Seminar with Walter or a Virtual Band––a combination master class and remote recording project––led by Cameron or Jack.
Each session starts with All Together Now––a live multimedia presentation and discussion exploring the music from a scholarly perspective and from the point of view of performing musicians.
For a deeper dive, stay on after All Together Now for a Seminar with Professor Walter Everett, or for Virtual Band, where you'll learn songs and make your own recordings with a small group of musicians at your level, coached by Jack Petruzzelli or Cameron Greider.
RPM SCHOOL
One of the foremost authorities on the music of the Beatles, Walter Everett is Professor of Music at the University of Michigan. His two-volume study The Beatles as Musicians (Oxford University Press) has been hailed as “a milestone in Beatles research” and “without a doubt, the most important work on the Beatles to date”.
One of New York’s most sought-after session and touring musicians, Jack Petruzzelli has played with Patti Smith, Joan Osborne, Ian Hunter and Rufus Wainwright, to name a few. A multi-instrumentalist triple threat on guitars, vocals and keyboards, he is also a founding member of the world’s foremost band for the Beatle-obsessed, The Fab Faux.
Guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Cameron Greider has worked with artists like Joan Baez, Sean Lennon and Chris Cornell as well as top-tier producers
T Bone Burnett and Steve Lilywhite. He is also a dedicated teacher of guitar, bass and piano.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
The class was amazing. Challenging and at the same time accommodated all kinds of level of play.
I’d take it again in a heartbeat.
I came to the class thinking I knew so much….wrong! They pulled out all the stops for us. Music, history, class materials, guest speakers…They truly put the Beatles in context both musically and everything else. It’s an excellent deep dive.
Singing and playing for anyone else besides myself is a BIG stretch out of my comfort zone. One of the (many) terrific things about your class is how genuinely non-judgmental it was. Just pure encouragement.