What makes us dance? Why do we sing the blues? Could there be a formula for the perfect hit?  Whether it’s a pop song or country ballad, musicians and record producers want to capture listeners; individual styles may vary but they’re all searching for just the right lyric, melody, or seductive guitar chord.  A few manage to turn out hit after hit – “hooking” our brains with irresistible beats. These songs become part of our collective identity. Years may pass, but as we all know, a song has the power to rekindle memories and emotions long forgotten. Can science illuminate why we respond the way we do?

Moderated by Joe Levy, Editor-in-Chief, MAXIM. Panelists include: neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux (NYU), Dave Katz (Sluggo) of the hit songwriting/producing duo S*A*M & SLUGGO, and John Leventhal, Grammy Award-winning musician, producer, and songwriter.

Space is limited: RSVP now

Moderator bio:

Joe Levy, Editor-in-Chief, MAXIM, has served as music editor at the Village Voice, Spin, and Details, and was the Executive Editor of Rolling Stone. The writer of numerous articles on rock music,  Levy also authored Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and has made regular television appearances as a cultural commentator.

Panelist bios:

Dave Katz (Sluggo) and Sam Hollander (S*A*M), are the writing/producing team S*A*M & Sluggo, known for their slick production and songwriting skills.

Joseph LeDoux is a professor of neural science at NYU, director of the Emotional Brain Institute involving NYU and the Nathan Kline Institute, and leads The Amygdaloids, a rock band made up of scientists. Rosanne Cash sings with him on the group’s latest CD.

John Leventhal is a Grammy-winning musician, producer, songwriter, and recording engineer who has produced albums for Michelle Branch, Rosanne Cash, Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin, Rodney Crowell, Jim Lauderdale, Joan Osborne, Loudon Wainwright , The Wreckers, and many others.

This event and other opening weekend events are presented within the BIORHYTHM exhibition, and have been organized as part of and in cooperation with World Science Festival.

BIORHYTHM is made possible through the generous support of Imagine Ireland, an initiative of Culture Ireland, and the Cordover Family Foundation. BIORHYTHM is created by Science Gallery and Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

More information about BIORHYTHM, and related programming at Eyebeam.