By examining less visible and so far overlooked music worlds, David Verbuc in his excellent book illuminates those aspects of music practice, which we in Europe until now treated as self-evidently American, without realizing how hard-earned they actually are. I need to especially emphasize his attentiveness to the women's perspective and the perspective of those, who in the more egalitarian communities, removed from the dominant hierarchical norms, also feel oppressed.
Rajko Mursic, in Glasnik, the Bulletin of the Slovenian Ethnological Society, 62 / 1 2022
Focusing on the materiality of social and cultural relations among American DIY scenes through a theoretical framework that includes theories of place, materiality, intimacy, [...] the author is opening a space for new perspectives of materiality and affect which are closely interlinked through intimacy, and through the social aspects of music. This book therefore represents a significant contribution to the studies of popular music, as well as a valuable reading for researchers from related scholarly disciplines.
Tanja Haluzan (in Narodna umjetnost: hrvatski casopis za etnologiju i folkloristiku , Vol. 60 No. 1, 2023; https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/438660)
Verbuc's book is refreshing in its focus on the cultures surrounding the music rather than the actual sounds [...] This section [on how geography affects DIY scenes in the United States] was particularly engaging, as Verbuc's ethnography allows the reader to really observe how each city, and each individual music scene (metal, indie, electronic, experimental, punk) within each city, is its own microcosm [...] DIY House Shows offers an important starting point for scholars looking to explore DIY music in the United States. Verbuc is methodical in discussing how gender, race and/or immigration, sexuality, economics, and class affect each of these communities.
Aram Bajakian (Popular Music and Society, 2023, 46/4; link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03007766.2023.2228564)
This book is not just a dry reflection/examination of space but is instead a 'hands on' exploration of individuals, both punk and non-punk. Indeed, a key strength of the volume lies in Verbuc's prose being easily accessible and succinct [...] Sometimes methodology - and specifically the use of 'theory' - is used as a 'bolt on', a means of over-academicizing the text: but this certainly not the case in this regard. This volume, therefore, stands as both a source book for DIY house shows, and an excellent example of the understanding, conceptualization and application of methodology and punk.
Mike Dines (Punk & Post-Punk 12/2, 2023)
