What Can Y2K Tweens from Santa Rosa Teach Us About Childhood Creativity?

APR 10, 202654 MIN
KQED's Forum

What Can Y2K Tweens from Santa Rosa Teach Us About Childhood Creativity?

APR 10, 202654 MIN

Description

In the year 2000, four pre-teen girls in Santa Rosa — three 11-year-olds, and one 9-year-old little sister — wrote and recorded an album inspired by the Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child and Fiona Apple, and even filmed music videos for the album. Then, their band X-Cetra disbanded as the elder members entered junior high and found the entire project — to use the slang of today’s kids — cringe. Decades later, online experimental music nerds discovered the album, with its haunting child vocals and startling low-fi beats, and turned it into a cult hit, garnering X-Cetra a record contract and a 25th anniversary reissue. A new film “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story,” which won the South by Southwest documentary jury award last month, documents the reunion of X-Cetra, many of whose members hadn’t made art since. We’ll talk with the band about what it means to revisit childhood creativity in adulthood, and we’ll hear from you: Were you more creative as a tween than you are now? Have you returned to the art you made? Guests: Ayden Mayeri, member, X-Cetra; director, "Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story" Jessica Hall, member, X-Cetra Robin O’Brien, musician; producer of X-Cetra’s 2000 album, “Stardust"; mom of X-Cetra members Janet and Mary Brittany Spanos, music journalist who wrote the Rolling Stone profile, “Four Best Friends Made an Album as Kids. 25 Years Later, It’s a Cult Classic” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices