Aaron Krerowicz travels the country lecturing about the Beatles. “Abbey Road” is his favorite Fab Four album.
By Bill Brotherton
Aaron Krerowicz, the world’s foremost “professional Beatles music scholar,” was born 15 years after the band broke up. So, how the heck did he get turned on to the music of John, Paul, George and Ringo?
“The short answer is my dad. He loved the Beatles. Their second album was the first record he ever bought. The music always filled our home. I can’t remember a time I didn’t hear the Beatles music,” said Krerowicz, a former Revere resident who gives hundreds of lectures each year, mostly in libraries, about the band’s music.
He will deliver his “The Beatles: Band of the Sixties” multi-media presentation tonight from 7-8 p.m., at the Peabody Institute Library in Danvers. For him it’s all about the music, instead of the band’s history that most experts focus on.
“I see everyone’s skeptical faces at my talks. I’m 30, and I’m sure audiences wonder why someone that young is talking about the Beatles.”
In 2011, Krerowicz won an $1,100 research grant through the University of Hartford for his Beatles studies. The university purchased some 60 books, DVDs, VHS tapes and CDs at Krerowicz’s request, to fuel his study. Those materials remain in the school’s library for all students to use and enjoy, along with three books Krerowicz has written about the band and its music.
“I took an analytic approach to the music I always loved,” he said. “I provide a musical analysis of Beatles songs rather than give a history lesson. I have the analytical techniques and a thorough understanding of music theory to conduct exhaustive and rigorous analysis of this music.”
But don’t think the presentation is a dry academic exercise. Local music lovers who have attended past lectures rave about how much fun they are.
These lectures are Krerowicz’s full-time job. He has given 119 talks this year, with many more scheduled. He also lectures about the music of “Star Wars” and baseball, two of his other passions.
Krerowicz said “Abbey Road,” particularly side two’s long song suite, is his favorite. John Lennon’s “I Am the Walrus” is his favorite song.
“In early 2010, I was living in Revere and commuting to Boston University on the Blue Line. During one such subway ride, I was listening to ‘I Am the Walrus’ when it dawned on me that the Beatles were much more than a pop group, they are a major landmark in music history,” he said. “I immediately texted my girlfriend, now my wife, about this revelation and I haven’t looked back since.”
A career was born.
“I find the two best places for my Beatles presentations are in the Boston and Chicago areas. I always get the best, most knowledgeable crowds,” he added.
“The Beatles: Band of the Sixties,” tonight, 7-8 p.m., Peabody Institute Library, 15 Sylvan St., Danvers. Admission is free. To RSVP, call 978-774-0554.
