Everything Sounds: Recent Episodes
Everything Sounds
"Everything Sounds is a podcast and short-form radio program exploring the role of sound in art, science, history, culture, and our everyday lives. If you have an idea for future episodes, feel free to get in touch with us by recording or uploading your idea using the green button."
In the 2013 Zagat Dining Trends Survey, diners shared information about their tipping habits, favorite cuisines, and even their top complaints about restaurants. Not surprisingly, high prices, poor service, and crowded restaurants were some of the biggest gripes, but the number one complaint was noise. How much of the sound is there by design and how can restaurant owners use sound to make dining out a more pleasant (and less noisy) experience?
Clark Wolf has consulted to restaurants, hotels, and just about every type of venue where people gather to enjoy food. Part of his job is to think about the ways in which sound can be used to enhance dining experiences. Learn more about the best and the worst of sound and music in restaurants with Clark Wolf on this episode of Everything Sounds.
restaurant #sound #design #Clark Wolf #music #dining #Everything Sounds #Craig Shank #George Drake Jr.
Shapenote singing is a tradition developed in the late 1700's and early 1800's that helped everyday people sing music even if they couldn't sight-read standard musical notation. Shapenote and the Sacred Harp songbook are still allowing people to share a musical experience until this day. Learn more about this tradition from Anne Heider, Robert from the Chicago Shapenote Singers, and Ruth Reveal.
You can learn more about Shapenote, the Sacred Harp, and find singings in your area at fasola.org.
Also, thanks to Kate Lumpkin for her help with this episodes.
Individuals can share a common language, but it can sound different due to accents and regional dialects. In some cases, there are profound differences between areas that are in close proximity to one another. The Black Country, an area of the West Midlands in England, is known for a unique dialect that can be difficult for modern English speakers to clearly understand. In this episode, Alex Adey shares stories of the history and torchbearers of the Black Country dialect.
Jack Chuter's interest in experimental sounds began with a trip to his local record store. He listened to a Sunn O))) record at a listening station and went away completely bewildered by the experience. The music stuck with him and over time helped change his approach to listening and music criticism. Jack founded ATTN:Magazine to explore music from a standpoint of curiosity and discovery.
Jack eventually collected submissions of self-portraits in audio for a compilation called, livingvoid. The compilation features 80 one-minute tracks by sound artists, musicians, and even members of Jack's family. Find out more about this compilation, which explores some of the unique possibilities and contradictions that arise when people use sound to represent who they believe themselves to be.
NPR's Protojournalist published a list of 6 odd college courses in America. On the list is a course on the music of Frank Zappa. The course was developed by Andy Hollinden at Indiana University. Holliden's interest in Zappa first manifested itself while he was in high school. Beyond listening to the music and poring over linear notes, Andy constructed a dummy of Frank Zappa that would later provide him with more insight and memories than he had ever imagined.
Jukeboxes have fallen out of favor as time and technology marches on, but they still serve as reminders of a different time with respects to music and culture. Berry Bell shares information about jukeboxes and walks us through his collection on this week's show. Put a few quarters in the machine and listen to learn more about the "jutebox" confusion, the Gullah roots of the machine's nickname, and how jukeboxes changed radio programming forever.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to maintain anonymity in our technological culture, but some secrecy and mythology can still be achieved not in spite of, but because of those advances. Mad Genius is a collective of audiovisual experimenters that twist the sounds of our everyday or collective experiences into musical moments that encapsulate a time, place, person, or event. The elusive "Magnus Genioso" will introduce you to the collective and even offer you a special invitation.
The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusettes opened in 1799 and has been exploring the intersections of art, culture, and technology across various disciplines over its tenure as one of the longest continuously operating museums in the United States. The French artist and composer, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, created an exhibition that is right at home at the PEM. "From here to Ear" is a composition that utilizes space, sounds, and 70 zebra finches interacting with their surroundings. Learn more about this unique sonic art experimentation from from Céleste himself andTrevor Smith, the Curator of the Present Tense at the PEM.
The Tell-Tale Heart, one of Edgar Allan Poe's best known works, was written in 1842. The tale of madness involves a number of senses, but comes to a dramatic climax with a single sound -- a heart beating beneath the floor. George adapted the story into a radio drama, The Heartbeat, which was then produced by Auburn University's Radio Flyer Theatre. Enjoy this modern re-imagining of the classic story on this episode!
The Heartbeat was directed by Anna Claire Walker. It was produced by Taylor Dyleski, Kelly Walker as well as additional production, sound design and audio engineering from Scott Waters for Auburn University's Radio Flyer Theatre. It was adapted by @georgedrakejr
Also, find out more about Edgar Allan Poe at The Poe Museum Website: www.poemuseum.org/
If you haven’t read the original prose of ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allan Poe, you should read that first: www.poemuseum.org/works-telltale.php
Drew Blanke was fascinated with sci-fi, music, and electronics growing up. Over time, he began wiring circuits, performing techno, and building his own marketing company. He eventually left the New York rave scene, sold his marketing business, and began looking for his next project. After adding a color-changing LED to a computer mouse, Dr. Blankenstein was born. Drew has since been drawing upon a lifetime of his interests and experiences to build a company specializing in custom synthesizers and effects. Learn more about Drew and the birth of Dr. Blankenstein in this episode.
Skateboarding is an extremely visual activity for participants and spectators. However, the rhythm and sounds created through skateboarding are extremely important to the sport. A music producer called "Wasaaga" and his friend Brad decided to record the sounds of skateboarding and use them to create music that utilized their recordings of skateboarding sounds.
Sounds can help to define places and times in our lives. George and Craig graduated from Indiana University in 2009 and have distinct memories about campus life in Bloomington, Indiana. IU is where their interest in sound and radio developed, so they decided to enlist the help of Norbert Herber's class to share their current college experiences through sound. The results capture a place that is familiar, but evolving for former residents and representative of the spirit of the University for those who still call it home.
When people pass on, their memories remain through the stories we tell. Over time, many of those stories can be forgotten or lost to time. However, sometimes those legacies can be revived. In this case, the legacy of Spence Broughton was revived many generations later through music and poetry. Simon Newton shares his family’s remembrance of a convicted criminal and the folklore created over the generations since his death.
In nearly every city and town, you can find street performers playing music as others go about their day. However, it's not often that you see street performers playing full-sized upright pianos. Dotan Negrin took his desire for adventure and dissatisfaction with his acting pursuits and turned it into a nationwide street performance project called "Piano Across America." Listen to learn more about Dotan's struggles, successes, location selection process, and his traveling partner, Brando.
The Memory Palace is produced by Nate DiMeo and features historical narratives that are touching, humorous, and intriguing. In this episode, we share some stories from The Memory Palace that focus on sound in some way.
The soundscapes of cities are always changing and London is no exception. Human-produced sounds usually push the sounds of nature into the background, but the shrill calls of parakeets have been increasingly cutting through the noise in the London suburbs over the years. How these exotic birds arrived in England is still a mystery, but they have flourished in their new home. Learn more about how these birds have been a blessing and a burden in the lives of Londoners with the help of Everything Sounds contributor, Max Owens, and Tim Webb (@BirdWebb) from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Daniel Goddemeyer and Chris Woebken attended the Royal College of Arts in London, but didn't meet until they moved to New York City. After exchanging messages online, they discovered that they both shared an interest in technology and the way it shapes our world. New York City debuted its "Digital Roadmap" in 2012, which led Daniel and Chris to consider the implications of living in a hyper-connected city. They were inspired to form the Office for Hypothetical Futures as a way to explore ideas about technology in urban spaces. From there, NYC Foresight was created to act as a fictional department of the city of New York that tries to address the issues that come about from technology, data collection, and digital noise. Find out more about NYC Foresight and the "Digital Serenity Initiative" in this week's show.
In the early 1900's a painter named Henry Ward Ranger selected a block of West 67th Street in New York to establish a building with studio apartments with ample space and good natural light where artists could work and live comfortably. Over time, this block, located between Central Park and Columbus Avenue, became a hub for artists and creative types. The block was built up over a period of thirty years and most of the buildings maintained architectural consistency with Ranger's original apartments. Between 1916 and 1917, the architectural team known as Shape & Brady led the effort to complete the eight-story building at 50 West 67th Street. This building has since been dubbed, "The Musician's Building" due to its 60 soundproof apartments that were each large enough to accommodate a grand piano. Learn more about the historic West 67th Street Artists' Colony, the Musician's Building, and a neighborhood controversy involving ABC with former New York Times writer and current editorial director of cityrealty.com, Carter Horsley.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York is presenting their first group exhibition highlighting sound art from August 2013 through November 2013. Soundings: A Contemporary Score highlights the work of 16 artists from around the world that combine elements of art, architecture, science, music, technology, and numerous other disciplines. Learn more about how the exhibit developed and some of the pieces on this week's show featuring Barbara London, the Associate Curator of Department of Media and Performance Art at MoMA.
WOPI in Bristol, Tennessee has been broadcasting since 1929. It plays a critical role in the region and it now resides in a giant, three-story guitar. That's only part of story. The building and station are tied to a man named Joe Morrell. Joe Morrell, a musician in the Curly Kings, made Guitars for bluegrass players on The Crooked Road, or Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. Emile Klein of You're U.S. shares the story of a man who helped cement Bristol's title of "The Birthplace of Country Music." and whose contributions are still supporting the region's rich musical heritage today.
In 2010, Nick Didkovsky’s friend, Chuck O’Meara, sent him an email with a cryptic subject line. The email had a small picture of an unbranded red guitar that had a price tag of $100. They joked about splitting up the cost amongst friends and letting everyone use it to record their own projects. Even before they owned the guitar, the word spread and they had dozens of people committed to the idea of recording with it. Find out how this inexpensive guitar went from being a joke to traveling the world with the $100 Guitar Project.
52 Hz is the name given to a mysterious whale that vocalizes at a different frequency than other whales. Some refer to him as "The World's Loneliest Whale," but other scientists aren't convinced that its unique call has left the whale isolated at all.
Jenny Haniver has been a gamer as long as she can remember. When she and her husband bought an XBOX 360 they began to dive into the world of online gaming. While she was playing, Jenny began noticing other gamers' reactions to her. She began recording those interactions and used them for an art installation and eventually for her website, Not in the Kitchen Anymore. Learn about how these recordings of online gaming are opening up a discussion on gender issues in the gaming community.
Over the years, sound effects and music have been used to make video game experiences more memorable or immersive. Smart phones and mobile technologies have allowed developers to further explore the role of sound in their games. One recent release from House on Fire titled The Silent Age allows players to lead their character on a time-traveling journey where sound creates an unusual and eerie atmosphere. Learn more about the game in this episode with Nevin Eronde and Thomas Ryder.
If you'd like to try The Silent Age find it in the iTunes App store.
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A neuroscientist who goes by "Dave Soldier" when he's not in the lab has a diverse musical background. He's had a role in assembling the Thai Elephant Orchestra and making music with the Kropotkins along with countless other projects. One of Dave's most unique projects, "The People's Choice Music," was inspired by a duo of Russian conceptual artists, Komar and Melamid. In this satirical survey, Dave gathered information on what elements could help him write the most wanted and unwanted songs.
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The early recorded history of jazz, blues, and country music in America usually isn’t associated with a place like Richmond, Indiana. However, for a brief period early in the 20th century the Gennett record label based in Richmond recorded music from artists such as Gene Autry, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Hoagy Carmichael. Learn about the history of the label from Rick Kennedy, the author of Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy.
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Cold War tensions led to the creation of a Federal Reserve bunker inside of Mount Pony in Culpepper, VA in 1969. The bunker stored cash and currency that could help restart the United States economy in the event of a catastrophic incident. Such an incident never occurred and the location remained largely unused through the the 90's. The location has since turned into the home of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation. Learn about lost films, the National Jukebox, IRENE, how big a petabyte is, and much more on a tour of the facility featuring Gene DeAnna and Matthew Barton.
Tom Bills creates custom guitars in his basement shop near St. Louis. Hear the sounds of the guitar-making process as well as stories of his most famous client, his family's woodworking legacy, and the mighty Gorlok.
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Bernie Krause grew up loving music and fearing the natural world. Following his influential career in music and composition, Krause decided to leave it behind and devote his efforts to studying the sounds of the natural world as a bioacoustician. Through his research, recordings, and his book, The Great Animal Orchestra, Krause is trying to raise awareness about how natural soundscapes have influenced our lives and how our actions can impact habitats all over the world.
Stan Shaff has been interested in the relationship between sound and space for well over 50 years. His Audium installation in San Francisco is an ever-changing sound art project that involves a control console forged from dozens of pages of schematics and a dome-shaped room with speakers placed everywhere from floor to ceiling. Find out more about the Audium experience and its development in this episode.
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The Books disbanded in 2012, but Nick Zammuto is continuing to find creative approaches for organizing sound with his new band, Zammuto.
Learn about Nick's decision to leave the world of chemistry to focus on creative uses of sound in this conversation recorded before a recent performance in Evanston, Illinois.
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Olga Nunes has taken the sharing of memories into the sonic realm with her "This is a Memory of..." project. Following her love-letter scavenger hunt in San Francisco, "Love Letters from the Sky," Olga prompted callers with a question and they respond with their unfiltered and unedited stories that can be funny, sad, happy and heartwarming.
For years George had been obsessed with the stories of two sound chambers on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington. Known as ‘acoustic test chambers’ around the campus, the two rooms (at least in George’s case) have been shrouded in mystery, rumor and intrigue. Recently included as part of the IU Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, what are actually called the anechoic and echoic test chambers are now being used for sound localization research.
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While Stephan Crasneanski was working towards his Ph.D, he found that museum guides were lacking personality and feeling. He set out to create his own audio tours that were designed to have the listener discover the story of a location while getting lost in it. From there, Soundwalk Collective was born. Now, Stephan travels the world with his collaborators to use sounds to bring attention to the experiences and people that may normally go avoided or unnoticed.
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Photo by Jefferey Turner
Music can do a number of things, but can it help tortoises reproduce? The answer is no, but music can help us to relax and unwind. Researchers took the relaxation a step further by trying to create the most relaxing song in the world. The song was the result of the initiative of Radox, Mindlab, Lyz Cooper from The British Academy of Sound Therapy, and Marconi Union. How does their creation, titled, "Weightless," compare to tea, massages, or a leisurely walk on the relaxation scale? Find out on this week's show as Max Owens helps us learn about the art and science of music used for relaxation.
Relaxation #Podcast #Ambient #London
Alec Duffy, from Hoi Polloi and Jack, won the rights to a previously unheard Sufjan Stevens song in a Christmas contest. Rather than release the song on a wide scale, Alec devised a plan to make every time the song is heard a truly unique experience. Learn about the phonautograph and why Alec usually keeps his song locked away in his Brooklyn home.
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Nearly everyone has strong emotional connections to music. Music can remind us of our past and affect our mood. Dan Cohen of Music and Memory realized that our relationship to music might improve the quality of life for the elderly in health care facilities. Music and Memory has provided personalized listening that has benefitted patients, families, and health care providers. Learn more about their efforts and some examples of the results in this week's episode.
Learn more and download at http://www.everythingsounds.org
Rube Goldberg machines are unnecessarily complex contraptions that are assembled to perform simple tasks. Rube Goldberg machines were the inspiration for a video art piece by Stephen Meierding titled “Bicycle Sounds.” Find out how Stephen assembled the piece in his Brooklyn basement.
From bells to restaurants, and glasses to songwriting our latest episode explores the people and sounds of London's East end.
In a previous episode, we visited the Rhythm! Discovery Center in Indianapolis. We shared the story behind Clair Omar Musser’s celestaphone, which is an instrument made entirely of meteorites. Matthew Altizer, The Percussive Arts Society, and Rhythm! Discovery Center wanted to share a recording of the instrument since it is one-of-a-kind and unlikely to be played again. Enjoy the sounds of Clair Omar Musser’s celestaphone and visit the Rhythm! Discovery Center in Indianapolis to see it in person!
Laughter and singing help us pass the time and connect to others. Telling jokes and making music can also aid in our socialization and development as well as alleviating our anxieties. Find out about the jokes cycles and playground songs that help children cope with their world and learn how to operate in the world at large. We're joined by Fernando Orejuela from Indiana University in our exploration of the sounds of the playground.
Bob Paquette has been collecting microphones for over six decades. His collection resides in his microphone museum that resides in the building that houses his family business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bob shared his knowledge of microphones and audio technology as well as anecdotes about the ill-fated Turner "Colortone" microphones, performers' fears about using early microphones, and how portions of his collection ended up in the hands of a famous director. For more on microphones, you can check out Bob's book, The History and Evolution of the Microphone.
In downtown Indianapolis, there is an interactive museum where you're free to hit, scrape, and strike just about anything you can see. The Rhythm Discovery Center is an excellent resource for education for anyone with an interest in sound. Matthew Altizer joins us to explore this unique percussion museum that was conceived by the Percussive Arts Society. Find out about unique items in their collection including a World War II-era Ludwig "Victory" drum set, Clair Omar Musser's one-of-a-kind Celestaphone, and giant wind chimes.
Aleks Kolkowski is an accomplished musician and sound artist. He is currently the Sound Artist in Residence at the Science Museum of London. His recent installation, known as Babble Machine, takes its name from a fictional device referenced in The H.G. Wells novel, The Sleeper Awakes. We’ll walk you through the installation as it eerily blends sounds of the past and present.
Craig and Betty Sibongile Dlamini from Indiana University explore the role of language, music, and dance in southern African mines and the positivity that emerged from hardships endured by miners. The history and origins of South African gumboot dancing are explained in this week's episode.
Dancing #South #Africa #GumBoot
Not every song can be a chart-topper. There is a Chicago-based record label that strives to archive and release music that was largely ignored. The Numero Group has generated a catalog of neglected music across many genres. Ken Shipley explains the origins, mission, and vision of The Numero Group.
Music featured (courtesy of The Numero Group):
Bill Moss - Sock it to 'em Soul Brother (Instrumental) from Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label Jackie Stoudemire - Invisible Wind (Instrumental) from Don't Stop: Recording Tap Syl Johnson - Is it because I'm Black? (Instrumental) from Light: On the South Side The Tap Orchestra - Don't Stop Dancin' from Don't Stop: Recording Tap Antena - Sissexa from Camino Del Sol The Majestic Arrows - I'll Never Cry for Another Boy from Eccentric Soul: The Bandit Label
Numero #Shipley #Lunt #Sevier
Craig and George challenge themselves to make a dark subject lighter. They each tackle a separate story involving "death" and technology. They explore The Museum of Endangered Sounds and an app inspired by a power-deficient toy.
sounds #ambient #museum #app #reindeer #encarta
We often hear instruments, but we don’t get to experience their full range of sounds. Craig and George spoke with Alex Inglizian and Lou Mallozzi of the Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago about a unique sound Installation that is a part of their Florasonic series. Find out more about Michael Thieke‘s, “Holzmusick,” and the Experimental Sound Studio in this week’s episode.
Music Featured: Fumosonic – “After the Gold Rush” Fumosonic – ”44 Raincoats”
ESS #Florasonic #Conservatory #Chicago #Fumosonic #Sounds
In honor of Thanksgiving, Craig, George, and a number of their guests share why they are thankful for sounds. Enjoy the holidays and join us in reflecting on the sounds in our lives.
Thanksgiving
Craig recently visited the Indianapolis Art Center to find out more about the ArtsPark and how their Sensory Path plays with senses and expectations. Patrick Flaherty and Ben Shine from the IAC help illuminate this unique use of sound in the environment.
Indianapolis #Sensory #IAC #Everything #Sounds
You might not know what Foley is, but you know what it sounds like. Craig and George take on assignment from a former sound designer and Foley artist, Scotty Iseri, and give you a glimpse into what it takes to be a Foley artist.
Music featured by Language of Kings. "Uprooting the Flora" from Bent, "Riley Ann Helms" from Heavy Hands and "Cry It Out, Hun" from Heavy Hands.
Foley #sound #podcast #Iseri #acoustics
Art is often associated with the realm of vision. This week, Everything Sounds explores sound's role in art with Jesse Seay's "Mechanical Tide."
jesseSeays #mechanicalTide
Music featured: Met City - "Vienna Burns". "Straight From Arden", "Mother Goose" from Stockholm Fancy (Due 2013)
Craig Shank and George Drake Jr. offer their introduction to Everything Sounds. You'll learn about the aims of the show while experiencing not-so-silent silence, Craig's interpretation of Miles Davis, and one of George's favorite childhood sounds. Music featured: Miles Davis - "So What" from Kind of Blue. If you want to automatically download future episodes, subscribe on iTunes.