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, IR...
Sep 19, 2013•28 min
After investigating The Sounds of Making in East London, we were inspired to undertake a project of our own. 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.
Sep 19, 2013•26 min
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. This episode makes use of...
Sep 19, 2013•24 min
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.
Sep 19, 2013•17 min
The Beatles released their album, Rubber Soul, in 1965. This album includes a track titled “In My Life” that features an instrumental bridge created through a clever production trick by George Martin. A similar technique was utilized nearly four decades later by The Books on their album, The Lemon of Pink. The Books were known for making use of sounds and audio samples that aren’t typically heard in music. The Books disbanded in 2012, but Nick Zammuto is continuing to find creative approaches fo...
Sep 19, 2013•29 min
In 2005 Frank Warren began his confession-by-mail postcard project titled Postsecret. Since then, projects involving the sharing of memories have become more widespread. However, 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, happ...
Sep 19, 2013•21 min
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. On this week’s show, find out the ...
Sep 19, 2013•22 min
While Stephan Crasneanscki 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. This episode uses these sound effe...
Sep 19, 2013•22 min
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 t...
Sep 19, 2013•19 min
In 1857 Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville was granted a patent for an invention he called the “Phonautograph.” The contraption was the first to capture sounds, but it did not have a mechanism to play them back. These sounds were locked away until 2008 when researchers found a way to recreate them through modern technology. Brooklyn Around the time that those sounds were being revived, the decision was made to intentionally make the recording of a song as rare and unique as recordings once were. ...
Sep 19, 2013•20 min
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. If you have an old iPod that you ...
Sep 19, 2013•16 min
Rube Goldberg machines are unnecessarily complex contraptions that are assembled to perform simple tasks. Rube Goldberg machines were part of the inspiration for a video art piece by Stephen Meierding titled “Bicycle Sounds.” Find out how Stephen went from pursuing chemical engineering to assembling the video in his Brooklyn basement.
Sep 19, 2013•16 min
Dominic WIlcox is an established artist in London, England. His work ranges from sculpture, clothing design, drawings and more recently a vinyl record. The ‘Sounds of Making in East London’ is a commissioned work by Dominic after he was asked to create a ‘souvenir of East London.’ Instead of taking a traditional route, he went around to the ‘makers’ of the East end and recorded them on the job. The resulting work is a tribute to the overlooked and forgotten jobs of England. This episode uses the...
Sep 19, 2013•16 min
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.
Sep 19, 2013•16 min
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 chec...
Sep 19, 2013•21 min
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...
Sep 19, 2013•5 min
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 Cele...
Sep 19, 2013•13 min
Aleks Kolkowski is an accomplished musician and sound artist. He is 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, and was made in collaboration with radio researcher Alison Hess and poet and historian Katy Price. We’ll walk you through the installation as it eerily blends sounds of the past and present. NOTE: The Babble Machine exhibit ...
Sep 19, 2013•12 min
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. Audio examples in this week’s show are from a recording by Stephen Bess of LeSole’s Dance Project and UMOJA: The Spirit of Togetherness.
Sep 19, 2013•13 min
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 in its own time. 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 (Instrume...
Sep 19, 2013•15 min
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. Music: Norbert Herber “Two,” “One” and “Eight” from I am Ai, We are Ai. Bandai installation
Sep 19, 2013•16 min
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”
Sep 19, 2013•11 min
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. Music featured: Language of Kings – “Deconstructing the Fauna” from Bent
Sep 19, 2013•6 min
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. Music Featured: Eric Radoux – “Downstairs” from Do I Refuse and “Credit” from Credit
Sep 19, 2013•10 min
You might not know what foley is, but you know what it sounds like. Craig and George take on an 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: Language of Kings – “Uprooting the Flora” from Bent, “Riley Ann Helms” from Heavy Hands and “Cry It Out, Hun” from Heavy Hands.
Sep 19, 2013•12 min
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.” Music featured: Met City- “Vienna Burns,” “Straight From Arden,” and “Mother Goose” from Stockholm Fancy (Due 2013)
Sep 19, 2013•12 min
Craig Shank and George Drake Jr. offer their introduction to Everything Sounds. You’ll learn about the aims of the show while experiencing no-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
Sep 19, 2013•8 min
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 apartm...
Sep 05, 2013•16 min
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 Perf...
Aug 29, 2013•12 min
A teenager grew up in the Bronx in the 70's when violence, drugs, and poverty were rampant. He was swept up in the gang lifestyle until he went on life-changing trip to Africa for winning an essay contest. He adopted a new name, Afrika Bambaataa, and devoted himself to encouraging peace and positivity through hip hop music and culture. Nearly forty years later, his enormous record collection was briefly on public display in an "Open Archive" before landing in the Cornell University Hip Hop colle...
Aug 22, 2013•13 min
