stopGOstop: field recordings, sound collage, and sound art

200: Door

A new composition of field recordings and a few notes.

199: Holiday Weekend

A summertime groove for this holiday weekend, or as close to one as I can make.

198: Waxing Gibbous

A reflective flute, the slow moving, the low bass rattles, the echoes, repeating, the slow draw of a bow over a cello. A time of great potential.

197: Left to Right – Right to Left

Thinking back, talking a walk, and moving stones between pockets, stopGOstop is proud to present episode 197, Left to Right – Right to Left . One rock shifts to the left, one rock shifts to the right. Still I walk, still I move them, there’s been times… A multivoice monologue.

196: Tending to

I woke up some years ago… and I ain’t sure I ever went back to sleep. Time got slippery. Lost its shape. Like water in your hands—no matter how tight you squeeze, it runs down the cracks, leaves you cold and wondering what you were trying to hold in the first place. Episode 196: Tending to. A monologue, a soundscape, a continuation of a story, and a story unrelated to anything. A dream, a conversation, a wind in the night....

195: To remember summer

Episode 195, To remember summer . Not the first summer on a calendar, but the first summer in feeling. The one that seemed to stretch on forever. The one that felt full of joy, play, and discovery. Maybe it was real. Maybe it’s just a mix of memories, TV shows, and time. The clatter and rush of a roller coaster, the soft conversation of the crowd, the sounds and thrill of being a kid again. The guitar drifts in and out, soft and slow, sometimes bright, sometimes hazy. The comfort of sunglasses. ...

194: From

It starts with just a few notes, a hum of a choir—soft, hesitant—and moves gently, the wind blowing in the distance, low, dark waves of sound roll through, like deep ocean currents under the surface. The calm is broken, light tapping, distant and unclear. Ocean waves roll in and out, soft and steady in the background, mixing with the low hum of a worn-out machine. Voices! The crowd erupts with joy! Neon buzzes faintly in the dark, footsteps, around the corner. stopGOstop is proud to present epis...

193: Turn back now

Lunar Orbiter 4 Image of the Moon, NASA We return to the story of Jonas and Kellen, now millions of miles apart, sending messages to each other. A team in the endless emptiness, patching together their space stations, and finding more than they expect. Changes, rewritten, modified. THE START OF EVERYTHING.

192: Motion, moving and no one owns it

It starts with a spark. A small thing, barely there. Just a flicker of heat, of energy, but it’s enough. Enough to ignite the mix of air and fuel waiting in the chamber. Enough to turn that tiny explosion into movement. Moving, moving, always moving, progress has a price. stopGOstop presents The Ones That Pay , a monologue series delving into labor, industry, and history. A mechanic contemplates machines (Ep. 192), a bank teller follows the journey of money (Ep. 191), a bartender observes the ni...

191: The quarter still spins

The work moves through my hands, at the end of the day they are empty. Who leaves here feeling insecure, the push and pull of deposits and debts, paycheck by paycheck, the machine hums, a life behind glass, counting, always counting. stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay , a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night unfold (ep 190), a waitress moves through ...

190: Sitting with someone

When your past is too painful, you do what you can to carry it without letting it drown you. A life behind the counter, a life full of listening to others. stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay , a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night unfold (ep 190), a waitress moves through routine(ep 189), and a driver drifts through highways (ep. 188)—each navigatin...

189: I used to walk faster

You pour a cup of coffee, you hand it to them and then its there’s. The neon hums, the coffee drips, a women turns a sugar packet in her hands. On a piece of paper in a court house somewhere the world shifts. You can’t just ignore things forever, but isn’t that what we do. stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay , a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night un...

188: I remember the line.

A voice in the dark, a man on a drive, the static of the radio… a diner at the edge of a highway, a cup of coffee. Driving, driving, always driving. When the moment becomes just another memory. The road hums. stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay , a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night unfold (ep 190), a waitress moves through routine(ep 189), and a dr...

187: A Thousand little promises

Tonight’s tale begins in the quiet hum of a clockmaker’s shop. A place where broken gears and forgotten hours find their second chance. But as you’ll soon discover, not all clocks are made to tell time. Some are built to trap it, twist it, or—if you’re not careful—bring it to a stop altogether. So, take a deep breath and listen closely. The gears are turning, and the seconds are slipping away. Welcome to episode 187 of the stopGOstop podcast: “A Thousand Promises.”...

186: The Lights Out There

And then, there was the light. The fleeting, fragile light. A flicker at the edge of a memory, a dying sun at the end of a long shift. Ah, yes, the light—so stubborn, so fleeting, and yet it lingers in the cracks, doesn’t it? It reminds us that even in the moments we feel most lost, there’s a glow waiting for us. Not to save us, no—salvation is a luxury for another story—but to guide us. Just far enough to see what lies ahead and no farther. This week on the podcast, a conversation on a bus that...

185: You will never see the end of the road

Lunar Orbiter 4 Image of the Moon, NASA beyond the known, beyond the realms of Earth and its tethered horizons, maybe even beyond your comfort zone, to the silent reaches of the cosmos, stopGOstop is proud to present YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE END OF THE ROAD. This is a story of two brothers, twins, bound by more than blood and who have chosen to be divided by the vastness of the galaxy—a tale of explorers, like of old. A tale of dreamers being sent out into the night without the security of home, w...

184: An interlude

I have been sitting here, longer than I can say. It started as just a pause to my day, but slowly, I stayed seated. the bugs at my window seem to be trying to reach the jade plants just inside. as I try to breathe the air. just outside. the light changes, my eyes adjust. the winds shift. I can see it in the trees. maybe tomorrow I will stand on the deck, but today. today I will watch the sun awake from here. an interlude....

184: The Space Between (Immeasurable Episode 6)

The sixth and final episode of the Immeasurable limited series. History, nature, thoughts, stories: What does it mean to be human if not to make choices? What will you choose to see? To hear? Are you focused on the clouds? The trees? The things that pass quickly, or the things that last? Immeasurable is a loosely connected series of episodes that weaves together eclectic narratives—ranging from a subjective history of buses to a serene listing of trees found in Chicago and even the curious bante...

183: Investments (Immeasurable Episode 5)

Okay, on this episode. In this episode, we are going to talk about investments. Investments in time, space, always time and space, but also things like earth and water. And don’t forget about investments in things and things. And, of course, liquidity markets. Or is it market liquidity? Or is it, I don’t know. yes. Episode 183 of the stopGOstop podcast and the fifth episode in the Immeasurable podcast mini-series. Immeasurable is a loosely connected series of episodes that weaves together eclect...

182: Rally (Immeasurable Episode 4)

Episode 182. This is the fourth episode in the Immeasurable mini-series. Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Rally Immeasurable is a loosely connected series of episodes that weaves together eclectic narratives—ranging from a subjective history of buses to a serene listing of trees found in Chicago and even the curious banter of Zoom calls. E...

181: Growth (Immeasurable Episode 3)

Episode 181, Growth , is an experimental fiction featuring the history of the bus, the art of Gilles Aillaud, the influences of walking with Charles Dickens, and much, much more! This is the third episode in the Immeasurable podcast mini-series. Immeasurable is a loosely connected series of episodes that weaves together eclectic narratives—ranging from a subjective history of buses to a serene listing of trees found in Chicago and even the curious banter of Zoom calls. Each episode is an amalgam...

180: Benefits (Immeasurable Episode 2)

Benefits : Dear future humans; for many, this isn’t the plan; tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow; episode 180. Benefits is the second episode in the Immeasurable podcast mini-series. Immeasurable is a loosely connected series of episodes that weaves together eclectic narratives—ranging from a subjective history of buses to a serene listing of trees found in Chicago and even the curious banter of Zoom calls. Each episode is an amalgamation of stories, ideas, and voices, creating a tapestry that can be ...

179: Exchange (Immeasurable Episode 1)

Conversations and interactions while waiting for the bus, talking to a colleague on Zoom, chatting with a stranger at the bar, and with the voices in the dark. A narrative in parts, made whole. stopGOstop is proud to present episode 179, Exchange . Exchange is the first episode in the Immeasurable podcast mini-series. Immeasurable is a loosely connected series of episodes that weaves together eclectic narratives—ranging from a subjective history of buses to a serene listing of trees found in Chi...

178: -2° F winds out of the west (for real this time)

stopGOstop is proud to present episode 178: 2° F winds out of the west , a new composition for cello, piano, percussion and recording. (Some might have gotten a re-podcast of episode 171 on 1/24, a clerical error, please enjoy)

177: Unknown Movement

Concrete blocks, a bit of feedback, a slow melody, erosion, moving, turning to a beat to move forward, sitting and thinking about the future. A recycling of some of the sonic elements from 103 of the podcast, Unknown Movement Underground, originally uploaded in July of 2018. Sine waves rearranged for sample instruments, field recordings are replaced by a drum machine....

176: Slower than sight

Looking at the bark of a tree– nothing seems to be moving, the tree is moving slower than I can see, I listen for its sound, I hear episode 176, a new composition for a small ensemble and binaural field recording of traffic.

175: Song of Water, Sparrows, and Light

The water flows north this morning. The sun, it seems to be moving slower over the lake, gaining altitude, finding its way through the clouds. The birds, mostly geese, sparrows, and pigeons today… I wonder if they see what I see. Do they marvel at the sun, the clouds, and the reflective light on the lake? Their brains are made of the same gray stuff as mine; why wouldn’t their mind be able to remember what they ate yesterday, remember the nice bird feeder, the couple that stared at them through ...

174: a fall morning

173: to make sure

Looking inward — the waves moving, the mind murmurs in melody, this morning there was a glimmer, then at noon a glow; as I move, I hear episode 173, a new composition for a small ensemble.

Threnody for RJW