After a particularly colorful Thanksgiving feast, or was it a a drunken night at the bar (?), Independent Producer Amanda Thieroff and her friend Sean Berman challenged each other to embark on the ROYGBIV diet. This diet isn't about losing weight or being nutritious - it's about spending a week eating only one color of food per day, according to the colors of the rainbow.
Stacy Bond's youngest sister died in a nighttime car accident while driving from Mozambique to South Africa. Robbers took her shoes, but left her purse. A year after her death, Stacy met her mother and other sister in New York to attend a seance conducted by Medium George Anderson.
(Produced by Laura Herberg) Director's Choice! won Director's Choice in , our first-ever audio competition. Laura's story is about her friend Rachel Parsons, an aspiring actress who landed the lead role in a low-budget, independent film. The only drawback was that it required a sex scene in which she would have to be topless, something she wasn't sure she wanted to do. The role was too good to turn down, even though she worried it might jeapardize her relationship with her boyfriend. The story i...
Producer Sara Curtis brings us the story of Benuel Esch - an amish man from Lancaster, PA who has lost his family, his home, and his mind. Benuel started questioning his lifestyle 20 years ago. Now he's returned to Amish living with a new community in Unity, Maine. There, Benuel is trying to make sense of where he's been and where he's going.
The winner of Big Shed's first ever Audio Verite +1 Competition is David Weinberg. The piece is called One for the Commandant, a short story set in downtown Seattle, featuring Edgar, Catfish and Hans, who David hung out with on his breaks from a restaurant job. David recorded the goings on one evening and crafted this story, which is apparently made entirely from audio verite.
Producer Kelley Libby produced a radio story about 13 year-old farmer Colby Perron while at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. This is not that story. But if you listen to Colby's story, you will hear a very short scene in which a calf is born. Kelley spent all day, waiting on a cold concrete floor in a barn in Topsham, Maine, just to get the recording she needed for that scene. Later, she realized the tape she got told a separate story about waiting, pain, responsibility, knowledge and...
Producer Tom Niemisto weaves between an interview with tall-ship captain Samantha Heyman and an astronomer/poet around a bonfire under a broad star-filled sky. The stars are governed by a perfect order and yet, they create a chaos of mystery. We link astronomy to creation myths in constellations. We search for deeper meaning the night sky or, with rigorous mathematics, we search for our physical location through navigation. This is Tom's first non-narrated audio work and, as with many radio stor...
Signs like "Take it Down A Notch," "My Political Views Cannot Be Summed Up On A Pithy Sign," and, of course, "God Hates Figs." Sam Greenspan, Big Shed's Correspondent in Washington, DC, attended The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and files this report.
"The Soundscapes of Faith" is an award-winning series of audio postcards produced by Laura Kwerel for the program Interfaith Voices. Each of the short pieces explores world religions through sound. They’re based on the idea that every faith tradition has a unique sonic signature. The series distills something essential about faith, something that could not be expressed through a simple interview. “How do you feel when you hear this sound?” was the question asked--the final result is a series of ...
Ghana sounds like everything you might imagine, and some things you never could. Producer Julie Shapiro recorded these sounds during a trip to Ghana in January, 2008. Julie was one of the very first producers featured on the Big Shed podcast back in 2005, and if you were lucky enough to listen to her piece "The Only Reason You and I Are Here," then you will recognize her distinctive style in this work. When not creating her own work, Julie fills the spare hours as the artistic director of a litt...
This story was originally produced as two separate pieces for the podcast, Natural Maryland, at WYPR 88.1 FM in Baltimore. Part 1 was entitled "The Journalist and the Deer Hunter" and part 2, "Deer 0012." Producer Louisa Jonas was psyched to merge the two into one piece for this Big Shed podcast. She says, "You could say part 1 was a failure and part 2 a success, or you could say the exact opposite- it really depends on which deer you interview…"
Howdy friendly listener! You can sit back and relax with our next piece from sound artist Erik DeLuca. He describes "In" as an underwater sound composition that collaborates with different ecosystems in and off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Southern Florida.
In the Big Shed, we always say that audio is the most visual medium. And we've even offered some stinky audio before. Thanks to the crafty work of producer Anna Hamilton, prepare for your first aural gag reflex. Anna is a proud graduate of the Salt Institute in Maine, and brings us this audio adventure from her time there. Competitive eating is on the upswing in the world of alternative sports, and South Portland, Maine is on the bandwagon. Join us stage-side at the first-ever World Burrito Eati...
We're thrilled to bring you this story from producer Peter Solomon. It's a gem. We fell for this piece the first time we heard it. The rebel yell. What did it sound like – that battle cry that terrorized union troops and rallied Confederates to battle? Historians have clues from letters and diaries but still have never agreed. Producer Peter Solomon brings us a recording of what many believe is an authentic Rebel Yell ... and it's nothing we expected to hear. Peter spoke with Waite Rawls, Presid...
Lillie is a young student who spends time in the community of Westhaven, a mostly African-American, low-income housing development in Charlottesville, VA. Lillie is incredibly assertive. She talked her way into a youth radio program where she was at least three or four years younger than the the other students. The youth program was run by our friends at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, which is where Jesse Dukes and Greg Kelly. In this piece, Lillie interviews one of her teachers. She’s ...
We are so pleased to bring you the second installment in Shortwaveology, a series from producer David Goren. It's as beautiful as the we were able to share with you. Shortwaveology is an occasional rumination on the crackly sonics, history and cultural influence of shortwave radio. Thanks to former Radio Canada International program host Ian McFarland for permission to excerpt from his 1974 compilation of shortwave station interval signals and sign-ons. And it's a perfect way for us to bring you...
A year ago, Jesse Straight started a small farm in the urban center of Charlottesville, VA. The farm was a one year experiment and in the course of that year, he found himself talking to people in his neighborhood who he hadn't known before. The farm became a way of getting to know his neighbors, and he started collecting the stories of the people he met. With his friend Ross McDermott, Jesse recorded and edited this story about Max, a young boy with a great love of audio speakers. In this is th...
Don't tell, but we decided to sneak a podcast out of the jar where Jesse Dukes has been keeping us neatly tucked away. Thanks to some help from a veteran Big Shed producer, Emma Rayes, we're secretly bringing you our first PoopCast ... straight from the big poop shed. Emma brought us this documentary journey from lovely Rio de Janeiro. While working in Brazil, she had a little incident ... which led to this trip for a poop exam. Emma took time away from a supercool project to put her pride and p...
(Produced by Rachel Quimby) Nobody really knows why Rockland, Maine has a rather large population of Jews--legend says a ship was turned aside at Ellis Island and sent up the coast to the picturesque and sleepy coastal town. In any case, Adas Yoshuron Synagogue is an old building with many generations of Amita Jarmon discusses what it's like to be Rockland's first rabbi since 1937. Congregants, community members and Hebrew School kids weigh in, too. Rachel Quimby produced the story in the Fall o...
(Produced by ) In the 1980's, was a nerdy, Jewish kid--crazy about Richard Wagner--who naively showed up at a meeting of the Wagner Appreciation Society in Southern California. He found himself in the midst of some very scary Wagner enthusiasts, and had to cast about for a way to make his escape. Amy O'Leary talked to Danny while she was producing the . Also: Jesse Dukes has usurped curating duties in the Shed and Jennifer and Shea remain miniaturized and trapped in a . Check out the or go strai...
(Produced by ) Last summer, Philadelphia rock band tried their hands at musical theater. Producing a musical might be the last thing you'd expect from these early twentysomethings who hail from the DIY punk rock universe. Nevertheless, they felt that the the fullest expression of their album "Ribbons of War" could only be a musical play, complete with costumes, props, actors, and a democratically written script. Producer was commissioned by to produce a narrated story about the musical. He did s...
(Produced by ) Come along for a ride on the rails with this audio postcard from the New Hope Valley Railway. This postcard is a companion piece to Tim Telkamp's photo-essay â4â 8 1/2" â A year in the life of the New Hope Valley Railway, 2003-2006.â Timâs audio and tell the story of a tourist railroad in Bonsal, NC. The project follows the volunteer staff as they maintain and operate locomotives and tracks. It is history being relived and preserved, and itâs all for the love of Railroading. This ...
(Produced by ) We'll it's time for our annual pilgrimage to chi-town to the beloved . So we thought it would be appropriate to bring you a little taste of last year's conference, courtesy of Nick and Adrianne at . This interview took place in the bathroom during the PRX dance party. It contains physical violence, broken hearts, video games and Gregorian-ish chanting ... weird, but true. For the geeks in the Shed, Nick recorded this with . The long-ass intro features Big Shed alum , Clive (one of...
(Produced by ) We've got a big new idea at Big Shed ... returning series!!! In the coming year, we're going to offer a few returning series from amazing and innovative audio producers, and proud doesn't quite capture how we feel about bringing you David Goren's . We're sure you'll love his first installment. Shortwaveology is a periodic rumination on the sound, history and culture of shortwave radio broadcasting. David wants to thank former Radio Canada International program host Ian McFarland f...
(Produced by ) David Traver, Alaska's reigning Mr. Fur Face, is the president of the Southcentral Alaska Beard & Mustache Club, and his belly-length whiskers won him a first-place prize at the 2003 World Beard & Mustache Championships. This fall, he's competing in the 2007 World Championships in England, after which he'll retire -- shaving his award-winning facial hair down to something more manageable -- much to the delight of his wife. Rebecca spent time with David at the barbershop wh...
(Produced by ) We're back! And this week, we're listening to three short pieces from Ghana--"Storytime," "Sweeping with Simone" and "Daniel in the Market"--sent to us by our friend and Producer Amara Hark-Weber. Amara recorded these while working as a in Ghana. We looking forward to hearing more tape from Amara before she returns to the States. This episode of Big Shed proudly features Shea's mom () and dad (). Big Shed is proud to air the second installment from our infamous international docum...
(Produced by ) Like a traveling medicine man peddling a homeopathic remedy for the mass media slogans of the day, the Mantra Trailer focuses attention on the personal and spiritual mantras people live by, one voice at a time. Jen speaks with artist about the podcast she's created to kick-start this project. FYI - Sherri just returned from , the oldest artists' colony in the country. Check out this that featured Sherri's project. Check out the or go straight to the...
(Produced by ) Drive west from Portland, Maine on US 302 and youâll pass a giant mechanical television repairman on the left. The repairman was built by Al Hawkes years ago to promote his television store. Al sold TVs for years, but his real love was always country and bluegrass music. Heâs been a performing musician, record producer, pirate radio broadcaster, and general promoter. Now, he works like a mad scientist in his basement to preserve recordings and document musicians who played a part ...
(Produced by ) Looking to get more experience with the dead and ghosts, producer Katie Mingle spent some time in a "pauper's graveyard". She narrates her experiences there. She tell what she finds, and more importantly, doesn't find, in one of the only "below ground" cemeteries in New Orleans, LA. A special thanks to Katie for her (link for MySpace users). Have a great time at ! Check out the or go straight to the...
(Produced by ) Meet Ruana, the world's cutest 6-year-old Portugese teacher. This languange lesson comes to us from our friend and Producer Emma Raynes. Emma recently ran off to Brazil, where she's working as a , a very cool program housed at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies. Check out to read about her encounters with language, rivers, rituals, migrant workers, orphans and lice! Big Shed is proud to announce our international documentary desk. Shed alums and are both working overseas as a...
