Recorded on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Produced by Emily Shaw.

Golden Gate Hum

San Francisco lies on the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone, who are still here, and who have stewarded this land for thousands of years.

I was born in San Francisco, a few blocks from where I live today. Sometimes I wonder what it means to love a city. It’s easy to dream about San Francisco, but how real are these dreams? What would it take to make them real?

Produced by Emily Shaw, with audio assistance from George S. Rosenthal. Special thanks to the Prelinger Library, Ray Pang, Palace Shaw, Stepfanie Aguilar, The Stone Foxes, Eileen Torrez, Justine Lucas, Angel Island, and Ellyn Shea.

Archival recordings courtesy of the Prelinger Library
Field recordings by Emily Shaw
City on the Water - The Stone Foxes
Hey There, San Francisco - Eileen Torrez
San Francisco, You’ve Changed - Justine Lucas
Get Your Kicks on Route 66 - Angel Island with Ellyn Shea

A Dream of San Francisco

Every once in a while, I get this kind of magical feeling. A spark of inspiration. I start imagining sounds flowing together in my mind. And excitement and curiosity drive me to create.

This happened at a sound bath ceremony led by Mandy Hamilton this past Spring. Twenty or so participants lay down in a circle as a range of different instruments - including crystal bowls, chimes, and a huge gong - played around us.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I was recording Mandy and her colleague Anthony Pietromonaco in the Berkeley hills. They were preparing to guide a daylong sound journey that weekend. I hope that this piece gives listeners a dose of inspiration to “look at the hard thing,” whatever that may be, in their lives. *Listen with headphones.*

More about Mandy: www.mandyhamilton.com
More about Anthony: www.followthesound.co

Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash

Psychedelic Sound Bath

Where do songs come from? We’re back in the Cozy Boat with Spence and Shannon Koehler, the founding brothers of The Stone Foxes, to get an inside look at their creative process and the back story to a few of their songs!

(Produced by Emily Shaw and recorded by George S. Rosenthal at the Complex Recording Studio. Editorial support from George S. Rosenthal, Anne Hoffman, Raja Shah, Juliet Hinely, Lily Sloane, the Digging In crew at Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies, and SF’s Podcast Parlor. Photo by George S. Rosenthal.)

Music by The Stone Foxes:

This Town (Twelve Spells)

Ulysses Jones (Small Fires)

It Ain’t Nothin (Twelve Spells)

Everybody Knows (Small Fires)

Passenger Train [Acoustic Version] (Bears & Bulls)

www.thestonefoxes.com

www.emilyshawcreates.com

www.thecomplex-sf.com

Watch Spence and Shannon sing a special Koehler Christmas song in the Cozy Boat here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyTRYrsoEd4

Cozy Boat Episode 5: "Where Do Songs Come From?" (Spence & Shannon Koehler of The Stone Foxes)

In 2013, I traveled to Vietnam, learned how to meditate, and recorded interviews with a small handheld Sony recorder.

1. Guided meditation instructions from “Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World”, by Thich Nhat Hanh. The abbess at a Buddhist monastery in Huế who taught me how to meditate lent me this book, and others, to help me learn about Buddhism and meditation. I recorded myself reading this out loud so that I could listen and practice. (Huế)

2. Recording from an overnight train ride from Hà Nội to Huế.

3. Conducting a silly “interview” with Cường Nguyễn, Chi Đao, and Khuong Đao. (Hải Phòng)

4. "Đời Tôi Đi Tu” (“My Life Went to Practice”) sung by Buddhist monk Thầy Thích Nhật Hóa. (Huế)

5. A “novice” training to become a Buddhist nun, speaking about her family and decision to join monastic life (she asked that her name not be shared). (Huế)

6. Asking my friend’s mom what her name is. We became close during my time in Vietnam: I called her “mẹ” (“mom”) and she called me “con” (“child”). (Hải Phòng)

7. “Hiểu Và Thương” (“Understanding and Love”) sung by a young nun at a Buddhist school. (Huế)

8. Guided meditation instructions from “Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World”, by Thich Nhat Hanh. (Huế)

Vietnam // 2013 \\ Sound Collage

Lilia Vega: "About ten years ago, I was inducted into a secret society in my family. The ones who know, and the ones who protect. We are the guardians of the family. The bodies we put between them and Him.

He is a dark presence in our family, the man I call grandfather. He sits on the fringes of family gatherings, braying in that low, distinctive voice of his. He’s a charming man, but whenever he makes a joke, no one looks at him as they laugh. No one calls him “father.”

Is a secret really a secret if everyone knows?"

This piece was produced by Chelsea Kigano, Emily Shaw, Lilia Vega, and Lily Sloane, as part of The 24-Hour Radio Race from KCRW's Independent Producer Project.

This Shadow - KCRW Radio Race

Recorded at Fallopia House in Berkeley, California in February, 2020.

Photo credit: Will Rogers

Space Worm Guided Meditation

Even though we’re apart, we’re all in this together.

Produced by Emily Shaw in San Francisco, California. Engineering assistance from Seira McCarthy.

Sounds:
“Quarantine” by Oneirine Electronic (Tommy York, Brooklyn, New York)
Romeo and Mia’s Quarantine Horse Race (Phil Cox, Palermo, Sicily, Italy)
“Cuando el Viento” by Maggie Taurick (Maggie Taurick, Villa De Leyva, Colombia)
Baker Beach (Nina Cestaro, San Francisco, California)
Moka (Jolanda Moletta, Mondovì, Italy)
Coffee Lockdown (Phil Cox, Palermo, Sicily, Italy)
Rain (Kendall Crakow, San Francisco, California)
Piano in the Rain #1 (Emily Shaw, San Francisco, California)
Piano in the Rain #2 (Anna, Davis, California)
Mamun’s Call to Prayer (Phil Cox, Palermo, Sicily, Italy)
Yacht Jangles in Fort Mason (Emily Shaw, San Francisco, California)
Wind Chimes (Alice Woelfle, Fruitvale, Oakland, California)
“Krishna Mantra” sung by Lakshmi (Maggie Taurick, Villa De Leyva, Colombia)
Nightly Cheers for Healthcare Workers (Gary Hardcastle & Steva Stowell-Hardcastle, Inwood, Manhattan, New York)
“Quarantine Love Song” (Marley Feuerwerker-Otto, Pasadena, California)
Tape Hiss, Clicks, and Hums (Jeff Emtman, Providence, Rhode Island)
“Song in Seoul for Zoe” (Luiz Gustavo Givisiez & Zoe Yungmi Blank, Seoul, South Korea)

Photos (clockwise from top):
Yacht Jangles in Fort Mason, San Francisco (Emily Shaw) 
View from Quarantine: Mamun and Azad in Palermo Ballaro, Sicily (Phil Cox)
View from Quarantine: Inwood, Manhattan (Gary Hardcastle & Steva Stowell-Hardcastle)
View from Quarantine: Pasadena (Marley Feuerwerker-Otto)
Blank Tape (Jeff Emtman)
Baker Beach, San Francisco (Nina Cestaro)
Romeo and Mia’s Quarantine Horse Race, Palermo Ballaro, Sicily (Phil Cox)
Making Music, Seoul (Luiz Gustavo Givisiez & Zoe Yungmi Blank)
Synthesizer (Oneirine Electronic AKA Tommy York)
Audio Art Day, San Francisco (Emily Shaw)
Moka in Mondovì (Jolanda Moletta)
View from Quarantine: Villa De Leyva (Maggie Taurick)

Sounds of Comfort During Quarantine: A Global Audio Experiment

I believe that Red Car had a soul. But where did it come from? And where is it now?

Part 1: A Car Is Born
Part 2: Goodbye Red Car
Part 3: Car Soul Released 

Honored as an Official Select at On Air Fest 2021. 

Produced by Emily Shaw. Editorial support from Palace Shaw, Ray Pang, Dee Peterschmidt, Mary Wesley, Nicki Stein, Cin Pimentel, Stepfanie Aguilar, and Nieves Gruneiro. Special thanks to Alice Shaw, Jazmine (JT) Green, and UnionDocs.

Freesound.org recordings from: Philip Goddard, akemov, dasgoat, wangzhuokun, be-steele, tmrobin1, Iamgiorgio, edranil, bvaudio, ameangelofsin, danielsilveira321

Archival recordings: 1990 Toyota Corolla Commercial, Derek Prince: “Total Man - Functions of Spirit Soul and Body”, 1989 Toyota Corolla Commercial

Red Car

Emily's latest passion projects can be found on the Candy Ears podcast, available wherever you listen (+ see links). 

Emily Shaw is an award-winning podcast producer and audio artist based in San Francisco. Find out more and get in touch at emilyshawcreates.com.

Emily Shaw

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