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)

01: The Tide and the Seay

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

03: Walk With Your Ears

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

04: Thankful For Sound

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”

05: Florasonic

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 (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
Our Numero Recommendations:

Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label
Cult Cargo: Belize City Boil Up
Good God: A Gospel Funk Hymnal
Eccentric Soul: Twinight’s Lunar Rotation
Home Schooled: The ABC’s of Kid Soul
Don’t Stop: Recording Tap
Wayfaring Strangers: Guitar Soli
Local Customs: Downriver Revival
Titan: It’s All Pop!

07: Music Restoration

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.

10: Rhythm Discovery

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!

10.5: Cellestaphone (Half-isode)

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.

12: Playground Sounds

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 these sound effects from freesound.org:
‘air-raid’ by blaukreuz, ’Marines in Firefight Gunbattle (Raw audio)’ by qubodup, ’BellChurch’ by mich3d, ’morning_birds’ by morgantj, ’20120715_ourense.bell.01′ by dobroide, ’thsha1_binaural_church_bell_20060528_1′ by thsha1, ’01112 church bells 3′ by Robinhood76, ’Sirmione – Kirchenläuten’ by aarom

13: The Sounds of East London

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.

14: Bicycle Sounds

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. 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.

Phonautograph recordings for the episode are from FirstSounds.com.

Music Featured

Alec Duffy – “Everyday is Christmas”
Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago” from Come On Feel the Illinoise
Sufjan Stevens – “Casimir Pulaski Day” from Come On Feel the Illinoise

16: Song Swap

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 @MaxOwens helps us learn about the art and science of music used for relaxation.

17: Most Relaxing Song

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 effects from freesound.org:
‘trail_footsteps_1_0725_102951.wav’ by Ephemeral_Rift, ‘Car Door Shut.wav’ by jpkweli, ’morning_birds’ by morgantj, ‘wind in the trees’ by cajo, ‘16.12.2011.013.wav’ by deathicated, ‘crowds in yard.wav’ by cognito perceptu, ‘running leafy area loop.wav’ and ‘running gravel or dry leaves loop.wav’ by bevangoldswain, ‘small_person_animal(s)_in_leaves.wav’ by superEGsonic, ‘KidsAtPlayground.wav’ by gynation

18: Soundwalk

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 history and debunk the rumors of these chambers, while experiencing two of the most unnatural sounding rooms on earth.

Note: When the episode was originally published, we incorrectly stated that the chambers were built in the 1970′s. The chambers were built in the 1950′s and the episode has since been corrected. We regret the error.

19: Sound Chambers

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 for organizing sound with his new band, Zammuto.

George's Books Collection
George’s Books Collection

 

 

 

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.

21: Nick Zammuto

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.

22: Audium

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 the following audio from FreeSound.org:
‘bird tweet.aif’ by tigersound, ‘Frogs’ by lepolainyann, ‘crickets.wav’ by Christoff45, ‘Forest Ambience Danish.wav’ by gim-audio, ‘BatWalk.wav’ by acclivity, ‘robin2.wav’ by reinsamba, ‘bus.aif’ by nextmaking, ‘Helicopter Landing’ by Mings, ‘Jet004.wav’ by weebrain, ‘AMB_Siren_Police_Pass_003.wav’ by conleec, ‘buttons02.wav’ by FreqMan

Featured Music:

The Chemical Brothers – “The Salmon Dance” from We Are The Night
The Meters – “Chicken Strut” from Struttin’
US Army Band – “Flight of the Bumblebee” composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Baha Men – “Who Let The Dogs Out?” from Who Let The Dogs Out?

23: The Great Animal Orchestra

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.

24: Tom Bills: Guitar Maker

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.

Music featured:
Charley Patton – Down the Dirt Road Blues
Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts – Deer Walk
Bix Beiderbecke – Davenport Blues
William Harris – Bullfrog Blues
Hoagy Carmichael & Pals – Stardust
King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band – Chimes Blues
Jelly Roll Morton – King Porter Stomp
Scrapper Blackwell – Blue Day Blues

Recommended:
Blind Lemon Jefferson – Mosquito Moan
Charley Patton – Spoonful Blues
New Orleans Rhythm Kings – Mr. Jelly Lord
Fletcher Henderson – Honey Bunch
Marion McKay – Hootenanny

Sounds Used (freesound.org):
‘locomotive.wav’ by laurent, ‘Stem_Train.wav’ by knufds,

Note: When the episode was originally published, we used an incorrect estimation of the number of white males in the KKK in Richmond in the 1920′s. The issue was corrected in this version of the program. We regret the error.

26: Gennett Records

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.

27: The People's Choice

Rafael Atijas grew up with a passion for music. When he decided to begin playing an instrument he settled on an instrument that was easier for him to learn. While he was at NYU, Rafael developed an idea for a new guitar to help making learning music less intimidating for young players. Learn more about Loog guitars and some of the challenges faced in the early development of the company.

29: Loog Guitars

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.

As we noted in the episode, “Jenny Haniver” is a pseudonym. That was the name given to an airship in the Mortal Engines Quartet book series by Phillip Reeve. Jenny Hanivers also refer to dried out skates or rays that sailors would try to make into mermaids or other forms and sell to other sailors and tourists.

31: Not In The Kitchen Anymore

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.

39: NYC Foresight

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, @MaxOwens, and Tim Webb from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

More at: http://www.everythingsounds.org/40/

40: London Parakeets

We wrote and recorded a guest post for Sounding Out for World Listening Month in July of 2013. You can see the post here: http://soundstudiesblog.com/2013/07/22/we-wanted-to-tell-stories-about-sound/

Sounding Out Guest Podcast

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.


42: Piano Across America

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. @simonjohnnewton shares his family's remembrance of a convicted criminal and the folklore created over the generations since his death.

43: The Legacy of Spence Broughton

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.  	


44: Sounds of IU

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.


46: Dr. Blankenstein

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.


51: Zappa Dummy

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.

Download the compilation at: https://archive.org/details/livingvoid-flac

52: livingvoid

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.

More from Alex Adey: https://soundcloud.com/alexmadey
The Black Country Museum: http://www.bclm.co.uk


53: The Black Country

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 http://fasola.org.

Also, thanks to Kate Lumpkin for her help with this episodes.

54: Shapenote

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.

55: Restaurant Sound Design

The sounds of a commute are the soundtrack to a morning. It could be car horns while stuck in traffic, the screeching of the train skidding along a curve, or in this case, a man named Marvin. Marvin goes to the same spot each morning. It doesn't matter what the weather's like or what day it is, he's there trying to make people's days better, by doing something that makes him feel better, too. He's a part of the soundtrack to people's commutes and he sees the commuters as his friends and family.

Music in this episode by Podington Bear (http://podingtonbear.com)

56: Marvin The Greeter

A listen back to some of the stories we featured in 2014.

Music: Podington Bear - "Frosted Glass"

Thank you for listening, sharing, enjoying and taking part. It's been an incredible year. 

All our best,
@georgedrakejr and @CraigShank

Episodes featured (in order):
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/48-from-here-to-ear
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/51-zappa-dummy
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/54-shapenote
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/49-mad-genius
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/46-dr-blankenstein
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/55-restaurant-sound-design
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/45-sounds-of-skateboarding
https://soundcloud.com/everythingsounds/50-jukebox-collector


2014 Everything Sounds Audio Reel

When we stumble, misspeak, or fill our speech with um, er, and uh sounds, we are speaking with disfluencies. Michael Erard wrote a book on the subject called Um…: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean. Learn about what disfluencies are, their cultural perception, and why they may not be such a bad thing from Michael and Katie Gore of Speech IRL.

Music in the episode was contributed by Podington Bear.

57: Um, Uh, Er

Steam trains have been around for hundreds of years and devoted people with a lot of passion, patience, and strong work ethic are keeping the culture alive at volunteer-run organizations across the world. The Monticello Railway Museum in Illinois, and the Chelmsford Society of Model Engineers in England are two organizations doing their parts to help the culture make it through to the next generation.

58: TRAINS & Trains

A new podcast from Everything Sounds' George Drake, Jr. 
Coming December 2, 2019

In 2008, a family in Dayton, Ohio was remodeling an original bathroom of their 1927 house. During the process, they unearthed a letter and two envelopes in near perfect condition dating back over 90 years.

The letter, from a man simply named "Will" is vague, secretive, and mysterious. The envelopes paint an even more confusing picture.

Fifth and Ludlow tells the story of 1920s Dayton through the lens of the letter, and aims to expose the answers to the countless questions it raises.

Coming Soon: Fifth and Ludlow

Everything Sounds is a podcast and short-form radio program exploring the role of sound in art, science, history, culture, and our everyday lives. 
Even silence has a sound.

Popular tracks by Everything Sounds