HV121- Engine Overdrive

Hearing Voices from NPR®
121 Engine Overdrive: Ode to Internal Combustion
Host: Barrett Golding of Hearing Voices
Airs week of: 2011-08-24

“Engine Overdrive” (52:00 mp3):

Ride, rev, race, the society of over-sized cylinders:

A short symphony in pistons and rings, made from tractors recorded at the Reidsville, NC Antique Engine Show. All sounds are actual engines; the piece has no instruments or effects. Paul Overton is at: Dude Craft | Every Day is Awesome | PRX.

A pre-race prayer delivered at the Nascar Nationwide series race in Nashville TN July 23, 2011. Boogity Boogity Boogity Amen.

HV is crazy about the songs and sonics by the band Big Stick (aka,Drag Racing Underground). We start with a couple cuts from their CD Hot from the Strip! — “Drag Racing” is a re-issue of their 80s classic, and we hear excerpts from “Wildgirl‘s Rockin’ Racing,” a Saturday night WFMU radio show.

The ethanol-injected noise of cars, drivers, and fans at the annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, an ocean-side street race with top pro race-car drivers from around the globe. One-hundred-and-eighty thousand aficionados gather around a two mile course of Fast & Loud in downtown LB — 186mph avg, 200+ on the straightaways. Co-recorded by Joe Skyward.

The writer and comedian shares the recordings left on Amy’s Answering Machine, Volume 1: Messages from Mom.

From the liner notes to the Innova Recordings CD Sonic Circuits IV:

It started with that signature engine sound — potato-potato-tato-tato potato-potato-tato-tato — which flooded my left ear at a traffic light. He was a heavy-set man with tattooed forearms as thick as my thigh. Riding behind him was a slim woman in leather with her hands planted in her man’s ample belly. Months later a Toronto humourist suggested a new city by-law: “Only people in possession of an authentic criminal record shall offer for sale or operate any Harley Davidson motorcycle.” Enough! Harley is a sound portrait of ‘myth-understood’ men and their machines.

I created Harley using voice tape borrowed form a documentary by my colleague Gerry Amey. Laurence Stevenson was the sound engineer and keyboard player. Almost all the noises were created in the CBC’s Experimental Audio Room, using the sounds of the Harley bike. Additional extracts from: The Holy Ranger’s Free Hand by Martin Jack Rosenbloom (Flying Fish Records) and Harley Davidson: America’s Motorcycle (Video). I’ve been a radio and TV documentary maker at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for over 20 years. For me all documentary is music.

Music for and sounds of the Harley-Davidson, from Hog – Sounds & music of the world’s greatest bike.

Played on Car Horn Organ, taken from the collection Gravikords, Whirlies & Pyrophones: Experimental Musical Instruments.

Another from Amy’s Answering Machine, Volume 1: Messages from Mom.

From a new DRU project, sez Big Stick:

DRAGUMENTARY features the spoken voices of real drag racers, describing their cars and drag racing experience. The racer sound bites were actually recorded on-sight at the drag strip by John Gill. Then BIG STICK’s John Gill and Yanna Trance recorded a music track they felt would groove nicely with the racers’ sound bites. When the music was complete, John then positioned and edited all the racers’ various dialogue to flow with the music. Yanna’s vocals also sparsely surface on the track.

DRAGUMENTARY features Tom Timko playing sax. Tom is a talented horn player who has played with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Shakira. Tom Timko has been a friend of John Gill’s since the two of them collaborated on a puppet version production of “John Jacob Jinglehwimer Schmidt” way back in the 5th grade! Tom Timko and John Gill were schoolmates through grade school and high school. We’re glad that Tom could collaborate a bit with BIG STICK on the DRAGUMENTARY track.

DRAGUMENTARY is a sneak preview track, from a new collection of songs that BIG STICK are readying for release. John Gill and Yanna Trance are busy recording and mixing an LP’s worth of new material. It’s worth noting that one of the new BIG STICK songs titled “HOT SAUCE” features longtime friend Fred Schneider of the B-52s doing vocals. Another new track, called “HOOCHIE EXPRESS” features Johnny Kelly of TYPE O NEGATIVE, DANZIG, SEVENTH VOID on drums. There’s other musicians who John and Diana admire featured on some of other new songs as well, such as, NY horn gal extraordinaire “Moist” Paula Henderson, and Kevin Rutmanis, the bass playing talent of THE COWS, THE MELVINS and TOMAHAWK fame. BIG STICK are happy to give HEARING VOICES listeners a potent preview with the brand new DRAGUMENTARY track. Hope you enjoy.

Audio from Firesign’s 1968 TV spot, part of an ad campaign for an L.A. car dealership.

An excerpt from Act 2 of the opera Now Eleanor’s Idea. Features the voices of Arthur “Lolo” Medina and Joanne Martinez describing their Low Rider car (Album Notes | Lovely Music, Ltd. | Wikipedia).

From their album Hot Rodders Battle Rock and Roll, found at WFMU’s 365 Days Project.

Finally, a car as unfaithful as you are.

263 miles-per-hour was the world land speed record for Class E Supercharged Fuel Competition Coupes, set in 2003 at the Bonneville Salt Flats (“the fastest place on earth“) in the Utah desert. The record holder was Betty Burkland, a 63-year-old grandmother from Great Falls, Montana. Interviews and music from the film “Return to Bonneville – YouTube.” (Music: Jeff Arntsen; Recordings: Jim Kehoe)

Another radio clip Hot from the Strip!, Wildgirl reads a Bret Kepner essay on great-grandmother and race car driver Cleo Chandler.

The auto-tuned musical version of Pastor Joe Nelms pre-NASCAR race prayer. Songified by those Auto-Tune the News guys & gal.

“You better not be spendin’ no money on no race cars,” words of wisdom Hot from the Strip!