Author: Barrett Golding/Archives

White Temple

This week’s HV cast: A woman’s song on the streets of Taipei, Taiwan, leads the producer to the outskirts of town, to climb the rock steps of the White Temple. There, high in the clouds, one hundred voices are singing a salutation to the Buddha. A story by Dmae Roberts, “”White Temple- Taiwan”” (mp3 1:51):

Atchafalaya Swamp Freeway

I-10 west outta New Orleans goes right thru the Atchafalaya swamp. Right thru it, several times; the highway’s held up on posts for miles. Was listening to a country station playing the trad stuff: Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, and this one from George Strait… but before I post the song, I gotta give it setting.

Ok, think driving 85mph toward a skyfull of Louisiana sunset; air full of mositure and swamp smells, cranes flying overhead, passing places named Lake Ponchartrain, Whiskey Bay, and Bayou Teche; the windows rolled all the way down, but the radio turned up plenty loud to hear it clear over the wind and engine noise. Now, outta the speakers pours George Strait “Amarillo by Morning”:

Gourds

High time in NYC, HV style. Dinner with Ann & Kara (they’re thinking of a new road-trip on the Can-USA border radio series), then we all had drinks w/ BenW (“multi-media platforms” for American Experience, including vid-diaires via video phone from Tohono O’odham Indian rez.) My fren Scott Edmonds (who designed orig HV site) was monitoring a community ceramics guild and has a new start-up, Smatter TV. And the next nite SarahV brings me to Beethoven’s 9th at Lincoln Ctr. Was in town to record at the Bronx Zoo:

Stayed in the low-rent district of the Bronx, in middle of wondrous Co-op City. As I was leaving the hotel, so was a band of grizzled musicians packing up their van. “Who is ya?,” sez I. “The Gourds,” sez they. Outta Austin TX, The Gourds are cult faves for their bluegrass vers of Snoop’s “Gin &: Juice.” They just played my Montana town. We smoked and yakked and they gave me a CD. From Blood of the Ram, The Gourds “Wired Ole Gal”:


here’s da Dogg hearing Gourds doing his song:

Kaddish

Went to visit my dad the other day at Massachusetts National Cemetery. Forgot to bring the Kaddish along to say over his grave, so I’ll say it here instead below. First, from This American Life, my radio “Kaddish” (3:27):

Mourner's Kaddish

Yisgadal v'yiskadash sh'mei rabbaw (Cong. Amein).
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified (Cong. Amen.)

B'allmaw dee v'raw chir'usei
in the world that He created as He willed.

v'yamlich malchusei,b'chayeichon, uv'yomeichon,
May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days,

uv'chayei d'chol beis yisroel,
and in the lifetimes of the entire Family of Israel,

ba'agawlaw u'vizman kawriv, v'imru: Amein.
swiftly and soon. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong: Amein. Y'hei sh'mei rabbaw m'vawrach l'allam u'l'allmei allmayaw)
(Cong Amen. May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.)

Y'hei sh'mei rabbaw m'vawrach l'allam u'l'allmei allmayaw.
May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.

Yis'bawrach, v'yishtabach, v'yispaw'ar, v'yisromam, v'yis'nasei,
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled,

v'yis'hadar, v'yis'aleh, v'yis'halawl sh'mei d'kudshaw b'rich hu
mighty, upraised, and lauded be the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He

(Cong. b'rich hu).
(Cong. Blessed is He)

L'aylaw min kol birchawsaw v'shirawsaw,
beyond any blessing and song,

tush'b'chawsaw v'nechemawsaw, da'ami'rawn b'all'maw, v'imru: Amein
praise and consolation that are uttered in the world. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong. Amein).
(Cong. Amen).

Y'hei shlawmaw rabbaw min sh'mayaw,v'chayim
May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life

awleinu v'al kol yisroel, v'imru: Amein
upon us and upon all Israel. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong. Amein).
(Cong. Amen).

Oseh shawlom bim'ro'mawv, hu ya'aseh shawlom,
He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace,

awleinu v'al kol yisroel v'imru: Amein
upon us and upon all Israel. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong. Amein).

Travels with Mom cast

This week’s HV cast is for Mother’s Day. These days, taking mom out for a day-trip doesn’t involve going as far in distance, as it does back in time. Tybee Island, Georgia, now and in the 1920’s, as seen by Mrs. Massett. A story by Larry Massett, “Travels with Mom” (mp3 12:25):

All A Cappella

I love travelin’ the good ol’ USA picking up strange vibrations from the ray-dee-oh. Glided thru the Mass. backroads today dialed into WERS (Emerson College). Mid-afternoon an All A Cappella show came on. The excellent woman DJ laid down track after track of instrumentaless vocals, college and pro. Even the white folk do black folk songs were worth a listen cuz of the stupendous arrangements. Here’s an except the University of Virginia Academical Village People doin’ Jackson 5 “I Want You Back”:

and Voices of the Dark Side w/ Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage’:

Time Travel

We at HV travel a lot. Sooner or later those travels take you back in time, to somewhere you once lived. For me it was a couple days ago at U Mass- Amherst. I’d lived there a few years in the 70s.

I drove in at night blasting a classic rock station playing songs from that time: Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zep. It was just the music I’d drivin into this town with so many nights before. And I was just as tired and starting to see things that weren’t there — tho back then the lack-of-sleep hallucinations were pharmaceutically enhanced.

I pulled in just as the bars let out. Walked the main drag, marveling at the spectacle of America’s youth, unfettered by parents and encouraged by alcohol. I’m glad to see U Mass is still Zoo Mass. Tradition must be maintained.

Soon I ended up on campus, walking by roads to places I’d lived. What word is there for that flood of feelings you get returning to a place of your youth? In the dark, it’s especially eerie, familiar yet unrecognizable; former selves of you everywhere; you’re in one space but two different times.

Usually I like to stay and explore the past, but here I had neither time nor desire. I was scheduled for a pre-dawn meeting in the woods with a guy who records birds. So at 3:30am Amherst was in my rear view mirror. The town seems to be doing fine without me.

Jesus Will Survive

I know everyone’s mother, brother and cousin’s dog has seen this already, but just in case some straggler hasn’t:

Film by Javier Prato.

John Cage’s Secret

John Cage performs — using Water Pitcher, Iron Pipe, Goose Call and a slew of other musical implements — in 1960 on the game show I’ve Got a Secret: video at WFMU’s BOTB: John Cage on a TV Game Show in 1960 video

Poetry is Wanted Here cast

This week’s HV cast is for Poetry Month. From his collection Various Atmospheres, Alex Caldiero performs “Poetry is Wanted Here” (mp3 2:58):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Caldiero

YouTube- HearVox

We’re starting to build up quite a steaming pile of slideshows… I mean, streaming pile, at YouTube:

Mississippi Cha Cha Slide

I’m visiting a friend in Jacksonville, watching his son pitch for Edward Waters College, “a private Historically Black College.” The stadium, James P. Small Field, was once home to the Jacksonville Red Caps of the Negro League Baseball team, and before that the spring training camp for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Satchel Page, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth all played here.

Now the field sits in the middle of a residential African-American section of town, and is a bit of a community park. Neighborhood people wander in and out enjoying some college ball on a sunny Florida afternoon.

There a DJ in the stands mixing on a makeshift home stereo, set up on a table in the front row. Each EWC team member has his own song, which the DJ plays as each player comes to bat. And in between we’re treated to a mix of rap and soul. All above is a long way of saying, that’s where and how I hear this killer dance tune. So lace up your dancing sneakers on, it’s the Mississippi Cha Cha Slide, AKA Stomp by Mixx Master Lee (mp3):

Astute observers of mutlicultidancicology will note this updates Casper’s all-over-utube Slide. Ya Cha Cha wit yur left. Now Stomp.

Morse Music

Music to learn Morse Code by, set to song by Andrew Crawford (mp3 2:51):

Make your own Morse Code Music.

What is Poetry?- video

An HV video by Trent Harris: Carl Sandburg reads his poems and wonders “What is Poetry?,” with music by Skyward and audio by Barrett Golding:

96 Tears & a Stripper

As head of the HV radio project, I’m always pleased to get such promising emails about ongoing productions — this one’s about Ann & Kara’s (w/ Rick Moody) Song & Memory series:

From:   Ann Heppermann
Subject: finally a fucking awesome story!
Date: 	April 25, 2007 10:44:32 AM MDT
To:   Barrett Golding
Cc:   Kara Oehler

Hey Barrett,

We got a fucking awesome story from Anthony Bourdain about his most
memorable song from childhood, 96 Tears.  He told us how he lost his
virginity to a stripper named Panama up in the Catskills. And
pyrotechnics, and drugs...

He actually said this phrase "This song...was a direct line to
heroin." And not in a sad sappy kind of way, but, fuck yeah, i was
going to be cooler than all you other kids.

OK.  we're just really excited.

Later,
ann and kara

Stark Effect – mic in track

Stark Effect makes music sampling found-sound. The sound is found on other folks’ computers with the filename: “mic in track,” which is the title of his CD and free downloads. Try “Testing 1-2-3” (3:05):

Sez Stark:

A “mic in track” is a recording made on a PC using MusicMatch Jukebox, a music utility packaged with many new PC’s that allows the user to record from the microphone input of the PC’s sound card and save the recording in mp3 format. The default filename is “mic in track” followed by a number.

If that user also happens to be running a file-sharing program (WinMX, Audiognome, Kazaa, etc.), and shares the directory in which the mic in track is stored, then these personal recordings can be easily downloaded from the user’s computer. The vast majority of them are either silent or uninteresting, but many are like Christmas presents giftwrapped in nondescript serial numbers. They represent unique examples of audio vérité.

BTW, Stark Effect is aka Dr. David Dixon, CalPoly physics prof. “The Stark effect is the shifting and splitting of spectral lines of atoms and molecules due to the presence of an external static electric field.”

People Like Us

‘Case you never hear the cut-up mix-artiste People Like Us (aka, Vicki Bennett), a huge hunk of their catalogue is offered as mp3s. One of my fave PLU trax is “What’s Love?” (5:03):

Here’s another PLU (w/ Matmos & Wobbly) I heard on a recent Some Assembly Required podcast, “Arkansas Explorer” (5:13):

GWB’s Hydrogen People cast

This week’s HV cast is for Earth Day. The Administration moves beyond Hydrogen Powered Automobiles. Another experiment in the crytomusicology of Presidential Patter. Produced by Jesse Boggs, “Hydrogen People” (mp3 2:05):

Cloth Simulation

Check this line-vector simulation of a hanging cloth, writ by JRC313.com. Pull it with the mouse (click-drag), let go, and watch it swing — cheap e-thrills via a “physics library” of code; here’s some screenshots:

Ken Nordine- Vids

Spoken-weird artiste Ken Nordine has a buncha videos posted. This one’s “Cliche Heaven”:

They’re from his DVD The Eye is Never Filled, all part of Word Jazz.