This episode begins with the newest PSO, no.212, which was recorded in the traditional manner on my porch but with a twist. After spending some time in Mark Menjivar’s studio talking about field recordings, bird calls, archives, innumerable sound gadgets, and exciting new projects, Mark lent me a curious piece of sound hardware crafted by Brooklyn-based electronic savants Critter & Guitari, the Organelle M. Thanks, Mark! You can use the Organelle to make beats, as a synthesizer, or to process sound, which is what I did.
For this week’s piece, I routed the audio recorded on the porch through the Organelle and cycled through the approximately 200 delay patterns (I only used around 5) to create some cool textures to augment my improvised melody. The cars and the air conditioner sounded amazing too.
Listen for Mark's PSO collaboration from June of last year, no.142 Cicada Song, which is included in this week’s streams (podcast and on YouTube), The piece combined a field recording Mark made on July 17, 2018, outside the Walls Unit in Huntsville, TX, with music recorded from my porch in Austin. Mark's recording captured a clarion call by Gloria Rubac protesting the imminent execution of Chris Young. In both our recordings, you can hear the song of summer cicadas in the background, which creates a shared space for reflection and meditation on the deep implications of our criminal justice system.
In addition to Mark’s piece, another highlight from the stream is a collaboration with my longtime friend Shannon Spurgeon. PSO no. 113 Princess Moonstep was released in September of 2020. Shannon sent me a tune featuring a sample from the Dukes of Hazard in tribute to his dad, who had recently passed away. The title, Princess Moonstep, is taken from a racehorse his dad owned, which won a bunch of races at Evangeline Downs in Lafayette, Louisiana. Shannon provided the piano, the samples, and the percussion. I brought in some slide guitar.
Also featured is PSO no. 81 Science Fairport Convention, made in the aftermath of many an egg splatter sacrificed in the name of science and in service of my daughter’s Covid science fair project of January 2020Here is a list of all the recordings included in this week's episode.
no. 212 Quilted Daze and Delays, July 5, 2023 no. 142 Cicada Song with Mark Menjivar, June 3, 2021 no. 81 Science Fairport Convention, January 20, 2020no. 68 Sprinkler Shadow, September 19, 2021 no. 113 Princess Moonstep with Shannon Spurgeon, September 30, 2020 no. 175 Eye of the Song Storm, May 17, 2022
Porch Swing Orchestra is an art project that pairs music recorded outside with photographs made on-site. Performed and recorded at home and away, solo and with others – birds, guitars, and trucks conspire to form a chance-operated orchestra of delight.
The Podcast and YouTube streams include the most current PSO piece along with randomly selected pieces from the past.
Get full access to Porch Swing Orchestra at porchswingorchestra.substack.com/subscribe
