The Big Shed Podcast

This story was originally produced as two separate pieces for the podcast, Natural Maryland, at WYPR 88.1 FM in Baltimore. Part 1 was entitled "The Journalist and the Deer Hunter" and part 2, "Deer 0012." Producer Louisa Jonas was psyched to merge the two into one piece for this Big Shed podcast. She says, "You could say part 1 was a failure and part 2 a success, or you could say the exact opposite- it really depends on which deer you interview…"

In the Big Shed, we always say that audio is the most visual medium. And we've even offered some stinky audio before. Thanks to the crafty work of producer Anna Hamilton, prepare for your first aural gag reflex. Anna is a proud graduate of the Salt Institute in Maine, and brings us this audio adventure from her time there. Competitive eating is on the upswing in the world of alternative sports, and South Portland, Maine is on the bandwagon. Join us stage-side at the first-ever World Burrito Eating Championship. We're also pleased to bring you a very special, surprise guest who payed a visit to Jesse at Big Shed Virginia. We're honored to air this interview with a creative genius who brings his epicurean expertise to bear on reviewing this story.

We're thrilled to bring you this story from producer Peter Solomon. It's a gem. We fell for this piece the first time we heard it. The rebel yell. What did it sound like – that battle cry that terrorized union troops and rallied Confederates to battle? Historians have clues from letters and diaries but still have never agreed. Producer Peter Solomon brings us a recording of what many believe is an authentic Rebel Yell ... and it's nothing we expected to hear. Peter spoke with Waite Rawls, President of the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia, who offers his perspective. We are also excited to bring you the comments of Allan Gurganus, author of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. He was a featured speaker last Fall at an "The Audio Listening Institute" from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke and the Third Coast International Audio Festival. Thanks to Mr. Gurganus being brilliant and to the Center for Documentary Studies for allowing us to rebroadcast their audio. Peter produced this story as an assignment for the Feature Bureau at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and it aired on public radio stations across the state of Virginia. Peter's editor, Big Shed friend Lydia Wilson, had read an article about a rebel yell CD from the Musuem of the Confederacy. Peter explained, "I didn't really know anything about the subject before I got the assignment. I knew that there was an amusement park ride called the 'Rebel Yell' or it was something that you shouted at a football game. When I heard the actual sound of the Confederate soldiers demonstrating the yell I was shocked. I played it for a colleague who thought it sounded like a person being killed. I asked Waite Rawls to comment on this reaction. He ended up being a very good storyteller. He's articulate, knowledgeable about the history of the civil war and I was able to let him tell the story without writing any narration." And thanks to Peter Solomon for sharing this with us. Peter has worked as a jazz host and operations manager at WCVE-FM, Richmond since 1999. His background is in music. Peter - "I am a big jazz nerd but in recent years my interests have turned to crafting radio features and that's the part of my job that I most enjoy."

Lillie is a young student who spends time in the community of Westhaven, a mostly African-American, low-income housing development in Charlottesville, VA. Lillie is incredibly assertive. She talked her way into a youth radio program where she was at least three or four years younger than the the other students. The youth program was run by our friends at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, which is where Jesse Dukes and Greg Kelly. In this piece, Lillie interviews one of her teachers. She's very adept at forming relationships with adults, which really comes through here. Jesse and Greg pulled this story together from her interview. LIllie charmed us, and we hope she charms you, too.

We are so pleased to bring you the second installment in Shortwaveology, a series from producer David Goren. It's as beautiful as the first episode we were able to share with you. Shortwaveology is an occasional rumination on the crackly sonics, history and cultural influence of shortwave radio. Thanks to former Radio Canada International program host Ian McFarland for permission to excerpt from his 1974 compilation of shortwave station interval signals and sign-ons. And it's a perfect way for us to bring you our first podcast in over a year!! We've missed you, but Big Shed is back, and bigger than ever. Jesse Dukes has officially joined us, making Big Shed a trio. We're sorry to have abandoned you for so long. We promise it was us, not you. We were busy launching The Place + Memory Project among other things. But to make it up to you, we've also created this spiffy website where you can find out more about all things Big Shed. We've missed you.So hold on to your audio hats, because we're back!

A year ago, Jesse Straight started a small farm in the urban center of Charlottesville, VA. The farm was a one year experiment and in the course of that year, he found himself talking to people in his neighborhood who he hadn't known before. The farm became a way of getting to know his neighbors, and he started collecting the stories of the people he met. With his friend Ross McDermott, Jesse recorded and edited this story about Max, a young boy with a great love of audio speakers. In this is the final installment of Big Shed's "The Jar Chronicles" ... the usurper Jesse Dukes has been feeling guilty and depressed, and our heroes, Shea and Jennifer, finally whine their way out of the jar, and this saga is brought to an exciting conclusion ... or is it.

Don't tell, but we decided to sneak a podcast out of the jar where Jesse Dukes has been keeping us neatly tucked away. Thanks to some help from a veteran Big Shed producer, Emma Rayes, we're secretly bringing you our first PoopCast ... straight from the big poop shed. Emma brought us this documentary journey from lovely Rio de Janeiro. While working in Brazil, she had a little incident ... which led to this trip for a poop exam. Emma took time away from a supercool project to put her pride and prudence aside to bring us this flowing tale (pun intended) of adventure and misfortune. If you're wiped out (again ... intended) after a long week at work, we hope you'll kick back and enjoy it. We think you will, in the end (dear god ... somebody stop us). Ps. Rumor has it that we're getting out of this jar in the very near future. Stay tuned for updates and new audio!

(Produced by Rachel Quimby) Nobody really knows why Rockland, Maine has a rather large population of Jews--legend says a ship was turned aside at Ellis Island and sent up the coast to the picturesque and sleepy coastal town. In any case, Adas Yoshuron Synagogue is an old building with many generations of Amita Jarmon discusses what it's like to be Rockland's first rabbi since 1937. Congregants, community members and Hebrew School kids weigh in, too. Rachel Quimby produced the story in the Fall of 2007 while attending the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Now she lives and works in Charlottesville, VA. To set up the piece, our introduction includes outtakes from an interview with David Berman, of the Silver Jews recorded by Jesse Dukes, who produced this piece in 2006. Jesse Dukes continues to usurp curator duties, but seems to be feeling some pangs in his conscience about trapping Shea and Jennifer in a jar. Check out the IndieFeed Big Shed at iTunes.

(Produced by Amy O'Leary) In the 1980's, Danny Felsenfeld was a nerdy, Jewish kid--crazy about Richard Wagner--who naively showed up at a meeting of the Wagner Appreciation Society in Southern California. He found himself in the midst of some very scary Wagner enthusiasts, and had to cast about for a way to make his escape. Amy O'Leary talked to Danny while she was producing the WNYC mini-series "The Tristan Mysteries".

Also: Jesse Dukes has usurped curating duties in the Shed and Jennifer and Shea remain miniaturized and trapped in a small jar. Check out the IndieFeed Big Shed at iTunes or go straight to the