Howdy Loungers,
The next DC Listening Lounge will be on Tuesday Jan 24th at the home of James.
Please bring any combination of food, drinks, friends and audio to share (please limit audio to 6 minutes or less).
Looking forward to listening with you.
When: Tuesday Jan 24
7:30pm-10:30pm
Where: (email for details)
How: Several bus options - 64 will drop u on New Hampshire and Taylor. H8 drops u on Rock Church Road near Taylor. There are others not far as well, that The Google can reveal.
Questions? call James: (email for details)
---
Sound Scene update: Thanks to everyone who voted for a theme for this year's sound scene. The theme will be decided in the coming days. Then we'll put a call out for proposals. Hope you have some ideas you might want to share.
---
December Lounge Highlights:December Lounge Dec 15, 2016
Minahil and Karen hosted
Minahil began the night by noting that we gathered in part to honor of Cat who, earlier this year, was in a bike accident and was told due to her injuries that her sense of smell may not return. To mark what looked to be that moment of official loss with a re-framing, to celebrate under appreciated senses that were still in full function- Minahil asked to host the night. (DCLL is so flattered to be able to help usher in the moment with the positive).
It turned out that a few days before the December Lounge, Cat's sense of smell actually returned! The night continued to be a celebration of the senses and of all a year can hold.
The night began with a go-around about the coolest thing we did in the last year:
Macy- (first timer) was visiting DC from MN/WI and was grateful for the opportunity to have studied abroad in Dakar Senegal during 2016.
Steve- (first timer) Spent the last year in Kansas City working with public TV and learned about, and to appreciate, the bbq wonder known as “burnt ends.” This led to the meditation question of the night: “Where is the end of tofu?” Think on that for a while dear Listening Loungers...
Ian- (first timer) made a goal to attend a concert every week during 2016 and he achieved it! His favorite performance of the year was an incredible Chris Thile show with friends of the artist jamming on stage.
Zach- has been studying Spanish for two years and this year he earned a certificate for his fluency. His advice- soak up some Spanish-language Disney films.
Stella- had a year full of responsibilities and so at its close she attempted to reward herself by attending a special conference about green roofs. But, it turned out to be a terribly boring conference, so she swiftly decided to ditch the event and head to NYC instead. The universe rewarded her for her clear and definitive action by securing her the last ticket of the day to a terrific dance performance. She got to see Mark Morris and Baryshnikov who were chatting in the lobby. Lincoln Center delivered a tremendous classical Indian and modern dance evening.
Karen- (first timer) decided to hike a piece of the Appalachian Trail this year and her adventure included a scheduled stay in a tree house in Maryland. She loved it.
Ann- (First timer -heard about DCLL at Third Coast) attended a 1-week Transom.org workshop and her story focused on a talented drum maker in Georgia who constructed his drums whole from a single tree.
Lizzie- this year she sang and played cello at the same time (a first!) with a band and she told her first story as part of a Story District performance.
AC- was delighted to cash in on a Thai cooking lesson his wife got him as a gift and the experience of using a restaurant caliber wok, with enormous flames below, delivered a fried rice and green curry that will not soon be forgotten.
Cat: said the coolest and incredibly challenging experience (but also most profound) of the year was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro because it was so trying mentally and physically. It reminded her that the best stories have a darker and heavier element but often end with something beautiful. And she was deeply grateful to have met her friend Minahil (our host for the night) who had arranged this event to help her expand her full sensory potential.
Suzanne: had a difficult year but wanted to do at least one thing for herself, and that turned out to be spending time with shepherds and pastoralists in the rural rolling hills of Germany. She set out to make a documentary film about them, appreciated that they were different than she expected (for example, many often use Whatsapp on their smartphones even in the very remote parts of the country). Some previously would travel widely and stay with families along the way. Now that is less common- in part because of climate change and because of other evolutions in the work. She found out there is actually a form online to volunteer to be a shepherd substitute. That was how she initially connected with the many she visited this year.
Kelsey- took a road trip around the country with Utah and Wyoming topping the list of favorite spots visited.
Colleen- said her **favorite thing in the whole world is DCLL and every meeting is the best experience she has each month.
**DCLL author may have taken liberties to interpret Colleen's silence and translate her non-verbal expressions...
Audio:
Suzanne – got things going and was a little sheepish about playing audio for the very firs time but it was terrific. A cameo from a “dignified sheep.” This was raw audio she recorded at Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2016. Before playing her work she asked us to listen with an ear towards brainstorming what could be done with the piece, how it could be edited and shared more widely.
She spoke with some farmers presenting at the Festival, in town from Maryland, who had brought their sheep to be a featured star. Suzanne interviewed two of the presenters about said sheep, named Napoleon.
A sheep with a Napoleonic complex- Werner Hertzog
On tape questions like: How do you put a diaper on a sheep?
We discussed how sometimes questions that seem obvious are well received by listeners. It can help listeners when the interviewee asks something you wouldn't think of, or that we would be too shy to ask.
Notes: the story may not have a beginning, middle, end, - maybe it could serve as an audio postcard to bring someone somewhere through sound.
Steve followed up with an audio montage in response the Paris attacks. 1 yr ago this past November many were killed in the Paris violence. Steve had just moved to Kansas City. His audio reflects his movement between two religious settings- recorded with his phone - to give a sense of things to tweet out the feelings going around. We had a discussion about “professional” and “unprofessional” sounds and the different settings that can work well for each. Steve's project was based in religion and faith in Kansas City.
AC- has met up with some people like those at Apple who are creating new products. He asked for something like Google Microphones and that it would be great to be able to use bluetooth binaural headphone recorders to record on the go. Discussion about:
What are the priorities that we bring to a recording- motivations?
Emotional reactions? Curiosity? Did the story have resonance?
AC- Shared the story of his recent hardware store adventure. There he stumbled upon a massive marimba band of high school and middle school performers rehearsing. The org is called Sticks and Bars. We went on to discuss the lack of rehearsal spaces within the city for burgeoning artists.
Stella: in the spirit of the holidays...(audio holiday songs) shared a recording of reverberant singing...but its not recorded in a cathedral but a water tower in Colorado- a center for sound experience. Rangely Colorado. Fox 41 Denver.
Conversations followed about acoustically magical spaces such as the few in DC- Canadian Embassy, Einstein Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Mt Vernon Trail under the area where Route 1 hits its overhead bridge, The Portrait Gallery courtyard, Halls of Congress, reading room of Library of Congress. Roosevelt Island.
Zach- shared a few sample themes he composed for the Philadelphia podcast, Distillations (from the Chemical Heritage Foundation)- about chemistry and how it impacts our lives. Samples showcased varying degrees of science-y, wonder-y and innovation-ish concepts expressed through music. Music phrase length and tempo changes were experimented with– gutsy or jarring? Or perfect?
Macy: played audio and then after read accompanying text. Poetry/monologue that she composed. How does reading out loud live versus listening to a recording impact your experience of the piece,? she asked.“The breath of a new soul mingles with the sea breeze...slumber sweetly but the eyes above you have woken up.” Themes of baptisms and funerals and the flows of life, explored.
Colleen: Shared an audio portrait of a drummer. The female drummer told a story of sexism and empowerment through bad-ass performance.
The next DC Listening Lounge will be on Tuesday Jan 24th at the home of James.
Please bring any combination of food, drinks, friends and audio to share (please limit audio to 6 minutes or less).
Looking forward to listening with you.
When: Tuesday Jan 24
7:30pm-10:30pm
Where: (email for details)
How: Several bus options - 64 will drop u on New Hampshire and Taylor. H8 drops u on Rock Church Road near Taylor. There are others not far as well, that The Google can reveal.
Questions? call James: (email for details)
---
Sound Scene update: Thanks to everyone who voted for a theme for this year's sound scene. The theme will be decided in the coming days. Then we'll put a call out for proposals. Hope you have some ideas you might want to share.
---
December Lounge Highlights:December Lounge Dec 15, 2016
Minahil and Karen hosted
Minahil began the night by noting that we gathered in part to honor of Cat who, earlier this year, was in a bike accident and was told due to her injuries that her sense of smell may not return. To mark what looked to be that moment of official loss with a re-framing, to celebrate under appreciated senses that were still in full function- Minahil asked to host the night. (DCLL is so flattered to be able to help usher in the moment with the positive).
It turned out that a few days before the December Lounge, Cat's sense of smell actually returned! The night continued to be a celebration of the senses and of all a year can hold.
The night began with a go-around about the coolest thing we did in the last year:
Macy- (first timer) was visiting DC from MN/WI and was grateful for the opportunity to have studied abroad in Dakar Senegal during 2016.
Steve- (first timer) Spent the last year in Kansas City working with public TV and learned about, and to appreciate, the bbq wonder known as “burnt ends.” This led to the meditation question of the night: “Where is the end of tofu?” Think on that for a while dear Listening Loungers...
Ian- (first timer) made a goal to attend a concert every week during 2016 and he achieved it! His favorite performance of the year was an incredible Chris Thile show with friends of the artist jamming on stage.
Zach- has been studying Spanish for two years and this year he earned a certificate for his fluency. His advice- soak up some Spanish-language Disney films.
Stella- had a year full of responsibilities and so at its close she attempted to reward herself by attending a special conference about green roofs. But, it turned out to be a terribly boring conference, so she swiftly decided to ditch the event and head to NYC instead. The universe rewarded her for her clear and definitive action by securing her the last ticket of the day to a terrific dance performance. She got to see Mark Morris and Baryshnikov who were chatting in the lobby. Lincoln Center delivered a tremendous classical Indian and modern dance evening.
Karen- (first timer) decided to hike a piece of the Appalachian Trail this year and her adventure included a scheduled stay in a tree house in Maryland. She loved it.
Ann- (First timer -heard about DCLL at Third Coast) attended a 1-week Transom.org workshop and her story focused on a talented drum maker in Georgia who constructed his drums whole from a single tree.
Lizzie- this year she sang and played cello at the same time (a first!) with a band and she told her first story as part of a Story District performance.
AC- was delighted to cash in on a Thai cooking lesson his wife got him as a gift and the experience of using a restaurant caliber wok, with enormous flames below, delivered a fried rice and green curry that will not soon be forgotten.
Cat: said the coolest and incredibly challenging experience (but also most profound) of the year was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro because it was so trying mentally and physically. It reminded her that the best stories have a darker and heavier element but often end with something beautiful. And she was deeply grateful to have met her friend Minahil (our host for the night) who had arranged this event to help her expand her full sensory potential.
Suzanne: had a difficult year but wanted to do at least one thing for herself, and that turned out to be spending time with shepherds and pastoralists in the rural rolling hills of Germany. She set out to make a documentary film about them, appreciated that they were different than she expected (for example, many often use Whatsapp on their smartphones even in the very remote parts of the country). Some previously would travel widely and stay with families along the way. Now that is less common- in part because of climate change and because of other evolutions in the work. She found out there is actually a form online to volunteer to be a shepherd substitute. That was how she initially connected with the many she visited this year.
Kelsey- took a road trip around the country with Utah and Wyoming topping the list of favorite spots visited.
Colleen- said her **favorite thing in the whole world is DCLL and every meeting is the best experience she has each month.
**DCLL author may have taken liberties to interpret Colleen's silence and translate her non-verbal expressions...
Audio:
Suzanne – got things going and was a little sheepish about playing audio for the very firs time but it was terrific. A cameo from a “dignified sheep.” This was raw audio she recorded at Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2016. Before playing her work she asked us to listen with an ear towards brainstorming what could be done with the piece, how it could be edited and shared more widely.
She spoke with some farmers presenting at the Festival, in town from Maryland, who had brought their sheep to be a featured star. Suzanne interviewed two of the presenters about said sheep, named Napoleon.
A sheep with a Napoleonic complex- Werner Hertzog
On tape questions like: How do you put a diaper on a sheep?
We discussed how sometimes questions that seem obvious are well received by listeners. It can help listeners when the interviewee asks something you wouldn't think of, or that we would be too shy to ask.
Notes: the story may not have a beginning, middle, end, - maybe it could serve as an audio postcard to bring someone somewhere through sound.
Steve followed up with an audio montage in response the Paris attacks. 1 yr ago this past November many were killed in the Paris violence. Steve had just moved to Kansas City. His audio reflects his movement between two religious settings- recorded with his phone - to give a sense of things to tweet out the feelings going around. We had a discussion about “professional” and “unprofessional” sounds and the different settings that can work well for each. Steve's project was based in religion and faith in Kansas City.
AC- has met up with some people like those at Apple who are creating new products. He asked for something like Google Microphones and that it would be great to be able to use bluetooth binaural headphone recorders to record on the go. Discussion about:
What are the priorities that we bring to a recording- motivations?
Emotional reactions? Curiosity? Did the story have resonance?
AC- Shared the story of his recent hardware store adventure. There he stumbled upon a massive marimba band of high school and middle school performers rehearsing. The org is called Sticks and Bars. We went on to discuss the lack of rehearsal spaces within the city for burgeoning artists.
Stella: in the spirit of the holidays...(audio holiday songs) shared a recording of reverberant singing...but its not recorded in a cathedral but a water tower in Colorado- a center for sound experience. Rangely Colorado. Fox 41 Denver.
Conversations followed about acoustically magical spaces such as the few in DC- Canadian Embassy, Einstein Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Mt Vernon Trail under the area where Route 1 hits its overhead bridge, The Portrait Gallery courtyard, Halls of Congress, reading room of Library of Congress. Roosevelt Island.
Zach- shared a few sample themes he composed for the Philadelphia podcast, Distillations (from the Chemical Heritage Foundation)- about chemistry and how it impacts our lives. Samples showcased varying degrees of science-y, wonder-y and innovation-ish concepts expressed through music. Music phrase length and tempo changes were experimented with– gutsy or jarring? Or perfect?
Macy: played audio and then after read accompanying text. Poetry/monologue that she composed. How does reading out loud live versus listening to a recording impact your experience of the piece,? she asked.“The breath of a new soul mingles with the sea breeze...slumber sweetly but the eyes above you have woken up.” Themes of baptisms and funerals and the flows of life, explored.
Colleen: Shared an audio portrait of a drummer. The female drummer told a story of sexism and empowerment through bad-ass performance.
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