I was thrilled to see that last year’s New York Times Magazine ‘Voyages’ issue won the 2019 Ellie award for Digital Innovation. The magazine paired photos and sounds from around the world. I contributed one of the audio recordings (see track 5).
Free Yellowstone recordings
Audio producers from around the country are starting to discover a treasure trove of free recordings from Yellowstone National Park. The recordings were made in part through a cooperative agreement between Yellowstone-based recordist Jennifer Jerrett and the Acoustic Atlas at Montana State University where I am program director. We worked together to create the Acoustic Atlas’ Yellowstone library, which continues to upload more recordings every year.
Check out this story in the online publication Live for Live Music:
Yellowstone audio samples keep National Parks’ spirit alive during government shutdown
Esri features 'Sounds of the Wild West' story map
There’s a nice blog on the Esri site about the Sounds of the Wild West story map. It offers a behind the scene look at how Esri worked with my group at the Acoustic Atlas to feature sounds of four of Montana’s major ecosystems.
New story map
I’m really proud of this collaboration with the Esri Story Maps team. We worked together to incorporate sounds into a story map featuring four of Montana’s major ecosystems. You can scroll through the map below or see the original at: https://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2018/sounds-of-the-wild-west/index.html.
Tidal forest
This tidal forest, where a mixture of salt and fresh water flows through dense stands of evergreens, is now one of the last places of its kind. I took this video at Otter Island on the Snohomish River with the help of scientists at NOAA and a little inspiration from Joseph Conrad. The music is an outtake from the Flesh and Blood sessions.
Music for the film Flesh and Blood
Keep an eye out for Neil Brookshire’s new short film Flesh and Blood, “an intimate tale of secrets, fear, redemption, and time.” I wrote some music for it.
Appearing in this week's New York Times Magazine
It was an honor to contribute to this week’s special issue of The New York Times Magazine. As Adweek reports, the issue will be “heard, not read.” The issue is now online and you can hear my recording of the Pando Clone, a unique stand of genetically identical aspens that constitute one of the world’s largest living organisms.
Relax and take cover
This thunderstorm in Utah goes well with scented candles if you don't get blown off the side of a mountain by a billion volts of electricity.
Surrounded by bison
Early August is the height of the bison rut at the American Prairie Reserve in Montana. Yesterday, we found a group of about 70 bison that were pawing the earth and challenging each other for mates. APR's bison management specialist Scott Heidebrink helped me get close to the herd without getting stomped and I couldn't have made the recordings without his help. Thanks, Scott!
Toads of Trinity now on NPR
Here's my story about the toads that sang us into the atomic age. Listen to The Toads of Trinity: Witnesses To The Atomic Age on NPR's Here & Now.
This July 16, 1945 photo, shows the mushroom cloud of the first atomic explosion at Trinity Test Site, New Mexico. (AP Photo)