The nasal squawks of rhinoceros auklets are among the most popular sounds in my collection. You can hear some of them in this great new video from Salish Sea Wild.
Herring music
If a video producer asks if you have anything that goes well with herring, the answer is always yes. Check out the latest episode of Salish Sea Wild, which includes some of my music in the underwater scenes.
New exhibit opens this week
If you are in Salt Lake City this week: The exhibit Nature All Around Us opens for previews tonight at the Natural History Museum of Utah. I contributed most of the recordings and sound design, from spooky rumbles in an underground crawl space to the creation of the perfect backyard soundscape. It was one of the more extensive sound installations I have produced, with seven different immersive environments in all. Check it out!
Thunderstorm in Seattle
This thunderstorm lingered over Seattle for what seemed like hours. Here is what it sounded like from my front porch.
KGB microphone
Dateline Estonia: Every visit to the country of Estonia should include a tour of the KGB Museum at the Viru Hotel. The Soviets occupied Estonia until two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. After achieving their independence in 1991, Estonians were able to gain access to the KGB offices at the Viru where Soviet spooks had spied on patrons during the cold war. I took this picture on a recent visit. It shows a wireless microphone in the form of a bread plate. Beware offers of complimentary bread from the kitchen.
Milwaukee Short Film Festival
Update: ‘Flesh and Blood’ has been selected to screen at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival in September 2019.
Flesh and Blood now available
Neil Brookshire’s short film “Flesh and Blood” premiered this month at the Door Kinetic Arts Festival in Wisconsin. It’s an inspired take on a classic theme that boils down to a single question. Watch the film to find your own answers. You can hear some of my music in it.
Moth concert tonight
Solaris and the moths will be performing tonight at 7:30 at Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford.
I would like to thank Flavia Barbosa of the Department of Biology at Lake Forest College for providing the wax moths used in this performance. Thanks also to Sharlene Santana of the University of Washington Department of Biology and my sister Lydia Rice for providing bat detectors to capture the sounds of the moths’ wing beats. Additional thanks to Michael Greenfield and Hayward Spangler for their earlier help and inspiration.
Photo from Wednesday’s dress rehearsal.
Solaris Vocal Ensemble: The Explorer's Edge
Giselle Wyers leads the 13-voice Solaris Vocal Ensemble (Photo: Joanne DePue)
“The Explorer’s Edge” features works about the experience of exploration, by land, sea, in the Arctic regions, in flight, or at the edges of the universe. Jeff Rice, guest composer, premieres his work Madame Moth in homage to Pauline Oliveros’ Bye Bye Butterfly, and will include live processing of the ultrasonic wing beats of wax moths alongside the voices of Solaris. Peter Bracilano, lighting designer, will create various atmospheres in the resonant space of Good Shepherd Center.
New York Times Magazine 'Voyages' issue wins Ellie award
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).