Experimental Listening and AmeriCorps

Two major events this month: notes from the Experimental Listening and Music Sessions (or "ELMS") in Boston, and joining AmeriCorps as a volunteer in Appalachian Ohio through Rural Action.

In "From the Archives," I revisit a series of four articles written for New Music Box, where I listen to place, labor, social life, and protest in Southeastern Ohio.
 My best, Brian

Experimental Listening and Music Sessions in Boston

At the beginning of the month, I spent a weekend discussing, listening, and performing experimental music in Boston. With a group of thoughtful and dedicated composers, we discussed everything from social practice in music to how our identities evolve over time. We also had an indoor/outdoor performance at Third Life Studio and at a nearby park. It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect, share, and listen.

Photos: Top: photo by Laura Cetilia. Left: Laura Cetilia and Katie Porter Maxwell performing a piece by Cetilia. Right: Ben Taylor participating in Adam Tinkle's piece.

Joining the AmeriCorps Ohio Stream Restore Corps

As part of a larger project of creative placemaking in Appalachian Ohio, I'm excited to announce that I am participating as an AmeriCorps volunteer, through Rural Action's Ohio Stream Restore Corps. This year of service takes place at the same time as my work as an A Blade of Grass Fellow in Socially Engaged Art. Both projects will overlap and build off of one another. I will be working with Ohio's Hill Country Heritage Area and the Winding Road, two organizations dedicated to improving social, economic, and environmental life for everyone in Appalachian Ohio. I'll be meeting local residents and listening to their stories about their locally made products and jobs.
Photos courtesy of Rural Action

From the Archives: Listening to the Little Cities of Black Diamonds

In February, 2016, I wrote a series of articles highlighting portraits of people and places of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds region in Appalachian Ohio. 

“You want to get a badass sound, man? Check this out!”
-- Well driller near Corning, Ohio

The articles focus on sounds and how paying attention to them can give insight to the region. I also address how recording and carefully listening to these sounds can suggest ways of bridging between place and creative sound works.

"I hear: electricity buzzing, chains clinking, clapping, laughter, motors, coughing, yelling, a baby crying, a car radio, wood hitting concrete, hissing air, dog growls, sighs, birds, trucks revving, banging, pounding, a dog sniffing, and sneezing..."

Each of the four articles explores a different aspect of live in Appalachian Ohio: labor, protest, recovery, and social life. Together, the articles show how listening to places and their pasts can help transform their futures.