audible frequency

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Wed, 04 May 2005 10:50:26 -0600

I Rock in Iraq followup

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:18:23 -0600

Out of about 60 people contributing audio clips to my brother, I have my personal favorites. The most creative one was sent from Felix Jung who keeps a personal blog at Avoision. He reads it in such a way that it is hard to believe he didn't write it himself. It makes me feel like I'm almost there. I've included the text below. Be sure to check out his page. Not only does he have a nice design, but he also has an audio section on the right side where he posts various songs.

WITH THREE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ON THE OLENTAGY BRIDGE IN OHIO
by Michael Lohre read by Felix Jung

It is twilight and the river barely winds.
The east arches remind me of Dresden far
away on the Rhine before we destroyed
our minds. Bomb us to the river. It's
the only place that's safe. Sandbars
below like the back of a whale to ride
away. The lights of the city coming
on like eyes in the water, like candles
in catfish jugs to me, like the first fires
of man to one soul whispering Chinese.
How frightening it must have been to see
that reflection: those first flames. A couple
stands near me and something in the woman's
face says jump now and all water finds a way
to Kenya. We are standing quiet at the rails,
the fog growing heavy as if to catch any spirit
or word produced either from pain or joy.
Then the city wind gusts in and sucks at our
open gums. And we hold our stories inside.
The moon appears and its light draws
our figures closer together down the rail.
Our shadows showing on the water
like folks up early to work or refugees
wishing against the moonlight. You can
bomb a river and it just gives and gives.
We are here because it's dark and we live.
You can bomb this river and never, never win.

I Rock in Iraq

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 21:58:15 -0600

Um, as some of you may or may not know, my brother is in the army and stationed in Iraq. He's a tanker and has been in all the worst areas, Baghdad, Fallujah, and tons of other places he isn't allowed to tell me about. While I do not support the war in any way, I want my brother to make it back safe.

I'm sending him a huge care package tomorrow late afternoon. It includes a ton of food, a few presents, and some music that he has probably never heard before in his life. I'm sending 5 minidiscs. 4 are filled with songs and the 5th one I plan to fill with good wishes from people I know as well as strangers. If you have a few moments tonight and want to contribute to this little project, please record a short message in mp3 or .wav or .aiff or whatever on your computer with your microphone and either post it someplace and let me know where or email it to my gmail account aliciafrantz AT gmail.com

I need to send the package tomorrow late afternoon noon to get it there before Christmas. I know this is short notice and if you don't have time I totally understand. This is really last minute but I know how happy it would make my brother, his name is Dale. Here is a picture of him in a tank:

Wishing you all the best.
Alicia

# radio sounds #

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 20:56:01 -0600

I have an old radio that used to belong to Jes' grandpa. It was one of the things I picked up at the auction in Attica during the summer. The radio is black and boxy with several labels on it, so my best guess is that it is a Solid State Airline FM/AM/Multi Band IC radio from Montgomery Wards. In total I count 10 different radio bands I can have it on, though I only get frequency on some of those and the rest are either blank or filled with whatever passes for music these days. When I bid on it at the auction I dreamed of myself sitting next to the radio late at night listening for shortwave numbers stations on the channel marked SW. Unfortunately, I've yet to hear anything besides commercial hits and an interesting robotic weather report that includes the regional weather and the nautical forecast for Lake Michigan. I'll get around to recording that on a different day. On Sunday I finally heard something more interesting. While it is not a numbers station, maybe it could be a signal sent to someone. After aimlessly flipping around the dial I heard an interesting tone that went on for about 30 minutes and then abruptly stopped. I recorded about 15 minutes but I am only including 4 minutes in the interest of space. Also, if short wave numbers stations are of interest to you, I just found out today that The Conet Project collection of recordings is available in mp3 format. I would encourage you to buy the cd set though as the liner notes are incredible.

# squirrels #

Thu, 30 Sep 2004 18:12:40 -0600

the squirrels are up to something. this one was at my window, distracting me from doing anything with its half catlike, half birdlike cry. the anguished sound went on for over 30 minutes before i got up to find out where it came from. at first i thought the little squirrel was stuck in a precarious spot out on the wood pole by my window. then i wondered if it was bothered by the sounds of construction, tearing down a home, maybe the squirrel's home. i watched it for a while, twitching its tail and rubbing its claws together. i wondered what i could do to help it. there was nothing; squirrels live in a different world than i. i took a picture and recorded the cry. after two minutes of recording the squirrel turned around, stepped out onto the wire, and scurried away. he must have gotten his message across.

when you play this recording, i highly suggest you put your speakers in the window and turn up the volume. this message from the squirrel needs to be heard, and this is the only way. also, if you could please buy a bag of unshelled nuts at the store and throw them out into your yard, it would be greatly appreciated.

i normally would never say something like that, the squirrel made me say it.

# auction in attica, indiana #

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 16:24:07 -0600

tom swanson clip #1 tom clip #2 tom clip #3 unintentional purchase yeps and ah-ahs new hampshire maple hutch the auction truck matt swanson headphone purchase

i recently made a trip to attica, in with jes and her family. j3s' grandmother passed away and the family was having an auction to distribute the items from her home. i mainly went to get a feel for the woman that j3s respected and talked about so much. i also wanted to spend some time with j3s and her family. attica is possibly the smallest town i have every been in with a population of only 4000 people. somehow it seemed even smaller than that with only one traffic light and a seemingly deserted downtown area. we stayed overnight at the attica inn hotel which is rumored to have been a hideout for al capone while he was on the lam. first thing in the morning we headed over to the house where the auction, conducted by swanson and swanson auctioneers, was being held outdoors.

tom swanson auctioning off glassware
there were tons of household items out in the yard, much like a yard sale, but with many more items. the front yard, the side yard, the back yard, all had large tables filled with every household item you could possibly imagine. the auction was already underway when we arrived, but i quickly found the few items i wanted (2 old microphones and some headphones). this first recording is from when we first arrived. i like the way it starts with "you the man, you the man" and then you hear the person getting more glassware. you also hear the sound of me zipping my bag and shuffling around.

tom auctioning off a few more things
the auctioneer cannot see what the next item for bidding is, so he asks. next are indiana historical items (old newspapers), then the old western songs of the ranch guitar book, then more martial studios (no idea what that is), indian red clay pottery.

tom auctioning off some more items
he says, "thank you, thank you, thank you" and "2 boxes 1 money". i'm not sure what was in the boxes.

i almost unintentionally made a purchase
on this soundclip i was saying hi to j3s' uncle as he walked by. all i did was raise my hand a little (oops) to wave at him and suddenly the auctioneer thinks i an bidding on the auction. luckily he was kind enough to ask.

yeps and ah-ahs
i included this clip of tom auctioning off a book more for the loud "yeps" and "ah-ahs" more than anything.

new hampshire maple hutch auction
the bidding goes up fairly high on this, either way, the winning bidder got a pretty good deal.

the auction truck
tom sells something and then starts up the truck to move to the back of the yard to sell a washer and dryer. you can hear his voice traveling away and the sound of other people talking about the auction.

tom's son, matt, takes over
at some point in the backyard the auctioneer changes to the matt swanson instead of tom. they both have many similarities, and many differences in auction calling style. both are amazing at calling out things and keeping people alert. since the auction has moved to the backyard where there are more bushes, you can hear crickets in the background.

headphone purchase
this last clip is of the stereo headphones being auctioned off. the headphones are in a cute little red bag that says columbia (the manufacturer) on the lower corner. the bag itself would find a nice home in almost any hipster's accessory closet. since i am not an experienced auction buyer, i had to have jes coach me. if it hadn't been for jes i would have bid as soon as they said the word headphones and paid $10. instead i got the headphones, with the cute red bag, for only $1.

i also was lucky enough to visit j3s's uncle's home and his recently acquired carnegie library in williamsport, indiana. i guess this is now the smallest town i have visited with only 2000 residents. i also climbed down indiana's tallest waterfall, the williamsport falls, (90 feet tall) which was a little dried up at the time with j3s and her siblings. more pictures can be seen here.

# millenium park ribbon cutting #

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 16:23:27 -0600

the opening weekend of millenium park here in chicago was such a festive occasion. besides there being a ton of people, the city hired musicians, magicians, mimes, security guards, and food vendors to keep the crowds entertained.

drumming around the globe mp3

old town school's drumming around the globe is teaching people to drum. an instructor explains to an audience volunteer when to hit the drum, as a sitar player and a keyboardist play repetitive music. the audience members clap for the first person. in the background you can hear a security guard's radio and the sounds of cameras taking photos while a new person learn to drum. there is a loud binging noise, another instrument, that is a little too loud. many people are standing around enjoying the music while others are passing by.

the downtown sound mp3

one man, the downtown sound, is playing an accordion and singing a song (a polka) about polka and beer. compared to the drumming lessons very few people are standing around him so there is hardly any crowd noise. the few who are listening are dancing.

david kovac mp3

the sounds of the magician/balloon artist, david kovac, making a balloon for a young girl in the audience named talia. as he makes a balloon with his automatic balloon buoy (an air machine that blows up the balloons), there is some slight feedback in the speakers as a result of the sound. just like any smart balloon artist, he waits to hear suggestions from the audience about what balloon animal he should make before committing to exactly what his balloon animal is. toward the end, in the distance you can hear a little drumming from a different performance. his suit, which he mentions, is loud but stylish.

minianka african drum & dance ensemble mp3

minianka african drum & dance ensemble plays music as people stand around a dance floor. the music was great, it is hard to believe there was no one dancing.

ribbon cutting ceremony mp3

(this sound clip is fairly long, 16 minutes) people in the crowd talk, children play, and cell phones ring. after a quick introduction, the mayor, richard m. daley, speaks about the park and what it means to chicago, comparing it to other cities. the mayor then introduces john brian who speaks a little about the park and the public private partnership that made the building of the park a reality. a friendly group of people offer me a spot on their blanket, but i need to stand to get a decent recording, so i kindly refuse. cindy pritzker is up next and has her say before bill daley has his. music of the grant park symphony and orchestra begins and i make my way out of the park.

As usual, pictures can be found here.

# st nicholas eparchy for ukranian catholics #

Tue, 13 Jul 2004 13:23:42 -0600

my new apartment is on a tree lined street, close to the ukranian catholic church. the neighborhood is filled with all sorts of people, mostly ukranian. though i am only a few blocks away from my old place, this new place has less car traffic and none of the shady characters. instead of gang bangers when i walk outside i run into older ukranian people who have lived in the neighborhood forever and young ukranian families. the neighborhood is insular. most everyone speaks ukranian and there are several ukranian churches, schools, shops, and grocery stores. as a new resident in the neighborhood i'm often ignored. though i pass by the same people on a daily basis and i frequently smile and say hello, i'm more often than not greeted with silence and a look the other way.

from my living room window, i can see the top of the church close to my house, st. nicholas eparchy for ukranian catholics. while i am much more spiritual than religious, i still appreciate the architectural beauty of the church. at several times throughout the day, mainly in the mornings around 7 and in the evenings at 6, the church bells ring and the neighborhood reverberates with song. every day is a different song, sometimes there is one long song and sometimes there are several shorter ones. the sound in this clip is the sound of my new neighborhood at 6 on a monday night. the birds in the tree outside my window sing, a few cars drive by, someone honks, the bells begin to play their song while the bird continues to to sing its song too. in the distance there is the faint song of another church bell which simply tolls the time. the sound of the church bells pause their song and an unidentifiable rhythmic clacking noise makes itself heard before the song begins again. for a moment my ukranian neighbors say something i do not understand, there is a small crashing noise and the church song continues as a car drives by. the church bells pause again, there is another pause as more loud clacking is heard, and the song begins again. people talk, a dog barks, cars go by. the birds are persistent in their calls, unfazed by the church bell which pales their own songs.

#mammogram#

Mon, 14 Jun 2004 10:03:53 -0600

the sounds of a mammogram machine can be heard in this clip. outside of the instructions from the mammogram technician, the sounds are much like that of an office. behind the thin door, the voices of nurses chatting on break can be heard.

everything turned out to be just fine, but i imagine this painful pressing of the breasts in between sheets of plastic meant to locate early signs of breast cancer is something that will be an annual routine process as i get older. my grandmother had breast cancer several times before she ultimately passed away from it.

while i was fortunate enough to have insurance that paid for my mammogram, everyone is not. visit the breast cancer site to click a link that helps women get mammograms who might not be able to afford them otherwise.

# ASAE #

Tue, 04 May 2004 13:45:07 -0600

i'm the contact person for the chicago chapter of the america society for acoustic ecology. if you are reading this page and have some interest in sound, you should join. so far not much is happening, but once there are a few more members we plan to educate chicago about the acoustic environment.

here is some info about the ASAE: The American Society for Acoustic Ecology (ASAE) is a membership organization dedicated to exploring the role of sound in natural habitats and human societies, and promoting public dialogue concerning the identification, preservation, and restoration of natural and cultural sound environments. The ASAE will: * Disseminate research results and curriculum materials, sponsor lectures, conferences and other events, and support creative exploration of the soundscape through sound art and installations.
* Foster cross-disciplinary research and discussion about the impacts of natural and human-made sound on the biosphere, including Earth's oceans, land, and air, and contribute to the development of guidelines to identify and modify human-generated acoustic environments that pose a significant ecological or health risk.
* Provide advice to public and private land managers about how best to study, manage, and interpret natural sound environments for the benefit of both visitors and wildlife, with sensitivity to the desire for both quiet and motorized recreation.
* Synthesize approaches to understanding and experiencing soundscapes as they exist in the United States, and actively collaborate with other like-minded organizations to contribute to the global awareness of sound's fundamental impact on all living organisms.

# underneath lake shore drive #

Mon, 26 Apr 2004 22:39:39 -0600

we could barely see the tops of the tallest buildings which should be easily visible. it was easy to forget there was even a downtown. the fog rolled around, so much so that it looked like the tennis court might have had a hidden smoke machine outside of its gates. this is the kind of fog that transforms everything into something from a dream. objects appear blurry, sounds come out distorted.

david and i spontaneously stopped off during other errands to record the sound under the diversey harbor bridge. lake shore drive runs above it and the sound of the cars driving overhead while the boats file in and out of lake michigan presents an interesting, if not obnoxiously loud, listening experience on a sunny day. today, though the water was still, and the fog was so heavy that no boats were braving the lowered visibility. david recorded the sounds while i took some interesting pictures. this sound clip could easily be mistaken for water rushing in and out, especially with the cry of a few seagulls in the background. the soothing sound is actually the result of cars rushing by overhead.

#costa rica 2004#

Mon, 29 Mar 2004 13:34:00 -0600

listen to sounds from my trip to costa rica with david and jes: sky trek in monteverde tour guide explaining continental divide highest zip line rainforest sounds ...

# sound canopy #

Tue, 17 Feb 2004 11:52:45 -0600

if you are in chicago, head over to the corners of adams and state streets to check out sound canopy. listening to a soundscape playing 24 hours a day should be pretty interesting, especially considering that during the daytime at least, the sounds of the natural environment (shoppers, commuters, and traffic) will be loud as usual. i think the natural sounds mixed with the recorded sounds should make for some interesting listening and recording too.

another nice ongoing soundscape can be heard in the fern room over at the lincoln park conservatory. this one is hosted by experimental sound studio. this time last year i headed over there to warm up a little in the greenhouse and happened upon it. go listen.

# comments turned off #

Mon, 02 Feb 2004 16:25:08 -0600

while i enjoy reading comments from different people who have happened across my page here, i have decided to turn comments off for the time being. this weekend the comment sections became filled with tons of comment spam from an online pharmacy bot or script. there are several fixes for this sort of thing, but all are time consuming to put into place and are not fail proof. after sitting around deleting comments about viagra, prozac, ambien, and a whole host of other feel good legal drugs, i've decided that for now at least it is not worth it. later when the methods for avoiding spam comments improve i will likely open comments again.

if anyone has anything they would like to add to any of my posts, feel free to email me and i will add it to the post manually. if you just want to let me know you are reading or have some super exciting secret sound that i should know about, feel free to email me: alicia AT audiblefrequency.net

UPDATE: as a result of emails for readers, for now i will leave the comments turned on and continue to delete comments with spam.

# ice storm #

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 15:21:31 -0600

you can just hear the patter of the tiny bits of ice hitting the pavement. it almost sounds like rice krispies (snap, crackle, pop). just after this, my friend walks across the icey cement.