no.244 | Museum of Sunflowers
PSO no.244 was recorded in the usual place (my porch) but in a unusual way. Normally, I sit on the porch swing with my acoustic guitar in front of a field recorder and have a go. For this piece, I brought out an amp that I played through an effects pedal. I then ran two mics from my field recorder, one placed in front of the guitar and the other in front of the spacey sounds coming from the amp.
My favorite part of this recording is the way the ice cream truck’s melody intertwines with the music near the middle of the track. Magic! The photograph is an image of our few remaining sunflowers in the side yard. Some the letters and numbers of the digital file, when rearranged, created a portal to a supernova.
Wednesday, August 6th
6:30 am performance, 7 am run, 8 am swim
PSO will be taking a wee break for the rest of July, but will be back in August in time for a intimate early morning performance near the Monkey Tree at the South Entrance of Barton Springs Pool in Austin for Artist Run Club. We gather at 6:30 am for a live performance, run at 7 and finish with a refreshing dip in the pool before 8am, while entrance to the pool is still free.
My favorite part of this recording is the way the ice cream truck’s melody intertwines with the music near the middle of the track. Magic! The photograph is an image of our few remaining sunflowers in the side yard. Some the letters and numbers of the digital file, when rearranged, created a portal to a supernova.
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PSO LIVE EVENT
PSO Annual Barton Springs Pool Performance for Artist Run ClubWednesday, August 6th
6:30 am performance, 7 am run, 8 am swim
PSO will be taking a wee break for the rest of July, but will be back in August in time for a intimate early morning performance near the Monkey Tree at the South Entrance of Barton Springs Pool in Austin for Artist Run Club. We gather at 6:30 am for a live performance, run at 7 and finish with a refreshing dip in the pool before 8am, while entrance to the pool is still free.
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LETS'S MAKE SOMETHING TOGETHER
I love to collaborate, remotely or in person, but if you have a piece you would like to feature on PSO (without contributions by me), by all means, please reach out!Email us at info(at)porchswingorchestra.org
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ABOUT PSO
Porch Swing Orchestra is an art project begun by Barry Stone that explores the interplay between still images and sound.Photographs and musical improvisations build a framework for deep listening and visual contemplation. Barry Stone plays acoustic guitar with a Fahey-inspired picking style mixed in with electronic effects, like My Bloody Valentine for a campfire. The sounds of the outside—bird calls, stray conversations, passing cars—become part of the music.
Stone scrambles the code and layers images taken on-site to produce new imaginaries. We discover fresh ways to see and hear everything.
Since 2018, PSO has collaborated with dozens of musicians, artists, poets, writers, and activists to publish over 240 unique combinations of images and sounds.
Most PSO pieces are made on Stone’s front porch in Austin, Texas, but PSO has traveled to Spiral Jetty in Utah, the border town of Del Rio, Texas, Maine, the San Juan Islands, and performes live in unconventional venues such as the James Turrell Skyspace, The Color Inside as a part of The University of Texas Landmarks Songs in the Skyspace Program.
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PSO RADIO
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Exclusively here at PSO HQ.
Click on the PSO Radio Icon to Start the Stream
