Last Shiny Thing now on Bandcamp

Circa '07 collection of instrumentals and songs. Includes glockenspiel, Alesis Air Synth, feedback (no surprise there), Nashville tuned acoustic guitar, slide whistle, kalimba, Yamaha VSS-30 mini sampler, sleigh bells and such.

Ghosts Of New Jerusalem -- now on Bandcamp

Hampton Beach Sunrise features Always

Hampton Beach Sunrise from Amy Okaya on Vimeo.

Here is a friend's montage of photos from the edge of the North Atlantic Ocean.  Always, a piece of yours truly's, plays in the background.

I'm honored and surprised--even if Always does seem to have a life of its own.  In Amy's video.  In recording artist Moody Alien's guest hosted radio show.

Time Capsule on Bandcamp

Touch Nothing

Touch Nothing, a songlike instrumental hosted on Box.



A creaking ark of pet sounds, it could also called Touch Everything given the even more than more, supah-maximal approach.

Optigan drums as well as organ are in there. Home organ bass pedal, glockenspiel, feedback, sludgy distorted guitar, two melodicas, sleigh bells, egg shakers. Not quite enough, right? The Yamaha VSS-30 sampler will help . . .

Another older recording mixed to wondrous stereophonic sound.

Drag Surge & Click

Drag Surge & Click, an instrumental hosted on Box.



Features slide guitar feedback on an electrified beater acoustic guitar (named "Dylan" by its former owners evidently because it was distributed by a company based in Beverly Hills CA), Salvation Army glockenspiel, kalimba, bass, and wood percussion.

Always

Always, hosted on Box.



A songlike waltz featuring electric guitar, glockenspiel, bass, melodica, toy echo feedback, vocals. Initially recorded back in '07, mixed recently.

June Bug In August

June Bug In August is another instrumental hosted on box.net.



Features more of electric guitar, but much of that is processed thru the venerable Korg X-911 Guitar Synth. Or the guitar is controlling the Korg.

Whisper Down The Well

Whisper Down The Well, on box.net.



Something akin to Whisky Drinkas, but without the shambling drums & heavier on the ghostly vibe.

Spectral Cakewalk

Spectral Cakewalk

Second Plateau

Second Plateau

Cold Island Reel

Cold Island Reel

Till The Very End

Till The Very End


Another upbeat song (as in not so much).

Featuring such earthy things as a funky Kay acoustic and a humble Nashville strung companion.

Kitchen Improv

Kitchen Improv


This starts out quietly then gets good and loud.

Just something cooked up one day with assorted kitchen items as percussion: a kitchen sink, an oven rack, a kettle partially filled with water, various lids and a porcelain bowl submerged in water by varying degrees (to create pitchbendy goodness), water sloshing in the sink and so on.

All the sorts of cool sounds one hears when washing dishes, but one is, well, too busy washing dishes to do much about other than listen.

Recorded with the Zoom H4 and mixed on Cubase LE.

of frogs & thunder

Faint recordings--for close listening, turn up the volume.

FrogsEtcFloodedBackyd11May07


After a particularly heavy downpour last May, the fields & backyard where I was visiting were flooded with more than rain. There were frogs near and far. Mostly you can hear the near ones.

FrogsInFloodedBkyard11May07



(BTW: not thunder exactly, but frogs & distant fireworks . . .)

You may find these thunderstorm recordings to be somewhat louder--please adjust volume accordingly.

Thunderstorm28July2007



These thunderstorms were all recorded in Massachusetts.

Thunderstorm21June2007-3



The one below is from earlier in the same storm, so the rain and runoff is louder. But the thunder gets close starting around 1:43.

Thunderstorm21June2007-2

crickets & birdsong 13 September 2007

CricketsCicadaBirdsNearBarn13Sep2007



BirdsongCrickets13Sept2007



More recordings from Southeastern Virginia. Like the two main recordings in goose again, done last September.

And more of James River splashing, from another day that September:


JamesRivShoreOffColPkwy26Sep2007

goose again & river splashing

FlybyGooseCowsRoosters30Sept2007


Yes, again with the geese.

Beyond some nearby birds singing, it's a faint recording. Turn up the volume to hear a goose, calling out & flying over around 1:45 to 1:55. Yep, you can hear the cycling wisp of its wings in motion.

Not to mention faraway cows and dogs, roosters crowing, cars passing.

Hard to believe it's early Sunday morning on a farm. Cageian silence, country-fried.

A bit more of the same here.


WavesJamesRivHogIsFishingArea30Sep2007



This is louder--so turn down the volume a bit. If only to save any subwoofers from the rumble of the wind.

But it's the same Sunday morning as before. Just later on with a change of venue.

The James River splashing, a plane, a boat passing. And the aforementioned wind rising up now & then.

If it's more geese ye be needing, here's a long ago lo-fi snip of winter on Hog Island.

summer out, winter in

Continuing in the field recording vein, late summer outside at night. Recorded where I currently live, not too far south of Framingham MA.

Night Sounds 23 August 2007 #2


Crickets, frogs, some passing aircraft & distant cars. About 17 minutes 5 seconds in length.


Night Sounds 24 August 2007



About 26 minutes 35 seconds long.

I don't recall if the 23rd was a cooler night than the 24th. (One might count cricket chirps.)

But the 23rd certainly has a cooler, more relaxed & uncluttered sound than the 24th.

Choose according to mood.


Whistle of Oil Tank Filling 22 January 2008



Now winter inside: the whistle created by a heating oil tank being filled up, plus the shutoff noise and the very quiet sounds that follow down in the basement. About 4 minutes and 3 seconds long.

Again, all the sounds were recorded with a Zoom H4 Handy Recorder using the built-in microphones.

Tremble Melt, Zoobish Call, Rocky Rajah

Tremble Melt



Zoobish Call



Gotta love Zube Tube reverberation.


Rocky Rajah



Fibrillating home organ rhythms and the tune's namesake looped on a Yamaha VSS-30.

Broken Starlight, Slap and Keen, Short Fridge, Carry Point

Broken Starlight


My oldest brother when he came back home would go out in the clear cold night just to see the darkness and the stars inside it. I was no trooper and would shiver too much to see the sky.

Years later I can still only recognize Orion, but visits back home I'll look starward too.

Much use here of a glockenspiel found in a Salvation Army Thrift on Mercury Blvd. in Hampton VA. Also a funky ol' Kay acoustic found at Candyland Music in Richmond VA.


Slap and Keen



Many whistles, a loon call and the like are brought to bear. Plus something as inorganic as an Alesis Air Synth.


Short Fridge




Carry Point