You are browsing the media Archives
A short video and admittedly, a creative cop-out, a way to keep from writing. But hey, that's all I do anymore... write write right, rite,
Push play on the player and play it. Fun, and short enough to keep your attention. If you like this, you’ll love what's coming up...
Not bad, not bad a-tall . . .
Click below on the play arrow.
If you are on an RSS feed and no such arrow appears below, follow the "beta testing an app" link to the website. bigbonton.org
/ flashplayer /
Based on an ASP-based algorithm (currently unknown), but such valuable visual juxtapositions! The 2nd and 3rd iterations were not as effective.
It's beta-day, Aug 31, '07!
Get on it like me, it's considered work for this Friday.
Post-Birthday and one of my goals in life has been semi-fulfilled:
to appear on The Simpsons.
So close to being true yet still it feels somewhat vacant.
Cooly Casual.
It's the voice that's lacking. It's just a still photo. No animation to it. No life.
Is this all there is?
Then send in the clowns . . .
(don't bother, they're here).
simpson-ize-me
Spring weather is here and Savannah is beautiful.
Thousands of Northern college students are in town for athletics and fun.
Have you been around Forsythe Park this week?
Every field is taken over by Frisbee in a three week long session of Ultimate.
That’s Ultimate Frisbee,
in case you didn’t get hip to the lingo of the cool & slightly-ruled sport.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
an audio button should appear above.
If not, blame your browser or RSS feed.
Second effort available at:
bigbonton on evoca
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The Coastal Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is sponsoring their 11th annual Spring Break Tournament. The largest yet, the FCA is bringing 128 teams to enjoy our sunshine over a three week period.
March 12 begins the week of their largest session of the tournament, when 64 teams and over 1,200 college students converge on Savannah.
This session occurs on the pitch on Little Neck Road across from Savannah Christian Church. Play occurs daily from 10 am to 7pm.
Then the following week March 19th to 22nd they return to Forsythe Park. Play occurs daily from 9am to 7pm.
Free to the public, just be sure to stay off field – they’re playing hard!
Tune in to one of the pure and original sounds from
"The Old, Weird America", as it is called in the liner notes to
"The Anthology of American Folk Music” , Edited by Harry Smith.
Named by the Smithsonian Institute as
“… one of the most influential releases in the history of recorded sound."
"The Old, Weird America" description is not derogatory.
It’s an apt description of the pre-World War America, the isolationist agrarian country with pockets of highly individual communities. The description is of our country prior to the homogenizing influences of mass communications: pre-telephone, pre-TV (especially non-local cable TV), pre-mass market radio. Pause and consider how information was passed along in those days. Musical influences were limited to friends, family, neighbors, and possible a Pastor who traveled in from a days ride away.
“Old, Weird America" was an actual time in our national history that folded once our doughboys saw Paris, as referenced in the lyric:
"How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On the Farm
After They've Seen Pa-ree" (by Arthur Fields, c.1919)
After The War to End All Wars, the isolated old weird America was over.
In the pre-World War America …
Imagine:
1. a land of immigrants;
2. with pockets of geographical isolation where cross-pollination of ideas and exchange of information went neither fast nor far;
3. mix and mingle these factors for a few generations;
and the resulting unique musical styles show personal inspirations, are self-produced, and representative of the life of the performer - typically a self-taught agrarian singer-songwriter, often using a homemade instrument.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Audio regarding Sacred Harp Singing, with Gene Pinion.
Recorded Savannah, GA Feb 28, 2007
Push Play
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
an audio button should appear above.
If not, blame your browser or RSS feed.
Second effort available at:
bigbonton on evoca
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
This specific version of old weird American music is known as “Sacred Harp Singing”, “Shaped Note Singing”, or “fa so la”.
Attend a Singing and you’ll hear influences that cross centuries, continents, and cultures.
Participate in a “Singing” (they’re called “Singings” and not “performances” because it’s very participatory) and you’ll understand how Singings have lasted. The group Singings satisfy basic human needs: physical, emotional, social, and our need to worship our creator.
• Physical – like a chant or mantra, this Singing style calls for breath control similar to the inhale and release of a repetitive chant, resulting in a relaxation, and forcing a focus beyond the day-to-day, much like meditation or sports.
• Emotional – group Singing creates a freeing perspective, largely resulting from involvement in something larger than yourself. Singings are never actual church meetings or worship services, they are simply about making a Singing happen through group participation, and so creating an instant mini-community of interest.
Which leads to,
• Social – It’s all about the music. Since a group Singing cannot happen alone, the group is dependant on the participation of each singer. Combine this “one for all” effort, this shared focus, the resulting group rewards of the production, and the results include a sense of fellowship and the joy of “giving to” and “getting from” our neighbors.
The musical aspect of Sacred Harp is the focus of this writing.
Worship is another basic human need that Singings satisfy, but worship is such a topic unto itself that this writing is sticking strictly to announcing the invitation to the Savannah Singings, and announcing the opportunity to experience Singing at the Savannah Music Festival. Still, feel a perfect touch from the topic of worship:
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,
All ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness,
Come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord, He is God:
It is He that hath made us,
And not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
(Full text of Psalm 100 in Comments below)
. . .
. . .
One personal reason why am I interested:
Liberty Hill Primitive Baptist Church
. . .
. . .
A Sacred Harp Singing in Savannah
The Saturday before the second Sunday each month.
2:00 – 4:00
Faith Primitive Baptist Church
3212 Bee Road Savannah, GA
(near Victory Drive)
Gene Pinion email Gene for info
912-655-0994
Singings are very inclusive, if you show up you are welcome to join in. This is not a worship service, no sermons, no offering requested. It’s informal and is all about enjoying the music with one another.
Live Sacred Harp Singing is a powerful musical experience that is available to us in Savannah.
. . .
. . .
Sacred Harp Singing at the Savannah Music festival
On Sunday March 18 at 3pm
there will be a screening of “Awake, My Soul”
at the Jepson Center (Neises Auditorium).
The filmmakers, Matt & Erica Hinton ,
will be there to talk about their film and to answer questions.
Then at 5:00pm we will meet next door at Trinity United Methodist Church for a participatory Singing for the Savannah Music festival.
. . .
. . .
for more info and sources, click on
Continue reading "Sacred Harp Singing in Savannah" »
Got a parking ticket
& wanted to save my lunch money for my lunch,
you know?
Pocketed a trusty audio capture tool,
strutted into the Bureau of Parking and Robotic Bureaucrats,
and launched into a sales pitch.
As you can hear, the strategy could have used more planning, but who would expect the clerk-bot to flat-out say
“tell me your excuse”.
Defaulting to common human denominators,
we went for the pity (aka: sick love puppy) vote and it worked!
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
an audio button should appear above.
If not, blame your browser or RSS feed.
Second effort available at:
bigbonton on evoca
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Love, or the attempt at a reasonable facsimile thereof, conquers all,
even at a walk-up teller window with a Robotic Bureaucrat.
The sweetest words of the day: “Next in line”!
Moral of the story:
When someone tells you to “Stop saying that ‘get right with the law’ thing”, just do as instructed.
Being all "Please & Thank You" throws everyone off balance.
And if it’s Johnny Law you’re talking to, then it’s all “Yes Sir, No Sir, three bags full”.
You aren’t really over 21 if you don’t know:
1) It’s hard to look cool when your car stalls out.
2) No one looks tough in cuffs.
We were $12 up!
Spent it already . . . on lunch that same day.
From WTOC Savannah, here are some cyber dudes getting media airtime on the old school airwaves:
(A YouTube clip should appear below. If not, blame your browser or RSS feed. Second effort available at:
youtube.)
. . -> "It's Not My Place in the 9 to 5 World." <- . .
At the blogging un-conference, hosted by blogsavannah
"a good time was had by all".
And what a start to what a day!
First, a stimulating networking opportunity to meet face to face with some sharp minds at this conference. Got confirmation, validation, was challenged, asked and answered.
In the evening, donned black & white for a magazine anniversary party at the glam venue of an art museum.
Theorem: put on a tuxedo and you’ll always have a grin and some new tales the next day.
Finger food crab cakes, live cool jazz, formally dressed beautiful people - all so dapper and well behaved.
While on the main pavilion, chatting with one of the female beauties, her photo shoot came up among the twenty-foot images being projected on the wall. A brush with fame! And a warm glowing association with a charmer. No wonder the camera loves her.
Post-event goings on included episodes that Keith Richards would have smiled, sighed, and strained to keep up with.
Crystal stem glasses were "ching-ed" like tuning forks, car keys and valuables were tossed into bushes (for safe keeping), shoes were lost and feet were bare beneath gowns. Several hours and multiple venues later, an extreme booth wrestling exhibit commenced in a dimly primitive institution, chairs were stacked, rugs were rolled-up or dragged to the street, clothes got ripped for souvenirs (a la Hard Days Night), and no night is complete until a Wurlitzer juke box gets a good dominating session from audiobonton, the maestro of music curators.
-> We want the airwaves, AIRWAVES! <-
The Bose speakers exploded -
blame the Rolling Stones "Shattered":
"Love and hope and sex and dreams
Are still surviving on the street
Look at me! I'm in tatters!"
Pride and joy and greed and sex
That's what makes our town the best
Pride and joy and dirty dreams are still surviving on the street.
Look at Me! What a mess, this town's in tatters. I've been shattered.
Sha-doobie, my brains been battered.
My friends they come around, they
Flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter
Pile it up! Pile it high on a platter!''
. . .
After sunrise, a dramatic 'Triple Lindy" style great escape (as demo'd by Rodney Dangerfield) was staged from level three of a closed parking garage. Security guards were distracted, tires squealed, and the 36 hour Friday was capped with just one more thing that "just needed to be done".
Then, after a few morning hours spent clipping thorns off long-stem roses, and it was time for a Saturday nap, but it was hardly the sleep of the righteous, just the slumber of the spent.
Well spent.
Here's a real piece of work.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
an audio button should appear above.
If not, blame your browser or RSS feed. Second effort available at: evoca
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
(press play and read along to the intro)
This smashing sample of audio comes to us
from a studio!
The mo-bile production facilities of bigbonton.org.
Enjoy a hundred seconds of enhanced online content from an article in the February (2007) issue of The South Magazine.
We go now to an excerpt from a skit performed by Angela Beasley and her Puppet People. They are educating elementary school children about the value of recycling.
Remember: reduce, reuse, recycle -
The future of Savannah’s trash is in the hands of foam-headed puppets that are issuing directives to our Elementary school kids.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Q: How many audio engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Huh? What? Couldn't hear you? You said wha? Hows sat?
How many outtie cheers duzzitay do saya libel?
Whatsa outtie cheer ? ? Do I say "Go Outtie"?
Just Press play! Play I say!
-> We heard THAT, fig-won-ton ~ biggie-bonnie-foh-fannie-fonnah-tawn!
sources:
puppetpeople.com for all your puppeting needs:
corporate training, mascots, opening acts, and general enlightenment.
