Mark Rushton Podcast #9 - "What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like?"

Mark Rushton Podcast #9 - What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like? (January 2006)
Released January 1, 2006
22 minutes and 37 seconds
160kb-encoded MP3
27MB

"What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like?" by Mark Rushton

A reporter from a local paper asked me via email about the possibility of writing a story on the music and spotlighting this podcast. It sort of morphed into a theme that the reporter came up with, which was: "What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like?"

During the month of December in 2005, winter has been relentless in Iowa. We've received nearly a foot of snow and dealt with temperatures as low as -19. I commute daily to from my home in Cedar Rapids to my job in Iowa City using state highways and county roads, and you can't help but be inspired by the beauty and the difficulty of driving through the winter landscape. I hope that the music in this podcast reflects what I'm seeing and experiencing this winter.

First track is "Advisory" - a piece I completed in December 2005 in collaboration with Jon Harnish.

The second track, "Winter Wind Chimes", is about 4 minutes long and was completed in December 2005 with the assistance of Jon Harnish. Part of it was done in the studio, and other sections are samples from a previous live performance at the Ambient Matyk Cafe in Cedar Rapids.

Continuing with the show's theme is "New Rules" - this is another hybrid ambient piece based on atmospheric loops that Jon Harnish created and I arranged. Jon also plays bass guitar, and, like "Winter Wind Chimes" the bass was recorded live at the Ambient Matyk Cafe. I also provided the field recording of birds, recorded near rural Toddville, Iowa, that you'll hear throughout. This reminds me of one of those grey days in the country where the temps are in the 20s and not much is going on.

The fourth piece of music was made in early 2005 and called "Minus Eleven" - it was initially created when the temps outside were actually minus eleven. It's a bit more of a rhythmic piece - think of spinning tires and idling car engines if you wish - and if you're not wearing headphones you might not fully appreciate what's going on, so get a pair on if you can. This 4 minute track is from my recent CD release, Hum And Drift.

Finally, to finish off the theme of "What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like?" is a short piece of music by Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish, just under 2 minutes, called "Drift Higher" - it features a field recording of birds in the early spring time, something we are all looking forward to after going through so many cold winter days and dark evenings.


For more about Mark's podcasts, visit http://podcast.markrushton.com