The Big Shed Podcast

After a particularly colorful Thanksgiving feast, or was it a a drunken night at the bar (?), Independent Producer Amanda Thieroff and her friend Sean Berman challenged each other to embark on the ROYGBIV diet. This diet isn't about losing weight or being nutritious - it's about spending a week eating only one color of food per day, according to the colors of the rainbow.

Stacy Bond's youngest sister died in a nighttime car accident while driving from Mozambique to South Africa. Robbers took her shoes, but left her purse. A year after her death, Stacy met her mother and other sister in New York to attend a seance conducted by Medium George Anderson.

(Produced by Laura Herberg) Director's Choice!  won Director's Choice in , our first-ever audio competition. Laura's story is about her friend Rachel Parsons, an aspiring actress who landed the lead role in a low-budget, independent film. The only drawback was that it required a sex scene in which she would have to be topless, something she wasn't sure she wanted to do.  The role was too good to turn down, even though she worried it might jeapardize her relationship with her boyfriend. The story is told almost completely as verite.  Rachel has been working on a narrated version of this story off and on for years.  She thought the Verite + 1 competition would allow her to experiment with a new approach; maybe shaking loose the producer's block and indecision she's been wrestling with.  We think it worked.

Producer Sara Curtis brings us the story of Benuel Esch - an amish man from Lancaster, PA who has lost his family, his home, and his mind. Benuel started questioning his lifestyle 20 years ago. Now he's returned to Amish living with a new community in Unity, Maine. There, Benuel is trying to make sense of where he's been and where he's going.

The winner of Big Shed's first ever Audio Verite +1 Competition is David Weinberg. The piece is called One for the Commandant, a short story set in downtown Seattle, featuring Edgar, Catfish and Hans, who David hung out with on his breaks from a restaurant job. David recorded the goings on one evening and crafted this story, which is apparently made entirely from audio verite.

Producer Kelley Libby produced a radio story about 13 year-old farmer Colby Perron while at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. This is not that story. But if you listen to Colby's story, you will hear a very short scene in which a calf is born. Kelley spent all day, waiting on a cold concrete floor in a barn in Topsham, Maine, just to get the recording she needed for that scene. Later, she realized the tape she got told a separate story about waiting, pain, responsibility, knowledge and the beginning of life. We can't help but mention that this story would also fit into Big Shed's Audio Verite + 1 Competition if we hadn't given her some editorial help. But you should be inspired. If Kelley can record an audio verite story without even trying, surely you can too.

Producer Tom Niemisto weaves between an interview with  tall-ship captain Samantha Heyman and an astronomer/poet around a bonfire under a broad star-filled sky. The stars are governed by a perfect order and yet, they create a chaos of mystery. We link  astronomy to creation myths in constellations.  We search for deeper meaning the night sky or, with rigorous mathematics, we search for our physical location through navigation.  This is Tom's first non-narrated audio work and, as with many radio stories, he sat on the great verite tape from the bonfire for two years before deciding to weave it with the tall-ship captains' voice. And... check this out... He scored the the music himself and performed it with his cello, seeking to "evoke the undulating horizon off a ship's deck, and the glint of stars trying to tell you something."  We'd say he nailed it.  The original version of this piece was commissioned by Julie Sabatier for Destination DIY on Oregon Public Broadcasting.  It will be broadcast on December 4th  on OPB on a show entitled "DIY: Rituals." Photo by Fmmr via Creative Commons.  

Signs like "Take it Down A Notch," "My Political Views Cannot Be Summed Up On A Pithy Sign," and, of course, "God Hates Figs." Sam Greenspan, Big Shed's Correspondent in Washington, DC, attended The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and files this report.  

  "The Soundscapes of Faith" is an award-winning series of audio postcards produced by Laura Kwerel for the program Interfaith Voices. Each of the short pieces explores world religions through sound. They're based on the idea that every faith tradition has a unique sonic signature. The series distills something essential about faith, something that could not be expressed through a simple interview. “How do you feel when you hear this sound?” was the question asked--the final result is a series of pieces that captures the joy, and emotion, of religion. Laura Kwerel is a past contributor to The Big Shed Podcast, and we are tickled to have her back. This podcast features Laura in conversation with Big Shed curator Shea Shackelford, winding their way through many of the sounds and voices Laura used to create "The Soundscapes of Faith" series.  

Ghana sounds like everything you might imagine, and some things you never could. Producer Julie Shapiro recorded these sounds during a trip to Ghana in January, 2008. Julie was one of the very first producers featured on the Big Shed podcast back in 2005, and if you were lucky enough to listen to her piece "The Only Reason You and I Are Here," then you will recognize her distinctive style in this work. When not creating her own work, Julie fills the spare hours as the artistic director of a little thing called the Third Coast Festival in Chicago. If you're planning to be at the Third Coast Festival Conference in October, you'll be seeing Big Shed there as well--come find us!  

This story was originally produced as two separate pieces for the podcast, Natural Maryland, at WYPR 88.1 FM in Baltimore. Part 1 was entitled "The Journalist and the Deer Hunter" and part 2, "Deer 0012." Producer Louisa Jonas was psyched to merge the two into one piece for this Big Shed podcast. She says, "You could say part 1 was a failure and part 2 a success, or you could say the exact opposite- it really depends on which deer you interview…"  

Howdy friendly listener! You can sit back and relax with our next piece from sound artist Erik DeLuca. He describes "In" as an underwater sound composition that collaborates with different ecosystems in and off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Southern Florida.

In the Big Shed, we always say that audio is the most visual medium.  And we've even offered some stinky audio before.  Thanks to the crafty work of producer Anna Hamilton, prepare for your first aural gag reflex.  Anna is a proud graduate of the Salt Institute in Maine, and brings us this audio adventure from her time there.  Competitive eating is on the upswing in the world of alternative sports, and South Portland, Maine is on the bandwagon. Join us stage-side at the first-ever World Burrito Eating Championship.  We're also pleased to bring you a very special, surprise guest who payed a visit to Jesse at Big Shed Virginia.  We're honored to air this interview with a creative genius who brings his epicurean expertise to bear on reviewing this story. 

We're thrilled to bring you this story from producer Peter Solomon.  It's a gem.  We fell for this piece the first time we heard it.  The rebel yell. What did it sound like – that battle cry that terrorized union troops and rallied Confederates to battle?  Historians have clues from letters and diaries but still have never agreed. Producer Peter Solomon brings us a recording of what many believe is an authentic Rebel Yell ... and it's nothing we expected to hear.  Peter spoke with Waite Rawls, President of the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia, who offers his perspective.  We are also excited to bring you the comments of Allan Gurganus, author of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.  He was a featured speaker last Fall at an "The Audio Listening Institute" from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke and the Third Coast International Audio Festival.  Thanks to Mr. Gurganus being brilliant and to the Center for Documentary Studies for allowing us to rebroadcast their audio.  Peter produced this story as an assignment for the Feature Bureau at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and it aired on public radio stations across the state of Virginia.  Peter's editor, Big Shed friend Lydia Wilson, had read an article about a rebel yell CD from the Musuem of the Confederacy. Peter explained, "I didn't really know anything about the subject before I got the assignment. I knew that there was an amusement park ride called the 'Rebel Yell' or it was something that you shouted at a football game. When I heard the actual sound of the Confederate soldiers demonstrating the yell I was shocked. I played it for a colleague who thought it sounded like a person being killed. I asked Waite Rawls to comment on this reaction. He ended up being a very good storyteller. He's articulate, knowledgeable about the history of the civil war and I was able to let him tell the story without writing any narration."  And thanks to Peter Solomon for sharing this with us.  Peter has worked as a jazz host and operations manager at WCVE-FM, Richmond since 1999. His background is in music.  Peter - "I am a big jazz nerd but in recent years my interests have turned to crafting radio features and that's the part of my job that I most enjoy."

Lillie is a young student who spends time in the community of Westhaven, a mostly African-American, low-income housing development in Charlottesville, VA.  Lillie is incredibly assertive.  She talked her way into a youth radio program where she was at least three or four years younger than the the other students.  The youth program was run by our friends at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, which is where Jesse Dukes and Greg Kelly.  In this piece, Lillie interviews one of her teachers.  She's very adept at forming relationships with adults, which really comes through here.  Jesse and Greg pulled this story together from her interview.  LIllie charmed us, and we hope she charms you, too.

We are so pleased to bring you the second installment in Shortwaveology, a series from producer David Goren. It's as beautiful as the  we were able to share with you. Shortwaveology is an occasional rumination on the crackly sonics, history and cultural influence of shortwave radio. Thanks to former Radio Canada International program host Ian McFarland for permission to excerpt from his 1974 compilation of shortwave station interval signals and sign-ons.  And it's a perfect way for us to bring you our first podcast in over a year!!  We've missed you, but Big Shed is back, and bigger than ever.  Jesse Dukes has officially joined us, making Big Shed .  We're sorry to have abandoned you for so long.  We promise it was us, not you.  We were busy launching among other things.  But to make it up to you, we've also created this spiffy website where you can find out more about all things Big Shed.  We've missed you.So hold on to your audio hats, because we're back!

A year ago, Jesse Straight started a small farm in the urban center of Charlottesville, VA. The farm was a one year experiment and in the course of that year, he found himself talking to people in his neighborhood who he hadn't known before. The farm became a way of getting to know his neighbors, and he started collecting the stories of the people he met. With his friend Ross McDermott, Jesse recorded and edited this story about Max, a young boy with a great love of audio speakers. In this is the final installment of Big Shed's "The Jar Chronicles" ... the usurper Jesse Dukes has been feeling guilty and depressed, and our heroes, Shea and Jennifer, finally whine their way out of the jar, and this saga is brought to an exciting conclusion ... or is it.

Don't tell, but we decided to sneak a podcast out of the jar where Jesse Dukes has been keeping us neatly tucked away. Thanks to some help from a veteran Big Shed producer, Emma Rayes, we're secretly bringing you our first PoopCast ... straight from the big poop shed. Emma brought us this documentary journey from lovely Rio de Janeiro. While working in Brazil, she had a little incident ... which led to this trip for a poop exam. Emma took time away from a supercool project to put her pride and prudence aside to bring us this flowing tale (pun intended) of adventure and misfortune. If you're wiped out (again ... intended) after a long week at work, we hope you'll kick back and enjoy it. We think you will, in the end (dear god ... somebody stop us). Ps. Rumor has it that we're getting out of this jar in the very near future. Stay tuned for updates and new audio!

(Produced by Rachel Quimby) Nobody really knows why Rockland, Maine has a rather large population of Jews--legend says a ship was turned aside at Ellis Island and sent up the coast to the picturesque and sleepy coastal town. In any case, Adas Yoshuron Synagogue is an old building with many generations of Amita Jarmon discusses what it's like to be Rockland's first rabbi since 1937. Congregants, community members and Hebrew School kids weigh in, too. Rachel Quimby produced the story in the Fall of 2007 while attending the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Now she lives and works in Charlottesville, VA. To set up the piece, our introduction includes outtakes from an interview with David Berman, of the Silver Jews recorded by Jesse Dukes, who produced this piece in 2006. Jesse Dukes continues to usurp curator duties, but seems to be feeling some pangs in his conscience about trapping Shea and Jennifer in a jar. Check out the IndieFeed Big Shed at iTunes.

(Produced by ) In the 1980's, was a nerdy, Jewish kid--crazy about Richard Wagner--who naively showed up at a meeting of the Wagner Appreciation Society in Southern California.  He found himself in the midst of some very scary Wagner enthusiasts, and had to cast about for a way to make his escape.  Amy O'Leary talked to Danny while she was producing the . Also: Jesse Dukes has usurped curating duties in the Shed and Jennifer and Shea remain miniaturized and trapped in a . Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) Last summer, Philadelphia rock band tried their hands at musical theater. Producing a musical might be the last thing you'd expect from these early twentysomethings who hail from the DIY punk rock universe. Nevertheless, they felt that the the fullest expression of their album "Ribbons of War" could only be a musical play, complete with costumes, props, actors, and a democratically written script.  Producer was commissioned by to produce a narrated story about the musical.  He did so, but afterwards he wasn't quite satisfied that he had told the story he originally wanted to tell. Inspired by the , he decided to retell the entire story without using his own voice to narrate, but instead try out the verite form in audio.  Oh, and something strange seems to have befallen Shea and Jennifer... Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) Come along for a ride on the rails with this audio postcard from the New Hope Valley Railway.  This postcard is a companion piece to Tim Telkamp's photo-essay â4â 8 1/2" â A year in the life of the New Hope Valley Railway, 2003-2006.â Timâs audio and tell the story of a tourist railroad in Bonsal, NC.  The project follows the volunteer staff as they maintain and operate locomotives and tracks.  It is history being relived and preserved, and itâs all for the love of Railroading. This week's podcast is also a Big Shed Birthday shout-out to our dear , fine , and brilliant Ann Marie. Happy Birthday, Ann Marie!!! Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) We'll it's time for our annual pilgrimage to chi-town to the beloved .  So we thought it would be appropriate to bring you a little taste of last year's conference, courtesy of Nick and Adrianne at .  This interview took place in the bathroom during the PRX dance party.  It contains physical violence, broken hearts, video games and Gregorian-ish chanting ... weird, but true.  For the geeks in the Shed, Nick recorded this with . The long-ass intro features Big Shed alum , Clive (one of Shea's students who at the youth center where he works), and the band pictured above who plays regularly at Dupont Circle in DC.  Thanks to producerly cowardice, we have no idea what the name of the band is.  Maybe someday Shea will ask them. We'll try to drop you a line from the Festival or soon thereafter.  Hopefully this year, Shea will be than he was in last years podcast from chi-town ... but what fun would that be?  Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) We've got a big new idea at Big Shed ... returning series!!!  In the coming year, we're going to offer a few returning series from amazing and innovative audio producers, and proud doesn't quite capture how we feel about bringing you David Goren's . We're sure you'll love his first installment. Shortwaveology is a periodic rumination on the sound, history and culture of shortwave radio broadcasting. David wants to thank former Radio Canada International program host Ian McFarland for the use of his compilation of shortwave station interval signals and sign-ons. . Also thanks also to Kim Andrew Elliot for the Moscow Mailbag recording. Kim has about international broadcasting, and public diplomacy. Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) David Traver, Alaska's reigning Mr. Fur Face, is the president of the Southcentral Alaska Beard & Mustache Club, and his belly-length whiskers won him a first-place prize at the 2003 World Beard & Mustache Championships.  This fall, he's competing in the 2007 World Championships in England, after which he'll retire -- shaving his award-winning facial hair down to something more manageable -- much to the delight of his wife.  Rebecca spent time with David at the barbershop where he's a brand new customer (his former barber recently fled Alaska for the Lower 48). We met last year at the Third Coast Festival, where her story received the Director's Choice Award.  Rebecca is also a Host and Producer for .  We're tickled pink to welcome her to the Shed. Just in case our bbq outing piqued your aural appetite, here's a little where Shea reveals insights from one of the darker periods of his life. Ps. Thanks for bearing with our belated posting of new audio.  We have (um ... shea has ;-) been running a bit behind.  But please stay tuned.  We've got a ton of great tape coming soon that's definitely worth the wait! Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) We're back!  And this week, we're listening to three short pieces from Ghana--"Storytime," "Sweeping with Simone" and "Daniel in the Market"--sent to us by our friend and Producer Amara Hark-Weber.  Amara recorded these while working as a  in Ghana. We looking forward to hearing more tape from Amara before she returns to the States. This episode of Big Shed proudly features Shea's mom () and dad ().  Big Shed is proud to air the second installment from our infamous international documentary desk.  Shed alums and are both working overseas as and are sending us wonderful tape of the people and places they're getting to know.  We really appreciate their doing this and are elated to share their sounds and stories with you. Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) Like a traveling medicine man peddling a homeopathic remedy for the mass media slogans of the day, the Mantra Trailer focuses attention on the personal and spiritual mantras people live by, one voice at a time. Jen speaks with artist about the podcast she's created to kick-start this project.   FYI - Sherri just returned from , the oldest artists' colony in the country.  Check out this that featured Sherri's project.  Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) Drive west from Portland, Maine on US 302 and youâll pass a giant mechanical television repairman on the left. The repairman was built by Al Hawkes years ago to promote his television store. Al sold TVs for years, but his real love was always country and bluegrass music. Heâs been a performing musician, record producer, pirate radio broadcaster, and general promoter. Now, he works like a mad scientist in his basement to preserve recordings and document musicians who played a part in Maineâs musical history. His basement is filled with records; some 50,000 or more. Every now and then, he goes into his stacks and pulls out an old treasure. Jen forgot to say in the piece that is a producer on the Virginia-based radio program, .  Thanks so much for turning her on to this awesome tune "Shifting Texas Sand." She went on a web hunt for it immediately.  (And Shea wants to out Jesse as an alum of the .) Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) Looking to get more experience with the dead and ghosts, producer Katie Mingle spent some time in a "pauper's graveyard". She narrates her experiences there. She tell what she finds, and more importantly, doesn't find, in one of the only "below ground" cemeteries in New Orleans, LA. A special thanks to Katie for her (link for MySpace users).  Have a great time at ! Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) Meet Ruana, the world's cutest 6-year-old Portugese teacher.  This languange lesson comes to us from our friend and Producer Emma Raynes.  Emma recently ran off to Brazil, where she's working as a , a very cool program housed at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies. Check out to read about her encounters with language, rivers, rituals, migrant workers, orphans and lice! Big Shed is proud to announce our international documentary desk.  Shed alums and are both working overseas as and are sending us wonderful tape of the people and places they're getting to know.  We really appreciate their doing this and are elated to share their sounds and stories with you. Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ... aka Stray Dog Recording Company) A tragic turn of events at the worldâs smallest circus.  Les Petits Tristes is an excerpt from , Tiny Tales of Woe, a collection of audio shorts.  Notes:  Words by Jill Summers, music by David Whitcomb. Engineered by David Whitcomb at Stray Dog Recording Co. in Chicago.  Also, do yourself a favor and check out their beautiful submission to the Third Coast Festival's project.

(Produced by + ) Merry Christmas from Big Shed!!  Producer John Biewen () dropped by with some great recordings of bedtime with his kids.  Thanks for sharing it, John.  We wish we were eight, again. This is a real treat, and for once we're seasonally timely!  We hope you enjoy it.    In addition to all of his own documentary work, John also directs the audio program at the .  We're big fans of the program and are glad to add this to their in the shed. In case you're insatiable and want more Big Shed fun, we have two bonus downloads for you:- (the skype remix)- And last year's hit video . We'll be back next week with something to help you ring in the New Year.  Until then, (from ) Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) (Photo: ) Happy Thanksgiving at Big Shed!! This holiday we're thankful for everyone who's been so supportive of Big Shed.  We're feeling the love.  Thanks so much for listening and for sharing your amazing work.  Woohoo!!!!!  (much luv, jen and shea) But instead of Turkey, we're offering you a big serving of pigeons.  WTF?!  That's right pigeon haters, this week they've come home to roost at Big Shed.  (audio) and (photo) just started work on a new project about pigeons keepers in Brooklyn, New Yorkâa group of folks they've found to be surprisingly large and diverse.  Owen and Allison were kind enough to send us sights and sounds from their first day of recording.  The voice in the piece and face in the photo is Michael Scott, whose father had pigeons before him. And this particular recording was made at one of his coops in , on top of his grandmotherâs house. Check out the   or go straight to the

(Produced by ) Here's the next episode in our series live from the , where we're bringing you a little good, clean audio fun with Zak Rosen.  We rarely have a chance to talk in person with our producers before the show ... so sometimes we get a little carried away.  Fortunately, Zak was up for the excursion.  Once you get past the tomfoolery (did I just type "tomfoolery"?)  You'll be treated to a beautiful sonic spanish soundscape.  Here's what Zak has to say about his piece: "These are some of the sounds I heard while I was living in during the .   I brought with me a mini-disc player, binaural mics, and a ridiculously rudimentary grasp of the language.  This is my first collage, and one of my first pieces altogether.  is owed a debt of gratitude for creating a wonderfully inspirational and informative  website that helped me a lot in the beginning."  Check out the   or go straight to the Ps. Now can hear "," the Big Shed Listening Session at the along with recordings of all the other amazing sessions.

(Photo by of ... thanks for being a shutterbug) (Produced by ) Last week, Jennifer and I joined 350-ish other audiophiles in Chicago (well, Evanston, IL) for the  sixth annual .   The conference alone was so inspiring that we're both back home with a wonderful mix of enthusiasm and exhaustion.  This year was extra special for us because Big Shed kicked off the conference by hosting a listening room on the opening night.  It was a great chance to show though sound what this podcast has evolved into the last two years.  Everyone had wonderful questions and comments about the pieces.  And conversations about the podcast continued on throughout the conference.  We were and remain flattered and elated about the reception.  .  It's about 90 minutes long and plenty of fun.  We thought it might be a little long for the regular podcast, but if you're interested, please download and enjoy it. That being said, a personal note from Shea: Oh my god.  Jennifer, I can't believe you're running this tape!  My mother will be horrified.  My friends will be ... not so surprised.  My ego will be deflated.  I'm glad we have the documentary courage to use this.  Just kidding.  all I really want to say is thanks for the ;-).   Ps. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone at the   (Thanks to Adrienne Mathiowetz of , Dennis Conrow of , Paul Sturtz of the and  Noah Miller of the for being semi-recognizable in the above photo.) Check out the

(Produced by ) A few weeks ago, Shea was visiting beautiful SUNY Potsdam in upstate NY to make a presentation about audio documentaries to students at the school, an audio pep rally recruiting students for a cool project he's working on with prof. audrey sprenger (you'll hear more about that in the coming months ... enjoying the mystery?).  David Sommerstein, a supercool reporter with , came out for the presentation, too (that's David in the photo above).  After the presentation--flattering us to no end (truly, we're still blushing)--David interviewed Shea about Big Shed and ran this really nice piece. The summed up the presentation this way: "Sound is really cool and everyone should grab a microphone and recorder and try their hand at making radio. After the lecture, he and David Sommerstein ducked into a stairwell to escape the rain and chat about why he prefers radio to other media." Thanks for the story, David, and for letting us re-cast it here. Ps. Woohoo!!!! -- We're going to the October 25-28 in Chicago . Big Shed will be presenting a listening session Wednesday night.  Hope to see some of you there. Check out the

(Produced by ) About this week's piece, Layne says:  "this piece is made entirely of samples from a winter camping trip in Feb.06 to in New Hampshire, plus guitar recorded the next day in the inter-zone b/w woods and all the rest. It was debuted at the and appears on my recent cd 'the lost spaces ... reconstructed' on the dc-based . textual accompaniment goes something like this: human again. sense of self as distinct from world happily crumbles as the earth offers itself to you, opens as it is always open, and you offer yrself open yrself lose yrself sink into crunching earth breathing sky fading light warming friends creeping cold enveloping silence." Check out . (He's one of our friends. You could be too!) Ps. Woohoo!!!! -- We're going to the October 25-28 in Chicago . Big Shed will be presenting a listening session Wednesday night.  Hope to see some of you there. Check out the

(Produced by ) "There's nothing I can say to you that will prepare you for this." - Matt Largey Thanks to Matt and TK for dropping by the Big Shed.  Hope the stars at night are big and bright down there. Personal Note: This is also a belated birthday shout out to Shea's father, Ben Shackelford (who's with a youger, clean-cut Shea).  Shea questions whether he will tell him about it, because of the scattalogical content leading up to our birthday wish at the end of the piece.  But he asks, "it's the thought that counts, right?!"Historical Note: and Shea originally produced this piece for , an ocassional audio collective (of which Shea must confess membership) in June of 2005. We're going to make a bold claim here, the kind one can only make when inflating the significance of internet-related history.  Thanks to the marketing prowress of Big Shed's and the ballsy vision of and the rest of the folks at , we think that this was the first instance of audio being produced for a podcast being picked up as a public radio segment.  Woohoo!! Check out the

(Produced by ) Get your dancin' shoes on.  This piece from Minnesota producer Dave Engen is a treat for your audio feet.  We first met Dave a year ago at a summer audio institute.  He returned to Duke again this summer to produce this fine piece.  Weâre proud to run it.  A little bit of trivia, Dave was partners with Big Shed alum at their first audio institute â two peas in your iPod. Hereâs what Dave had to say about this piece: âThe Bandwagon old-time TV music show is one of the countryâs longest-running local programs.  It first aired in late 1960.  As a fairly new resident of Southern Minnesota, I found myself oddly captivated by the polka dancers Iâd occasionally see on our local affiliate.  To the untrained eye the program seemed, well, really goofy.  People danced, polka bands played, and the hosts talked about upcoming events like Tuba Mania and the .  The more I watched, the more I noticed the hosts talking about the audienceâalways wishing them well on birthdays and anniversaries. Everybody on the show seemed to be having a great time.  Old folks with great calves were there dancing, high school kids would show up every so often (maybe as a dare, butâ), and mentally disabled people were dancing and welcomed by all.  I got to wondering if locally produced TV is about as important as locally produced food.  I had to check it outâand this is what I found.â Note: Photo by Kimberly Musser Check out the

(Produced by Nic Beery) L o o k   d e e p l y   I n t o   o u r   e a r s   . . .   (it's okay, we used q-tips)Oddly, this turned out to be a nice follow-up to our last podcast, "Hello."  Nic sent us this eerie "found sound" that came with a 1970's Revox reel to reel recorder that his neighbor was throwing away after a yard sale back in 2002.  Unfortunately, he doesn't know the spooky guy on the tape, nor does he know Sandy.  But hopefully she's either kicked her habit ... or at least ditched this scary friend."I have always been attracted to found sounds, the kinds of things you find in thrift shops with the LPs.  When I heard this, I knew I had to share it with others that have this interest.  It's kind of voyeuristic in a way." Nic's a video producer who's been rediscovering the joys of audio.   You can hear more of Nic's recent foray's into audio at these fanfreakingtastic sites: " Check out the

(Produced by Jennifer Deer) We're taking our own medicine this week, and damn it tastes good. For your listening pleasure, Jen re-cut this piece, which she originally produced a few years ago.  "Hello" is a fun excursion into the in-between space of a phone conversation.  enjoy!

(Produced by Jennifer Deer) You've waited for it, and here it is ... another Budget Buddies!!!  Don't worry, we didn't sort out all of our financial or personal issues since the last episode.  This week, Shea questions Jen's medical practices.  Jen question's Shea's sanitation.  And change, change, change ... change of fools--what the hell is that noise in the background?  By the way, the grand total was over $50, and my apartment is now spotless thanks to some guitar lessons 4 house cleaning bartering.  Happy schadenfreude ... er, listening.Note: Check out new shed [pictured here]!   Pretty sweet.

(Produced by and ) Can a cup of tea a day keep the doctor away? North Carolina native Annie Melvin continues the tradition of keeping her medicine chest in the garden. Kavanah Ramsier and Nikki Brown produced this piece as part of the Summer 2006 Audio Institute at the Center for Documentary Studies in Durham, North Carolina. Another shameless plug for CDS! But they do good stuff, and we are really captivated by this piece. for the Audio Institute as well, and the same weekend Nikki and Kavanah were getting to know Annie Melvin, we were having on my porch with our friend and accordion player, Ann Marie. Please note: June is National Accordion Awareness Month, so we here at Big Shed are doing our part! (Ann Marie will be playing for you in today's feed). The porch jam was mostly a total car crash, but we had a big time! (See photo).

(Produced by ) When a severe thunderstorm chases two independent filmmakers off of a North Carolina beach, the director decides to interview the cinematographer while waiting out the storm. Beginning with a simple question - ÃïïWhatÃïïs the most amazing thing youÃïïve ever experienced?Ãïï - Elephantoms takes the listener on a true wildlife adventure, from the rainy coast of North Carolina to the parched deserts of Namibia Ãïï in search of wild, South African elephants. We met Todd during a podcasting presentation at the , during one of their . We recorded the audio that surrounds it the next night.  Many thanks to CDS front porch revellers Nikki, both Bens, Jamie, Rachel, Jon and Carol for lending your debauchery to this podcast.  I'm as sorry as you are relieved that I could only use this much of the tape from that evening. (odeo/90bf571e1ad73cb9)

(Producer Laura Kwerel) Less a band than an experiment in sound, The Books, create an emotional collage of music, found sound, and documentary.  Much of their work is stitched together from recordings that seem strangely familiar--old television shows, home movies, outdoor sounds-- making their songs feel like a nostalgic trip through our own memories.  This year the band, composed of Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong, finally came out of the studio for a national tour.  Their first stop was at Bostonâs Musuem of Fine Arts, where I talked to them before the show.

(Producer: Jennifer Deer) That's right, it's round four of Big Shed's financial soap opera.  In this exciting edition, Shea gets a bait and switch on his capers and pasta, and Jenn adds a new line item in her budget ... "crazy people."  Happy Tax Day!!!! Note: Perhaps you think you've discovered the source of our financial struggles--an inability to count.  Sadly, it's not that simple.  We didn't forget episode 3 of budget buddies, we just finished this one first. 

(Produced by Amara Hark-Weber) Playing for X is the story about an unexpected birthday gift from an old friend. It tells how the friendship has changed over time, and why this specific gift is important. We heard this piece at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies tenth annual Documentary Happening. Hopefully, we'll feature a few more pieces from that weekend, including a bbq cellphone adventure (yikes!).

(Producers: Jennifer Deer + Shea Shackelford) Here's round two in our personal documentary soap opera. What bills to pay ... what foods to eat (or not eat) when shopping on a budget ... and other important questions facing two freelancers hoping to de-emphasize the "free" part of that title. As before, we suggest that you listen to this one while you're planting bulbs for the spring or darning your socks--like an overheard conversation on a train, where the ocassional bizarre turn of conversation grabs your attention. What's up with the negros frijoles in the photo? I can't bear to tell you.

(Producers: Vige Millington + Andrew Starner) One afternoon, we talked about Skyâs experiences growing up as a child in Istanbul, Turkey, a landscape that exists now only in his memories. This is one of the stories he told us, and the song he sings (with a translation) is his sonâs current favorite. Sky and his wife run The Wellness Cafà on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, DCâa health store that also sells amazing soups (hence the photo). Note: Andrew and Vige produced this piece as a project for the DC Listening Lounge, a radio-loving salon in Washington.

(Producer: Jennifer Deer) Here's a new idea in our efforts to keep you knee deep in fresh content ... and echoing Jen's closing words in this piece, for god's sake please send us more material or we'll run more than these. I'm kidding. This is a fun new idea from Jen to bring you some of our personal budgeting hysteria. This was not staged. How scary is that?! This is one to put on while you're folding the clothes, like an overheard conversation on a train, where the ocassional bizarre turn of conversation grabs your attention. So, what the hell does the Heinz stash can above have to do with anything? Why would we put a link to this nearly pornographic short film? If you make it to the end of this piece, you just might find out. Note: No bills were payed during the making of this piece.

(Producer: Shea Shackelford) Happy 2006! Thanks for subscribing. We're looking forward to a year full of great sound + stories for you. One of our New Years resolutions here at Big Shed was to keep in better touch with you. So even when we don't have a fabulous piece of audio prepared for you, we'll drop you an audio note--on the fly, like this one--just to say hey. Note: No insects were harmed in the recording of this audio scrap ... though I make no promises about what happened once the mic was turned off.