VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 147 ((previously EP 14))
AIR DATE 11 06 2020 ((previously aired on 04 20 2018))
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Music Therapy
((NATS/SOT))
((Greta Mosher, Visitor, Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery))
There was so much tension in the way she looked at me and
then my responses to her. But, what she was going to bring
to the table and it was gorgeous.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Vibing
((NATS/SOT))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
I just want to make sure that what it is that I am good at in
this world can be used for somebody’s stress relief.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
A Musician’s Life
((NATS/SOT))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
I want people to enjoy themselves while they listen to it and I
want to restore dignity to working people. I think that a lot of
people work really hard and they don’t have a lot to show for
it.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) SONIC BLOSSOM
((Banner: A Gift Between Strangers))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Map: Washington D.C.))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female))
((NATS/singing))
((Courtesy: National Portrait Gallery, Sonic Blossom
Performance))
((Voice of Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic
Blossom))
My mother would play (Franz) Schubert’s lieder (songs) for
me when I was running around the garden to quiet me down,
but she’d play it in a very soft volume. So, I would say,
“Please turn up the volume for me. I couldn’t hear Schubert
singing.” And she just said, “Well, honey, you just need to be
very quiet and sit down and you can listen and hear
Schubert singing.” So that was a very beautiful moment of
me spending with my parents and my siblings in hot summer
nights in Taiwan.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
So, when I was taking care of her when she was ill, I played
the same Schubert’s lieder for her for the next three weeks
we were in the hospital together and that was the idea, using
Schubert’s song as a gift between strangers instead of
between people we know.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
When Sonic Blossom is on, the singer will be wearing a
costume which is made by those two pieces of Obi. So, the
singer walks very stately and slowly through the gallery to
make his or her encounter. But when she selected the
person she might say, “May I give you a gift of song?” And
then invite this person back to the chair, turn around and just
sing one of the five Schubert lied that she chooses.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
Before the show opens, I will come back for two or three
days to work with the selected singers for this project.
And, although I am the originator of the idea, but I don’t have
the talent to carry it out. So, you’re all the demigods who will
help me to bring gift from Schubert to this world. It’s really
quite amazing, in a way, Schubert is collaborating with us.
((Singer))
This idea that we are this living breathing…..
((Lee Mingwei))
…..Yeah, you are.
((Singer))
…..piece of art. It’s a new mentality for me.
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
…..Most of the people thought that you were miked or it’s lip-
syncing or something. No, you’re not. You’re just doing it
live and it’s an incredible gift for most of us really.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
It is my task to help them get ready for this work because it’s
unusual. So, I would say to them, “The first time you do
Sonic Blossom, it’s the most difficult. It gets easier and
easier. So, do not give up. You see how you yourself
become a part of the work. So, the tension lies between the
singer and the receiver.
((Singer))
Please come with me.
((Visitor))
Thank you.
((Greta Mosher, Visitor, Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery))
I was just invited to hear this song by this beautiful opera
singer.
((NATS/singing))
((Greta Mosher, Visitor, Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery))
There was so much tension in the way she looked at me and
then my responses to her. But, what she had coming, what
she, you could see by her face, what she was going to bring
to the table and it was gorgeous.
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
Originally, I thought the singer is giving a gift to the receiver.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
However very quickly I realized, the gift is returning back to
the singer at that very moment when she or he sang the
song.
((NATS/singing))
((PKG)) STREET MUSICIAN
((Banner: Rock Together))
((Reporter/Camera: Daniel Brown))
((Map: New York, New York))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
My name is Matt Vorzimer, otherwise known as
“eCussionist”, a hybrid, live drum jockey.
I went to school for music at The New School for Jazz and
Contemporary Music. Jazz is like the foundation for me. It’s
also such a rich American music cultural heritage. It was
one of my first musical loves. My dad put me onto jazz when
I was a young man and it’s just taught me so much about
life. I had really fantastic mentors growing up and they mean
a lot to me and they taught me a lot, pretty much everything I
know about being a professional.
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
I guess what I’m known for in New York City and then the
rest of the world found out was these pop-up parties that I
was doing in the subway.
((NATS:: Matt Vorzimer
New York make some noise right now!))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
A pop-up party is a judgment free place where people can
get together under one roof and rock together.
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
Generally, how I play at the pop-up parties is just a reflection
of my music taste. It’s open format, whatever I feel like
needs to move the people. So, I try and be prepared,
different BPM’s (beats per minute) require different feelings.
I like to play Tropical Feels, Feel Good House, Jersey Club,
Future Vibes, Throwback Classic and everything in
between.
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
Music therapy is kind of something that I do at my pop-up
parties, but I don’t consider myself a music therapist outside
of somebody who, he himself, is trying to seek therapy for,
you know, his struggles and his stresses. I find myself in the
same place with everybody else. I just want to connect. I
just want to make sure that what it is that I am good at in this
world can be used for somebody’s stress relief, and in that
sense, there is musical therapy that goes on. But what I will
say for somebody who is trying to achieve their dream is find
your people, you know.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Constructing Sound
((SOT))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The last 20 years, I’ve been inventing instruments. I’ve
invented close to a hundred instruments,
BREAK ONE
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS,
PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) EARTH HARP
((Banner: Earthly Sounds))
((Reporter/Camera: Mike O’Sullivan))
((Adapted by: Bronwyn Benito))
((Map: Malibu, California))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The original Earth Harp, in a way, was almost an
environmental piece.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The first time I created it, I set it up on one side of a canyon
to put the chambers and ran the strings to the other side.
The idea was, let’s turn the earth into an instrument.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: William Close))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
I’ve strung it to the top of skyscrapers, Grand Theatre in
Shanghai. I think it’s really emotional for people. I mean, it’s
a string sound but it’s also just encompassing. People love
it. It’s almost like having a string section at your fingertips.
It’s very symphonic sounding but there are more high-end
harmonics in it I find. So, it’s different than a violin or a cello.
It’s got a unique quality to it.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The last 20 years, I’ve been inventing instruments. I’ve
invented close to a hundred instruments, some of which
work a lot better than others. The reason it’s sort of the first
of its kind is because the technology had to exist in order to
make strings that are literally hundreds of feet long.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
This uses what’s called a longitudinal vibration or a
compression wave is another version of it. Basically, if you
can imagine a slinky, a very long one, and you were to push
that slinky out and pull it back, you’d see a wave that would
go through the slinky, and that’s what’s happening with these
strings.
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
I’m activating the molecules of the material. It’s different
from a plucked string or a bowed string. It’s kind of like
running your finger around the edge of a wine glass.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
Here in the studios, the strings are going from the bridge
behind me and they’re travelling out an opening in the
architecture and up to the side of a mountain. The rain has
actually helped it. It oxidizes the strings slightly and that
mellows the tone and so it actually makes it a little richer
sounding. And these strings have been in place, some of
them have been in place now for seven years.
((NATS))
((PKG)) PRISON MUSIC
((Banner: Jailhouse Blues))
((Reporter/Camera: Mike O’Sullivan))
((Adapted by: Bronwyn Benito))
((Map: Norco, California))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 3 male))
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
Art is the most powerful thing that I know of, to combat the
negative effects of life in one of these penitentiaries.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
If I didn’t have a way to have an outlet. I would feel tense
and bitter and clogged up. Here with this program, I’m at an
ease. I’m relaxed. I’m of value to this planet. I’m able to
give more than what I’ve been taking.
((NATS))
((Montrell Harrell, Inmate Musician))
It opens your mind, opens your heart, and I think this class
should be mandatory for everyone to take. It changes
everything. It changes the way you think. I’ve been a lot
happier. This class has changed me. I can say it changed
my life.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
Not only the tragedies that one had in life but also the
accomplishments. For me, they have to be expressed
through music.
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
In 1970’s, I served a prison term and while I was in prison, it
became clear to me that music was crucial in not only
surviving but in learning how to thrive.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
It builds your soul up, big time.
((NATS))
((Osmar Castro, Inmate Musician))
When I’m inside this class and I’m contributing with my
fellow inmates, I feel free, to be honest with you, and I find it
very, very intriguing how we were able to come together. A
lot of us don’t know each other, we don’t hang around, but
when we come in this class, it just feels like we’re a unit.
We’re a team.
((NATS))
((Montrell Harrell, Inmate Musician))
There’s guys that I wouldn’t even talk to on a yard, but I
come here and make incredible music and you build
relationships.
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
We can talk about anybody and anything, but we cannot use
racist humor or sexist humor. We have to treat each other
with dignity and respect.
((NATS))
((Montrell Harrell, Inmate Musician))
Working with different people, different races, different
backgrounds, it’s amazing. It changes you. It changes your
thought process.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
People would probably think that the diversity would
separate and unfortunately in the prison system here in
California, it does do that. We’re intended to be separate.
You have your different cultures and stuff or different cliques.
However, when we all come in here, the diversity turns into
unity.
((NATS))
((Osmar Castro, Inmate Musician))
It just works for some reason. We come in here. We’ll
argue for about an hour about a song and then, it seems like
at the last moment, we just pull together. And it comes out
pretty good. It’s just camaraderie.
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
All prison politics stay out on the yard and in our workshop,
it’s a safe space. And the men appreciate that, have a
chance to be human beings, to be just regular guys, guys
that love doing music together.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
That’s the clique for me. That’s what I get down with.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
A Musician’s Life
((SOT))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer of Croy and the
Boys))
My mother-in-law is an incredible, like, world class Persian
cook, so when she comes to visit us, she comes in always
with a cooler full of food that she’s made for us.
BREAK TWO
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS,
PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) COUNTRY SINGER
((Banner: A Musician’s Life))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Map: Austin, Texas))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female))
((NATS/singing))
There’s a southern accent
Where I come from
The young ones call it country
The old yankees call it dumb
There you go, dude. That’s good, yeah!
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
Howdy doozy. My name is Corey Baum and I am the
songwriter, singer and frontman for the band, Croy and the
Boys.
((NATS: Corey Baum and Amitiss Mahvash
Ok, cool. That’s good. Love y’all.
I love you.
Bye, Johnny.
Say bye, papa.))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
The music that I’m making right now, I’m just trying to talk
about what I think are some of the most pressing issues for
working people in America today.
So, that’s downtown Austin, Texas in front of us, which has
gone through a lot of changes since I’ve been living on the
East Side. Almost unrecognizable. This is what I’m talking
about, like the Arnold, whatever the hell this is. Who knows,
like, yuppies sitting on a patio. It’s insane. And it goes all
the way down. Basically, it’s like, this was all low buildings
and now it’s, like, condos up and down the street, on all
sides. This is Hotel Vegas right here. You see the sign
blinking.
Ok, we’re going to do kind of a thinking song now, so put
your little thinking caps on. This song has some big words in
it. It was hard for me to even fit them in a damn country
song, so I just spelled them out instead. So, we’re going to
spell out the words: gentrification, cultural elitism, hegemony
and coded racism.
((NATS/singing))
One, two, three.
G-E-N-T-R-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N,
C-U-L-T-U-R-A-L E-L-I-T-I-S-M,
H-E-G-E-M-O-N-Y,
White washing society
Words like safety and development
That’s coded R-A-C-I-S-M
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
Even when I’m dealing with serious concepts, I try to have
some humor about it. And it’s danceable. So, I want people
to enjoy themselves while they listen to it and I want to
restore dignity to working people. I think that a lot of people
work really hard and they don’t have a lot to show for it and
they’ve kind of been made to feel that that’s their fault. And I
try to draw stories and show examples in ways in which it’s
not their fault that they’re being taken advantage of and that
they deserve what they think they deserve, which is just a
healthy, middle class, American life.
((NATS/singing))
It used to be you didn't need a lot to enjoy life,
Just load up the family into the car and head out to see the
sights,
But second jobs and part time gigs means no vacation days,
Can't get enough hours for benefits or to qualify for a raise,
Oh it seems like you can't just be poor anymore
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
You know, I come from the Midwest originally and I come
from a working class background and I am recently retired to
become a stay-at-home dad. My wife just went back to
work. And I love it so far. I think it’s really great. I’m really
enjoying spending all this time with my son. I’m also actually
finding that I already have more time to write now because
when he goes down for a nap, I can pick up the guitar and
work on that. So, I was worried about how I was going to
balance the two and I’m already finding that there’s a really
great balance there. So, yeah, it’s really nice.
((NATS))
((Amitiss Mahvash, Corey’s wife))
Mom and dad are here, taking care of Johnny. It’s one of my
first nights out since I had the baby. Tonight, I’m here to see
Croy and the Boys play.
((NATS))
((Amitiss Mahvash, Corey’s wife))
Being married to Corey of Croy and the Boys, bad boy
Corey, is incredible. I love what he writes about. Since the
first night we met, we bonded over music. And so, it’s like
been a big part of both of our lives before we met and it
continues to be a big part of our lives. So, I love being
married to a musician.
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
My wife is an Iranian American. She’s a first generation
American. Her parents moved to America in the early to
mid-70s and then she was born here. I didn’t know much
about Persian culture, Iranian people, before we got
together. And it has been an absolute pleasure getting to
experience the wealth of Persian culture.
((NATS))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
My mother-in-law is an incredible, like, world class Persian
cook. So, when she comes to visit us, she comes in always
with a cooler full of food that she’s made for us.
((NATS: Corey Baum and Lili Nosrat, Corey’s Mother-in-
law
I brought rice and green beans and meat.
That’s the best. I’m really lucky.
Green beans and rice. You’ve had it before.
Best cook in America and Iran, probably.))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
It’s been a cool experience becoming a father because, I
think, my goals and aspirations as a musician and as an
artist have never really centered that much around money.
There’s never been a time limit on it. It’s like, yeah,
hopefully someday this works out. And so then, basically,
the moment that my son was born, that all became a lot
more like, oh, this has to become a sustainable thing for me
or it has to become just a hobby that I really like, fairly soon.
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
If we work on this more, it should be more like not just me
leading it with you playing piano, but like you leading
sometimes.
((NATS: Corey Baum and musician
We got nominated for best country band in Austin this year.
I feel like I had an idea of what to do locally and I feel like
I’ve accomplished those things but I don’t know how to take
it next.
We need to get discovered.
So, I just had a kid. It’s make it or break it right now. It’s got
to happen this year or I’m out of the game.))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
I think country music has always reflected the views and the
desires of working Americans. You know, we go into country
dance halls around Texas and we go into working class
places and people respond to what we’re saying. I don’t
think I’m doing anything new with country music by
expressing more leftist ideas. I’m just doing something that
hasn’t been done in a while in country music.
Let’s do “Your friends, not mine” real quick. This is a more
class conscious one.
((NATS/singing))
Nine hundred thousand dollar home
With a bigger one in mind,
That's your friends, not mine.
Four car garage with four new cars
And I bet you can guess what kind (BMW),
That's your friends, not mine.
Your friends, not mine.
Well, my friends all drive things that were built before they
were born.
Some of them….
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS,
PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE # 147 ((previously EP 14))
AIR DATE 11 06 2020 ((previously aired on 04 20 2018))
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Music Therapy
((NATS/SOT))
((Greta Mosher, Visitor, Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery))
There was so much tension in the way she looked at me and
then my responses to her. But, what she was going to bring
to the table and it was gorgeous.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Vibing
((NATS/SOT))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
I just want to make sure that what it is that I am good at in
this world can be used for somebody’s stress relief.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
A Musician’s Life
((NATS/SOT))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
I want people to enjoy themselves while they listen to it and I
want to restore dignity to working people. I think that a lot of
people work really hard and they don’t have a lot to show for
it.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) SONIC BLOSSOM
((Banner: A Gift Between Strangers))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Map: Washington D.C.))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female))
((NATS/singing))
((Courtesy: National Portrait Gallery, Sonic Blossom
Performance))
((Voice of Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic
Blossom))
My mother would play (Franz) Schubert’s lieder (songs) for
me when I was running around the garden to quiet me down,
but she’d play it in a very soft volume. So, I would say,
“Please turn up the volume for me. I couldn’t hear Schubert
singing.” And she just said, “Well, honey, you just need to be
very quiet and sit down and you can listen and hear
Schubert singing.” So that was a very beautiful moment of
me spending with my parents and my siblings in hot summer
nights in Taiwan.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
So, when I was taking care of her when she was ill, I played
the same Schubert’s lieder for her for the next three weeks
we were in the hospital together and that was the idea, using
Schubert’s song as a gift between strangers instead of
between people we know.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
When Sonic Blossom is on, the singer will be wearing a
costume which is made by those two pieces of Obi. So, the
singer walks very stately and slowly through the gallery to
make his or her encounter. But when she selected the
person she might say, “May I give you a gift of song?” And
then invite this person back to the chair, turn around and just
sing one of the five Schubert lied that she chooses.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
Before the show opens, I will come back for two or three
days to work with the selected singers for this project.
And, although I am the originator of the idea, but I don’t have
the talent to carry it out. So, you’re all the demigods who will
help me to bring gift from Schubert to this world. It’s really
quite amazing, in a way, Schubert is collaborating with us.
((Singer))
This idea that we are this living breathing…..
((Lee Mingwei))
…..Yeah, you are.
((Singer))
…..piece of art. It’s a new mentality for me.
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
…..Most of the people thought that you were miked or it’s lip-
syncing or something. No, you’re not. You’re just doing it
live and it’s an incredible gift for most of us really.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
It is my task to help them get ready for this work because it’s
unusual. So, I would say to them, “The first time you do
Sonic Blossom, it’s the most difficult. It gets easier and
easier. So, do not give up. You see how you yourself
become a part of the work. So, the tension lies between the
singer and the receiver.
((Singer))
Please come with me.
((Visitor))
Thank you.
((Greta Mosher, Visitor, Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery))
I was just invited to hear this song by this beautiful opera
singer.
((NATS/singing))
((Greta Mosher, Visitor, Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery))
There was so much tension in the way she looked at me and
then my responses to her. But, what she had coming, what
she, you could see by her face, what she was going to bring
to the table and it was gorgeous.
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
Originally, I thought the singer is giving a gift to the receiver.
((NATS/singing))
((Lee Mingwei, Artist and Creator, Sonic Blossom))
However very quickly I realized, the gift is returning back to
the singer at that very moment when she or he sang the
song.
((NATS/singing))
((PKG)) STREET MUSICIAN
((Banner: Rock Together))
((Reporter/Camera: Daniel Brown))
((Map: New York, New York))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
My name is Matt Vorzimer, otherwise known as
“eCussionist”, a hybrid, live drum jockey.
I went to school for music at The New School for Jazz and
Contemporary Music. Jazz is like the foundation for me. It’s
also such a rich American music cultural heritage. It was
one of my first musical loves. My dad put me onto jazz when
I was a young man and it’s just taught me so much about
life. I had really fantastic mentors growing up and they mean
a lot to me and they taught me a lot, pretty much everything I
know about being a professional.
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
I guess what I’m known for in New York City and then the
rest of the world found out was these pop-up parties that I
was doing in the subway.
((NATS:: Matt Vorzimer
New York make some noise right now!))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
A pop-up party is a judgment free place where people can
get together under one roof and rock together.
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
Generally, how I play at the pop-up parties is just a reflection
of my music taste. It’s open format, whatever I feel like
needs to move the people. So, I try and be prepared,
different BPM’s (beats per minute) require different feelings.
I like to play Tropical Feels, Feel Good House, Jersey Club,
Future Vibes, Throwback Classic and everything in
between.
((NATS))
((Matt Vorzimer, Musician, The “eCussionist”))
Music therapy is kind of something that I do at my pop-up
parties, but I don’t consider myself a music therapist outside
of somebody who, he himself, is trying to seek therapy for,
you know, his struggles and his stresses. I find myself in the
same place with everybody else. I just want to connect. I
just want to make sure that what it is that I am good at in this
world can be used for somebody’s stress relief, and in that
sense, there is musical therapy that goes on. But what I will
say for somebody who is trying to achieve their dream is find
your people, you know.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Constructing Sound
((SOT))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The last 20 years, I’ve been inventing instruments. I’ve
invented close to a hundred instruments,
BREAK ONE
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS,
PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) EARTH HARP
((Banner: Earthly Sounds))
((Reporter/Camera: Mike O’Sullivan))
((Adapted by: Bronwyn Benito))
((Map: Malibu, California))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The original Earth Harp, in a way, was almost an
environmental piece.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The first time I created it, I set it up on one side of a canyon
to put the chambers and ran the strings to the other side.
The idea was, let’s turn the earth into an instrument.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: William Close))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
I’ve strung it to the top of skyscrapers, Grand Theatre in
Shanghai. I think it’s really emotional for people. I mean, it’s
a string sound but it’s also just encompassing. People love
it. It’s almost like having a string section at your fingertips.
It’s very symphonic sounding but there are more high-end
harmonics in it I find. So, it’s different than a violin or a cello.
It’s got a unique quality to it.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
The last 20 years, I’ve been inventing instruments. I’ve
invented close to a hundred instruments, some of which
work a lot better than others. The reason it’s sort of the first
of its kind is because the technology had to exist in order to
make strings that are literally hundreds of feet long.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
This uses what’s called a longitudinal vibration or a
compression wave is another version of it. Basically, if you
can imagine a slinky, a very long one, and you were to push
that slinky out and pull it back, you’d see a wave that would
go through the slinky, and that’s what’s happening with these
strings.
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
I’m activating the molecules of the material. It’s different
from a plucked string or a bowed string. It’s kind of like
running your finger around the edge of a wine glass.
((NATS))
((William Close, Earth Harpist))
Here in the studios, the strings are going from the bridge
behind me and they’re travelling out an opening in the
architecture and up to the side of a mountain. The rain has
actually helped it. It oxidizes the strings slightly and that
mellows the tone and so it actually makes it a little richer
sounding. And these strings have been in place, some of
them have been in place now for seven years.
((NATS))
((PKG)) PRISON MUSIC
((Banner: Jailhouse Blues))
((Reporter/Camera: Mike O’Sullivan))
((Adapted by: Bronwyn Benito))
((Map: Norco, California))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 3 male))
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
Art is the most powerful thing that I know of, to combat the
negative effects of life in one of these penitentiaries.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
If I didn’t have a way to have an outlet. I would feel tense
and bitter and clogged up. Here with this program, I’m at an
ease. I’m relaxed. I’m of value to this planet. I’m able to
give more than what I’ve been taking.
((NATS))
((Montrell Harrell, Inmate Musician))
It opens your mind, opens your heart, and I think this class
should be mandatory for everyone to take. It changes
everything. It changes the way you think. I’ve been a lot
happier. This class has changed me. I can say it changed
my life.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
Not only the tragedies that one had in life but also the
accomplishments. For me, they have to be expressed
through music.
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
In 1970’s, I served a prison term and while I was in prison, it
became clear to me that music was crucial in not only
surviving but in learning how to thrive.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
It builds your soul up, big time.
((NATS))
((Osmar Castro, Inmate Musician))
When I’m inside this class and I’m contributing with my
fellow inmates, I feel free, to be honest with you, and I find it
very, very intriguing how we were able to come together. A
lot of us don’t know each other, we don’t hang around, but
when we come in this class, it just feels like we’re a unit.
We’re a team.
((NATS))
((Montrell Harrell, Inmate Musician))
There’s guys that I wouldn’t even talk to on a yard, but I
come here and make incredible music and you build
relationships.
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
We can talk about anybody and anything, but we cannot use
racist humor or sexist humor. We have to treat each other
with dignity and respect.
((NATS))
((Montrell Harrell, Inmate Musician))
Working with different people, different races, different
backgrounds, it’s amazing. It changes you. It changes your
thought process.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
People would probably think that the diversity would
separate and unfortunately in the prison system here in
California, it does do that. We’re intended to be separate.
You have your different cultures and stuff or different cliques.
However, when we all come in here, the diversity turns into
unity.
((NATS))
((Osmar Castro, Inmate Musician))
It just works for some reason. We come in here. We’ll
argue for about an hour about a song and then, it seems like
at the last moment, we just pull together. And it comes out
pretty good. It’s just camaraderie.
((NATS))
((Wayne Kramer, Co-Founder, Jail Guitar Doors))
All prison politics stay out on the yard and in our workshop,
it’s a safe space. And the men appreciate that, have a
chance to be human beings, to be just regular guys, guys
that love doing music together.
((NATS))
((Raymond Malachi Embry, Inmate Musician))
That’s the clique for me. That’s what I get down with.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
A Musician’s Life
((SOT))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer of Croy and the
Boys))
My mother-in-law is an incredible, like, world class Persian
cook, so when she comes to visit us, she comes in always
with a cooler full of food that she’s made for us.
BREAK TWO
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS,
PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) COUNTRY SINGER
((Banner: A Musician’s Life))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Map: Austin, Texas))
((Previously aired April 2018))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female))
((NATS/singing))
There’s a southern accent
Where I come from
The young ones call it country
The old yankees call it dumb
There you go, dude. That’s good, yeah!
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
Howdy doozy. My name is Corey Baum and I am the
songwriter, singer and frontman for the band, Croy and the
Boys.
((NATS: Corey Baum and Amitiss Mahvash
Ok, cool. That’s good. Love y’all.
I love you.
Bye, Johnny.
Say bye, papa.))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
The music that I’m making right now, I’m just trying to talk
about what I think are some of the most pressing issues for
working people in America today.
So, that’s downtown Austin, Texas in front of us, which has
gone through a lot of changes since I’ve been living on the
East Side. Almost unrecognizable. This is what I’m talking
about, like the Arnold, whatever the hell this is. Who knows,
like, yuppies sitting on a patio. It’s insane. And it goes all
the way down. Basically, it’s like, this was all low buildings
and now it’s, like, condos up and down the street, on all
sides. This is Hotel Vegas right here. You see the sign
blinking.
Ok, we’re going to do kind of a thinking song now, so put
your little thinking caps on. This song has some big words in
it. It was hard for me to even fit them in a damn country
song, so I just spelled them out instead. So, we’re going to
spell out the words: gentrification, cultural elitism, hegemony
and coded racism.
((NATS/singing))
One, two, three.
G-E-N-T-R-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N,
C-U-L-T-U-R-A-L E-L-I-T-I-S-M,
H-E-G-E-M-O-N-Y,
White washing society
Words like safety and development
That’s coded R-A-C-I-S-M
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
Even when I’m dealing with serious concepts, I try to have
some humor about it. And it’s danceable. So, I want people
to enjoy themselves while they listen to it and I want to
restore dignity to working people. I think that a lot of people
work really hard and they don’t have a lot to show for it and
they’ve kind of been made to feel that that’s their fault. And I
try to draw stories and show examples in ways in which it’s
not their fault that they’re being taken advantage of and that
they deserve what they think they deserve, which is just a
healthy, middle class, American life.
((NATS/singing))
It used to be you didn't need a lot to enjoy life,
Just load up the family into the car and head out to see the
sights,
But second jobs and part time gigs means no vacation days,
Can't get enough hours for benefits or to qualify for a raise,
Oh it seems like you can't just be poor anymore
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
You know, I come from the Midwest originally and I come
from a working class background and I am recently retired to
become a stay-at-home dad. My wife just went back to
work. And I love it so far. I think it’s really great. I’m really
enjoying spending all this time with my son. I’m also actually
finding that I already have more time to write now because
when he goes down for a nap, I can pick up the guitar and
work on that. So, I was worried about how I was going to
balance the two and I’m already finding that there’s a really
great balance there. So, yeah, it’s really nice.
((NATS))
((Amitiss Mahvash, Corey’s wife))
Mom and dad are here, taking care of Johnny. It’s one of my
first nights out since I had the baby. Tonight, I’m here to see
Croy and the Boys play.
((NATS))
((Amitiss Mahvash, Corey’s wife))
Being married to Corey of Croy and the Boys, bad boy
Corey, is incredible. I love what he writes about. Since the
first night we met, we bonded over music. And so, it’s like
been a big part of both of our lives before we met and it
continues to be a big part of our lives. So, I love being
married to a musician.
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
My wife is an Iranian American. She’s a first generation
American. Her parents moved to America in the early to
mid-70s and then she was born here. I didn’t know much
about Persian culture, Iranian people, before we got
together. And it has been an absolute pleasure getting to
experience the wealth of Persian culture.
((NATS))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
My mother-in-law is an incredible, like, world class Persian
cook. So, when she comes to visit us, she comes in always
with a cooler full of food that she’s made for us.
((NATS: Corey Baum and Lili Nosrat, Corey’s Mother-in-
law
I brought rice and green beans and meat.
That’s the best. I’m really lucky.
Green beans and rice. You’ve had it before.
Best cook in America and Iran, probably.))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
It’s been a cool experience becoming a father because, I
think, my goals and aspirations as a musician and as an
artist have never really centered that much around money.
There’s never been a time limit on it. It’s like, yeah,
hopefully someday this works out. And so then, basically,
the moment that my son was born, that all became a lot
more like, oh, this has to become a sustainable thing for me
or it has to become just a hobby that I really like, fairly soon.
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
If we work on this more, it should be more like not just me
leading it with you playing piano, but like you leading
sometimes.
((NATS: Corey Baum and musician
We got nominated for best country band in Austin this year.
I feel like I had an idea of what to do locally and I feel like
I’ve accomplished those things but I don’t know how to take
it next.
We need to get discovered.
So, I just had a kid. It’s make it or break it right now. It’s got
to happen this year or I’m out of the game.))
((Corey Baum, Songwriter and Singer, Croy and the
Boys))
I think country music has always reflected the views and the
desires of working Americans. You know, we go into country
dance halls around Texas and we go into working class
places and people respond to what we’re saying. I don’t
think I’m doing anything new with country music by
expressing more leftist ideas. I’m just doing something that
hasn’t been done in a while in country music.
Let’s do “Your friends, not mine” real quick. This is a more
class conscious one.
((NATS/singing))
Nine hundred thousand dollar home
With a bigger one in mind,
That's your friends, not mine.
Four car garage with four new cars
And I bet you can guess what kind (BMW),
That's your friends, not mine.
Your friends, not mine.
Well, my friends all drive things that were built before they
were born.
Some of them….
CLOSING ((ANIM))
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BREAK THREE
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS,
PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
CLOSING ((ANIM))
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SHOW ENDS
