Porch Swing Orchestra Podcast

Porch Swing Orchestra is an art project that explores the relationship between sound and images. Most images are taken on the site where the sound was created and/or recorded. Our orchestra is comprised of birds, guitars, artists, poets, and passing cars that spontaneously create ephemeral symphonic chance-inspired compositions. The original site and hub for all things PSO can be found at porchswingorchestra.org.This is often a time for reflection and projection, so, in that spirit, this podcast strings together some of my favorite pieces from last year including the newest piece which will also be the last entry for 2025. PSO no.251 was recorded on the porch on an unseasonably warm evening in the dying days of December.This year there were so many moments of support and care from family and many friends that made this tough slog bearable, and I am truly thankful for that. I am also thankful for yall who listen to these missives from the porch, listen to these words, and hopefully get a little lift or feel a sense of connection from PSO. Thank you!TRACK LISTno.237 | Happy New Ears (and Eyes) featuring Gregory Brooks, January 1, 2025no.251 | Whatayear, December 29, 20205no.243 | Too Soon to Tell Bastrop State Park TX, July 9 2025no. 238 | Dawn Chorus on San Juan Island, January 14, 2025no.242 | Wind Radio, May 15,2025no.240 | Considering Transitions with Saumon Oboudiyat, March 11, 2025no.245 | Live for Artist Run Club Austin, TX, August 14, 2025no.250 | Secret Show Austin TX, December 18, 2025 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

This week I am pleased to share a conversation with the Philadelphia-based, sound artist and sound designer, musician, field recordist, architectural designer, Saumon Oboudiyat. Saumon collaborated with PSO to create a sprawling intricate synth soundscape to a particularly vibrant dawn chorus of birds recorded from the porch at PSO HQ in Austin to create PSO no.234 Considering Transitions, but before we get into that, let me explain what PSO is.Porch Swing Orchestra is an art project that explores the relationship between sound and images. Most images are taken on the site where the sound was created and/or recorded. Our orchestra is comprised of birds, guitars, artists, poets, and passing cars that spontaneously create ephemeral symphonic chance-inspired compositions. The original site and hub for all things PSO can be found at porchswingorchestra.org.Saumon Oboudiyat is the founder of sohme production which is the moniker under which Oboudiyat conducts his sound practice. His practice includes, but is not limited to, music production, film scoring, & traditional and EMF recordings. sohme's work integrates analog & digital synthesis, acoustic instrument performance, and field recordings capturing the built and natural environments. He weaves these practices into experimental, textured, cinematic, and immersive compositions. Saumon is also one half of the singer-songwriter duo, MVSO. His debut solo album as sohme will be released under UK based Phantom Limb's Spirituals imprint on August 15th. He holds a M Arch from the University of Michigan and a BS Arch from Temple University, with nearly a decade of architectural design practice in NY, Detroit, and Philadelphia which informs his sound practice.His debut solo recording under the name sohme will be released on the Spirituals imprint of the Phantom Limb UK label on August 15th.His first single "These Are All My Thoughts" is out June 18th, wherever you get your music.Saumon and I talk about his piece, his process, and his multifaceted practice. We touch on the triumphs and trials of making art in times of personal transition, while raising a family, and in a world that contains so much suffering. Saumon is a true gem and what he brings to this conversation is so generous and generative. After our conversation, we will hear our collaboration, PSO. no. 234 Considering Transitions followed by Saumon’s solo piece, If I Had Twelve Minutes (With Birds).Sohme Production: https://www.sohmeproduction.com/Phantom Limb Uk Records: https://www.phantom-limb.co.uk/Porch Swing Orchestra Site: https://porchswingorchestra.org/Porch Swing Orchestra Newsletter: https://porchswingorchestra.substack.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

This week I am pleased to share a wide-ranging conversion with New York-based painter and musician, Adam Henry who, in a first here at PSO,  contributed both the image and the soundtrack for PSO no. 233, Apparation in Formation.Porch Swing Orchestra is an art project exploring the relationship between sound and images. Most images are taken on the site where the sound was created and/or recorded. Our orchestra comprises of birds, guitars, artists, poets, and passing cars that spontaneously create ephemeral symphonic chance-inspired compositions. The original site and hub for all things PSO can be found at porchswingorchestra.org.Adam Henry holds a BFA in Art and Art History from the University of New Mexico and an MFA from The Yale School of Art. His recent exhibitions include solo shows at Candice Madey in New York City,  River Valley Arts Collective, in Hudson, NY; The Ice House, in Garrison, NY; Meessen De Clercq, in Brussels, and group shows at SALTS, Birsfelden, Switzerland; Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York; Rita Urso, Milan, Italy; Dia Horia, Mykonos, Greece; and Bill Brady, in Miami  Meessen De Clercq published a monograph on his work from 2011–16. For PSO no.233, Adam has paired an image of his 48 x 60-inch painting with a five-minute soundscape crafted on a 1981 Yamaha synthesizer which we will hear after our conversationWe cover a ton of ground in our conversation ranging from ideas of perception, skateboard magazines, authenticity in painting and punk rock, and publicly crying in contemporary art spaces. LinksPorch Swing Orchestra Websitehttps://porchswingorchestra.org/Adam Henry on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/adamdhenry/Janet Cardiff’s Motethttps://www.moma.org/collection/works/87291Rhys Chathamhttps://rhyschatham.net/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

This week I am excited to share a conversation with the brilliant and multi-talented composer, conductor, and musician Joe Williams who contributed a beautiful improvised piece for PSO entitled, no.231 Going Nowhere Well from Sante Fe, Mexico paired with field recording made in Austin, Texas.Joe Williams holds a Doctorate in Performance from the University of Texas and holds a Masters from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico. He is currently Artistic Director and Director of the Austin Classical Guitar Youth Orchestra at Austin Classical Guitar in Austin, Texas. In this conversation we talk about metal in the desert, high school grunge, the value of changing frameworks of success, and the beauty of improvisation among many many other things. After our conversation, we will hear his classical guitar improvisation recorded for PSO no. 231 Going Nowhere Well and a selection of pieces Joe has composed and/or played in, including a wild wall of sound written for 70 guitarists, a portion of a score for Alfred Hitchcock’s silent film The Lodger, performed by the Texas Guitar Quartet which features Bion Tsang on cello. Finally, we will hear a piece called “A New Home” excerpted from a larger work entitled  I/We 2020, a multimedia concert, inspired by interviews with Syrian & Iraqi refugees during their first 90 days in Austin. That piece begins with a sound collage of interviews conducted and assembled by Travis Marcum. The piece also has an amazing accompanying film work by ARCOS a team comprised of choreographer Erica Gionfridda and artist Eliot Grey Fisher.LinksPorch Swing Orchestra Website https://porchswingorchestra.org/Austin Classical Guitar https://austinclassicalguitar.org/Journey with Matt Hinsley, Justin Jay Hines, and Joe Williams, https://austinclassicalguitar.org/event/acg-originals-journey-with-matt-hinsley-friends/?event=35656Michael Chapdelaine https://www.michaelchapdelaine.com/Patricia Ann Repar https://music.unm.edu/faculty/patricia-ann-repar/A New Home from I/We 2020 featuring ARCOShttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gNuoR_cbbM This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

This week I am excited to share a conversation with the artist and musician Zuriel Waters, who contributed several wonderful clarinet tracks recorded under the Broadway Junction subway overpass to PSO no. 228, Double Talk.Zuriel Waters was born in 1984 in Philadelphia, PA, and lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Received an MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2010 and a BA in Painting and Electronic Music (Interdisciplinary) from San Diego State University in 2007. Has shown work in group exhibitions throughout New York City at galleries such as Underdonk, Bob's, Regina Rex, CANADA, Tappeto Volante and has recently had solo shows at Left Field Gallery in Los Osos, CA and My Pet Ram in NYC.He has a show currently up until June 15th at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts in NYC.After my conversation with Zuriel, we hear our collaborative PSO piece no.228 and a selection of Zuri’s musical experiments including a big bounce of about 15 recordings and a recording from what we are calling Zuri’s Carousel Music Maker a web music project where two HTML audio players cycle randomly through preloaded recorded percussion, lines of horn and electronic soundscapes.LINKSZuriel Waters’ Website:https://zurielwaters.com/Waters’ show at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts:https://www.markelfinearts.com/exhibitions/175/overview/Porch Swing Orchestra Website:https://porchswingorchestra.org/PSO Exhibit at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery through June 22, 2024:FInehttps://klausgallery.com/exhibition/barry-stone-porch-swing-orchestra-2024-05-17/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

On today’s pod, we are celebrating PSO’s first solo art show at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery in New York City with a listen to Side B of the lathe cut LP produced in a limited edition of 20 for the show. Side A includes eight of the nine past PSO pieces whose images are framed, and Side B is a suite of 4 movements recorded among trains and the dust of the famous West Texas town of Marfa.The second movement was featured on porchswingorchestra.org as PSO no.226, Ziggy Ice Plant, Marfa, Texas, March 13, 2024.The exhibit at Klaus features selections from nine past PSOs whose pictures are framed along with ambient sound played through two amazing speakers provided by PSO uber mensch, Mark Menjivar. Sounds and sites from Spiral Jetty, are situated next to pebble cascades from Maine, and the sounds of fireworks on election eve of 2020 are pictured from the porch along with many more PSO pieces.Behind the framed images lies an array of images directly adhered to the wall which range in size from 8 by 10 to 40 by 60 inches. These images are pixel remixes of the framed photographs. The sound is collaged from the 9 audio pieces. As with all things PSO, everything comes from the original experience of the site itself.You can purchase the physical record through the links below:Porch Swing Orchestra Website: https://porchswingorchestra.org/PSO Exhibit at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery through June 22, 2024https://klausgallery.com/exhibition/barry-stone-porch-swing-orchestra-2024-05-17/Barry Stone: Porch Swing Orchestra physical record is available athttps://klausgallery.com/product/barry-stone-porch-swing-orchestra-2024/Porch Swing Orchestra digital files are available on Bandcamp https://sunsetcommission.bandcamp.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

On the pod, I am thrilled to have Ana Trevino join us. This episode continues our series of conversations with artists participating in VAST IS THE SEA is a series curated by Porch Swing Orchestra consisting of  8 presentations from artists whose diverse works are united by their explorations of images, sound, and community presented by co-lab projects in Austin, Texas. For VAST IS THE SEA, Ana presented a video entitled Migration Stories on January 27, 2024Ana Treviño is a visual artist and educator living and working in Austin, TX. Her practice bends the rules of filmmaking and is informed by cultural histories. She uses a feminist lens to think about the concept of borders, whether visible, invisible, or blurred. Her connection to the U.S./Mexico border deeply influences her work and the stories she engages with. Through video installation and performance, she explores how she can reinvent subjugated narratives. Her most recent work involves deconstructing and analyzing the mother figure in media, literature, and art. She has been invited to lecture for the Capstone Lecture Series in Eastern Washington University, led graduate workshops at the University of Texas at Austin, and worked with underrepresented youth in the greater Austin area. Her writing has been published in Gender/Sexuality/Italy, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on gendered identities. Films she has collaborated in have screened at Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest. She received her MFA in Art and Technology from the University of Florida and a BS in Television and Film Production from Florida International University. Trevino most recently presented work as part of a two-person show with Christine Garvey, entitled Motherload at the Flex Gallery at Texas State University. Ana and I talk about the making of her video, the challenges of creating work while parenting, Peg Bundy among many other topics. After our conversation, we will hear a few of the stories excerpted from Migration Stories. VAST IS THE SEA is supported in part by grants from the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, H-E-B, and Co-Lab Projects Members.The following folks are heard in the audio excerpt from Migration Stories:Heather Wright, Mario Villanueva, Pam Reyes, and Raymond Arturo PerezLINKS and REFERENCESPORCH SWING ORCHESTRAhttps://porchswingorchestra.org/Tickets to VAST IS THE SEA https://withfriends.co/event/17182339/vast_is_the_seaCO-LAB PROJECTShttps://www.co-labprojects.org/ANA TREVINOhttps://anatrevino.net/PAM REYEShttps://www.pamreyesmusic.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

On the pod, I am joined by SANDY CARSON AND KAREN SKLOSS of the band SKLOSS and artist and tattooist THOMAS HOOOPER. This episode continues our series of conversations with artists participating in VAST IS THE SEA a series curated by @porchswingorchestra consisting of  8 presentations from artists whose diverse works are united by their explorations of images, sound, and community presented by Co-Lab projects in Austin, Texas. Our final presentations will occur at 7 and 8 pm on Saturday, February 24th.SKLOSS play live accompanied by custom-crafted visuals by THOMAS HOOOPEROn Saturday, February 24th at 8 pmYou can purchase tickets on a sliding scale starting at $5 at https://withfriends.co/event/17182339/vast_is_the_seaCo-Lab Projects is a legendary art space whose current configuration is a 40 x 10 x 10-foot concrete culvert sitting on an open plot of land just east of the city. The culvert will be awash in projections and stereo sounds on either end of the ceiling. The floor is covered in a sea of blue and green moving blankets.Viewers/listeners are invited to lay next to the performers who occupy the center space to float on a raft of oceanic sounds while gazing at shape-shifting videos projected upon the ceiling.SKLOSS blends elements of heavy psychedelia, post-metal drones, meditative drums, and distorted riffs performed with honesty and deliberation. The resulting, powerful atmospheric wall of sound is unique only to SKLOSS.A self-released debut EP 'Voices Travel Through This' was released in 2022.In the winter of 2023, SKLOSS holed up at Point West Studios and recorded their S/T debut LP for release in 2024.Karen Skloss is a filmmaker who has been on Barack Obama’s pick list and edited seminal films about artists Syd Barrett and Townes Van Zandt, and was a founding member of the dream pop band, Moving Panoramas.Sandy Carson is a photographer & cinematographer. His photography and film practice is a balance of commercial, editorial reportage, short and long-form personal projectsHooper is a tattoo artist and makes art in all manner of media, he is a devoted husband, father, former BMX pro rider, artist, music lover, and performer whose talent, passions, and energy seem to know no bounds.Our conversation is sometimes interrupted by drops in our internet connection. We talk about their collaboration, friendship, hardcore, BMX, DIY culture, and community. After our conversation, we will have a very cool sneak peek world premiere of SKLOSS’ new yet-to-be-released album. I am excited to pry a wee minute from this six-minute sprawler entitled Snorkels Ask from the stronghold that is the SKLOSS security team.LINKS and REFERENCESPORCH SWING ORCHESTRAhttps://porchswingorchestra.org/Tickets to VAST IS THE SEA https://withfriends.co/event/17182339/vast_is_the_seaCO-LAB PROJECTShttps://www.co-labprojects.org/SKLOSS@sklossduoKAREN SKLOSShttps://www.karenskloss.com/SANDY CARSONhttp://sandycarson.com/THOMAS HOOPER@thomas__hooperhttps://thomashooperart.com/VAST IS THE SEA is supported in part by grants from the @cityofaustinarts, @txcommarts, the @neaarts, @heb and Co-Lab Projects Members. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

On the pod, I am thrilled to be joined by JESSICA MALLIOS. This episode continues our series of conversations with artists participating in VAST IS THE SEA is a series curated by @porchswingorchestra consisting of  8 presentations from artists whose diverse works are united by their explorations of images, sound, and community presented by Co-Lab projects in Austin, Texas. Our final presentations will occur at 7 and 8 pm on Saturday, February 24th.Jessica will present her sound and video work, SUBVISUALOn Saturday, February 24th at 7 pmYou can purchase tickets on a sliding scale starting at $5 at https://withfriends.co/event/17182339/vast_is_the_seaCo-Lab Projects is a legendary art space whose current configuration is a 40 x 10 x 10-foot concrete culvert sitting on an open plot of land just east of the city. The culvert will be awash in projections and stereo sounds on either end of the ceiling. The floor is covered in a sea of moving blankets.Viewers/listeners are invited to lay next to the performers occupying the center to become a raft in an ocean of sounds gazing at a visionary sky.Jessica Mallios is an artist and educator based in San Marcos, TX. She earned an MFA from Bard College and is an Associate Professor in the School of Art and Design at Texas State University. Mallios is a founding member of the Lakes Were Rivers artist collective in Austin, TX. Her work consists of photography, video, and installation exploring the physicality of light and space. Central to her practice are visibility, invisibility, temporal shifts, scale distortions, and destabilized materiality. Informed by the history of optical media and the evolving viewing apparatus, her research-based approach responds to sites and structures of cultural and architectural significance.I have known Jessica for many years, as a friend, colleague at Texas State, collaborator, and artist. When I first moved back to Texas Jessica was part of the extremely talented photographers I met living around Austin. We formed a crit club that eventually became the Collective Lakes Were Rivers..For our conversation, we keep it current focusing on Mallios’ work for the PSO’s Vast is the Sea Series. We talk about solar winds,  Lighthouse keepers, Iceland, Observation towers, in Dubai and London, all places Mallios has made and is currently making work in and about. We get into weeds about opticality, time, and the apparatus of the camera, but also about more down-to-earth subjects like motherhood, and the shared struggles of making work as a parent, educator, and an artist all in one. After our conversation, we will hear some audio excerpts, which encompass the inaudible, at least without the aid of the apparatus, Solar winds, and sounds from the mountains of Iceland.LINKS and REFERENCESPORCH SWING ORCHESTRAhttps://porchswingorchestra.org/Tickets to VAST IS THE SEA https://withfriends.co/event/17182339/vast_is_the_seaCO-LAB PROJECTShttps://www.co-labprojects.org/JESSICA MALLIOS’ WEBSITEhttp://jessicamallios.com/VAST IS THE SEA is supported in part by grants from the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, H-E-B, and Co-Lab Projects Members. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com

On the pod, I am thrilled to be joined by Ariana Gomez. This episode continues our series of conversations with artists participating in VAST IS THE SEA is a series curated by @porchswingorchestra consisting of  8 presentations from artists whose diverse works are united by their explorations of images, sound, and community presented by co-lab projects in Austin, Texas. The next presentations will take place at 7 and 8 pm on Saturday, February 17 and our final presentations and performances will take place the following Saturday at 7 and 8 pm, the 24th. Ariana will present a sound and video workOn Saturday, February 17th at 7 pmYou can purchase tickets on a sliding scale starting at $5 at https://withfriends.co/event/17182339/vast_is_the_seaAriana Gomez (she/her) is a visual artist based in Austin, TX. She spent the last twelve years in New York City working commercially and recently returned home to Austin, to pursue a graduate degree from the University of Texas. This transition has become a catalyst for her most recent ruminations on the concepts of home, family, and identity. Working primarily with photography, text, and sound, Gomez’s practice examines our notions of the ‘home’ as a myth through reflections on her parent’s relationship to the land. Her interest lies in the meeting of this trinity of images, text, and sound and how the three can work together as a spiritual triad to create an experiential memory-scape of place.Gomez has exhibited both in the U.S. and internationally most recently showing at Women and Their Work as a Red Dot Artist in Austin, TX, sTudio 7 for the Rockaway Artists’ Alliance in Fort Tilden, NY, and for The Print Space Gallery in London, UK. Recent awards include a 2024 University Residency Fellowship from Studios at MASS MoCA, and she was honored to be mentioned as a photographer to watch in Glass Tire’s Best of 2022. Her work has appeared online and in publications such as The New York Times Opinion, Lux Magazine, PhMuseum, Booooooom, and Ain’t Bad.Co-Lab Projects is a legendary art space whose current configuration is a 40 x 10 x 10-foot concrete culvert sitting on an open plot of land just east of the city. The culvert will be awash in projections and stereo sounds on either end of the ceiling. The floor is covered in a sea of moving blankets.Viewers/listeners are invited to lay next to the performers occupying the center to become a raft in an ocean of sounds gazing at a visionary sky.ARIANA GOMEZ’S CURRENT AND UPCOMING SHOWSSomos Recuerdos at Visual Arts Center, UT Austin until March 2nd. https://utvac.org/Mix N Mash at the Mexic-Arte Museumhttps://mexic-artemuseum.org/ICOSA Window Dressing Feb 19-26 with the reception on Feb. 23rd from 6-8pm.https://www.icosacollective.com/MFA Thesis Show at the Visual Arts Center will open on April 19th.https://utvac.org/LINKS and REFERENCESPORCH SWING ORCHESTRAhttps://porchswingorchestra.org/Tickets to VAST IS THE SEA https://withfriends.co/event/17182339/vast_is_the_seaCO-LAB PROJECTShttps://www.co-labprojects.org/ARIANA GOMEZ’S WEBSITEhttps://www.arianagomez.com/ARIANA GOMEZ ON IG_arianagomezVAST IS THE SEA is supported in part by grants from the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and H-E-B. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit porchswingorchestra.substack.com