January 13, 2018 / 12:30 / 37°47'37.7"N 122°23'51.6"W / California @ Davis / San Francisco is famous for its cable cars; these unique modes of transportation work by gripping an underground cable that pulls the trolley along / They are a wealth of sound- there’s the rattle of the wheels, the traditional bells, the grinding brakes / As I prepared to capture the distinctive sound of the cable running under the street, a choir began to sing… and before I could find out who they were and why they were singing, they were gone / When I listen to this recording I’m struck by how the song seems to continue even after the chorus has stopped- and the music fades into the sounds of traffic, the ever-present cable, and the sounds of cars crossing the tracks //
About The Artist
Randy Johnson is a San Francisco Bay Area native; the region’s rich history of progressive activism is what drove him to field recording / He hopes to capture the sound and spirit of that passion for justice / He is also fascinated by the possibilities inherent in high-fidelity recording and uses exclusively analog recorders for his projects / This project is Randy’s first, and he would like to thank Bivouac Recording for the opportunity //
