some field recordings, notable for their sublime and/or "dangerous" qualities.

the two paper wasp nest recordings, one was recorded with contact mic directly touching the nest, with wasps crawling on the piezo discs, the other was recorded with Zoom H4n, with the mic as close as i could get it to the nest without touching it, so under an inch away. both recordings were done on a ladder pretty close to the nest. it is the same nest in both recordings. you can plainly hear the wasp activity in both, it was a large and busy nest, though you have to listen a little harder in the zoom recording for the crinkly, tinfoil-like sounds of the wasps moving around because of the much louder background sounds. paper wasps are especially chill, they didn't seem too perturbed by my presence, even when i had two contact mics directly touching the nest. i probably wouldn't have been able to do this to the nests of other kinds of wasps in the area, like yellowjackets or bald-faced hornets.

the hail recording is the tail end of a ferocious hail storm that caught us by surprise in Jeph Jerman's rental car as he visited Colorado Springs. the storm was so sudden and intense that we were all somewhat struck dumbfounded through most of it, even to the point where Jeph and i both almost entirely forgot to press record on our recorders. unfortunately i cannot recall the name of the other person in the car with us, a friend of Jeph's. we were basically in a little flash flood from all the rain and hail, fast flowing water was entering the car because it was so deep. the hail damaged the car pretty well, and knocked the windshield wipers clean off. i think i got another recording of this storm on tape, but i don't know what i did with that tape... oops.

the total solar eclipse recording is pretty self-explanatory, hearing that many people have an experience of wonder at the same time still makes me emotional to hear. you can hear my voice, my partner's voice, her brother's voice and the voices of everyone camped out in the Camp Wyoba area.

the rattlesnake recording happened when we were over at my partner's parents' house and the snake was very close to the walkway to the front door, so it had to be caught, or it would strike someone. the precarious capture and removal was primarily undertaken by my partner's brother, Alec, whose voice you can hear here along with mine. also heard are the voices of my partner's niece, mother, sister, and her sister's ex.

the download of this album comes with a short video.