A Channel from Brain to Heart.

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 | cool, music, sound, stories, Uncategorized | No Comments

Earlier this week all of we had the wonderful experience of reading this email:

“Here I am, trying, during my workday, to NOT think about remix radio, but I’m hooked. Somewhere I read an article referring to the programming as “driveway moments” and I thought that meant, perhaps, that everyone was sitting in their cars in their driveways, as I do, with the radio on after work because they couldn’t interrupt their PRX listening and go home. The stories and voices you bring to your listeners are inspiring, enlightening, touching, and so full of truth, or I guess I mean honesty. I am a bundle of resonance. I plan to retire next June and now I think I know what I want to do when I grow up. Love you guys. Thanks for opening a new channel between my brain and my heart.”

We were like whoa. Opening a new channel between the brain and the heart? That is the nicest things anyone has ever said to us! But it’s hardly us programmers who deserve these kudos. It’s the incredible talent we showcase on Remix. Whether it’s one of New Hampshire Public Radio’s expert hosts interviewing an NPR music critic unknown details of John Lennon’s life, or producer Jason Samilski creating a new kind of poetic landscape with his own voice, thoughts, and original banjo and accordian music — good radio does, somehow, put our brains in touch with our hearts.

And WALE, a radio poem supported by original music, produced by new PRX producer, Jason Samilski. Jason is a Toronto-based writer and sound producer who works in radio plays, music, and short stories. Listen:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Bath image by Emanuela Franchini, Desert image by Jason Samilski.

Tags: beatles, lennon, listener feedback, poetry

One Hello World: The album

Thursday, December 1st, 2011 | cool, music, sound | 1 Comment

One Hello World is the kind of audio project for which Remix was built. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love playing great public radio stories (old and new) and giving them the attention they deserve, but there’s something special about finding something completely new, that was never meant for public radio, and putting it on the air.

If you’re a regular listener to Remix, you’ve heard One Hello World, but in case you don’t know, the project invites regular people from all over the country to call 316-247-0421 and share their intimate thoughts and experiences. One Hello World then composes a soundtrack to the voicemail and posts it on a tumblr for the world to hear. It’s a true open line of communication that is supportive in an extremely creative and inventive way. The musical score works to amplify the caller’s personal perspective and present it in a forum that is free from judgment. I find the whole project quite remarkable.

Recently, the One Hello World maestro has revealed himself and he’s releasing the best of OHW as an album. He’s funding it through Kickstarter. Here’s his pitch:

Plus, One Hello World just sent me the entire catalog of songs! Stay tuned for new tracks on Remix.

How To Do Everything

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 | cool, shows | No Comments

Please welcome How To Do Everything to the mix! It’s half advice show, half survival guide. If you need to know how to find a date, or how to find water in the desert, this is the show for you. No question is too big or too small.

Here’s how it works: you send HTDE your questions—from “how do I break up with my hairstylist of 20 years” to “how do I not sound stupid when ordering wine” to “how do I escape a charging rhino”—and Mike and Ian answer them. Usually, given how little they actually know how to do, they find experts who can help you out.

How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag and produced by Blythe Haaga. You may know Ian and Mike as two of the names Peter Sagal says really fast at the end of NPR’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me.

We’ve added 15 episodes of HTDE to the mix and will add a new one into heavy rotation every week.

Sound Opinions Reviews on Remix

Saturday, July 16th, 2011 | cool, music, shows | 1 Comment

We’re excited to offer new album reviews selected from the world’s only rock n’ roll talk show, Sound Opinions. Produced at WBEZ Chicago, Sound Opinions is hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, two of the finest and best-recognized pop music writers in the nation. Jim and Greg save you the time of that pesky listening process, by boiling down their reviews to three easy to use phrases: Buy It!, Burn It! or Trash It!

Just so I’m not the last person in public radio to post this

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 | cool | No Comments

REMIXing PopTech

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 | cool, sound, stories | No Comments

PopTech is a network of world changing innovators and every year a bunch of them cloister together in Camden, Maine and give talks, exchange ideas, and solve the world’s problems. Then they’ll most likely get back home and crash into the wall of anti-innovation that surrounds us all, but for these few days in Camden (and in your home- they live stream all the talks!) it will feel like anything is possible. That feeling is infectious, intoxicating, and quite fun to listen to.

We play a few of the great PopTech audio programs from conferences past on the stream, but this year REMIX is actually going to be there. Our own world changing innovator Benjamen Walker (he of Too Much Information) is going to the talks, roaming the halls, and bringing back stories and snippets from the 2010 conference. Keep checking back here and tune in for updates.

In the meantime, here’s a talk that I really dig by public radio’s Kurt Andersen (Hands off, book people. He’s ours!):

PopTech’s Video feed

Everything is a REMIX

Friday, October 1st, 2010 | cool | No Comments

Everything is a Remix from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

A very nicely made video (thanks Jake!), that pretty much says it all (until Part 2, of course). Everything is a Remix! Huzzah!

You are getting sleepy…

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 | cool, stories | No Comments

The World Premiere of Snap Judgment‘s animated short by Joe Golling, “Getting Sleepy” based on Glynn Washington’s first piece in Snap’s Tales from the Library episode, an episode that just so happens to be produced by your REMIX host, Roman Mars.

Stop and listen radio

Monday, September 20th, 2010 | cool, shows | 1 Comment

I love intricate stories and sound design, but my weekly, can’t miss radio show is On The Media produced out of WNYC. I hope to get rights for a few of their evergreen pieces to put on the ol’ REMIX, but for now, their podcast steadfastly serves as my Saturday morning dishwashing accompaniment. The show is always killer, but this week featured an interview with Richard Connor, editor of the Portland Press Herald of Portland, Maine that made me turn off the water and pay close attention. There are so many great things going on here of note: (1) there’s a level of feet-to-fire holding that you rarely hear on public radio, (2) the interplay gets contentious, but never overly aggressive or mean spirited (to my ears, there is plenty of disagreement in the comments), (3) there are several points where I expected Bob to drop it, and let the newly modified presentation of the point of view stand (because that’s the way it’s usually done), but Bob never lets go, (4) the piece is called “For Some, An Apology Offends”, which is a very nice (and knowing) reference to the media’s long standing tradition of using some form of “some have said…” when they really mean “I” or “we.” I know this fact because On the Media taught it to me.

The short story is, it’s riveting radio and you should check it out.

Side note: this codified another new habit I have when I listen to the radio. Whenever I hear something tense or controversial on the air, I run to the program’s comment page and look at what people are saying about it. I rarely comment myself.

Why we do what we do

Thursday, September 16th, 2010 | cool, shows, sound, stories | No Comments

PRXer Matt MacDonald turned me on to the RSA Animate video series a couple weeks ago, and man alive, are they awesome. This episode tackles an issue that confounds a lot of people in the public radio profession: why do we work so hard on something that (usually) offers so little financial gain? It turns out, independent producers aren’t freaks when it comes to this disassociation of higher brain tasks and monetary gain. We’re normal! At least in that sense. Indies are freaky in plenty of other ways. Come to Chicago in October and we’ll prove it.

Oh, oh: I uploaded a great new piece today (well several, but this one deserves to be listened to separately when other ambient noise is at a minimum). It’s called Secrets and Noise by Amy Conger. The piece gets progressively louder “as more and more noises and voices come in to muffle the speaker who only wants to tell you a little something.” I really dig it, but fear some of its greatness could be lost if you heard it on the car stereo, zooming down the highway. Take the time now, dear listener.