
More from Aaron Henkin
Talking to Strangers: Chance Encounters with Fellow Americans
(00:49:27)
From: Aaron Henkin
a modern American road trip...
Nepalese Superstar, American Everyman: Prem Raja Mahat
(00:18:38)
From: Aaron Henkin
Prem traded music superstardom in Nepal for a job waiting tables in America...
Inside the Capoeiristas' Circle
(00:18:29)
From: Aaron Henkin
A profile of a centuries-old martial art with roots that go back to Angola, Africa
Rheb's Candies: A Charm City Holiday Tradition
(00:10:54)
From: Aaron Henkin
a VERY sweet holiday story...
"We Mobin'": Mics, Plus Beats, Minus Walls
(00:13:39)
From: Aaron Henkin
If music is made on the street, why record it in a booth?
enlightenment by shotgun: coping with ALS
(00:19:59)
From: Aaron Henkin
one man's accelerated perspective on life...
The Other End of the Line: Profile of a 911 Operator
(00:08:09)
From: Aaron Henkin
a look at life on the phone at the Baltimore City Police Department's 911 call center
Crime and Redemption: A Wise Guy's Tale
(00:49:33)
From: Aaron Henkin
A gangster-turned-informant reflects on his life of crime and his quest for redemption
Learning to Sing
(00:07:45)
From: Aaron Henkin
a choral program teaches children the universal language of music...
Bluma Shapiro: Portrait of a Holocaust Survivor
(00:15:24)
From: Aaron Henkin
Bluma Shapiro is a grandmother of four... and a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Piece Description
I'd recommend this feature to stations that host their own independent and experimental music programs. I created this piece in collaboration with Lungfish, and the band has given its permission to have the story distributed to public radio stations through PRX. Here's a suggested intro: "For the past 17 years, the musical group Lungfish has remained one of Baltimore's greatest mysteries. The band is among the elder statesmen of the DC-based punk label Dischord Records, and they’ve just released their tenth full-length album, entitled Feral Hymns. Devoted listeners will talk about Lungfish recordings and live performances with an adoration that borders on religious fervor. But the reclusive musicians in this cryptic four-piece ensemble have generally shunned the notion of celebrity. Print interviews have been few and far between over the past decade and a half, and while the country’s more adventurous radio stations have been known to play the music of Lungfish, the group has maintained radio silence with regard to its thoughts about its own music. The documentary you’re about to hear is the result of a collaborative effort between the members of Lungfish and Baltimore-based producer Aaron Henkin. It's a rare peek behind the curtain at one of contemporary punk’s most enigmatic phenomena..." (This piece aired originally on WYPR's weekly arts program, The Signal, on 06.17.05.)
2 Comments
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Review of The Lungfish Radio ProjectIn the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I'm a devoted Lungfish fan, so it was almost inevitable that I would like this piece. That being said, I feel that anyone interested in music would find this piece engaging. Daniel Higgs has a lot of interesting and unique ideas about making and experiencing music, and the piece presents them well. It is direct and simple in its approach and that really allows the ideas and unique "voice" of the subject to come through. |
Broadcast History
This piece aired originally on WYPR's weekly arts program, The Signal, on 06.17.05.
Musical Works
This feature includes music from the following Lungfish songs:
Black Helicopters, from the album Artificial Horizons
Light for All, from the album Artificial Horizons
You Are the War, from the album Feral Hymns
Invert the State, from the album Feral Hymns
Interdimensional Seams, from the album Feral Hymns
Hear the Children Sing, from the album Love is Love
Lay Yourself Aside, from the album Love is Love
Panic and Hysteria, from the album Sound in Time
Web of Mirrors, from the album Unanimous Hour




Steve Yasko
Posted on December 31, 2005 at 12:39 PM | Permalink
Review of The Lungfish Radio Project
Making a dull artist interesting is a tough job.
This piece is too long to leave the listener interested in this pretty dull guy. Sometimes the quality of an artist's work and their abilty to tell an interesting story does not sync. Sorry. That's the bottom line on this piece. Lungfish is a pretty much a space case that I suspect will bore the heck out of anyone living in just three dimensions.
However, this is shining example of how a producer can make a very listenable piece. It is skillfully produced. The leveling and the pacing of the narration with the music are wonderful. There is just not much a producer can do speed up the subject's pacing or increase his coherency that doesn't include a narcotics conviction.
I can't say I could see this being aired in its current size on other statoins that are not fully vested in this artist. Reworked to about 3-5 mins and with some sort of hook. Several rounds of editing will make this a piece we would consider airing on our station.