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The Spot: Lost Songs

Afi Odelia Scruggs
Afi's grandmother (the ultra-adorable one on the left)

This week on KALW's showcase for the best stories from public radio podcasts and independent radio producers...

    

Shapenote by Craig Shank and George Drake Jr., originally airing on Everything Sounds, September 2014.

In their latest episode, hosts Craig and George Drake uncover a world of singing that’s just as reliant on sight as it is on sound.

 

RemixingGrandma’s Voice by AfiOdelia Scruggs, May 2011. 

How safe is sound against the hands of time?

(You can listen tothe raw tape ofAfi’sgrandmother, and read more of Afi's thoughts about preserving this tape.)

 

Heard, Onceby Nate DiMeo, originally airing on The Memory Palace, August 2012. 

No matter what, physical audio formats break down. CDs, cassette tapes, vinyl records ... none of them are permanent. And sure, digital files make it possible for sounds to carry on even further, but there are still some songs and sounds that were abandoned before they could make it to the next format change. And what about the sounds that never made it to a recording device at all? 

You can find more of The Memory Palace’s specific brand of history, as well as the extended version of this story, at thememorypalace.org.

 

This week's episode featured music from: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Django Reinhardt, and Tattletale (that great female band mentioned in "Heard, Once.")

If you have a suggestion for a podcast or audio project we should feature, please drop us a line at thespot@kalw.org.

Tune in next week for a whole new episode of The Spot, only on KALW San Francisco.