peter mumme
Paddlewheels and kingfishers
A musical trip around the old port of echuca, the barmah forest and the murray river, located on the border between Victoria and NSW, Australia .. originally a ‘tourist’ cd made in 1999
The music is based on the sounds of nature, of people, paddle steamers and the town
We use environmental sounds as musical instruments’ and add the sounds of flutes, percussion, strings, guitars, banjo, oboe, bells, gongs, didj., horns and voices .. plus several especially created synthesiser instruments to compliment the ‘found’ sounds
These pieces are ‘sound pictures’ .. paintings made with sounds
The sun shines, the rain falls, the birds wake in the morning. the moon rises, the earth continues its life while we, its temporary inhabitants, play and sing - with varying degrees of awareness upon its surface
Tracks
The story and images ..
everything's made of wood .. the old port, steam machines, huge timbers, reverberations of sounds
paddle pop .. paddleboat ride, chuggling past river bank, old trees
toots and games .. the toots of the steamers and their echos - both in time and sound, the thrash of the paddles
when in my place .. contemporary - and longest time indigenous living here, remnants
emmylou adventure .. big(gest?) wood fired paddlesteamer, takes two hours to 'fire up'
the drifting .. gliding past old country, the trees, paddle rhythm, settling into life imagining
do cockatoos count .. barmah, enter old meeting place - of rivers and people, entering into a world of spirits
tree squeak .. hot and humid midday, white cockatoo, black crow
barmah lament .. silhouettes, graves, old trees fallen, river narrows, birds - including kinfishers - immediate
element and myth .. night in barmah, nature's songs, thunder, old images, old creation stories, wonder
reflection .. returning to considering, two australian cultures, one of the ages and earth, the other as now
Enjoy !
