Episode 32 Now Sounds

Thanks for Hitting Play and then listening to Hit Play. This week: sound trucks, empty bars, corona rhymes!

If you like what you hear and want to support the New York Neo-Futurists, subscribe to the show, consider making a donation at nynf.org, and join our Patreon. Patreon membership gives you access to bonus content like video plays! We’d really appreciate any support in these difficult times. Contributing to our Patreon helps us continue to pay our artists. 

Take care of yourself, make your bed and call it conceptual art, and share it with us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

1:28 - What does the city sound like? by Anthony Sertel Dean featuring Julia Melfi with Kyra Sims, Shelton Lindsay, Robin Virginie, and Rob Neill

3:19 - Closed (Still Closed) by Julia Melfi featuring Yael Haskal and Kyra Sims

4:34 - Sir Gregolas Radio: Shitty Beer by Greg Lakhan

Our logo was designed by Shelton Lindsay

Our sound is designed by Anthony Sertel Dean

Hit Play is produced by Anthony Sertel Dean, Julia Melfi, and Léah Miller

Take Care!

Transcript 

Episode 32 Now Sounds

Show Intro

Gentle soothing electronic instrumental music plays underneath.

Julia: 32. Now Sounds. I’m Julia Melfi—a New York Neo-Futurist. While our on-going, ever-changing, late-night show, The Infinite Wrench, is on hold for the foreseeable future, we wanted a place to keep making art for you. And so, we made this podcast!  

If you’re already a fan of The New York Neo-Futurists, or any of our sibling companies, hello! We can’t wait to kiss both of your cheeks like the French. If this is totally new to you—welcome to it!

We play by four rules: We are who we are, we’re doing what we’re doing, we are where we are, and the time is now. Simply put: we tell stories, and those stories are our own. Everything that you hear is actually happening. (Sound of Julia talking with a toothbrush in the mouth) So if we tell you we're recording this part while brushing our teeth, we’re really recording this part while we're brushing our teeth. Like me. 

Sound of Julia brushing a bit and then spitting. 

Julia: And now, Greg will Run the Numbers!

Greg: Hey, I’m Greg, a New York Neo-Futurist. 

In this episode we’re bringing you 3 plays. The first is by Anthony Sertel Dean featuring Julia Melfi, with Kyra Sims, Shelton Lindsay, Robin Virginie, and Rob Neill.

The second is by Julia Melfi featuring Yael Haskal and Kyra Sims.

And the last is by me, Greg Lakhan. 

That brings us to 127 audio experiments on Hit Play. Enjoy!

Music winds down.

Play 1: What does the city sound like? (1:28)

Anthony: What does the city sound like? GO!

Kyra: This is what it sounds like

Shelton: This is what it sounds like

Robin: This is what it sounds like

Rob: This is what it sounds like

Collage from multiple Neos in NY of outdoor noise (out of their window, on the street, in the park, etc) as underscore

Anthony: This is what it sounds like. New York City sounds… quieter than usual. I mean, this city has always been loud, metaphorically loud, politically loud, historically loud - loud. In the 1950’s the New York Times wrote that this city was becoming an

Julia:  “audio slum.” 

Anthony: New Yorkers were hearing new music they had not engaged with before through amplified speakers on radios playing from homes - loud through the walls, loud through the windows. At the same time, Harlem was being bombarded by sound trucks that blasted political propaganda from those same powerful speakers. All through the night - loud, with a message. Which of these do you think the article was writing about? It called for a sonic 

Julia: “social distance”

Anthony: but this city is too loud. Loud with a joy, loud with defiance, loud to be heard, loud to be dominant, loud to be loud. The city is not divided into 

Julia: “noisy” 

Anthony: and 

Julia: “quiet” 

Anthony: the noise is not always noise, the quiet is often haunting. You can think what you will about this city as a melting pot, but in this city, the sounds blend. Sound is so permeable, and it spreads; that’s it’s power. The more you hear your neighbor, the more you know them. The more you feel about them. Forced into intimacy. Sure, it’s an 

Julia: “Invasion of privacy by noise” 

Anthony: But it’s a connection. 

Group of Neos: What’s it sound like now?

Background noise drops out in layers. 

Play 2: Closed (Still Closed) (3:19)

Julia: Closed (Still Closed). GO!

Julia: The dive bar across the street from our theater has been a graveyard since last March

Yael: filled with half empty cups and dried up limes.

Kyra: You could see it

Julia: through the bars,

Yael: closed, and yet

Kyra: not gone.

Julia: Waiting to become a Just Salads, 

Yael: LA Fitness, (pronounced La, not L.A.)

Kyra: or a place I can’t pronounce that

Julia: sells palo santo to people who

Yael: should be burning rosemary, or

Kyra: Juniper, or

Julia: Mint

Yael: instead.

Kyra: Now its sidewalk is roped off

Julia: with caution tape,

Yael: its windows covered 

Kyra: with butcher paper

Julia: standing empty as the pandemic goes by.

Yael: Maybe, when the pandemic has gone by

Kyra: it will remain empty.

Julia: No salads,

Yael: No fitness,

Kyra: No smoke,

Julia: but an empty space where we cannot be together.

Yael: Here’s to the God of Convenience 

Kyra: of Waffle Fries

Julia: of Just One More

Yael: of Being Together.

Kyra: Corporations are not people, but if this one time

Julia: they were, I’d still

Yael: Miss you. 

All: Cheers

All take a sip, swallow, sigh. 

Play 3: Sir Gregolas Radio: Shitty Beer (4:34)

Sound of radio static changing channels

Greg: Sir Gregolas Radio: Shitty Beer. GO!

Fully produced rap song

Greg: Wake up

(How ya doin?)

Alive and well

I slept in because I went to bed high as hell

What will this boring day bring me?

Only time will tell

Wish came true and I can finally be by myself 

All these social interactions got me overwhelmed 

Haven’t really felt compelled to take the helm

Keeping up with mad niggas is the opposite of chill (swag)

There’s some that really love you (swag)

Some who thinks they’re above you (swag)

Then there’s people who only really like to talk about themselves 

Burp

Swag swag like a fuckin gazelle (woo)

Woke up this morning to wood

Guess it’s time to expel

Is this really my apartment, feels more like a cell

Summer right around the corner could be possible it’s hell

I can feel it getting warmer (swag swag swag)

Watch the news and the reporters

All this food that’s getting ordered

Paying dues with essential work

People tip more when the apocalypse lurk (facts)

The rich get more

Cuz the incompetence works (facts) 

We should live more even if the cognizance hurts (swag)

This metropolis is obsolete without a fucking consciousness (woah)

Planet of the Bapes nigga

Hopped into a rocket ship

Hard r Friday 

Niggas building confidence

Box wine, shots time, tolerance is bottomless (alcoholic)

Tristen made this beat and then he put me on this awesome shit

Now we out to SwagVille 

Love Animal Crossing bitch

You can call me Dads grill 

I always be saucin bitch

And I got mad skills

Liam Neeson, caution bitch

Niggas gettin thrills

I’m exhausted making constant hits

While niggas diarrhea on the toilet dropping constant shit

Screens everywhere I stare

DM saying “Hi there”

Watching Kitchen Nightmares

I provide no reply, what do I care?

I don’t feel like it tonight and that’s quite fair

Got an F in the group chat

So it’s safe to assume I don’t really like to use that

House party, IG, Facebook, Zoom apps 

(Recluse)

Haven’t left my room yet 

I’m an OldBoy call me Joe Doucette

8 o clock and I haven’t dropped a deuce yet 

But it’s not a contest

And I don’t have to prove shit 

Get it?

Corona

Don’t know if you’re here to stay but I hate you know ya

Crazy how something that we can’t see can control us

Cracks in our government exposed we takin notice

Billionaires are the coldest

Can’t depend on the POTUS

Screaming out fuck the po-lis 

Greg laughs.

Shit

Beat fades out.

Show Outro

Gentle soothing electronic instrumental music plays underneath.

Julia: Thanks for Hitting Play and then listening to Hit Play. If you liked what you heard, subscribe to the show and tell a friend! If you want to support the New York Neo-Futurists in other ways, consider making a donation at nynf.org, or joining our Patreon–Patreon.com/NYNF. Patreon membership gives you access to bonus content like video plays and livestreams. And if this episode gets over 1,000 downloads, we'll order one of our Patreon supporters a pizza on us. Be that Patreon supporter that gets a pizza on us! We’d really appreciate any support in these difficult times. Contributing to our Patreon helps us continue to pay our artists. 

Take care of yourself, make your bed and call it conceptual art, and share it with us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

This episode featured work by: Anthony Sertel Dean featuring Julia Melfi with Kyra Sims, Shelton Lindsay, Robin Virginie, and Rob Neill; Julia Melfi featuring Yael Haskal and Kyra Sims; and Greg Lakhan. Our logo was designed by Shelton Lindsay. And our sound is designed by Anthony Sertel Dean. Hit Play is produced by Anthony Sertel Dean, Léah Miller, and me, Julia Melfi. Take Care!

Music fades out!