I just learned that "Surrounded by Memory," my installation in this year's Aliquippa Embraces Art festival, has been stolen. Someone removed (at least) the four tape machines from the installation space; at this time I don't know if the visitor-response tape was stolen also. At the moment, I'm still planning on giving a talk about the piece on August 29; I just won't be able to refer people to the piece for examples. It's a shame that the relationship between the piece and the community has been ruined by some moron who couldn't see more than a bunch of free radios.

As I think about it, this episode is emblematic of a sector of Aliquippa's problems. It seems likely to me that it was the tape players were lifted by somebody young (stereotyping here, but such an opportunity crime says "young person" to me). The tapes in them, I'm sure, are gone with the players, probably to be erased. What you would have in a case like this is a young person who can't see the value in what the older people of the community have to say. (Most of my interviews were with older Aliquippa residents.) If the person who took the tape players valued the teaching and the memory of their elders on the tapes, they'd leave the piece in place. Instead, they overlook the wisdom and see only the chance for immediate material gain, missing the long view for the short view.

What do you do to correct this? I don't know.

Surrounded by Memory, the piece I've been working on for this year's Aliquippa Embraces Art festival, is done and installed. I talk more about that over in Listening.

Most of what I've been listening to is a piece I'm doing for this year's Aliquippa Embraces Art festival. It's called "Surrounded by Memory," and consists of 45 minutes of music and segments of interviews with Aliquippa residents. It'll be installed in the second floor of the former G.C. Murphy building (now the Broadcast Café) on Franklin Avenue in Aliquippa. The festival opens to the public on Saturday, July 25.

I'm in final editing stages now, using the (free) version 3.4 of ProTools. Considering the amount of work it's been using the digital system, I'd probably be gnawing my own leg off by this point if I was editing analog like I did last year. The music and interviews were initially recorded on analog tape, and the final presentation will be analog, too. So this is a rare case of an A | D | A recording.

The sound source for the music is all guitar. The tempo is very slow, and notes are held for a long time, with an Ebow. My plan for the final piece is to separate interviews and the four voices of the music on four different tape players--that's right, quadrophonic sound. With the '70s revival active for a couple years, it's inevitable that quad would make a comeback, but this time with a difference: it's completely wildtracked. And you don't have to wear petroleum byproducts while you're listening to it, unless you really want to.

Last summer I did an audio installation at the Aliquippa Embraces Arts festival. It's been reinstalled at the AIA Pittsburgh Chapter gallery, 211 9th St.

It runs until March 27 and the gallery's open from 9 to 5. The piece is half music (long sustained guitar tones, in four parts) and half interviews I conducted in Aliquippa.

Both halves are played simultaneously; running time is 45 minutes.

I'm currently composing a piece using sliding string tones. If anyone's selling an electric lap steel guitar, please let me know.

As for the price, bargain is the key word.

And if you've got a small '60s-era electric organ like a Farfisa, Vox, or Acetone, let me know.