| Website | thereelray.com |
| Apple Podcast | Uncommon Ambience |
Episode · uncommon ambience · Small (and maybe the wrong waterfall) waterfall ambience — Okay, so this is my first waterfall, and I’m not psyched about misnaming my first waterfall ambience. But here’s the deal. My buddy, Ed, was like, “Yo, you have to check out Moss Glenn Falls. They make Warren Falls look like some ****.” So I consulted Google and was served this. “Yeah, that makes Warren Falls look like some ****.” So I brought my microphone up to Vermont and drove to the falls. And… the bridge was out. The footbridge had been damaged by weather and had some “keep out” -ish signage. I was bummed but undeterred. I could see the falls back in the woods (from this vantage point, looking to the right of the bridge). These falls looked less impressive (see episode cover image) than the pictures the internet had fed me — yet, I’ve online dated before, and I know the drill between Glamour Shots and reality. And it may have been a dry summer in the Green Mountains. I noticed a collection of rocks that could lead me to the other side of the ditch so I could skip the battered bridge. My mind easily picked out the route across boulders, and I stepped one, two, and into the creek I went. My kid laughed. And it was worth it to capture my first waterfall. I climbed out of the creek with one sloshing leg limping the rest of the way. I set up the mic and let it roll. Later, I realized I had found some bastard Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree waterfall. I should have turned left at the bridge; if I had, I would have wound up here. So… enjoy whatever these falls are called. Oh, and we're on youtube now! Come check us out.
Episode · uncommon ambience · Late night rural road and gushing water ambience. So, I have a favorite road, Route 100, in Vermont (especially from around Pico to Waterbury). And obviously, this isn't a trade secret. Route 100 needs no hype, judging by the traffic we wreak in rural Vermont. The road delivers miles of Vermont quaintness: New England churches, cute light festivals, towering trees, and rounded green mountains. Every inch is a photo op. Route 100 dominated my college years for bar and ski traffic. I used 100 when going home to the 518 or returning to Norwich University. Windows down whenever possible to smell the Earth. We would park on the side of 100 and venture into the woods for the Warren Falls with a portable grill and a bunch of 40s. The falls gush water into chest-high pools you can wade through, and for those looking to impress, the falls offer rock formations you can flip off of and hope to wow someone. In my increasing age I am recognizing that the women I tried to impress probably just wrote me off as foolish — but in my defense there is at least a mythological precedent in the Appalachians for launching off of rock formations in front of women. Lately, my Route 100 experience has revolved around alumni weekends, and I've been exploring things I missed when I was there in the 90s (we will have a Moss Glenn Falls podcast coming soon). This recording is Route 100 in the Stowe area from a favorite lodge (The Warren Lodge) — next to a bridge over gushing water. And thank y'all for letting me set up my mic on the premises! And for some house cleaning — I would like to announce the uncommon ambience, YouTube channel. I will start adding a video to accompany the audio on many of my favorite episodes, so give us a thumbs up, subscribe, and whatnot.
Episode · uncommon ambience · Inside Car recording Debby Tropical Remnants. Debby did a destructive dance among the southern states, looping over Florida and spinning into Charleston before drenching the Carolinas. For my car it was mostly wind and rain. Get in. Episode Cover Photo from Valeriia Miller
Episode · uncommon ambience · After living inside the Earth for nearly a score, I feel like any creature should be given the space to air out one’s feelings. So here are three hours of bug feelings as heard from a charming Bed and Breakfast I spent the night at in Leesburg, Virginia. I know nothing about our friends who live in the Earth for 17 years and then pop out mid-summer to squeal from the trees. I’m speaking of the cicada, the sometimes local taco protein, and massive fly things that are a nightmare to look at. I reserve the right to not love cicadas later if I were to find out that maybe they are squealing insults upon us for being such poor shepherds of the Earth… Or maybe I would love them more. Regardless, nothing beats a chorus of these freak insects. And they serve as a good reminder that we’re destroying the Earth with war and ineq — ehem… that it’s late Summer — time to cape diem the **** out of this pool weather. Also, thanks again to the folks at Stone Gables for letting me stick a giant microphone in your backyard! Cover photo (before manipulation) by Coen Crevels
Episode · uncommon ambience · Bugs, babbling brook, overnight in the woods ambience. Quiet y'all, the summertime bugs have something to say. This recording begins just before midnight and continues until about 4 a.m. (I wanted to get in the less-trafficked hours because there was a US Highway a few miles away and a dirt road close by. You will hear some occasional traffic, but not so much that it's annoying.) So get "lost in the woods" like De La Soul did nearly 30 years ago on their opus Buhloone Mindstate. Except in these woods, you won't find Shortie No Mass, Prince Paul, Pos, Mase, or Dave — just a bunch of bugs. And I'm pretty sure a fox or some other wild canine will show up. Cover photo by Kendal Hoopes.
Listen to this episode from uncommon ambience on Spotify. You will hear heavy to moderate rain on a metal roof. At first, it will sound like a waterfall, but it quickly tapers off to less rain and more local birds—and a chicken! I recognized one bird! So, yesterday, I got a text message from my brother-in-law. He recorded some rain in Belize and sent a picture of a table surrounded by screened walls under a metal roof. Did I want that audio? “You bet your sweet Asperecreme,” I said. I didn’t say that, but that was my general feeling about having audio of a rainstorm in a country nearer to the Equator than I have ever been. Thank you for capturing and sharing the audio, Mike! I know I just released a long episode yesterday and should wait to post (for my own sake), but honestly, I would like to get this out before Beryl. This is a perfectly normal Belizean heavy rain storm that isn’t related to Beryl. Also, my thoughts are with everyone in the path of that storm. This strikes me as a minisode. People do that in the podcast world, right?
