Cemeteries & Cylinders
I have very proud roots at Syracuse University (plus 2 degrees from there). This month, I discovered almost 100 year old post cards on Etsy and had to grab them. The one pictured here is of Oakwood Cemetery, one of my favorite places to walk, listen to music, and muse about life before and after class.
There is something so special about captured sound. In the same way that a headstone captures a persons likeness and a sliver of their life, any kind of sound recording captures a moment.
- Gill
Best of the Month
In my many moments of nostalgia, yearning to browse the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse's Bird Library, I stumbled upon a digitized collection of over 1600 phonograph cylinders. They are the earliest commercial medium for recorded sound, dying out in the 1930s as records became popular. It is surreal to listen to music and people captured in the early 1900s. Recorded sound has come such a long way since then, but as any sort of performer who uses modern (or vintage) recording equipment daily, I think it is essential to know and respect where recorded sound has been and how far it has come in the past century.
This video shares how the Cylinder Phonograph works + if you want to hear some old recordings, check out Belfer's Cylinders Digital Connection.
My June Favorite Songs...
since it's Pride Month, all of the artists listed are part of the LGBTQ+ community 🌈
"Silk Chiffon" by Muna
"Garden Song" by Phoebe Bridgers
"Me and My Dog" by Boygenius
"Calling Card" by Ella Jane
"Expectations" by Katie Pruitt
"Cool Girl" by Dodie
"Everyone I've Never Met" by Leith Ross
"Sofia" by Clairo
"A Promise to Keep" by Brandi Carlile
"Night Shift" by Lucy Dacus
What I'm Listening To
Check out the full + ever evolving playlist on YOUTUBE, SPOTIFY, TIDAL, or convert to your preferred platform via TUNEMYMUSIC >>
Other people being awesome...
"Lost" by Jenny Owen Youngs
"Lost" is my favorite song off Jenny's new EP, It's Dangerous to Go Alone. It is made up of four songs inspired by different video games. Jenny is an incredible human and songwriter with melodies that stick in your head forever. More about Jenny HERE >>
Book time with me
Gill with the G
Gillian Pelkonen is a musician & audio engineer based in New York. She makes her own music and is always looking to collaborate. As an Audio Engineer, she helps people elevate their sound, and specializes in techniques that enhance natural vocal texture & dynamics (aka the best parts of your unique voice).