Open Garage Daniel Tovar

Here’s another recording from Laura and Brad of Bungalow Brutal. This one was taken during a visit to a neighborhood park and packs in a menagerie of sounds: the creak of a swing, a bell sound, water, a meeting between strangers. It’s a pleasure to listen to. Thanks Laura and Brad!

This was recorded on my phone on a farm I was camping at in San Miguel. It was sunset after a very hot day, a little over 100º. It’s quiet, but you can hear frogs croaking in the background, the songbirds beginning to chirp, and some crows cawing as the sun disappears behind the brown rolling hills in the distance.

This episode is from the home of illustrator and printmaker duo Steven and Miranda, aka Blial Cabal, where they raise goats and chickens, keep a beautiful garden, and of course produce their incredible artwork. You can hear their chickens clucking and giving themselves dust baths in the midday heat. Follow them on Instagram @blialcabal.

I am out of town this week and so instead of posting recordings from my garage, I’m handing the feed over to some friends who have made ten minute recordings capturing their own lives. This first Guest Garage—posted one day late because of spotty internet—is from Chicago-based designers Laura and Brad (aka Brutal Bungalow) and their kiddo Xeno (check out @bungalowbrutal on Instagram!). Laura writes,

“Today was July 4, 2022. The weather was clear and sunny, bordering unbearably hot for most Chicagoans. Today’s recording is of sounds from the Pro-Choice Abortion March at 39th and King organized and led by Kido Chicago and the Chicago Abortion Fund. You can hear individual voices of people marching, protesting, talking, sharing stories and uniting together to collectively uplift one another and protest the recent overturn of Roe v Wade.”

It’s warm out (84º) but cooler than it has been so far this week. The neighborhood seems especially calm this afternoon. There’s the usual traffic in the background, but the alley is person- and car-free. You can hear the whirr (and perhaps the squeak?) of air-conditioners, and the birds— a mockingbird and a house finch, I think, and also a rooster—are especially predominant. It’s a soothing soundscape, with some of east LA’s key hallmarks.

It’s a warm night after a very hot day. I’m recording out in the yard to get away from the crickets in the garage, which, when combined with its slight echo, have an annoyingly piercing sound. You can hear the explosion of fireworks both in the distance and on our street, close to our house. My neighbor came home while recording and you can hear me saying goodnight. It’s 68º and slightly cloudy.