Parts and Labor Piece Together 'Found Sound'

Posted on Oct 30th 2008 10:00AM by Benjy Eisen
Comments

For their recent buzz-worthy release, 'Receivers,' Parts and Labor put out an open call to fans asking them to participate by submitting little audio snippets of whatever -- aka "found sounds." With more than 100 submissions, the band found a way to sample all of them, including a dude saying "I'm a horse" in an appropriately silly manner. But one submission proved a little more poignant than anybody ever expected.

As bassist B.J. Warshaw relays to Spinner, while on tour with his other band Shooting Spires this past February, Spires guitarist Mat Lynch came across an intriguing flyer that simply read "What happened?" Lynch tore the phone number off from one of the bottom tabs and called in his answer. "Throughout our tour, Mat would call the number and leave updates about our trip, describing the hassles along the way (s----y weather, an amp that caught fire, a faulty fuel pump, etc.)," remembers Warshaw.

Following Parts and Labor's request for audio clips, someone emailed the band directing them to their project, Re-collection, in which people called a hotline to answer the question, "What happened?" Cue 'Twilight Zone' music here.

Warshaw says that the initial "What happened?" flyer ("along with Pink Floyd") was a direct inspiration for the band querying the public for sounds in the first place. "It was amazing to have things come full circle," he says.

A snippet of one of Lynch's original phone calls can be heard in the beginning of the song 'Solemn Show World.' Warshaw claims that particular call was placed "the very night before I wrote the lyrics to [that song]!" Coincidence? Probably. But still ....

Continuing their experiment, Parts and Labor are currently accepting new, original found sounds which they promise to incorporate into their live shows this tour.