UNCATEGORIZED

Seattle artist wants your recordings for time capsule

Aug 7, 2012, 12:03 PM | Updated: Aug 8, 2012, 7:20 am

cedargrove
Tyler Potts prepares a disk for recording in his makeshift Seattle Center studio (Josh Kerns/MyNorthwest.com)

If you could record something for the future, what would you say or sing? Tyler Potts wants to hear it.

As Seattle Center was gearing up for its 50th anniversary celebration, the Seattle artist and musician got an inspiration. He stumbled upon an old turntable and lathe used for making records, and got Seattle Center to allow him to set up a portable recording studio in a shipping container behind the Intiman Theater.

He’s invited anyone who wants to come in and record anything they want for free. So far, over 100 people have taken him up on the opportunity to take part in his project he called “Put the Needle on The Record”.

While he’s excited about sending sounds to the future, it’s the present he’s found most satisfying.

“The most that we know if it’s important or not is whether or not people are enjoying doing it right now,” Potts says as he surveys the growing stack of disks.

Potts likens it to an open mic or jam session, never knowing what he’s going to get.

“Some of those songs can be really endearing, a little quiver in the voice, some sort of honesty to the performance that’s been conveyed to me,” Potts says.

But Potts says he’s been most moved by the simple moments, such as a conversation between a mother and young boy about the future of music.

“What do you think it will be like?,” she asks. “It will be like silence, but different kinds of silence. Maybe people will have evolved so that they can hear it, but you can’t hear it,” he responds innocently in the scratchy recording.

The audio quality can leave something to be desired. That’s because Potts records onto used laser disks instead of vinyl, partly for cost and partly for speed. But it adds to the quaintness of his homespun project.

Ultimately, Potts says he’s discovered the quality isn’t nearly as important as the spirit behind the recordings. And whether anyone ever listens to them in the future doesn’t matter nearly as much as the experience.

“I feel like people are opening up just for the project and sharing something they normally wouldn’t have shared,” he says.

You can share with Potts as well. He’s hanging out at the Seattle Center studio most Fridays through Sundays until October, and you can book a time on his website for a session.

Uncategorized

kent trooper shot...

Kate Stone

Man faces multiple charges after WSP trooper shooting in Kent

A man accused of shooting a Washington State Patrol trooper multiple times in Kent last Friday has been charged.

1 month ago

Oregon Emergency Landing - (Elizabeth Le via AP)...

KIRO 7 News Staff

‘Everyone was eerily calm,’ recalls passenger aboard ill-fated Alaska Airlines flight

Terror in the skies: A Vancouver, Washington, woman shares the harrowing moments after an airplane blowout over Portland.

3 months ago

Photo: SPD vehicle...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Two men shot at bus stop in North Seattle near Northgate

Two men were shot at a bus stop along Aurora Avenue Wednesday, according to the Seattle Police Department.

5 months ago

Manuel Ellis arrest, Tacoma police officers...

Associated Press

Prosecutors focus on video evidence in trial of Washington officers charged in Manny Ellis’ death

A cellphone video of the 2020 fatal arrest of Manny Ellis shows the Black man on the ground with his hands in the air in surrender

6 months ago

...

No Author

EXPIRED: Win tickets to see Stokley at EQC!

KIRO Newsradio is giving you a chance to win two tickets to see Stokley at the Emerald Queen Casino on Saturday, November 11, 2023!

6 months ago

(File photo)...

L.B. Gilbert

NLRB files complaint against Amazon for unlawful confidentiality agreement

A new complaint from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB ) is accusing Amazon of requiring some corporate employees to sign an unlawful confidentiality agreement. The complaint states Amazon had required a former employee from its drone project, Amazon Prime Air, to sign an agreement that forbade discussion of information regarding Amazon, whether or not […]

7 months ago

Seattle artist wants your recordings for time capsule