Bluebrain's New Boombox Walk This Weekend

Our friends Bluebrain are back in the District fresh off of their very successful launch of an iPhone application for New York's Central Park. This time, they've secured one of DC's best indoor spaces for a third and final boombox walk. U.S. Botanical Garden sits at the foot of Capitol Hill, just west of the Capitol Building. One of my favorite places in DC! It's criminally under-appreciated, in my opinion. Well, this is the site of the the walk for this Saturday January 14. It's free, of course.

This is how it works: Several tracks composed by Bluebrain are distributed to you (and everyone else who shows up) and loaded onto your boombox -- via CD, cassette or mp3. Then, after starting the tracks in sync, the group will traverse the walkways of the Botanical Garden creating a symphony of music along the way. Very, very cool! Please RSVP (bluebrainmusic@gmail.com) if you'd like to be a part of this! Here are the details from Bluebrain:

"Bluebrain & The US Botanic Garden present

Final Boombox Walk

January 14th at 3 PM Sharp

Free Event

US Botanical Garden -- 100 Maryland Ave SW Washington DC

Original music composed by Bluebrain

RSVP and tell us your preferred format (cassette, CD or MP3)

Bring a portable cassette, CD or iPod enabled music device to the indoor conservatory courtyard of the Botanic Garden (located next to the Capitol building on the National Mall). PLEASE RSVP BY EMAIL (bluebrainmusic@gmail.com) & TELL US WHAT KIND OF DEVICE YOU WILL HAVE (this way, we can create enough cassettes, CD's or email you an MP3).

Thank you to all those who've come to one or  both boombox walks -- or any other Bluebrain events since we started this three years ago. Let's make this the biggest sounding one yet.

For more information:

http://www.facebook.com/events/138113212959302/

www.bluebra.in

http://www.usbg.gov/"

Another Cool Project Via Bluebrain

Bluebrain, who were behind the Dupont Boombox Experiment, are back for more creative music fun. They've created a new music track that will be available for free on their website starting, well now. And here's the cool twist. It's been engineered by Bluebrain specifically to accompany you through the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Sant Ocean Hall. Ocean Hall, which opened in late 2008, was the largest renovation and installation in the Museum's nearly 100 year history.

The music track is mostly ambient, but there is structure and some mood changes as the piece progresses. Total time is about 17 minutes and a half. I guess it totally depends on if you're a reader of the information panels or not, but if you're like me, you could just press play and take in the huge replica of North Atlantic Right Whales, giant squid, and the rest of the 23,000 square foot exhibit and be happy.

A nice getaway from the screaming kids, pushy grandmas and bickering, terribly dressed married couples from the Midwest (sorry, bad memory).

You can download the mp3 file from the Bluebrain website here. Perfect for a rainy day, or whenever you get a chance to visit Federal Washington for 17 minutes or so. Enjoy.