Monthly Archives: April 2020

Participatory Lithology: Instructions for the Entertainers

To understand what Participatory Lithology is, and how we propose it, please see the summary of our first week of activity (March 21-27, 2020). In this project we have considered four roles: collectors, classifiers, entertainers, and sponsors. Let’s see here what entertainers can do.

Resident (at home) DJ

If, withouth looking it up on a search engine, you can think of a song mentioning rocks, stones, or minerals, you can write to micalosapevo@pibinko.org indicating

  • Song title
  • Link to a song video

and, if possible

  • Lyrics in the original language
  • an English translation of the lyrics, if the song is not in English (we encourage non-English songs!)
  • an Italian translation of the lyrics , if it is not in Italian
  • The indication of a sample from the participatory lithology gallery that you would related to the song.

…we don’t need each and all of these additional inputs, but the more you can send, the better

Mauro T-rex DJ spinning it in Tatti (GR).

Your proposal will be evaluated by the Participatoryt Lithology working group: Jack O’Malley, Mauro Tirannosauro, the Jug Band Colline Metallifere & friends). If the song fits in the context of the project, it will be added to a playlist from which one song per day is published in the Lithobag blog series. You will be indicated as the selectors for your song and we will thank you for our participation.

If the song you propose has not yet been published, but is already in the playlist (as of Apr. 4 we have about forty to go), your suggestiong will be summed to that of other “resident at home DJs” who proposed it, and you will all be credited for your suggestion when the song will be out on the Lithobag.

NB: If the song you propose will be the result of some online keyword search…ok, that is not forbidden but (1) Mauro the T-Rex will immediately notice and (2) what is the purpose of an online search in the context of Participatory Lithology?

Musicians and/or singers

We like DJ sets, but we like more the live stuff.

With the Jug Band dalle Colline Metallifere (i.e. Metalliferous Hills Jug Band) since 2018 we started a project where live music and outreach on environment, agriculture, and similar topics are merged in a single situation. Please check the JBCM site to get an idea. Among other exhibitions you should start from the events we held in Milan+ Brescia , then in Milan+Germania in 2019, and -more recently, in Roccastrada + Massa Marittima (Tuscany).

The JBCM in Sachsenheim, Germany, May 2019.

Bringing this format in Participatory Lithology, we started by writing some lyrics on songs that we use as jingles and promotion for the project. For the moment we have a first performance featuring Francesco Ceri from Matti delle Giuncaie. By Apr. 4 we will have a second performance out. For a third song, with English lyrics, we are looking for an English mother tongue vocalist/musician (Jack O’Malley from the JBCM is quite fluent, but it would be cool to find somebody born & bred in an English-speaking country).

So: if you like the Metalliferous Hills Jug Band vibe, and you would like to collaborate on new performances for Participatory Lithology, please write to micalosapevo@pibinko.org

Other forms of entertainment

Since the recreational part of participatory lithology was born inside a musical collective, it is easy for us to think in terms of musical options. However, if you are not musician, but you have other forms of expression, and you can think of a creative way to convey Participatory Lithologuy, you can still write us…we’re curious.

Saltimbanchi Off a Rho, circa 2005

What’s in it for you

The entertainers for Participatory Lithology (as well as other professional profiles participating, such as photographers and “classifiers”) are not here just for fun, or because they have a lot of free time in a lock-down phase. We know that what we are doing has an interesting non-local visibility: all project contents are issued in Italian and English, and you can check out from this page the coverage that pibinko.org activities have received in the past (and in these few weeks for P.L.). Then, if our prospective sponsors will see value in the project, we will have support that will share across participants. We will see!

In the article header: The la Hungry March Band from Brooklyn, NY, in Cagliari, Sardinia, 2005.

Lithobag #5, Apr. 2, 2020: Solid as a Rock

[If you missed Lithobag #1, with the preface to this blog series, you can find it here]

[If you don’t know Participatory Lithology, check out its first week summary, and be sure to check our title track before you read on.]

Who knows if Ashford & Simpson, composing Solid (which was in yesterday’s Lithobag) were inspired by this fancy tune by the formidable Ella. Only the most cunning music experts might solve such an intriguing enigma. In the meantime, we will propose associating the levity of the music and the voice of this song with Carolina’s sample C035.

For some specific demographic segments the levity of the music might turn to basalt weight if they delve into the lyrics. Are you curious on the solidity of the Rock of Gibraltar. Learn more about it here.

Solid as a rock | solido come una roccia
Solid as a rock
Love is as solid as a rock of Gibraltar | l’amore è solido come una rocca di Gibilterra
So come to the altar with me | per cui vieni all’altare con me
[x2]

You’ll only wander wayward if you ramble | starai solo a cincischiare se vai in giro a caso
May I suggest a license and a ring | posso suggerirti un permesso di matrimonio e un anello
When you’re in love it’s really not a gamble | quando sei innamorato non è un azzardo
Cause you’re betting on a real sure thing | perché scommetti su una cosa davvero sicura

Solid as a rock
Solid as a rock
Love is as solid as a rock of Gibraltar
So come to the altar with me

(Hey!)

Solid as a rock
Solid as a rock (Solid as a rock)
Love is as solid as a rock of Gibraltar (Solid as a rock)
So come to the altar with me (Love is as solid as a rock of Gibraltar)
(So come to the altar with me)
[x2]

Love’s solid as a rock!

Solid as a rock
Solid as a rock
Love is as solid as a rock of Gibraltar
So come to the altar with me

Come to the altar with me [x3]

Lithobag #4 (Apr. 1, 2020): Solid

In the participatory lithology exercise, this song came to Jack O’Malley‘s mind back from this high school times…So Eighties. He remembered the chorus…solid, solid as a rock BOOMM..but he never actually listened to the lyrics. Having read them, Solid presents itself as a great soul tune with Christian nuances (these ars possibly not casual, given the story of this duo between gospel choirs, Baptist churches, etc.). The big tube gives us the original version, that Jack’s peers used to watch on MTV (or, before that existed in Italy, on a channel called Videomusic), and an interesting live version at Montreux. In the latter Nicholas Ashford is dressed like he just walked out of a Star Trek set, where is plays the bad guy.

Since we need to choose a sample from the Participatory Lithology collection, paired with the song, I will go with item A036 from Uncle Enzo’s collection. This is kind of brittle, and with a fingernail you can chip some pieces off of it. On A036, one of our classifiers, Cris Carlone from Turin commented: “A sample with numerous inclusions. The white ones look like quartz. It would be interesting to have photos from different angles.”… so we will make sure more photos appear soon.

A nice anecdote on Ashford & Simpson: they were invited to perform at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, and for that event the proposed a modified version of this song, where the chorus said: “Solid…solid as Barack”. Talk tomorrow!

And for love’s sake, each mistake | e in nome dell’amore, ogni errore
Ah, you forgave | hai perdonato
And soon both of us learned to trust | e dopo poco tutti e due abbiamo imparato
Not run away, it was no time to play | a non scappare, non era il tempo di scherzare
We build it up and build it up and build it up | ci abbiamo costruito sopra

And now it’s solid | e ora è solido
Solid as a rock | solido come una roccia
That’s what this love is | è cosi questo amore
That’s what we’ve got, oh, mmm | è quello che abbiamo

Solid
(Oh)
Solid as a rock
And nothing’s changed it | e niente l’ha cambiato
(Ooh)
The thrill is still hot, hot, hot | l’emozione è calda
Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot

Oh, oh, oh, ah

You didn’t turn away | non hai voltato la schiena
When the sky went gray | quando il cielo si è fatto grigio
Somehow we managed | in qualche mondo l’abbiamo sfangata
We had to stick together | dovevamo restare insieme
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

You didn’t bat an eye | non hai mosso ciglio
When I made you cry | quando ti ho fatto piangere
We knew down the line | sapevamo che in fondo
We would make it better | le cose sarebbero migliorate
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

And for love’s sake, each mistake
Ah, you forgave
And soon both of us learned to trust
Not run away, it was no time to play
We build it up and build it up and build it up

Now it’s solid
Solid as a rock
(Ooh)
That’s what this love is
(Oh, oh)
That’s what we’ve got
(Oh, oh)
(Yes, it is)

Solid
Solid as a rock
And nothing’s changed it
(Oh)
The thrill is still hot, hot, hot
Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot

Oh, oh, oh, ah

Gone with the wind
Another friend
Got in between
Tried to separate us
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

Oh, knock-knock on wood
You understood
Love was so new
We did what we had to
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

And with that feeling
We were willing to take a chance
So against all odds, we made a start
We got serious, this wouldn’t turn to dust
(Ooh)
We build it up and build it up and build it up

And now it’s solid
(Ooh)
Solid as a rock
That’s what this love is
(Oh)
That’s what we’ve got, oh
(Oh, oh)

Solid
(Yes, it is)
Solid as a rock
(Ah)
And nothing’s changed it
(Ooh)
The thrill is still hot, hot, hot
Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot

Solid
(Oh)
Solid as a rock
(You know it)
(Well)
(You know it, baby)
Solid
Solid as a rock
(Lovin’ me, lovin’ me, oh)

Solid
(Don’t leave me, baby)
Solid as a rock
(Well, well, why, why)
(Oh)
Solid
Solid as a rock
(Every day it gets sweeter, now)
(Ooh)

Solid
(You know I like it)
Solid as a rock
(Good, good, well, it’s good, good, good)
Solid
(Solid, solid, solid, solid, solid)
As a rock