JOHN HERMAN: "You Can't Cage Me or I Can't Feel My Hands" is the first of several songs initially inspired by photographs and drawings.

CHALLENGE #1: Ask for someone you care about to give you a photograph of their choosing. Create a one minute track at 110 BPM that uses a guitar capturing the essence of the photograph.

FRANK: To capture the essence of the photo I chose, I decided to use an alternate tuning on my acoustic. I recorded two tracks of that. I'm not sure it's entirely finished because towards the end of the second track I scraped the microphone on the strings. I think that part should be expanded to make the whole piece.

Frank's photograph titled "copenhagen-oslo 5-16 to 5-27"

CHALLENGE #2: On a piece of paper no larger than a postcard, draw a picture that is inspired by the track attached. Next turn the track backwards and record 3 tracks to the backwards music. You may not use any notes that are letters in your name.

FRANCIS POWELL:
So, I had returned from a snappy weekend visit to England, via the Euro star and another long train journey.....I had the TV On.......there was this film with Monica Bellucci and Gérard Depardieu. Monica seemed to frequently strip off and make herself to an assortment of men.....why I was not sure.....as I was only half following this film.........I listened to the guitar....which seemed to start off in a jazzy way and then transposed into it's backwards form, which to me became more spiky and my drawing reflected these two elements........also vaguely cubist...... I recorded the track..as a wav and my first track was an 808 cowbell..........a sound trhat most people would avoid......it is so dated......I played it really low.......so it became a totally different instrument.....bassy....then I thought about strings.........and my third track was originally normal piano...but it changed to a Rhodes........

CHALLENGE #3: Record a single track using the instrument or found sound of your choice (including your own voice) for the attached song. Your track must be inspired by the attached drawing. Submit a geographical location that signifies an important moment in your life.

JASON HAAS:
I cut up an interview with David Lynch from Salon's "Conversations" series. The
piece as I received it already seemed so complete that I felt like the only thing I could add was some Musique Concrete wackiness. Well, actually, I also thought that a sweet drill 'n' bass drumline would work, but I knew I couldn't pull that off. Anyway, Lynch was in top form in the interview, and I particularly latched onto some of
what he had to say about his new line of coffees.

I thought my work was brilliant, but John got all concerned about "rights" or something and said I should do something "original."

Frankly, I think he was too blown away by my genius.

Well, I soldiered on, and produced the vocal track included. Bundled up in there is some lingering notions from the Lynch interview, a lot of work anxiety, and the sweet, unbelievable exhaustion I was experiencing in mid-December. Initially, I just read off some old Atari games, but it sucked, so I just poured all my wipe-outedness into what was left.

The geographic location that signifies an important moment is my life is the old Orpheum Cinema (it no longer exists) in Fells Point (1724 Thames St. Baltimore, MD). This is from The Baltimore City Paper, the year I graduated High School: http://www.citypaper.com/bob/story.asp?id=8099