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Recreating the Sonic Legacy of CBGB's: A Journey Through Sound, Memory, and Punk History

Writer's picture: Jessie JacksonJessie Jackson

Image 1: CBGB's entrance

Aim: The objective of this storytelling investigation is to authentically recreate the sonic atmosphere of the legendary CBGB’s, a cornerstone of New York's punk scene in the 1970s. By analysing archival recordings, live performance dynamics, and ambient environmental sounds, the project seeks to transport listeners back to the raw, unfiltered energy that defined punk and new wave music.

The soundscape aims to preserve the cultural and historical significance of CBGB while offering an immersive auditory experience that educates and inspires contemporary audiences about the venue's enduring impact on music, art, and counterculture. By utilizing a foley suite and the Soundly app, the project aspires to accurately depict the essence of the venue, from the gritty sidewalk to the electric entry vibe, ensuring a true-to-life representation of this iconic space.


By thoughtfully reconstructing the specific acoustic environment, musical performances, and ambient sounds characteristic of CBGB’s, one can evoke the same emotional and cultural resonance experienced by audiences during the venue's peak. This recreated soundscape will not only serve as an immersive historical tribute but also as a powerful tool for exploring CBGB’s influence on the evolution of punk and new wave music.



Research:

Sound art is any creative practice that utilizes sound, particularly in its relationship to space (Labelle, 2006). Gernot Bohme (2017) discusses "felt spaces" as emotional atmospheres connecting to our feelings, defining the spaces we inhabit or that inhabit us. Sound is inherently immersive, a medium—like light—in which we exist (Ingold, 2007). In "Witnessing Space," Andrea Polli (2021) explores the relationship between architectural spaces, auditory illusions built into physical structures, and the mental architectures enhanced by acoustic properties.


Immersive Experiences: Immersive technologies create distinct artificial experiences by blurring the line between real and virtual worlds (Lee, 2013). These technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), have become prevalent in various domains, such as marketing, healthcare, entertainment, and education (Hunag & Liao, 2017; Frank, 2017). According to Statista (2023), immersive technologies are expected to generate more than $12 billion in revenue in 2023.


Relationship Between Sound & Memory: Researchers from the University of Birmingham explored how sounds can represent basic concepts, with successful cross-cultural comprehension highlighting the universality of sound in conveying meaning (Perlman et al., 2015). Cognitive musicologist Bob Snyder (2001) notes that long-term musical memories are shaped by individual and shared cultural experiences. Human memory, as described by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968), is divided into echoic memory, short-term storage, and long-term storage. Echoic memory allows us to retain a brief auditory impression even after the stimulus has ended, helping transfer important information to long-term memory (Tripathy, 2018).


Sound for Conveying Storytelling: The resurgence of audio storytelling, fueled by the advent of podcasting in 2005, the economy of digital audio production, and social media promotion, has redefined sound's role in cultural and creative industries (McHugh, 2013). Sound theorists Back and Bull (2003) argue that sounds are embedded with cultural and personal meanings, influencing our reactions and emotions. By creating the CBGB soundscape, the aim is to compose an auditory story that highlights the key elements of this era, preserving the essence of the venue.


Process: To begin the CBGB soundscape project, I conducted thorough research and analysis of the venue's unique sounds, surrounding streets, and the acoustic characteristics of the bands that performed there. Wray (2024) vividly describes CBGB as being situated beneath a run-down single-room occupancy hostel, often frequented by the homeless. It wasn't unusual for people loitering outside between sets to dodge bottles dropped from the windows above—a far cry from the trendy destinations of today.


Using the foley suite at SAE Byron Bay, I meticulously captured the sounds of footsteps, creaking doors, and glass bottles being dropped, rolling, and picked up.


To recreate the raw, gritty texture of the music, I recorded a rehearsal session of PEP, a punk band from Ballina, NSW, capturing authentic feedback from the amps and the coarse, distorted tones of the guitars.


Video 1: PEP rehearsal

Image reel: Foley suite and foley at home



Image gallery: Protools session



For additional ambient sounds, I utilised the Soundly library to access various audio clips, including walla, city noises like traffic and construction, and the chatter of people waiting outside the venue. I intentionally kept the project concise, under a minute, with two distinct scenes: one of a person waiting on the sidewalk outside CBGB, and the other of them entering the venue, lighting a cigarette, and being enveloped by the sounds of the bar, a band setting up, conversations, and the eventual start of a live performance.

The final audio narrative was edited and mixed in Pro Tools Studio DAW, using Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro X headphones and KRK Rokit 4 stereo speakers for precise monitoring.


Reflection: Reflecting on the process of creating the CBGB soundscape, I recognize the depth and complexity involved in capturing the essence of such an iconic venue. The initial research phase was crucial in understanding not just the sounds of the venue, but the cultural and historical context that shaped its unique atmosphere. Learning about the gritty, unpolished nature of CBGB and its surroundings helped me appreciate the importance of authenticity in sound design.

Recording in the foley suite allowed me to experiment with various objects and materials to recreate the environmental sounds integral to the storytelling experience. Capturing the raw energy of a live punk band like PEP added an invaluable layer of realism, reminding me of the power of live performance in creating an immersive auditory experience.


The challenge of condensing the project into a minute-long soundscape forced me to focus on the most essential elements, ensuring that each sound served a purpose in telling the story.

Editing and mixing the audio in Pro Tools was an exercise in precision, where I learned the importance of balancing different sonic elements to create a cohesive narrative.

I do wonder if the limited time frame allowed for sufficient immersion, and I reflect on what additional elements could have enhanced the story had it been longer. Overall, this project was a learning journey that deepened my understanding of how sound can evoke a specific time, place, and cultural moment. It also reinforced the importance of research, experimentation, and attention to detail in sound design.




Resources:


Atkinson, R. C. & Shiffrin, R. M. Human memory: a proposed system and its

control processes. Psychol Learn Motiv. 2, 89–195 (1968).


Back, L. and Bull, M. (2003). The auditory culture reader. Oxford: Berg.

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Bohme, G. 2017. Atmospheric Architectures : The Aesthetics of Felt Spaces. London ; New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, . doi:(ybp)13056353. Retrieved from file:///Users/jessiejackson/Downloads/Exegesis-%20Feeling%20Spaces%20-%20Producing%20Architectural%20Atmospheres%202021%20(1).pdf


Huang, T.-L.; Liao, S.-L. Creating e-shopping multisensory flow experience through

augmented-reality interactive technology. Internet Res. 2017, 27, 449–475.

Huizinga, J., Homo Ludens. (1980). Routledge: London, UK.

culture/oclc/7004042


Ingold, T. (2007), ‘Against Soundscape’, inA. Carlyle(ed.) Autumn Leaves: Sound and the Environment in Artistic Practice, pp. 10–13. Paris: Double Entendre. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/35433/chapter/303233117


LaBelle, B. (2006) Background noise: Perspectives on sound art. New York, Continuum International. Retrieved from https://seismograf.org/node/20202


Lee, H.-G.; Chung, S.; Lee, W.-H. Presence in virtual golf simulators: The effects of

presence on perceived enjoyment, perceived value, and behavioral intention. New Media

Soc. 2013, 15, 930–946.


McHugh, S.A, (2013). A Word in Your Ear: how Audio Storytelling Got Sexy, The

Conversation, 3 December 2013. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/a-wordin-

your-ear-how-audio-storytelling-got-sexy-20431


Polli, A. 2021. The Oxford Handbook Of Sound Art. Witnessing Space. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/35433/chapter/303233117


Snyder, R. (2001, January 29). Music and Memory. MIT Press.


Statistica. Immersive Technology Consumer Market Revenue Worldwide from 2018 to

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Tripathy SP, Öǧmen H. Sensory memory is allocated exclusively to the current event-

segment. Front Psychol. 2018;9:1435. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01435


Tourism Research Australia (2022), Visitor and Expenditure data.

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