Photo by Alyce Santoro via Flickr

Sonic Fabric, woven from a 50/50 blend of recycled cassette tape and cotton, can actually be played. Just run a tape head over the fabric. It sings a different tune than what was originally recorded on the tape, however, sounding more like scratching a record or radio static.

But as Sonic Fabric’s creator Alyce Santoro explains, being able to play back the tape as is isn’t really the point:  “To me it’s the concept that makes it meaningful…all those sounds mixed together to form a totally unique new sound.”

For an excellent example of how Sonic Fabric both looks and sounds, check out footage from this 2004 Phish show. Jon Fishman, the band’s percussionist, not only models a dress woven from Sonic Fabric, but also proves that it can indeed double as a musical instrument.

So how was this crazy singing fabric idea born? Growing up, Alyce’s dad employed a strand of cassette tape as his “tell tail,” a small bit of fabric or yarn sailors use to determine the direction of the wind:

“When I was a kid I used to imagine that I could hear Cat Stevens or Beethoven’s 6th …wafting out into the air if the wind hit the tell-tail just the right way. Years later, I learned about Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags…[that are] hung outdoors…where their blessings can be activated and sent off into the world on the wind. It seemed a natural progression to me to combine these two concepts…”

The Sonic Fabric shop has a variety of goodies for sale. Right now neck ties and strings of flags are all the rage. If you’re feeling crafty and want to design your own fashion statement (or musical instrument), you can also buy Sonic Fabric by the yard.

Get It Here: Sonic Fabric (Ties $140, Flags $50, Yardage – contact for details)

via Crafting a Green World

Photo via MySpace

My brother’s been raving on Phacebook about how phantastic the Phish show was at Phenway last week. Okay, this whole “ph” thing is getting annoying. I’ll stop now while I’m ahead. ..

Anyway, I heard some phabulous, errr… fabulous, things about Phish’s latest greening efforts for their summer tour and decided to check it out. And boy does it check out.

The Waterwheel Foundation (the nonprofit organization that oversees Phish’s charitable activities) and Reverb have teamed up to help not only Phish, but also their fans, go green.

The band is doing all sorts of cool stuff like fueling up their buses and trucks with biodisel; stocking their tour bus with eco-friendly cleaners and supplies; eating food from local, organic farms; composting waste and recycling; and using reusable water bottles. To top it all off, Phish plans to purchase carbon offsets to neutralize the CO2 emissions from their touring fleet, air travel, hotel accommodations, and venue energy use.

Phish has also created an online guide for fans - Traveling Light: The Green Guide to Phish Touring – that lists green resources specific to each show in the following categories:

• Food. Farmers markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food.
• Lodging. Green hotels and campsites.
• Transport. Carpools, bike routes, public transit options, and biodiesel fueling stations.
  
• Side Trips & Volunteering. Eco-friendly side trips and community service projects.
• Inspired Readings. Resources to keep the green momentum going at home.

Carpooling is getting a big push, with Phish giving away a free download of  the show each night of the tour to 20 random fans that sign up for PickupPal’s Phish RideShare Service. Phish fans have a reputation for following the band from show to show, so reducing the environmental impacts from travel has the potential to have a big impact.

Interested in joining in the phun (there I go again…), uh… fun? You can find Phish’s summer tour schedule here.