I collected sounds from the Ringing Rocks of western Montana—a unique geologic phenomena (there are only three similar locations in the world) where the rocks chime like bells with struck. In nearby Butte, Montana sits the Berkely Pit, a large open-pit mine where copper and other mineral were harvested since the late 19th century. The Pit now is encircled by sonic deterrent devices called "wailers" that play bird distress calls and alarms to scare off waterfowl from the polluted waters below.
The New Songs for Butte Mining Camp, published in 1917, is a booklet of protest songs about union solidarity, better pay, and better living and working conditions for the miners. Using the sounds of the Ringing Rocks, I have recreated some of the miners' songs, allowing the sounds of stones being struck to echo the conflicts between the workers, the industrialists, and the environment—all played from a wailer as a warning
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