Mark Little, known in the world of music as MGL, will present a new sound composition inspired by the Ackland Museum's new exhibition, "The Spectacular of Vernacular." In keeping with the spirit of the collection, this new work seeks to make art out of the mundane. The narrative of the composition was inspired by Mark's day job as a geologist and his interest in hydraulic fracturing, a process which may soon be used to produce natural gas here in North Carolina. The sounds of the composition are site recordings from the installation of the exhibition and even during the opening itself. Plus, Mark plays the saxophone. This work will be presented Friday, January 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. during the opening reception for "The Spectacular of Vernacular" at the Ackland Museum, but first Mark Little joins host Frank Stasio in our studio to discuss fracking, music and the mundane.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.