Alex Kirt
Curriculum Vitae


Education:
May 2015  M.F.A., College of Mass Communication and Media Arts
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL

August 2012B.A. Radio and Television
Southern Illinois University 
Carbondale, IL

December 2011Associate of Arts – with honors
Shawnee Community College
Ullin, IL

Media Arts Teaching Experience:

Spring 2017: Visiting Lecturer of Sound, Southern Illinois University
Courses: a) Producing for Radio b) Sound Mix in Popular Culture

Fall 2016: Visiting Lecturer of Sound, Southern Illinois University
Courses: a) Sound Recording History, Theory, and Practice b) Sound Mix in Popular Culture

Spring 2015:  Instructor of Record, Southern Illinois University
Course: Sound Recording History, Theory, and Practice

Fall 2014: Graduate Teaching Assistant, Southern Illinois University
Courses: a) Audio Documentary b) Sound and The Moving Image

Summer 2014: Graduate Teaching Assistant
Course: SIU TV News Camp

Spring 2014: Graduate Teaching Assistant
Courses: a) Advanced Audio Engineering b) MIDI Production Studio

Fall 2013: Graduate Teaching Assistant
Course: Introduction to Audio Engineering

Fall 2013: Graduate Research Assistant
Supervising Professor: Experimental Filmmaker Cade Bursell
Duties: Sound Designer, Stereo Mix, and 5.1 Surround Mix for the film "Waveland"

Academic Honors and Awards:
May 2012 Outstanding Radio/Audio Production Student Award

Fall 2010 - Summer 2012Dean’s List, SIU MCMA Department of Radio and Television 

Memberships
2011 Audio Engineering Society (AES)
2014Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC)
2015 Popular Culture Association (PCA)

Software/ Hardware Proficiencies:
•Pro Tools
•Apple Logic Pro
•Final Cut Pro
• iZotope RX 5 
• iZotope Ozone 7 
•Adobe Creative Suite
•Reason MIDI Software
•Phonodisc Recording Lathes
•Magnetic Tape Recording 
•Digital Video Camera Production
•Analog and Digital Audio Processing Hardware
•Tube amplifier circuits diagnosis and repair
•Live Sound Reinforcement Equipment 

Creative and Research Interests and Specializations:
•Establishing Regional Music Archival Collections
•Phono-Record Cutting Lathes
•Audio Recording/ Engineering/ Mastering
•Music Production/ Songwriting/ Music Performance
•Sound For Film (Foley Arts, Music Scoring, and Sound Design)
•Tube Amplifier Circuitry Building, Diagnosis, and Repair
•History and Science of Sound Recording Technology
•Sound Art/ Sound Sculpture

MFA Thesis Projects: 
Thesis Title “Plowing Lacquer and Polishing Noise”
A history of protest music in three acts featuring the Future Primitives Skiffle Band
Experimental sound art sculptures "The Shintonarumori"
Special performance of "The Gatlingophone"

Southern Illinois Music Archive (SIMA)
A definitive collection of sound recordings, films, videos, photographs, and memorabilia documenting the rich and diverse musical heritage of Southern Illinois, created in the interest of cultural equity and historical preservation.

Shintonarumori 
A series of sound art sculptures featuring antique shoeshine boxes repurposed as artworks, each fitted with it’s own internal sound generating devices. The Shintonarumori can be performed alone, or in combination with any of the other shine boxes. Each combination creates a unique blend of sonic textures that were unattainable without being performed in collaboration with one another. Shintonarumori provides an artistic metaphor for income inequality associated with globalized corporate capitalism and its effects on the working class people of the world. The work represents a call for unity among working class citizens.


Media Arts Exhibitions

2015 Resilience Radio
Global Fusion Conference
Exhibit: October 24th, 2015
Rudder Tower, Texas A&M
Radio Art Performance with Mike Maxwell and Dr. Phylis Johnson

2015 Plowing Lacquer and Polishing Noise: A Mudsill's Methodology
MFA Thesis Exhibition
Exhibit: April 26th, 2015
The Old Feed Store, Cobden, IL

2015 The Gatlingophone
PCA/ACA Conference 
Exhibit: April 1st - 4th, 2015
New Orleans, LA
Occupy PCA Guerrilla Arts Performance - Punk Culture 

2014New Deal Art Now: A Reframing Of The Artifacts Of Diversity
Curated by Jessica Allee
University Museum, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL
Exhibit: June 3 through November 1, 2014
Music Produced and Engineered by Alex Kirt
Digital Audio Recordings Exhibit

2014Soundings: An Evening of Sound Art and Performance
Track One Gallery, Nashville TN
Exhibit: May 3rd, 2014
Alex Kirt: Plowing Lacqer – live, direct-to-disc 78rpm phonodisc recording 
Sound Art Performance

2014SIUC Graduate Student Symposium and Exhibition
University Museum, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL
Exhibit: April 24th – May 2nd, 2014
Alex Kirt: Southern Illinois Music Archive: location recordings
Digital and Analog Audio Recordings Exhibit 

2013SIUC MCMA Graduate Student Symposium and Exhibition
University Museum, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL
Exhibit: April 25th – May 4th 2013
Alex Kirt: Sound City: The Soundscapes of Tube Circuits
Photographic Series Exhibit

2012SIUC MCMA Graduate Student Symposium and Exhibition
University Museum, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL
Presentation: April 27th 2014
Alex Kirt: Southern Illinois Music Archive: curating regional archives
Essay Presentation

2012SIUC MCMA Graduate Student Symposium and Exhibition
University Museum, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL
Screening: April 27th 2014
Alex Kirt: Dandelions – The Rural Kings
Documentary Short (16 min.)

2012Scratching The Surface
SIUC MFA Student Media Arts Exhibition
College of Mass Communications and Media Arts
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL
Exhibit: December 11th, 2012
Alex Kirt and Honna Veerkamp: MFA Train
Interactive Live Sound Art Performace

Published Essays

2015 Review of "The 78 Project Movie" by filmmaker A. Steyermark
Journal of Radio and Audio Media
Pages 131 - 134
Volume 22, Number 1, May 2015
ISSN: 1937-6529

Sound Design and Scoring For Film:

2013Waveland directed by Cade Bursell. experimental film
Credits: Alex Kirt - Sound Designer, Stereo Mix, and Surround Mix 
Winner - “Award of Merit” (Best Experimental Film)
 2014 UFVA Film and Video Festival

2013Cowboy Christmas directed by HD Motyl. documentary film
Credits: Alex Kirt - Original Music Score Composer/Performer and
Final Audio Mix 
“Best Feature Documentary” 2013 Madrid International Film Festival
Nominated: “Best Feature Documetary” 2014 Trail Dance Film Festival
“Best of Fest: Faculty Documentary” 2014 BEA 
(Broadcast Education Association) Festival of Media Arts

Screenings:
Louisville International Festival of Film
Madrid International Film Festival
Virginia Film Festival
Trail Dance Film Festival
Beloit International Film Festival
“Imagining Geographies” series, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
UFVA (University Film and Video Association) Film and Video Screening (in competition)
Three Rivers Film Festival 
Prescott Film Festival 

2010Confidence Man directed by Robert Streit. documentary film
Credits: Alex Kirt - Soundtrack Composer, Performer, Engineer, Mixing, and Mastering.

Screenings:
2011 St Louis International Film Festival 
2012 Cedar City Film Festival 

2003The Legend of Charlie Birger directed by David Kidd. documentary film
Credits: Alex Kirt - Soundtrack Composer/ Performer
Produced by WSIU

Screenings: Numerous Broadcasts on PBS

Academic Conference Presentations
2015 Global Fusion Conference 2015, College Station, TX
Resilience Radio

2015 Popular Culture Association/ American Culture Association 
         Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA 
1)Establishing the Southern Illinois Music Archive: Regional Music Archives in the Digital Age
2)The Gatling-o-phone, Media Arts Performance

2014Global Fusion Conference 2014, Austin, Texas 
Noise in the Hive: History, Interpretation and the Arts in the Global Sound Archive

Audio Engineering Experience
2010 – 
2014Audio Engineer, Misunderstudio, Murphysboro, IL
2012 –
PresentFreelance Audio Engineer (live and studio)
1993 –
PresentChief Sound Technician for over 1000 live concert performances

Studio Engineering/ Mixing/ Mastering Projects:
2008 "Misfits Masquerade" by The Woodbox Gang
2009 “White Trash Voodoo” by The Woodbox Gang 
2010 “Confidence Man” by The Woodbox Gang 
2011 “Ol’ Moose” by Doug Anderson 
2012 “Glorious Scars” by The Woodbox Gang 
2012“Bluegill Boogie” by Giant City Slickers 
2013 “Torch Ditties” by Jennifer Johnson 
2014 "Sound Stage Sessions" by The Mudsills
2014 “Live at the Old Feed Store” by Chris Jones and The Nightdrivers 
2014 “Dreamhead” by The Flowers of Evil 
2014 “One Way Ride” by We Killed The Lion 
2015 "Volume One" by Buzzzard
2015 "Scifislands" by Scifislands
2015 "Dying Day" by We Killed The Lion

78rpm Lacquer Master Disc Recordings:
2014“Lost, Lonesome, & Alone” by The Swamp Tigers
2014 “Brand New Cadillac” by The Swamp Tigers
2014“All I Could Do Was Cry” by The Swamp Tigers
2014 “Bluebird” by Jenny Johnson
2014 “Evan, Jack, or Jim” by Jenny Johnson
2014 “Some of These Days” by Jenny and the Johnsons
2014 “Bluebird (rendition #2)” by Jenny and the Johnsons
2014 “Candy Green” by The Flowers Of Evil
2014 “Dreamhead” by The Flowers Of Evil
2014 “Green Candles” by The Flowers Of Evil
2014 “I Wish I’d Gone To College” by Randy Hill and Tyson Connor
2014 “Hold That Train” by the Well, Well, Wells
2014 “Oh Dear Mother” by the Well, Well, Wells
2014 “Keep On Dreaming” by The Whistle Pigs
2014 “Lighten Up” by The Whistle Pigs
2014 “Happens Every Day” by The Whistle Pigs
2014 “Hurricane” by The Whistle Pigs

Sound Art/ Sound Sculptures
2014The Gatling-o-phone. sound art sculpture 
2014Shintonarumori. sound art sculpture series
2013 Silence Inside Sound. sound art audio recording
2012 Vinyl Mosaic. sound art sculpture/ performance art

Photography
2013Audioscapes: The Cityscapes of Audio Circuits. digital photography series
2013Cedar Bluffs: A Hike Through Time. digital photography series

Experimental Films
2012G.R.U.B.S. dystopian narrative film short
201229 Projections. experimental film short

Documentary Films
2013Opa Spitznamen: Grandpa’s Nicknames. documentary film short
2012Dandelions: The Rural Kings. musical documentary film short

Live Performance Art
2014Plowing Lacquer. Live direct to disc 78rpm sound recording performance
2012MFA Train. collaborative sound art performance with Honna Veerkamp

Musical Projects/ Live Performance
2000 – Present:  The Woodbox Gang
2014 - Present:    The Devil's Duo
2012 – Present:  The Mudsills
2012 – 2014:  The Giant City Slickers
2009 – 2012:  The Django Billies
2005 – 2012:  The Soothsayers Jug Band
1997 - 1998:    Trouble Creek
1993 – 1996:   Soldog

Commercially Released Albums (discography):
1994Without A Name – Soldog
1995Dawning – Soldog
1997Blue Earth – Trouble Creek
1999Set It For The Sun – Soldog
19994 Corners Cactus-Chewing Blues (The Colorado Tapes) – Alex Kirt
2000A Caustic Acoustic Cacophony – The Woodbox Gang
2001Trashcan Americana – The Woodbox Gang
2002Wormwood – The Woodbox Gang  
2003Showdown (live) – The Woodbox Gang
2003Born With A Tail – The Woodbox Gang
2003I’ve Killed Men (soundtrack)– The Woodbox Gang  
2005Live at Hangar 9 – The Woodbox Gang
2006The Soothsayers, Vol. 1 – The Soothsayers Jug Band  
2008Drunk As Dragons – The Woodbox Gang
2009Glorious Scars – The Woodbox Gang
2010Confidence Man (soundtrack) – The Woodbox Gang
2012Bluegill Boogie – Giant City Slickers
2012Glorious Scars – The Woodbox Gang
2014Soundstage Session – The Mudsills (official release 2015)

Notable Live Musical Performances
2015 Live On Main, Carbondale, IL
2014Shiner Spring Fest, Carbondale IL
2013The Historic Liberty Theater, Murphysboro, IL
2013/ 12Shryock Auditorium, Carbondale IL
2009River Roots Live Music Festival, Davenport IA
2009American Music Festival, Harrisburg PA
2009Great Blue Heron Festival, Sherman NY
2008The Fox Theater, Boulder CO
2008The Aggie Theater, Fort Collins CO
2008Groovefest, Cedar City, UT
2008The Blue Note Theater, Columbia MO
2007Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Nightgrass Concert Series, Telluride CO
2007Trinity Tribal Stomp, Junction City CA
2007Viva Downtown Redding, Redding CA
2007Music On Main Street, Driggs ID
2007Appalachian Uprising Festival, Scott Town OH
2007Council Mountain Music Festival, Council ID
2007Aurorafest, Polebridge MT
2007The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC
2006Wakarusa Music Festival, Lawrence KS