#AGURocks is a series of posts by musicians who create science-inspired music and explain their process and inspiration while also showcasing their pieces. Learn more about contributing. The views and lyrics expressed in this post and song do not reflect those of Sharing Science and AGU. This week, Steve Phillips.

Music has been important to me for as long as I’ve been interested in science. I never really had any music training. In high school, I constantly blared CDs in the background while working on homework (so much 90s alternative and punk rock). Often taking breaks just to focus and listen intently to the music (and procrastinate) but I started to dream of playing music. As an undergrad I finally picked up the guitar and spent as much time as possible learning how to play my favorite songs in between classes and other work. Eventually this led to forming a band which never went anywhere but created fun memories. When I moved on to the world of research in grad school, I began feeling quite motivated to write songs. For some reason it felt like a natural step- the more I got into research, the more places I got to travel for field work, the more ideas for songs I had. The creative process of writing a song- experimenting with new combinations of chords, rhythms, and words (and often failing at it) felt quite complementary to what often seemed like stumbling forward in the unknowns of science.

I don’t set out to write songs explicitly about science, but science seems to find a way of coloring many of my songs. Most of my songs are about experiences I’ve had, places I’ve been, or commentary/vision for the world we live in- all of those things have been affected by working in science. Sometimes the images in my songs end up blatantly geological. One example, a song called “Time Zones” is about traveling and missing family and friends but finding comfort in seeing Earth’s history in outcrops while driving across the country. In another song, “Demagogues and Digital Mobs”, I stand up for science as a quiet, but persistent, way of seeking truth while lamenting a world where deception and charlatanism seem to be rewarded.

Music has been an important outlet through my education and career. Jamming or playing open mikes with a friend during my PhD program was great way for me to manage stress. Playing open mikes at AGU or putting together a compilation album at an Ocean Sciences meeting have been great ways to connect with other geoscientists with musical interests.

Music has also created opportunities to talk about science with a broader audience than I would interact with normally. I can recall quite a few occasions where engaging conversations about the oceans, climate, or energy began in a bar when people asked me about my lyrics, or what I did for work, or why I would disappear from the open mike scene for a couple months when I went to sea.

At the point I am now, I can’t picture doing science without having ongoing involvement with music. At the same time, I don’t think my music would have the style that it does without the heavy influence of science. I’ve started record some demos of my songs and plan to have a Soundcloud page out in the near future.

–Steve Phillips is a Research Associate at the University of Texas at Austin. Find him @SmearSlideSteve.

Lyrics

Thirteen states down and two more days to go

The flats give way to sandstone teeth and still there’s lurking more

And in those granite arms the canyon’s nearly bright

The Milky Way lights this place along a double yellow line

 

Three thousand miles and just as many smiles

Latitudes may change but the people remain the same

Lunar footsteps twice in pale silver light

Love shipped out through gas station Wi-Fi

 

And the time zones are running and the sun plays hide and seek

The trails of concrete fading and the sea is left for me

The celestial atlas and the golden troughs and peaks

So don’t you worry darlin’ ‘cause you’ll soon be hearing from me

 

Immersed in surprise, the endless pavement rides

In red sculptures of 80-grit I truly come alive

Basins of pain and the ghosts of ancient days

Animated now in a parade from a past age

 

And the time zones are running and the sun plays hide and seek

The trails of concrete fading and the sea is left for me

The celestial atlas and the golden troughs and peaks

So don’t you worry darlin’ ‘cause you’ll soon be hearing from me

But don’t you worry darlin’ ‘cause you’ll soon be seeing me