Behind the Birdsong Project: Lee Ranaldo

Lee Ranaldo does not consider himself a birder - in the traditional sense. As a renowned musician, writer, and visual artist and one of the three founding members of the iconic rock band Sonic Youth, Ranaldo’s connection to the avian kingdom lies in the creative realm. 

Ever fascinated by birds, Ranaldo instead calls himself a “whistler”, imitating bird tunes whenever possible. “I grew up with canaries,” he says, “and the most special thing was when they would start to sing.” 

An accomplished multi-media artist with a career spanning over four decades, Ranaldo is keyed into the musical tradition of people turning birdsong into melody for compositions. So, it’s only natural that Ranaldo would himself - in partnership with Hollywood music supervisor Randall Poster, Rebecca Reagan, Elliot Bergman, Stewart Lerman – be driven to co-produce The Birdsong Project, a historic and unprecedented outpouring of creativity by more than 200 musicians, actors, literary figures, and visual artists, all to celebrate the joy and inspiration birds bring to our lives while shining a light on what birds tell us about the health of our planet.

Ranaldo worked with Randall Poster over decades on different things, both as a solo artist and during his time as a member of Sonic Youth.  Collaborations include Todd Haynes’ I'm Not There and, more recently, the television show Vinyl, which aired a few years before the pandemic. Though Poster has a very large network to draw from, he was looking to partner with someone who would further extend that outreach in an impactful way. As a seasoned and successful artist, Ranaldo was more than well-suited for the role. And so, The Birdsong Project was underway.

Fast forward a few years later and the amazing assemblage of artwork for the birds has recently been awarded a GRAMMY. Music packaging veterans and For the Birds: The Birdsong Project box set designers Jeri and John Heiden of SMOG Design attended the 2024 ceremony to personally accept the award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. “I was so pleased that The Birdsong Project was recognized at the Grammys - it’s such a huge achievement,” Ranaldo says. “The response to threatened avian habitats, the recognition that ’so go the birds, go we’, if you will, was heartening.” 

Music has long been a powerful medium for human expression, capable of evoking emotions, telling stories, and connecting people across cultures and generations. It is both in and of nature, and seemingly the perfect vehicle for driving the kind of awareness and action necessary to meet this moment – and beyond. “The Birdsong Project hasn’t concluded yet. The project and programs related to it - all to benefit the National Audubon Society - continue this year and into next. The package design was ingenious, so it was great to see Jeri and John Heiden recognized for their wonderful work.”

This isn’t the first time Ranaldo has taken inspiration from the signs of environmental disequilibrium. Throughout his 40+ year career, he has developed a deep appreciation for the rich tapestry of music found in various places and spaces. In the fall of 2012, Ranaldo noticed strange sounds coming in through the window panes of his home in lower Manhattan. Upon venturing outdoors, he was immediately presented with the rare opportunity to record what he later titled the Hurricane Sandy Transcriptions. 

While we are familiar with the physical impact Hurricane Sandy had as it ravaged the streets of New York City, Ranaldo tuned into the storm’s aural effect, its winds vibrating off of buildings, fire escapes, and other elements of the surrounding infrastructure and creating a unique soundscape. Inspired by this natural symphony, he took it a step further and set out to create a musical composition for a wind orchestra, weaving together the harmonies of the storm with his own artistic expression. The result was a series of mesmerizing musical pieces that melded the raw power of the hurricane wind with Ranaldo’s distinctive sonic landscapes.

The Birdsong Project likewise offers a truly unique listening and visual experience. The blend of bird-themed artwork, birdsong, human-created music spanning multiple musical genres and aural experiences, including Americana, pop, folk, new classical, and spoken word, creates a captivating and immersive audio-visual journey. Each contribution showcases the distinctive and personal relationship one can have with these awe-inspiring creatures. The exploration of birds and birdsong and their integration into these different modes of expression is a testament to the power of art to transcend boundaries and foster a deeper understanding of our environment. In a time when the conservation of nature and the mitigation of climate change have become critical issues, The Birdsong Project serves as a potent driver of the kind of awareness we need to bring more people into the fold of action on these issues.

Ranaldo’s own contribution to the project is inspired by the work of his late friend, poet Michael McClure. Titled “40 Songs”, the lyrics pull from McClure’s poem of the same title, woven together with Ranaldo’s music. The piece speaks to impending loss and the fear of letting go – themes that aligned both with Ranaldo’s grieving of McClure’s passing and also the striking loss that’s been collectively felt due to declining bird populations across the globe.

Ranaldo considers The Birdsong Project to be an incredible accomplishment and has enthusiastically incorporated “40 Songs” into shows and performances along with a brief discussion of the project and where people can learn more about it. “I’m doing what I can,” says Ranaldo. “The broader collective is realizing we have to do something about this, and the hope is that The Birdsong Project can’t help but raise these issues to the forefront.”