Never one to relax, Fester Spunk has been hard at work on several other projects as of late.  His collaborations with installation artist Rees Shad continue.  Shad’s ‘Ghost Radio,’ the soundtrack of which Spunk developed from a host of personal and found media from the artist’s family archives, will be unveiled October 2008 at the Art Mission & Theater in Binghamton, NY, as will several other collaborative pieces by the two men.

In late 2007, the organization Engender Health approached Fester to rescore several short films.  These fascinating films were produced by everyday Africans with the help of representatives from the Digital Storytelling Project and covered issues such as HIV awareness, spousal abuse, and sexual identity.   The original scores involved copyrighted materials that the organization was unable to gain permissions for, and so they needed to be replaced.  The challenge was to create original music that provided similar impact and effect while also being respectful of the filmmakers’ original vision and intent. The scores were reviewed by the filmmakers (who Spunk never got to meet) over the Spring and were approved enthusiastically– much to Spunk’s relief and satisfaction. The films are currently part of a world-wide fund raising effort by the organization to continue their important and effective work.

Spring 2008 found Spunk creating the sound design for Hostos Repertory Company’s production of Susan Lori Park’s ‘In The Blood.’  For the most part the action of the play takes place beneath a bridge, where a homeless woman and her children live.  In order to help create the play’s ambiance, Fester explored bridges throughout the Hudson Valley and New York City with a digital recording rig in order to gather the field recordings that ultimately made up the play’s sound design.

Meanwhile Spunk’s band Scheissfinger has just finished their latest album ‘Summer of Glove.’ The album, a follow up to their notorious ‘Cumalot: The Deep Throat Musical,’is a tip of the collective scheiss hat to psychotropic music of the late 1960’s and early 70’s. 

Spunk continues to work on his re-scoring of the classic German horror film ‘Golem,’ which he hopes to screen Autumn 2008, and his next album (tentatively titled ‘Spackle and Paste’) is in the works.