The Musician Who Plays Mushrooms
How do you play a mushroom? This week we're joined by Tarun Nayar of Modern Biology, a Vancouver-based musician who uses bioelectric signals from mushrooms, plants, and other living organisms to create music. Using custom-built devices and synthesizers, Tarun translates biological activity into musical information, creating performances that blend science, technology, improvisation, and art.
We talk about how he discovered plant and mushroom sonification during the pandemic, the history of bioelectric music, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp's influence on generative music, and what we can expect when he performs in a cave at CaveFest next month. (get tickets here!)
Plus we catch up with Abby, the winner of our CaveFest ticket giveaway: a recent festival-goer who has several Bonnaroos and Shaky Knees under her belt, and will now be a first-time CaveFest camper! Abby shares her festival journey and why she's excited for her next adventure at The Caverns.
Finally, we preview some upcoming festival coverage in the coming weeks, and try to get to the bottom of why so many festivals this year are getting cancelled or disrupted because of weather.
Listen to this week's episode here or watch it on YouTube. As always, subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get podcasts for weekly updates on Bonnaroo and festival news!
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(00:00) Music made from mushrooms?
(04:08) Modern Biology's Tarun Nayar
(24:22) Abby's Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees & CaveFest journey
(36:50) Bourbon & Beyond and CaveFest preview
(38:15) Why festivals keep getting cancelled
(40:04) Outro
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Modern Biology LIVE @ Indian Summer Festival
@modernbiology101 on Instagram
Fripp & Eno - A Radical Representative Of Pinsnip - Paris (1975)
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CaveFest at The Caverns, Oct 10-11, 2026 | Get Tickets Here!
$20 off Hulaween 2026 GA 4-day passes with code THEWHATPODCAST
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