By the time local Eugene band Sea Bell finishes setting up for a show, clarinets and trombones have been tuned; banjos, guitars, ukuleles, and an enormous drum of marching-band caliber rest against the walls.

Springfield High School Mariachi Del Sol brings the sounds of Mexico to life.

Lucky Ear Mike ties balloons, creates origami, and writes riddles—but piano is his forte.

A distant but overwhelming wailing noise sounds over the city; to the Western world, it’s nothing more than alien sounds, meaningless, and foreign of what is deemed as music. What then, must the Eastern world think of our pyrotechnic, clashing noise, incoherent rap about demeaning women, or Britney Spears’ If U Seek Amy?

Every quarter hour the sound of bells rings through the air, creating a disembodied voice, an eerie echo that puzzles many. Where do these bells come from?