'Vinylcast' - Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! (2012)

"I’m getting the turtle."

Behold the future, kids. The world’s first (possibly) vinylcast! That’s right: a podcast on vinyl. "Er, are you really sure about this being the future? It seems kind of a step back." Well, you say that now, but everyone will be doing this before the end of the year. Yes, even you. "But I don’t even have a podcast?!" That won't stop you. "It kind of will." Let’s not argue about this in public.

  

"So who is Tell ‘Em Steve-Dave ?"

Well, Mr Steve-Dave himself is New Jersey basement dweller Bryan Johnson. ("Ok, this is already confusing.") And he’s supported on the show by comic shop impresario Walt Flanagan and ‘Impractical Joker’ Brian ‘Q’ Quinn. If you’ve ever caught an early Kevin Smith film (‘Mallrats’, ‘Chasing Amy’), you’ll have seen these guys pop up as they’re all friends from way back.

"And what happens on the podcast?"

Imagine three men sitting round a beaten-up poker table in the back room of a small town comic shop and chatting about flea markets, bottle dumps, and Kim Kardashian. Sound good? Then this is the podcast for you.   

New shows can be downloaded for free every Friday (most often Saturday in the UK) on Kevin Smith’s Smodcast network. A good starting point is the classic ‘Makin’ Hay’ two-parter, where the gang go on a weird and wonderful field trip to Collingwood Auction: http://smodcast.com/episodes/makin-hay/

"How did you get your hands on this Vinylcast?"

I threw my $35 in to a Kickstarter project that Q instigated at the start of this year – they were aiming for $6,500 to make it worthwhile pressing a few hundred vinyls and received over $60,000! Welcome to the future.

‘Something Or Nothing’ – Pale Seas (2012)

"You know you’ve fallen,

But I know how high."

And we’re back… Happy New Year! Happy Pancake Day! Happy Birthday (if I’ve missed one – sorry – hope there was balloons and ice cream)! I’m sure you’ve been pining for more tales of musical misadventures, unrequited love, and Gothic persecution. Don’t worry, we’ll be getting right back to those. Just not today.

No, today, we’re kind of limbering up. Doing some scholary star jumps, if you will. And I wanted to start moving forward again by introducing a bewitching new song by a beguiling new band. (See what I did with the be- thing there? Yep, I still haven’t lost it after all these months away.)

"So, Michael, is this another of those new bands you’re championing where you just so happen to know the bass player’s, third cousin’s chiropodist?" Yes, perhaps something like that. But don’t let that concern you. Unless you need your feet looking at. In which case, I can probably hook you up there.

Anyway, enough of this. ‘Tis a beautifully emotive song. With a lovely sleeve. And look: clear vinyl. *swoon*

More Pale Seas loveliness here: http://paleseas.com/