Since I posted the last post announcing my new gig, I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to keep my head on straight, let alone blog. People ask me how it’s going, and I won’t lie – the commute is kicking my ass.
My schedule is not one to be envied — I leave for work by 7:30 a.m., around the same time most of my coworkers are just waking up. Both morning and evening rush hours are a pain, and now BOTH expressways I could take to Detroit have major construction on them. I drive over 120 miles a day, and spend a total of at least two and a half hours on the road daily. I’ve found myself staying after work many times because it wouldn’t matter if I left at 5:30 or 6:30, because of rush hour traffic I’d get home at the same time either way.
When I get home (sometimes not until 9:30 or later), I am so exhausted from everything that I’m ready to collapse. In fact, many times I have. The ironic thing is that I haven’t even had a chance to look for a place in Metro Detroit because of all this.
When I told a friend of mine how much time I spend on the road, he replied with, “Wow, I’d be totally catching up on audiobooks.” I’m not much of an audiobook person, but I am a long-time podcast addict, and I told him that I’ve been listening to a lot of those. We then got in a discussion about our favorite podcasts, and I thought I’d share a few of my favorites here. I’m going to split this up into two posts, music podcasts and non-music podcasts. I’ll start with music since it’s Monday (or a pseudo-Monday because of the holiday).
Dave’s Lounge - Podcasting the best in chillout, trip hop, and downtempo electronic music. For some reason, people are surprised when I tell them I’m a big fan of this kind of music. I have no idea why, as my musical tastes are as diverse as they come. I’ve been a loyal listener of Dave’s Lounge since 2006, and it’s through Dave that I discovered some really incredible artists, like Natalie Walker, All India Radio (they’re actually from Australia), Edison Gem, and the awesomeness that is The Atomica Project. I can’t say enough good things about Dave’s Lounge. Oh, and you can follow Dave on Twitter at @permanent4.
Idyllic Music - In the same vein as Dave’s Lounge, Idyllic Music features songs by indie artists working outside the mainstream, likely people you’ve never heard of before but can’t get enough of once you do. It might be trip hop, ambient, jazz, dub, downtempo, or even something more in the “world” category. I highly recommend visiting the site not only for downloading back episodes, but they’ve got a great store and a nice list of links to other podcasts like this and Dave’s Lounge. You know, if you’re into this kind of thing.
The R3-30 - Weekly countdown of the best in independent Canadian music from CBC Radio 3. Another one I’ve been a loyal listener to for a few years. This is hosted by Craig Norris and Pedor Mendez, a duo of shenanigans not to be reckoned with. These guys are hilarious, and I look forward to it every week. Oh yeah, and the music’s great, too. In fact, it’s through listening to CBC Radio 3 that I discovered many artists that most people in the states don’t discover until I’ve been listening to them for at least a year or more. People like Tokyo Police Club, Amy Millan, Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton, The Handsome Furs, Thunderheist, etc. One the one hand it’s been really cool to listen to a lot of this stuff years before most people have heard of them. On the other hand, it’s really annoying when friends are all ga-ga over “this new artist” that I’ve “got to hear” who is actually old news to me. All I can do is sigh.
NPR: Live Concerts from All Songs Considered - Contrary to popular belief, NPR isn’t all talk radio. Their music coverage is incredible. There are few things I love more than live music, but since I don’t get a chance to go to many shows anymore, this is the next best thing. I’ve discovered a lot of new artists through NPR music, and relived some old times listening to some live shows of old favorites. A few favorites include Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville” Live, Björk, Cat Power, Tom Waits, and a couple mentioned above, like Emily Haines.
So there ya go. A few of my favorite music podcasts that keep me company on the road. In the next installment I’ll share my favorite non-musical podcasts, a.k.a. “the ones that talk to me.” If you’ve got any recommendations of music podcasts you think I should check out, please leave them in the comments. My ears are always on the lookout for new music!
Photo by akeg.
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This is really cool! I wish I had the bandwidth to listen to podcasts. I’d be downloading so many things all the time! Oh, well, at least I can still hear NPR on Worldspace Satellite Radio. (Not all the shows that you get there, though.)
Okay, since this IS about music, I’m totally going to pimp him out here. (Besides, I’m SO proud of him for finally accomplishing this!) Remember my friend Sydney the Zulu saxophonist? (The guy Mrs. Spiece and I have in common.) Well, his pennywhistle CD is finally out! I’ve only sampled the tracks over at CD Baby, but it sounds really cool and upbeat. Here’s the link to it on CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/SydneyBanda