Dave Shumka

Back in 2008, two funny guys saying funny things into microphones with an optional third funny friend was the concept a podcast needed. But we’re living in the age of Serial, a time when show need a central idea to set themselves apart from millions of like-minded shows.

Eight years after launching Stop Podcasting Yourself, comedian comic duo Dave Shumka and Graham Clark are giving their loyal audience even more bang for their podcasting bucks with Our Debut Album, a monthly podcast in which the pair force themselves to write and record a song in an hour.

At the end of the twelve-part mini-series, the pair will have produced a full album, downloadable independent of the show.It’s as engaging as it is ambitious, both in term of content and monetization, a strategy that looks to generate income without a single mail order mattress ad.

Our Debut Album - Episode 1 - King Of The Deep

Dave & Graham of Stop Podcasting Yourself fame have launched a second podcast and it’s pretty great. In each episode they give themselves an hour to write a hit song.  The listener sits in on their process complete with jokes and arguments.  The finished song is then made available for purchase on bandcamp.

case/lang/veirs - Atomic Number

Hey! How come no one took the time to tell me that Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs recorded an album together?!

Washington Capitals “Goalbusters” poster (l-r Geoff Courtnall, Dino Ciccarelli, Mike Ridley)

From this week’s Songs You Need To Hear:

Little Scream, ‘Love as a Weapon’

I predict a big year for Montreal artist Laurel Sprengelmeyer, a.k.a. Little Scream. While details of her sophomore album have not been announced yet — she did recently sign with Merge and Dine Alone Records — the release of her new single, “Love as a Weapon,” is something worth celebrating. This is a beaming ray of sunlight in a song that explores the rather murky territory of seeking and losing lovers. Sprengelmeyer’s falsetto is a rhythmic delight as her words dance alongside a guitar riff and the satisfying rumble of a Moog, both of which would sound right at home on St. Vincent’s stellar 2014 self-titled album. In a press release, Spregelmeyer explained how she was thinking about great pop songs when writing this track: “How a good one can lift you out of a fog like nothing else.” Well one listen to this song and everything will be crystal clear.

Before We Work On Virtual Reality, We Need To Figure Out Why Bowling Pin Machines Still Knock Down A Full Set Of Pins When The Previous Bowler Got A Zero

Tech companies are doubling down on virtual reality, with just about every major player racing to put their headsets in the hands of consumers. This new technology is already a crowded field, with contenders like Facebook’s Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, Microsoft HoloLens, and Google Cardboard, among others. Still, I think that before we pursue further advancements in virtual reality, we need to focus on figuring out why bowling pin machines knock down a full set of pins when the last bowler got two gutter balls.

I don’t deny that it would be thrilling to strap on a pair of goggles and get transported to a breathtaking virtual world, but shouldn’t we first ask ourselves why bowlers have to wait for the machine to knock down 10 perfectly placed pins, then reset them exactly where they were? It makes no sense, and quite frankly, it’s a problem that demands a solution.

Today, Each Other is released.