Podcast - Wax & Wane

This time around Matt has a great chat with Ron Rich and Alfred Dual from the record lover's dream site Discogs.com. We talk about how Discogs has changed the way online buying as well as how it has affected brick and mortar stores. Whether you are a Discogs user or not, we talk about the tools it offers crate diggers as well as how everything it does is based on a collective love of music.  There are a few bits of news, Matt answers an email and offers a quick token thought (literally one thought) on the Grammy Awards. This one is hot. Go get some!

On this week's episode, Matt tries something different. There is a dearth of news, so we jump straight into a monologue on how curiosity can sustain you through years of collecting. The genesis for the subject came from an interview Matt recently heard with writer Derek Thompson about his book "Hit Makers" as well as a podcast chat about the nature of curiosity and passion. It's an interesting, if slightly meandering rant, based around detective work, pushing your listening boundaries and relying on friends to enrich your listening habits and improve your collection. This is one's a horse of a different color. Enjoy!

On this installment of the podcast, I dive deep into a conversation with Heather Frarey of The Record Lounge in East Lansing, Michigan. Heather has spent much of her life in the world of record stores. We chat about the current state of vinyl and hit on the ups and downs of running your own shop. It's a great talk with one of the only women in Michigan running her own store. In addition that terrific talk with Heather, we hit some news from The New Pornographers, Robyn Hitchcock and a new hipster supergroup. This episode is super solid. Go get some.

On this week's episode, Matt has an in-depth chat with Johnny Aimcrier about his musical upbringing, the realities playing live, original music and the journey to falling in love with vinyl records all over again. It's a great talk. Also, we start the show with a mother slew of release and tour news from Ray Davies, The Jayhawks, Guided By Voices, Real Estate and more. Let's get going!

This time around on our digital discussion of the analog world, we cover a boat load of news. There are new releases, tour dates, reissues and more to share. Lots of news. In the second segment, I go through how an ice fishing weekend led me to some deep contemplation on why my friends and I go to the lengths that we do to listen to music on vinyl. It's a story of anxiety, a never-ending search for calm and how music triggers memories unlike anything else in our lives. Come on inside my head, if you dare. We don't get too navel gazy. I hope. Things finish up this week with another installment of the Dollar Bin Darlings Series. This might be my favorite Dollar Bin Darling we've done so far.

On this week's episode, Matt runs downside news surrounding upcoming tours, new release info and a deluxe reissue near and dear to his heart. The meat and potatoes of the podcast focus on a few things you can get on the cheap to help improve your listening experience at home and help extend the life of your record collection. Things finish up with another installment of our Dollar Bin Darlings Series. Enjoy!

The Primer is our column wherein contributors compile a 60 minute playlist of a band near and dear to their heart. Using personal listening anecdotes, notes about specific tracks and a brief overview of each artist, The Primer is both a way for our contributors to trace their musical genealogy and for our readers to gain a new perspective on an artist they may have missed or dismissed. Installment seven of the Primer series features drummer extraordinaire Joel Kuiper preaching the Gospel of Dayton, Ohio's Guided By Voices.

On episode #15 of the podcast, we delve into a great conversation with Jon Howard who manages the East Lansing, Michigan record shop Flat, Black & Circular. This is the store where Matt first began his lengthy (and expensive) journey of record buying. The chat covers hipsters, Record Store Day, the affect of the online market and how the business has changed - and sometimes stayed the same - in the 30 years Jon has been working at the shop. In addition to the interview, there is a bunch of news to cover this week too. Matt runs down some of the week's vinyl and reissue announcements along with a look at a dozen records coming in 2017 that we're amped up about. There is a lot to chew on here. So, let's get cracking.

Another week has gone by and we've lost another musical icon. In fact, this past week, we lost George Michael, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and Rick Parfitt from The Status Quo. Matt touches on these deaths and then delves into the white, male, Baby Boomer driven committee that selects acts for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Things finish up with an in-depth look at Elton John's Honky Chateau in another installment of our Dollar Bin Darlings series.

Back in November of 2014, we published our list of the ten most overrated bands of all time. Without question, it has been our most viewed piece and has stirred up an immense amount of discussion and debate. Now, in this special podcast episode, Matt has put together an audio version of the list with audio clips of the offenders and myriad thoughts on how and why the list looks the way it does. There is lots to chew on here, and of course we can't wait to hear your agreements and arguments. Let's go!