The Toadcast - the weekly podcast from Song, by Toad

 The Gnomecast could have been called many, many things. It could have been called The Widecast after Wide Days, the Edinburgh-based music convention I attended in the middle of last week, and from the showcases at which two of the songs on this podcast were chosen. Equally, it could have been called the Witchcast, due to the fact that the vicious old Fucker of Working Britain is now a thing of the past.

In fact, now that I think about it, a whole podcast dedicated to anti-Thatcher songs would probably have been a distinct possibility, but my feelings on her death are not quite so clean cut. Yes, I am glad she is dead, but it's more of a sense of relief, just a sort of feeling of peace now such a vindictive, spiteful cause of so much harm is finally gone, rather than the sort of air-punching, high-fiving glee which was in evidence after Osama Bin Laden was finally rubbed out.

But make no mistake, Thatcher was far more evil than Osama Bin Laden. Never mind domestic politics, her support for despots around the world was directly involved in the deaths of many, many more people than amateurs like Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden.  The fact that these people were mostly brown, or at least brownish, leads us to underestimate the horror for which she was responsible, but responsible she most certainly was. To be fair, of course, I don't doubt that Hussein and Bin Laden would have been capable of far, far worse deeds had they had the power to actually carry them out, but I am not sure that should really be an excuse for the likes of Thatcher, Reagan, Bush and Blair.

Sorry, that really had nothing at all to do with gnomes, did it. Ah well, move along.

01. Judy Garland - Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead (00.19)
02. M.J. Hibbett and the Validators (01.07)
03. eagleowl - Not Over (12.24)
04. The Pictish Trail - Wait Until (17.46)
05. Numbers are Futile - Justice is Light (and Blood) (27.37)
06. Law Holt - Hustle (34.30)
07. Garden of Elks - Floaty (42.07)
08. Siobhan Wilson - Reading You (45.10)
09. Kid Canaveral - Who Would Want to be Loved? (51.31)
10. Virgin of the Birds - Evening of Light (58.09)

It took me ages to name the Cranecast, primarily because it's a tenuous name, doesn't really pertain to the podcast at all, and there weren't many other options immediately springing to mind either.

It turned out that the answer was literally staring at me the entire time. At the Scottish Tattoo Convention last week I met a friend of a friend who runs Venus Flytrap Tattoo in Edinburgh. In amongst her sketches was a really nice one featuring a Japanese Red Crowned Crane. The image was awesome, but it is already someone else's tattoo unfortunately, so I couldn't just get one myself.

So I've spent a large part of the day looking up images for old Japanese crane images, images of the bird itself, and some Art Deco stuff, because the combination of Japanese and Art Deco styles in her stuff was one of my favourite aspects.

So yes, nothing to do with the music, just what happened to be right in front of my nose at the time, sorry.

01. Hookworms - Away Towards (00.24)
02. Dolfish - Grown Ups (11.02)
03. The Hundredth Anniversary - Pressure Sphere (19.01)
04. Lonesome Leash - Pelican (26.05)
05. Jane Bolts - Magnet (30.57)
06. Father Sculptor - Ember (36.02)
07. Hemlock Shaw - She in the Backyard (41.32)
08. Lou Breed - Hospital Ward (50.23)
09. Elim Bolt - Farm Kid (53.22)
10. Nia - Doctor Doctor (1.00.30)

The Semitoadcast is not an erection joke, it is so named because there are four tracks on this one by Song, by Toad Records bands. Two - the Yusuf Azak and Lil Daggers tunes - are not actually on the label, and two - Sparrow and the Workshop and Plastic Animals - are.

One of the others was just an experiment which Yusuf fired up on Facebook the other week, but happens to be ace, and the other is a freebie on this compilation by Miami magazine Pure Honey. So not quite Toad Records releases as such, but sort of related.

I also discuss our plans for Record Store Day, which includes the Beer vs. Records launch, the release of our new Split 12" and an all-day event in The Last Word on St. Stephen's Street in Stockbridge, in partnership with VoxBox Records.

01. Program - Waiting (00.17)
02. Plastic Animals - Pizarnik (07.06)
03. Yusuf Azak - Deceive (13.24)
04. Whilk and Misky - Wing Clipper (14.34)
05. Peace Arrow - Broken Bridge (21.29)
06. Sparrow and the Workshop - Faster You Spin (32.00)
07. Bogan Via - Red Sun (36.12)
08. Echo Park - Teleportation (39.33)
09. Lil Daggers - Spider Lily (46.37)
10. Lid Emba - One Less Philistine (50.26)
11. Lower Plenty - Strange Beast (1.02.39)

Yes, another year, another total shambles of a podcast. Oddly enough, the one time this has been even vaguely together was the one year the BBC happened to show up to film it. How we managed to get it together for that one occasion I have no idea. Maybe the TV cameras scared us into behaving.

Anyhow, this year's podcast is probably the biggest shambles since the very first SXSW podcast. We are joined, at various times, by Mrs. Toad, Young Ian, Pandy from Gerry Loves Records, Ben Soep, the managers of Tango in the Attic and We Were Promised Jetpacks, as well the BBC's ultra-credible and in-no-way-inebriated Ally McCrae who definitely wasn't still a total shambles from St. Mirren's League Cup win earlier in the day. And that's before the usual subjects as myself, Vic Galloway, Peej and Stuart from Creative Scotland.

We were a few Margaritas down already, and it only got worse during the podcast, honestly. I am not sure this tells you much about SXSW, but it sure gives you a pretty clear idea of what it does to people.

01. Paws - Sore Tummy (00.22)
02. Doe Paoro - Hallelujah (07.49)
03. Young Fathers - The Guide (20.21)
04. Tango in the Attic - Sellotape (23.52)
05. Sinkane - Runnin' (30.47)
06. Reuben Dangoor - Being a Dickhead's Cool (36.12)
07. Indians - Somewhere Else (43.30)
08. Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler (48.41)
09. Ghostface Killer - The Mask (57.57)
10. Holy Esque - St. (1.08.57)
11. Dave Carroll - United Breaks Guitars (1.12.21)

The Queuecast is the best I could come up with in an attempt to amalgamate the anticipation of heading off to SXSW on the weekend, with the inevitable queueing to get into stuff once there.  

Actually, that’s not quite true. There’s so much going on at places like SXSW that really, if the thing you want to see has an annoying queue (and for me they are never anything other than annoying) outside it, then you can always walk five minutes down the road, walk straight in untroubled, and see something else equally brilliant instead.

Mrs. Toad is out there already, presumably having cocktails with young Ian who works at the label with me. In fact those two total fuckers are probably three or four margaritas down already, as you read this. Bastards. Anyhow, I get out on Saturday afternoon, and the gin will be flowing within moments, I promise you.

The upside of this SXSW fun, which will no doubt irritate the shit out of people back home, is that Toad Hall once again becomes a recording studio while we are away.  Both Rob St. John and Meursault will be making inroads into their next releases over the next fortnight, so hopefully the thought of that will calm your jealous rage at all the fun we are having in Texas.

01. Mike Higbee - Secret Life (00.28)
02. Shift-Static - Estrella (10.03)
03. Vandaveer - Pretty Polly (15.51)
04. Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards - Sheets (19.32)
05. Brown Brogues - Anyone But You (25.07)
06. Kurt Vile - Wakin' on a Pretty Day (32.02)
07. Breathe Out - Dead Friends (45.30)
08. Playlounge - Elephant (48.50)
09. Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood - Pentecostal (53.46)
10. New Fabian Society - Homily (1.00.22)

 Man Edinburgh's being a little tease at the moment. It's cold, but the sun is out, and from the safe confines of my office it's all too easy to look out the window and think that Spring really is in the air.

Of course, once you go outside such myths are dispelled, but there's nevertheless something immensely cheering about bright sunshine, even if it's cold.  In fact, probably especially if it's cold.

Anyhow, what the fuck ever, we're off to SXSW next week for Margaritas in the sun and Bloody Marys at Rio Rita's and the ludicrous carnival of commercialism which is SXSW.  It's fun to go to, but honestly I wouldn't want to have to go there with ambitions to work because, honestly, you'd just get utterly swamped.

That's all for later though. For now, sunshine! Aaaahhh...

01. Jonnie Common - Figurehead (FOUND's The Wetter the Better Remix) (00.44)
02. Bill Baird - Spring Break of the Soul (08.07)
03. Ardentjohn - In the Morning (20.24)
04. Peter - Sleep With Me Baby (25.07)
05. Robin Grey - Mariam's Cake (29.27)
06. Britt Sommar - Tell Me (39.20)
07. bagelproject - Fickle Heart (46.24)
08. belgianfog - Wait For Help (48.45)
09. Female Band - One Day the Sea Will Swallow Me (57.01)
10. Suuns - Edie's Dream (1.03.12)

Video - Vimeo - YouTube
Photos - Flickr
Session tracks - zip download (right click - save as)
Interview podcast - mp3 - iTunes - Mixcloud

Toadcast #260 - Woodpecker Wooliams Toad Session by Song, By Toad on Mixcloud

01. Woodpecker Wooliams - Sparrow (Toad Session) (03.59)
02. Vivian Void - You Stop It (10.45)
03. Sons of Noel & Adrian - Come Run Fun Stella Baby Mother of the World (14.49)
04. Woodpecker Wooliams - Gull (Toad Session) (24.10)
05. Twice as Much - Coldest Night of the Year (28.37)
06. Peggy Sue - Yo Mama (32.09)
07. Soccer 96 - Super Warrior (38.59)
08. Melanie - The Good Book (42.16)
09. Woodpecker Wooliams - Crow (Toad Session) (50.37)

The Stiffcast is not the cheap innuendo I am sure you assume it to be.  No no no, not that sort of stiff, the sort where every joint and muscle in your body aches because you are woefully out of shape and attempting to run around like a teenager.  That sort of stiff.

Yes, after three months out with a groin strain (no sniggering at the back, please) I have tried to go back to the gym and to five-a-sides over the last week or two with what can only be described as somewhat mixed results. I am sure it didn't use to be this hard to get back in the saddle, as it were.

The one undeniable result, however, is that I have been hobbling around like an old man, because every morning without fail I have been stiff as a fucking board with aching muscles and sore joints. This must be what it's like to wake up as C3PO.

01. The Black Tambourines - Ghost at a Party (Toad Session) (00.25)
02. Jonnie Common - Figurehead (Dry) (05.57)
03. Peace Arrow - Gems (11.27)
04. The Hundredth Anniversary - The Jump (15.05)
05. Shiny Darkly - Diana (20.27)
06. The Android Angel - Her Shoulders (27.27)
07. Weeknight Sinners - Give Me a Taste (35.07)
08. True Gents - Honeycomb Heart (39.57)
09. North American War - Geraniums on a Spit (47.46)
10. Mat Riviere - Wool (54.20)

Video: YouTube - Vimeo
Photos: Flickr
Audio: zip download (right-click, save as)

This is another one of those painfully late Toad Sessions which crashed into the bottleneck created when we recorded five sessions in a very short space space of time at the end of 2011 and then ended up putting most of them on ice when the label took over my life in early spring.

Nevertheless, this is a lovely session, and as an acoustic one it is also something of a change of sound from the recent ones. Sam had played one of our gigs the previous night at Henry's Cellar Bar with Withered Hand and Mike MacFarlane, and the next day we recorded a session and promptly buggered off to the pub for a few pints.

Thanks are due to Neil from Meursault who recorded this session, to Dylan Matthewsfor the photos, video camera work and excellent leftover turkey sandwiches, and to Ian Greenhill for helping with the filming, as well as for being gracious enough not to make me re-export all the videos after forgetting to add him to the credits because we recorded this damn thing so bloody long ago.

As per usual, mp3s of the session tracks can be downloaded below for free, then there is the full interview podcast (tracklisting at the bottom of the page) and then the four individual session track videos, with the main video at the top of the page. Cheers - Woodpecker Wooliams in a couple of weeks!

Toadcast #258 - Samantha Crain Toad Session by Song, By Toad on Mixcloud

01. Samantha Crain - Paint (Toad Session) (09.34) 02. Loch Lomond - Egg Song (15.50)
03. Broncho - Get Off My Reservations (18.47)
04. Samantha Crain - It's Simple (Toad Session) (29.14)
05. The Weather Station - Everything I Saw (35.01)
06. Robert Ellis - Friends Like Those (37.41)
07. Samantha Crain - Santa Fe (Toad Session) (53.33)
08. The Hotrats - Up the Junction (1.01.31)
09. Langhorne Slim - Colette (1.04.44)
10. Samantha Crain - Churchill (Toad Session) (1.24.15)

The Plumbcast is so named because we are currently having an awful time with plumbers. My flat in Leith has a leak into the flat below and we've had three different fucking plumbers out to look at the thing and they just can't find anything wrong. Couple that with a general lack of desire to take on a difficult job - and after all why would you when there are far easier jobs out there for good money - and we are having a godawful fucking time with the plumbers of Edinburgh and the moment.

Anyhow, domestic frustrations aside, this is a fine podcast of, for once, the very best new music.  I know I am usually all over the place when it comes to the timely playing of exciting new songs, but I think this week's playlist is fairly on the ball for a change.  I have stuff from the new Pictish Trail and Rick Redbeard albums - both out around now - new tunes by Anna-Anna and The Leisure Society, and a couple of fresh from the vine Toad Session recordings.

Yep, we are the new NME. Probably.

01. The Yawns - Butterfleyes (00.20)
02. The Leisure Society - The Sober Scent of Paper (07.03)
03. Woodpecker Wooliams - Crow (Toad Session) (13.20)
04. Samantha Crain - Churchill (Toad Session) (17.56)
05. Anna-Anna - Marianne Will Live Forever (24.37)
06. Meursault - Dearly Distracted (Seb Reynolds Remix) (30.42)
07. Rick Redbeard - Any Way I Can (39.45)
08. The Pictish Trail - I Will Pour it Down (45.06)
09. Roy's Iron DNA - Under My Skin (51.24)
10. Old Earth - Nonetitled (58.19)