These perfect PNW summer days are made for musing on the origins of sports conspiracy theories and those roadside cherry stands. 

Victoria, B.C. surprises me every time. This is an amazing interactive artcade that I think is a must see: Monkey C Interactive's ARTCADE. Whether or not you go to high tea is up to you. 

The last in Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy is “Before Midnight.” Can Jesse and Celine keep that spark from their early days to make it through the marathon of a long-term relationship? The trailer: Before Midnight 

This is Nene Royal: America's Got Talent Audition. Smashley saw the talent years ago. It’s so good to see excellence get recognized! 

This is a nice song for these beautiful summer days: Growing Pains - Drive.

Doug and Smashley get ready for the long Independence Day weekend, going over some headlines, local business news, and arts arts arts! 

The Washington Center for the Performing Arts 26/27 season calendar is out and there are five shows on our agenda. Notable Tig Notaro has a brand new show. MOMOX: Botanica promises to be a wildly unique, visual stunner. Compagnie Hervé Koubi will have amazing choreography and dance to remember in “Sol Invictus”. We’ll get to hear from local (Edmonds) treasure Rick Steves, “Travel as a Political Act.” The waiting is the hardest part. 

The World’s Quickest Theater Festival is back! 14/48 promises to be a good time. The late show series pass is the best deal around: https://www.the1448projects.org/twqtf. I’m planning on going to the first weekend, July 10th and 11th, and if I survive the Lakefair 8k, Saturday the 18th. 

This band is all up in my head! Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Get Up and Dance is another great song. It’s on the album Cannonball, which is available for preorder on Bandcamp. 

Here’s some nice music from Winter. Check it out! Winter - hollow (mixtape version)  

Olympia Blunders season recaps are on YouTube, with analysis by Trevor! https://www.youtube.com/@OlyBlunders.

Allez les Bleus! Doug had a few beers while watching world futbol. What follows is on the record but not necessarily canon. Blame it on the delicious Three Magnets Scherler lager. 

This song has been bouncing around in my mind since I first heard it: Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Nosedive. It’s from the upcoming album Cannonball. Available on Bandcamp for pre-order with three songs to give a feel for the range of offerings on this album. 

The sequel is out now but I still had yet to see the first one. Here’s the preview: The Devil Wears Prada. 

Lynn Shelton is a legend in Seattle filmmaking. We miss her. I suggest going back and watching her film Laggies.

Doug and Smashley get ready for summer solstice weekend!

We have emerged from a desert of music! Three songs came out in the last few days but some of my favorites:

Always nice and dreamy, with the breathiness that gets me: Hazel English - Phone Booth

This might not be something you listen to without headphones at work: Suki Waterhouse - When I Get Drunk (I Want You Boy).  

Music flavored music, like beer flavored beer, hits the spot sometimes. I’m really liking how Blue Herons brings me back to The Popinjays, The Sundays: Blue Herons - Willow (Melancholia Version) 

This video is a genius of lighting and set design. They use lights to reveal, highlight, and obscure. It’s just absolute genius to go with a brilliant song. Arcade Fire - Creature Comfort 

I’m only 2/3 of the way through this book but it’s been so fun and packed with relevant social commentary. I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin.

Doug and Smashley prepare for gigantic soccer by talking about politics in Peru, the low mortgage rate trap conundrum, ultraprocessed foods, and running. 

Olympia Blunders Season Five signups close on June 16th. Get in there! Oly Blunders Season Signup. Games start on the 18th. It’s amazingly well-coordinated. 

The second single from Ambre Vallet’s album is out. It doesn’t have the infectiousness of the first one, but whatever, it’s still a fun listen: Ambre Vallet - Tant Pis

she’s green is releasing singles, too! It’s a long song, ready for the longest day of the year which is coming soon. The full punch doesn’t hit until after the five minute mark, but when it does, it brings me right back to why I started liking this band in the first place. she's green - close your eyes

The chess night playlist changes often and is good every time! Chess Night in Olympia - The Playlist 

“I Saw the TV Glow” got so much buzz when it came out but I kept hearing about how scary it was so I was hesitant. I finally got up the nerve to watch. It’s unsettling in some ways but it didn’t freak me out. Haunting is a better word. There are definitely images that stick and some moments of “what the heck?” The style of filmmaking is fresh and unique. I’m happy I got up the nerve to give it a try. I Saw the TV Glow Trailer

Doug is back in the U.S. and getting reacclimated, just in time for a birthday celebration. We finally talk about sunrises in mystery sack, skip business business, but go deep into Peruvian politics. The presidential carousel in Peru continues! Read about it in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/perus-politics-are-a-disaster-but-does-it-matter 

Ladytron is a little more on the electronic side, but their past success keeps me listening: Ladytron - Secret Dreams of Thieves

This one scores highly on the “Doug Music” scale: Shye - Are You Coming Home. It’s definitely dream pop, but reminds me of The Verve and Oasis. Bringing that 90s britpop back!

Indie films rely on mood, dialogue, and story. This one, “Things Will Be Different,” delivers it. Things Will Be Different Trailer

Olympia Blunders Season Five signups are up and running! Can we get more participants than last season to keep that upward trend going? Be a part of it: Oly Blunders Season Signup

Remote from Tbilisi, Georgia! Doug and Smashley dig into a listener submitted song to assess its Doug Musicness, dig into Georgia a few different angles, and reach into the mystery sack to find QR code menus. 

This is well outside the realm of Doug Music but this band we heard about while in Georgia has cool instrumentation and is a nice groove: Mgzaverbi, feat TAHA 

We didn’t discuss but will soon: Olympia Blunders next season signups are open! Oly Blunders Season Signup

Remote from Kutaisi, Georgia! This charming city is serving as Doug’s stop between Tbilisi and Batumi. 

In-flight movies from Seattle to Tbilisi included “Good Fortune” and “Train Dreams.” Quite different films. “Good Fortune” is fighting the good fight, branding greed and social inequity as societal evils. I’m still waiting for the message to stick: Good Fortune Trailer

“Train Dreams” is a meditation on the fleeting nature of life and stuff. Train Dreams Trailer"

And Then We Danced” is about the clash between individuality and tradition. Great dance, superb acting: And Then We Danced Trailer 

Levan Levanski isn’t just a good tour guide, he’s quite a musician. Check this out: Levan Levanski

Doug is running on fumes, limping towards vacation, while Smashley is suffering from brain frogs…or fog. We bring in Jacob, an actual film star, to talk about the short film “Tiny Thing.” 

I like what she’s green does even when it’s not the full spectrum shoegaze that I’ve come to expect. The latest single is an acoustic song:she's green - empty house. And guess what? They’re coming to Olympia! You can catch them at Capitol Theater on July 8th. Tickets here:she's green at Capitol Theater  

This might not be my usual kind of music but it sure is a catchy song! Ambre is French but grew up in Germany so she has a bit of an accent (that’s what this song is about). Ambre Vallet - Ambre. Let’s see what comes out next. 

Tiny Thing is a short film that’s about a guy with a fly in his ear…or is that what it’s about? The full film is here:Tiny Thing - short film This is some concentrated creativity and packs a punch within a limited time (as a good short film does). 

Kanopy is a great source for all sorts of films, especially those from countries other than the U.S. You can probably get a free account from your local library (definitely for Seattle and Timberland Regional libraries): https://www.kanopy.com/en Georgian films have been on my mind lately. My Happy Family showed at SIFF back in 2017. I wish I had seen it there on the big screen. The cinematography, sound, and story all come together to make a strong film. My Happy Family - Trailer  

The Olympia Restaurant Cup is in the qualifying rounds. Smashley dreamed this up a while back and it’s time to make it happen! The competition will loosely follow the real live futbol tournament. Vote here and check back for future rounds! https://tr.ee/OlyVOTE

We take a non-descript day and make it special by bringing in a guest: Emmett O’Connell, author of the Olympia Time blog and caster of pod,The Olympia Standard. We talk about remixes and delve into SportsCenter-level analysis of the Emmett vs. Smashley showdown on the pitch. 

Three Magnets is hosting Silent Book Club on Tuesday, May 12th. I mistakenly said in the podcast that this is a new thing they are doing but it sounds like this is a one-off (though I imagine they will come back if this is a success). They will be raising a glass to celebrate the next issue of Matt Dinniman’s Web Crawler Carl series. Sign-ups are here: Silent Book Club Sign-up.

We listen to clips of these remixes mentioned in this episode:

Nina Simone, Felix Da Housecat - Sinnerman (Felix Da Housecat's Heavenly House Mix)

 Suzanne Vega, DNA - Tom's Diner

Obongjayar - Not In Surrender (The Blessed Madonna Remix)