BPM Pod
2020-07
Episodes
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Ep.44 - Alex Spencer interview + Haim and My Morning Jacket reviewed
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Balancing music at any time in life is tough, let alone with a family, job and (currently) a pandemic to keep in mind. Yet somehow, superheroic singer-songwriter Alex Spencer does it all - forms bands, plays shows, looks after the kids, and remains positive and optimistic through it all. It's pretty inspiring.
Recorded back in March 2020, before the world all went a little crazy, Alex and I sat down to talk about keeping the musical spark alive, harnessing the energy of live music gatherings to form bands, and how one defines oneself in a field of singer-songwriters.
Alex is currently working on an EP, which has been delayed with the coronavirus pandemic. Until then though, I completely recommend checking out her work on Spotify, Bandcamp and more, beginning with her most recent jazz-influenced release Shine.
Also on this episode: Haim and My Morning Jacket
So the reviews aren't exactly random these days; they tend to be of artists I appreciate. This time it's no different.
Haim's latest effort, Women in Music Pt.3, is great and well worth checking out if you need a breezy soundtrack to your summer. Also out now is The Waterfall II from My Morning Jacket - a sort of collection of b-sides to their previous album, The Waterfall, which is just as stunning as the origin.
Plus a word from our correspondents
A new feature on BPM Pod is our lockdown/home correspondents. (Thanks to the Kermode and Mayo Film Review for the idea.)
It's pretty simple: if you're got something to say on anything you've listened to recently, and you can keep your opinions to around 30 seconds or so, send a clip in.
The very first home correspondent is a friend of the show: the fabulous, sassy Chance Bair of the band Heavy Heavy. (Check out their episode here.) He reviews War With the Newts track Refugee. Get ready for a smack in the chops indeed (listen below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HsMfS6ByqE
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Episode 43: Chris Weinhardt (pt. 3 and 4)
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Monday Jul 13, 2020
And so the time has come - we are into the final two parts of the Chris Weinhardt marathon. (Except it has four parts, not 26 miles of audio, so that doesn't really work as a description, but you get what I mean.)
It's been a long journey from lip-syncing, to autotune, to Led Zeppelin, to The Smurfs. Yup, The Smurfs. In the final two parts of the interview - combined here into one 30-minute episode - the Weinhardt weirdness does not let up.
Dishing the Durst
For whatever reason, Limp Bizkit (specifically the antics of Fred Durst) turn up a lot on BPM Pod. But so far the stories have been urban legend, with no one really knowing the guy personally.
Until Chris Weinhardt comes along - the damn hero has met the guy. Yes, the actual Fred Durst. It's quite a claim to fame.
In this episode, we talk about that meeting backstage (which sounds like a terrible family reunion, quite frankly) and what it meant for the music of Weinhardt.
Is the album format dead?
The first topic we tackle in this episode is the album format. There are a bunch of artists still putting out wonderful albums which take you on a journey, but it's an exception rather than a rule.
Today the single is king (the Kingle? Bad joke.) Albums usually flow, but not in an adventurous, journey sense. Instead, they represent a compilation of previous bi-monthly released three-minute singles. Gone are the long cuts, the middle-album jams, and the little secret tracks.
But is this really a bad thing? Has the album died at all? We discuss.
What a country
Final topic we talk about is country music - because we were a few beers down at this point, so why the hell not?
Country music isn't necessarily reflected in the music of Weinhardt, but Chris loves it all the same. We exchange views on the topic and discuss some of the country artists we like today. (Not Ryan Adams, though he does get a mention, albeit in a disdainful way. Prick.)
Revisit the previous parts
Listen below if you missed the previous parts of the interview with Chris Weinhardt. And, of course, don't forget to check him out. There's a new single out too called 'Sunset Rails' which is also below.
Sunset Rails - Weinhardt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpBDPQV-LEA
Parts 1 and 2