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!

Recently, I sat down with my dear friends Todd Stonehouse, Jeff Gower and Jenny Gower-Toms and dove into a discussion about the state of records today and how each of us got to where we are with our collections. The conversation features talk on the rising cost of new vinyl, our crotchety views on hipsters and some nostalgic memories of our earliest records. All in all, it's a great talk that explores some of the deeper reasons we value physical media and how records can be therapeutic and meaningful. Plus, there are lots of laughs. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Todd, Jeff and Jenny. I know I did.

On the first episode in 23 months, Matt is back with opinions on Joe Corre burning the artifacts of punk, the new turntable from Shingle, a dollar bin darling LP you may have missed and a look back at the carnage of 2016.

Episode 010 started as a conversation between Matt and Dan McKernan about Dan's Primer piece on Otis Redding. Instead, the two of them had a 90 minute conversation about music, music lineage, audiophiles for fathers, playing in local bands and general music geekery that skirted the edges of Otis Redding's legacy. It's a terrific - if meandering conversation. Enjoy.

On Episode 009, Matt runs through a bunch of tour dates and music news, then follows it up with a rambling diatribe on the stupidity of the Grammy Awards. Add to that a discussion of a new technology that might allow vinyl lovers the ability to cut their own LPs and another entry for the Reissue Wish List that adds up to another hour of vinyl nerdery.

My friend David Baldwin just worked up a great installment of The Primer for us about his love for XTC. We recently sat down for a chat about his piece, his love for XTC and how the idea of vinyl is incredibly alluring for him - and also fraught with a bit of danger. It's a really fun conversation and a great companion to Dave's terrific Primer piece. Enjoy.

Ian McLagan of The Small Faces, The Faces and many other musical entities died this week as did Bobby Keys, the longtime sax player for The Rolling Stones. On this episode, Matt looks at the holes... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

On this episode Matt picks up the torch from John Cusack's character Rob in High Fidelity and packs an hour full of his favorite side one openers. The list of luminaries ranges from The Soft Boys to The Velvet Underground, 13th Floor Elevators to The Jam and several others.

Matt starts the long holiday weekend with a guilt filled rant around the Thanksgiving holiday that morphs into a discussion of entry-level cartridges and the last of his ideas for your holiday wish list. There is also a functioning turntable made from Legos, a tale of crate digging glory and of course, another the reissue wish list.

This time around, Matt wonders how Apple's plan with the Beats Streaming service will affect music sales and the state of physical media. Plus, he takes that issue a step further by investigating a new piece in the Atlantic Monthly on how record labels are using the Shazam app to predict the next hit record. There is also a recap of Matt's recent haul at Vertigo Records in Grand Rapids, excitement of the Ride reunion announcement and a plea to get a very special Pernice Brothers record issued on vinyl. There is a lot here to digest. You best get started.

On episode #2, the focus is on songs about or in reference to real people. The set of songs features gems by Serge Gainsbourg, David Bowie, John Cale, The Pixies, Teenage Fanclub and more. Plus, there's that Bauhaus number you knew we were gonna spin.