Pioneer of podcasting and stand-up comedy veteran Jimmy Pardo joins me this week to discuss his memories of vinyl growing up, working in Chicago record stores, his sales career with MCA Records in the mid-80's, warming up audiences for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and TBS' Conan, and possibly his shortest comedy gig ever, "opening" for Elton John! As host of the incredibly popular Never Not Funny podcast, Jimmy also talks about the fantastic work the show has done for cleft palate charity Smile Train during their yearly Pardcastathon, having raised almost $800,000 since 2009. Jimmy's 2005 album Pompous Clown is now available for the first time on vinyl from astrecords.bigcartel.com, and Pardcastathon 2017 takes place this coming March! Subscribe to Never Not Funny however you listen to podcasts, and follow @jimmypardo and @nevernotfunny on Twitter!
Here's something a little different this week! I recently guested for the second time on The Great Albums podcast -- a fantastic show hosted by Bill Lambusta and Brian Erickson -- that dissects classic records track-by-track, defining what makes them so special. I was ecstatic that they invited me back to talk about 1998's "Yield," recently reissued on vinyl and the fifth album from one of my favorite bands: Pearl Jam. So instead of me hosting this week and asking the questions, I thought you'd enjoy hearing the entire Great Albums "Yield" episode, as a gesture of solidarity and cross-promotion in music podcasting, and giving Bill and Brian exposure to the Vinyl Emergency audience, just as they've been kind enough to do for us. In this spirited round-table discussion, we get into deep Pearl Jam lore, nerd out on the various amps and guitars used on the album, PJ's relationship with vinyl and so much more! Be sure to subscribe to The Great Albums however you listen to podcasts, visit them at TheGreatAlbums.com and follow them on Twitter and Facebook @thegreatalbums.
It's time for another Collector's Club episode, where we discuss the shopping habits, preferred record stores and unique experiences of your everyday vinyl collector! This time, it's Las Vegas native and current Brooklyn resident Trevor Ingerson from the Record Nerdz Podcast, which you should be subscribing to if you don't already. Today, Trevor talks about how hometown sports began his quest for vinyl, memories of the Las Vegas punk scene, recent digging experiences in Liverpool, that weird time Bob Dylan was on Pawn Stars, Trevor's career in literature and whether there's a link between music streaming and digital books, plus some thoughts on Hum, Mark Kozelek and The Promise Ring! Follow Trevor and the Record Nerdz crew on Twitter and Instagram @tingerson and @recordnerdz respectively, and find the Record Nerdz podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.
Chicago's Smoking Popes are one of my seminal favorite bands, having released several crucial albums of lovelorn power-pop including 1994's Born To Quit and 1997's Destination Failure. Gaining notoriety via soundtrack appearances on films like Clueless, Tommy Boy and Angus, the band split up at the turn of the century, reformed 11 years ago, and have since added a few more proper full-lengths to their catalog while focusing their performances primarily around the Midwest. Recorded on a rainy night in his church office, singer/guitarist Josh Caterer -- now a pastor of music and worship -- discusses the influence of his father's record collection on he and his bandmate brothers, getting the first few Popes seven-inches pressed, the process of reissuing Born To Quit on vinyl, astonishing interactions with both Morrissey and Dave Grohl, the new EP Black As Midnight from his blues-focused band Jackson Mud, and so much more! PLUS Josh graciously performs two songs LIVE and exclusively for Vinyl Emergency! Follow @joshcaterer on both Twitter and Instagram, and visit SmokingPopesMusic.com and JacksonMud.com for social media, live dates and more info on both bands.
Music discussion and vinyl news podcast Sharing Needles With Friends has been both a favorite of mine for years as well as an inspiration for me to start Vinyl Emergency. Based out of Knoxville, TN and fueled by the nearly 20-year camaraderie of hosts Derek Jones and Gene Priest, SNWF is an always informative and hilarious listen, whether they're talking about their own record collections, what excites them about upcoming releases, or divisive topics, like whatever Kanye West is up to that particular week. Derek and Gene were kind enough to air this interview as their own SNWF episode a few weeks ago as a showing of solidarity and cross-promotion, but if you're brand new to SNWF, buckle up for a really fun episode! We also revisit our new segment Where's The Wax?, by bringing 15 more albums to the table that need a vinyl pressing.
In 2015, Chicago-based company Gramovox launched a Kickstarter campaign for their gorgeous Floating Record Vertical Turntable. With over $1 million in backing and now almost a year to the date of their Kickstarter launch, Gramovox is still turning heads in both the vinyl/audio realm as well as the tech world, with both the Vertical Turntable and their Bluetooth Gramophone, as they strive to meld sleek, old-fashioned design with today's technology. I recently sat down with CEO/Co-Founder Pavan Bapu, Media Production Manager Jack Pochop and Customer Service Specialist Lewis McKinney to talk about Gramovox's early days, how the turntable itself works, what questions they hear from lifelong vinyl collectors and those buying their first turntable, how social media -- and #NowFloating -- plays a huge role in sharing their products, and of course, what their first ever album purchases were.
Visit Gramovox.com and follow them @Gramovox on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow this program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @vinylemergency, and write me at vinylemergency@gmail.com with any feedback!
Matt Shiverdecker -- member of the Austin Film Critics Association and former music director/on-air host of WOXY -- joins me this week to discuss his record collection, how vinyl bootleggers are making a killing off of today's major hip-hop artists, the many phases of WOXY over the years, how Nielsen ratings currently work for radio, the struggles of music programming immediately after September 11th (when certain songs were under scrutiny due to their titles, subject matter or band names), how crazy it gets in Austin during SXSW and much more! We also debut a new Vinyl Emergency segment -- Where's The Wax? -- where we bring ten albums to the table that aren't currently on vinyl, discuss why they likely haven't been pressed and why we need them! Follow Matt on Twitter @shivvy and on Instagram at @mattshiv.
Vinyl Me, Please has been supplying record lovers with exclusive album presses each month -- whether they be well-known classics, brand new releases or long-buried gems -- since January 2013 as a subscription-based service. Today, VMP's head of label relations Cameron Schaefer and I discuss their growth over the last three years, the feedback they get from their subscribers, how each Album of the Month is chosen and what it was like to hold the original UK master tapes of The Beatles' "Abbey Road," when he visited Capitol Records' extensive archives! We also discuss his youth in rural Wyoming and his career as a pilot in the Air Force prior to joining VMP. Visit vinylmeplease.com for more info on how to subscribe, and follow @VinylMePlease on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also follow Cameron on Twitter and Instagram, @cjschaefer. Be sure to listen as well for details on our Everclear vinyl giveaway this week -- courtesy of Intervention Records -- and follow @VinylEmergency on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also write the show at vinylemergency@gmail.com!