Podcast 7 years ago

Best Midwestern - Best of the Midwest 2018

The Best Midwestern podcast, with hosts Greg Simpson and Scott Heisel, returns! Scott and Greg are back and getting back in the swing of things with a 2018 Midwest retrospective. On this episode they chat about their favorite Midwest releases of 2018, play lots of clips, and argue about both Andrew WK’s new record and if The Sidekicks are getting better or worse. Also, stay tuned for a Patreon-exclusive episode about their favorite non-Midwest albums of 2018.

Podcast 7 years ago

This Might Be A Podcast - Episode 5 - Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Punknews contributor Greg Simpson has introduced This Might Be a Podcast, a show for They Might Be Giants superfans. On this episode, Greg gets his mom and dad in on the gig, talking about a song he subjected them to quite a bit when he was young, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," TMBG’s hit song from their 1990 album, Flood. Listen as they delve into the history of the original 1954 song, the history of their cover, and why on Earth this city changed names after all.

Podcast 7 years ago

This Might Be A Podcast - Episode 4 - Alienation’s for the Rich

Punknews contributor Greg Simpson has introduced This Might Be a Podcast, a show for They Might Be Giants superfans. On this episode, Greg and Richmond, VA rock musician Matt Monta discuss "Alienation’s for the Rich" off of They Might Be Giants’ self-titled debut. After discussing the song’s parody brilliance, the history of Esperanto and finding some diverse cover versions, they do some research to discover just how prolific of songwriters the Johns really are.

Podcast 7 years ago

This Might Be A Podcast - Episode 3 - Dr. Worm

Punknews contributor Greg Simpson has introduced This Might Be a Podcast, a show for They Might Be Giants superfans. On this episode, Greg and his wife Cara discuss the They Might Be Giants fan-favorite "Dr. Worm," from Severe Tire Damage. On this epic episode the absurd lyrics are hilariously dissected, many diverse covers are spun, and we dig into the mailbag.

Podcast 7 years ago

This Might Be A Podcast - Episode 2 - I've Got a Fang

Punknews contributor Greg Simpson has introduced This Might Be a Podcast, a show for They Might Be Giants superfans. Greg and a guest will discuss and dissect one song on each episode, heading down wormholes about lyrical facts and opinions, musical analysis, silly stories, and anecdotes related to their personal experiences as fans of the long-running band. On this episode, Greg is joined by friend and big shot Washington, DC lawyer Steve Clark to discuss the song “I’ve Got A Fang,” from They Might Be Giants’ 2001 album Mink Car. Are you legally responsible for someone’s head exploding like an atom bomb? Find out!

Podcast 7 years ago

This Might Be A Podcast - Episode 1 - The End Of The Tour

Punknews contributor Greg Simpson has introduced This Might Be a Podcast, a show for They Might Be Giants superfans. Greg and a guest will discuss and dissect one song on each episode, heading down wormholes about lyrical facts and opinions, musical analysis, silly stories, and anecdotes related to their personal experiences as fans of the long-running band. On this first episode, Greg and New York comedian David Britton talk about "The End of the Tour,"" The closing track on They Might Be Giants’ 1994 album John Henry.

Podcast 7 years ago

Episode 400

We don't make a lot of noise about it here on the website, but the Punknews Podcast has been going strong and we've hit the milestone of 400 episodes (it's actually quite a few more if you factor in silly nonsense and our 3-minute Grindcore Special). On this anniversary show, we brought out all the regulars we could. First hosts Adam White and John Gentile have a quiet tête-à-tête on the state of the show and our plans for it to continue (or not). Then we're joined by our rotating guest host roster of Ricky Frankel, Tom Trauma, Sam Barrett, and Sean Crawford for a bit of fun. You can listen or subscribe below!

Podcast 8 years ago

Best Midwestern - Iowa

The Best Midwestern podcast, with hosts Greg Simpson and Scott Heisel, continues to explore the US midwest state-by-state, here's what Greg has to say about this outing: "IOWA: On the 3rd episode of our project to deep-dive into the music history of the 12 Midwestern states we look at Iowa, from jazz that traveled up the river from New Orleans to the best-kept-secrets in current punk music from the Hawkeye State." Click below to check it out or subscribe in iTunes.

Podcast 8 years ago

Best Midwestern - Michigan

The Best Midwestern podcast, with hosts Greg Simpson and Scott Heisel, continues to explore the US midwest state-by-state, here's what Greg has to say about this outing: "On the second episode of our year-long project to deep-dive into the music history of each of the 12 Midwestern states we look at Michigan, discussing and playing clips from blues, Motown, proto-punk and punks acts, all the way up to the best current bands from the Mitten State." Click below to check it out or subscribe in iTunes.

Podcast 8 years ago

Best Midwestern - Indiana

The Best Midwestern podcast, with hosts Greg Simpson and Scott Heisel, is back with a new season. Here's what Greg has to say about the show's ambitious new project: "On the first episode of our year-long project to deep-dive into the music history of each of the 12 Midwestern states we look at Indiana, from Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1910s and 20s to indie and punk rock one hundred years later." Click below to check it out or subscribe in iTunes.

Podcast 8 years ago

Best Midwestern - Episode 57 - An Interview with Brendan Kelly of Ska Battle Champions Slapstick

On this episode of the Best Midwestern podcast hosts Greg Simpson and Scott Heisel we celebrate Slapstick’s victory in their Ska Battle Tournament by sitting down with Brendan Kelly, who dishes some stories from the band’s history and gives insights into certain songs. They also review the new EP by Thoughs of Ionesco.