Behind the Podcast – Episode 4

Laura’s Blog Entry

First of all, I just want to say that technically speaking, it’s Dylan, not Hendrix. I am referring to something in the BSG segment of the podcast. You will have to listen to find out what it means. Well, another one is in the can, so to speak. I think we have our routine hammered out and the recording went quite smoothly. Well mostly… kinda…

Lesson Learned:
When you buy nice equipment, remember to turn off the air cleaner like you planned to because it leaves a high pitched hum throughout the recording and now the sound quality is not so great and it had to be processed through a noise-reduction filter and that messed up other stuff I don’t completely understand. So, basically, you will have to wait until next month to hear better sound quality. Sorry! As I understand it, our choice was either I sound distorted when I got a little loud (which happened a number of times!) or we could have an annoying hum in the background the whole time. We took the lesser of two evils. We were not about to rerecord everything once we remembered we left the air cleaner on. Darn those allergies, anyway!

As promised, there are many bonus goodies to go with this month’s episode. Think of this as the DVD “special features” blog entry.

First of all, as promised, here is the video of little Mari and her Easter eggs. Precious!

In the podcast I mentioned Neil’s Depeche Mode Remix. It is cool that the band has officially released this track for people to remix. Have I mentioned they are the coolest band on earth? I might have said that before; sounds somewhat familiar…

Anyway, here is the link to The Cough Medicine Mix of “Martyr.”

If you want to read Neil’s little intro about it, plus geek out on what he used to make it, click here – and experience the glory that is the Depeche Mode Message Board.

Also, as promised, I am posting some more info. on the brilliant Martin Gore solo album, Counterfeit 2. But first, the hair:

Need I say more? Photo by Anton Corbijn from the Counterfeit 2 album art.

Here is a link to an interesting article about the album. It was done by Native Instruments. If you like techy stuff, you’ll love it.

And here is another one, written by Mike Whyte. It gives a good overview of the album and delves into the creative process behind it. He is also a bit in awe, which is kinda cute. I can’t enough of that kind of stuff…

Notice I didn’t say “Just Can’t Get Enough.” I just don’t feel quite that nerdy today…

During “Men Neil Finds Attractive” you may have heard Neil refer to Manopause. You may not know that this is a growing problem in our society. But never fear, there is help:

What kind of crackpot makes this kind of stuff, anyway? *

Finally, I’ll leave you with some photos. I tried and tried to find the one of Neil with his brother and all his sisters, but for the life of me I can’t remember where I put it! Oh well, here he is with one sister, which fits with the song, BTW.

Also here’s one with my sister and I. I am not the blond one, BTW. Thus began a lifetime of photos with my eyes shut.

For those of you still reading at this point – and congratulations, by the way – here is one final bonus. If you liked the opening song, here is a link to Neil’s site where you can get a free remix of “Cold” done by none other than Tony Miracle of Venus Hum. Aren’t you glad you waded through the rest of this tripe to get to the good stuff!

* if You really want to know, Neil did this as one of the many video projects he does at his real job.

BSG Video Contest – Part 1

Neil’s Blog Entry

OK – I thought it might be time to put myself on the blog here. I will be documenting my involvement in the Battlestar Galactica Videomaker Contest. More information on the contest is available at SCIFI.COM so I won’t go into all the details. Rather, in upcoming blog entries, I will be talking about the process of making the video. So here we go…

First up was writing the script (which I am going to keep secret for now). I got together two friends of mine who are avid BSG fans for a bit of brainstorming. We came up some really interesting ideas… some funny… some not so funny. In the end we asked ourselves what are things we really liked about BSG and why… and what are some things that interest us, but we haven’t seen yet. So the general idea came about to do a short video that would sit well with the series. Something that, once completed, would look like an extended scene or some short promotional episode – kind of like the “Resistance” webisodes they did between seasons 2 and 3.

Anyway, I took all of our ideas and went off to write the script. It came together quite fast. I believe I had a rough draft in about a day. There was a bit of tweaking done here and there and the final script was completed in a few days time.

Once the script was completed, we called together a bunch of friends who were interested in helping out. We all talked about the different roles to play – both in front of and behind the camera – and all the specific things that needed to be done. At the same time, my friend Bill and I scouted locations for shooting and reviewed some episodes on DVD to more familiarize ourselves with the BSG look and feel.

The production roles are now pretty much set. Our next step in pre-production will be to story-board the script, get sets constructed, props and costumes made, etc. We are also doing some screen tests next week to see how our actor friends will do in their parts.

Well, that’s it for now. Check back each week or so to see how we progress. Should be fun!

Our first prop! Yes, it involves paper! I hope that’s not too much of a spoiler.

A Job Well Done

Laura’s Blog Entry

Spring has sprung and it was time for the maiden voyage into the garden for 2007. It was all facilitated by my friends Jeff and Becky graciously giving us some of their tall ornamental grasses when they split them this year. Yea! Nothing like a no-cost method to get a little backyard privacy – of which we currently have none. Can you say fishbowl?

Here is my current project – putting in the grasses before they die. Here is where they are to go, along the neighbor’s fence:

Now you may be wondering, what kind of outfit does one wear for such a project? Well, glad you asked. Here is a little sample of my gardening fashion:

Note the yellow garden clog from LL Bean, Neil’s old jeans, a paint-spattered shirt from about 1990, and the cord to my iPod – the ultimate accessory.

After 1 hour of painful sod removal:

That’s it for me today… if I want to be able to walk tomorrow, that is. Little by little I’ll get it all put in. And find creative ways to get rid of the sod, as we do not have a spare inch of ground to stash or hide it on our postage stamp size property.

A Job well done:

Something New This Way Comes!

Laura’s Blog Entry

Last night was recording night! We broke in the new mics (thought you won’t be able to tell, sigh…) and tried to see if we could wrap our heads around the BSG season finale. I got the next two DM Remasters and tried to refrain from talking about them, ’cause we had tons of other stuff to cover.

Look for talk of Easter, hairstyles, and Orlando Bloom. It’s all good, people!

New episode goes live April 1 here and on iTunes. See you then!

Just Another Night in the ‘Nati

Laura’s Blog Entry

OK, here’s what we do for fun around these parts. Last Friday night we had a “Goth Photo Night” with some friends. Neil and I are in this photo – you’ll have to figure out which ones we are on you own! Thanks, Mike and Donna for letting all of us raid your accessories!

Podcast in a Box

Laura’s Blog Entry

You know, I put “Laura’s Blog Entry” every time as I thought Neil might also want to blog… who was I kidding… Oh well.

Here’s something exciting:

It is a podcast in a box, as we call it. We got a lovely order of goodies, since we seem to be doing this on a regular basis. Two sexy mics, pop filters, a mixer, and some other cables that are to hook everything up, apparently. We will be recording the April episode on Monday, following the final episode of BSG. Our sound quality has been OK so far, but we have been borrowing equipment, as well as sharing one mic, so that has gotten old. But no more!

It will be great for working on music, too. Allergies have postponed that little test in our upstairs (read bedroom) studio.

Also, I wanted to post a picture of my friend Kelly’s cute shoes. “Why?” you may ask. To that I reply, “Why not?”

Well, I feel I’ve accomplished a lot here, so if the rain has stopped Mari and I are off to the park for a run on her scooter. I am trying to pass the time as I wait to see if we won copies of the next 2 DM remasters to be released. I know the odds are bad, but it would save me $40-50, so I am trying to wait until the winners are announced at the end of March. The remasters came out Tuesday. That means I do not have them in my possession. And I read online this morning that the documentary on the “Black Celebration” disk is 1 hour long. That’s one entire hour. I don’t think I am going to make it.

Mari Superior!

Laura’s Blog Entry

Fridge Game:

On Saturday Mari competed in a Speech Meet with some local schools. She worked very hard and earned a “Superior” rating. She is definitely the best speaker in the family and we are so proud of her hard work on this. Her new nickname is “Mari Superior!”

Behind the Podcast – Episode 3

Laura’s Blog Entry

Well, the March episode is up. As I munch on my English Muffin I thought I would share some of my thoughts about it.

First of all I love Neil’s opening track, “A Different Way of Seeing.” Sometimes when you hear a song on its own, not with the rest of the album it takes on a different life. It’s a different way of listening, I guess!

I am also loving “Men Neil Finds Attractive.” Neil likes it too, despite his protests. For those who may not have seen Dave Gahan’s tattoos, here is a little sample. Photo is from Depechemode.com and was taken by Anton Corbijn.

Little know fact, Neil’s dad did not actually have bottles of Jack, with or without Mr. Yuck stickers.

I am so anxious to get the rest of the DM Remasters that come out – hopefully – at the end of the month. The final four are:

Construction Time Again
Ultra
Exciter
Black Celebration – the one I can’t wait to get my hands on!!!!! This is my favorite DM album, and I plan to discuss why on a future episode, so I won’t do it here.

Below is a photo of Neil’s motorcycle:

I really hope Neil can get out and start it up in the next few days. He’s been waiting for a dry day over 40 degrees. It won’t start below 40. He’s a bit stir crazy not being able to ride.

Is Mari not the cutest thing ever? I know I am biased, but I really have very little to do with her cuteness. I love her songs. She wrote the Irish tune 5 minutes before recording it. Can you tell she heard a lot of Depeche Mode in the womb?

As a result of this episode some of the artist are starting to network with each other. That had got to be the coolest thing that has happened. We didn’t really have a purpose for starting the podcast, but this is better than anything we could have come up with. I am constantly amazed at the love out there in cyberspace. I used to make fun of people who spend tons of time online. But now I am one of them! And I have met some amazing, inspiring and totally cool people. I used to mock mySpace “friends.” Now I have them! I so appreciate the support from everyone for the podcast. And we can’t wait to get going on the April episode.

There is already a rough outline, and I promise we will be taking embarrassing ourselves to a new level!

OK, this is long enough. We have a busy weekend ahead – The Home and Garden Show at the Convention Center (I hope to get a glimpse of Food Network’s Alton Brown!) and a CD release event for Steve Manuel. I will be snapping photos, so check back next week for the highlights…

Alton Brown and Live Music!

Laura’a Blog Entry

A busy, fun Saturday this weekend. After a late breakfast at a local old-fashioned coffee shop downtown called Hathaway’s, I spent part of the day with friends touring the Home and Garden Show at the convention center. It was miles and miles of products! The main reason we went though was that Food Network’s Alton Brown was making an appearance. Here’s a sad, blurry picture I took:

He did an hour-long presentation that included a Q & A session. He was very funny, especially when he talked about Paula Deen and Rachel Ray. I got to tease my friend Bryan about his admiration for Alton. He gives me so much grief about DM. I feel somewhat vindicated when Bryan seemed pleased that Alton brushed past him on the way up to the stage.

If that wasn’t enough excitement, that evening Neil and I attended the CD release party for Steve Manuel and his new album Comic Book Hero.

It was the second night of a two-night event. It was in a really cool old church that has been turned into a studio/performance space by Ric Hordinski (formerly of Over the Rhine and currently of Monk). As I write I am listening to his album Blink that we picked up at the show. I am enjoying it immensely and plan to contact him about playing some of it for the podcast.
Anyway… I love seeing a show in a small, intimate space. There were probably 100 or so people there. A very fun night with great, great performances. Here are some shots from the show. My camera is lame in low light, but I kinda like the effect. It captures the feeling of a live show, I think.

Left to right – Ric Hordinski, Steve Manuel (in his superhero shirt!) and Josh Seurkamp

Neil took this one of candles on the edge of the stage – ooooo, so moody!

Put off the errands long enough… back to the real world…

SOP 003 – If It’s Not Irish, It’s Crap!

Download this episode.

Show Notes
This month we show our ignorance when it comes to all things Irish. We are more successful when it comes to green things like Lucky Charms and Bag Balm. Depeche Mode News features a discussion on the remastering of the Depeche Mode catalog. We also delve into the psychological significance of Gilligan’s Island, dissect the editing techniques of Battlestar Galactica’s third season and have a math lesson in our rambling March episode!

Music Guide:
“A Different Way Of Seeing”
Album: Sterile
Artist: Neil Smith
http://www.neilsmithmusic.com

“Blue Motorcycle”
Album: In The Red Room
Artist: Pat MacDonald
http://www.myspace.com/patmacdonald

“Green Gala”
Artist: Mari Smith

“Gilligan’s Island”
Album: Untitled
Artist: The Mood Rings
http://www.themoodrings.com

“Π”
Album: Horses And Grasses
Artist: Hard N Phirm
http://www.hardnphirm.com
http://www.myspace.com/hardnphirm

Other people’s podcasts that we enjoy:
The Battlestar Galactica Podcast
http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season03/

The Accidental Creative
http://www.accidentalcreative.com
Creative caffeine!

The obligatory Depeche Mode link:
http://www.depechemode.com