Category Archives: Podcasting

Charting or: Not What You Think It Is

22 Friday Jan 2021

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Salutations™!!

I woke up today with some good news. I got an email from a podcast charting service (that I am not subscribed to) and was told that Asylum – Tales from the Devereaux Diaries podcast, the one I do with my Kousins about KISS; part of The Less Desirables Network, had charted at #100 on Apple Podcasts in Sweden. I know it’s Sweden, but still…

Asylum – Tales from the Devereaux Diaries Podcast

But, that’s not all, we were also charted at #205 on the same chart here in the US! The chart is for Music Commentary. So, I take this as a win. In podcasting, while there are new ways popping up all the time, charts are pretty much the way to measure any kind of success. I am proud of all my podcasts as some of them are ranked on other podcast charts around the country but this is the highest we’ve been on any of them. So to Kousin Marvin and Kousin Gary… congrats to us!!

That is all. Give us a listen anywhere you find podcasts, give us a like, and if you’d be so kind, a rating. That helps us tremendously!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Advertisers and publishers need accurate audience data to make good decisions about content and advertising.” – Podtrac

My Holiday or: A Happy Podfather

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!

Today I get to celebrate a holiday that many celebrate now but when I started there were a lot fewer. Today is International Podcast Day.

I have mentioned before that I have been podcasting longer than probably 98% people in the area and probably that much or more continuously. I started podcasting in 2007 when I was co-owner of a local comic book store. We only did about 5 or 6 that was even worth mentioning and it most of that was rehashing recorded conference calls with Marvel Comics execs. But, it was a start and wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to do a radio show. I wanted to talk about pop culture. I still want to do radio. And, in a way, I do.

I started The Less Desirables with my pal Brian Attridge on February 3, 2010. You know that story. Eugene came along, Brian left, Caitlin came, Eugene left, Bruce came, Bruce left, Danielle came, Caitlin left, Bethany came. I’ve talked that ad nauseum by now. I wanted to do more than The Less Desirables, though. I wanted a whole network of podcasts, whether I was involved or not, perhaps just as an associate producer. Also, I wanted to get my “studio” out of my house and into a real business location.

So, in late 2012, Eugene and I moved all my stuff from my bedroom loft to a spot in the Chatham Building off of Fourth Street in WSNC. Soon after, in early 2013, I started producing both the Camel City News Hour hosted by Chad Nance and Fan Interference hosted by Ty Collins. CCNH lasted a few years and Fan Interference is still going today. Later in 2013, Nikki Miller-Ka, The BCPF and I started Tart & Tangy Triad, a food news podcast. That went until early 2016.

In February 2015, five years after starting The Less Desirables, Jon Lowder, Paul Jones, and I started The Beer Dads Podcast, after we were sitting at Small Batch Beer trying to decide what we were going to do a podcast about and I came in complaining about 3B, my son. We recorded it and Jon and Paul have become partners of mine. We have crossed the 200 episode mark.

In July of 2016, I recorded my first episode of The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast because I wanted another food podcast and had to rebut nasty comments about a critique of a local restaurant that I was actually a fan of. That is still going and I have had four co-hosts. Kelly Bone was my first, followed by Tim Johnson, then Ray Morgan. Ray is still with me and we have added Lea Metz to our lineup. I love them both being there. We will record episode 170 next week.

In late 2016, I started Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking Podcast with Jordan Keiper and we had a lot of drinking to do, for sure. We recorded into 2017 had to pause due to an illness in Jordan’s family. We are still on that hiatus, although Jordan and I have discussed, along with Danielle from TLD restarting it back up, but C-19 and other issues have kept us from doing that.

In 2018, along with “Jeff Evans” and Rory, we started Apartment 5B: Irrational Conversations with the Cool Breezes of Anytown, USA. We did that up to the pandemic, which JE’s wife was getting ready to have a baby, so we put everything on hold and we haven’t started back up.

In July 2019, Clay Howard and I started Beeswax Vinyl & More, a podcast that explored music in a different way. Clay’s schedule didn’t allow for him to do that long. I’m exploring other options for that. I haven’t given up on it. Stay tuned.

In February of 2020, Eugene B Sims started his long-awaited podcast, Wheeler’s Dog. He does two a week, one for the general public and one for his Patreon subs. I am an “associate producer” for that show. It’s all Eug, really. But, it is on my network.

And, finally, in July of this year, my “Kousins” Gary and Marvin and I started Asylum: The Tales from the Devereaux Diaries Podcast. We talk music but almost exclusively about our favorite band, KISS.

Also, I have produced a lot of podcasts for companies and clients. Forsyth Magazines, Blue Door Group, Phoenix Rising, Ring the Bell Realty, Center for Private Business, Dr. Shawn Ricks, and more are on the way in the next few months.

So, podcasting is now in my blood. I have done it so long and for so many that I’ve been christened, “The Podfather” and I love that title. I run with it and will continue to do so. So, to all my podcasting co-horts, whether they’re mine or not, to those in the community that do podcasts that I’m not part of but may have been inspired by (so I’ve been told) and to the people who listen to them, HAPPY INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY!!!!!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I think podcasting is here to stay.” – Adam Scott

A Glimpse of What Once Was or: What’s One More Than a Trifecta?

10 Monday Aug 2020

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Salutations™!!TLDNetwork

I’m giving you a break from videos today. I don’t know if it’s a break or not, though. I mean, I’d just as soon watch videos than to read a bunch of words. Then again, I hate reading, so… Anywhat! Today I got to do something that was almost reminiscent of the way things were back in late February/early March. I produced four podcasts. All of them were for The Less Desirables Network, but not all of them were recorded today. That’s okay, though. It was some semblance of “normalcy.”

So, what did I produce? I recorded and produced a new episode of The Man Who Ate the Town and The Beer Dads. I “produced” which means published in this case the latest non-Patreon episode of Wheeler’s Dog and put together/produced one for Fan Interference in which Ty basically said goodbye to that old name for the Washington Football Team. I felt good about it. I got work done. That helps the mind, for sure.

Listen to the episode of:

TMWATT here.
The Beer Dads here.
Wheeler’s Dog here.
Fan Interference here.

Thank you in advance for listening. We will have new episodes of The Less Desirables and Asylum: The Tales of the Devereaux Diaries Podcast later this week.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I consume a lot of podcasts. I’m a voracious podcast consumer.” – Paul F. Tompkins

When It Comes Crashing Down or: A Reopening

01 Wednesday Jul 2020

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Salutations™!!

Today, I “officially” reopened The Less Desirables Studios in The Lab at Industry Hill for podcast recordings. Now, that being said I won’t be doing everything in that studio right away. Really, I’m only opening it so I can accommodate the clients that need a place for in-person podcasting. Some of my podcasts, ones that I host, will be done, some from my home, and some from the studio.

I haven’t talked much about this part, but I got my EIDL from the government and I have spent a good bit of it on new equipment, new computers, new processes and soon, a new table from which we do podcasting. I’m also going to reorganize the studio space, creating a new editing room and separate recording space.

The recording space will be in the same room that the podcasts are recorded, now. The editing room will be in a different spot in my suite, which I used to call “my office.” I never have used it as an office as I tended to do everything from the studio. The closest it has come to being an office is that the printer and internet router (thank you X1 Communications) are in there. But, it will be rearranged and used more effectively.

For the third office in the suite, I have to figure out what to use it for. My initial plan was for video. I don’t know about that now. We talked about turning it into a “set” for a revival of Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking but as of now, that whole idea is on permanent hold. The big room, I hope to figure something to do with that, too, but I am less interested in filling that room as it ties the whole thing together.

Now, speaking of Sipping NC and the “big room,” I went in yesterday to let in the cleaners that I had come in to help me prepare and when I walked in the door, I noticed a mess. It seems the top shelf of my liquor wall that held the bottles and cans Jordan Keiper and I had collected from the libation makers on the SNC show, collapsed and the bottles (save one wine bottle) had toppled to the floor. In doing so, I lost two bottles, a Bedlam Vodka bottle and a Covington Sweet Potato Vodka bottle had both shattered and the alcohol had soaked into the carpet. There were several other bottles that had fallen but none of them broke. Oddly enough, two of the bottles had lost their corked caps. That isn’t the odd part. The odd part is, I never found them. Nowhere. Gone. Disappeared.

I looked around and in the “office” I noticed a bag of ketchup and mustard packets had been gnawed to shreds by a rat or mouse or something. We have had a problem with those in the last little bit (but we have an exterminator that has planted bait traps). My only thought is that perhaps the rodent liked the smell of the alcohol and took them off somewhere to “have a party.” I don’t know, but it’s funny to think of it.

So, that was my adventure yesterday. I have clients scheduled for next week. Yay me! We’ll see where this new adventure takes me. Thanks for indulging me in my story.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I don’t think anybody can create in a space where they don’t feel comfortable.” – Amy Sherald

Now Normal Chronicles or: The Non-Video Edition

05 Tuesday May 2020

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Salutations™!!

Yesterday was an epic day for podcasting for me. I recorded The Man Who Ate the Town (listen here), The Less Desirables (releasing tomorrow), Beeswax Vinyl & More (listen here) and The Beer Dads (listen here). Then, I “produced” Wheeler’s Dog today. Thursday I will do Fan Interference. So, other than Apartment 5B and Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking, all of the TLD Network shows have been or will be released this week.

TLDNetwork

That’s a good week. I figured I’d give you a break from videos today since my biggest complaint has been the lack of anything happening.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Zoom sponsored by Bull’s Tavern!” – TLD Network

Now Normal Chronicles or: 2000 in 2020

08 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in Blogging, Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Salutations™!!TLDNetwork

With all this “Now Normal” stuff going on, I didn’t even realize that I had passed 2000 blog posts last week. I think my official count makes this 2,008 blog posts. Part of it is that I have posted every, single day since November 1, 2014. That, Dear Reader, is 1,985 days. So, before that, my writing was hit or miss and I had a blog on another platform. It didn’t get much love anyway and WordPress is a much easier and much better platform.

It wasn’t until Kristen Daukas got me to do the NaBloPoMo (National Blog Post Month) where you post every day for a month. Well, I can’t stop and I like streaks, so, here we are 1,985 days later and I’m still going. And, I couldn’t and wouldn’t have kept going if I didn’t have readers. Thank you, Dear Reader, for doing just that. I certainly appreciate it.

I released Beeswax Vinyl & More yesterday and The Less Desirables today. Also, Wheeler’s Dog released yesterday. Go to the TLD Network website to listen to those.

Well, that’s all I have for today.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Blogging and the Internet allow us to engage in a lot more real-time conversations as opposed to a one-way dump of information or a message.” – Indra Nooyi

Now Normal Chronicles Podcast Edition or: Zooming

06 Monday Apr 2020

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Salutations™!!

I recorded three podcasts today. The Man Who Ate the Town, which I do every Monday, with Ray, Lea (who does Winston-Salem Strong with me) and Daniel Butner from Carrabba’s Italian Grill. We talked about the “list” and all the cool and good things that Daniel is doing. ZoomLogo_112b8a4

Then, Bethany, Danielle and I pre-recorded The Less Desirables, which will be released on Wednesday. We talked about the crisis and how it is affecting us.

Finally, Clay and I recorded episode #4 of Beeswax Vinyl & More. I’m going to post that (along with Wheeler’s Dog’s latest) tomorrow.

When we were recording TLD, I mentioned that I was going to ask for sponsorships for a year’s subscription to the full-on version of Zoom. The one that doesn’t cut off parties of three or more after 40 minutes. I have more control over rooms and more control over what goes on. It will help my business greatly as I can use it to record podcasts from anywhere. Danielle sent me the money almost immediately and I turned around immediately and purchased the paid version. So, from this point on, at least until April of next year, every TLD Network podcast that is recorded using Zoom will be “sponsored by Bull’s Tavern.” She’s awesome.

So, let’s do a podcast. Got an idea and don’t want to leave your house? No worries. Let’s do it remotely. Send me a message and let’s set this up.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Simplified video conferencing and messaging across any device.” – Zoom

The Now Normal Continued or: Imminent Lockdown

25 Wednesday Mar 2020

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Salutations™!!

We are now into day whatever of “The Now Normal.” All the work on the WSNC Hospitality List has left me unsure of what day it is and what’s going on. The only saving grace is for what I either record or release as far as podcasts go. It did throw me off to record TLD on a different day of the week (two weeks in a row), but somehow I remembered to post it. I did record Fan Interference today.

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Staring at lists got me like…

The mayor of WSNC, Allen Joines announced today a “Stay-at-Home” alert and that freaked people out. It starts on Friday but people are, of course, going to panic and continue to buy up everything, hoard stuff and put others in further need. People are going to worry about having enough to eat. I can assure you, you will. Even with the “lockdown” in place, you can still go to the store. You can still go to “essential” stores and yes, absolutely, you can still get food from restaurants. You can’t eat in, that’s true. You can have it delivered. You can get it to go. You can even just get curbside that you don’t have to get out of your vehicle for.

Yes, it is a disruption to “everyday life.” It is an adjustment. We will survive it. We will see the other side. It will take a bit. It will be uncomfortable for a bit. But, there is no reason to freak out. That does no one any good. To give you the rundown and updated food service list, visit this link.

Keep calm. Listen to some podcasts. Spend time with your family. And, yes, wash your damn hands!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Y’all made it happen.” – Katie Murawski

The Now Normal or: The List Goes On

24 Tuesday Mar 2020

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Salutations™!!

Dear Reader, I’m apologizing to you upfront for the fact that I’m going to continue to inundate you with links to “the list.”

The list is the work of Lea Metz and myself, searching for what food and beverage businesses are doing in WSNC. Lea (pronounced Lee-ah, like my sister except hers if spelled with an “h”) joined Ray and me for The Man Who Ate the Town podcast yesterday. We all practiced social distancing and were each on a Zoom chat, Lea in WSNC and Ray in Mt. Airy and I was in the studio. You can hear that episode here.

I produce the Forsyth Mags podcast and was actually a guest on it this morning and talked about the list, as well. You can hear that episode here.

Technically, there are two different lists but that’s only for style and web usage. The data collected therein is shared between Lea and me. Nothing goes on that list unless we have discussed it with the other of us. We have had a great response and are still having people contact us to make sure their business (or a favorite of theirs) is on the list.

It has been shared and/or used by WXII, The Winston-Salem Journal, Yes! Weekly, and multiple Facebook and social media groups. I actually had someone text me today that said the executives at RJ Reynolds was using our list and had used/added it to their “teams” list. I am proud of this list and I know that Lea is, too. We talk about it all day every day, now. Someone is working on it now to make it more dynamic for cell phones and we will turn it into an app as soon as we can. We’re working on that, too. So, to update you on the list, you can find it here.

Thanks again for reading it and listening and for spending money at the local F&B businesses.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Hope this is over soon and we get to see you here.” – Nui Nui

The Buzz Around the Return or: More Closings

16 Monday Mar 2020

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Salutations™!!

Beeswax and More Logo Large

First, I am happy to announce that Clay and I recorded the first new episode of Beeswax Vinyl & More podcast since August of last year today. It was a bit rough but a few things factored into that. One, Clay and I were practicing “Social Distancing” and he was on Zoom with me. Two, we kind of just stumbled through things because we had an opportunity to do it and where we have not done it in seven months, we had to “reacquaint ourselves with our styles” to (somewhat) quote Paul Stanley. Just a lot of stuff going on in the world and we touched on it and some other things. We’ll be back to recording regularly, I hope. Listen to that episode here.

Also, today, Ray and I practiced “Social Distancing” with him at home in Mt. Airy and me in the studio. We do that every week so it was “business as usual.” Well, at least in the recording department. These last few weeks have been anything but “business as usual.” The COVID-19 thing is some serious business and the world is shutting down right now. Anywhat! Listen to TMWATT here.

Last week I provided an update from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. Today I am offering their latest update:

To join with the broader community in responding appropriately to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County will temporarily close, to public access, the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (“Rhodes Center”) and the Hanesbrands Theatre, beginning Tuesday, March 17, until further notice. All previously scheduled performances, exhibitions and other events at these venues have been cancelled or postponed.

The Rhodes Center includes the Sawtooth School for Visual Arts and Coffee Park, as well as The Arts Council’s own Reynolds Place Theatre, Mountcastle Forum/Theatre, Arboreal Gallery, Community Arts Gift Shop and
Every Corner Gallery.

The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic are disruptive and challenging, and the entire community must make sacrifices in order to be safe and protect each other. We must comply with the safety protocols established by public authorities, and we should be proactive otherwise to help ensure the well-being of family, friends and the community at large.

At the same time, we must all strive to maintain, as much as possible, the elements of the social infrastructure of our community that have made it a great place to live, work, learn and place. There will be an aftermath of the current crisis, despite its near-term adversities, and we want our community to emerge with vibrancy and optimism comparable to before the crisis.

Accordingly, The Arts Council’s staff will continue to work during the temporary public-access closure of our venues – although we will do so remotely to the extent possible – in sustained pursuit of our mission to support and serve this community’s constellation of amazing arts organizations and artists. Even in the current crisis, the arts remain sources of comfort, inspiration and even physical well-being. Our arts constellation remains a valuable asset of this community, and we want it to shine brightly when the crisis has passed.

Please continue to reach out to us about matters of interest, as you would have done in the past, except do so via phone, email or online for the time being, rather than dropping by the Rhodes Center for a visit. Our mission to help extend the beneficial impacts of the arts to “touch every corner” of our community is unaffected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Until tomorrow, stay safe and wash your damn hands…
Scorp out!

—
“Our mission to help extend the beneficial impacts of the arts to ‘touch every corner’ of our community is unaffected by the COVID-19 crisis.” – Arts Council WS/FC