I have been trying to get over one week of Swine Flu, and another week of general malaise.

This is why the show is being held up.
We're pumped to get another one up and running, so it won't be long now, but it's ALL TOM'S (me) FAULT.


Shane has more Purna updates...and we've had some great suggestions for SOUNDY MOUTHS!

It's going to be real soon. Promise.

As you may already know, I (Tom) own a music venue in Windsor, Ontario.
It is special. And not in THAT way.

There's this vote happening on CBC Radio 3 with regards to my music venue, Phog Lounge.

Searchlight has a contest right now which will decide (by votes alone) the Best Live Music Venue in Canada.

I think Phog Lounge is that place for a litany of reasons.
However, as listeners in many countries, and from all over the place, this isn't necessarily pressing for you to do...to go to cbcradio3.com (http://radio3.cbc.ca/polls/?pollId=31) and vote on a daily basis...BUT...
It would help to forward this cause, this effort to be voted Best Live Music Venue in Canada.

If you would be so kind as to help me out with this project, I would be forever grateful.
Again, the link is - http://radio3.cbc.ca/polls/?pollId=31 - and you are able to vote every 24 hours.

We are a 60-capacity venue, going up against places in TORONTO that hold just short of 1000 people per show. These places are impersonal, yes, but they have followers nonetheless. I need your votes desperately from now until February 24th, every day. Is that asking too much?
The most dedicated fan base will win, plain and simple.

So, please help.
I love you.

Having returned from Kingston, the podcaster conference called PAB (Podcasters Across Borders), I have only great things to say, which I will do in future posts.

I want to share the relative success with a t-shirt idea Shane and I came up with.

I wanted to make a huge sentence with mentions of all the social media applications in it, (I Digg when Twits Pownce on del.icio.us ideas...), and then print it on the front of a t-shirt. I figured it would draw praise and giddiness from podcasters and social/new media nuts.

But Shane honed the idea into a giant "Hello My Name Is..." name tag with all of the fields being the social media applications, and then blank spaces left to be filled in with a fabric marker or a Sharpie. I loved the idea, and in a day Shane had a finished design. I burned the image of the design on the screen at Phog, and brought it to Kingston. Shane brought shirts, and we slowly took orders, and then made them to order in our hotel room during the dinner break on Saturday night.

And now I think we'll have our hands full printing more, as were are more than willing and able to do so.

The best part of the "fill in the blank" t-shirt with social media info is that if you go to conferences (and you need to wear those lanyards with your name and information on it, which never sit right) you can simply tell someone to take a photo of your shirt and they instantly have LOADS of contact info that people today are coming to collect. This shirt should be a staple for conferences. Heh-heh...

I made a joke during the last show about two sets of pubic hair meeting up and making a Velcro peeling sound.
Well, I saw this microscopic view of Velcro and felt like I HAD to share.
Nice.

My recorder has, for some reason, refused to connect to my computer. What this means is that I cannot simply drag the MP3 files onto the Net.
I must now dub them, real time, until I am able to then re-format the device.
So, please be patient, and we have a show, "in the can", but are unable to loose it on all of you.
Sorry.
Be patient.
Tom

I think Shane may wet himself, and I hope he does it while wearing jogging pants!
He will not believe that I finally mentioned Squeezebox while I scored some time on the "air".

That's me with my CBC Radio 3 swag!
I was honoured to have the opportunity to co-host the Craig Norris Hour on Thursday's show. Dan Misener (Jim Dupree: Enthusiast) was kind enough to drag me around his workplace, and give me a day I'll never forget.

Radio 3 has done more for Canadian indie music than the rest of Canadian music stations, as far as I'm concerned. I mean, really, they legitimized a huge portion of talent by existing with strong people at the helm.

So yeah, that might mean we'll get more listeners to the podcast. And if you're one of the people who decided to check out our show because Craig was kind enough to mention it...welcome.

Oh, and uh, hold on to your hats, because this show's content is far more rocky than most.

Remember my comment a couple of shows ago about ICQ?...I think I said "I Sikh You" and we had a good laugh.
Well, I saw this the next day and cracked up.

ICQ Toothpaste. Delicious, clean-mouthed chatting.

I forgot to post it until now, as I clean off my desktop of recent screen-captures.

Holy Fuck.
No, I'm not mad or yelling...that's the name of the headlining band that played Friday night at my much-loved baby, the second annual P.A. Music Festival. www.pafestival.com

As you should know, I own a bar: Phog Lounge.
I book an annual music festival with The Avalon Front, another music venue in Windsor. We show solidarity to music and the customers, by joining forces to have an ass-kicking two days of music from around the country. Simply the best of the best.

That's wy I was unable to do a podcast this week.
I am barely recovering, mentally, and now I am preparing to host the most incredible month of music I've ever booked. www.thephogblog.blogspot.com for details...if you don't believe me.

Now that the madness of hosting 10 remarkable bands in two nights is done, I am ready for Shane's bullshit once again.

Get ready, 'cause it's time to laugh again!

There's nothing I'd rather have hanging from my rear-view mirror than a giant plastic shithawk with a wingspan of nearly two feet...how about you?

This was sent in by Angie, a good friend of Shane's, and it is proof that if you pay attention, you will see the most garish things hanging in people's cars.

Shane had this to say about it, "It looks like a really bad B-movie prop, you know the birds on a stick? Maybe he's a washed up B-movie prop guy. I think there is a more professional name like a "Gaffer" or something, but in this instance I'd say a Squawker."

I'm posting this, because I know as soon as Shane sees it, he will laugh out loud.
The only thing is that I cannot remember the context of this.
I don't remember why it's so funny.
This is a self-portrait taken during the last recording at Shane's old workplace...and it was in relation to a story I was telling...but I can't remember...
Shane - It's your chance to fill in the blanks in the comment section.

Shane here
LOLE!, this was your impersonation of the dog hard rubbing his nose on the homeless guys crotch and this was when the dog was gumming his jogging pant pole.