New Podcast Episodes: "Best of" Shows from Frank Black, Coverville

Podcast episodes that are compilations of previous shows are easy for the hosts to put together, but that doesn't mean they're not good. There are two tasty recap episodes this week from two of my favorite podcasts, The Frank Black.net Podcast and Coverville.

The FrankBlack.net Podcast calls its latest podcast "Reunited" (marking the first time co-hosts Dean and Brian have both been on a show together), and aside from using excerpts of the cheesy Peaches & Herb single of the same name, it's a solid episode musically. Borrowing a term from TV, they call it a "clip show," but really it's a best-of of tunes from the podcast's third season.

"Reunited" features a wide range of Frank Black projects from the last year, ranging from a tune from "The Golem" to "Vapors" from the "Lovesick" EP and "My Name is Gary" from the "Space Babes vs. the Monster" DVD.

The FrankBlack.net Podcast says it will begin its fourth season in October.

Brian Ibbott's long-running and prolific Coverville podcast calls its 700th episode "An Introduction to Coverville," and it features some of the favorite tunes from the show. Among those you'll hear: "Tainted Love" by Gloria Jones, "Both Sides Now" by Jason Falkner, and Jonathan Coulton's popular version of "Baby Got Back," as well as covers of a couple of Amy Winehouse tunes and a William Shatner tune for good measure.

New Podcast Episodes: Frank Black, Newport Folk Concerts, The Clash Covers

The FrankBlack.net Podcast is out with an episode on Grand Duchy.

Some good new episodes are out this week in a number of long-running podcasts. Here are a few highlights.

The FrankBlack.net Podcast has been coming out sporadically this year, but they've got a new episode out devoted to Grand Duchy, the band featuring Black and his wife Violet. The band is currently on its first tour, and I caught of few songs during its set at Coney Island's Siren Festival.

If you didn't manage to hear any of NPR's live Webcasts from the Newport Folk Festival, you can still catch them... and keep them, in many cases. NPR Music has started to put up free podcast downloads of Newport Folk concerts, including Joan Baez, Gillian Welch, Fleet Foxes, Neko Case, Mavis Staples, and more.

If you'd prefer a sampling of the Newport Folk concerts, NPR also has a free podcast download up that covers day 1 of the festival, and there will probably be more to come.

And over at Coverville, the all-cover-songs podcast, you'll find a diverse range of covered artists, as usual. Episode 600 is devoted to covers of KISS, while number 599 tackles Cat Stevens and 598 features cover versions of The Clash's iconic album, "London Calling." And all three of those Coverville podcasts have come just since July 30th!

Enjoy...

The FrankBlack.net Podcast is Back (and So is Frank Black)

After a nearly one year silence, the FrankBlack.net podcast is back with new episodes. With one host in the U.S. and the other traveling throughout Asia (and perhaps elsewhere), I guess it wasn't possible to produce the podcast, and the podcast's return, 4/1/08's "The Fools are Back," was itself a cross-continental collaboration between the two hosts, Dean and Brian. A second return podcast, "The Lost Podcast," came out on 5/14.

Frank Black himself has been busy as well (a new child has arrived in the Frank Black/Black Francis/Charles Thompson family), but Black has been working on new music as well. The new FrankBlack.net podcasts delve into this music, including the new album SVN FNGRS. These two podcasts also include some live performances and tracks from a project involving Frank Black and his wife Violet.

If you like The Pixies or Frank Black/Black Francis in any of his various musical projects, you'll definitely want to check out the FrankBlack.net Web site and podcast to catch up with his latest recordings and live shows.