Free Concert Podcast Downloads: Wild Flag, St. Vincent, Olivia Tremor Control, & More

If you like listening to recordings of your favorite artists playing live, there's a big batch of free concerts that's been made available online recently (yes, I've fallen behind on my semi-regular postings of these shows). Many can be downloaded as podcasts as well as streamed online; I've noted the ones that only offer streaming.

Stream or download a concert by St. Vincent below. Photo: Flickr user Moses.

The NPR Music podcasts (*) can be downloaded through iTunes, or from the links below.

• Wild Flag live from Washington, D.C.*
• St. Vincent live from Washington, D.C.*
• Moby in concert from Moogfest 2011*
• Austra live from Moogfest*
• Feist live from Toronto (CBC 75th Anniversary celebration) (streaming only)
• Olivia Tremor Control live from New York*
• Laura Marling live from Washington, D.C. (streaming only)*
• The Mekons live (streaming only)*
• The Horrors live from the 2011 ATP Festival (streaming only)*
• World Cafe 20th Anniversary concert, featuring Feist, John Hiatt, the Indigo Girls, Dawes, and more (streaming only)*

CBC Radio 2's "Canada Live" podcast offers downloads of live sets from Dan Mangan, Oh Susanna, Jason Collett (of Broken Social Scene), and more.

Spooky Spanish Tunes for Day of the Dead

The radio show Alt.Latino has put together a playlist of scary Spanish tunes.

UPDATE, Oct. 31st, 2017: For some non-Spanish tunes, check out this Spotify Halloween playlist from NorthJersey.com that includes classic (though overplayed) songs such as Monster Mash, Thriller, etc. If you want some less conventional Halloween music, see "10 Songs that Actually Give Us Chills" from San Francisco radio station KQED.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE, Oct. 31st, 2014: L.A. radio station KCRW has put together a Dia de los Muertos/Halloween Playlist that you can stream on Spotify or listen to on YouTube. It includes spooky tracks from Kinky, Ozomatli, Los Carniceros Del Norte, and more. Enjoy!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A few years back I did a post pointing out a great podcast of spooky Spanish-language pop songs appropriate for Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) parties or commemorations. That podcast was an episode of Ritmo Latino, the great show of Spanish-language music that, sadly, later came to a close.

However, the public radio show Alt.Latino has an article this week with videos for 11 scary Spanish songs for Day of the Dead (and descriptions of some spooky stories from Spanish-speaking countries). The article is called "¡Que Miedo! Terrifying Tales And Scary Songs From Latin America."

Granted, clicking on each video to see it isn't as easy as just playing the continuous music of a podcast. But you can always create a playlist on YouTube (or Spotify, Rdio, or other streaming service) of these songs. (You can also stream or download the show's podcast, which includes clips of each of the songs as well as introductions and discussions of the songs, at the link above.)

Here are the songs in Alt.Latino's playlist of spooky Spanish tunes for Day of the Dead (which is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd):

"La Bruja" by Tien-Huicani
"Witch" by Dani Shivers
"El Fantasma" by Tijuana No
"Tango de Pecado" by Calle 13
"Diablo" by Davila 666
"Lobo Hombre en Paris" by La Union
"Diablo" by Gobia
"Monster" by Guarco
"Calaveras y Diablitos" by Fabulosos Cadillacs
"Llorona" by Chavela Vargas
"Yo Soy la Muerte" by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

Some videos are spooky, others are funny or silly, but they should help set the mood for your Halloween, All Saints Day, or Day of the Dead commemorations.

Remembering Sept. 11th with Music

The September Concert has free performances around the world each Sept. 11th.

Drawing on the power of music to soothe and heal, The September Concert was established to allow people in New York City (and all over the world) hear music for free each September 11th. There were at least two dozen events scheduled in New York City today and tonight, from the plaza in front of the New York Public Library main branch (Fifth Ave. and 42nd St.) to various parks and even in subway stations.

I've been to September Concert events several times over the last few years, and have found them to be just what I was looking for: a way to observe or mark 9/11, but in a low-key way, without speeches, lines, or crowds.

Though many of September Concert events have already occurred by the time of this posting, a number are going on tonight. Here are a few notable selections:

• Rockwood Music Hall (196 Allen St.): Stage One has music until 1 a.m.: 7 p.m. - Josh Lovell; 8 p.m. - Dani Elliott; 9 p.m. - Alfonso Velez; 10 p.m. - Aiden Moore; 11 p.m. - Dirty Bullets; 12 a.m. - Freddie Stevenson
  
• Rockwood Music Hall: Stage Two has a program from 7 p.m. until 11:30: 7 p.m. - Monica Allison; 8 p.m. - NICKCASEY; 9:15 p.m. - Jesse Ruben; 10:15 p.m. - Kyle Patrick
  
• "The Heart of Jazz" concert at Ashford and Simpson's Sugar Bar (254 West 72nd Street): More than 50 top NYC jazz artists gather for a marathon concert, 2 to 10 p.m.
  
• Vocal music at St. Patrick's Cathedral (14 E 51st St.): featuring the Choir of St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York Choral Society, and Young People's Chorus of New York City, 7 to 8 p.m.

 UPDATE: One of the September Concert events was a classical concert in a unique location: the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur. The concert featured several pieces addressing loss and remembrance, performed by the Wordless Music Orchestra. You can listen to the Temple of Dendur concert and read about it here. (You can stream the concert or download it as a podcast.)

Is there any music you listen to on Sept. 11th that helps you deal with the events of 2001, especially on this 10th anniversary? WNYC Radio in New York has been playing listener suggestions this afternoon, and they have ranged from Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" to Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" — an odd mix, to be sure.

Notable Music Podcasts: Polaris Prize Show, Fall Music Preview, Jimi Hendrix Covers

Above: Montreal's The Besnard Lakes are one of the performers in the Polaris Music Prize podcast from CBC Radio 3. Photo: Nick Davis

Here are some of the more interesting or timely music podcasts that have come out in the last week:

* Canada's Polaris Music Prize was awarded Monday night, and Karkwa took home the top prize. All 10 short list nominees performed at the gala awards ceremony, and CBC Radio 3's latest podcast has live songs from all of them. This two-hour podcast has introductions to each of the performers, but other than that the focus is on the music, as it should be.

If you prefer, you can also stream the Polaris Prize performances and see photo highlights on the CBC's website.

* NPR Music is out its annual Fall Music Preview show. It looks at and samples of new tunes form upcoming albums from artists including Deerhunter, Sufjan Stevens, Brian Eno, Tricky, Sharon Van Etten, Belle and Sebastian, and Mark Ronson and the Business.

* The Coverville podcast presents a show of covers of songs written or performed by Jimi Hendrix in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the death of the 1960s Seattle guitar hero.

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.

Newport Folk Festival - Live Webcasts

The Newport Folk Festival is this weekend, and NPR Music is again webcasting a number of shows this weekend. You can find NPR's Newport Folk Festival home page here, along with a schedule of webcasts.

Many of these webcasts will probably be archived for streaming later on, and some will likely be available for downloading as podcasts.

They are webcasting roughly from 12 Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (actually starting at 11:40 a.m. tomorrow and 11:30 Sunday). Here's the schedule (all times Eastern):

Saturday, July 31
11:40 a.m. - Sarah Jarosz
12:35 p.m. - The Low Anthem
1:30 p.m. - Nneka
2:20 p.m. - Blitzen Trapper
3:25 p.m. - Yim Yames (Jim James of My Morning Jacket)
4:30 p.m. - Andrew Bird
5:45 p.m. - O'Death
6:05 p.m. - John Prine

Sunday, August 1
11:30 a.m. - Tao Rodriguez-Seeger
12:20 p.m. - Horse Feathers
12:35 p.m. - Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings
1:35 p.m. - A.A. Bondy
2:05 p.m. - Preservation Hall Jazz Band
3:10 p.m. - Punch Brothers, featuring Chris Thile
3:45 p.m. - The Avett Brothers
4:25 p.m. - The Swell Season
5:30 p.m. - TBD

South by Southwest 2009 (SXSW) - Free Downloads, Music Player, and More

It's almost time for the 2009 edition of South by Southwest, the Austin festival of sensory overload. I'll concentrate here on the SXSW music festival (there are also film and interactive festivals), which runs from March 18th to 22th. In that short span there will be hundreds of bands playing on more than 80 stages. Here's some help in listening to what'll be featured at SXSW 2009, including some free downloads and other ways to sample the music.

At the SXSW music page there's a Music Player link, which will open a stream of continuous music from bands playing at the festival. In the past SXSW has offered free MP3 downloads of dozens of songs, but I don't see that option listed this time around. (UPDATE: Apparently there are SXSW downloads available, but they're being offering through BitTorrent, not through the SXSW site. An article on TorrentFreak says there is a full 6GB of songs from SXSW 2009 artists available for free download, featuring more than 1,200 tunes.)

Howver, NPR Music is offering a free 10-song sampler of tunes by SXSW 2009 artists that you can download from iTunes. Check their SXSW page for details on live concerts they'll be Webcasting from the festival, including The Decemberists on March 18th and Blitzen Trapper on March 19th.

For info straight from South by Southwest ground zero, head for the SXSW Web page of Austin radio station KUT. Check their page for their schedule of live performance broadcasts, breaking news from the festival, and more.

And if you're interested in what Canadian bands are playing the festival, you'll want to listen to the CBC Radio 3 podcast SXSW Survival Guide 2009.

Leonard Cohen Live: Broadcast, Podcast, and More

Legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen has traditionally been an infrequent live performer, but is now making his first concert tour in many years. He recently gave an acclaimed show at New York's Beacon Theatre, and you can now hear this show several ways. Radio station WNYC will be broadcasting the Cohen concert Saturday night on its FM station, 93.9. (I'm guessing that the show can also be heard through the station's live Web stream.) Songs you'll hear during this concert include Cohen classics like "Chelsea Hotel," "Hallelujah," and "Suzanne."

Also, public radio's All Songs Considered is offering Leonard Cohen's Beacon Concert as a free podcast download.

For those in the New York area, Cohen will be playing the Big Apple again on May 16th with a concert at Radio City Music Hall (tickets on sale March 9th here). For more tour dates, check the official Leonard Cohen Web site.

Podcasts for Valentine's Day

OK, I'm late in posting music for Valentine's Day, but these two podcasts are great for any time. First you can stream or download CBC Radio 3's second-annual Make-Out Podcast, featuring songs about love, longing, and lust from Canadian indie artists like Basia Bulat, Broken Social Scene, and more. And host Grant Lawrence adds his own acerbic twist to the proceedings, along with an assortment of odd photos you can see if you're using an iPod or computer that allows you to view photos.

For some Latin love music, check out the Valentine's Day edition of the Rimo Latino podcast. It's got love songs in all kinds of Latin genres, from orchestral to rock en Espanol, fro artists including the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Selena, Mosquitos, and Julieta Venegas.

Happy Valentine's Day, enjoy the music, and don't eat too many chocolates.

New iPods Expected at Apple Event Sept. 9th

New iPods are expected to be announced that the Apple Inc. event that's now been officially confirmed for next Tuesday, Sept. 9th. The invitation sent to the media as a silhouette of a man listening to an iPod jumping in the air, as in iPod ads, and has the slogan "Let's Rock" on the front.

Rumors have been flying around that new iPods were in the works from Apple, including a redesigned iPod Nano that ditches the new stubby format and returns to the longer format of the original Nano. Case designs shown on various Web sites have shown a video screen that is viewed when the iPod is held horizontally, rather than vertically.

So if all goes as planned, we'll all be able to listen to our tunes, podcasts, and audiobooks on brand new iPod models that have higher capacity and maybe even lower prices, if the rumors are correct.

New MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops have been rumored to be announced, but some observers have suggested that these might be announced later in September or even October.

Tim Russert Dies at Age 58; Was Host of "Meet the Press"

Sad news from the business of news: Tim Russert, the political analyst and longtime host of "Meet the Press" on NBC TV, died this afternoon of a heart attack. Russert was only 58 years old, and reportedly died while at work.

Russert was also the Washington bureau chief for NBC News. I don't know if he had any health issues, but he was a big man. And his NBC colleague Tom Brokaw, who announced Russert's death on NBC, said Russert had been pushing himself hard and working long hours during this long political campaign season.

And yes, there is a podcasting connection in this story. Podcasts of Tim Russert hosting "Meet the Press" are still available free from iTunes (both audio and video versions), so his political analysis lives on. And Russert's bestselling books, "Big Russ and Me" and "Wisdom of Our Fathers," are available in audiobook form from iTunes and other sellers.

Tim Russert was a straight-talking journalist who always tried to get the the heart of an issue in interviews. He will certainly be missed.

"@#%&! Smilers"! Aimee Mann is Back With a New Album

Indie singer-songwriter Aimee Mann is out with "@#%&! Smilers," her first album in three years, and though I haven't heard much of it yet it's been getting good reviews. Billboard, for one, praises the CD (which came out on June 3rd) as "her most compelling album to date" (though it misspells her name "Amy").

The title is a tongue-in-cheek swipe at people who encourage others to put on a happy face, and fits in with Mann's slightly jaded view of life, love, and the music business. Of course, she's perfectly justified in the latter: while some artists can point to being dropped by their labels or had an album held up in limbo, Mann has been through numerous nightmares with labels and record execs. Happily, she finally started up her own record label, SuperEgo Records, a number of years ago, and has control over her work.

Starting her own label is just one of the do-it-yourself actions Mann has taken; she also began using email to keep in touch with fans earlier than other artists, and has had several different podcast series devoted to her musical projects.

From what I've heard of "@#%&! Smilers," Aimee Mann is still in good form as a songwriter, combining wry lyrics with the kind of catchy pop-rock melodies that attracted attention when she was with Til Tuesday, singing the '80s megahit "Voices Carry." A Billboard article notes that Mann herself admits that the new CD is "one of her most 'smiley' to date."

But apparently there's no need for fans to worry that Aimee Mann is going soft on us (after all, she has even given in to one of the most time-honored music biz traditions and made a Christmas album), but the new CD does have some songs with bite, like "Thirty One Today."

I can't wait to hear the rest of the album.

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.

Follow the Adventures of iCarly in Free Podcasts

For fans of the highly popular TV show "iCarly" on Nickelodeon, the show features a series of free podcasts featuring Carly, Sam, Freddie, and the rest of the iCarly gang.

If you've got a teen or tween in your family, you may already be familiar with iCarly: it's a TV show that features two girls, Carly and Sam, who create a Web show to express themselves. The free iCarly podcasts feature the show's characters in extended adventures, and also let viewers step into the iCarly set with a look at how the program is put together, insight into the actors who play Carly and other characters, and more. There are even a few full-length episodes of iCarly that you can download for free. [UPDATE, Jan. 2012: if the above link doesn't have the podcasts you're looking for, try this link for downloading iCarly podcasts in iTunes.]

To download the free iCarly podcasts or view them online, go to the link above and click on the iCarly logo near the top of the screen.

In the free iCarly podcasts Miranda Cosgrove (Carly) shows how to make a "spit take" ... Jennette McCurdy (Sam) tries to meet a tongue-twisting challenge ... and much more.

If you or a family member enjoy watching iCarly on Nickelodeon, you'll want to see the cast behind the scenes in the free iCarly podcasts.

Podcast Novels Gaining Momentum

Modern technology is taking an old idea and giving it a new twist: say hello to the podcast novel. Decades ago, stories and novels would be serialized, or published in regular parts in newspapers or magazines. The rise of the iPod and iTunes have led to the podcast novel, a long-form work of fiction told in regular segments (usually weekly) via podcast.

Author Scott Sigler, who is a pioneer of the podcast novel form, was interviewed recently on the public radio program Weekend Edition. Sigler has become one of the most successful podcast novelists, having written a number of novels that have reached the number-one spot on the iTunes list of top-selling audiobooks.

In some cases, a podcast novel may be eventually issued as a regular book. In fact, Sigler's newest podcast novel, "Infected," will be issued in hardcover April 1st.

Play Ball! Preview Podcasts for the New Baseball Season

If you want to get up to speed on the upcoming baseball season, iTunes has a couple of free video podcasts to give you a concise preview. There's a page in the iTunes store where you'll find two special preseason MLB baseball podcasts.

One is an MLB 2008 season preview that looks at all 30 clubs, hosted by Peter McCarthy. Running at an hour, this special gives divisional overviews, reports from Spring Training, and a segment that features beat writers from all the teams.

The other MLB preview podcast is the Fantasy 411 Season Preview show. It looks to tell you what players will be pleasant surprises and which will be major disapointments. It also features two rounds of a mock draft and goes position by position to help you create the ideal winning team.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, FREE Live Concert Download

With all the attention the film "Once" has been getting in light of its Oscar win the other night, I figure people might want to hear more music from the film than just "Falling Slowly." NPR's music podcast All Songs Considered featured a Webcast and download of a concert that the Oscar-winning songwriters and performers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova did in Washington, D.C. this past summer.

The podcast of the entire concert, which runs about an hour and a half, is still available for free on the NPR Web site here. As far as I know most of the songs in this concert are from the film "Once." These are many of the songs that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are performing on their current tour. They are performing under the name The Swell Season, which is also the name of the album that, according to the NPR Web site, they recorded before making "Once."

From the Gramophone to the iPod

This article has an interesting look at the history of the gramophone, an early sound-reproducing machine and, of course, the device for which the Grammy awards are named. The article also ties the history of the gramophone and phonograph to the development of the iPod, and draws some interesting parallels between sound machines, then and now.

How does a gramophone differ from a phonograph? Well, that gets kind of murky: the terms haven't always referred to the same device, and different terms were used in the U.S. and in England.

The gramophone, with its distinctive large horn, is immortalized in the Grammy logo and the Grammy award itself. That horn was how sound was reproduced from the disc (or cylinder); this was before the invention of the loudspeaker, and specialized elements like woofers, subwoofers, midrange speakers, tweeters, and such.

It's been a long technological leap from wax and foil cylinders to LP records, cassette tapes (and 8-tracks!), CDs, and now iPods and podcasts. What's amazing is how much has been achieved in such a relatively brief amount of time.

Playbill Radio: Theater Music, Interviews, Podcasts, and More

With Internet radio streams and podcasts covering every conceivable type of music, you have to wonder why it took so long for someone to create one devoted to theater, especially musical theater. Well, now Playbill Radio is here to fill the void.

Playbill Radio has a radio stream that plays continuous music. There is a regular schedule of features, including a "composer spotlight," backstage glimpses into different shows, and talks with some of today's leading names in theater.

Playbill Radio also had brief segments covering news in theater and the theater business, as well as podcasts that cover feature stories in more depth: right now there's a look at the 50th anniversary of West Side Story, and an interview with Andrea McArdle, the original "Annie" on Broadway.

If you love theater and can't get enough news and music from the stage, you'll want to check out Playbill Radio.

Podcast Review: Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli

Along with being a top-notch jazz guitarist who has recorded about 40 albums and yet is only in his forties, John Pizzarelli is also a podcaster. Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli (apparently it's also a terrestrial radio program) has been around for about a year, but I've only just heard of it.

A quote on the podcast's Web page from the Los Angeles Times sums up the show pretty well: "...a syndicated radio show that combines the retro feel of a 1940s living room broadcast with a boomer's passion for the Great American Songbook..."

I don't know if the show is or isn't recorded in the living room, but co-hosts Pizzarelli and his wife, singer Jessica Molaskey, share songs and stories while talking with guest musicians. So it does have a nice informal, at-home vibe to it, like these musicians are just sitting around at home jamming and shooting the breeze, and you're sitting there with them in a comfy chair.

The New Year's edition of Radio Deluxe is a good example of the broad range of music heard on the program, with songs from Mel Torme, Patti Austin, Tierney Sutton, Tony Bennett, Judy Collins, and of course Mr. Pizzarelli himself.

As far as I can tell Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli is not available through iTunes, but you can download it or stream it from the show's Web site above. It's definitely worth checking out.