The Rock and Roll Report Chats with the Rock and Roll Geek Michael Butler About Rock and Roll, Podcasting and the Ass of Rock!

Michael Butler is a rock and roller at heart. From playing bass in a number of very cool bands to recording his Rock and Roll Geek Podcast to his work on the Podsafe Music Network he is the perfect person to talk about what podcasting is all about and the benefits it offers musicians. Michael was kind enough to answer a bunch of questions for us and this is what went down.

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Rock and Roll Report Podcast Focus: The Rock and Roll Geek Show & Indiecast

Probably one of the longest running (260 shows and still going strong) and quite honestly one of the most fun podcasts that I listen to is the Rock and Roll Geek Show hosted by American Heartbreak bassist Michael Butler. He actually hosts 2 different podcasts.

The first is The Rock and Roll Geek Show which is the grand daddy of rock podcasts and has featured everything from a detailed dissecting the recent Van Halen reunion press conference to blow by blow reviews of the God-awful Rock of Love reality show hosted by Brett Michaels on VH1.

The second podcast is the Rock and Roll Geek Indie Cast which features the proverbial “less talk, more rawk” with a pretty wide range of rock and roll, some you might have heard but a lot that you probably haven’t.

What I like the most about both shows is the attitude. There is no doubt that Butler lives and breaths rock and roll but he is also cool, laid back and his show will definitely not be confused with your befuddled local classic rock radio morning DJs that you are no doubt ready to throttle any day now. For 2 podcasts that last approximately one hour each I have yet to get tired with it and unsubscribe, it is that good. The fact that he swears and drinks during the show is just icing on the cake. Subscribe to the show and give it a try. I am sure I can speak for Michael and say that he will “really appreciate it.”

Later.

Mark

Searching out unsigned bands

It used to be that the only way you could hear an unsigned band was by going to the local rock dive and checking out who was playing. These days, there are some great resources out on the ‘Net to make your search much more expansive geographically and a lot more fun because you can actually listen to and interact with the bands no matter where in the world you might be at any time. Here are some good spots to start:

• MySpace – Click on the “Music” tab and a whole world of rock and roll opens before your eyes and ears. You can search for bands that are unsigned, on an indie or on a major label and they all have MySpace pages which allows you to listen to their music right on the site or in some cases download it to your iPod/MP3 thingy. A great start and an addictive pastime.
• Unsigned Rock Podcast – A treasure trove of unsigned rock and roll there for your downloading pleasure. Podcasts are the wave of the future for radio and the Unsigned Rock Podcast is an extremely well produced rock and roll pleasure. There’s nothing like contacting a band that you’ve heard on the Unsigned Rock Podcast and asking how you could buy their CD. The bands truly appreciate it and their confidence level in what they are doing goes up another notch. A commendable rock and roll resource.
• BBC Radio 1 – Best of Unsigned Music in the UK – Since it is produced by the BBC you know it will be well done but again, the sheer variety of unsigned music on this weekly podcast is incredible.
• Rock and Roll Geek Indiecast – Hosted by one of the first rock podcasters, Michael Butler puts together an incredibly addictive podcast featuring indie and unsigned rock and roll. And Michael not only talks the talk but he walks the walk as he is the bassist of indie rock and roll band American Heartbreak.
• TPN Rock – Billed as “Unknown, Unsigned and Under-appreciated” TPN Rock is another amazing resource for those in search of the unsigned but amazingly talented rock and roll artists plying their craft the world over. Slap this podcast on your MP3 before going jogging and rock out!

There are plenty more podcasts and websites out there but these are just a couple that I try to tune in to as much as possible. And remember, if you hear something that you really like, contact the band and try and buy their CD. Bands have to eat and buy guitar strings and it’s the least you can do for all the great rock and roll that these bands pump out every day. You’ll never listen to commercial radio again.

Later.