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This week we're spotlight Dance Dance Party Party, an international freestyle dance session where women of all backgrounds can refresh and embrace themselves! We welcome Chicago chapter den mothers Catherine Carrigan and Danielle Holtz, who bring their co-curated 2016 holiday party playlist (only two Christmas songs though!) and share what participation in DDPP has meant to them - and to many of the women who take part. For complete songs, enjoy Danielle's Spotify playlist! DJ Snakedish's Holidays includes: 1. Otis Redding - Merry Christmas Baby 2. Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away with Me 3. Justin Timberlake - CAN'T STOP THE FEELING! 4. Girl Talk - Bounce That 5. The Strokes- Someday 6. Prince - Kiss 7. Bomba Estereo - Soy Yo 8. Meghan Trainor - Me Too 9. Drake - One Dance 10. Chance the Rapper - All Night 11. Lizzo - Good as Hell 12. The Isley Brothers - Shout, Pts. 1 & 2 13. The B-52's - Strobe Light 14. Beyonce - Daddy Lessons 15. Jill Scott - Run Run Run 16. Selena Gomez - Hands to Myself 17. Icona Pop - Someone Who Can Dance 18. Galantis - Peanut Butter Jelly 19. The Chemical Brothers - Galvanize 20. Beastie Boys - Intergalactic 21. Ciara - One, Two Step 22. JD McPherson - North Side Gal 23. Jidenna - Classic Man 24. David Bowie & Queen - Under Pressure 25. Poi Dog Pondering - Complicated 26. John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)  

The Nerdologues' new podcast mentoring program got me thinking about my own process for piloting shows -- which inspired me to unearth the never-before-released pilot episode for Blank Cassette, featuring fellow Nerdologues member Katie sharing a really, ah, focused mix CD she was given in 2001. Hope you like Hanson. There are a handful of reasons this was never released, but as proof-of-concept for the show Blank Cassette became, I think it's pretty interesting. Hope you enjoy! Also, of course, you should definitely apply to the Nerdologues podcast mentoring program if you've got a show you want to make! Apply by next Friday, April 20! Just please don't record your interviews outside! For complete songs (where available), check out this Spotify playlist for the episode. Katie's Super Bowl Mix includes: 1. Aerosmith - Walk This Way 2. Aerosmith, Britney Spears, NSYNC - Walk This Way (live) 3. Super Bowl 2001 Halftime Show  4. Hanson - A Song to Sing 5. Hanson - Lonely Again 6. Hanson - If Only 7. Hanson - Save Me 8. Hanson - Smile 9. Hanson - This Time Around

Show favorite Ben Rathert is back again with a look back to pretty much the very beginning of his ever-growing series of volumes. This week, we join a high school-aged Ben looking for anything in the world he can call his own -- and finding music to be that thing. There's not much a teenager can claim with certainty, but for Ben, the process of putting together these songs and feelings became an important, even transformative experience. Let's talk about it. For complete songs where available, enjoy our Spotify playlist for the episode. Ben's Volume 3 includes: 1. New Radicals - You Get What You Give 2. The Beatles - All You Need Is Love 3. Frank Sinatra - That's Life 4. Jars of Clay - Like a Child 5. The Dave Clark Five - Catch Us If You Can 6. The Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black 7. The Temptations - My Girl 8. Martina McBride - Independence Day 9. Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' with Disaster 10. West Side Story - Jet Song 11. They Might Be Giants - Particle Man 12. Vonda Shepard - This Is Crazy Now 13. The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) 14. Eagles - Tequila Sunrise 15. Simon & Garfunkel - Save the Life of My Child 16. John Lennon - Imagine 17. Pure Prairie League - Falling In and Out of Love/Amie 18. Stevie Wonder - You Are the Sunshine of My Life 19. Paula Cole - I Don't Want to Wait 20. Supertramp - Take the Long Way Home 21. Monty Python - Penis Song  

When Sam Begich and Laura Marsh played a lot of Rock Band together on the road, they liked to joke about how fun it would be to have a Rock Band-style game where every part had to be vocalized. With the help of VStheUNIVERSE productions, that bit's turned into a fully realized card game that as of yesterday is live on Kickstarter! This is the story of Earworm and two of the folks behind it. Warm up your mouthstruments. For complete songs, enjoy our Spotify playlist for the episode! Sam and Laura's Mouthstruments includes: 1. George Michael - Careless Whisper 2. Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight 3. Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone 4. Styx - Come Sale Away 5. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son 6. Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer 7. Journey - Don't Stop Believin' 8. Heart - Crazy on You 9. The Eagles - Hotel California 10. The B-52's - Rock Lobster 11. Rush - Tom Sawyer 12. Jimmy Eat World - The Middle 13. Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle

In the two years this show's been a thing, we've explored all sorts of reasons to make playlists, but here's a first for us: a mix made for an actor to better understand and inhabit her character. This set of songs comes from performer Madison Boan, who put this together a couple years ago to better dive into the character of Clare Wallace from Conor McPherson's play The Veil. In exploring the creation of this list, we talked with Madison about the creative process, healthy artistic behaviors, and kind of just the experience of feeling.  For complete songs (where available), enjoy our Spotify playlist for the episode! Madison's Clare Wallace includes: 1. Marina and the Diamonds - Lonely Hearts Club 2. Eisley - I Could Be There for You 3. Esperanza Spalding - Cuerpo y Alma (Body & Soul) 4. Halsey - Haunting 5. The Chieftains & Punch Brothers - The Frost Is All Over 6. B.B. King - How Blue Can You Get? 7. Eisley - I Wish 8. Dessa - I'm Going Down 9. Daughter - Medicine 10. Olafur Arnalds - Undan hulu 11. Olafur Arnalds - Tunglio 12. Halsey - Colors pt. II 13. Lana Del Rey - Pretty When You Cry 14. Greg Laswell - This Woman's Work 15. Hozier - Work Song 16. Planxty - As I Roved Out

It's playlist-as-communion on this week's Blank Cassette, as we feature what originally was a soundtrack for an Easter show but ends up digging into some deep religious questions. We're stoked to feature Jillian Ebanks from BAPS Comedy, an awesome group of Chicago performers with sick playlist-making abilities. Jillian tackles some major religious topics here through some incredibly spiritual pieces by some of today's top artists. For complete songs (where available), enjoy our Spotify playlist for the episode. Jillian's BAPS Church includes: 1. Beyonce - Pray You Catch Me 2. Frank Ocean - Bad Religion 3. Jay Z - No Church in the Wild 4. T.O.K. - Footprints 5. Kanye West - Low Lights 6. BJ the Chicago Kid - Church 7. Kanye West - Devil in a New Dress 8. Chance the Rapper - Blessings 9. Mr. Vegas - I Am Blessed 10. DAY26 - If It Wasn't for You 11. Drake - Lord Knows 12. Mary Mary - God in Me 13. Kirk Franklin - Revolution 14. J. Cole - God's Gift 15. Meek Mill - Amen 16. Kendrick Lamar - Alright 17. Marvin Sapp - The Best in Me 18. Kanye West - Jesus Walks 19. Big Sean - Blessings 20. Kanye West - Ultralight Beam

Longtime listeners of this podcast may rememebr last year's February 1 episode, featuring Chicago comedian Tyler Snodgrass sharing his love of power ballads in a daily ramp-up to Valentine's Day called "A Fortnight from the Heart." In that ep, I put out a call for listeners to play along with the fortnight, and at least one did! This week, we've got returning guest Fin Coe with a Fortnight playlist from someone who confessed to me that he doesn't know or love too many traditional power ballads. So what direction did he take this thing? Listen to find out! Check out Fin's Spotify Fortnight to enjoy full songs! Fin's A Fortnight from the Heart includes: 1. Heart - Alone 2. Oingo Boing - We Close Our Eyes 3. Pat Benatar - Love Is a Battlefield 4. The Police - Roxanne 5. Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) 6. AFI - Torch Song 7. Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine 8. The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale 9. Rush - In the Mood 10. LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live 11. Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me 12. The Cure - Lovesong 13. Queen - Love Kills-The Ballad 14. Eagles - Desperado 15. The Cranberries - Dreams 16. JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound - Howl

The spring of his freshman year of college, Ben Rathert was giving serious thought to his faith. Did he really buy into all the church teachings he'd grown up with? What were the consequences of not doing so? Well, Ben's answers to those questions between then and now have evolved, and on this week's episode he looks back at a one of his famous volumes he burned during that time of questioning and how, in a pretty big way, he was talking to himself. Coming from early 2003, these songs focus on themes of faith, love, and rebirth, and their placement on this volume has become clear in the intervening 15 years.  For complete songs (where available), enjoy our Spotify playlist for this episode! Ben's Volume 73 includes: 1. Tracy Chapman - You're the One 2. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come 3. Elton John - The Retreat 4. Billy Joel - All About Soul 5. James Taylor - Carolina in My Mind 6. George Harrison - My Sweet Lord 7. Ozzy Osbourne - See You on the Other Side 8. Queen - Who Wants to Live Forever 9. Johnny Cash - I Hung My Head 10. Jesus Christ Superstar - Judas' Death 11. Metallica - The Unforgiven 12. Third Eye Blind - Burning Man 13. John Mellencamp - Human Wheels 14. Jewel - Hands 15. Jann Arden and Jackson Browne - Unloved 16. John Hiatt - Have a Little Faith in Me 17. The Black Crowes - Soul Singing 18. Highland Pipes and Drums - Slow March, Retreat Air and Quickstep

Happy 2018! This seemed like the perfect time to feature, kind of unbelievably, the show's first-ever exercise playlist, as friend of the show Megan Carroll shares her Workin' It! On the Treadmill. Not only does Megan work out to some sweet jamz, but she also has a lot of really intelligent things to say about the real value of exercise -- stuff she's been thinking about a lot since the birth of her daughter a few months ago.  For complete songs (where available), check out our Spotify playlist for the episode. Megan's Workin' It! On the Treadmill includes: 1. Bell X1 - The Great Defector 2. Bleachers - I Wanna Get Better 3. Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere 4. Dum Dum Girls - It Only Takes One Night 5. The Dust Brothers - This Is Your Life 6. Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land 7. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer 8. Indigo Girls - Go 9. Jason Isbell - Stockholm 10. Kanye West - Bring Me Down 11. Katy Perry - Roar 12. Lord Huron - The World Ender 13. Miranda Lambert - Mama's Broken Heart 14. The Mountain Goats - Werewolf Gimmick 15. Hamilton - Wait for It 16. Robbie Fulks - Let's Kill Saturday Night 17. Seinabo Sey - Hard Time 18. Janelle Monae - Dance Apocalyptic 19. Tom Petty - Time to Move On

Coproducer Eric's favorite songs from the year plus a sequel to the final episode of 2016! When we last left Eric he had quit his job, was thinking maybe it was time to leave Chicago, and was listening to a lot of Japandroids. What changed over 2017? Not the Japandroids thing, that's for sure. For complete songs, see Eric's Spotify playlist. Eric's Best of 2017 includes: 0. Grandaddy - Oh She Deleter :( 1. Foxygen - Follow the Leader 2. Wolf Parade - Valley Boy 3. Steel Panther - I Got What You Want 4. HAIM - Little of Your Love 5. Ryan Adams - Outbound Train 6. Bleachers - Dream of Mickey Mantle 7. Japandroids - North East South West 8. Cage the Elephant - Whole Wide World (Unpeeled) 9. WHITE REAPER - The Stack 10. Sylvan Esso - The Glow (Echo Mountain Sessions) 11. Grandaddy - Brush with the Wild 12. The New Pornographers - Colosseums 13. Middle Kids - Your Love 14. Broken Social Scene - Halfway Home 15. Bleachers - Don't Take the Money (feat. Lorde) [MTV Unplugged] 16. The War on Drugs - Strangest Thing 17. Born Ruffians - Forget Me 18. Brian Fallon - Forget Me Not 19. HAERTS - Your Love 20. Dan Auerbach - Shine on Me O. Grandaddy - Brush with the WIld (Way Out West Demo)

Even if you don't really celebrate any holiday traditions -- as neither producer of this show seems to -- you can't escape the ubiquity of holiday music. This week, Ian and Eric lean into that with some of their favorite weirder holiday tracks. If you're looking for some off-the-beaten-path cheer, this is for you. For complete songs (where available) see our Spotify playlist for the episode. Ian and Eric's 10 Christmas Songs from 2 People Who Don't Listen to Christmas Music includes: 1. 69 Boyz - What You Want for Christmas 2. The Killers - A Great Big Sled 3. Wham! - Last Christmas 4. Julian Casablancas - Christmas Treat 5. Aqua Teen Hunger Force - I Sure Hope I Don't Have to Beat Your Ass This Christmas 6. The New Pornographers - Joseph, Who Understood 7. Run-D.M.C. - Christmas in Hollis 8. Steel Panther - The Stocking Song 9. Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight - Let It Snow 10. Joey Ramone - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) BONUS: DMX & Divine Bars - Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer

Every December, a bunch of music nerds compile lists of their favorite tracks of the year, and the dudes behind Blank Cassette are no exception. First up, producer Ian Williams shares his top songs of 2017, along with some reflection of the year that was and the year that will be.  For complete songs (where available), check out Ian's playlist. Ian's Best of 2017 includes: 1. Logic - Everybody 2. Tyler, the Creator - I Ain't Got Time! 3. Vince Staples - Big Fish 4. Future - Mask Off 5. Syd - All About Me 6. Kendrick Lamar - DNA. 7. Khalid - Location 8. Ed Sheeran - Shape of You 9. Sylvan Esso - Die Young 10. Amber Mark - Lose My Cool 11. Charlie Puth - Attention 12. Thundercat ft. Kendrick Lamar - Walk on By 13. Bonobo - Kerala 14. Jay-Z - The Story of O.J. 15. Thundercat ft. Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins - Show You the Way 16. Kesha - Spaceship

The breadth of music Disney covers never ceases to amaze me. There's a lot to enjoy, even for non-Disney fans, on this week's episode, in which guest and lifelong Mouse fan Katie Utke shares a playlist of deep cut Disney and Pixar tunes that she sometimes uses as a musical escape. That's one of the things Disney's best at, right?  For complete songs, check out Katie's playlist! Katie's Deep in the Disney Vault includes: 1. Brooklyn + Utada - Simple and Clean (Ray of Hope mix) 2. Aida - Easy as Life 3. The Little Mermaid (Broadway) - She's in Love 4. Beauty and the Beast (Broadway) - If I Can't Love Her 5. The Lion King (Broadway) - They Live in You 6. Descendants 2 - What's My Name 7. Sarah McLachlan - When She Loved Me 8. Lilo & Stitch - Hawaiian Roller Coster Ride 9. Moana - Know Who You Are 10. Brave - Into the Open Air 11. Kerry Butler - I'll Try 12. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - White Rabbit 13. Monsters, Inc. - If I Didn't Have You 14. Enchanted - So Close 15. 101 Dalmations - Kanine Krunchies 16. Jim Cummings - The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers 17. Hercules - Go the Distance 18. The Princess and the Frog - Almost There 19. Shakira - Try Everything 20. Nikki Blonsky - A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes 21. Kerry Butler - Disneyland

Whether it's fantasy sports or fantasy card games (or real sports, I guess), drafting is an incredibly engaging way to enjoy something you love. Why not apply that to music? That was the idea returning guest Fin Coe had after being inspired by a Facebook post from Nora Seidman. They were joined by show favorite Ben Rathert to draft their top 5 Mountain Goats songs and talk about their choices, their love of John Darnielle and company, and more. If the Mountain Goats speak to you, you'll love this. If they don't, maybe they will now. For complete songs, check out Nora's playlist. Fin, Nora, and Ben's This Year's Draft includes: 1. Damn These Vampires 2. No Children 3. Sax Rohmer #1 4. Cotton 5. This Year 6. Werewolf Gimmick 7. Dance Music 8. Source Decay 9. Broom People 10. The Sign (live) 11. Your Belgian Things 12. Lion's Teeth 13. Balance* 14. Up the Wolves 15. Weekend in Western Illinois BONUS: Mary Beth Smith - This Year (from The Nerdologues Presents: Your Stories Podcast Annual 2, Part 2 - January 2014) *Note: Fin wanted it to be known that this will be Dessa's forthcoming cover from I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, but it's not available yet.

Last year this show took Thanksgiving off, but I put out a mini episode talking about how I made it a point to listen to a specific Elton John live album every year. In that spirit, I thought this year's November holiday would be a great excuse to dive further into my love of Elton -- and I brought along a friend/friend of the show Ben Rathert, whose mutual enjoyment of this artist formed a bedrock of our friendship! Ben and I put together a list of Elton favs for you all that hopefully serves as a solid overview of this iconic music legend -- and may have surprises in store even for more serious fans. For complete songs, listen to our Spotify playlist for the episode. Ben and Eric's Elton John includes: 1. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding 2. Take Me to the Pilot 3. I'm Still Standing 4. Daniel 5. Bennie and the Jets 6. Levon 7. Mansfield 8. Border Song 9. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 10. Planes 11. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters 12. Original Sin 13. Someone Saved My Life Tonight 14. I Need You to Turn To (live in Australia) 15. The Retreat 16. Tiny Dancer 17. Amoreena 18. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Ian Williams not only produces Blank Cassette; he also produces beats under the name Thane Thinna. This week, Ian and his mentee James (aka Tr3asy From The Chi) share a collaborative playlist that features their favorite samples of all time alongside the songs they originally came from. This is a really great conversation about the hard work of production and the cultural value of sampling to bridge worlds, and it ends with some original Thane and Tr3asy beats. Get ready for an education. For complete songs (when available), check out Ian and James' Spotify playlist. And make sure to hit them up on the web to hear more of their originals! Ian and James' Sample Hoorah includes: 1. Common - Blue Sky 2. Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky 3. Slum Village - Players 4. The SIngers Unlimited - Clair 5. Phonte & Elzhi - Not Here Anymore 6. Rose Royce - Love Don't Live Here Anymore 7. 2Pac - Whatz Ya Phone # 8. The Time - 777-9311 9. Talib Kweli - Get By 10. Nina Simone - Sinnerman 11. 2Pac - Str8 Ballin' 12. Bootsy Collins - What's a Telephone Bill? 13. Thane Thinna - Sir Cease of Sorrow 14. Schoolhouse Rock - Figure 8 15. TFTCHI - Stayin' Alive 16. Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive

As your Facebook memories may have alerted you, it's exactly one year after the 2016 elections. It's also a day after off-year elections in a handful of states seemed to indicate a changing tide, maybe? It seems like the right time to reflect with Springfield, IL lawyer and election judge Craig Colbrook, who literally drives around his precinct ensuring voting rights are being upheld for everybody. Last year, these are the songs that accompanied him on that drive. We talk about 2016, 2017, and 2018 and beyond, and some damn good music provides the soundtrack. For complete songs, check out Craig's Spotify playlist. Craig's Election Day 2016 includes: 1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - American Girl 2. Rachel Platten - Fight Song 3. Hamilton - The Schuyler Sisters 4. Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) 5. Brooks & Dunn - Only in America 6. Bruce Springsteen - Long Walk Home 7. Bruce Springsteen - We Take Care of Our Own 8. 1776: Sit Down, John 9. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins - Rise up with Fists!! 10. Green Day - Letterbomb (Live) 11. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union 12. Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land

Extra Life, a fundraiser that uses video game marathons to help kids in Children's Miracle Network hospitals across the land, takes place this weekend. Friend of the show Bill Nielsen is participating, and to help spread the word he's come back to Blank Cassette with a high school CD of (potentially unidentifiable) video game remixes. This week, we cover how video gaming has shaped Bill's life, from school socializing to how it's affected his appreciation of other popular culture (like music) to his current podcasting and digital fundraising. Bust out your Gamecubes, everybody.  No Spotify playlist this week, but if you search hard enough, you can find some of these on YouTube! Bill's Nintendo Noise includes: 1. Yoshi's Story - Title Screen 2. Donkey Kong 64 - DK Rap 3. Star Fox - Corneria Stage remix 4. Super Mario Bros. Super Show theme 5. Legend of Zelda - Overworld remix 6. Super Smash Bros Melee - Dr. Mario Theme 7. Super Mario World Matrix Mash-Up 8. Super Mario Bros Super Show - Do the Mario 9. Super Metroid Remix 10. Legend of Zelda - Overworld remix ("System of a Down") 11. Yoshi's Story - Jungle Fever 12. Pikachu remix 13. Kirby's Invincibility remix 14. Yoshi's Story - Yo Yo Yoshi 15. Luigi's Mansion remix 16. Super Smash Bros - Green Greens stage 17. Yoshi's Story remix 18. Smif N Wessun - Super Brooklyn 19. Donkey Kong Country - Fear Factory 20. Super Smash Bros Melee - Yoshi's Victory 21. Yoshi's Story - The End

Once upon a time (6 years ago), Eric wrote for a covers blog called Cover Me. That blog is now a book, and we've got the book's author running down some of the greatest covers in history plus his own personal journey from music fan to blog editor to published author and expert. Ray Padgett's an awesome guy, and I highly recommend picking up his book, which is super fascinating. The Cover Me blog is also fantastic, and just today it's celebrating its 10th anniversary with a free downloadable mix of famous covers! For complete songs, check out this episode's Spotify playlist. Ray's Cover Me includes: 1. Elvis Presley - Hound Dog 2. The Beatles - Twist and Shout 3. The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody 4. Aretha Franklin - Respect 5. Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower 6. Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friends 7. The Who - Summertime Blues 8. Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through the Grapevine 9. Gladys Knight & the Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia 10. Patt Smith - Gloria: In Excelsis Deo 11. Talking Heads - Take Me to the River 12. DEVO - [I Can't Get No] Satisfaction 13. "Weird Al" Yankovic - Polkas on 45 14. Pet Shop Boys - Always on My Mind 15. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You 16. Fugees - Killing Me Softly with His Song 17. The Gourds - Gin and Juice 18. Johnny Cash - Hurt 19. Adele - Make You Feel My Love

On this week's episode, we welcome the very thoughtful Mark Robinson, who shares with us a playlist to celebrate his life and remind him of times it wasn't quite as bounteous. The songs here soundtrack a state of mind for Mark that includes some heavy thinking. Let's explore together! For complete songs, check out this episode's Spotify playlist.  Mark's Faith, Love, and Destiny includes: 1. Billy Joel - All About Soul 2. Boston - Don't Look Back 3. Coheed and Cambria - Wake Up 4. Incubus - Southern Girl 5. The Killers - When You Were Young 6. Miles Davis - So What 7. Stevie Wonder - All I Do 8. U2 - Yahweh 9. What Made Milwaukee Famous - Cheap Wine 10. Cream - White Room 11. The Beatles - Golden Slumbers