Geeks & Beats

Headphones two-point-oh. We'll introduce you to the replacement for your mini-jack. Meantime, Take the headphones off your belly, Moms-to-be. The latest numbers show there's no benefit to playing music in utero. Worst. Year. Ever – at least for as long as Soundscan has been monitoring album sales. We'll find out why. Canadian Songstress Michael Buble croons for Delta – and we pine for a better in-flight safety video. Plus: proof that bad news comes in threes. Lou Reed's last photo. And why fish sex can drive you crazy. The post Fish Sex appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Lawrence from Edmonton, AB, asks what's the deal with Lou Reed's 1976 album Metal Machine Music? "I've heard people have gone crazy listening to the album while on drugs." The post What's the deal with Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

The Poet of Punk takes his final walk on the wild side. Lou Reed's career hit the musical sweet spot, if the latest data on digital sales is any indication. The Connected Car. I'll run down the top ten things I learned at a Motor City conference. Big Schmaltz from the Big Bang Theory -- and we'll play you a version of Rick Astley's namesake song that's light years better than the original. Plus -- the winner of our Best Concert Story Ever contest and a Halloween bed time story that's not for the kiddies. The post Papa Loves Baby appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Congrats to Paul Alan of Charlottetown, PEI, who won a fabulous SuperTooth Disco soundbar for his concert story. The post Best Concert Story EVER Winner! appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

The kind of music Wade makes has never been my cuppa tea. But divides can be bridged, and in this case, it's courtesy of the kids in Cupertino, California The post Wade MacNeil of Gallows, Alexisonfire Goes from Hardcore to Nerdcore appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Ever noticed that Radiohead seems to put so much effort into its tracks, it's like a Foley artist is engineering their albums? A G&B listener noticed that, too. The post What's the deal with Radiohead? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Someone can't count. By my reckoning, this is Episode 28. Michael insists that it's 27. We need some forensic accounting in the office, apparently. Meanwhile, it appears my house has a Stuxnet infection. First my M-BOX malfunctioned (it developed some kind of ground-loop issue that I've been unable to fix), which explains the distant whine […] The post Not the Halloween Show appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Why the world may not be ready yet for his latest invention: earbuds that don't require cords — or a smartphone — to play music. The post Dr. Marco Scandurra, Inventor of Split Earbuds appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

What goes up, must come down. Including our excitement about the new Sandra Bullock flick "Gravity." Same as it ever was. As a futurist, David Byrne of the talking heads makes a great musician. Size matters! We'll find out from the man behind those cord-free earbuds why his half-million dollar kickstarter project won't talk to your smartphone. And: Root Mean Squared explained and our last entry in the Best Concert Story Ever contest. Plus – why gum chewed by Gene Simmons of Kiss is worth a half-million dollars. And how to teach your kids about the history of rock and roll. The post What Goes Up appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

A use for that useless slot in your car's dashboard. Looking for a new gig? What about running iTunes Radio in Canada? The no-cord earbuds. And – our Greatest Concert Story EVAR contest continues! AC: PLUS: A Geeks and Beats update on our plan to win the lottery thanks to a Syne-sthe-sist. And the most annoying music apps EVER. The post Cheap Sunglasses appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Alan pulls the curtain back on the secret life of studio musicians. The post What's the deal with Studio Musicians? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

It's been more than a week since the faithful bull terrier went down 2-0 in the series against the skunk in the back yard. Fortunately, the skunk thought this was a best-of-three affair and has moved on to the next round against the weimaraner down the street. Good. Meanwhile, thanks to all the G&B listeners […] The post Rdio, Rdio appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Substituting one night in the 1970s for The Sex Pistols after the band was denied entry into the United States over their criminal records, Elvis Costello promptly got himself banned for pulling a stunt first done by Jimmi Hendrix. Mike Springer of Open Culture fills in the blanks. The post Mike Springer on how Elvis Costello got Banned from SNL appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Ken from Courtney, BC asks Alan what the heck ever happened to Holly Woods and her band Toronto? The post Whatever Happened to Holly Woods & Toronto? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Jamie from Edmonton, AB, may have stumped Alan this week. The post Whatever Happened to the Razorbacks? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Canadians will be getting an early Christmas present from Apple. iTunes Radio is coming, but not until the Americans "Beta Test" it for us. Alan has found a workaround for those who can't wait. That will give us plenty of time to figure out why our iOS 7 updated iPhone batteries are draining so quickly. […] The post Breaking Beats appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Darren Scott from Calgary, AB asks, "how much revenue do some of these classic albums actually generate?" The post What's the deal with album royalties? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

If I sound a little out of it on this week's podcast, it's because I had to get up at 5:45 PT after a long trip to Los Angeles that didn't get me into my hotel room until after 1am PT. Nevertheless, the show must go on. Download the episode here, stream it here or grab it from iTunes. […] The post To Live and NDA in L.A. appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Music industry veteran Eric Alper drops by the Geeks & Beats Studios to talk about where he gets those crazy isolated audio tracks he posts online. The post Eric Alper on His Isolated Audio Tracks appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Grant from Brampton, ON called (323) 319-NERD to ask: Where the heck are all these isolated vocals and rhythm tracks coming from? The post What's the deal with isolated audio tracks? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Alan and I debate yet another (disappointing) offering from Cupertino. We also bring you an offering from Manchester: unwashed urinals stained with British rock history. Ever thought of making a music pilgrimage? Alan and I run down the list of must-see destinations, including one guaranteed to give you the creeps. @ThatEricAlper joins us to talk […] The post Urinal For Sale, Slightly Used appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

After a month-long hiatus, Michael Hainsworth and I are back with season two of Beats & Geeks. It's available now through iTunes or you can download/stream it here. Here's what you can expect this week. The dumbest town in Alabama and their local radio station. What the hell is going to happen with the iconic Sam the Record Man sign now […] The post Hungup on Hangouts appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

…asks Scott from Kuala Lumpur. No, seriously. We really have 14 listeners in Malaysia. That's 14,795.55 kilometers from the G&B studios high atop The Marconi Tower in downtown Toronto. Thank you, Internet! The post What's the deal with the Traveling Wilburys? appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

This is the last G&B show for our inaugural season. We'll be back in September with more shows and a brand new website (or so Michael says) as the result of a major FUBAR database corruption incident this past weekend. The post Hyphen for Hire appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

A first in music history – Google Glass on stage gives the fan a rock-star view. It only took 18 years, but Alanis Morissette has a new jagged little pill to swallow in the form of a viral video correction. How to derail a radio station contest. We'll tell you about the Internet force behind […] The post Steal This Podcast! appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Boy, it's hot. My office windows face southwest so I get blazing sunshine from about 11am until…well, until I can't take it anymore. And no matter how much I water the ficus tree that I have blocking the windows, it keeps going "Are you kdding me, man? Can't you see my leaves are burning up?" […] The post Good Vibrations appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

I think I have alligators in my backyard. Not only have we had a ton of rain, but I stupidly left the irrigation system on automatic. As did all my neighbours. Consequently, a good portion of my yard seems to be sinking. If I'm not around for next week's podcast, it's because (a) the alligators […] The post Jurassic Mick appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

I learned a valuable lesson this past week: don't pre-judge when it comes to the whole Google Glass thing. I was prepared to hate the things and whinged endlessly about the end of personal privacy and the inevitable transformation of humanity into ultra-connected Borg-like beings. "Hideous!" I said. "Treacherous dehumanization!" Then I tried on a […] The post Resistance is Futile. appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.