Geeks And Beats

The children's musician Raffi on fighting fascism, supporting Black Lives Matter, taking piano lessons at 75, and the science of writing children's music. Plus: why he's not answering the Augmented Reality call on Bananaphone 2.0

Rush fans don't need to be told Neil Peart is a percussive hero, but on what would have been his 68 birthday. A Chinese smartphone maker eclipses Apple after Cupertino fails to release a new iPhone. And an American fighter pilot claims aliens have committed an act of war. Wait, what?

It’s finally happening: A beloved Toronto music venue, the El Mocambo, is coming back to life, palm tree lights and all. Delayed by COVID-19 and the cruel hands of fate, the El Mo will livestream its first concert on September 10, a performance from Big Wreck on the venue’s second-floor stage.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZmV88Rk0Pg&w=560&h=315] Sex Tech CEO Lora Dicarlo joins us to talk about what COVID-19 has changed in society and sex, and why the last thing you want is your Internet-connected dildo hacked by the Chinese.   QR Codes, Video Conferences and Sex: Covid-19 Really Did Change Everything by Amber Healy  Think back on the state of the world in January. Filled with the optimism of a new year, all bright and shiny with possibility, we went about our lives, maskless, taking for granted things like going out for dinner or drinks, watercooler chats with coworkers and maybe even the giddy anticipation of first dates.  We were all unaware suckers.  With the type of fury saved for mothers whose children have hung up on them angrily, or the historic trope of the “woman scorned,” COVID-19 giggled at our innocence and optimism and smacked us all around.  We’ve changed since then. We’re weary and cautious, knowing germs are everywhere and anywhere. We spent a good portion of th

We take a deep dive into your Dad’s stereo with Grammy winner Glenn Schick. We also find out why Alan can’t listen to Classical music on Compact Disc, and discover why an audio format that couldn’t beat the CD in the ’90s may be the next big thing in the ’20s thanks to 5G. The post Digital vs. Analogue Audio with Glenn Schick appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Wasn’t Kurt Cobain’s suicide a wakeup call? TSN’s Michael Landsberg knows how to talk about mental health issues. And on what would have been Robin Williams’ 69th birthday, the geeks speak about a topic that seems to have been largely swept under the rug by the entertainment industry. Robin Williams’ passing got us talking The entertainment industry can be all flashy lights, glitter, limousines, and big homes. It could also be a dark, lonely, and depressing spot to be in. The stories of celebrities taking their own lives have been sadly common in the past few years. It’s sad to think that our larger than life favourites weren’t as happy as we thought.  Let’s take Robin Williams – who would’ve turned 69 this week – as an example. After Williams died, we cried, laughed, and mourned. The reality set in and we were confused. How can arguably one of the most naturally gifted comics of all time take his own life? This unexpected bombshell lit the helplines up like Patch Adams’ red nose. The National Suicide Prevent

MTV is pushing 40?!? Tarzan Dan from YTV’s Hit List drops by Studio 3B to talk about those in music television who came before him, he and Alan swap tops on how to interview a rock star, and we find out how he reacted to landing in the pages of Canadian music history. MTV airing The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” to launch the network was not the first music video ever broadcast. Nor was it the first music video ever made.  It was far from the first time music appeared on TV, that’s for sure.  But the two pop culture staples have often worked hand-in-hand for entertainment and cross-promotional purposes, a practice that dates back to at least the 1950s.  How old are music videos? What qualifies as the first music video is up for some debate. For example, waaaaaaay back in 1894, a pair of sheet music publishers, Edward Marks and Joe Stern, hired an electrician named George Thomas, along with some musicians, to promote the sale of their new song, “The Little Lost Child.” Using a very early form of movie

Audeze founder Sankar Thiagasamudram explains that the next big thing in audio is 3D in a way you didn’t know you were missing with your typical headphones today. The headphones of the future will be spatially aware, and adjust to your listening preferences using artificial intelligence. And the crazy thing is these headphones already exist. The post The Future of Headphones is 3D appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

What if that random joke you make turned into a party game? The Brothers Hermann of My Fake Band drop by Studio 3B to talk about kickstarting the Next Big Thing around the campfire. Plus: K-pop as the world’s conscience and a middle finger to Donald Trump. The post My Fake Band appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

The United States might have put a man on the moon first, but it was the Russians who first sent a woman to space. The Vintage Space star and author Amy Shira Teitel joins the geeks this week on a supporters-only livestream recording session and Q&A about Valentina Tereshkova, a woman 20 years ahead of her US counterparts. Russia won the female space race 57 years ago by G&B Senior Segment Producer Amber Healy From the early days of the space race, research supported the idea of women serving as astronauts and cosmonauts. Women tend to have smaller bodies in every measurable way, and since spaceflight often has to account for every ounce considering the price of rocket fuel, it just made sense to send lighter, smaller bodies into orbit. But in the 1950s and 1960s, sexism was still king in both the USA and the USSR. So women waited. The first woman in space, on June 16, 1963, was Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova. She was 26 at the time and one of several women recruited into an aggressive cosmonaut tr

Pop Life host and entertainment gadfly Richard Crouse is cramped in his spacious home office talking to celebrities in his fabulous hair while he waits for COVID-19 to pass and he can get back to making traditional television. We talk about new media and “In Isolation With”, the revenue power of funeral services announcements, and the secret to a successful interview. Oh, and Alan and Michael have a revolting idea on how to cash-in on Coronapocalypse. The post Isolating Richard Crouse appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Multi-platinum, Grammy winning mastering engineer Glenn Schick drops by Studio 3B to talk about the evolution of getting a musician’s idea out of their head and into your ears. The digital nomad whose work has crafted the sound of Justin Bieber, Drake, and The Weeknd stuns Alan with an interesting revelation. Also: why men should want to be a grower, not a shower. Yes, that. This episode sponsored by Audeze. The post Mixing + Mastering with Glenn Schick appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Music Producer Rob Wells drops by Studio 3B to talk about his crowdsourced version of a classic Journey hit by musicians from around the world. Plus, how the introduction of Pac Man 40 years ago marked the beginning of the end of the Pinball Wizard. The post Don’t Stop Believin’ in Crowdsourcing appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Amy Shira Teitel of Vintage Space drops by Studio 3B to tell the story of two female aviators fighting for control of a 1960s NASA astronaut program that did not exist. The space historian and YouTube star’s latest book, Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight hit store shelves just in time for COVID19. Awkward. Plus: the ultimate documentary for 80s Sci-Fi nerds flirts with a million dollar Kickstarter milestone and why Alan Cross won’t be going back to CES anytime soon. The post Vintage Space Battle with Amy Shira Teitel appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Instrument online sales are through the roof, but returns aren’t. Cosmo Music’s Mark Hebert isn’t worried about a rash of regretful rocker wannabes. But it’s not all rosy: Amazon takes a huge piece of the action. What is Canada’s largest independent music store going to do?   The post Instruments of COVID-19 appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Veteran CNN reporter Jessica Yellin on how COVID19 is changing newsrooms, her Instagram-based news service, and why Fox News isn’t solely to blame for the Untied States of America. News Not Noise By Christa Sampson What happens when the news you consume comes from a live stream vs. the mainstream? There are no special effects. […] The post News Not Noise with Jessica Yellin appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

A blessing in disguise? Cardi B is suffering a 17% drop in online streaming amid COVID-19. But are we really turning to radio as we WFM? Zack Zalon of Super HiFi joins Alan and Michael to discuss the intersection of old media and new while the pair bicker like the Costanzas over the idea that anyone would turn on the radio at home in the first place. The post COVID Killed the Streaming Star with Zack Zalon appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

How does a car company switch to producing ventilators in the age of COVID-19? Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) joins us to talk about marshalling his members to convert production lines from making car parts to medical equipment. Plus, Volpe’s choice of bitchin’ tunes to play while burning rubber in […] The post The Car Man vs. COVID-19 appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

It’s 1985, you just bought this bitchin’ IROC-Z. What’s the first song you play as you drive off? We put that to the listeners and came up with #possiblyfakefacts about each entry then turned the tables on Alan Cross to see if he could tell if we faked it. Plus: Canadians have gone sex-gadget crazy […] The post COVID-19 vs IROC-85 appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.

Nobody cares about audio until they can’t hear it. But when it comes to VR, what makes the virtual real is as much the sound as the three dimensions around you. Overworld XR founder Jonathan Rowden joins us in self-isolation at his home studio to talk about sound engineering in 3D as Michael goes on […] The post The Future of VR is Sound appeared first on The Geeks and Beats Podcast with Alan Cross and Michael Hainsworth.