Next Monday's Mellow Monday show is posted in advance for forum members only.

Remember the Sleepy Sunday Show? Well, exclusively for forum members only there will be a special surprise in a few weeks.

Want to become a forum member?

1. go to forums.tartanpodcast.com
2. register
3. look out for the email that will be sent to the email address you've provided
4. click the authenticate link within the email
5. log in
6. read, comment, post
7. put up a comment under this thread to enter the competition

It's been a while coming but there are finally ads (well, an ad) in the tartapodcast.

It's one of those spoken word endorsements where I endorse a service. And it's not just me endorsing it. No, I have my 6 year old son and 20 month old daughter shilling it also.

The service is www.netfreeipods.com and all you need to do is enter 'tartanpodcast' into the first page, then follow the instructions to get a free iPod Nano. I've had a look over it and it seems legit, but be sure to check it our for yourself and remember to enter 'tartanpodcast' in the box.

Anyway, go over, sign up and help me pay for Cameron's school shoes.

Edinburgh's alt-country kings Dropkick are set to release their fourth (?) album entitled 'Obvious'. The release date is 22nd July and will feature a launch party at Caledonian Backpackers in Edinburgh. Full details on their site, link below.

If you're a podcaster in the Edinburgh area head along and we'll meet up as it's likely I'll be there.

Look for a review of the album here soon, my advance copy arrived this morning and while I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet (3 albums arrived at once from various bands) the cover and sleeve art is genius.

Until the 22nd of July you can sate your appetite for new Dropkick material by visiting their MySpace page where they have two new tracks.

While you're clicking outwith tartanpodcast.com, be sure to visit my Scotcast page and throw me a vote/review. Huge thanks to those who have done so already. Cheers guys.
Dropkick's site

Dropkick's MySpace

Dear Diary,

It seems like a long time since I wrote anything of substance here. Well, that's because I've been busy. You know what it's like, Diary, work, family, football, they all eat time.

Of course I've been busy working on the Mellow Monday Show and the Old Firm Podcast. I've even made up a new picture for the Old Firm Podcast. What do you think?

I hope you can listen to it when you get the chance. I've been playing about with iWeb on my Mac computer, creating little websites. It's been fun.

The summer holidays are almost here, so I'll be off for a bit, but I promise to make sure there are enough Mellow Monday Shows to keep you going.

I've changed the feed for the tartanpodcast, so if you aren't subscribed to http://feeds.feedburner.com/tartanpodcast please change over to it now. If you've got iTunes just click here. If you don't want to use iTunes, just install Winpodder (if you're running Windows), I've put a link over on the right. The man who created it has included the tartanpodcast as one of the default subscriptions, which is very nice. It's weird though, I seem to have lost a lot of listeners this month. Maybe messing about with the feed has something to do with it. Oh well, hopefully you'll all come back.

A lot of people have completed the listener survey, which is very kind, thanks. I got an email with all of the information you've written in the survey. I got to find out the things you like most and least about the tartanpodcast. Very interesting! Some of you like it when I talk, some of you hate it. One of you really doesn't like my sense of humour. If you haven't filled out the survey, please take a few minutes to do so.

The Hollywood Podcast has be brilliant recently, with host Tim really letting the listeners into his life. Fascinating.

Podcast User Magazine is coming out in a week or so. I've finished my 'Mark: My Words' column. I've written about Podshow coming to the UK and podcasters back-pedaling as a result. I've also created the magazine cover again this coming month. The magazine is still free and even though the publishers didn't make big grand promises at the start, it's managed to reach 6 issues, being the world's first podcast related magazine.

Ok that's about it for now, Diary. Hope you're doing well.

Mark

Why does it have to be so complicated?

Anyway, what was happening was this; I was putting the shows up on Libsyn as I'd always done, but Libsyn and Feedburner - who I used to measure the subscribers - weren't talking nicely to each other; the shows weren't showing up on iTunes or in the Feedburner feed.

So I deleted the Libsyn feed from Feedburner and then tried to reinstate it, but it was rejected by Feedburner for being too big; it contained every single podcast I'd released apart from the first 3.

I downloaded Feeder and used that to create a brand new feed, which would then be used in conjunction with Feedburner. And that seemed to work nicely, plus it gave me more control over the content of the feed, how it would look on iTunes etc.

Ok, if you used the http://feeds.feedburner.com/tartanpodcast feed you would have been catching, in order, the Libsyn feed, the blogger feed (www.tartanpodcast.blogspot.com) and now my new feed - http://homepage.mac.com/mjhunter/feed/tp.xml.

The problem has been compounded by the fact that I don't know which feed is listed on iTunes. Search the iTunes music store for 'tartan' and lo and behold the tartanpodcast shows up, but I don't know what the underlying feed for it is. Is it the Libsyn feed of the Feedburner feed? I've no clue. What I do know is that on iTunes the tartanpodcast isn't showing the latest episodes. However if you subscribe to it the latest ep. downloads. Weird.

The upshot of all this feed tomfoolery is that I seem to have lost some of you. About 4000 of you. Yeah. Will I get you back as listeners? I hope so.

Here's what to do. If you're using iTunes, click here;

If you don't want to use iTunes, try Winpodder;

And if you just want the feed;

Any questions? Well, it's clear I've no clue what I'm doing so don't ask me.

Just kidding. Post your Qs here or on the forum and I'll do my best to sort you out. And be patient, I'm an amateur.

The time has come for me to scrounge some favours...

I've got a cafepress store and there have been a few t-shirts and tartanpodcast-related artifacts sold (if you're in possession of any, please email me photos!). However, the issue with cafepress is that to make any money at all you need to put a sizeable markup on the product, oftentimes pricing yourself out of a sale. Factor in the $ - £ exchange rate and there's virtually no money to be made at all.
Last year a listener called Hamish offered to help me set up an online shop, but I was too distracted to do anything about it (Hamish, if you're reading get in touch).

However, part of the problem you're faced with setting up an online shop is what to stock it with. Obviously things that people would enjoy owning is a good start. So that would probably include things like t-shirts, stickers, keyrings, CDs, posters
etc.

Here's where you may be able to help. If you work in the merchandise-production industry and are able to get me some very very reasonably priced deals (free is even better..) on t-shirts etc etc please get in touch. That way there could be a tartanpodcast shop with reasonably priced merchandise for you to buy, and I can make a wee bit of money out of it too.

Also, please have a look at the poll below. And when you've finished looking at it, please consider choosing an answer.

Gum - Seven Feeble Alibis

1. Time Going By; the first track on the mini album and the first referencing a theme that seems to develop as the album progresses - time, obviously. One wonders if the inspiration for this song came from the time passing between the release of their 2003 debut album 'Low Flying Kites' and the decision of certain key band members to depart during the interim period, citing the length of time it takes in the music industry to make a discernable impact. As an opener the track is bright and catchy, Leigh's multilayered vocals settling comfortably over Raymond's rythmic chord progression. However, it doesn't have the depth that we're used to from Gum as per 'Low Flying Kites'. That depth follows... 4 out of 5. SPEAKERS
   
2. Beyond the Horizon; The time references continue on the second track, the mood mellowing and darkening a little from the opener's clear blue sky, borne out by the addition of a heavier guitar riff and horn arrangement. Leigh sings of broken promises and years going by, building to a typically Gum-esque uplifting chorus. This is the only track on the album where Leigh gets a writing credit. Gum fans will feel at home with this track, new fans will recognise immediately the tunesmiths that Leigh and Raymond are. 5 out of 5. EARPHONES
   
3. Cross Your Heart - Hope to Die; the stand out track on the album, a grabber from first listen, quickly turning into a repeat-listener. More tales of broken promises pepper the lyrics, the phrase 'break through this prema-frost of feeble alibis' is a cracker and the album's best word picture. Musically this is Gum at their best, easily putting them on the plinth they should be on; peddlers of pop songs with a heart. Buy the album for this song alone. 5 out of 5. EARPHONES or REALLY LOUD IN THE CAR
4. Asleep at the Wheel - Bowman and Poole remix; 'Low Flying Kite's opener done to a turn by Bowman and Poole, all ethnic drums and sharp angles. I don't have any info on B&P, but a Google search throws up some interesting clues. 3.5 out of 5. SPEAKERS
5. Falling Through Cracks; the weakest, in my opinion, on the album, although it does have some great sections, with Leigh's voice sounding very Nina Perrson, which is never a bad thing. Lyrically its as sharp as the rest of the album, but for me it doesn't settle completely, not knowing what it wants to be. It does have an infectious middle 8, which, coupled with the strong lyric, should make it a better song than it actually is. But the unclear opening dilutes the overall effect. 3 out of 5. SPEAKERS
6. Low-Flying Kites; funnily little track weighing in at 1.02 minutes, but enjoyable nonetheless. Leads perfectly into the secret, but ulimately, seventh of the 'feeble alibis'. 4 out 5. SPEAKERS
7. ?; untitled seventh track. Untitled in that it isn't listed on the album cover. Lyrically it's the best on the album, dreamy but purposeful melodies paint pictures of hilly inner city parks on hot, windless summer afternoons. Has Gum stamped all over it without sounding like anything on the debut album. Great songwriting. 5 out of 5. HEADPHONES

OVERALL - 4.5 out of 5

Buy this album, if you love honest music with considered lyrics and you want it to be fresh, new, well produced and accessible, then Gum are for you.

Buy it here.

Bar graph of tartanpodcast subscribers (subscribed to feeds.feedburner.com/tartanpodcast)

I've made up a PDF flyer than can be downloaded and printed up.

Please do this if you're able to distribute the flyer in

• schools
• universities
• places of employment
• doctors' waiting rooms
• dentists' "
• airport departure lounges
• inside magazines and newspapers on news stands
• inside library books you're about to return
• to friends
• to family
• to colleagues
• in pubs
• in clubs
• in venues
• at football/baseball/rugby/cricket/basketball matches

Yes, doing this will spread the word about the tartanpodcast and the best indie music in the world.

Download it here.

Gloves are off this time. No more Mr Nice Guy.

Ok, maybe I'm joking about that part.

As you'll see, the site is back here on Podshow's server. Some of you may know I have issues with how Podshow is handling its talent, the '3 shows a week' for no money etc. But after long and open discussions with the Music Gang, my podcast brethren, I'm going to stick it out with them. At least for another few months.
We are after all approaching a bright, new, shiny year so here's hoping things start falling into place.

In the meantime, The Scottish Podcast Clan is alive and kicking and I urge all of you to check it out and listen to the other Scottish podcasts listed on the site. More will be added in due course, including Amplificast, the podcast from Amplifico.

A technorati search showed up what looks to be a rival Scottish podcast site, but note; we were doing it first ;-)

Other news - the tartanblog is up and I'll be posting most of my podcast experiences, thoughts, opinions and news over there, including developments with tartan media productions, which was officially 'launched' earlier in the month. So please subscribe to the RSS feed.

I recorded the first SaltireCast, a project I'm working on for Glasgow Caledonian University. My plan is to have 'channels' that you can subscribe to via the tartanpodcast site, and the SaltireCast will be the first, all being well.

Look out for a podcast of the workshop/presentation I delivered a couple of weeks ago here in Glasgow; it'll be made available via tartanblog.

• Spotlights on Maeve O'Boyle and Quinn
• Interviews with Lance Anderson and Paul Story
• Live appearance at the Lance Anderson Podcast Experiment, along with Top of the Pods and Hotrod Cadets - book your tickets now!
• Tartanpodcast LIVE! I can confirm - officially - that there's going to be a LIVE tartanpodcast event next Summer (2oo6). Details will follow very soon.

Well, now it's live!

If you're a new music fan, then subscribe to the feed here http://feeds.feedburner.com/podshowmusic The first edition is here, and I'm adding into my to give you a taster.

Also, if you get the chance to up date the tartanpodcast feed that you've got in iPodder or whatever podcatching client you use, then please change it to http://feeds.feedburner.com/Tartanpodcast

See you over there! Post a comment on the new site to let me know you got in safely.

I'll keep both feeds - this libsyn one you're currently subscribe to and the new PodShow feed - running in tandem for two months as of when the new site is up.

Glasgow Herald (thanks to Ewan Spence for keeping the link on his site)

These guys at Top of The Pods think I'm a bit of an alky.
My lawyer is looking into it.

I'm changing my ID3 tags a little bit from next week onwards.

Currently the ID3 tag is something like:
tartanpodcast - sleepy sunday show 5 - 20050626
www.tartanpodcast.com
tartanpodcast@gmail.com

The changes will be as follows:
Instead of tartanpodcast - sleepy sunday show 5 - 20050626, what you'll see is
tp - sss5 - 20050626

tp = tartanpodcast
sss = sleepy sunday show
sls = spotlight show
fhhhs = friday happy half hour show

Hopefully this makes sense - Category: general -- posted at: 10:16 AM

You can find it here!

The BBC Tech website feature brought welcome exposure to the tartanpodcast, but as a result I've had a very, very busy week. Recording 3 shows just wasn't possible. Trying to earn a living this week was almost impossible too!

But I'm hoping that the wait will be worth it...tomorrow you'll have the first Friday Happy-Half-Hour Show, from the tartanpodcast.

Please send a vote the tartanpodcast's way at podcastalley.com. Let's go for the top spot!

---

Feel free to contact the show!

---

Also, someone has said that they did a search for tartan podcast (2 words) and couldn't find anything.

Anyone else found this?

Clark has his own podcast, and on the recent one he has the interview with me that aired last week on the radio.

It's cool that a technology reporter is using this new medium to report on...technology!

So check it out!

You can subscribe to Clark's podcast, the details are on his site, and I urge you to do that - keep abreast of technology developments around the world.

---

Clark reports for The World, visit their site here:

Anyway here are some stats about you guys.
Where you come from:

And what browser you use:

It's cool to see Mozilla outnumbering I.E.!

I could just go to purevolume.com and scour the pages, download mp3s of music that I like and that I think you guys would like, and then just play it on the tartanpodcast.

But as a member of AMP I need to get the artist's permission first, and I'm cool with that. So far I've been refused permission once. (Which was silly of them, eh?)

But what I've noticed over and over is that artists don't always put their contact details on their purevolume.com page.
Oftentimes they'll have, instead, a link to their site. And quite often the site is very pretty and reasonably functional;
bio page, photo page, download page, gig page etc etc.

But no email or contact details!!
I mean, are they crazy?
What use is a FORUM?! A forum that you have register to post on, and hope that the artist reads the post and gets back to your EMAIL address, rather than just replying on their forum...coz I've got ALL the hours in the day to keep going back to check a post I put on an obscure forum.

If you're in a band or if you're a performer, please, make it simple, straightforward and obvious how to contact you.

People want to hear your music.

So, name yourself! he he

If you're in a Scottish band then, please, contact me via this site to get your music played. People are clamouring to hear more great Scottish artists!

I'm delighted to be able to bring them to you!

Thanks for continuing to listen to the tartanpodcast and for voting at podcastalley.com

Thanks, too, for voting for your favourite bands of April. Keep the emails coming.

Imagine being able to come to Glasgow and be taking on a walking tour around the music capital of Scotland, visiting the places that have helped shape the music that's taking Europe and further afield by storm.

I realise that not everyone visiting here or listening to the tartanpodcast can physically come to Glasgow...
but now you can listen to an audio walking tour, an iTour!/ Visit it here,

That's really great news!
To make the process more streamlined I'm including links to the relevant albums on Amazon.com.

If you click through my site and purchase said album, I may get a small percentage.

You benefit by being able to easily purchase the music of artists you've enjoyed hearing on the tartanpodcast.

The band benefit by selling their stuff!

And I benefit by getting a little hard-earned...
Everyone's a winner!
So I hope you don't mind, and I hope it doesn't look too commercial.