But maybe you’re looking to get some metal, punk, hip hop and ska into your earholes. These are some of my favourite alternative music podcasts – bonus points for diversity in music culture!

Shout Louder

Originally an online punk magazine, founder Sarah Williams added the Shout Louder Punk Podcast to her repertoire of projects. She brings ‘the view from down the front,’ for those of us missing the mosh pit right now. Check out the recent live episode if you want to see if Robin Leitch from Random Hand and Dani Rascal from Faintest Idea can resolve their differences over a game of thumb war. Listen now >>

Hell Bent for Metal

Just as it is refreshing to hear female voices finally from the punk and metal scene, it is also invigorating to hear those from the LGBTQIA+ community. This weekly podcast will grab you from episode one, adorably entitled Gay Satanic Love Songs. Hell Bent for Metal gives you the LGBTQIA+ perspective on metal, and metal moments that have touched this community, and of course, lots and lots of Rob Halford (the Judas Priest frontman who, for an age and a half, seemed like the only gay metaller). Listen now >>

The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop

This podcast makes it to the list because of the undeniable influences and amazing collaborations between the worlds of hip hop and rock. Who doesn’t love Walk this Way (Run DMC/Aerosmith)? Or Numb/Encore (Jay Z/Linkin Park)?! Hosted by Nas (one of the greatest 90s rappers) and Asian American journalist Miss Info, and with guests such as Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Mary J. Blige, Cypress Hill and Salt-N-Pepa, this podcast is a nostalgic walk through the 90s on the path that hip hop took from underground resistance genre to worldwide phenomenon. Listen now >>

That’s Not Metal

Although the title of this podcast puts me in mind of those guys who demand you name three songs of the band whose t-shirt you’re wearing to prove you’re a real fan, this podcast is anything but toxic masculinity. For a start, their occasionally changing line up of hosts includes the wonderful Sam, the non-binary metal fan. Launched in the early era of podcasts (yes, all the way back in 2015), it is the perfect place for honest album and festival reviews. Don’t know where to start out of their 435 episodes and counting? Try one of their annual Albums of the Year episodes. Listen now >>

The Dummy Room

With a Ramones-style theme tune and a tagline referencing veterans Screeching Weasel, it is clear off the bat that you are going to get some classic, 3-chord, fast-paced punk from this podcast. As hosts Jody and Nate play full songs (sure they are punk songs, so on average about 1:28 mins long), this podcast feels more like listening to a pirate radio station. Discover your next favourite underground punk band, support their work by buying their merch and look super cool at your next gig/embarrass your kids at the next parent’s evening. Listen now >>

Ska UK

If you love when metal and ska meet, treat yourself to Play Some Ska by Random Hand. Yes, that’s the second Random Hand mention, and yes, I might be obsessed with them. But also, check out this podcast. Hosts Lester and Sandra wrap up all the ska music, culture and fashion each month and tie it up with a bow in the form of musical interludes, again making it sound more like a radio station. There have been no episodes in 2023, so let’s hope this isn’t the end of ska in the UK. Listen now >>

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The Long Time Academy is a collaborative project (it is part supported by Headspace, is produced by independent production company Scenery Studios and is part of The Long Time Project) that was built on passion for addressing the the huge threats we’re facing as a species.

We spoke to Host and Founder of The Long Time Project, Ella Saltmarshe, and Producer and Founder of Scenery Studios, Lina Prestwood.

Congratulations on placing Silver at the BPAs! How do you feel?

Lina: Bloody brilliant. As an indie project, we had tons of creative freedom to make the show – which we definitely took, as you’ll hear when you listen, especially in the interactive bonus episodes – but when the matter in hand is the climate crisis and other massive existential crises that so many people are getting seriously pummelled by everyday and then a big global partner like Headspace Studios come on board, well, suddenly there’s a real responsibility not to squander the opportunity. And everyone who worked on the show really felt that – which meant there was a lot of blood, sweat and many, many hours of Googlemeets.

Before the awards season (the show also recently won Gold for Best Independent Podcast at The Radio Academy ARIAs) the main feedback we received has been from our listeners who have been evangelical about it; about how they feel seen by it and how it’s given them a useful emotional and intellectual toolkit with which to navigate the hugely complex cocktail of feelings that most of us are experiencing about the climate crisis.

However, despite listeners loving and sharing it, Apple and Spotify featuring us, listening circles being set up, Ella being invited to run workshops with over 2000 members of the Canadian civil service about the key ideas in the series and even being invited to teach a Economics masters module, we couldn’t get any of the major podcast reviewers to listen to and write about the show which – and I’m going to be perfectly honest here – was a little bruising to my ego. Receiving this industry award from our peers, especially in this category, has been really bolstering from an industry angle and might even inspire reviewers to cover the show now that it’s been given a bit of industry love.

As a newly-minted business owner I’m very excited for the opportunities that it’s opened for Scenery Studios – it was our first major commission as an indie, so for the show to have been critically-acclaimed as well as landing so meaningfully with listeners is pretty amazing.

And Ella, you were up for the Rising Star award. Can you give us a little insight to your path into podcasting and why you decided podcasting/audio was the best medium for this project?

Ella: I’ve loved podcasts for a long time and had a hunch that they could be the perfect format for expanding the work I had been doing with the Long Time Project, that focuses on enabling people to be good ancestors. Getting long time involves working on many levels, the intellectual, the emotional and the practical. Podcasts enable all of this, allowing for the exploration of complexity in immersive, creative and sometimes magical ways. Joining forces with Lina really expanded my understanding of the potential of podcasts as a medium. We began with a shared vision that alongside the podcast we wanted to create practices that enable listeners to feel the ideas they were hearing about in the main episode. Headspace just felt like the perfect partner for this kind of project, so we approached them and to our utter delight, they embraced the idea!

The podcast was commissioned in the middle of the pandemic. It was an intense time for us all and I was also heavily pregnant and had just lost my beloved Grandma to Covid. A pretty hardcore context to make your first podcast! It was a steep learning curve – the expertise and support of the team made all the difference. Plus the fact that we all cared so deeply about it – the collective passion and dedication was incredible to be part of.

Host Ella Saltmarshe

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

Ella: I began listening to This American Life, MANY years ago, in a-keep-me-entertained-while-I-clean-the-fridge kind of way. Then, back before podcasts were really a thing, a group of us formed a monthly podcast club, where we’d drink wine, eat soup and nerd out on podcasts. It’s where Lina and I met! Many of the group have gone on to create award-winning podcasts. As one of the few non-audio people in the group, it helped me learn how to listen to podcasts differently, more thoughtfully and opened my eyes to what can be possible with the medium.

One of the amazing things about the series is how listeners have gone on to form their own podcast clubs for the project – I was recently invited to join one for listeners in Australia and NZ that had been discussing an episode a month for the last 6 months. It was incredible to hear our podcast bringing people together and being so thoughtfully and collectively digested.

Lina: I honestly can’t remember if it was This American Life or chef Evan Kleiman’s Good Food Podcast that first had me regularly using the podcast app. I used to listen to it in a gym in Stoke Newington and be transported to an LA farmer’s market and those were my first regular exposures to that whole American public radio vibe and factual audio on demand. That was probably the beginning of the end of of my television career.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Lina: I really like podcasts that are playful with form and although it was a very short format, I thought 10 Things That Scare Me had so much going on, on so many levels. It broke tonnes of ’ rules’ and kept listeners on their toes but was never anything less than deeply entertaining and transportative. I also loved the mix of celebs and ‘civilians’ – the casting prioritised interesting voices over social follower size which I definitely appreciated.

Likewise, but very differently, the Kim Noble podcast, Futile Attempts (At Surviving Tomorrow) is incredibly clever, funny, smart and moving – Benbrick is so skilled at creating psychologically convincing interior worlds.

I would also love to have the experience of listening to S-Town again for its novelistic quality and Nice White Parents for its incredible verité scenes – the Serial Productions team are such gorgeous writers and their shows are a testament to what happens when producers are given time (and, of course, are generously resourced) to make their shows.

And, finally, I often think fondly of how much I enjoyed The Ballad of Billy Balls – the story structure, the way the lead contributors are given room to breathe and be complicated – all great projects, none straight-forward or flawless and all projects that we’ve discussed in detail at the podcast club Ella mentioned.

Producer Lina Prestwood

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

Lina: Sadly, for me, the first one that comes to mind is that you do need to spend as much time promoting your work as making it, but self-promotion is definitely not something that comes naturally – I’d much rather be in development for the next thing or working on more episodes. But I get it.

A more positive lesson is a vital one in maintaining perspective from the brilliant maxim that the Nancy podcast once posted on twitter; “there’s no such thing as a podcast emergency”.

I’m always fascinated how listening to your edit for the first time with someone else in the room is like putting on a whole new set of ears, too.

Finally, if there’s anything I’ve learned over the last year or so, it’s that when you get stuck, there comes a point where you need to get up, walk away from your session and do something completely unrelated. It’s amazing how a solution will find you in the most unexpected places.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

Ella: The first place is Long Time Academy Podcast website (thelongtimeacademy.com) and you can find out more about me here.

Lina: You can find out more about me, Scenery Studios and the brilliant freelancers who made The Long Time Academy at scenerystudios.com and you can smirk at my futile attempts at tweeting @Scenery_Studios

Listen to The Long Time Academy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

The post Indy podcasts making waves at the BPAs: The Long Time Academy appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

My name is Shayne and Max is my co-host – he is the “I” in Shayne and I. Our show is a comedy for people who don’t take life so seriously and want a laugh.

What’s the first podcast you ever listened to?

The first one I ever listened to was only a couple of years ago. A friend of mine said I would like this podcast called The Basement Yard. And I did! The host, Joe Santagato, just talks to his friend in, well, a basement. Listening to this gave me the idea that I could do something like that too. You know, not be so serious and just have a conversation.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

We started out as a YouTube channel, doing something like 128 videos over a couple years. But it always seemed like the topics we covered were just for views. It felt like work and just wasn’t fun in the end. We realized that there’s so much more creative freedom in audio-only podcasts and that our show would be better served.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

The Basement Yard of course. But also Congratulations with comedian Chris D’Elia and This Past Weekend with Theo Von. Both are really funny and inspire me to have fun too, without worrying too much about things like charts and reviews.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

Theo Von. I’m not sure what we’d talk about but it’d be funny, that’s for sure.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

Understanding your audience I think. Getting burnt by YouTube taught me to stay in your lane. We aren’t a political show or true crime. It’s just comedy.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Maybe the one where we discuss what it would be like to be in witness protection? Or the friend who joined an online cult? No, I’d say this one – there’s a good story about a guy in a Marvel onesie.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

Check out our website shayneandishow.com or find us on Twitter @ShayneandIShow.

Listen to Shayne and I on APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY or other popular podcast apps.

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The post Shayne and I: A podcast that doesn’t take life so seriously appeared first on POD BIBLE.