The ~Podcast Musical~ Must Go On!

Podcast Recommendations: The ~Podcast Musical~ Must Go On!

June 17, 2022

Kast Media is the leading independent podcast network. It's one of the first leaders in the simulcast strategy for show creation, distribution, and award-winning shows in narrative storytelling, leading to 13 million unique viewers/listeners per month.

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Curator

Why did you choose this theme?

We listen to podcasts, we listen to music. And yet, podcast musicals remain a pretty niche thing. Sure, 36 Questions made a bit of a splash a few years back, but who else is jumping in the game? To go along with my own foray into the audio musical genre, I’ve put together this list of shows that caught (and held) my ear.

PODCAST PICKS:Click on the podcast art to listen 👂

Anthem: HomunculusAloneThis was the first podcast musical that really sucked in EarBuds curator Ian Coss. It’s the story of a struggling artist trying to pay for surgery to remove a brain tumor, but more importantly, a tour of all the strange characters in his small town world. The whole production is in that perfect sweet spot of expertly-produced, but never slick.

Asking For ItMeet GoldieThis show features the real-life musical duo Hips – weaving their music into this tale about trauma, abuse, and the need to be loved. Since the songs are part of the story itself (diegetic, for the film/musical nerds), and created by the actual actors in the series, they fit seamlessly with the brutally intimate storytelling style of the many wonderful Mermaid Palace productions.

In Strange Woods: A Musical PodcastA Man Who Cannot Be Saved

In Strange Woods is a musical masquerading as a true crime podcast, and the opening number demonstrates with hilarious clarity just how well the creators understand the tropes and conventions of both those genres. EarBuds curator Ian Coss loves the ambition of this project and the way it plays with form.

Sonic LeapEpisode 1For those craving more '80s vibes, Sonic Leap delivers. Just released earlier this year, the show follows an aspiring rock band that gets a new chance at stardom, 35 years in the past. It also features Black-ish actor Anthony Anderson as a kind of trickster/time-traveler/narrator.

Newts!That Ain't No DevilNewts!, created by EarBuds curator Ian Coss, is a surf rock audio drama inspired by the work of Czech sci-fi pioneer Karel Čapek. It tells an alternate history of the 1930s, in which humanity encounters a species of highly intelligent amphibians, and everything changes. There is a love song to a newt, a sea shanty, and lots of Beach Boys-y harmonies.

P.S. What do you think of the Podcards that we're using to display this week's picks? Let us know!

SPONSORS:

What is the meaning of life? Is there an afterlife? Are we alone? Tune in to The Woo Lab podcast with hosts Chelsea and Mishaun, researchers and longtime friends, as they search for answers to life’s big questions at the intersections of science, psychology, the paranormal, and spirituality.

Listen to podcasts from Kast MediaKast Media is the leading independent podcast network.It's one of the first leaders in the simulcast strategy for show creation, distribution, and award-winning shows in narrative storytelling, leading to 13 million unique viewers/listeners per month. Listen to a Kast show.

Advertise your podcast or business here starting at $75/week.

FEEDBACK WITH EARBUDS:

This week on Feedback...Learn about Ian Coss, his work on Newts!, and the reasons behind his podcast picks for the week. ALSO: Hear about this week's spotlight, Unpacked by AFAR.Feedback with EarBuds is the audio version of this newsletter and drops on Tuesdays! We'd LOVE it if you'd subscribe and hit play.

COMMUNITY:

✍🏽The Bleeders is a podcast (and support group) about book writing and publishing. This podcast consists of transparent conversations with authors, agents, and people in the publishing industry about how to write and sell books.💭Til it’s Gone is an upcoming feature-length audio documentary about all we’ve lost — places, freedoms, abilities, identities, dreams —  that will be told through the voices of people from around the world. Pledge $25 or more and earn a ticket to a virtual listening event to hear these stories and let your own losses go.📚Find inspiration and guidance at "The Book You Have To Write," a free Zoom workshop for non-fiction writers on June 24th. Learn from Paul Zakrzewski, a book coach who hosts The Book I Had To Write, a podcast where leading authors talk about writing their most compelling books.⚡This week in Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell featured Mother Country Radicals, which gives the personal account of the son of radical left wing Weather Underground leaders Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers.

✨Keep sending updates for us to include in our Community section: in-person events, Twitter spaces, paid courses, and more. Submit!

CLASSIFIEDS:

🍼Do you want to thrive without the 9-to-5? And feel less burned out and more present with your family? Mom’s Exit Interview is your go-to resource! Join Kim Rittberg – former media executive, corporate quitter, and mom, as she interviews inspirational moms who are taking control of their lives while achieving true work-life balance.📖Ursa Short Fiction is a new podcast celebrating short fiction, with an emphasis on spotlighting underrepresented voices. It's hosted by acclaimed authors Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and Dawnie Walton (The Final Revival of Opal & Nev) and will feature author interviews, book club discussions, and immersive audio stories from some of today's most thrilling writers.🎷Lived Through That: Listen to iconic musicians from the '80s and '90s tell stories about pivotal moments in their lives – folks like Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, indie icon Tanya Donelly, members of the British band Squeeze, and so many more. Their candid and personal stories offer unique, inspirational, and sometimes humorous insight into both their lives and their music.

Advertise your podcast or business here starting at $45/week.

We're working with Studio71 this June to dedicate this section to podcasts produced and hosted by folks who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.To have your show featured, e-mail us here.🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

👭🏽Noche de Pendejadas with Alannized: Alannized might remind you of one of your lifelong best friends who is funny, thoughtful, and genuine, but is also the ultimate chismosa (gossip)! We love heartwarming, queer, Latinx, chismosa representation!

🧟Horror Queers: If you're a horror fan, you'll enjoy listening to film critics Trace Thurman and Joe Lipsett analyze horror films with queer themes and undertones. They share their vast knowledge in a lighthearted humorous way, and you'll discover some good films through this podcast.

☕Good Morning, Sodomites! with Zach Noe Towers: Zach is a total natural, and his sex-positive attitude draws vulnerable answers and unique storytelling from his guests. It's daring, hysterical, and filthy, yet gentle and introspective.👓Hall & Closet with Jaida Essence Hall and Heidi N Closet: With an insatiable curiosity, this sickening duo investigates and discusses everything including pure nonsense, love, fashion, Drag Race, science, and more.🍟Food 4 Thot: This podcast will make you feel inspired, empowered, and truly seen. These four thots perfectly balance each other out and deliver the goods while discussing relationships, sex, race, identity, and queer culture. 🟢Full Circle (the Podcast): Writers, activists, and creatives Charles Tyson, Jr. and Martha Madrigal come to you each week with their unique brand of wit and humor as they discuss current headlines affecting the LGBTQ+ community, pop culture, and navigating life as a black queer man and a white trans femme, recently engaged.💖Unshaming: Hosted by Jordan Gonsalves, a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, this show highlights the silenced voices of society through storytelling. It's founded on the belief that shame exists because representation doesn’t. You'll hear the stories of people who have hidden themselves — now loudly visible.🚪Lost Spaces: A show all about lost queer spaces. Only, it's not really about that at all. It's about the people who drank and danced there, their stories and memories. Every week, host K Anderson talks to a different person and explores the role queer spaces played in their journey and why they're so important to the community.

PODCAST SPOTLIGHT:

Unpacked by AFAREach week, Unpacked by AFAR unpacks a single, ethically complex question about travel. Through a mix of first-person stories and interviews with experts in the field, Unpacked will explore not just answers to those questions, but new ways to engage with the places we visit and the people we meet.Because the world is complicated. Being an ethical traveler doesn't have to be.

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