Episodes
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Episode 77 - THE FINAL EPISODE
The podcast is over, done, finished. Thanks to all who have listened.
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Episode 76 - My Favorite Taco
Here's a single from the latest release, The WOW and the POW! vol. 2. It's out this week at all finer online retailers. OK, so these tacos aren't real. I'm sorry but they're not. If they did exist, they probably would taste really good. Especially the one that exists between dimensions. Who…
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Episode 75 - Jasper This, Jasper That
You probably wouldn't want to know a guy like Jasper, but for the sake of your career, you would definitely need him as your ally. And then you'd have to put up with a lot of weirdness. Jasper is older, wealthy and connected. He can represent your entry into the art world or he could possibly be…
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Episode 74 - The Bucking Fus
Don't get me wrong, I'm very much pro-transit. There's no shame in riding the bus. But I wrote this after my first album was released. My longterm goal has been to build an audience with lots of different kinds of music written about mostly out-of-the-ordinary topics. It still is, but since that...
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Episode 73 - Neutralizer, Pt. 3
Here's a slick Euro disco-flavored tune from the Seven Hills saga. It's about a guy who suddenly remembers that he spent considerable time killing people. And he was very good at it. How did it make him feel? In his own words, "good." Also, Igor celebrates the 80th birthday of super-genius, Bob...
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Episode 72 - One More
In the midst of recording a brand-new album, Igor takes a few minutes to address a slight recurring problem. His solution: write a song about it. This is the song.
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Episode 71 - Plain Mean
America touted itself as a land where people worked with people to surmount their differences and arrive at a consensus. It also used to boast that neighbor helped neighbor when the need arose. I actually believed these things until about five years ago. I believed that this nation was stronger...
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Episode 70 - Ludd in the Blood
Like change, serenity comes form within. Sure, technology adds a certain amount of turmoil to our lives, but eliminating it completely will not give us any lasting peace. This is the final song from 2017's 27-track concept album, E(Minus). It urges everyone to smash all technology in order to...
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Episode 69 - Richard Harris
Drama, drama, drama! Fresh off his prize-winning Oscar picks, Igor discusses the life and work of Richard Harris, one of his favorite actors. No matter what Harris was in, you could always count on histrionics. Yeah, he did a lot of shouting and arm-waving. Even when his material was not great...
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Episode 68 - Still Hawt?
This week, it's Oscar week, so Igor makes his picks for the top awards. Although sound editing is a worthy category, he has no clear favorites. And then it's on to the tune! It's basically about some guy getting tanked and going online to see what shape his high school girlfriends are in. As it...
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Episode 67 - Let the Mountain Decide
I'm all about making larger statements. Lots of times, what I'm trying to say takes more than one song. Sometimes, that takes the form of a concept album and other times, it becomes a song cycle. This tune was the beginning of a song cycle that was supposed to be about a rather not-nice fellow's...
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Episode 66 - No One Listens to Jazz Anymore
Here's a tune about something I used to do. I was a jazz musician. I played until it became impractical. And it wasn't because of COVID. The jazz scene here petered out years before. One week, we were playing gigs; the next, there were no gigs. I've moved on, but I do miss those days. Much of…
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Episode 65 - Like Normal People
Igor delves into this year's Oscar picks and spends a lot of time praising the animation category and not praising this year's most nominated movie. He also has many good things to say about Sacha Baron Cohen. In a segue that is completely connected to the previous subject, he talks about why he...
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Episode 64 - Brahms Away!
Sometimes it's nice to write a bombastic, driving, minor-key number just for fun. This is that number. It has nothing to do with Johannes Brahms (who remains one of my favorite composers), but does it need to?
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Episode 63 - The Wilderness Years
This is the first single from Album 21. There's also a video for it, but that is a tale for another time. The tune has to do with artistic regeneration amid a hostile world, but doesn't delve into all that "Life is...(whatever you say it is)" kind of metaphoric quicksand. All I'm saying is the...
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Episode 62 - Miss Sunday
Is there a default music that plays in your brain? For me, this is it. Ever since a very young age, I've had a very stompin' blues tune playing in the background. The subject matter is nothing earth-shattering; it's just a tune about somebody who is very hungry and likes to eat weird things. When...
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Special Episode - Longboat Origin Story!
How did Longboat come to be? Oh, it's very simple. WARNING: Details have been omitted and some composite characters have been used in our recreation! But it's mostly true.
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Episode 61 - Just Us and the Dust
Here's a sweeping, mini-epic about an ill-fated treasure hunting expedition. For a very long time, this song was on the verge of being cut from the album, but made a strong finish. It wasn't particularly tough to sing; I mean, it's mostly B-flats over and over. It was more a matter of fitting the...
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Episode 60 - Instant Superstar
Johann Strauss II was the first world famous person; he was known for his music around the world during his lifetime. Since then, the quality and the substance of fame has devolved considerably. This tune takes a brief look at an internet "fail artist." Once you're famous for hurting yourself…
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Episode 59 - Freedom and Other Delusions
This is a tune from 2013 that concerns itself with choices. Do you stay with a boring, annoying job or do you strike off in an uncertain direction? You are free to do as you choose, but maybe you’re not cut out for your passion. Maybe you were never meant to do it. And perhaps you’re destined to...
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Episode 58 - Your Hair Smells Like Bacon
This tune is an energetic number about a very fun and trivial topic. This entire album from 2014 was supposed to be a decisive change in direction from everything that came before. It really was, but I felt like more of a departure. What followed was really a test of what I wanted vs. what I…
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Episode 57 - Everything Sounds Like Everything Else
No matter what kind of song you write, it's bound to sound like something that's already out there. This tune wholly embraces that notion and takes on the very idea of originality as a quality that will actually be a detriment to your music career. The best advice that anyone can give you is to...
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Episode 56 - The Age of Idiots
I originally wrote this tune as a final parting shot for the Bush Administration. By 2014, it was pretty obvious that form of Republicanism, one that enthusiastically advocated torture and warfare, would not return. Since there would never be prosecutions for such craven and savage behavior, I...
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Episode 55 - The Fox and the Hen
Once I'd reconciled myself to the fact that I was going to be making more than just a few albums, I had to figure out what those albums would be. Somewhere along the line, I decided that every seventh album would be packed to the gills with string arrangements. Why every seventh album? I have no...
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Episode 54 - Sharing Is Socialism
Today we attempt to explore a subversive children's song, but we kind of get mired in the events of this last, horrible week. The long and short is that Igor really doesn't like Ted Cruz and really, really doesn't like Donald Trump. Somewhere in there is a song.
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Episode 53 - Get into Range
This is my tribute to all the small radio stations that played my music. Many are in towns with funny-sounding names. For me, it's always a thrill to know that my stuff is being played somewhere other than on my own sound system. Anyhow, happy 2021! I look forward to a full year of explaining my...
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Episode 52 - Chorale #7
Here's a special presentation from a piece Igor wrote a long time ago. The previous six chorales are quite nice, but this one is the best. Happy New Year to everyone. You'll be hearing from me in 2021. Take care!
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Episode 51 - Ruprecht
Sometimes, the denial of presents isn't nearly enough to get kids to fall in line. That's about all we've got in this country. To send an extra-strong message, we might include a lump of coal. But the Germans add a little sinister muscle to the issue with Ruprecht. He's better known as Santa's...
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Episode 50 - Happy Hanukkah USA
Happy Hanukkah! Hey, it's the 50th episode! Did I think it would get this far? Sure, I did! This episode delves into a lot of things, but it's mostly about how you go about writing a country song about Hanukkah. But along the way, I discuss whether honesty is super-necessary in music. Definitive...
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Episode 49 - Ninja Throwing Stars
By now, you probably know whether you give good presents or bad ones. The hapless character of this song goes beyond just giving a series of bad presents. He's completely thoughtless and selfish. In fact, he's really looking forward to this present reverting to him after his girlfriend finds no...
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Episode 48 - Come and Get Your Christmas
The season is upon us! Don't worry, even though this is a Christmas album, I don't deluge you in sentimental sap or pummel you with nostalgic nonsense. A friend of mine once described this record as the "only realistic Christmas album out there." The Holidays are multi-faceted, but many agree…
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Episode 47 - Bargain-Basement Bluesman
Should everyone wear a uniform? Or a costume? Do we need to wear easily recognizable markings that show what we prefer in art, music and lifestyle? Well, I once met someone who was attempting to dress like an old-school blues-guy. I was not impressed much. I eventually wrote this tune about him....
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Episode 46 - The Boyfriend Now
This week, Igor almost doesn't doesn't mention the election. But with additional lockdowns approaching, it's kind of difficult not to say anything about what an awful job the guy who lost the election has done. Igor does try to ease the tension with a nice little song about two people who really...
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Episode 45 - Today It's You
Here's an uplifting little tune about the randomness and brutality you might encounter in an authoritarian society. Sure, public executions are entertaining and everybody they execute is guilty, but what happens when society demands your life? Could it be that they entire system is wrong? Is this...
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Episode 44 - The Preacher and the Rattlesnake
Can we be sure about what happens in the afterlife? Well, some people have definite opinions. But what if they're wrong? What if heaven is finite, while hell is not? What happens then? Of course, I'm not sure about anything concerning religion. If you're religious, good for you. At least you…
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Episode 43 - No One Could Have Foreseen This Tragic Event (Except Everyone)
Hey, it's another tune that hasn't been released yet! This time, it's a jaunty little latin track from Basically Blue, vol. 2, due out summer/fall 2021. When I originally wrote this tune, there was no such thing as the Coronavirus. I just wanted to make a tune that was a warning against…
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Episode 42 - Nixon Times Nixon
Here's a tune from an album that hasn't even been released yet, sweet people! Why? Because we're continuing on with songs I accidentally wrote about politics. This is a track about two presidents. One did do positive things for the country and was reelected in a landslide, only to be undone by…
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Episode 41 - Instant, Automatic Outrage Machine
Politics are happening now in the US, if you haven't noticed. Things are getting people all riled up. What we thought would be impossible shocks to our democracy have occurred. And we have been reacting to them for the last four years. It's been exhausting, but if we don't react, we sink in a…
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Episode 40 - Company Man: Authoritarian Edition
Authoritarians often start out as populists, but just the people alone can't keep them in power. No, they need enablers. They need people within the government to normalize what is abnormal. This is a tune about one guy within a nameless regime who rationalizes his support for a brutal military...
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Episode 39 - Facts
Psssst! There's gonna be an election! Hey, so why not feature one of my few tunes about politics? This one was recorded back in 2012 and it's about what became the increasingly bad faith depiction of the ACA by its conservative opponents. That led to a lot of spurious conspiracies about Obama...
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Episode 38 - It's Kinda Like That
A positive song for uncertain times. That's all I'm gonna say. I usually don't write a ton of positive tunes, but this one is about as honest as you're gonna get about a life in music. Enjoy!
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Episode 37 - By Degrees
It's Igor's birthday! All hail! But the podcast forges ahead. This week, I've gotten a request from a DJ who likes to spin Longboat tracks to his intelligent and good-looking audience. He wanted me to feature "By Degrees," which is about the perdition of the soul. How can you tell if you've…
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Episode 36 - It's Only Freedom
Politics is in the air! Igor talks a lot about conspiracy theories and why he doesn't believe in them, although he initially wanted to. This tune is about weirdos making stuff up, selling it as political fact and then firing up their followers past the point of violence. Sound familiar? Yeah, so...
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Episode 35 - Downtown
On August 30, 2010 - exactly ten years ago - Officer Ian Birk of the SPD shot and killed John T. Williams in downtown Seattle. It's something that has remained controversial ever since. Was it an execution? Was Williams coming at Birk with murder in his eyes? After a few incidents in the 2000s…
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Episode 34 - The District Line
It's time for a new album! It's called Basically Blue, vol. 1. Each of the ten tunes from this album happen either in another place, another time or another reality. All except for one, that is. This tune is about the London tube line that runs from Upminster to Wimbledon/Richmond. In my...
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Episode 33 - New Horizons in Corporate Citizenship: Tech Edition
One of my major peeves is corporate naming rights. Sure, it happens everywhere, even in small-market towns. I don't really give consent to having Seahawks Stadium called Century Link Field. Sorry, your costly branding doesn't fly with me. I'll just keep calling it Seahawks Stadium until it gets...
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Episode 32 - Last Words
I kind of wrote this tune with a video in mind. It's a spoken word setting of the purported last words of famous and infamous people. I think it works well, but judge for yourself. Here's the video: https://youtu.be/mjOPynkuacE
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Episode 31 - Rats Are Learning
Although the world didn't really care about 2013's Unpopular Songs for Unpopular People, it was a really important album for me. On it, I really challenged myself to approach songwriting from different angles. I gave the whole "writing tunes without chords" approach the college try. And it works!...
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Episode 30 - Mammoths and Ma$todons
If you were writing a song about resurrecting extinct giants, how would it go? Probably something like this! Igor talks about why tracks like this are way more fun than writing love songs. Plus, a whole wonderful section urging everyone to arrange tunes with no chords and similar obsession that...
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Episode 29 - Pablo's Contagion
For every event and occasion, there's a Longboat song. Well, not quite. Maybe there's not a tune about celebrating your pet's bar mitzvah or the joy of build your own guillotine. OK, there are a lot of events and occasions not addressed by Longboat songs, but here's one that was forgotten until…
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About this show
Insight into the terrific and prolific band, Longboat, through the eyes of its sole permanent member and leader-for-life. All hail!
Hosted by
Igor Keller
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