I’ve re-encoded Podcast #6 to make it slightly leaner and easier on the bandwidth. It’s CFR’s first soundseeing tour, so do take a listen:

- as an MP3: simply click to stream in your browser, or right-click and save to download the file to your computer

- using our nifty Online Player, which allows you to play the latest podcast as well as several of the previous ones

And while you’re at it you’ll want to take a look at the blog of Nicholas, who was my erudite guest on this podcast.

Happy Easter! And for the Hindus among us, Happy Holi! We’ve become quite the podcasting machine around here–after a period of silence, two podcasts in the space of two days. In this one we return to our regular format of a main course comprising ramblings and musings on life, Aimé Césaire, why learning a foreign language is good for you, and the appalling state of West Indies cricket, with the regular serving of cool Caribbean tunes on the side. Or is it the other way around?

You can listen to it in any of the following ways:

- as an MP3: simply click to stream in your browser, or right-click and save to download the file to your computer

- using our nifty Online Player, which allows you to play the latest podcast as well as several of the previous ones

Subscribe to/syndicate this feed by copying this link or the link on the “XML” icon above. You’ll then need to paste the link into a software program called an RSS aggregator–iPodder is decent one, not to mention free. Once you subscribe, audio feeds can be downloaded automatically or according to a schedule determined by you. Read more about RSS syndication here.

Links:
Afro Latin Party at Putumayo.com
at Amazon.com
Matébis (Jaunting on Creole Paths) at Amazon.com
Calypsoldier by Ron Reid & Sunsteel at ecaroh.com
Caribbeancricket.com & West Indies Cricket Blog - your source for the good, the bad and the ugly re: West Indies Cricket
Sheldon Blackman’s web site

And if you’ve enjoyed this or any of our other podcasts, why not cast your VOTE for CFR at Podcast Alley

Technorati Tags: caribbean, podcast, caribbeanfreeradio, Trinidad, caribbeanmusic

It’s not only a film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren–it’s also CFR’s first soundseeing tour! A bit of a departure from previous ‘casts, in which I inveigle my pal Nicholas to join me on a Good Friday trip up to Mount St. Benedict for tea, and in the process showcase my ignorance of numerous things, including Catholicism, corbeaux and talipot palms. 42 minutes long, so do bear with us.

You can listen to it in any of the following ways:

- as an MP3: simply click to stream in your browser, or right-click and save to download the file to your computer

- using our nifty Online Player, which allows you to play the latest podcast as well as several of the previous ones

Subscribe to/syndicate this feed by copying this link or the link on the “XML” icon above. You’ll then need to paste the link into a software program called an RSS aggregator–iPodder is decent one, not to mention free. Once you subscribe, audio feeds can be downloaded automatically or according to a schedule determined by you. Read more about RSS syndication here.

Links:
Nicholas’s blog - A must-read, especially since he features an excerpt from the Evelyn Waugh book we mention in the podcast
Evelyn Waugh’s Ninety-two Days (Penguin Travel Library) at Amazon.com
Pax Guest House at Mount St. Benedict - where we had tea
The music featured in this podcast was composed by Elspeth Duncan and used with the permission of the artist

If you’ve enjoyed this or any of our other podcasts, please VOTE for CFR at Podcast Alley

Technorati Tags: caribbean, Trinidad, caribbeanfreeradio, soundseeing, soundseeingtour, podcast, monastery, mountstbenedict, paxguesthouse, nicholaslaughlin, evelynwaugh

Ever wondered how to make a PodGuide? Cool, eh?

And here’s CNN’s take on podcasting, thanks to Michael Geoghegan, host of the outstanding Reel Reviews podcast.

The funniest thing happened last night. Had just finished watching Sometimes In April on HBO, the film on Rwanda by my Haitian director friend Raoul Peck, and decided to put on my favourite bedtime listening, Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code podcast, which appeared later than usual last night. Must have fallen asleep at some point, only to wake up to hear the CFR promo . . . .

Figured DSC must have ended and iTunes had skipped forward to the promo, but no: Adam was playing the promo–and expressing his appreciation for CFR! The thing is, I hadn’t even sent it directly to him, which just goes to show the extent to which the guy is on the ball. He is the Podfather, after all. So thanks, Adam–I’ll even excuse you the near-instantaneous leap from “Caribbean” to “Jamaica”!

Oh, and for those agonising about such things, either pronunciation of “Caribbean” (”Ca.rib.be.an” or “Ca.rib.be.an”) is correct. I’m just partial to “Ca.rib.be.an” because the word relates to the Caribs, one of the indigenous groups of the region, and because I think it sounds better.

And many apologies again for the delay in getting Podcast #6 out to you. I’m swamped with work and also making a couple of changes to my recording setup which I hope will streamline the podcast-producing process. And now say that backwards.

. . . to publicly thank Dawn and Drew for mentioning CFR in their March 14th podcast, and also for including us on their list of Favorites.

Thanks to the the Fake Science Lab Report for displaying the new CFR graphic on their Links page (and thanks to CPOP Designs for creating the graphic!).

We also now have an audio promo, which you can listen to by clicking here or by using the Online Player (track #7).

And do check out the Fake Science Lab Report’s latest podcast for news and views on the digital music scene–it’s beautifully produced as well.

If you’re a fan of radio serials, or if you’re simply somebody who likes a good story, you absolutely must check out Claybourne (or Clayborne - I’ve seen it spelled both ways). Extremely well produced, with engaging characters and a compelling storyline, Claybourne describes itself as “a sci-fi/supernatural thriller/soap opera radio drama, recorded and broadcast nationwide in New Zealand in the late 1990s,” and is also “quite possibly the first podcast drama serial”.

A medium-sized baby, complete with feeback from the last show and general musings on life, steelband and other other fine things. Oh, and some character named Hamlet tries to stir up some inter-island controversy.

You can listen to it in any of the following ways:

- as an MP3: simply click to stream in your browser, or right-click and save to download the file to your computer

- using our nifty Online Player, which allows you to play the latest podcast as well as several of the previous ones

Subscribe to/syndicate this feed by copying this link or the link on the “Podcast” icon above. You’ll then need to paste the link into a software program called an RSS aggregator–iPodder is decent one, not to mention free. Once you subscribe, audio feeds can be downloaded automatically or according to a schedule determined by you. Read more about RSS syndication here.

Links:
Epitonic.com - “Hi-Quality Free and Legal MP3 music”
King Jammy Meets Dry & Heavy at Epitonic.com
Pan Trinbago profile of Andy Narell
Article on veteran cricket commentator Tony Cozier
3Canal - “The Fire Next Time”
3Canal at Faluma.com
Carrying the Lantern - Bill Riski’s blog
BBC3 Guide to World Music - Haiti
Beethova Obas’s web site
VOTE for CFR at Podcast Alley

Thank you, thank you, people, for all the nice comments and e-mails about Podcast #4–I had fun doing it too.

We were also mentioned yesterday on the Fake Science Lab Report’s first podcast and I’m in the process of downloading the latest ‘cast from the Evil Genius, who’s apparently talking about us again. Thanks to you both!

For those who don’t know, the Fake Science Lab Report deals with digital technology as it affects music and seems to be a must-listen for those interested in such things. The mention had to do with CFR’s having introduced one of the speakers to a great Haitian guitarist he’d never heard of (obviously the masterful Beethova Obas), which, of course, is just the kind of thing we do around here.

Podcast #5 coming up. . . well, soon.

A longer one than usual (one of these days I’ll settle on standard length–or maybe I won’t) in which I run a clip from the Evil Genius Chronicles, explain the meaning of “podsafe”, get a bit literary, and justify the high proportion of Haitian music on the podcast, among other things.

You can listen to it in any of the following ways:

- simply click to stream in your browser, or right-click and save to download the file to your computer

- using our nifty Online Player, which allows you to play the latest podcast as well as several of the previous ones

Subscribe to/syndicate this feed by copying this link or the link on the “XML” icon above. You’ll then need to paste the link into a software program called an RSS aggregator–iPodder is decent one, not to mention free. Once you subscribe, audio feeds can be downloaded automatically or according to a schedule determined by you. Read more about RSS syndication here.

Links:
Evil Genius Chronicles
3Canal
Calabash Music - fair trade world music downloads
Bobi Céspedes on Calabash Music
CFR on the Podcast Bunker
Isaac Blackman
Notes from a Small Island - Jonathan Ali’s blog
Fear and Loathing in. . . Cardiff - article in The Observer
Derek Walcott Year
Caribbean Beat - the Caribbean’s leading glossy!
Emeline Michel’s web site - Rasin Kreyol at Amazon.com
Levi Mayers (link to come)

Subscribe to our mailing list - receive regular CFR updates!

Tags: evilgeniuschronicles, caribbean, podcast, Trinidad, Haiti, 3Canal, caribbeanmusic

Been trying to do a podcast for the past couple of days but all sorts of things getting in the way. But woke up this morning to more good news–the Evil Genius is a fan! Who’s the Evil Genius? That would be Dave Slusher, one of the stars of the podcasting world. He left a nice comment on the site and also talked about us on his own ‘cast, where he said lovely things about both CFR and 3Canal and ran an excerpt from my interview with them. Apparently he was impressed both with their music and their views on technology–and why wouldn’t he be.

So thanks for the big-up, Dave!

PS - Podcast #4 coming up later today.

Sorry, sorry. Thought I would get around to doing a Tuesday podcast as promised, but a couple of clients threw some unexpected work at me yesterday, then last night the late hours I’ve been keeping recently caught up with me big-time. Would have done it this morning, but have to finish that paying work, plus there’s an editor breathing down my neck. . . .

What’s even worse is that the next podcast probably won’t be the special on the band 12, since I only got hold of the recording of the second set of the concert yesterday. That one is also going to require slightly more editing work than usual, and I don’t want to rush it. But will try and get something out by tonight.

In the meantime, I’ve set up our mailing list, so if you wish to be updated whenever there’s a new podcast, please sign up. I’ve been sending updates out manually up to now, but probably won’t be able to much longer, so unless you’re on the mailing list you won’t be alerted when there’s a new CFR podcast–and how tragic would that be?

Thanks again to all who’ve left comments or sent e-mails over the past couple of days–much appreciated! And I’m still waiting for that first audio comment: how about recording a little messsage (use your computer microphone–doesn’t have to be state-of-the-art sound quality) saving it as an MP3 (5MB or less, please), and e-mailing it to us so I can put it in the show?

We’ll talk soon.

Returned home this evening to find an e-mail from The Podcast Bunker, awarding CFR a Podcast Bunker Audio Quality Award, complete with five stars!

The Podcast Bunker describes its selection process as follows:

“Before we add a podcast to our list, we first listen to the podcast for audio quality and content. We only list what we think are the very best podcasts. We add new podcasts as they are submitted for our review, and as we find them.”

so we’re as flattered as we are surprised, and now have a 30 second preview and info page at the Bunker’s web site, plus the right to use the Bunker’s badge on our web site.

People have commented on the audio quality and I have to say that it’s largely thanks to my having access to decent equipment because of my work in video. I do compress the sound file in a program called Audacity, however, which is available as a free download, and I’m still experimenting with different ways of capturing the best sound in a variety of circumstances. One of these days maybe I’ll address the techincal side of things in a podcast.