The Podcast Worm: Binge Mode

Deanna Chapman Dec 18, 2019

If you’re a podcast listener who is also a fan of Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, or Star Wars, maybe you’ve already heard of Binge Mode. And trust me, The Ringer doesn’t particularly need any help in the podcast promotion department. However, there’s just something about Binge Mode that compelled me to write about it. With The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian bringing fans plenty of things to discuss in the land of Star Wars, it felt like a good time to bring up the podcast.

Jonathan Hickman’s ‘House of X’ Begins a New X-Men Chapter

Deanna Chapman Jul 31, 2019

My mileage varies when it comes to X-Men comics. As a Marvel Unlimited subscriber, I’ve always intended to dive into them from the beginning, but I decided to do that with Spider-Man first, and it’s been a slow process, to say the least. With so much history, there’s always something to read. That makes it hard to know where to begin, too, unless you do go back to the very beginning.

Jonathan Hickman’s House of X is a new chapter for the X-Men, so if you’ve been looking for a jumping-on point, you can start here. Just go into it knowing that this first issue is a lot to take in. Charles Xavier has a plan for mutantkind, and it’s forming epically.

The Podcast Worm: Inside Star Wars

Deanna Chapman Jul 5, 2019

I started The Podcast Worm with the intention of keeping it up regularly. The first one went live around 9 months ago now, so clearly, that didn’t happen. However, much like Halloween Unmasked, Inside Star Wars was a podcast that really caught my attention.

Mark Ramsey is the host, who has teamed up with Wondery for multiple series that dive into certain movies like Jaws and Psycho. I haven’t listened to those just yet (but I have plans to). With Inside Star Wars, I was able to learn things about the cast that I didn’t know before.

Emily Blue – “Bad Decisions” (Song Premiere)

Deanna Chapman Jun 28, 2019

Emily Blue is a pop singer from Chicago whose music is catchy and perfect for summertime. Her new song, “Bad Decisions,” is all about making the choice to not lead a mundane life, even if some of those decisions wind up being bad. The song follows her 2018 EP *69 and we’re thrilled to be premiering it today. Give it a listen below and it might just become one of your favorite songs of the summer.

LVRS – “Strung Out” (Song Premiere)

Deanna Chapman May 23, 2019

LVRS are taking their indie rock roots and going back to the 90s with it. They bring attitude with their guitar-driven sound and Olivia DeJonghe’s vocals are a perfect compliment. Today, we’re thrilled to be premiering “Strung Out,” which is off of their upcoming EP, Hamartia. The EP is due out on June 14th, and you can pre-order it now over at Bandcamp.

Review: Elevated: The Global Rise of the NBA

Deanna Chapman Apr 15, 2019

Now that the NBA Playoffs have begun, Elevated: The Global Rise of the NBA arrives at the perfect time. The book takes a look at the history of the league through the lens of the New York Times writers who have covered the sports over the decades, as edited and annotated by Harvey Araton. Due to the nature of the book, you won’t find one specific writing style throughout. Although, there’s a high level of quality to the writing and you get a look at how the writers have changed their approach to covering the sport as new things like social media came into play.

Since I’m someone who doesn’t have a subscription to the New York Times, I otherwise would not have been able to read many of these articles. It’s an excellent chance for NBA fans to get a look into how devoted one publication was to covering a variety of teams, not just the ones in the New York area. You’ll find articles from the 1970s, to ones as recent as 2018, and everything in between. However, don’t expect the story to unfold in chronological order.

DC Comics Celebrates Batman’s 80th Anniversary

Deanna Chapman Apr 1, 2019

DC Comics hosted a Batman panel at WonderCon on Friday, March 29th to celebrate the character turning 80. The panel was moderated by Sam Humphries, and the panelists included Greg Capullo, Peter Tomasi, Joëlle Jones, Becky Cloonan, Scott Snyder, and Tom King. They shared their experiences with the character and even had a couple of big announcements.

The first announcement was the changing of the Detective Comics logo. The second was a new comic from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Batman: Last Knight on Earth. The panel gave attendees a sneak peek at some of Capullo’s artwork on the title and its safe to say that I’m excited for this one. While I’m not entirely caught up on the work that the two have done since New 52, I’ve seen enough to know that I’m in for the long haul with both creators.

Pretoria – “Lafayette Ave.” (Video Premiere)

Deanna Chapman Mar 6, 2019

Pretoria is a four piece alternative/indie rock band out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The band added a new member, Evelyn Timmis, after their first EP and they’ve since been honing their sound. We’re happy to be premiering the video for “Lafayette Ave.” today.

Problem Daughter – “Modern Stigmata” (Video Premiere)

Deanna Chapman Feb 21, 2019

Problem Daughter hail from Salt Lake City, UT and they’re bringing the punk vibes. Today we’re happy to be premiering the video for their new song “Modern Stigmata.” The band’s full length album, Grow Up Trash, is out everywhere on March 22nd via Wiretap Records (US) and Bearded Punk Records (EU).

Review: Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time

Deanna Chapman Jan 14, 2019

On January 12, 1999, Britney Spears hit the music scene with …Baby One More Time. Boy bands, Britney Spears, and company ruled the late 90s and early 2000s with their music. The title track dropped in October 1998, which gave fans a taste of what to expect. It also helped blast Britney into her celebrity status. It’s the only track I can imagine having such a big impact from the get-go. Wouldn’t it have been odd for them to have the lead single be literally any other song on the album? That’s sure how it feels now, anyway.

Review: Radar State – Strays

Deanna Chapman Jan 11, 2019

Radar State is a new powerhouse band that consists of Matt Pryor and Jim Suptic of The Get Up Kids, Josh Berwanger of The Anniversary, and Adam Phillips of The Architects. Each of these guys has been in the game for quite some time. The Get Up Kids’ Something to Write Home About turns 20 this year, to put things into perspective.

Strays feels like a cohesive album even with the tradeoffs at lead vocals. No matter who is singing, you get what this album is all about. “What’s a Rebel” is a jam that feels like it could be a summer anthem. As soon as the hook comes in, energy courses through you. I found it hard to sit still while listening to the song because it just makes you want to jump. If I were sitting while listening to it, I’d either have my head bobbing along to the beat or had my feet bouncing up and down. It’s just that catchy.

Review: The Sopranos Sessions

Deanna Chapman Jan 9, 2019

I made sure that 2018 was the year I finally made my way through The Sopranos. I finished the final season just before the year ended. It was quite the trek and nicely timed given that The Sopranos Sessions was set to release this month. After finishing the show, I jumped into the book and went on the wild ride all over again.

Old Best Friend – “Anna” (Song Premiere)

Deanna Chapman Dec 31, 2018

Old Best Friend are set to release Almost on February 15th, 2019. Today, we’re premiering the first single, “Anna.” The song tells the tale of a reluctant friendship from start to finish. You can pre-order the album on Bandcamp and Google Play or pre-save it on Apple Music and Spotify.

Introducing Chat Sematary

Deanna Chapman Dec 10, 2018

It took me much longer to get around to writing something up on my new podcast than I intended, but here we are. Chat Sematary is my new Stephen King podcast. I’m breaking down his bibliography and many of the adaptations that followed. As of right now, I have roughly 10 episodes in the bag and four that you can listen to now (five if you want to include the trailer).

For the most part, I’ll be experiencing a lot of his novels for the first time. I had read a handful out of order when I first started reading his works and then I decided to start from the top and run through them in the order of release. That led me to the idea for this podcast and it’s going to be a lengthy process. Right now, there are roughly 150 episodes to plan out. That number will change as King continues to release novels, short stories, and novellas and as more adaptations come out.

If you’re a King fan, even in the slightest, you just might find something to enjoy with this podcast. I’m not going to claim to be an expert on his works and how everything ties in, but I’m having a lot of fun discussing everything. I’m also always open to having new guests on the podcast, so if you or anyone you know might be interested, get in touch with me on Twitter.

You can find the podcast on Transistor to listen and subscribe and on Twitter and Instagram. There’s even a thread for both of my shows on the Chorus.fm forum.

Review: Rock Critic Law

Deanna Chapman Nov 1, 2018

Michael Azerrad is no stranger to writing about music. He’s the author of Our Band Could Be Your Life, and he recently released Rock Critic Law. The latter is a book that includes 101 unbreakable rules for writing badly about music, as the subtitle notes. The book is an extremely quick read as the rules are presented in tweet-length format.