MUSIC is not a GENRE

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FEATURED SONG

NICK – “Listen You People” (from LISTEN YOU PEOPLE)

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It’s that time again. Time for YOU.

I’m kicking off Season 9 with another rundown of YOUR COMMENTS, as well as a shortlist of some of the topics I’ll be covering this season.

I’m also welcoming ALL THE TROLLS to the family. As MxG’s profile continues to rise, it’s attracting far more negative comments – and I love that. I’ll talk about what...

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We're in between seasons! While we wait for Season 9 to start, here's YET ANOTHER BONUS EPISODE. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. I'm taking a much needed summer break; 2. This is a fantastic topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

This BONUS MxTRA is all about how every decade of music is actually T...

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We're in between seasons! While we wait for Season 9 to start, here's YET ANOTHER BONUS EPISODE. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. I'm taking a much needed summer break; 2. This is a fantastic topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

This BONUS MxTRA is on the HISTORY OF MUSIC CENSORSHIP.

If y...

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We're in between seasons! While we wait for Season 9 to start, here's YET ANOTHER BONUS EPISODE. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. I'm taking a much needed summer break; 2. This is a fantastic topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

This BONUS MxTRA is all about GIRL GROUP SOLO STARS - Diana Ross, B...

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We're in between seasons! While we wait for Season 9 to start, here's YET ANOTHER BONUS EPISODE. It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. I'm taking a much needed summer break; 2. This is a fantastic topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

This BONUS MxTRA is all about BOY BAND SOLO STARS - MJ, Bobby B...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “allcaps” (from KITE TO CAMDEN)

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It’s over. 

Season 8, that is.

This is the final official episode of the season, and I’m ending it with a bang.

If you’re an MxG fan, you kinda know my music philosophy, which is the ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS THE MUSIC. But do you REALLY know what that means?

In this PODFAST #38, I pose a slew of questions I D...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “You Make Me Wanna”

(from SYNCOPY FOR THE WEIRD and RECcollection: THE BEST OF REC 2007-2020)

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It was bound to happen eventually, and now is the perfect time.

With the recent release of CONFESSIONS II, Madonna is back in the spotlight (as if she ever really leaves). Since I’ve been a fan of hers for just about her whole career – and since she’s one of the few true ICONS OF MUSI...

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FEATURED SONG

NICK – “Worthless” (single from the upcoming album, VALLEY OF THE UNRELEASED)

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My Great Producers series concludes with this week’s episode.

I cover the 2020s so far, speculate on what’s coming next, and do an entire series summary. I also rank my favorite producers from each decade, and finally explain both why I did this series AND why it matters.

What’s grabbed your ears in the 2020s so far? Any trends y...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. I'm prepping for a major live REC presentation, and it's consuming all my time; 2. This is a fantastic topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I discuss the death of genre bias, as well as its o...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “allcaps” (from KITE TO CAMDEN)

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There’s a troubling trend in music production that I thought had run its course. Artists, and especially producers, are severely limiting their range – dynamics, tempo, expression, sound. It’s made for some respectable but bland albums.

BUT there are nearly as many artists doing the OPPOSITE. And I have a whole bunch of examples of both.

I do quick takes of OVER 30 albums – most released this...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “Ripe” (from THE SUNSHINE SEMINAR)

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After a loooong wait, it’s finally here: my complete history of jam bands. Since I didn’t know much about this, I brought in guest host Scott Blaze to help me tease out the details.

From early jazz, to the Dead, to Phish, to Goose, I go over it all. And Scott weighs in with his expert insights and opinions.

Are you into jam band music...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “Different People” (from THE SUNSHINE SEMINAR)

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This week brings Part 7 of my Great Producers series. We’re up to the 2010s.

While the pool of influential producers seemed to contract in the ‘90s and 2000s, the 2010s saw an expansion, in line with the explosion of online & streaming music. And how the music of the 2010s started is a far cry from how it ended. Trends went from energetic to nearly comatose. I go over...

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FEATURED SONGS

REC – “If It Feels All Right” – “chart” hit

REC – “Gold” – streaming hit

(both from REC’s debut album, PARTS AND LABOUR)

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At some point in every episode of MxG that discusses artists, I mention which of their albums and singles charted. For that I use the Billboard charts – mostly from the US and occasionally from other countries. 

The more I do that, the more I notice something. The songs that were the biggest cha...

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This ain't no regular BONUS MxTRA. It's a DOUBLE BONUS SPECTACULAR!! 

As always, I'm sharing this for THREE reasons: 1. Busy busy! I just finished a massively labor intensive REC show (I'll share video clips and all the actual music videos soon), and haven't had time to prep new episodes; 2. These two bonuses are on one of my favorite funk pop bands; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when y...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. I'm prepping for a major live REC presentation, and it's consuming all my time; 2. This is a fantastic topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I do a full history of K-Pop, from decades ago until r...

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I was all set to do a bonus episode on girl groups, in conjunction with one of my boy band episodes, but in researching them I found the topic far too rich, and decided to do a full proper episode. A MEGA episode. In fact, the LONGEST MxG EVER. 

Like with the boy band episodes, though with a markedly different trajectory, I take us far back in history and through to today, highlighting the most significant girl groups from every era, a...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “Almost Everything About You” (from KITE TO CAMDEN and THE SINGLES COLLECTION)

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I’ve been a boy band fan since I was … a boy. From the Jacksons to New Edition to NKOTB, the Backstreet Boys & NSYNC, even through to the Jonas Brothers, Big Time Rush, One Direction,  BTS and K-Pop in general, boy bands have captured my attention, both as a fan and as an artist.

Part 2 of my mega-coverage features a history of b...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “All On Me” (from KITE TO CAMDEN and THE SINGLES COLLECTION)

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I’ve been a boy band fan since I was … a boy. From the Jacksons to New Edition to NKOTB, the Backstreet Boys & NSYNC, even through to the Jonas Brothers, Big Time Rush, One Direction, BTS and K-Pop in general, boy bands have captured my attention, both as a fan and as an artist.

This episode is the first of two parts, and...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. I'm prepping a string of incredible episodes, and need more pre-production time to get them out; 2. This is a fantastic topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I do a complete history of DAWs - i.e...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “SNo Globe” (from THE SUNSHINE SEMINAR and THE SINGLES COLLECTION)

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Welcome to the lucky 13th catchup edition. This is ALL ABOUT YOU. Fan comments, suggestions, updates. I do them all, as well as catch YOU up on some upcoming episodes.

It’s ALSO about something I’ve been dying to do for a while. Every time I hear some old dude complaining that music isn’t what it used to be, I’m reminded of...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “Come A Little Closer (Scared Boy Remix)”

(from REC’s debut album, PARTS AND LABOUR)

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Part Six of my Great Producers series takes us to the 2000s. Digital recording had finally become fully affordable, and took over every aspect of the industry, leaving analog systems to retro purists & people who could afford them. New tools allowed for greater precision & tightness than ever before, and that became the standard for every genre.

I talk...

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Join Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/MUSICisnotaGENRE 

For as little as ONE DOLLAR A MONTH, you can support this podcast and get dozens of exclusives each year, early releases of everything, and direct access to me. 

Memberships of $5, $10, or more a month are of course welcome, but please give according to your ability. Everyone counts! 

AND if you don't want another monthly expense, here's a trick: 

*Join Patreon AS IF you're signing up for a monthly membership 

*Donate w...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. It's getting into my busy gigging season, and I always want to make sure you get something new every week of the year; 2. This is a fascinating topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I do a...

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FEATURED VIDEO

The Story of REC – As Told by the LOGOS

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The second episode in my series on visuals connected with music is on one of my all-time favorite topics: logos.

I’ve been a graphic designer my whole life, and have been fascinated by logos since I was a kid. Logos are often the first thing you see that connects you to the artist or product or company.

I go over the hist...

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This is not a strictly political podcast. But I do bring the real world into my discussions. And this episode is not only part of that approach, it might be the EPITOME of it.

In a special two-part PODFAST, I’m profiling the music of both Israel AND Palestine. The more I listen to music from non-English countries, the more I hear how much all of it shares. Israel and Palestine are no exception, and we’d all be better served reme...

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This is not a strictly political podcast. But I do bring the real world into my discussions. And this episode is not only part of that approach, it might be the EPITOME of it.

In a special two-part PODFAST, I’m profiling the music of both Israel AND Palestine. The more I listen to music from non-English countries, the more I hear how much all of it shares. Israel and Palestine are no exception, and we’d all be better served reme...

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FEATURED SONG

NICK – “Fool for You” (from the upcoming album, Valley of the Ureleased)

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Part 5 of my Great Producers series takes us to the 1990s, a hinge decade if there ever was one.

So much of the “old world” of music production was still in play, and for so many reasons. But the new world that was being shaped in the ‘70s & ‘80s finally took hold, and a new standard of recording quality was achieved that has been...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for TWO reasons: 1. This is a fascinating topic I'd love your opinion on; and 2. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I rank the TOP TEN POWER POP acts in history. Guaranteed you will disagree, and I'm hoping that gets us talking!

If you l...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for TWO reasons: 1. This is a fascinating topic I'd love your opinion on; and 2. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I rank the TOP TEN POWER POP acts in history. Guaranteed you will disagree, and I'm hoping that gets us talking!

If you l...

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FEATURED ART

All of Nick’s album cover designs

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One of the great joys of listening to music is absorbing the art. The visual representation of the music can tell us more about the artist’s intentions, and the statement they’re trying to make. 

I’d argue that these direct representations of the music are even more vital than music videos. And though few of us still get physical media – vinyl, cassettes, CDs – we still pay att...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for TWO reasons: 1. This is a fascinating topic I'd love your opinion on; and 2. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I talk about ALL Western music would not be what it is today if not for the contributions & innovations of Germany.

If you l...

Check out Steve Erickson's show, "Radio Not Radio", on Mixcloud!

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In ROUND 7 of BackTalk, Steve Erickson & I discuss the book MOOD MACHINE: THE RISE OF SPOTIFY AND THE COSTS OF THE PERFECT PLAYLIST, by Liz Pelly. It dissects Spotify’s history and its effect on the music industry, recording artists, fans, and music itself.

We use the book as a jumping off point to finally get into exactly why Spotify has been so detrimental to music culture for all but the casual fan, and try to get to some solutions.

Are yo...

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FEATURED SONG
NICK – “Punch Your Soul” (from the upcoming album, VALLEY OF THE UNRELEASED)

I couldn’t wait any longer. My must-hear list was growing to the point where it was stressing me out, and since January & February are slower months for work, it’s the perfect time to catch up on my listening. Gotta stay current!

I do quick takes of 23 albums & EPs from ALL KINDS OF GENRES, and end with my top 10 favorite releases. If you wann...

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FEATURED SONG

REC feat. Pescelet – “Mind Repüljön” (from IT WASN’T ME!)

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This week’s episode may be one of the most important of Season 8, if not this entire show. And it might be one of the timeliest.

The US has an amazing array of music, but we don’t know everything. While we’ve often gotten crossover artists from the UK, Canada & Australia, as well as a few other non-English countries, most of what we hear...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “Almost Everything About You” (from KITE TO CAMDEN)

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Part 4 of my Great Producers series takes us to the 1980s. The synth & drum machine experiments of the 1970s went everywhere. Disco & punk permeated nearly every genre. And production went from midrange & mellow to bright and big. 

I go over all those changes, and discuss many of the top producers of the decade, including some you may have been missing from previous years. And I discu...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. We were just in Vegas, baby, and I needed a week to recover; 2. This is a fascinating topic I'd love your opinion on; and 3. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon. 

In this BONUS MxTRA, I talk about all the death clusters that seem to happen in t...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “If It Feels All Right”

(from PARTS AND LABOUR)

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This week I give you a long overdue lovefest on Fountains of Wayne, possibly the greatest power pop band ever.

Melding driving rock with hooky pop, Fountains of Wayne set the standard laid out by bands like The Beatles, Squeeze, and Big Star. Every album is full of gems that go far beyond “Stacy’s Mom”. 

I go over their history...

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FEATURED SONG

REC – “Let It Wreck Your Mind”

(from SYNCOPY FOR THE WEIRD)

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Part 3 of my Great Producers series is on the 1970s, the decade when music recording realized its full sonic potential. This was due to massive expansion in both technology and creativity. 

Those developments influenced each other in ways that propelled music forward like never before. This episode will discuss that, as well as the producers who made the greatest impact on the...

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Here's yet another BONUS MxTRA for Season 8! It's a PATREON EXCLUSIVE that I'm sharing for THREE reasons: 1. It's just after the holidays & I need an extra week to get new content ready for you; 2. This podcast needs your support, and I want you to know what kind of exclusive content you get when you join me on Patreon; and 3. It's a vital topic that might benefit some listeners out there, especially anyone creating new art.

In this BONUS MxTRA, I talk...

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FEATURED SONG

REC feat. The Drop – “You Know You’re Right (No Fun Pushy Mix)”

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To close out 2025, I’m doing a slightly premature catchup episode – your comments, my corrections & thoughts, etc. 

After I flesh out everything y’all have said in the final third of this year, I’m going to talk about what kind of music podcast you really need to be listening to, by comparing other formats with whatever it is I do.

Did I m...