Deeper Cuts

What grabs you as a kid listening to songs on the radio may still grab you as an adult... but the nuances often come out after you’ve had years to process them, all informed by life experience. This was true for Rob and Steely Dan’s 1972 debut record Can’t Buy a Thrill. It was an album he immersed himself in his twenties during his first flush of CD buying. But as a little kid, the big radio singles sounded weird and even terrifying – and sometimes hilarious – to him. So, what’s the real identity of the music beyond what listeners hear in it wherever they are in their lives? It’s a big question. Of course, as always, music is weird, with a lot of it splitting rooms and creating friction among otherwise friendly discussions between music fans. Does that play out here among the Deeper Cuts trio? Where do they stand on the Steely Dan divide? Where do musical expectations come into this discussion of how we hear music from one point in our lives to another? And what of this album, specifically? Is it a thrill? O

When you find out your friend is in a band and has made a record, it’s like finding out that they’re a practicing wizard, a superhero, or secret agent. It often turns music fans/friends into evangelists – “Everyone! Listen to what my friend made!” In the heady days when melancholic northern new wave roamed the earth, Graeme’s friend Bob, alias “Simon DeBeaupre”, along with his bandmates in Age of Mirrors put out 1987’s Screenplay. Graeme made sure we all had a copy. He’s still making sure of that by way of this episode of our show – thirty-five years later! So, all these years later, how do the songs carry? What about the personal connections to the music? Do they skew the results as to how listeners judge its quality? Overall, what does the Deeper Cuts Trio think about this album? Does this record scale the cinematic heights? Or does the plot fall flat? Jump on that play button to find out. You can take a shallow or even a deep dive into this past season courtesy of our Spotify Playlist which covers every

Music runs deep and has the power to enlighten, educate, and empower. This doesn’t have to be a didactic thing and the best of it isn’t. Great songs can do all of those things as one listens and enjoys them. It does all that at the soul level. Music is weird – and sometimes very, very sneaky. Shannon connected with the world of acapella from her time in college, solidifying her well-earned status as theater and choir kid. All the while, the music of Sweet Honey in the Rock and their album Breaths was a stalwart influence to change her perspective on what acapella music could be. It introduced the idea of protest and politics in acapella music – a new idea for her as a young music-maker. So, how did the Deeper Cuts trio react? Did the album take our breaths away, or was it a battle for our lives? Do the thing with the clicking to listen. You can come back to all the songs sung this season thanks to our Spotify Playlist which covers every episode, as well as the recently completed miniseries, The Live Session

There reaches a point in a young music fan’s life when they begin to detect the emotional complexities of the songs and albums they love. This usually corresponds with a capacity for sensing these things in real life between real people. One discovers that some things can seem happy on the surface, while being full of tumult and struggle underneath. Nick Heyward’s 1983 debut record North of a Miracle was the key example for Rob when he was 14 and going on 15. It also provided the soundtrack for what followed in his own life as things changed dramatically in his household at the time. How does that happy/sad dynamic in the music read for him today? How does this dynamic play in general when one is feeling down or in a period of uncertainty? Most of all what did Rob’s co-hosts think of the album? Was it a guiding north star to musical bliss? Or did it go south fast? Get with the clickity-click to discover the answer. Our Spotify Playlist will cover each episode of this season, as well as the recently complete

We often find an attachment to certain music during times of emotional upheaval and loss. And it can be a double-edged blade. We love it and find it painful at the same time... because, hey, music is weird – and mysterious. For Graeme, the ending of a relationship led him to this exact place. Around that time, Sarah McLachlan’s 1997 record Surfacing was his soundtrack – not just on his personal stereo, but with the music playing as a musical accompaniment in his head as he navigated his way through a painful period. Join Graeme, Shannon and Rob as they ask: what makes a great break-up record anyway? Is there a way to reconcile an album we associate with emotionally harrowing times to just appreciate it over time as great music? Overall, what did the Deeper Cuts trio think of this record as a whole? Did it breach the surface for us, or did it sink to the bottom? You know what to do to find out! Our Spotify Playlist will cover each episode of this season, as well as the recently completed miniseries, The Live

As is often the case with music, love can grow in increments. The Deeper Cuts trio touched on that in our discussion on Tom Waits’ Mule Variations album all the way back in Season Two when Shannon first saw the artist’s incendiary performance of “Chocolate Jesus” on Letterman. But even as listeners grow into a sound over time, artists themselves reveal something of their art through various stages of their careers, too. It was this phenomenon that struck Shannon when she heard 1974’s The Heart of Saturday Night, which presents Tom Waits in an earlier incarnation. The album revealed new depths and new perspectives for her on his work, solidifying her fandom for all time. But what were the impressions of her two cohorts? Did we all sidle up to the bar and knock a few back in celebration of the weekend, or did we get bogged down by the threat of Monday morning? Make with the clicking to find out, friends as we begin our sixth, yes that's right, sixth season of Deeper Cuts. As ever, our nifty Spotify Playlist

Twas two weeks before Christmas (a little bit less) and all through the podcast, Shannon, Graeme and Rob were receiving holiday presents... from our listeners! That's right, this year we've outsourced our traditional gift exchange. Listeners Martin Hajovsky, Drew Walco and Sarah Irvin have given Graeme, Shannon and Rob respectively albums that they like. Will the Deeper Cuts trio have a holly jolly Christmas with the listener gifts? Or will they be like the abominable snowman before Hermey the Elf's dentistry? As ever, we liven up the proceedings with questions about music and making the show from even more of our faithful listeners. Grab yourself an egg nog and enjoy the music of this special on our Spotify Playlist, which covers all the albums gifted here, as well as all the albums in our Live Sessions. Also, don’t forget to talk to us on Twitter (@deepercutscast) and to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts! Special thanks to Andrea Burk for the "Vox Pop" at the start of the episode. Deeper Cu

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Live Sessions – a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the live music albums that were meaningful to them, and pondering what makes a great live album. After exploring a theater and a concert hall as a setting for great live records, this time we consider the large-scale outdoor live show. To illustrate this context best, Shannon showcases a go-to live album for her – Paul Simon’s 1991 live offering, Concert in the Park. For Shannon, it was a high school record; a put-it-on-in-the-car-and-drive-anywhere record. It meant freedom, adventure, and was a taste of the independence she would find later on when she made the setting of this record, New York, her adopted home. But how did this work for the Deeper Cuts trio? What did we think of an album that covers so much ground across a mighty discography? How do the songs translate on such a large scale? Can they emerge from the shadow of not only their original recorded versions but Simon and Garfunkel's

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Live Sessions – a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the live music albums that were meaningful to them, and pondering what makes a great live album. During a hellscape of a summer marked by a never-ending work crisis, Graeme learned about the Indigo Girls' new live album through a Deeper Cuts fan (and friend of the program) Sarah Irvin. This new album-- a collaboration with the University of Colorado Symphony Orchestra-- pushed the boundaries of a live performance for the folk duo, and proved to be a balm for Graeme during a difficult time. In this second of our Live Sessions, Graeme, Shannon and Rob discuss this album as a hallmark of the "experimental" live album and whether combining an orchestra with the Indigo Girls' unique brand of music works and, if so, why. And what is it about the Indigo Girls' music that makes it work for this sort of a departure. The conductor is tapping his baton, so let's, as the Indigo Girls sing, GO! Our Spotify

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Live Sessions – a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the live music albums that were meaningful to them, and pondering what makes a great live album. There are wake-up calls and there are WAKE UP! calls. When Rob was growing up, his Dad’s copy of James Brown and the Famous Flames’ Live at the Apollo record was one of those... and in more than one respect. For Rob, one form was literal, while another form took hold over a much longer term, helping to shape his musical outlook for all time. In this first of three episodes of Deeper Cuts: The Live Sessions, Rob, Shannon and Graeme talk about what makes a great live record with this one as something of a gold standard. We’ll talk about what the dynamics between artist and audience mean to how well they work, the value of an album as a "souvenir" of a concert in a particular time and plance, and of course what the significance of such albums are to us as music fans and as people. So – are you ready for

Ho! Ho! Ho! Our annual holiday special has returned and so has our traditional gift exchange! Join Shannon, Graeme and Rob as they exchange albums with each other (this year as a duo-- double the potential catastrophization!) and find out if their gift is a stocking hung by the chimney with care, or a Grinch-robbed home instead. Throughout, the Deeper Cuts trio will be answering listener questions about holiday music and about the show! It's the one holiday party you can be guaranteed a good time. Stay warm, metaphorically speaking, from the glow of our Spotify Playlist, which covers all the albums covered in this special, as well as just about every album in season five, and our Soundtrack Sessions from a few months ago for good measure. Also, don't forget to talk to us on Twitter (@deepercutscast) and to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts! Special thanks to Deborah Stanish for the "vox pop" at the start of the episode. We'll be back with lots more Deeper Cuts in 2022!

In part two of our exploration of the 2015 soundtrack to the musical Hamilton, the Deeper Cuts trio continue their discussion of the resonant themes in the musical that helped Shannon become the person she wanted to be and how music can help us set our values. We also talk about what Hamilton has to say about American history and the musical's use of references to other works. For this finale episode to the fifth series of the Deeper Cuts, Shannon, Graeme and Rob throw in everything but the kitchen sink (and possibly even that). Will we find a way to say no to this? Or will this episode still be the room where it happens? Join us and listen in to the discussion. You can listen to our Spotify Playlist, which covers just about every album in season five, as well as our Soundtrack Sessions from a few months ago. Also, don't forget to talk to us on Twitter (@deepercutscast) and to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts! Special thanks to Alex Kennard for our theme song and Scot Clarke for our logo an

How can art shape our very identities? How can it give us a sense of direction from the people we are to the people we want to be – shaping our very values? Shannon adopted the city of New York as her home, and many of her album selections for this show across multiple seasons demonstrate her love for the city as she made memories there and became an independent and more confident person. But with the 2015 musical Hamilton, New York loved her right back, and the production transformed her. What was it about this grand and unique production that resonated with her to such a degree? How did it change her perceptions of her surroundings, her city, her values as a human being? And how did her two co-hosts respond to a musical that inspired one of the only rules for album selection on Deeper Cuts? Will we raise the glass to the three of us? Or will we throw away our shot? Check out this episode and find out. Listen! No, really, you can listen to our Spotify Playlist, which covers the albums covered in this seaso

When one is at a young age, the way isn’t always as straightforward as we initially think. This is true of the subcultures, ideology and even faith communities we find ourselves in. But what remains after we find ourselves on a different path years later? How do those lessons we picked up from a bygone age play now? They remain with us perhaps just as unexpectedly, even when we’ve become completely different people years down the line. Steve Taylor’s 1985 album On the Fritz, an example of the emerging movement of Christian Contemporary Music in 1980s, was an artifact from a different era for Graeme, when he was a very different person. What drew his interest in the music when he first heard it as a 14-year old member of the Evangelical church? And how did he respond to the songs on the album today now that he’s left that subculture far behind? More importantly, how did his two Deeper Cuts colleagues react to the record? Was it a come to Jesus moment? Or was it more like a Miltonian fall from grace? Alas, On

Being connected. Feeling surrounded by those who support you. It’s vital to happiness, particularly during life-altering events like the birth of a child, for instance. This was on Rob’s mind as he anticipated the arrival of a new daughter, and the feelings associated with being surrounded by an extended support system of soon-to-be aunties, uncles, and grandparents, too. The soundtrack for all this was 2004’s Everyone is Here by the Finn Brothers, a record that is about these very same sorts of connections and how they affect who we are and how we perceive the world. So, what did Rob’s fellow Deeper Cuts crew members think of the album? Was it a case of a warm familial embrace, or an argument around the dinner table? Our Spotify Playlist covers the albums covered in this season, as well as our Soundtrack Sessions from a few months ago. And don't forget to talk to us on Twitter (@deepercutscast) and to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts!

Romance! Everyone has an idea of what it means to them. It is certainly attached to intense emotional states, especially when we’re young. By the late eighties, Graeme was in college in doing content creation in a time before podcasts – this time as co-editor of the school newspaper. It was there that his fellow editor turned him onto the finer things in literature and in music – including Van Morrison’s Poetic Champions Compose. The record spoke to Graeme in his earnest romantic state of mind during a time when he was trying to find his way through the briar patch of youthful infatuation. It was also Graeme’s intro to jazzier textures within pop music that provided his soundtrack by which to feel things - deeply. So, what did the Deeper Cuts trio think of this record? Did we fall in love hard? Or, did this album make us forget that love existed? Our Spotify Playlist covers the albums covered in this season, as well as our Soundtrack Sessions from a few months ago. And don't forget to talk to us on Twitter

A clean slate. A new era. A dedication to a new focus. When Shannon moved to Boston’s Fenway neighborhood for graduate school, these were some of the things that characterized her life at that time. As we’ve learned by now, for every era in a music fan’s life, there is a soundtrack. Regina Spektor’s 2006 record Begin to Hope was just that, as Shannon immersed herself in the world of books, academia, and a new sense of independence as a person living in the city – a theme that would certainly recur in her life from there. So, what did her Deeper Cuts co-hosts think of the album? Is it on our personal radio, or is it a case of 20 years of snow? Find out in this, our second episode of season five. Our Spotify Playlist covers the albums covered in this season, as well as our Soundtrack Sessions from a few months ago. And don't forget to talk to us on Twitter (@deepercutscast) and to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts!

Some records become the soundtrack for pivotal periods of self-discovery in our lives, even if we’re not aware of the importance of those times to our personal development – maybe even especially so. In the summer of 1987, Rob took a trip to Barbados to stay with his cousin. Driving around the island, A-Ha’s 1985 album Hunting High and Low played in the car often; music from a northern and sometimes wintry country serving as a sonic backdrop to adventures in the sunny Caribbean. More importantly, its underlying tone and emotional content allowed 18-year-old Rob the space to consider his direction, his values, and what type of person he wanted to be. All these years later, how does the music resonate with him and with his Deeper Cuts co-hosts? Join Shannon, Rob and Graeme as they embark on Deeper Cuts' fifth season and consider this example of danceable synthpop at its finest: does the sun always shine on this record? Or are we hunting high and low for the exits? Our Spotify Playlist covers the albums covere

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Soundtrack Sessions - a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the the intersection between film and music while looking at albums that were meaningful to one of them. As a teenager, Graeme was drawn to the world of orchestral film scores. Thanks to a friend at church who gave him a (wait for it) mix tape of movie soundtracks, Graeme was well on his way. One of the big ones around this time was Ennio Morricone’s score for the 1986 film The Mission, a story about faith, politics, colonialism, and ultimate violence. That soundtrack helped to shape Graeme’s awareness and love for the unique role that orchestral scores play in telling stories, the texture scoring adds to a film and how viewers perceive those stories. In returning to Morricone’s music for the film, what did Shannon and Rob think of it? Did they embrace the faith, or did they wind up going over the falls? Have a listen and find out. Our Spotify Playlist covers each episode of this miniseri

Welcome to Deeper Cuts: The Soundtrack Sessions - a three-episode miniseries which finds the Deeper Cuts trio looking at the the intersection between film and music while looking at albums that were meaningful to one of them. When favourite films and favourite soundtracks converge at exactly the right time in our lives, magic happens! In Shannon's case, this was also a time when she worked in a video store with her fellow movie and music tastemakers among the all-female staff, so she had the additional joy of reveling in pop culture banter at the retail level, experiencing geek wisdom, and a sense of coolness and belonging. A freshman in high school at the time, the High Fidelity movie and its accompanying soundtrack provided young Shannon with her very own mixtape to an impressionable time and helped create a kind of affinity with the characters in the movie, with their sense of taste, style, and expression - snark and snobbery included. But what did Graeme and Rob make of the High Fidelity soundtrack as a l