May 29th, 2010 LIVE at The Shrunken Head with Kevin Milner!

*Folk morphs into electro anti-folk... right before your very ears.*

Kevin Milner is a folksinger from Dayton. You can literally see his heart pouring out of his mouth while he sings... if you squint a little... and spin around in circles. But seriously, it's beautiful. Listen to "Man on a Couch", I love it.

Team Smile and Nod is an electro anti-folk duo from Columbus. We haven't played out for a while. Plus, we've got new songs to try out. So we're pretty much ready to explode with enthusiasm. Woo! (That was only a small piece of what you'll hear on stage... ) Download our first album for FREE.

As an extra bonus, this is an awesome chance to check out the the transformation of Vic's to The Shrunken Head!

In summary, please come. It will be fun.

*Share the event on Facebook!
*Get more details on our main website!

Mind Map That!- NEW Music Blog By Kara...

Awwww... yeah! Mind Map That! is a blog created for Kara (me) to post the odd little songs that dance around in my head that don't really make sense with Team Smile and Nod. In posting them, I'm hoping others will be inspired to add some oddness... make them a creative collaboration! That's the quick summary. Here's the full-length explanation. Here's hoping you'll play with me!

Make Instruments with Us!!! Expand the Vibe!

Yo' Columbus peeps with kids!! Rich and I (Team Smile and Nod) will be helping out at the 10am musical instrument making workshop of Expand the Vibe!! Loads of musical artsy fun to be had for all ages... If you don't have kids, come out for the evening show! (We won't be performing, but there will be a bunch of awesome local bands!) :D

Here's an explanation from the FB invite:

"On behalf of OpenheartART, Living the Arts, and the Peach District, we are happy to present to you our first of many benefit shows geared toward helping non-profit organizations, who support youth by facilitating programs designed around the arts. We believe that we all share the common vision of how crucial the arts are to our youth, our community, and our world. We as local organizations can come together to expand this vision in a big way!

On April 3rd we are putting on our first event in the Neo-V Gallery space, at 247 King Ave. The benefit will start out with workshops hosted by OpenheartART, geared towards encouraging ages 3 years on up, to create and re-imagine music through recycled materials and cooperative jam sessions. There will be 2 three hour workshops, and a fund raising concert later in the evening to collect moneys and or donated instruments for the Short Stop music programs."

Go HERE for more details. Hope to see you there!

6 Reasons Podcasts Rock the Party.

I am a new podcast fan. Yeah, I probably jumped on the podcast fan boat rather late... and yeah, I investigated them for self-fulfilling reasons (to get TSAN's music out there)... but dude, they are so flippin' cool. Here's a list of 6 reasons why they rock the party:

1. Complete Creative Control. They do what they want. Whatever they want. They say what they want... Play what they want... Release their shows when they want... You get my point, right? They have complete creative control to make their show exactly what they want.

2. No one owns them. They are not owned by Clear Channel. They are not owned by advertisers. They own themselves. They make their own decisions. If they decide to monetize, they do it with their own rules.

3. There are podcasts for EVERYONE. It blows my mind. Seriously. Look up anything with the word "podcast" following. I bet you you'll find something.

4. They play independent music! Many major labels won't let podcasters play their tunes. AWESOME! Fuck them! There is so much awesome indie music out there... We are happy to rock the podcasts!

5. Podcasts are by PASSIONATE people. Often podcasts are labors of love. Often the only dough they bring in is from donations. You've GOT to be passionate to do something without getting paid. Why else would you bother?

6. Podcasts and independent music are a natural fit... Often indie bands have a hard time getting radio play. How can we compete with major label money? Podcasters need music to enhance their shows. Podcasters and indie bands fill each others voids perfectly. Everyone benefits... especially listeners. The listeners get to pick a very specific niche and listen whenever and wherever they want... the podcaster only plays the tunes they dig... the musician gets exposure to a very specific group listeners... DUDE... it's a beautiful cycle.

Check out these podcasts... they rocked
Team Smile and Nod:




Dalecast! Episodes #693, #688, and #682
This podcast is an awesome mix of podsafe tunes from around the world... definitely worth checking out: http://www.dalecast.co.uk/

Radio Orphans Podcast- #241
This podcast airs weekly and plays independent music.
Go here to listen- http://radioorphans.blogspot.com/

Geek of all Trades Podcast- #37
This podcast is a variety show... Brian (the host) discusses a wide range of topics including (but not limited to) politics, movies, gaming, personal stuff, current news... and he plays a tune here and there. It is most enjoyable and humorous in nature. Go here: http://arklecast.blogspot.com/

In summary, I miss Flight of the Conchords.