Andy Roberts » Ustream

Google+ Hangout for Podcast #47

Andy Roberts — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:13:23 +0000

For this week’s podcast I wanted to experiment with using Google+ , a new(ish) social networking site which has a feature they call “hangout” for bringing groups of people together by video link. It’s kind of like a group video call with a text chat, so superficially not that disimilar really to the ustream and livestream systems that I’ve been using for the weekly Tuesday night broadcasts up until about April this year.

Do you need a Google+ invitation? Click here

The Google+ service as a whole is getting a lot of attention even though it only launched to the public this month, and even though the circles metaphor can be a bit cumbersome, there’s a tendency towards fuller conversations and better discovery that makes it interesting for musicians, I think. But all that could change as the new platform develops, we’ll have to see. What intrigues me though, is the way that Google is integrating many of their popular services together, and Google of course is behind youTube. I’ve been waiting for youTube “Live” to open up but for the time being that seems to be open only to a few international TV stations. There is some confusing talk about youTube live being available on Google+ hangouts but thsi always turns out to be about taking the existing youTube live streams and relaying them into a Hangout, rather than using the Hangout to generate a new livestream that can be relayed out into youTube live, and saved as youTube videos in a channel, which the direction I’m probably looking for.

Google+ Hangout

So we planned to try out the ‘Hangout’ feature within Google+, this Sunday afternoon just gone at 3.00pm, and the result has been incorporated into this Andy Roberts podcast episode #47.

Google+ Hanging out

If you wanted to take part in future Google+ events with me, or just listen in as it happens, then you would need to activate a Google+ Profile if you don’t already have one, and add me to a circle. Again, if you need a Google+ invitation you can get one here

Sunday Afternoons, 3.00pm

Oh yes, and the other thing that’s changed is that we’ve moved to Sunday afternoons for the regular weekly spot, at 3.00pm UK time, which is currently GMT+1 with daylight saving. That’s 10pm in Beijing. The Sunday afternoon 3.00pm time slot will continue throughout the month of August.

Podcast 47

Here’s the download and play link etc:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS or get it from iTunes

Download MP3 to save – 39.69 Mb in size, playtime 28 minutes 49 seconds :- 47 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 47.mp3

Andy Roberts Podcast #47 Shownotes

Show Notes for Podcast 47

Mondura Dam
Work is Done
Shifting Sands
Hesitation Blues (trad?)
Home – Roy Harper (Part Song)
Mozambique – Bob Dylan
The Same Old Rock – Roy Harper (Part Song)
Narrow Boats

Over 100 downloads for #12 in one week

Andy Roberts — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:46:23 +0000

Podcast Episode 12 has been the first episode to achieve over 100 downloads within a week, before the next episode is even recorded. Now 100 may seem like a very small number compared to some of the big multi-artist curated podcasts out there, but for me it’s a milestone which represents a steady growth in the reach of the music over the weeks and now months that I’ve been keeping going at this, every week without fail.

Of course without much tangible feedback, there’s no way of telling how many people actually listen, whether multiple listens to one download or some who collect files and never get around to listening at all, it’s all a bit of a mystery so all we have to go on for now are the numbers.

I’ve noticed that youTube are now allowing uploads more than 10 minutes long, which means that the version of The Same Old Rock which is on podcast 12 can be put up there, whereas before it would have been just a little to long to scrape in. So tonight for Episode 13 I think I may do two more longer songs, both my own.

See you on Ustream at 7.00pm Tuesdays

11 : Podcasting Andy Roberts Music

Andy Roberts — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:35:01 +0000

Podcasting a day early with the Andy Roberts music podcast Episode 11

So this week’s podcast was recorded a day early, on the Monday instead of Tuesday, not that that will make much difference to podcast subscribers, who mostly seem to like to download the show about one week after it’s been published, but for those of you who might on occasion turn up for the live show at 7.00pm, I won’t be there at all some Tuesdays, and this was one of them.

Knowing that I was effectively playing to an absent live audience had a curious effect on the performance, which I would describe as slightly more random in a creative sort of way, but Linda described as “less in the flow”. I was worried that it wouldn’t be good enough for me to want to put out at all, so I carried on after the half hour but in the end that just made it a bit more difficult to edit down to size, something I’d prefer not to do really.

So the original full length video file saved over on Ustream is not worth keeping really, due to the failing daylight at this time of year on a cloudy September evening, and me not having bothered to find the lamp. I kind of like lurking in the dark though

Andy Roberts is being kept in the dark

Here is the tracklist of links and show notes for Podcast Episode 11:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 28.8Mb in size and 29 minutes 57 seconds in duration from this link

10 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 11.mp3

Podcast Episode 11 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 11 broadcast on September 13th, published on September 14th 2010.

1) Century

A Millenium song written by Andy Roberts around 1980

“Century is my song for the Millennium, written in the early eighties looking forward to the year 2000. It’s called “Century” because the term Millennium wasn’t so much in use then, nobody much had started thinking about it yet, and I was still writing COBOL computer programs with 2 digit years”

2) I Am The Way

Song by Loudon Wainwright after Woodie Guthrie’s “Standing Down in New York Town”. Just noticed I played this not long ago, in podcast 7 oh well.

3) You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

Bob Dylan Song from Greatest Hits Vol 2

4) Mondura Dam – Andy Roberts song

I may have played this recently, not sure now, but anyway here it is again but this time on the 12 string guitar. Music and Lyrics by Andy Roberts.

5) Norwegian Wood – Beatles

I kind of love/hate this song, so I’m trying to reinterpret it. The video below will be from a live performance at Havering Folk Club

6) Me and my Friend the Cat

One of the early songs by Loudon Wainwright – performed on his birthday. Happy birthday Loudon. Next time I’ll remember the lyrics, OK.

Episode 9 Back from France

Andy Roberts — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:40:03 +0000

A couple of hours back from France, I still wanted to do the weekly podcast but episode 9 nearly got lost forever due a glitch with Ustream. This morning is had processed OK though, so here we have the Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 9 with some new and old songs as usual. I’m still working on the combined song about the walk and the rain, with the six string open tuned in D minor, so I had a go at that one live to kick off the show last night. There’s still more work to be done, but it seems to be a slow process with this one.

The other songs are all played on the 12 string guitar again.

So here are the links for Podcast Episode 9:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 27.9Mb in size and 29 minutes long from this link

09 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 9.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Video Podcast Episode No 9

Podcast Episode 9 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 9 broadcast on August 31st, published on September 1st 2010.

Working Title: Changes

Unfinished work with lyrics and music by And Roberts

Biggleswade Stomp

Just a quick blast of the Biggleswade stomp by Andy Roberts and Gaseous Mass

Reason To Believe

An old favourite song by Tim Hardin, which you may know as the A side of Maggie May by Rod Stewart.

San Fransisco – Maxime le Forestier

My favourite song to sing in French, by one of France’s best loved singer songwriters from the 1970s.

Mazet – Andy Roberts

After meeting up with one of my old pals from the Cafe Mazet last week after 30 years, I couldn’t resist playing this one.

Now That I’m Living Here – Andy Roberts

Another Andy Roberts Revival song, I had to relearn the chords to this one last year but ever since have kept it high in the repertoire.

Bambuser Platform for Live Streaming

Andy Roberts — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:19:34 +0000

I just found out about the Bambuser platform for live streaming video and audio fro a mobile phone or webcam. As such it could be considered a possible alternative to Ustream that I’ve been using for the live show on Tuesdays over the past year or so. There is a facility to download saved broadcasts, so that would work for stripping out the audio for podcasts, and for editing out songs for uploading to youTube. There’s also a chat facility but I haven’t tested that yet. The sound quality seems acceptable, and there’s a much shorter lag between broadcast and feedback.

Andy Roberts Bambuser

Episode 6 Andy Roberts Podcast – Fingerstyle Blues

Andy Roberts — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:43:23 +0000

Here’s episode 6 in the weekly podcast series and this week I feature some fingerstyle blues tunes.

I have two apologies to make first.

The length of the podcasts is meant to be strictly under half an hour, and this one is 30 minutes and 18 seconds. That’s eighteen seconds too long, I didn’t notice until after I’d exported the mp3 file. Sorry about that. Won’t happen again. The other thing is the sound quality which is not up to scratch either. I’ve done some software updates and the recording level got reset, and it was too high so there is some distortion on the guitar parts in the louder tunes. I dont mind it too much myself, but if you hate that sort of cheap fuzzboxy kind of noise then just skip over those bits, or miss out the whole episode. I’ll get it right next time. Now the podcast player and show notes:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 29.2Mb in size and 30 minutes 18 seconds in duration from this link

06 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 6.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Video Podcast Episode No 6

Podcast Episode 6 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 6 broadcast on August 10th, published on August 11th 2010. All songs performed with the six string Ibanez acoustic guitar again (must get the 12 string out next week)

Hesitation Blues

I know this song from Ralph McTell but the origins are older: “Hesitation Blues” is a popular song written by Billy Smythe, Scott Middleton, and Art Gillham around 1914. It’s changed a bit, with famous versions by Leadbelly, Rev Gary Davis and Janis Joplin

When The Waters Rise

I haven’t performed my song “When The Waters Rise” for a while so I thought I’d slip it into this episode. It’s not a blues though, it’s a tango. SInce the subject matter is a distopian view of climate change I thought I’d offer it to the Black Mountain Uncivilisation community. Oh well.

Count On Me

I learned this one from Wizz Jones but it’s by Mose Allison

Doing it All Alone

One of my Paris songs, Doing it all alone : lyrics and music by Andy Roberts

Deep River Blues

Again know to me as a Wizz Jones song but it’s an old blues classic made famous by Doc Watson.

Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

John The Fish used to sing this one at the old folk cottage in Truro, and then Eric Clapton recorded it on his unplugged album but it was a well knownjazz/blues song before that.

No – by Loudon Wainwright

This is just the bonus track really, which I learned to play this week in response to a request by Then Wang for a tutorial with chords so he can learn it himself. Great song though, which I may be able to do some justice to one day, but not quite there yet…

EAVB_QEVEUEIIKM

Podcast Episode 3 – Laid Back Edition

Andy Roberts — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:29:20 +0000

Podcast Episode 3 finds me just returned from a relaxing break down in Cornwall, and still feeling pretty mellow, so the atmosphere this week is more laid back than usual. There are two unfinished new songs which found their way into the podcast, and I’ve always described the live show as having “half finished songs, improvisations etc” which is something I’d like to be able to do more of as the podcast progesses. I feel that some of my most satisfying compositions have been created in the moment and then never repeated, but then again you;d have to wade through a fair amount of inferior material to get to the nuggets so it’s a difficult one to pull off on a recorded session.

Here’s the online podcast player for listening to Episode 3:

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 27.4Mb in size and 29 minutes 54 seconds in duration from this link

03 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 3.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Episode No 3 Video

Podcast Episode 3 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 3 published on July 20th 2010.

All songs were recorded using a 6 string acoustic Ibanez guitar