Random Acts Radio, the podcast companion to the webcomics Cocktail Hour and Where the Geeks Are.

While I wanted to begin this podcast back in May, when Cocktail Hour (nee Random Acts…) graduated from its terrible twos, there just wasn’t enough hours in the day to get everything set up the way I wanted. Over the last few months (and even before then, it’s been about a year since I came up with the idea) I’ve dithered about what format the podcast would take, the ratio of music to talk and the frequency of episodes.  Finally I think I’ve hit upon the right mix. Random Acts Radio will be mostly music and at least loosely themed around the current topics one or both comics are currently covering. Themes are subject to interpretation, of course, and I reserve the right to branch out in order to fill the time or make better music selections. Each episode will have a target length of 1 hour, give or take a bit, and will be produced monthly at this point in time.

This is not a wholly original idea. Ever since my work computer was updated to OS X from the doldrums of 8.x (due to software incompatibilities) and I discovered the wonder that is iTunes and the beauty that is podcasts, I’ve loved the format but never thought I’d have any reason to put one together myself (after all, I blog already). Then I found the music podcasts like Reaching for Lucidity and KnitCast (both of which seem to no longer be updating, mores the pity) and was introduced to the world of independent pod-safe music. Finally, quite a while back another webcomic artist tweeted about listing a recommended soundtrack for some of her recent work and all the pieces finally came together.

I love music, always have. As an adult I really regret not taking my piano and guitar lessons more seriously as a child (but I try not to give my 6-year-old self too hard a time about it) but feel like I made up for that by truely embracing the bank-geek within during middle and high school (lower brass, represent!). A few years after high school I had a reason to purchase a baritone of my own but it needs dusting and oiling and, of course, practice after a few years of dormancy. I also own a 22-string lap harp that I’m slowly teaching myself to play little things upon. I’m resisting the urge to buy a guitar and take lessons again… maybe a keyboard would be better? But you won’t hear me playing on the podcast any time soon.

As much as I love to make music, I love listening to it more and always have the radio or iTunes playing at my desk while I work and frequently at home if I’m not using the television as background (it’s sometimes hard to write and work when I want to sing along, you know?). When I found out about the Podsafe Music Network (now mediaalley.com) and how much awesome music is out there that we otherwise might not know about, I considered it part of my duty to share some of these great artists and songs with as many people as possible. These podcasts are like a mixtape to my friends and fans, present and future, and I hope you like them.