Rock Garden Tour

Live From The Podding Shed: Woonsocket And Other Deep Philosophical Type Questions

This week's Rock Garden Tour podcast asks a lot of deep, prodding type questions like "Who founded the community of Woonsocket, SD?" Or "Have you ever tried a deep fried tavern?" The podcast also features a performance of an original song about Woonsocket, and an interview with triple-double National Corn Dog Day champion John Boylan. Enjoy this week's rock and roll garden variety podcast and as always, keep it rural.

Download RGT 3 PODCAST 2 SOUL SEARCH

Squash yer troubles.

You're invited to Squash Mosh '12.

What?: A listener appreciation party (with lots of squash) for the loyal avant-gardeners in our listening area. Because we couldn't do it without you. And because we have a bunch of extra squash that we need to use up before it goes bad.

Huh?: A listener appreciation party for people that listen to our show. We're going to bake a bunch of Coach's squash, with some help from our friends at Queen City Bakery, and then people at the party will willingly sample it. 

Come again?: People at the party will eat squash. Then they'll vote for their favorite variety. Then they'll tell us why and we'll get it on tape (boom-box).

What for?: The Rock Garden Tour is a rock and roll gardening show, we need the audio for our radio program.

What else?: There will be music, and live performances by Flowerman and the Godfather of the Rowena Polo Club Jim Groth, and a panel discussion featuring commentary from experienced and inexperienced squash eaters. 

When?: November 13, Tuesday night, starting at about 7pm - panel discussion of experienced and inexperienced squash eaters will start around 8pm.

Where?: Latitude 44 Music Bar in downtown Sioux Falls, SD.

And?: Free buttons and/or gig posters, News from Pierre might be there to sign stuff, you can share your favorite squash story in the Telestory Booth, you can take photos with Badger and Tonya and the rest of the Rock Garden Tour crew, booze (regular price), free ice-water (after mail-in rebate), Avant-Gardener t-shirts, and...

We hope to see you at Squash Mosh '12.

 

Maybe the most important blog post you see today.

Some major things happening around the studio this week. Firstly, late Wednesday night while reworking a haiku about Woonsocket I learned (via late night television) that Ranae Holland, curious 'skeptic' from Animal Planet's hip new show Finding Bigfoot, grew up in Sioux Falls. The more we learn the less we know, right? And then, the following morning...

While reorganizing my cassettes I found a Milli Vanilli single that I'm almost positive I didn't buy in the first place. Not bad, but that's not all. Early this week the Rock Garden Tour Family band made their triumphant return to the studio.

A broadcast date for Rock Garden Tour's new season on SDPB Radio is set for Saturday March 31 at 7pm. The show will feature new tunes by the band, a song or two from lumberjack-guitar-man Dan Mahar, some poetry from Canada, a sonic art installation from the Telestory Booth, and of course,  less talk and more witty banter about gardening from Oil Can and Flowerman. We're recording the show live at Latitude 44 in Sioux Falls so stop back next week for some video from the event. Okay, that's all we had for you.   

Background control: Triple Entendre

Smack dab in the middle of asparagus season, two really important issues have arisen.  Number one:  is it still proper to abide by the law "If it's yellow, let it mellow"?  And number two: is a triple entendre possible?

Now, the first question might be a bit too much to tackle.  It's a giant.  It involves lawyers.  We don't have the time or resources to take it on.  But the second question, which was brought up by Oilcan on this week's show, seems like something we can handle.

As a refresher for those who may have forgotten, a triple entendre is any phrase that can be understood in three different ways.  An example that might work would be "garden rocking."  It could refer to the act of swaying back and forth on a rocking chair that is located in a garden.  It could also refer to the act of playing rock n' roll music in a garden.  Finally, it could refer to some act that affects a garden deeply or stuns a garden.  Putting wiener dog manure in a garden would certainly be considered "garden rocking."

Now, based on that example, it may be apparent that triple entendres are indeed possible.  But, a junior fact checker is not doing his/her job properly if they don't seek expert advice.  So I went to Janet Blank-Libra, an English and Journalism professor at Augustana College, to get the inside scoop on triple entendres.  Check out our conversation below the jump:

BACKGROUND CONTROL: MOON SHOES

 
Rock Garden Tour Fact Checker, Jesse Black, clears up some confusion regarding a subject that most rock and roll gardening shows wouldn't touch with a 5 foot garden hoe, moon shoes.  

If you listened to this week's show, you may have heard the chief spotlight operator make a quick mention of moon shoes. For those who were unaware of their existence, or are uncertain about the functionality of a moon shoe, here's a brief history:

In the early 1960’s, an unnamed toymaker had the idea for a shoe that sought to give kids the experience of reduced-gravity foot travel...kind of like walking on the moon.  Kids, growing up in a culture infatuated with outer space, saw the need to spice up their strides with these spring-loaded sneakers. 

After the moon shoes were strapped on, children were able to jump a little higher and walk a little clumsier.  Former moon shoe owner, Steve Bormis, describes his experience with the toy: “They’re impossible, there’s no way you can jump on them.” 

However, along with the supposed increase in elevation came an increase in major and minor “boo-boos” (i.e. broken ankles, sprained wrists, dislocated knee caps, shattered hip sockets, and scraped elbows).  As a result, these shoes were recalled from stores not too long after they were introduced.  Since then, various imitations have been and still are sold, but none able to replicate the jumping power of the spring-coiled original from the early 60’s.  Fortunately, holding true to their roots, today’s versions still allow uncoordinated children to injure themselves much more effectively than any regular shoes are capable of doing.

Tips for the avant gardener who wants to wear moon shoes while gardening:

1. Don’t.
2. Wear elbow pads, knee pads, a helmet, a mouth guard, and have a pair of crutches readily available.
3. If you feel that you are improving with each use of the moon shoes, be warned: it’s just an illusion.  You are bound to fall and eat dirt again—failure is inevitable while using moon shoes.  Don’t get cocky.

A few questions we're still looking into: 1. What happens if you wear moon shoes in the Cosmos Mystery Area? Okay, that's really the only question we're still looking into. This is the audio segment from our radio show that Jesse Fact Checker was referring.

Download Rock garden tour 114 podcast

Rock Garden Tour Family Band Records Honest Carol About Mistletoe

Tonight's show deals with various misunderstood holiday plants, mistletoe for example, did you know that its actually not a plant but a hemi-parasite? Makes you feel like kissing someone doesn't it? This video was shot yesterday afternoon as the Jackball and Flowerman recorded an honest carol about mistletoe. Listen to the debut tonight, live on the Rock Garden Tour, KCFS 94.5 from 8-10pm. You can also hear the show on SDPB Radio (90.9) in the Queen City, Saturday nights at 7pm, and Sunday nights at 11pm.

Thriller! Night!

If you caught last night's Rock Garden Tour live-recording on KCFS 94.5, you know that we bounced around a bit - from zombie cucumbers, to ghost plants, to bat flowers, to the political process. I'm not sure where we ended up exactly, but it was a thrill. I do recall blasting out Lee Greenwood's 'Proud To Be An American' on the performance kazoo though. I also recall hearing the greatest Halloween story every told - The Legend of the Hub City Slasher! If you want to hear it, click on the Fresh Friday podcast mp3 at the bottom of this post. If you want to hear the podcast from last night's show, stay tuned. And if you want to take a look at the playlist from last night's show, boom boom:

The Haunted - 125

Aerial Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Fright Night

 Metal Hearts - No More Ghosts

Spoon - The Ghost Of You Lingers

TWEAK BIRD - Sky Ride*

The National - Anyone's Ghost

Tallest Man On Earth - The Gardener

Tim Kasher - I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here

John Hiatt - The Open Road*

Tired Pony - Get On The Road*

Jarvis Cocker - Petey's Song*

Ramblin' Jack Elliot - Roll On Buddy*

Fruit Bats - Being On Your Own*

William Elliot Whitmore - Lifetime Underground

Wolf Parade - Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts

Reverend Billy H Grady - Holy Rock*

The Mountain Goats - Going To Malibu*

Tonic - Flowerman

* Thrilling tunes that aren't about ghosts or gardening.

Enjoy this week's Fresh Friday podcast - The Legend of the Hub City Slasher!

FF_74_Hub_City_Slasher.mp3

Less talk, more witty banter about sea monkeys.

If you tune in for next week's Rock Garden Tour on SDPB Radio, this is what you'll hear, more or less...keep it rural.

Badger of the Rock Garden Tour caught streaking?

Oil Can tracked down this story, suspects Badger.

March 11, 1974

State Headlines: A Sioux Falls “Streaker” clad only in tennis shoes and a ski mask who did his thing before 3000 high school basketball fans will donate the nearly $600 he won in bets to the YMCA and do 50 hours of community service at the Sioux Falls arena as part of a plea agreement reached in his indecent exposure arrest.  He also must have a clean record for the rest of the year to keep this arrest off his permanent record.

Keep it rural.

Free sample from the Rock Garden Tour.

You know all about the legend of the turnip-o-lantern. Here's our take.

Download turnip-o-lantern.mp3

Keep it rural.