This show began like any other, but without the transition difficulties. All was smooth. The music, on the other hand, was not. After a long, satisfying week, I was in need of some loud, abrasive rock music. But it wasn’t all like that. Due to the cold weather, I mixed in some beach pop, fuzzy dream pop and good old garage rock and pop.

Living amidst the wheat fields in eastern WA has reminded me lately of how well small towns can be suited to particular things. Locally grown food, irresistible coffee shops, and most importantly the glory of house-shows. The independent music spectrum lends itself well to the intimacy of a house-show performance.

So this is it, the first FensePost Podcast. A few weeks ago I sat down and compiled a mix of various songs; some new, some old, most finding some relation to garage rock or garage pop. Hence the title, From The Garage. The theme is loose, so some bands fit and some don’t. There are sixteen songs total here, stemming from local Seattle and Portland acts on across the world. New Zealand, Sweden, Canada… you get the picture. Enough banter — listen to the FenseCast …

Modern forms of communication, if anything, have allowed the ability to spread awareness like wildfire. Case in point, this morning. Catching up on recent tweets, I noticed a link from Acid House Kings to a little something called Beko Records. I visited the site, downloaded all 25 current digital singles from the label, and began the task of checking them all out. Now I’m writing about it to let you know. And who knows where you’ll take it. So we begin.

Gritty and raw seems to be the fad of 2009. Garage pop and rock dominate playlists, mine included. And the latest to achieve a primo spot is “Lightswitch” by Virginia duo Eternal Summers. This summer pop song is perfect for hot, lazy days and warm nights.