The Blind Tiger Record Club Podcast launched in 2018 as a way to present and discuss the albums in the Record of the Month program at the Blind Tiger Record Club. Over the years, as both the podcast and the record club have grown and developed, the Podcast has gone through many changes.
Through the years, the episode format and topics have expanded and changed. The primary focus has always been on all the albums in the Record of the Month program at B.T.R.C., which are all current releases on vinyl. Over time, however, the albums discussed on various episodes began to include the club's Spotlight Albums, New Store Additions, and Headbangers, as well as Special Event episodes including holiday specials, our annual "Best Vinyl of the Year" episode, and the LP Interview segments with featured guest artists and producers.
In the summer of 2020, The Blind Tiger Record Club Podcast joined the special programming lineup of WRLT, 100.1 MHz (Lightning 100) - an adult album alternative-formatted FM radio (Triple A) station in Nashville, Tennessee. The show was called, the Blind Tiger Record Club Podcast On Air. Between 2020 and 2022, On Air was on the radio every other Monday from 8pm CST - 9PM CST
We are now in Season Six of the B.T.R.C. Podcast with over 100 episodes recorded. Show host and B.T.R.C. founder David W. Williams has lead panel discussions on newly released vinyl for all six seasons. These panel discussions have included many guests that range from artists, managers, and producers, to other members of the music industry in Nashville.
Williams has also been joined by several co-host's through six seasons of the podcast. The current co-hosts are industry management veteran Kevin Lee and B.T.R.C. Creative Manager Jonathan Hibma. In the Spring of 2023, Williams and Hibma launched a spinoff show called the B.T.R.C. Headbangers Podcast with the obvious focus being on vinyl releases from the hard rock and metal genres featured in the Blind Tiger Record Clubs Headbangers program. Make sure you check that show out as well.
The Current B.T.R.C. Podcast episode formats fall in one of these five categories:
1) "The Club Episode" (used to be called the "The Forty Five") - On these episodes we discuss the Records of the Month released each month at BlindTigerRecordClub.com plus the monthly B.T.R.C. Spotlight Album. We currently cover all five albums in the monthly episode, usually released on the second Monday of the month. We play several song clips and discuss things ranging from song writing, producers, featured guest artists, to many other topics that relate to the specific artists and albums. It's a great way to hear new music and learn about the new and reissued releases.
2) "Spotlight, New Store Additions, and Headbangers" - This episode segment has merged or been dropped. The Headbangers segment has spun off its own monthly podcast. Search B.T.R.C. Headbangers Podcast to learn more about the new show.
3) "The LP Interview" - Guest panelists include artists, producers, songwriters, and managers directly related to the creation of a specific album and artist being discussed. While the focus is on the most recently released album from the artist we are discussing, the guest panelist talks about their career and perspective on art, culture, and the creative process of the music. We do take a deeper dive on the current album, but we often look at previous releases as well and really create a linear story of the artists career highlights, paying clips from many previous releases and important milestones, all told from the guest's perspective.
4) "The B-Sides" - Sometimes when we have guest panelists on for the LP Interview segments, we get a lot of extra "talk". When we edit our episodes down, we try to focus the interview on the album we are discussing. Many times, we discuss much more and that is all dropped in the B-Sides.
5) "Special Events" - Throughout the year we have several "Special Event" episodes. They sometimes revolve around a holiday or special event. But this also includes our annual "Best Vinyl of the Year" show which is usually multiple episodes and features guest panelists counting down the top albums of the year.
Each episode of the B.T.R.C. Podcast digs into a new release, reissue, or influential album from the club's or guest panelist's perspective. Listen and leave with stories and new perspectives on albums you have heard, and hopefully new music to explore or rediscover. B.T.R.C. champions music from all genres and believes vinyl is king.
