Originally a club band named The Frazers in Sweden in the late 50s and early 60s, they embraced the nascent space age in 1961 and changed their name to the one that will forever be emblazoned in my brain. Get the cheese to sick bay and feast your Vulcan squinties on this:

You may now close your gaping maw.

YouTube user Thundernest has a fine selection of Spotnicks videos, as well as footage of some other crazy and obscure twanglers. And remember, if ever you really need to score some Velveeta-smooth fret work, there’s always Arch Hall, Jr!

[ via io9 ]

Although I generally try to stick to the subject of music for PTFs, I would not be a very good friend if I didn’t turn you on to The Bugle, a comedy podcast from London’s Times Online. Tagged as an "audio newspaper for a visual world," the show is hosted by former BBC Radio partners Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver, the latter now a Daily Show correspondent. It’s laugh out loud funny as I demonstrated recently after loading several episodes onto my DAP and trampling the reverent silence of my Subaru dealer’s service department waiting room, alarming its flannel clad denizens. In this sad world deprived of fresh fake news due to the writer’s strike, thank the imaginary friend/deity of your choice that these wacky Brits are bringing the funny. And don’t worry, it’s not so British that you won’t get it– except for the soccer (er, football) and political references.

Download this episode in glorious MP3, or perhaps this one. Better yet, visit the page, as there are eight episodes to choose from at the time of this posting.

"A Fiendish Thingy!!" In celebration of the reissue of The Beatles movie "HELP!" on DVD, Michael Palin of Monty (or "Marty," as my mom would say) Python fame hosts a series of 5 podcasts that look back at the film. Interviews with cast and crew are mixed with period interviews with the boys in the band, music, and clips from the movie to tell the story behind story. Anecdotes about George Harrison’s discovery of eastern instruments, fans trying to discover the band’s "willies," and dope smoking make for some interesting listening– I even found myself placing the DVD on my ‘wish list’ over at my favorite online vid retailer after fond memories were stirred. Effective marketing, indeed.

Click here to get the 1st installment (MP3), or go to the page to stream the episodes (via the ‘radio documentary’ link). However, if you want access to all of the episodes on MP3, you’ll have to subscribe to the feed.

If you haven’t paid a visit to NPR’s new music page yet, you should. Here’s a few of the concerts they’ve had recently:

•  Neko Case’s recent show at Disney Hall shows off her fabulous voice, which is (as usual) backed by a dynamite band. Get the MP3 here.
• Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene played The 9:30 Club in DC and All Songs Considered was there. Download the MP3 and enjoy an interview with Mr. Drew after the show.
• Andrew Bird also played The 9:30.
• As did Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. (MP3)
• Seattle’s KEXP posts some great live programming. They recently offered up a live set from Stars.
• Here, The Waterboys drop by KEXP for a live in-studio performance.

As for song samplers with a nice mix of artists, I like KUTs Radio Without Borders. The station is based in Austin, which according to rumor, has a lot of live music going on! KUT serves up the best of their in-studio sets in the Without Borders podcast. Here’s a link to an episode featuring a song by Robyn Hitchcock. Perhaps Yo La Tengo is more your speed, in which case you should click this link to download the MP3 of that eppy.

I guess I can’t close out this installment of PTF without making mention of The High Holiday Season. If you’re like me and perfectly happy to humbug it along ’til mid January, then move on to the next item. But, if you’re in need of a holiday mix with some hipster cred, then All Songs Considered has you covered. Their annual holiday music show features a pretty stellar mix of holiday cheerleaders, including The New Pornographers, The Minus 5 ("Your Christmas Whiskey" — Yah!!), Magnetic Fields, The Apples In Stereo, and others. Here’s the episode page where you’ll find the complete list and can stream the show, or download the MP3.

Also, at 8pm ET on December 17th, NPR.org will webcast a holiday concert with Aimee Mann. Featured in the show will be guests Nellie McKay, Ben Lee, and comedian Paul F. Thompkins. WXPN will webcast The Smithereens Christmas Show on Dec. 21st at Noon ET. I’ll post the MP3s if they’re made available.

There you go. Enjoy. And hey, if you’ve got any podcasts you think I need to know about, please do pass them along!

Radio Without Borders features live performances recorded at Austin NPR station KUT. This mp3 link will score you an episode featuring a tune by Okkervil River and a performance by one of the greatest songwriters to ever shoot a man in self defense, Billy Joe Shaver.

NPR’s All Songs Considered has been rocking the live concerts lately. Need proof? Then download this here mp3 and dig Spoon recorded live at the 9:30 Club in DC recently. It even features an interview with the band after the live set. Also, there’s a New Pornographers (with Neko Case) live show available for streaming at this page. Speaking of The New Pornographers, All Things Considered aired a review of their latest disc– it goes without saying that critic Meredith Ochs dug it.

More NPR Goodness: Fresh Air recently did an interview with the always interesting Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters and a few days before that, did a feature on Fiery Furnaces (it’s a couple minutes in).

Please enjoy some light reading while listening!

UPDATE 10/30: NPR.org and All Songs Considered have made the mp3 of the New Pornographer’s live concert available right here.

• If you like the Twang like I do, then you simply must pull on your shit-kickers and download this in live in-studio performance by Dale Watson at KEXP. Dale is the man.
• Okkervil River is slowly becoming a fave here at my palacial East Atlanta home, The Grassy Knoll. If you aint been hipped to this Austin based band, NPR’s All Things Considered recently did a feature on them that you can listen to here and catch up with the rest of the world. Really, don’t let the pretentious name put you off.
• For you Monsters Of Rock out there, NPR’s Fresh Air recently did an interview with Alice Cooper (mp3 right here) about his new memoir, Golf Monster. Fresh Air did a series of hard rock related shows recently, and clicking this mp3 episode link will net you an interview with Robert Plant in which he talks about “Stairway To Heaven” and dispenses singing tips. Also on this episode: Aerosmith!
• All Songs Considered is required listening. Download this recent episode to catch up with Iron and Wine, Rilo Kiley, and Animal Collective.
• Speaking of Iron and Wine, the odd amalgum they make up with Calexico made an appearance recently at the studios of KUT. The Austin station packages some of the live performances recorded there in Radio Without Borders. This episode also features Luna.