Episode 11 Posted - HAWAI'I

Hey, Casually Geographically-minded people, We hope that your weekend was casual and awesome. Ours was more of the latter than the former, we took a road trip up to Davis for the 66th Annual California Geographical Society Conference. What a good time! And of course we brought along our equipment and did a few interviews with approximately 1/115th of the Geographers in attendance, which was all we really had time or resources for. But make sure to tune in Tuesday morning! This also (kind of) excuses our tardiness in posting last week's episode on the blog, as we will do starting... now:

This (last) week, we did an episode about the former Island Nation, now United State, Hawaii (which some may spell and pronounce Hawai'i, correctly I suppose). Our good friend Mystyn, a veteran of life on Hawaii's big island (commonly known as...Hawaii) came on board and shared some of her memories, perspectives, and unique experience of life in and around the city of Hilo.

Per usual, we wove some Hawai'ian-centric tunes in, and we took a good look at US's best state that's also an archipelago (by far). We hope that you enjoy it! And while we went the entire episode without saying it, I will write it now, with our best wishes: Aloha.
Listen right here or on itunes! Boom.

Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
Belle & Sebastian - "Judy and the Dream of Horses"
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Cringer - "If I Had your Pen"
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole - Clip from Final Performance

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The Casual Geographer are teaming up with various geographers at Cal State to bring an awesome comedy show/benefit to Downtown Long Beach on May 3rd! Check out the fb event here, mark your calendar, and pass it around.

A Special Announcement Mini-Episode to Hold You Kids Over.

Also, come to our show on May 3rd! You will laugh, and (if you're of age) drink good beer, and laugh some more. Join the event on Facebook right here!

Episode 10 Posted: EASTER ISLAND!

To be honest, the fact that we aired this topic two days after Easter Sunday was a complete coincidence. Our friend Molan, seen to the right in this nifty photo she took last summer after journeying 17 hours to get to Rapa Nui, was doing a heady amount of research in remote sensing and spatial techniques on the island. Make no mistake: this is one of the most remote settled places on earth, right up there with Saint Helena and Tristan de Cunha (but they're both in the Atlantic, so screw those places, right?)

Easter Island is best known for its iconic mo'ai statues. But many people don't know what their story is, really. Another thing people don't know about Rapa Nui/Isla de Pascua is the wide swath of stone circles that have lasted hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Molan does, which is why she's on this episode to talk about her experiences, and I'm going to shut up now.

Listen right here or on itunes! Boom.



Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
Andrew Jackson Jihad - "Sense, Sensibility"
The Weepies - "Antarctica"
Matato'a - "Here Ma'Ohi"
Modest Mouse - "3rd Planet"

And be a mensch and add THE CASUAL GEOGRAPHER ON...
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The Casual Geographer are teaming up with various geographers at Cal State to bring an awesome comedy show/benefit to Downtown Long Beach on May 3rd! Flyer coming to this site soon, but for now, check out the fb event here, mark your calendar, and pass it around.

New Episode Posted, and Big Benefit Show Coming Soon

Hey, there. We know you're probably thinking about going away this summer or during whatever pockets of it you can escape from amidst the drudgery of your day job or whatever it is that helps you contribute to society. I mean, who wouldn't? Granted, with the economy the way it is now (as in, nobody has the kind of pocket change to get themselves overseas), many people are planning stuff closer to home and domestic.

No matter where you go, though, you have to remember to check for deals early and book early. And no matter who you are going to wherever you're going, mistakes always happen. It's amazing how many little variables we can overlook when trying to save money and trying to make the most out of our spring/summer trips.

That's where Bret and Tyler come in. Two seasoned travelers with more bizarre stories from around the world than could be crammed into one 55-minute episode, they are here to share their own advice for how to best expect the unexpected while you're globetrotting. Because they love you and don't want to have to fly to a Costa Rican prison to come bail you out again.

Enjoy the episode, the intermittent tunes mixed in, and if you do travel soon, remember to pack a towel. They forgot that universal bit of wisdom from Hitchhiker's Guide in this episode. Listen in and look for other mistakes yourself, right here, or on iTunes.



Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
The Arcade Fire - "Neighborhoods #1 (Tunnels)"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Holland, 1945"
Various works by Artie Shaw

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IN OTHER NEWS, The Casual Geographer are teaming up with various geographers at Cal State to bring an awesome comedy show/benefit to Long Beach on May 3rd! Flyer coming to this site soon, but for now, check out the fb event here, mark your calendar, and feel free to pass it around.

Episode 8: The Geography of Geographer and the Bay Area

Hey, casual (and probably some) serious listeners of the Casual (and somewhat serious) Geographer. This week's episode was special for a number of reasons, the main one being, of course, an appearance by the up-and-coming Bay Area indie rockers Geographer. We couldn't not interview a band with that name. Anyway, they ventured down the Cali Coast on tour with Miniature Tigers and took some time to chat about their name (of course), some tour stories, and how one of them grew up outside of Tokyo and still speaks pretty solid Japanese! You have to listen to find out which one. Though, there are only three of them, so it shouldn't take too long to guess.

It was awesome getting the trio on board, since by the time they hit the stage at the Troubador on Sunday night, the second band on a bill of four, the crowd was already at full capacity and going crazy in anticipation of their set. With lovable indie-pop jams like "Verona" and "Kites" and their new album Myth selling as well as it has been, it shouldn't be long before these dudes are playing to packed houses of pogo-ing fans all over.

In another fortunate turn for this week, the interview with Geographer inspired us to take on The Bay Area as our topic. It's practically impossible to visit San Francisco and not love it (or at least return from there to your less-utopian place of residence without interesting stories about it). We hope you enjoy hearing us go on about the City by the Bay and wondering just why it is the way it is. At least, maybe it will help you better understand why Tony Bennett left his heart there.

Listen right here, or get it on iTunes.



Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
American Music Club - "All the Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco"
Red House Painters - "Mistress"
Geographer - "Verona", "Each Others' Ghosts," & "Kaleidoscope"
Moby Grape - "Hey Grandma"
Thee Oh Sees - "Block of Ice"
Jawbreaker - "Accident Prone"

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Episode 7 - "Peru" Posted!

What's going on, everyone? Now that we finally have this "live" thing under control, we invited a couple of our good friends to join us and talk about the South American country of their heritage - Peru! Listen right here, or download that 'cast on iTunes!

Peru's a lot more than just Machu Picchu, a convicted ex-President, and Anticuchos, but we definitely had quality conversations about all of those things with Kat and Gina. Thanks to Kat, in fact, for these quality photos of Lima and Tumbes you're about to lay your eyes on. That there map to the right via LonelyPlanet.com.

Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
American Football - "Never Meant"
Resplandor - "Downfall"
Autonomia - "Luchar y Resistir"

And don't forget to hit up THE CASUAL GEOGRAPHER ON...
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Premiere Episode 6: BEER!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we at The Casual Geographer are proud to present our brand new, longest (gee, I wonder why) episode yet: Beer! I included that exclamation point to reflect the fascination we shared over the subject of brewing and how geography makes its mark on the craft. Download it free on iTunes or listen to the episode right here!

We did our best to spill (heyoooo) our knowledge about brewing, lagers, ales, IPAs, and more before being joined by a pair of beer damn-near-experts and home-brewing enthusiasts: political geographer-by-day David Schwartz, and lighting designer-by-day (well...night) Steph Smith.


Photo and quality photoshopping job of our esteemed guests (right) by Dennis Hernandez. Remember that guy?



We had a blast making this installment, and we think you'll enjoy listening, whether or not you're a "beer person." There is so much to learn, regardless of taste. And if you do, be so kind as to pass this along! Details on how you could kindly do that below. Thanks for stopping through and listening. - TCG

Produced by Tyler S. for TDC Productions
Theme Song: "The Face of the Earth" by The Dismemberment Plan
Other Music Included:
Reel Big Fish - "Beer"
Black Flag - "Six Pack" (early version)
Flogging Molly - "Drunken Lullabies"

And don't forget to hit up THE CASUAL GEOGRAPHER ON...
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