Slow States Podcast #35: B1G Wrap, Beer & Music

Brace yourself for:

The difference between NY hipsters and West Des Moines hipsters (hit, dairy related).
Wilco, the heartland and cowbells.
Evaluation of Michigan State - Just Penn State with a quarterback, right?
Zook Or Be Zooked: The End of an Era.
Conference surprises & duds.
A half-hearted attempt at the conference championship game, and why Orson is a modern day Sherlock Holmes.
Beer & music, per Slow States rules.

Slow States Podcast #28: We Know What You Did Last Month

Okay, so it's been a while since the last podcast. We know. And no, we're not going to recap the horrific end to the Big Ten bowl season. It's a more friendly, more casual podcast featuring Patrick's unabated excitement for the return of The Rock to WWE and the tragic death of his Honda Accord during his aborted Super Bowl trip from Des Moines to Dallas. Scattered among the wreckage are tales from my newfound parenthood, Kevin's Mad Scientist brewing operation which has produced an IPA with a bitterness that makes Bell's Hopslam taste like tap water, and much more.

And of course, what would a Slow States podcast be without music tips, including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Decemberists, Joanna Newsom, and Angus & Julia Stone. This week's beer tips: Victory's Golden Monkey, Highland Black Mocha Stout, Backpocket Slingshot Dunkel, and Bell's Two Hearted Ale.

Slow States Podcast #27: Football Ends, Things Get Interesting

It's been a weird week. Momentum that Iowa and Illinois built was crushed on January 1st in a way I didn't know was possible. Penn State avoided staff turnover when Tom Bradley was turned down for multiple HC jobs, and is now a guy that didn't get an interview from Pitt but somehow new lead candidate after the man they picked the first time around went to jail. But he doesn't have the job yet, and in combination with the on-again, off-again firing of RichRod at Michigan, we've seen the rebirth of the #KOK4Pitt and #JayPa4Michigan hashtags.

Patrick comes along for a bowl wrap before the Internet breaks in Iowa, leaving Chris and I to try and make sense of what in the world is going on at Penn State, where things are getting hairy.

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Music: It's a little mellow this week but I swear that's not on purpose. Bright Eyes has a new album on the way, more on that later, and your intro'd by the new Delta Spirit EP. Also, most creative use of a Delta Spirit song goes to Wolverine Liberation Army.

Slow States Podcast #26: Bowl Previews And Our Albums Of The Year

Podcasts this big only come around but once a year. We touch on all the Big Ten bowl games (the first of which kicks off tonight at 10:00 pm Eastern) and then switch gears and hit all of our favorite albums of 2010.

Can anyone from the Slow States reasonably expect to win their bowl game? Is the Kanye West album really as good it sounded the first time through? What is the best variety in the Robitussin Christmas Variety Pack? (Spoiler: all of them.)

Slow States Podcast #25: We Is Legend

Another potential bowl preview turned into a discussion of the happenings. Namely and most obviously: Big Ten logos (your EDSBS deconstruction), division names and annual trophies (of which this one is my favorite).

We also play out what Al Golden to Miami means for the KOK’s chances at Pitt, and who else is keeping a drug house in Iowa, anyway?

Slow States Podcast #20: The Great Sell Out

Two neutral-site conference games this week. First, there's the END ZONE OF DOOM at Wrigley.

Then there is Indiana's home game in Washington D.C. against Penn State, which netted the Hoosiers a tidy $3,000,000 -- essentially equal to a full home slate at Indiana's Memorial Stadium. Get paid, Hoosiers. Get paid.

Slow States Podcast #17: Where The Goal Posts Keep Moving

And Wolverine games keep getting weirder. Michigan and Illinois combined for 49 points in one quarter, Penn State overcame a 21-point deficit, and Iowa flirted with Death By Hoosier all afternoon before having a miracle dropped into their hands. Fun weekend. Oh, and Michigan State and Wisconsin won games, we guess.

Hype Machine Links: Deerhunter, Damien Jurado, The Pack A.D.

Beer: Troegs’ Mad Elf Ale, 5 Day IPA, and Flying Dog Raging Youknowwhat complete with your Virginia-approved label.

Slow States Podcast #16: Minnesota Aims High, Shoots Self In Foot

So, Minnesota thinks they should go after Chris Petersen, Jim Harbaugh, and Gary Patterson? Free advice: start with Rich Kotite and work upward.

All your friends are here to preview a pretty awful slate of Big Ten games, and none of us can figure out how Michigan is favored by a field goal. Gambling conspiracies, dead-coach cloning, and much more, right now on your friendly, neighborhood Slow States podcast.

Check out tour and more from Justin Townes Earle, who I saw at a side tent in Bonnaroo, playing a full set in a full suit in the 90-something Tennessee heat. You can also check out this YouTube search for our outro: Adam Haworth. Podcast can be right-click'd and owned here and of course iTunes iTunes iTunes.