The end of 2022 is imminent. As we do every year, we like to take a quick moment to look back at some We Own This Town accomplishments. It’s not so much for you as it is for us. And by us, I really mean me – Michael Eades.
Before we step into some of the stats for the year, we do want to extend an incredibly genuine Thank You for all the feedback, support and listenership we’ve received over the past year. This entire operation is homespun and driven by a labor of love. Our podcast hosts manage to create a wealth of entertaining and insightful shows all without any sort of monetary return. That labor is driven by our love of creating interesting stories and insights but also by your listenership; we literally couldn’t do any of this without you!
Our 2022
160
New Episodes Posted
183
Hours of Entertainment
73k+
Podcast
Listens
Having a look at the high level stats posted above, we made more episodes this year than the year prior and that also happened to result in more hours of things to listen to. We posted 50 music and video reviews and went absolutely nuts for Bandcamp Friday. We hosted a Happy Hour at Vinyl Tap and did our best to showcase local events over on do615.
Our roster of podcasts grew when we welcomed the infamous Lucy’s Record Shop to the network. Host Mary Mancini used the show as a platform to speak with a myriad of people involved with the venue / record store; both behind the scenes and as patrons. The 30th anniversary of the venue was celebrated with a massive show at DRKMTTR and a screening of Lucy Barks! over at The Belcourt. If you haven’t heard each and every episode of this show yet, subscribe and binge immediately.
We also welcomed the new show Devalued to We Own This Town; a podcast from Caroline Bowman & Michael Ackley that tries to tackle the question of “Do art and commerce go together?” It’s not an easy one to answer but they managed to discuss the topic with Steve Albini, Suzanne Ciani, Damon Krukowski, Tristen & Liza Anne, Gee Slab & Namir Blade and many many more. The insights provided by the guests are regularly profound and always inspiring. If you consider yourself a creative type, it’s essential listening.
Also new to the network is The Horror Fried Podcast! A film critique podcast focused on the realm of horror and cult movies, brought to you by Michael Combs, Mike Martin and Keith Clanton. The first season of the show was focused on Southern horror films and the boys managed to discuss thirteen films. They have a massive twenty film roster lined up for Season 2 and a focus on the intersection of queer and horror. Now is a great time to subscribe.
Of course, many of our existing shows continued to create some wonderful entertainment as well. Liquid Gold – our All Things Beverage podcast – released twenty three episodes throughout the year and managed to cover diverse topics such as War and Vodka, Ready to Drink Cocktails, the mysterious Träkál, The Old Cuban, Swampwater and the Tom & Jerry, just to name a few. They hit their 100th episode with a special 2-hour extravaganza with Teresa Mason of Mas Tacos and Wilburn Street Tavern.
Ladyland host Kim Baldwin became the digital editor at the Nashville Scene but still managed to release three fantastic video episodes of the show. Videos! Turns out, videos are a whole lot more work but the results are stellar. Go watch them.
Mom Cult wrapped up their first season and headed straight into their second with parental conversations with Kate Mills, Andrea Fecht and Jessie Busbee – just as a start.
Alex and Kelsey over at The Hills are Alive tackled different musicals throughout the decades; starting with Oklahoma in 1955 and working their way up to Evita in 1996. The show is on a bit of a pause at the moment but it’s a good time to go back and listen to their entire backlog.
Nashville Demystified and This is the Place, Into the Wormhole, and Filmography Club had some great episodes at the start of the year and we hope to hear more from them again in 2023.
We plan to write up what the gameplan is for 2023 but, for now, it’s nice to take a little breather and reflect on how things went. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any thoughts, ideas, requests or general feels. We’re also available on Instagram and Twitter, should you prefer a DM over an email.
Our work here is only worthwhile because of the community supporting it. That’s you. It always feels a little corny to say but I do truly believe it: We Own This Town has always meant to be inclusive. It’s You. It’s Me. It’s Us. We Own This Town.. Together.