Is it candy or a swing revival band? Is it music or a speech? Is it crazy that both William Shatner and Telly Savalas had songs on the Billboard charts and all they do is talk? Answer key – Both, Squirrel Nut Zippers is a candy and a band; Both, spoken word encompasses release that are just speech, speech over music, and speech intertwined with music; No, it’s not crazy, and when you hear their chart landing hits you’ll likely agree. In Season 2, Episode 3, we explore the Spoken Word genre, give some due to Squirrel Nut Zippers, and line-up three new tunes to challenge your brains.

We start season two with a blockbuster episode that spans over 4,000 years, 6,816 miles, and half the world’s population. It’s International Women's Day and Month and we’ll be recognizing the many awesome women drummers in popular music, be listening to Hang On the Box, an all-girl punk band from Beijing, and be sampling songs from the three all-girl bands in my collection, The Roches, Ars Nova, and Northern State. We'll play a group of new challenge songs for episode 2 and start the new season on a strong note. (Get it.... "note" like both a musical note and a metaphorical noun indicating a positive beginning point?) Yea, I'm groaning too.

While TTC is getting ready for Season 2, here are some of the season 1 Spotlight segments.