By their very existence, Podcast meetups and Podcast conferences reinforce a sense of community among their participants.  PodCamp Toronto was no exception.  In fact, PodCamp Toronto had the greatest number of sessions on the concept of community of all conferences I have attended and followed.  That made leaving the event early to catch a flight to Vancouver much harder.

From the back seat of the taxi, I reflected on the weekend; the incredible people I connected and re-connected with, the amazing talent and creativity, and the new ideas to explore.  The willingness to share and support proves that we really are a community.

After a few minutes I realized that I could see the decay of Toronto’s once-thriving industrial area zipping past my window — the graffiti and decomposing buildings that line the Gardiner Expressway.  They were once the sign of a thriving economy and the industrial age.  Now they are the scars of neglect; waiting to be made into something new.

For the Podcast community to thrive in the long run, and to help silence our critics, we will need to take good care of our community. We must continue to share with and support each other, and work hard to prevent and repair any decay.

This is our community, let’s take care of it.

UPDATE 070226: Added photo

No matter the circumstances, any time there is a change in personnel in a band it can be stressful for both the band and its following. Just ask Van Halen.

At what seemed to be their sudden expressway to superstar status in the Podcast community, Uncle Seth parted ways with their guitar player, Jeff. Everything slowed down — the performances, the Podcasts and general buzz about the band. Tara, Jay and Chris took that time to reinvent themselves with two new members, Mike and Blake. They wrote new tunes, and reworked some of the old ones.

On Saturday night, at PodCamp Toronto, Uncle Seth took the stage at C’est What. They kicked off with To Be an Angel, a popular song that could ease everyone into the show. Then, they jumped right in with new material, an approach that Tara admitted she was incredibly stressed about.

I am pleased to report that — with all due respect to Jeff and the “old-sound” — Uncle Seth sounded better than ever. The have done a great job of developing a new sound (and instrumentation) while still being Uncle Seth. That’s no easy feat.

All this to say that Uncle Seth brought the house down on Saturday. They were tight, edgy and energetic and I can’t wait until they release their next CD!

Oh, I understand that David Lee Roth may be available to do some backup vocals.

Photo: Jay Moonah (how’d he do that???)

There are about 200 people packed into room 359 361 of the Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson University for the opening remarks of PodCamp Toronto. The whole room dynamic changed when Leesa Barnes challenged eveyone to meet three people you have never met before — “someone you didn’t come here with, someone you didn’t sleep with”. For the next ten minutes, everyone busily moved about the room to break quota and exchange show bling.

There is a remote possibility that this event will be well documented. If you’re interested in following this event, you can follow the various live video streams (links on the schedule page), blogs and Podcasts.