Skill Shot Pincast

You've been waiting for this one, whether you knew it or not! Seattle pinball godfather Rod Olsen joins us for a hilarious and insightful interview encompassing his origins as a collector, introduction to the local pinball community and role in shaping and building it, and his acting work in regional theater, improv and pinball voiceover! Hat tip to Katie and Jeff for being an in-studio audience, making sure the wine was flowing, and elevating the room temperature many degrees.

[Updated version where the song actually plays! at 59:15] Kayla and Graham are back from vacation and break down their respective experiences, including Kayla's Pinburgh competition and east jam-packed coast travels and Graham's single pinball experience on the Iberian Peninsula. We also check out the hot title track to the lost Porky's-esque 80's cash grab, Pinball Summer!

Kayla and Graham are back from vacation and break down their respective experiences, including Kayla's Pinburgh competition and east jam-packed coast travels and Graham's single pinball experience on the Iberian Peninsula. We also check out the hot title track to the lost Porky's-esque 80's cash grab, Pinball Summer!

It's another busy summer! Graham is in Portugal and Spain and Kayla is on her way to Pinburgh, so we have a short and sweet episode for your listening pleasure until we're both back in the Pacific Northwest. If you have a tip for where Graham can play pinball in Barcelona in late July or the first week of August, email us!

Consider it a new series within the series: the Skill Shot Showcase! These are like our other episodes focused on a given game, but with only Graham and Kayla, and we'll take a deeper dive. On the first Showcase, we talk through shots, thoughts, and related miscellany for Bram Stoker's Dracula!

On our 30th episode, Skill Shot founders Gordon Ornelas and Brad Hayden return to discuss our weekend in Tacoma for the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show, our afternoon at the Iron Bull, and whatever else (like how Brad got lost in his own neighborhood -- whoops, sorry Brad)! It's always fun to get Brad and Gordon on the mic. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Tim Tournay sits down with us before he heads back east to his Pittsburgh stomping grounds! We compare tournaments and leagues in Seattle, Pittsburgh, and NYC, talk about game shows (500 Questions, The Magnificent Marble Machine!) and play a bunch of our own games. Revel in the game-itude!

The Northwest Pinball Arcade Show is upon us! Dan Halligan swings by and gives us the scoop on what this year's show as well as the evolution of the NWPAS over the years. Graham really stumps Kayla and Dan with Name that Game -- can he stump you, too?

Holy cow! Our 27th episode marks one year of pincasting for Graham and Kayla. We get Portland's own Zoë Vrabel on the horn to talk tournaments, competition, CFF, and more, and then we bring back Name that Game in a special one-year anniversary edition! Don't miss out on our shooter rod giveaway at the end of the episode...

Who you gonna call? Ostensibly someone else, because this Pincast is not live or a call-in show. We sit down with Jordan Semrow to map his trajectory to Seattle and hosting tournaments at Another Castle, bust out our travelogue and talk about our recent trips to Chicago and Los Angeles, and break down our fresh experiences with Stern's Ghostbusters!

Our friend 2nd Place Andy Burton joins us to dissect Jersey Jack's latest, the Hobbit, and we (kind of) debut our new ranking system! We also dive deep into what it means to get into and stay in "the zone", and we want to hear from you about your own pinball zone! Another Last Pin Standing, another origin story, and a fantastic conversation all around. To Erebor!

This episode is a stitched up gift! The first half is a Vault Edition unnumbered episode Kayla and I recorded in January. We bounce from topic to topic, try our hand at a new game, and kick off a year-long 100 game head-to-head challenge! (Kayla's currently ahead) For the second half, we get Bowen Kerins on the phone to talk about his pinball history, the New England pinball scene, PAPA and other tournaments, and his stint on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire! Bowen was wonderful, and is an essential member of the broader pinball community, so whether or not you are already familiar with him, you're in for a treat! Bola Salvada!

Dave Stewart returns to the show with a bucketload of info about the 11 pre-NW Pinball and Arcade Show Satellite Tournaments around Puget Sound! We also get his pinball origin story and, a couple exclusive scoops about the radical prizes at the big NWPAS tournaments. Stick around to the end to hear what you're playing for!

We tackle the wide world of virtual pinball with Michael Warfield and returning guest Aaron McAbee. Corrections Department: Your faithful editor and co-host is aware we may have confused our Tom Arnolds and misidentified a wide-body or two in Last Pin Standing. Whoops! Stay tuned for a conversation with Bowen Kerins, which we mention in this episode!

The best way to improve is to watch and listen to those who play at a level above our own. Kayla and Graham sit down with Lonnie Langford, an elusive and incredible local pinball player. Lonnie answers our questions about personal strategy, mindset, and pursuing wizard modes!

Germain Mariolle joins us to talk about the new monthly Seattle Pinball Super League, a tournament around town that you play on your own time and culminates in a finals match in the fourth week of the month. We also talk about celebrity translite impostors, and Germain and Kayla go deep in a solid game of Last Pin Standing!

It's another cross-cast -- this time about the nexus of pinball and science fiction, with our friend Jesse Mercury! We recorded for over two hours on Kayla's birthday, and she and Graham drank the lion's share of a bottle of Kraken rum in the process. Man, can you hear it by the end of this episode. You can hear the first hour -- the (relatively) sober hour -- over at jessemercury.com. We had a great time with our new pal, and man, is it nice to record through his pro podcasting set-up. You'll hear the difference! Pardon the long intro and the epic runtime -- we were feeling pretty darn chatty. Jesse has two great podcasts that we highly recommend: Sci Fi with Jesse Mercury and Sci Fi on Trial with Jesse Mercury. Queue it up! Congratulations to our contest winner, and thanks to everyone who wrote us! We love to hear from you. Bola Salvada!

Heather Willott joins Graham and Kayla to talk Game of Thrones: the pinball game, the show, and the Song of Ice and Fire book series. We compare modes and houses, get spoiler-y from 20:00-25:00 contrasting book vs. show narrative differences, and play a handful of new games: Odd Game Out and Last Pin Standing! I didn't win Powerball, so no immediate audio production upgrades, sorry!

On our 17th and final episode of 2015, Kayla and Graham look ahead to 2016. What's next for the podcast? What are we looking forward to in the new year? We also hash out our holidays: pinball in San Diego, teaching Girl Scouts the mysteries of the silver ball, and Monday Night Pinball and Seattle Pinball League champions. Thanks for listening to us this year -- we resolve to see you in 2016!

All your cool friends are joining competitive league pinball teams! Dave Stewart and Geoff Simons of Monday Night Pinball talk us through the creation and management of a 14-team, multi-location pinball league in the Seattle metro region. We get into the nitty gritty of team talent equity, scheduling, and a bunch of other wonkily awesome stuff! The next time someone tells you pinball isn't a sport, make them listen to this episode of the Skill Shot Pincast!