Album
As Seen on TV
As Seen on TV is a cinematic rock album inspired by television, social media, advertising, and broadcast culture, with each track framed as a different program, theme, transmission, or interruption.
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Album introduction
As Seen on TV is a cinematic rock album inspired by television, social media, advertising, and broadcast culture. Each track functions like a different program, theme, transmission, or interruption, ranging from pointed commentary to nostalgic broadcast imagery and a closing sign-off.
Track listing
About this release
About As Seen on TV
As Seen on TV is a collection of cinematic rock instrumentals loosely built around television, social media, advertising, and broadcast culture. Rather than telling one continuous story, each track can be heard as a different program, theme, interruption, mood, or transmission. Some carry subtle commentary, while others simply use television as a framework for bringing varied musical styles together.
Jamie Penner’s original cover concept placed him on a modern television while his dog Raven sat watching him—a literal play on being “seen on TV.” The design shifted toward a nostalgic setting because the phrase felt inseparable from an earlier era. The rear track listing continues the concept in the style of a 1970s television guide.
“Rage Bait” reflects the deliberate use of outrage across social media, news, politics, and online engagement. “Watching You” asks whether we are watching the screen or whether television and social media are watching us. “Rock On” reimagines the David Essex song in a darker, more guitar-driven form, with an added personal connection through the lyric “Jimmy Dean” and Penner’s full name, Jamie Dean Penner.
“Commercial Break,” recorded last, is a short high-energy departure and a compact tribute to Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Eric Johnson. The album closes with “Until We Meet Again,” slowing the momentum and signing off until the listener and artist meet again.
Track notes
Inside the tracks
01Rage Bait
A reflection on the deliberate use of outrage to attract attention across news, politics, social media, and online engagement. It opens the album with one of its clearest pieces of commentary on modern media.
02Watching You
A reversal of the familiar act of watching a screen. Are you watching television and social media, or are they watching you? The track also reflects the unsettling experience of discussing something and then seeing related content appear online.
03As Seen on TV
The album’s title track and its most direct connection to the broadcast concept. Its cinematic character allows it to function like the central theme to an imagined television production.
04Ruckus
A raw, energetic instrumental created simply to make noise and cause a ruckus.
05Rock On
Penner’s darker, more guitar-oriented interpretation of the David Essex song. It was a favourite from childhood, and the reference to “Jimmy Dean” carried an additional connection because Penner’s full name is Jamie Dean Penner.
06A Breath of Fresh Air
A lighter change of setting after the album’s darker opening tracks. It evokes escaping for a sunset drive in a convertible along the beach—prime-time television offering a temporary change of mood.
07Commercial Break
A short, intense interruption placed near the middle because that is where a commercial naturally belongs. Recorded last, it was the most difficult track because its style sat furthest from Penner’s usual approach, with guitar work serving as a compact tribute to Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Eric Johnson.
08After Curfew
An imagined late-night program or theme. The title arrived naturally during the writing process rather than beginning with a fixed narrative.
09Em-Dash
A playful reference to the way writers can now be accused of using artificial intelligence simply because they use an em dash, despite the punctuation having long been part of ordinary writing.
10Until We Meet Again
The album’s closing sign-off. It slows the momentum, brings the broadcast day to an end, and serves as the final song until artist and listener meet again.