There was a movie I
saw once about the last guy on earth. He wakes up one day and it's like
everyone just disappeared - buildings are still there, cars are still
there, but not a soul around. That's what the first few lines of You And The Candles by Hawksley Workman remind me of... a kind of apocalyptic vision of the world.
When societies crumble and everything's gone
When the cars are all rusted away
When there ain't no more money
And there's nothing to buy
When all that we have is the day
When the world becomes silent
No planes in the air
When the voices just gather to sing
When the guns are the fencepost
The cars are the dog house
And the telephones no longer ring
But
still, there's hope. After all of the manmade objects and technology
fail us, we are reminded of what matters, and in this song it's you and
just a little bit of light to see you by. Once you hear You And The Candles, I think you'll agree; this song will survive the next ice-age.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 02, 2006
I have to confess to a mild obsession with end of the world scenarios.
For one thing, I really dig post apocalyptic movies of any
kind, I like books on the subject, and it's possible that my
recent purchase of a piece of land on a nearby island is motivated as much by
my desire to have some place to run as it is to build a funky cabin in the woods.
(Though probably more the latter, because I can't afford anything in Vancouver)
Kurt Andersen sheds some light on the many species of apocalypse
enthusiasts in his recent essay, "
The End of the World As They Know It."
P.S. The crazy thing about this post, is that I wrote it without having read Tariq's NMC pick of the day. Weird eh?
Posted by John
on Oct 02, 2006
Vancouver's
Woodwards department store finally goes down. Well part of it anyway.
Youtube
Theoretical physicists pose new theory of everything in "
loop
quantum gravity", which seeks to reconcile quantum mechanics with general
relativity.
EconomistThree dead in Amish schoolhouse shooting.
New York Times
Leading bridge engineer says governments must commit to
upgrading the country's aging infrastructure after bridge collapses in Laval
Quebec.
CBC
Michael Ignatieff out in front to lead federal Liberals.
Globe
and Mail
Posted by John
on Oct 02, 2006
They say an
elephant never forgets...add to that a radio host.
Back in
April, electronic artist
Pete Samples dropped by for a visit in Vancouver. Being the big fan I was of his
release
An Unsent Letter, I wanted to know - when's the next record coming out?
"August", he answered confidently. I replied "I'll hold you to it."
So when it
came time to get ready for Saturday Night's new release extravaganza I realized
I hadn't seen the new CD yet. So I gave Pete a call at home in Montreal...
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 02, 2006
After the drive back
from Toronto I was looking forward to going home and
collapsing in front of my TV. I thought if I was lucky GolTV would rerun a
Manchester United or Arsenal game from yesterday. I'm so knackered I'd settle
for a Newcastle match, but no! I get to the office, to drop
off my record bag and laptop, only to find John's post on the Radio 3 site,
saying he's eagerly anticipating my post… from last night. Aw man... thanks for
making me feel bad. Here we go then...
Posted by Yuani Fragata
on Oct 02, 2006
By now most people who use the internet have probably heard
of
DRM, or Digital Rights Management. Regardless of which side of the fence you
sit on, it's a highly controversial topic.
DRM is any technology used by publishers to control usage of
digital data. This usually means that if you buy a CD, or a digital file with
DRM, you may encounter problems when you attempt to load it onto one or more of
your playback devices. It could be as simple as the file not working properly, to the file loading harmful software onto your computer without you even knowing it, as was the case with the
Sony debacle of last year.
It should come as no surprise that this has annoyed a lot of people off
who feel that once you buy something, you should have the right to do with it
as you please. Enter
Defective By Design... an activist group that is targeting
users of DRM for selling products that they feel are "intentionally crippled."
They've declared October 3
rd "
Day Against DRM".
The day of global protest against a technology that works from the assumption
that you are out to steal their product.
Posted by John
on Oct 03, 2006
From
Lisa's interview last week, to her inclusion in
Podcast #71,
Emm Gryner seems to be enjoying a lot of buzz these days, but this latest news is really exciting! Emm
recently received a rare accolade in the 20
th Anniversary edition of
Q Magazine this week from
U2 frontman Bono.
When asked what songs of the last 20 years he wishes he'd
written, he included Emm's "Almighty Love" amongst such tracks as Dylan's "Brownsville Girl", Massive Attack's "Live Forever", and Oasis' "Lucky Man."
I can see why. Check it out.
Posted by John
on Oct 03, 2006
"This is
the year of the break up". Those are the words of CBC Radio 3 host
Craig Norris, who I had a rare chance to hang
out with this weekend while at
See Vous Play.
Craig was
referring to recent announcements from
Death From Above 1979,
The Deadly
Snakes,
Rheostatics, and the "hiatus" news from
Broken Social Scene. Sadly, for
all Canadian music fans, the statement continues to ring true.
As CBC
Radio 3 reported earlier today, lead singer
Nirmala Basnayake has decided to
leave the Toronto disco dance punk favourites
controller.controller. For a
band that has been together a relatively short time, they achieved much,
including widespread early acclaim, tours with the Cult, Death From Above 1979,
and the Organ, and two stand-out releases on Paper Bag Records ("History" and
"X-Amounts").
The always
pleasant and approachable Nirmala Basnayake very kindly made herself available
to talk with me about her departure from controller.controller while walking
through downtown Toronto today.
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 03, 2006
With a Master's in Literature and room full of hip-hop albums, Baba Brinkman has crafted a new genre of hip-hop. He calls it Lit-Hop.
I first encountered this new style when I saw his sell-out, five-star rated show at The Edinburgh Fringe in 2004. It was called the Rap Canterbury Tales. He had taken Chaucer's century's old work and gave it rims, rhymes and bling; rapping some of the tales told in the epic poem, in various styles of hip-hop, from gangster to old school.
He has now taken the style to a new level by putting out an album of all original material with beats from Moka Only, guest verses from Josh Martinez and some very slick production. Tonight at the Media Club in Vancouver you can hear the new stuff and pick up a copy of a book that he is launching based on the Rap Canterbury stage show. Josh and Moka will be in attendance. The show starts at 7:30 and it is free admittance.
Posted by Chris Kelly
on Oct 03, 2006
In the Alexis Mazurin studio at CBC Radio 3, broadcasting across North America on SIRIUS 94, the main software program is called Selector. My terrible (and long-running) joke, while working on-air late at night, is to yell, "Selecta - wheel it back!"
Well, I do enjoy the title of this new track by Toronto's Dubmatix, but I love the song as well. From the excellent new album, Atomic Subsonic, "My Selecta" has my head nodding 'cause my neck knows it's fat.
In other words,
Classic sounds of 70s roots & dub reggae along with terrifying new "Electro-Dub" stylings. Dubmatix brings you a dirty mashup that features roots, dub & electro-dub - a hybrid of roots reggae tradition and electro nastiness.
How about some Canadian dub styles for your NMC Track of the Day?
Posted by LB
on Oct 03, 2006
Hoochee
mama, what a wild weekend in Toronto! Lots of people have already
commented on the actual See Vous Play event itself, and I'll get to my own
thoughts in a bit but I also wanted to mention how much fun the
CBC Radio 3 and
Bandeapart gang had in the Big Smoke over the weekend.
Besides
being in town for Sunday's International Music Day (the original impetus for
See Vous Play), we arrived one day early on Saturday September 30 just in time
for a massive city-wide public art event called Nuit Blanche, where, as the
name implies, everything was free, all over town, all night long.
I
inadvertently ended up down on Queen Street West where the sidewalks were
jam-packed with people walking in and out of all the little galleries that now
line that area of the city. Art had taken over unconventional spaces as well,
including car washes, empty lots, sidewalks and even directly in the middle of
the street. Of the many incredible displays I took in from 11:00PM to 4:00AM, some
of the highlights included the girl with the curly hair sleeping in a plexiglass
box, Three Stooges films being projected on the side of a building, slowed down
and to a score of horrific noises attached to each slapstick blow, an instant
and
ultra violent pillow fight between girls in pajamas, refereed by a man in a
black bow tie, a human torch, a massive ice sculpture melting inside a car
wash, and many incredible paintings in a plethora of galleries large and small.
Even bought one!!
My only
regret is that I didn't take in the all night action at the Trinity Pool
(though I did speak to one soaking wet guy on Queen who got kicked out by a
lifeguard for "swimming wasted"). We also just missed the 3:00AM elevator to the top of the CN Tower
by three minutes, but I was exhausted by that point anyway.
The other
exciting aspect of visiting Toronto on any given weekend is the amount of
famous faces around town... in just three days, CBC Radio 3 producer
extraordinaire
Chris Kelly and I crossed paths with
Hayden (walking through Parkdale),
Gentleman Reg (at Nuit Blanche), Aerosmith's
Steven Tyler (having lunch at
Cora's, pointed out to us by a homeless person), Sloan drummer
Andrew Scott (at
the airport), Hockey Night In Canada's
Ron McLean (outside CBC), and the first
lady of rockabilly herself,
Wanda Jackson (at the Cadillac Lounge). Chris even
scooped me an autographed photo of Wanda, which inexplicably says
"John - Rock
On! Wanda Jackson ‘ 06". Uh... thanks.
As for See
Vous Play, all I can say is thank you to the incredible audience that the show
attracted. It was a huge thrill for me to speak to so many great music fans,
and hear so much encouraging feedback. Thanks to
Alejandro from Ecuador,
Misha
from Poland,
Terry from Detroit,
Michael from Shelburne Ontario, and the many
fine folks from all over Toronto who made us feel welcome- fans such as
Peter,
Anand,
Billy,
Shelby, and
Shannon and
Lauren (the knitters).
It was
especially formidable to also meet and work with the beautiful and talented and
pregnant
Natalie Poirier from Bandeapart as well as the rest of the Montreal crew. My favourite moments of the
show were like many of the other attendees: being totally blown away by the
showman and womanship of
Les Breastfeeders, and getting the rock n roll chills
from
Joel Plaskett and the Emergency when he played "Love This Town", and the
song of the summer, "Million Dollars". Thanks again to all who took part in See
Vous Play, with a special mention to our music producer Don Pennington for his incredible and tireless
organization, and a shout out to Chris Kelly (the guy in the three piece velvet
suit) who actually came up with that perfect title - See Vous Play- for the
event.
And yes, I
passed out face down later that night.
See you on
the radio (or this weekend at
Pop Montreal!)
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 03, 2006
Although it may seem like we're vicariously living through our (recent) past, I'd like to lob yet another gentle reminder of how fabulous See Vous Play was.
I can't speak for everyone at R3, but as I'm going through my work day, researching and planning my shows, sometimes I wonder if people are really digging what we're doing. It's not a deep, self-doubt kind of thing - more like a curiousity. Given the hundreds of emails that we receive on a weekly basis, I know that you're out there, but sometimes I think we need tangible, tactile proof.
That's what See Vous Play was for me. When it was time to put boots on the ground and capture that love inside the four walls of Kool Haus, you were there. Whether you were online, listening in on Sirius 94, or standing on the floor in the club, you showed up in spades. All four acts were unbelievable, with a dozen highlights, but Joel's eight-minute-version of "Maybe We Should Just Go Home" really stood out for me - especially the trippy part in the middle.
As I stood in the audience, watching fists pumping and voices singing along, with the smiling faces and the band in full swing, I had my proof.
Thanks for that everyone. And we'll see you soon, in Halifax.
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 04, 2006
CBC Radio 3 is proud as punch to present The Peanuts &
Corn 2006 tour featuring
Birdapres &
John Smith with
DJ Hunnicutt, which
kicks off Thursday, October 5
th in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg label
Peanuts
& Corn has some might big expectations to live up to.
Pitchfork is on record
saying that they're destined to be "a major player in the Northern rap scene".
Fortunately they've done something really smart in putting these guys on the
road together.
With Birdapres long awaited solo record
Get It Done out late
last month, and John Smith's new album
Growing Pains due out on October 24
th,
this tour is perfectly timed to give people across the country a taste of what
they're in for. Confirmed tour dates for the west are below, with eastern dates
expected shortly.
Thurs,
October 5 - Winnipeg, MB - The Royal Albert
Fri, November 17th - Brandon, MB - The North Hill Inn
Fri, October 20 - Fernie, BC - The Royal
Sat, October 21 - Calgary, AB - The Distillery
Mon, October 23 - Vancouver, BC - Sonar
Tues, October 24 - Edmonton, AB - The Frat
Weds, October 25 - Saskatoon, SK - The Bassment
In the
meantime check out this Birdapres & John Smith playlist!
Posted by John
on Oct 04, 2006
So
the other day, I'm hanging out all by myself in air-conditioned Studio 22, the
place where Radio 3 is broadcast, trying not to freeze my butt off, when the
studio door swings open and in whirls a caffeine-induced flurry. His
name?
Hawksley
Workman. He'd arrived from Ottawa only hours earlier, and
carried with him his sexy carry-on luggage...a plastic supermarket bag.
"Why
are you so damn hyper?" said I.
"I
just had my first cup of coffee in five months, and a damn fine chocolate chip
cookie that was not too hard, not too soft...just right."
"It
was 'al dente'," said Steven McGrath, Universal publicist and Hawksley's
chaperone.
We
all laughed, and then Hawksley told me all about all of his sexiness; his two
sexy bikes, his sexy truck, and plans to do healthy things like yoga.
In
fact, if you take a shot of whatever your poison is every time he says "sexy",
I guarantee you'll be toasted by the end of the interview!
Posted by Jenna Chow
on Oct 04, 2006
Though
I often throw around all sorts of hyperbolic terms when describing music, I
rarely use the word "timeless" except in very special situations.
I
think I've got a case for using it with my pick this week.
Ladyhawk are a group
of hairy dudes from Kelowna, BC who could easily be
mistaken for a group of homeless loggers if they were to ever lay down their
instruments. They've left the extreme-sport climate of the Okanagan Valley for the mean streets of East Vancouver, and while down here
have released an amazing self-titled album that follows in the classic boot
prints of
CCR,
The Grateful Dead and
Black Mountain.
Their
clap-along anthem "My Old Jacknife" is a huge highlight, a relatable tune for
many, including myself. My own old jacknife was left to me when I was seven
years old when my grandpa died, and it is currently in the drawer of my bedside
table.
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 05, 2006
I have a confession.
I think I'm addicted to American
politics. I know that as a proud Canadian and CBC employee no less, I
should be
pushing the homegrown, but face it... with few exceptions, Canadian politics are about as
exciting to watch as golf, whereas American politics are not unlike professional
wrestling. Just when you think it's about to get boring, somebody jumps into
the ring swinging a chair. What can I say?
I'm in it for the travesty. Such was the case early this week. I figured I had kicked the habit
this summer, and up until last week I was doing great, but then the sex scandal
involving the now-ex-Congressman
Mark Foley broke, and I knew it was all over.
This was a cage match I couldn't resist.
Next thing you know I'm binging on
Malkin,
Foosballs,
C&L, and
Americablog. I even found myself checking out
Drudge after
spotting it on Christiansen's monitor this morning, which is when it dawned on
me that I've suffered a total relapsed.
It doesn't sound all that bad, but trust me. It is. When I
get home tonight I'll likely plunk my wee boy down in front of the teevee just
so I can visit
Technorati and see what's gone down in the few
hours since I last checked. Nasty.
They say that the first step in getting over something like
this is acknowledging that you have a problem. And so I send this plea directly to my own brain. Can I please stop
paying attention now? I'll feed you
stuff like this instead. Deal?
Posted by John
on Oct 05, 2006
It's such a
great pleasure to meet
Paul Aucoin. He's like the ground zero of Canadian indie
rock, connected to musicians either through producing, playing or having them
in his own band the
Hylozoists.
And not
only does he have lots of music lore to impart - he's just so damned smart. He
names his super group after
a school of ancient Greek philosophy that believed
that life is inseparable from matter (I don't understand either), and he also
uses all that reading to name his songs. Paul says that one of the best things
about making instrumental music is giving the compositions titles.
In this CBC
Radio 3 feature we call the "Musician Minute", he explains the story behind "The 50-Minute Hour"
from his record
La Fin Du Monde.
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 05, 2006
I don't know if hairy dudes-rockin-out is a genre, but if it is - it's one of my faves. And thank goodness Vancouver is such a magnet to bands that recognize 70s-style riffs as heavenly. Yesterday Grant Lawrence wrote about Ladyhawk and their contribution to this city, today I'm recommending the fierce Pride Tiger.
The quartet is made up of Sunny Dhak and Bob Froese, former members of the speed metal influenced 3 Inches of Blood, and Mike Payette and Matt Wood, who hail from a skater thrash band called STREETS. Together they put all their disparate musical passions into their debut release: Wood, Dhak, Froese, Payette. If you like your rock in the hard, stoner rock category, this is for you. And if you love your rock with a psychy hippie vibe - again - pick this up.
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 06, 2006
Did you go through an awkward stage?
You know, when you were all braces and bad hair? When your back was glued to the wall at the school dance? When that special someone had no idea you existed?
Most people don't have fond memories of those days - if they ever ended. But for today, that awkwardness might just come in handy.
Tonight, Vancouver band
The Awkward Stage is holding their CD release party at the Media Club in Vancouver. (
Heaven Is For Easy Girls will be in stores October 10th.)
But if you
share a page from your awkward stage, you could win a copy of the new album, a Mint Records sampler, a Mint Records Yo-Yo, a mix of buttons, and a Mint Records flask to help you drown those teenage memories.
You can also check out Awkward Stage lead man
Shane Nelken's own tale of gym class gone terribly wrong. (He jokes that he has 400 copies of the CD in his closet, so if he wins, he'll pass the prize on to another brave contestant.)
To enter, you just have to write about one of those awkward moments - but the content closes today, so get those embarrassing moments flowing!
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 06, 2006
I don't want to jinx Justin Langlois' career, but it seems the good news for his project, The London Apartments, just won't cease. First, he created a beautifully ambient album, "Logistics & Navigation" just hoping someone would hear it, like us, and then the fine people in the UK at Beggar's Banquet pick it up and decide to release it on CD and vinyl, last month.
As if that weren't enough to excite any musician, Justin and his friend, Danielle, produced, directed, filmed, and edited his first video for the single "Summer Takes All My Time" on a budget of about $45 dollars! And, to prove to all the nay-sayers, including myself, who feel that certain music video channels won't air any video that was made for less than 20 grand, Justin is very happy to announce that you will see his new video TONIGHT on the Wedge! I'll be watching. Now, here is the new single in audio format...
Posted by MAK
on Oct 06, 2006
(This is the first in a series of post from Birdapres touring with John
Smith, and DJ Hunnicutt on their Peanuts & Corn Tour.)
So we kicked things off in Winnipeg,
my new base of operations. The Royal Albert huh,
Hunnicutt? We set up our merch
and equipment, under the orange glow of the VLT's. The Albert is an old school
punk rock venue, a grimy place with a good stage and a great staff. Nowhere
better to begin, as far as I'm concerned.
Yy set things off nicely for the night (he always seems to open, I can't
wait till his record drops so he can headline again). The audience was in good
spirits and growing.
John Smith unveiled some of the songs from "Growing
Pains", and they went over really well. DJ Hunnicutt held it down with
some double copy
Gary Wright action, definitely a highlight for me. I'm a
sucker for cue burned, marked up records getting flipped on stage.
So, I burned through a number of songs from "Get It Done" and
"Nothing Is Cool". Usually what I do at this point (especially with
some time till our next show), is gauge crowd response and look for weak points
in the set. The people sang along to "We Need New Shoes" and
"Blind" (mostly cause I made them do it, haha). Noted.
After the usual milling around out front, we
bounced to an undisclosed location for a less than satisfactory meal. I'm not a
late night food critic, so I won't name names, but my water tasted like Sprite.
After much discussion of
Quentin Tarantino and
Justin Timberlake (what else are
we gonna get into heated debates over?), we gave pounds and parted ways. I went
to sleep thinking about the future and hotel sheets.
Posted by Birdapres
on Oct 06, 2006
Our man in Montreal,
Yuani Fragata
gets by on very little sleep, which is a good thing, because right now he's
covering
Pop Montreal, the huge music festival and conference currently going
down in that city. With 300 acts, conferences, and markets there's almost too
much to choose from, so if you're planning on going (or not), listen into Yuani's
conversation with Lisa Christiansen from this
morning...
* Photo by Yuani Fragata of last night's iPod Battle @ Pop Montreal
Posted by John
on Oct 06, 2006
The Canadian Thanksgiving Edition of The R3•30
It really is a tragedy when one runs out of hyperbolic, exclamatory statements to make about one's show. So, this week's R3-30 is really, really nice. I can say that it is so full, we were thinking of making it a two-parter...sort of a cliffhanger dealie where my character's twin brother escapes from prison to foil my marriage to Madison.
I know, I know. You hate Madison. She thinks she's so big.
There is a new number one, four chartbreakers, a pitch from Matthew at iheartmusic.net, and we give away a satellite radio to Mike in Calgary! Mike called in last week to pitch a song, we used his pitch on the air, he gets a radio! If you pitch a song that we use, you'll get a satellite radio, too. You have to call 1-877-955-6565, tell us which song should be on the R3•30, and why. Don't forget to leave us your phone number, though. This week, you'll hear a very imaginative caller who gave us a radio drama while driving in Manitoba. We play it for two reasons: 1) it's great and (2) it's a perfect example of someone going through a lot of work and not getting a radio because they didn't leave their phone number!!!
The R3•30 is the perfect companion to your Thanksgiving weekend. 12 noon EST on Saturday on Sirius 94, then 12 midnight EST on Saturday and Sunday on terrestrial radio (CBCRadio2).
Now, you want to see the chart? Hit "read more"
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 06, 2006
Lauren Burrows is on deck tonight subbing for Grant who's off to eat turkey with the fam. It's going to be a really big show, so don't miss it!
Tune in tonight for a coast-to-coast live simulcast of CBC Radio 3, airing all over North America on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 94) and across Canada on CBC Radio Two 7:30 PM - 12:00 AM ET / 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM PT.
Message from LB:
Yes, a big show indeed ... I've stacked the playlist with artists performing at Pop Montreal (like Omnikrom, Artist of The Year, Sunset Rubdown, Cripple Creek Fairies, and Tokyo Police Club), The Bicycles are calling in with a Pop Montreal report, Grant Lawrence is calling in as well, The Leather Uppers tell a Thanksgiving tour story in Stand By Your Van, Elliott Brood's Casey Laforet brings an Occupational Hazard to the show, and for the beat junkies, I'm dropping interviews with DJ Shadow, Diplo and Swollen Members.
Do join the fun.
Posted by John
on Oct 07, 2006
Last night was a marathon. I'm chilling at home when I get a call from our vagabond host,
Grant Lawrence, informing me he's going to see Spiral Beach at O Patro Vys. I remember my producer Andrea asking for an interview with those guys and the Habs are almost done beating the Sabres. Why not?
Posted by Yuani Fragata
on Oct 07, 2006
ROCK | Galaxie 500, Greg Janssen, Indio Saravanja, Lisa Marie Kruchak, Lucid 44, The Drake Equation, The Tom Glenne 5.5, Zero Won
POP | Good Night Stars, Inoke Errati, The Groggs, The Unsettlers
ELECTRO | Audio Victim, Brad Hammerstron, Mixetc, Scorchtone
HIP HOP | Delux, Grand Analog
(Grand Analog, pictured)
See ALL NMC Bands ON TOUR!
Posted by MAK
on Oct 08, 2006
I live in Vancouver now and it's been almost a year that I've been here. But before that I was in Calgary. In fact, I lived in "Cowtown" for ten years. So yes, I do have a particular soft spot in my heart for that Western city.
But that's not why I'm picking the song Spring Flight to the Land of Fire as my New Music Canada pick of the day. I just happen to really like it. Sure, I know some history on this band like how a few days before they were to record their first album Central City May Rise Again, the bass player (at the time) dropped his bass amp on his hand and had to have surgery. I also remember how a cascade of further misadventures followed this catastrophe: some tracks were accidentally erased, somebody broke their foot and someone's house got broken into. In fact, all the bad luck caused the band to joke about a fictitious curse that plagued them every time they wanted to do something creative.
But that's all in the past now. Calgary's The Cape May have a new album out called Glass Mountain Roads and it was produced by the very well know Steve Albini both in Calgary and Chicago. There's no curse and certainly no reason to feel sorry for these guys right now. Spring Flight to the Land of Fire has that moody, muddy tone fans of The Cape May have come to expect and love. This song has such an awesome vibe to it courtesy of the band and Albini's production.
So....turn out the lights first. Done? OK now you can hit play. Enjoy your flight.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 09, 2006
So, last weekend Grant Lawrence was at Pop Montreal, and I got to fill-in for the Saturday night host, bringing the best of R3 to all of Canada on CBC Radio 2.
Producer Chris Kelly was there, and we got more than a little excited. SO MANY GREAT TUNES!!! We were cranking it up, and dancing around the studio.
At one point, Matt Beckett from The Bicycles called in with a Pop Montreal report. He had recently lost his guide, Henri Fabergé, and was lost in The Plateau. I was asking Matt about his cute and cuddly band, and their song, Australia. The Bicycles have not been to Australia, but Matt says they would like to. Matt also said that he went to Australia once to play bass with The Weekend.
Well, that's when Chris Kelly went a little bonkers. He loves The Weekend, and thinks that I should love them too. The Weekend create pop music "so viciously sweet ... it's like main-lining pepsi through a gummibear syringe".
Hmm, I can get with that.
To honour my new-best-friend-ness with Chris, I hereby present a kick-ass track by The Weekend.
Posted by LB
on Oct 10, 2006
UN Security Council debates what action to take against North Korea.
BBC
High schools in Halifax are eliminating dances because administrators claim they're becoming booze-fueled grope-fests.
CBCCritics doubt forthcoming
Tory green plan.
Ottawa Citizen
Hydrogen fuel cells might be a mistake for GM.
Technology Review
Posted by John
on Oct 10, 2006
MySpace to organize concerts featuring bands promoted on its site as part of awareness campaign for humanitarian relief in Sudan's Darfur region.
The Star
Modest Mouse postpones next album.
SoulshineChristian rock bands hope to expand into mainstream audiences.
YahooCBGBs is gone baby gone.
Globe and MailSuper-awesome classic album covers battle of the bands video.
Motionographer
Posted by John
on Oct 10, 2006
So apparently meat thermometers can come in handy. Who knew? I've cooked dozens of turkeys, but this was the first time I'd ever cooked one so big, or used a thermometer, and now
I'm sick. This means somebody (who isn't me) is going to have take the heat.
Usually I trust my own judgement, but not this time. I trusted the thermometer, and I got burned. And in the spirit of blaming others for my own shortcomings, I think some of the blame goes to
Metafilter, and the
Japanese. Early Sunday, I discovered
a link from Metafilter to
Nihongo Bongo - a dangerously distracting site featuring Japanese Latin inspired music of the 40's, 50's, and 60's.
I figured they would make perfect Thanksgiving music, but apparently not, because now
an angry turkey god is punishing me. Clearly they have something against me personally, since none of my guests are sick.
I don't really want to anger the turkey gods any further, but you really should check out some of the music on this site. With Japanese covers of "
Banana Boat", "
Tokyo Conga", "
Papa Love Mambo", and even "
Can't Buy Me Love", you really can't go wrong. Well... I did, but it was worth it... kinda.
Posted by John
on Oct 10, 2006
Last weekend I had the pleasure of being in attendance at both the
Pop Montreal and the coinciding
Future Of Music Coalition in glorious Montreal, City of Saints.
After the panel I spoke on wrapped up, I met several cool kids who handed me various CDs, zines, business cards and flyers. I asked a couple of them to recommend the band that I should not miss that night and two very urgently insisted that I see a young Toronto unit called
Spiral Beach. Apparently, it's a band primarily made up of Toronto high school kids (in grade eleven and older) that have been twisting ears for just over a year.
Sure enough I made the gig that night, and was amazed to see the venue stuffed with just about every indie and major label A&R rep in Canada, as well as several from the major US labels as well.
There were plenty of journalists in the house too, and while one cynically dismissed Spiral Beach's warped prog-lite sound as the
Mini Pops meets Mr. Bungle, if their song "Voodoo" is any indication, they fall more in line with
Martha and the Muffins of then and
Bend Sinister of now.
Judging by the collection of boozed-up talent scouts in attendance, you may be hearing a lot more of Spiral Beach in the very near future. Until then, enjoy the secret beach before the frat kids find out!
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 11, 2006
Talk about panic! in the office! I just read in Chart that the New Pornographers have fulfilled their contract with indie sensei masters Mint Records and the band is thinking about a move to a bigger label?!? Say what? Who would they move to? 604?
Our very own Grant Lawrence is in Toronto tonight for the Exclaim! Mint 15th Anniversary Roadshow @ the Kool Haus. So, we'll send him on some detective work to find us some more details about this 'other label' business.
Posted by MAK
on Oct 11, 2006
Today on CBC Radio 3's Sirius Satellite service...
Stephen O'Shea from
You Say Party! We Say Die! is coming in at 2:00pm
PT to talk to
Lisa
Christiansen about having to
cancel their US west coast tour dates due to work visa problems.
Posted by John
on Oct 11, 2006
Posted by John
on Oct 11, 2006
Iraqi dead may number 600,000.
New York Times
Boozy water bottle design causing trouble.
CBC
Porky's passes the Canadian box office crown to Bon Cop.
CTV
Cory Lidle, pitcher for the New
York Yankees feared dead after his plane crashes into highrise.
CBC
Flatulence is an unacceptable form of political dissent in Poland.
AHN
Posted by John
on Oct 11, 2006
What can I possibly say about
David Fetch's Pop Montreal Diary
of a Record Label Lackey featured recently in
Maisonneuve?
In reading it, I felt almost as if I were right there with
him as he smoked, drank, and snorted his way around town, while sharing his nigh-brilliant observations on the state of Canadian indie rock.
Just the sort of thing I look for in my music writing.
Posted by John
on Oct 11, 2006
Dear Blog,
Always listen and research gossip.
So I am getting my haircut for the first time in six months and I am chatting with my scenester, maven hairdresser and she goes, "Wanna hear some gossip?" and I go, "Well, I was thinking of rudely ignoring you while staring at myself in the mirror but I guess I will indulge you today."
Then she launches into how You Say Party! We Say Die! will never be allowed into the U.S. again because they were stopped at the border harboring illegal instruments made in Cuba, while smoking illegal marijuana rolled in the American flag and then when they told the border cops their band name the cops took it as a threat and handcuffed them all:
YSPWSD: Hi, we're, "You say party, we say die!"
American Border Officer: Code Red! Death threatening an officer is federal offence! Call the White House! Call Fox News!
Anyway. I am in the chair freaking out hoping she'll hurry and make me look awesome so I can verify all of this. I did and it turned out some of it was true.
Lisa Christiansen sat down with the accused, Stephen O'Shea to get the full story.
Posted by Chris Kelly
on Oct 11, 2006
Back in 1985,
Sally Field, having just won an
Oscar, said something
like "I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!"
I think this is the sort of goofy joy going around the office
right now as everybody reads
Will Doig's recent feature in Nerve (maybe NSFW), which calls CBC Radio 3
"possibly the world's best station".
I haven't actually read it yet, because I'm using this golden
opportunity to check out Nerve's photography section on work time, while being
able to claim that I was reading about Radio 3, but apparently it's a really
good article. I don't want to jump the gun, but I think it may mean that we're
going steady or something.
Posted by John
on Oct 11, 2006
Posted by LB
on Oct 12, 2006
Tories will table legislation forcing repeat offenders to
prove they no longer dangers to society.
Globe and Mail
UN report covering 130 countries finds shocking levels of
violence against children, which cuts across cultures, income and education
levels.
CBC
Gunmen raid Baghdad
television station killing 11.
BBC
Boingboing's
Xeni Jardin spills the beans to George re
Google's purchase of Youtube.
The Hour
Amateur video of Disney characters humping each other throws
Eurodisney bosses into a tizzy.
iol
Posted by John
on Oct 12, 2006
Tokyo Police Club who've just released their debut EP A
Lesson in Crime, have signed on to Memphis Industries.
TPCThe Detroit Cobras were recently denied entrance to Canada. All Canadian dates have been cancelled.
Justin Hawkins quits The Darkness.
Chartattack
Flashmobs have evolved, only now it's called "mobile clubbing".
Daily Mail
Those guys I found in my backyard are on tour across the
country.
Trike
Posted by John
on Oct 12, 2006
Dear Blog,
We don't just interview rock stars here at the Radio 3 All-Night Party Factory. We also interview comedians who have loose connections with rock stars. I guess, for that matter we could also interview politicians, blue collar workers and/or animals with loose connections to rock stars. They have to have a connection with a rock star for the sole purpose of having something to play once the interview is over, I mean it's not like we are going to play more of them talking. We just did that, it was called an interview. Silly.
When I realized that David Cross was not only doing a show with Dan Bokner's new band The Handsome Furs for a CBC Radio 3 showcase in the Vancouver Comedy Festival but also appears in The New Pornographers video Use It! I knew he was my next interview victim.
Posted by Chris Kelly
on Oct 12, 2006
Posted by John
on Oct 12, 2006
China's
bid to boost unions and end abuse of workers comes under fire from foreign
corporations.
New York Times
Niagara's searing summer temperatures
replaced by
record-setting snowfall.
CBC
Moscow and Beijing
reject extreme sanctions against North Korea.
BBC
Report claims that failure to act against climate change
could cost
$20 trillion by 2100.
Guardian
Canadian troops track Taliban militants through "
impenetrable
forest of 10-feet high marijuana plants".
Reuters
Posted by John
on Oct 13, 2006
Although John Crossingham is a member of that crowded Toronto band/family Broken Social Scene, his other project Raising the Fawn doesn't get that much attention. So before it has to wail on the floor, I'm here to heap some praise.
The rock trio released The Maginot Line in the spring after a two-year break between projects. It's a beautiful collection of atmospheric rock songs that are both heartfelt and melodic. The songs, especially my pick for the day "Carbon Paper" grow on you with each listen.
The album was recorded in Sarah Harmer's home studio and I agree with one reviewer who said you can feel the power of the rustic setting on the music. (I think I'll pitch the idea of hosting from the south of France - imagine how good I would sound with all that sun and wine).
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 13, 2006
Today on CBC Radio 3's Sirius Satellite service...
Paul
Rachman and
Steven Blush - the film team
behind
American Hardcore phone in to chat with Lisa
Christiansen at 1:00pm PT
More or Les @ 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET with Lauren Burrows
The Herbaliser @ 8:00 PM PT / 11:00 PM ET also with Lauren
Posted by John
on Oct 13, 2006
Square Root of Margaret is a band from Chatham, Ontario approximately 3 hours outside of Toronto - but maybe not for long....? They were recently here in Vancouver to record a studio session for CBC Radio 3, and while on the coast, they took a trip out to the Gulf Islands to visit a friend and seemed quite taken by island life.
SQROM recorded 6 songs for the session and I had a chance to talk to them about the influence of dreams and aliens on their songwriting. Front man Po explained that he often writes from dreams and actually has the uncanny ability to remember his dreams with precise detail. As far as aliens go, check out songs like Alien Frequency and Circuitry Knee here.
SQROM in session will be posted here soon. Meanwhile, visit tour dates to see if the band will be teleported into your city anytime soon.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 13, 2006
Posted by John
on Oct 13, 2006
Posted by Ahmed Khalil
on Oct 13, 2006
Grant's been looking just a wee bit little tired these days. He's been flying
to and fro across the land, hitting music festival after music festival. You'd
almost say he looks like he's been ridden hard, and put away wet, but when duty
calls, he steps into the booth, and knows how to giv'r.
This week's podcast is no exception with deets on two forth-coming
CBC Radio 3 showcases, one happening at the
Halifax Pop Explosion, and the
other
Western Canadian Music Awards in Winnipeg. Oh yeah, and then there's all the music...
Bedouin Soundclash makes its podcast debut,
Jon-Rae and The River floats on by, plus a little throbbing electro punk from
Duchess
Says, and
We Are Wolves to name but a few.
In fact the damned thing is so full of great stuff that you
should probably just go get it.
M4A MP3 OGG iTunes
Posted by John
on Oct 13, 2006
The tangential juggernaut that is The R3-30 thunders on.
And you know me, I've always been straight with you. No bull.
With that in your mind, I'll tell you that I'm technically on holidays right now and didn't remember that I had to do the blog thing until just now.
So here we go...
This week, there are four new tunes in the mix. Chartbreakers abound, with four of those. Ray Cammaert (Maps Of The Night Sky) pitches a song that he thinks should be on the chart, and Helen Spitzer (cleverlazy.com) pitches a tune our way, too. We give away a satellite radio to John (from London, Ontario) and some other stuff that I can't remember right now.
You'll have to listen, I guess. 9 am PST (Noon EST) on Sirius 94 and 9 pm PST (Midnight EST) on Saturday and Sunday nights on Radio 2.
Remember, we want your pick for The R3•30. Just call us at 1-877-955-6565, tell us the song that should be on, who does it...and why it should be on the chart. If we use your pick on the air, you'll get a satellite radio.
To feast your eyes on the chart, hit "read more".
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 13, 2006
Grant Lawrence is back this week, with a big bag full of music, and special edition of
Occupational Hazard, the feature where artists tell tales of employment woe.
Tune in tonight for a coast-to-coast live simulcast of CBC Radio 3,
airing all over North America on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 94)
and across Canada on CBC Radio Two 7:30 PM - 12:00 AM ET / 4:30 PM -
9:00 PM PT.
Posted by John
on Oct 14, 2006
ROCK | Angela Desveaux, Black Market Organs, Cameron Clark, Cassidy Lee and the Skiffles, Danny Buzanko, Drail, Fat Bastard Blues Explosion, Hub, Janine Gobeil, Jon Pelletier, Live Country Music, Optirosa, Palmeadow, Schooner, Shredrex, Swenson Clane, Ten Too Many, The Knifings, The Midway State
POP | A Boy So Blue, Ashley Remblum, Christina, Her Sweet Time, John Pippus
ELECTRO | Die Baader-Meinhof Gruppe, Fornequiem, Minisystem, No Soap Radio, ThePublicityStunt
HIP HOP | Atherton & Sire
R&B | Applebox
See ALL NMC bands ON TOUR!
(Janine Gobeil, pictured)
Posted by MAK
on Oct 15, 2006
I'm writing this high above Manitoba now en route to Regina. But let's reflect on the whirlwind of yesterday's activities in Winnipeg shall we?
First off, I have to say that everywhere I went, I encountered the friendliest people. A very nice older lady on the airplane for example, named Fern, who has lived in Winnipeg all her life. She told me all about the jobs she had done in the last twenty years, everything from serving beer to gamblers at the racetrack to working in the linen department at Sears. Then there was the cabdriver named Buljinder who played me a tape of Punjabi music and kept pressing ‘pause' it in order to explain what each song meant. It was later pointed out to me that the slogan on the license plate for that province reads: "Friendly Manitoba". Now I get it.
OK, so let's move ahead to the evening where I met up with everyone at the Garrick Centre. It was pretty easy to find, as it was right around the corner from my hotel on Portage Ave. I later discovered that it was once a movie theatre, and I think part of it might still be a movie theater, though I'm not positive. I do know that there are multiple viewing rooms within that building as Carl Newman of The New Pornographers pointed out. Halfway through The New Pornographer's set he indicated how weird it was that they were playing in a twin cinema, just like the name of their latest album. Kurt the drummer piped up from behind the kit: "Is this a segue Karl?" It was, and they launched into the title track.
The New Pornographers closed out the night, but Novillero got the whole thing started. They were in fine form, despite the trauma from their van getting broken into earlier this week. By the way, I did notice a red van with a taped up window parked near the venue yesterday. I wondered if it was the one belonging to Novillero. I guess I'll see if it turns up again tonight in Regina.
It was good to see the crew from Immaculate Machine again. Kathryn Calder wins the prize for longest time on stage last night, as she joined the New Pornographers for their set as well.
When the lights came on at the end of the night, everyone seemed filled to the brim of their smiling faces with good music. The doors burst open to the lobby and as if the night couldn't get any better, fans were greeted by members of each band who were waiting at the merch table to say ‘hi'. Sharpies in hand, they signed CDs and God knows what else. I didn't stick around to find out, and headed back out into the cold Winnipeg night, my head full of minty fresh melodies.
Well, that's the story so far. I better go now - we're landing in a few minutes. Gotta put my table tray and seat into it's upright position. More to come later as the Roadshow continues....in Regina.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 15, 2006
It's a late night in Regina and I think I saw some snowflakes floating around as I made my way back to the hotel. There's that thing in the air that just smells like winter, you know what I mean?
Well, I'll tell you this much: we all forgot the weather for a few hours over at The Distrikt tonight where the show went down, though there was a bit of a chill in the air ten minutes before show time. That was not due to unkindness on anyone's part, but rather from the lack of bodies in the club. We started to think: where the heck is everyone?!!! Sure, it's Sunday night, but this is a superb night of music. Anyway, Regina came through in the end and people slowly trickled in as Novillero hit the stage.
By the time they were digging into the very catchy song "The Hypothesist", people had gathered in front of the stage and the crowd was starting to thicken like gravy and they kept their enthusiasm strong right until the lights came on after the final encore by New Pornographers.
After the audience went home and the gear was all packed up, a few of us headed to a nearby pub to check out what a Sunday night in Regina had to offer. We huddled over a few pints of beer and replayed some of the evening's best moments. One of the highlights was when New Pornographer's frontman Carl Newman playfully chastised the fan who cried out: "Play Freebird!" I bet that guy will never utter those words ever again after the talking to he got.
Brooke of Immaculate Machine added that there was more band banter in general on everyone's part tonight which sort of seemed true. Maybe it was that winter wind building up outside that made everyone want to bond with their fellow man a little more, for a little collective warmth.
In a city with a population of only around two-hundred thousand (according to the cabdriver I rode with today), and temperatures that dip below minus 30 in the winter, it's easy to give Regina a hard time. But tonight was like Field of Dreams - build it and they will come. And they did, and a nice crowd it was.
Well, I'd better get some rest. Next stop: the Paris of the prairies.... Edmonton!
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 16, 2006
One of our favourite songbirds is heading out on a national tour! The one and only Julie Doiron will be backed by her bandmates Shotgun & Jaybird. The performances will feature songs from her forthcoming 2007 release, Woke Myself Up, as well as selections from her extensive back catalogue. Also on the tour is Woolly Leaves. This project features Will Kidman, currently best known to music fans as the keyboard player for one of Canada's most beloved rock ‘n' roll bands, The Constantines.
The big tour kick-off is this Saturday!
Oct. 21 - Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
Oct. 22 - Guelph, ON @ The Albion
Oct. 24 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ tba
Oct. 25 - Thunder Bay, ON @ The Apollo
Oct. 26 - Winnipeg, MB @ Music Trader
Oct. 27 - Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos
Oct. 28 - Edmonton, AB @ Stanley Milner Library (all ages)
Oct. 29 - Calgary, AB @ Weeds Cafe (all ages)
Oct. 30 - Lethbridge, AB @ The Slice
Nov. 2 - Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards
Nov. 3 - Calgary, AB @ The Palomino
Nov. 4 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange Club
Nov. 5 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Royal Albert
Nov. 7 - Sudbury, ON @ The Townhouse
Nov. 8 - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
Nov. 9 - Peterborough, ON @ Clancy's Red Dog
Nov. 10 - Kingston, ON @ The Artel (Julie + Woolly Leaves only)
Nov. 11 - Oshawa, ON @ Velvet Elvis
Nov. 12 - Ottawa, ON @ The Rainbow
Nov. 13 - Montreal, QC @ O Patro Vys
Nov. 14 - Quebec City, QC @ tba
See you all there!
Hear "Snow Falls in November" from her album 2004 release "Goodnight Nobody"...
Posted by MAK
on Oct 16, 2006
Kids in Winnipeg trap disabled teen inside playground shed and set it on fire.
CBCEmbattled Israeli president faces slew of criminal charges
including; rape, and sexual harassment offenses.
The Jerusalem
Post
Ontario
considers changing liquor laws to help combat date rape.
CBC
Planned live-fire training by US Coast Guard could dangerously
increase levels of lead in the Great Lakes.
Globe and
Mail
Posted by John
on Oct 16, 2006
Jon-Rae Fletcher spills the goods about his religious
upbringing.
Globe and MailActivists try to block
Madonna's Malawian adoption.
CBCThe Decemberists will hold a contest to find a director for their
next video, after Winnipeg "
cult
film" director
Guy Maddin turned them down.
Chartattack
K'naan has had a bit of a rough time. First he and his band
had a nasty confrontation with security guards in Gothenburg, and then
George
Clinton stole his pie. Watch the video he made about the incident
here.
(The confrontation, not the pie stealing)
The Stooges back in studio to record first album since 1973 with
Mike Watt on bass.
Reuters
Posted by John
on Oct 16, 2006
This summer I went to
San Francisco, kids in tow. After Alcatraz and the Golden
Gate Bridge, it's
Haight-Ashbury that really sucks up the
tourists in that California city. But unlike the first two sights, which can't help
but awe you, a street corner in a neighbourhood really leaves you kind of cold.
As in: what? This is it? This is the
epicentre of 60's counterculture?
As hard as it is to believe,
you finally have to surrender to the disappointment and remember that the best
social movements are organic. The right conditions meet and magic brims
over. And the not knowing and the not understanding is really the best part.
On the weekend another such
landmark made the news:
CBGB in New York. I never made it to the legendary club, known also as
the Home of Rock n' Roll. Bands like the
Ramones,
Blondie,
Black Flag and the
Talking Heads all either broke on the stage or added to its mystique. Its logo
is so familiar it has become a kind of Nike swish for non-sporty scenesters. The
club is set to close on October 31 after 33 years of business.
Patti Smith played at the
final show and refused to be nostalgic. It's not a temple, she said, it is what
it is. And by all accounts that was a small, dumpy bar that just happened to be
the place needed by the right people at the right time.
Soon people will be able to
visit
CBGB in Las
Vegas. I'm not
quite sure what people visiting will get from a faux club; maybe the t-shirt.
What they won't get is that weird rush of excitement that hits if you stand
still in these strange places for just a moment extra. Because it's then that
you realize: if it could happen here, couldn't it happen anywhere?
That kind of thinking leads
to revolutions.
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 16, 2006
Finally got around to watching
Made In Secret: the Story of
the East Van Porn Collective on DVD after missing it in
theatres last year.
At first I didn't appreciate their ruse. I felt cheated by
the provocative looking DVD cover, which seemingly promised a bevy of
East Van
denizens cavorting on screen, but in fact was a cleverly disguised propaganda
piece for collectivism artistic collaboration. As it turns out, it was really
good, and shallow though I may be, I was able to get past the scant fleshy offerings.
Presented as a documentary, the film looks into the lives of
a small group of friends who, tired of mainstream pornography, set out to shoot
their own brand of indie porn. What's interesting is that initially there was
no such thing as the East Van Porn Collective. They made it all up for the sake
of shooting the documentary, but once they got going... sexy films were made - at
least according to
an interview in the Montreal Mirror.
No doubt the anarcho-filmmakers will take some pleasure in
knowing that I spent hours arguing with my friends over the benefits vs
pitfalls of consensus decision making, only to be stopped in our tracks by my roommate who came
downstairs in his underwear to beg us to shut the hell up. Hot stuff.
Posted by John
on Oct 16, 2006
American Hardcore is a new documentary that recently opened in theatres in Vancouver and Toronto. The film explores the punk-rock off shoot from it's inception in the early 1980s until it's almost end in the mid 80s.
I say almost end because the effects are still reverberating today. The movie features interviews with a who's who of those heady days including
Henry Rollins,
Ian MacKaye and our own
Joe Keithley of
DOA.
I recently chatted on the phone with director
Paul Rachman and writer
Steven Blush - who's 2001 book of the same name the film was based on.
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 16, 2006
Hey folks - if you're planning a trip to Saskatoon anytime soon, make sure you bring a winter jacket and maybe some Yaktrax and/or a helmet - it's cold and slippery here in Toon town. That being said, Carl of The New Pornographers seemed to be enjoying himself immensely here tonight. He was all smiles and had nothing but compliments for the audience on their rhythmic handclaps and dancing. He even bestowed on the city the title of "best city on the tour so far"!
Novillero agreed. Compared to the slow trickle in of bodies last night in Regina, they played to a much busier crowd. Was Carl Newman a little tough on Regina tonight many of us asked? Well, he did say something like, "You guys are great and Regina sucks!" but then followed up with, "We're just kidding!" I think he was playin' a bit, trying to stir up some good old fashioned city rivalry.
On another note, let me say this: it's been a really fun tour so far and one of the things that's been interesting for me is getting an opportunity to "break bread" or share a drink with the bands before or after the show and to get to know them a little bit beyond their life on the stage. Tonight I enjoyed a pre-show dinner with Kurt, Blaine and Katherine of The New Pornographers.
We talked about all kinds of things like dreams for example. It seems Blaine has the ability to remember his dreams when he wakes up so he makes a habit of writing them down. He also has New Pornographer dreams all the time in which the band is playing songs he doesn't know and he's trying to figure them out. Sounds like the scary waiter dreams I used to have. You know the ones I mean?
Later in the evening, I was sitting with the guys from Novillero and we started singing songs from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. I love that musical! (I was Judas when I was in grade 11 and I still remember all the words!). We started singing the one that goes "Everything's all right dear, everything's fine...." and Sean explained that they've actually performed that song live with one of the members of the band Nathan and that there's a live recording of it out there. Then things went up a notch. What if we get Katherine to sing the song and we could do it live for the next few shows? That was the idea being tossed around by the guys, for a few minutes anyway. The last I heard, they were going to talk to Katherine about it. Then talk shifted to something else musical.
So, will Katherine Caldor of Immaculate Machine and The New Pornographers sing a duet with Novillero? Stay tuned for the continuing saga of the Mint! Exclaim Roadshow! as it makes its way to the City of Champions. See you in Edmonton friends.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 17, 2006
Somehow, as I entered my late twenties, I passed an invisible barrier that changed me from a young punk who was ahead of the technological curve, to an ol' lady that needs help answering her cellphone.
Alright, alright, I am exaggerating - a bit - but it's true that "they don't make 'em like they used to" according to me, and according to minisystem as well.
minisystem is based in Toronto, but was living in the UK when he first started getting into electronic sounds. Turns out that he prefers outmoded analogue technology to modern digital equipment, and uses vintage equipment like modular synthesizers, old keyboards and drum machines in his studio.
A new addition to New Music Canada, minisystem has posted the title track to his new album "madingley" (release date: Oct. 23 on Noise Factory Records) on his NMC page, and therefore I can present it to you as the TRACK OF THE DAY!
It's such a nice song, perfect for unwinding after trying to figure out how to work this galdarn, ding dang, blog thing ... argh!
Posted by LB
on Oct 17, 2006
Raising the Fawn didn't start out as a band. It was originally started as a one-man-band nine years ago in John Crossingham's bedroom. It took some time, but he eventually lowered his own Maginot Line and rounded up a couple of others and formed a band - the trio - that we know and love today. This past spring, Raising the Fawn released their fourth album, The Maginot Line, and have just announced a whack of tour dates in support of their latest creation...
This tour will also include select performances with The Golden Dogs, The Weakerthans, Mico, and In-Flight Safety!
Oct. 18 - Charlottetown, PEI @ Baba's Lounge (w/ the Golden Dogs)
Oct. 19 - Fredericton, NB @ UNB-SUB Cafeteria (w/ the Weakerthans)
Oct. 20 - Saint John, NB @ Elwoods (w/ the Golden Dogs)
Oct. 21 - Halifax, NS @ Stage Nine Bar & Grill (Halifax Pop Explosion)
Oct. 25 - Ottawa, ON @ Cafe Decuf (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Oct. 26 - Kingston, ON @ The Grad Club (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Oct. 27 - Peterborough, ON @ Trasheteria - Blue Room (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Oct. 28 - Barrie, ON @ Foundation Night Club (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Nov. 01 - Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Nov. 02 - St. Catharines, ON @ Level 3 (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Nov. 03 - London, ON @ Call The Office (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Nov. 04 - Windsor, ON @ The Avalon Front (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Nov. 10 - Thunder Bay, ON @ Killroys (w/ In-Flight Safety)
Nov. 11 - Winnipeg, MB @ Collective Cabaret (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Nov. 14 - Regina, SK @ The Distrikt (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Nov. 15 - Saskatoon, SK @ Louis' Pub (U of Sask) (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Nov. 16 - Edmonton, AB @ The Power Plant (noontime show) - RTF only
Nov. 16 - Edmonton, AB @ The Power Plant (evening show) (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Nov. 18 - Calgary, AB @ The Hi Fi Club (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Nov. 22 - Victoria, BC @ Logan's Pub (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Nov. 23 - Vancouver, BC @ The Lamplighter (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Nov. 24 - Kelowna, BC @ Habitat (w/ In-Flight Safety & Mico)
Posted by MAK
on Oct 17, 2006
If you missed
Grant's Saturday Night Special edition of
Occupational Hazard this past weekend, you can catch it today at 3:00 PM PT / 6:00
PM ET. And then at 3:15 PM PT
/ 6:15 PM ET catch his interview
with
Yo La Tengo.
Posted by John
on Oct 17, 2006
Posted by John
on Oct 17, 2006
New Tory bill places onus on recidivists to prove they're
not dangerous offenders.
CBC
National Action Committee on the Status of Women condemns Tory
funding cuts.
CNW
U.S. President George Bush signs bill authorizing "coercive
interrogation" of terror suspects, and bars detainees from filing habeas corpus.
ACLU claims the new law is "one of the worst civil-liberties measures ever
enacted in American history."
Globe and Mail
Ombudsman's report calls
treatment of Canadian aboriginals a
"disgrace."
CBC
Hells Angel's "feelings have been hurt" since the group was
ruled a criminal organization.
CBCAmericans now number 300 million.
MSNBC
U.K.
Prime Minister Tony Blair calls Muslim veil a "mark of separation."
New York
Times
Posted by John
on Oct 17, 2006
Bella is a Vancouver-based trio that executes the boy/girl harmony mix in a nigh-perfect sorta way.
They put out their first full release,
Pretty Mess, two years ago, and now they
have a fabulous new EP out featuring "Didn't Mean to Break Our Love", a tune
which took "winning song" at the
Mazda Start Up Band Search.
Bella performs in Vancouver
this Sunday at the
Exclaim! Mint Road Show when it rolls into town. Recently, band
members Tiffany and Cameron dropped in on Lisa Christiansen
for a chat.
Posted by John
on Oct 17, 2006
"Miles and miles of road bend, so I'm windin' through the night."
That's what Tariq is probably doing right now.
He's on the road with the Mint/Exclaim!/R3 Road Show, and dammit. I miss him.
Granted, I don't work with him in Vancouver...and we've only really ever met once...and he didn't seem to really like me. But we made a connection, man. Something that can be weakened by neither time nor distance. But look at his eyes in the picture there...he's a lonely man. The road is his only friend.
So Tariq, old friend, wherever you are, this song that you wrote is for you.
Godspeed. This is a hell of a song.
Uh..it's Craig, by the way. Craig Norris.
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 18, 2006
Man, what an adventure it was trying to get to the show tonight. According to the itinerary I had, it was taking place at a club in the world famous West Edmonton Mall. So, after checking into my hotel and showering etc., I flagged down a cab and declared: West Edmonton Mall please!
Here's how the cabride went: So we're on the way. We start driving. And driving. And...driving. Then halfway there, the cabdriver declares with an accent: "I don't know mall area very well - where you wanna go?" I tell him that I'm supposed to be meeting up with my friends at Earls restaurant. "Arrows?" he asks. "No, no, EARLS!" I say. "Yah Yah, Arrolls." I see that he's trying to say 'Earls, but it keeps sounding like Arrows.
So then I ask him;"Do you know where the Earls is in the mall?" "Me? Ha ha ha! No, no! West Edmonton Mall VERY BEEG!" he laughs. "I don't know. I think near casino," he says, pronouncing casino something like 'kai-zeeeee-no'. This guy's a riot - I mean it's nuts to have a cabdriver who doesn't know where on earth he's going, but it's also sort of funny at the same time depending on how you look at it. A roadshow indeed.
Finally, we make it (to Arrows). I jump out of cab and race inside. Passing a young fellow at a kiosk, I ask where the Earls is. "Oh, you go straight down that way," he indicates with his finger, "and take a left on Bourbon Street - you can't miss it." I burst out laughing again. Bourbon Street? Ok, so suddenly I realize how big this mall is - it has street names for crying out loud! All it needs now is its own transit system!
Luckily, at that very moment I run into Luke and Brooke of Immaculate Machine who are weaving their way towards me, fresh from a ride on the roller coaster at the amusement park (that's right: IN the mall. It's got everything). They're grinning and hungry like me, only for different reasons, and so we head off together in search of the others.
At dinner, Luke and Brooke tell me about the record they're just about to make with producer John Collins who's also the bass player in The New Pornographers. We discuss how they're going to do it, tracking the drums first then adding the other instruments. Incidently, they've been playing some of their new songs each night on this tour, so that's helping to solidify them as well.
Fast forward now, past dinner, digestion and to 5 minutes before showtime. I'm standing side stage, ready to introduce Novillero and I look out at the gathering crowd and think to myself; man, what an awesome journey this has been, seeing so many Canadian cities and all the enthusiastic music lovers that gather in them nightly. I toast them silently.
Summary? Edmonton's 1,000 plus crowd prooves to be a little more contained than the Saskatoon audience last night, but they're very, how shall I say it...attentive and they cheer wildly in between songs. They're totally into it, they just don't dance as much. Whatever - they're loving every minute of it I can tell.
And to top it off, as you've probably heard by now, Edmonton won the hockey game tonight, so there you go; lot's of good energy floating around this city tonight I'd say. From the chilly seats of the stadium to the confines of the plastic mall, there was much spirit in Edmonton tonight.
But I hear a howling outside my window now. It's the wind ready to take us Southward towards the Stampede city...Calgary awaits the spirit of Roadshow now.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 18, 2006
On the heels of
Bono's request that Ireland
contribute more aid to Africa, U2 moves publishing
company to the Netherlands
to avoid higher taxes.
International Herald TribuneBuck
65 is
giving away his newest EP for free on his MySpace page ... one
song per week for 5 weeks, and the 1
st one was posted last night.
MySpace
Universal Music Group sues the operators of video-sharing
sites, Grouper.com and Bolt.com, claiming they're allowing users to share music
videos and other copyright material without permission.
CBC
Posted by John
on Oct 18, 2006
Researchers prepare a new HIV/AIDS vaccine for clinical
trials at University of Western Ontario.
Western News
Outspoken Conservative MP Garth Turner dooced for critical comments made
on his blog. CBC
Recent poll places Tories and Liberals neck and neck, with
each party expected to receive 32% of votes. Globe and Mail
U.S. President George Bush signs order to ensure United
States will become dominant space power.
Wired
Ouch. Collector pokes hole in Picasso's famed portrait of
his mistress, Dream. The Age
"Anything's good when you deep fry it." The Charlotte
Observer
Posted by John
on Oct 18, 2006
Winnipeg will be buzzing with cheers and jeers this weekend for the Western Canadian Music Awards. The best of the left have been nominated for this year's coveted award, hosted at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Sunday, October 22nd.
Each year, a Hall of Fame inductee from the host province is also honoured with a special award. The 2006 WCMA Hall of Fame inductee is legendary Winnipeg band Harlequin (watch out for Harlequin II)!
Check the categories and list of nominees which include Paper Moon, The Chicharones, The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, Rick Scott, The Cruzeros, Corb Lund, Au4, The New Pornographers, Mood Ruff, Paramedic, Park-Like Setting, Sweatshop Union, Rich Hope, Angela Harris, Steve Dawson, Ridley Bent, and Novillero- just to name a few!
There will also be showcase performances from several of our favourite bands- see the festival schedule.
Next year, it's off to Moose Jaw!
Posted by MAK
on Oct 18, 2006
It was during one of his spoken word shows that singer/writer Henry Rollins illuminated me on the problem with stamps. They are not always very exciting. I believe it was the ‘shells of America' series that set him off on his rant. And I've thought about his words every time I go to the post office and look through pictures of the Queen, vintage cars or last years offering: flowers, flags and falcons.
Yesterday Canada Post presented their latest offering, six Canadian opera greats. That's right, Edward Johnson, Raoul Jobin, Jon Vickers, and Maureen Forrester and the husband and wife couple Pierrette Alarie and Léopold Simoneau are all featured on this latest series.
Now I'm not saying these less-than household names don't deserve a stamp, especially considering most people who still buy stamps either for daily use or collecting might actually know who these people are. But these people are sadly becoming few and far between. A new generation deserves to have their own musical heroes to seduce them to the joys of posting letters.
May we suggest this first in a possible series of Canadian indie musicians. This year Final Fantasy, aka Owen Pallett, picked up the first ever Polaris music prize. The event is at least as important as an opera star playing on an international stage.
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 18, 2006
So I'm sitting here quietly working, and minding my own
business, when
Lisa Christiansen, and
Chris
Kelly pay me a work-related visit, but somehow get me onto
the topic of how as a kid I went on a school trip to a weirdly progressive
Catholic church in Buffalo where the priest was this hippy guy who played
guitar, and the
Eucharist didn't feature the usually dry little circle of bread, but huge chunks
of delicious bread, (which I guess after
transubstantiation were in fact large bread-like
chunks of
Christ)
The story reminded Lisa of
Jesus Christ Superstar, and so
she and Chris started belting out show-tunes from the film next to my desk. To
get them to "go work" someplace else, I told them of a
Mr. Show skit where they
condense JCS into a much more watchable film called
Jeepers Creepers, Semi-Star,
and tell them I'd send them the Youtube link I assumed existed, which as it
turns out it did.
They took off to check their email for the clip (which I'm sure they watched at home), and I was able to get back to work.
Posted by John
on Oct 18, 2006
Just when I start dropping my guard ever so slightly and perhaps admit that maybe Vancouver is carving a nice little indie rock scene for itself, the people I used to call friends stab me in my rock n' roll heart.
Jason Grimmer (
Nasty On,
The Christa Min,
Anenomes) leaves for Montreal and so do
The Winks and then I hear that
Shapes and Sizes might be following suit. Then there are rumours about
The Organ's demise. And now I hear that my favorite female trio's reported hiatus has turned into a full blown break up.
Vancouver's
New Years Resolution consisted of singer/keyboardist
Dana Ayotte, formerly of the Stunts, singer/guitarist
LL Schultz, formerly of Queazy and the Skinjobs, and drummer
Melanie Covey, also of great instrumental three piece, Trail Vs. Russia.
Their only release,
Bullets of Love, was one of my top 5 favorite albums of 2005, featuring great songs such as "Death March on the Tone Bank" and "World of Time". Their lively sets were heightened by LL's wonderfully humorous banter. Their last show was July 15th at the Marine Club, opening for
Joel and the Last Neighbours.
Posted by Chris Alscher
on Oct 18, 2006
Like any good rock and roll roadshow should, tonight ended with a feast at a late night diner called Gerry's (formerly known as The Husky House). Yup, you can get a mushroom cheeseburger and fries and a slice of pie at two in the morning if you like...or a salad if that's more your thing. That's where myself and Immaculate Machine found ourselves at 2 AM, talking about the night's events. As Luke polished off his slice of rhubarb and strawberry pie that sort of seemed to float in a sea of soft ice-cream, I drew out directions on a napkin of how to get out of the city and back onto the Trans-Canada highway.
As I write this, Immaculate Machine are making their way westward into the darkness, hoping to catch the last ferry to Victoria by tomorrow night. I felt a little sad to wave goodbye and watch their tail lights fade away when they dropped me off at the hotel, but unfortunately my last stop with the roadshow is here in Calgary. But I'll tell you this friends, the roadshow gets in you and you're forever travellin', in your sleep, in your soul.
The kindness of everyone on this tour is hard to explain. You develop a real camaraderie almost like a travelling troupe, or a circus or something. I will tell you this - if we want to stretch the circus theme further, let me play the clown for a moment. The clown who trips over things, you ask? Yeah, that's the one. If you were at the show tonight in Calgary, you'd know what I'm talking about. Yeah, it was me. I admit it. I put Carl's guitar out of tune. This is how the script of this part of my night would look if it were a movie:
Lights come on. Tariq is onstage pumping up the crowd
Tariq: OK, please welcome from Vancouver British Columbia, The NEW PORNOGRAPHERS!
Tariq exits stage left. As he leaves, a guitar cable mysteriously harnesses itself to his ankle. He tries to shake it off to no avail and it continues to follow him as he tries to make his escape. Suddenly, the very 'in tune' guitar belonging to Carl Newman, which is attached to the mischievous cable, tumbles to the ground. Carl picks it up and tunes.
I couldn't believe it. Of all the times to have a Peter Sellers moment, I had to choose this one! I felt like Hrundi V. Bakshi when he fell off the roof into the pool in that very beloved comedy The Party (please watch it if you haven't yet - it's my favorite movie!). OK, time to start drinking myself into oblivion. That's what someone suggested I do. But thankfully, there was the kindness of the troupe to see me through. Yvette of Mint Records waved a dismissing hand and said: Ah, whatever. I've tripped over a lot of guitar cables in my day. No big deal. Brooke of Immaculate Machine had the same message - don't sweat it.
When The New Pornographers got off stage, they didn't even seem to remember it ever happened and Blaine smiled and handed me a drink and we laughed for a while about all the blunders each of us had had on stage over the years. It's interesting how strangers become friends even in just a few days when you're bound by the unexpected twists of the road.
Well, I guess I feel better now telling just talking about it. Better say goodnight. Brain shutting off. Can't think. Must...sleep. Before I do, I will say a prayer for all those driving that mighty highway through the mountain pass tonight - may the road take care of you as you take care of the road.
I will smile knowing the tour continues...on to Victoria.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 19, 2006
What's your Saturday night looking like? I'm asking, because
CBC Radio 3 has thrown together a little clambake for
The Halifax Pop Explosion and
we recon you might find it interesting.
Lets face it... with
Lisa and
Craig hosting the an evening of
performances by
Diableros,
Duchess Says,
We Are Wolves,
Jon-Rae And The
River, and
Cadence Weapon, you'd be hard pressed to have a better time, while
still managing to keep it nice and legal.
So, if you're in Halifax, head on down to
The Marquee, and check it out. For the rest of you, we'll be
live on SIRIUS Satellite Channel 94 and CBC Radio Two. And you are one of those
sorts who prefer basking in front of the digital fireplace, check back here on
Saturday to catch the performance via streaming audio. Show starts @ 9:30 PM AT / 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT.
*To the best of our knowledge, no clams will actually be
baked.
Posted by John
on Oct 19, 2006
Tired of hearing how Madonna picked up a new baby in Malawi? (Poor thing.) How Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are finally calling it quits? (Poor things.) Or anything to do with Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson or [insert lame celebrity here]? (Poor us.)
Don't worry: we'll save you!
Today, we're launching a regular music newscast on Sirius Satellite channel 94 - and This Just In, CBC Radio 3's music news on the blog.
You'll find out about everything from upcoming tours and new releases to bands getting rescued from October snowstorms (Novillero) to groups who get tasered by police onstage (Two Gallants).
Soon, we'll also have an email address where you can send us your music new tips. So stay tuned!
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 19, 2006
When it
comes to the wonderful world of
hip hop, in most cases you have your star MC,
who stalks the stage up front with the mic, rapping furiously. Backing him up
with the beats, somewhere behind the MC, is the DJ, working the turntables,
laptops and various other music machines like an "MPC 60".
It's very
rare that the two talents can be combined, but such is the case with Toronto talent
Anonymous
Twist who regularly wows crowds with his simultaneous rapping, scratching,
backspinning and beat mastering. Anonymous Twist also owns bragging rights to
being the
#1 rapper who single-handedly sells the most narcotics in this
country... that's because by day he's a full-time licensed pharmacist! Hey now!
BABOOM! Whoo! Pass the Zanax and crank this brand new Anonymous Twist single,
"Respect That", also on this week's podcast, out tomorrow! Whoo! Baboom! Hubba
hubba!
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 19, 2006
Whoa. That sounds kinda bad.
What I mean to say is that I'm on my way to The Halifax Pop Explosion!
Lisa Christiansen and I will be broadcasting live from The Marquee Club on Saturday night.
Along with James Booth, Don Pennington, and our boss (The Suit) Steve Pratt, we'll be hitting Halifax later on tonight. We'll be blogging more about it very soon, but in my mind, I think it may look a little like that picture up there.
I'm literally out the door on the way to the airport. Any suggestions on what we should see or do? Places to eat? How about a really good place to get a greasy spoon breakfast?
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 19, 2006
Vice recording artists, from Montreal,
the Stills, are asking their fans to create a gig poster for them! Vice has teamed up with
Brickfish to create the ultimate Stills tour poster..."The tour poster winner will be decided by the Stills and the winner gets a whole mess of signed swag and a pair of 3-day VIP tix to the mecca of all Winnebagos,
Bonnaroo 07." Enter
here.
Posted by MAK
on Oct 19, 2006
The old song goes, "Tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree." Well, Sarah Harmer and Ohbijou probably won't be tying ribbons around the 250 year-old oak in front of the Halton Regional Centre in Oakville, Ontario, but they are going to be performing in front of it to try and save it from the chainsaw.
"Let's save this tree for the future, for our sense of pride, for its own sake," says Harmer on her website. "Come. Be generous... Every penny will be given to the tree and after the concert there will be a sunset tree hug and group photo."
The all ages concert is Sunday November 4, 2 p.m. $30. Halton Regional Centre Auditorium, 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville. Tickets here or at 905-815-2021.
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 19, 2006
You can't say that Novillero is the luckiest band in Canada. They're driving across the country as part of the Exlaim! Mint Roadshow. And the morning after the second show in Montreal, they found that their van had been broken into and all their gear was gone. Then, a couple days later, they got caught in a snowstorm and slid off a highway in Michigan. Drummer Dave Berthiaume says they had to walk to an old farmhouse and ask for help.
"I thought it was as likely we would get shot at as it was that we would get towed," he says from an Orange Julius stand at the West Edmonton Mall. "But luckily we got towed."
But the band has bounced back quickly, he says. They've replaced many of their instruments and their cell phone chargers (the thieves stole those too), and they're keeping all of their wheels on the road.
The Exclaim! Mint Roadshow wraps up this weekend on the West Coast.
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 19, 2006
Bad at making decisions? Then you'll want to stay away from the CMJ Music Marathon - a huge music festival at Lincoln Centre in New York City, where hundreds of bands play over the course of five days.
The lineup is out, and in addition to plenty of big international acts, there are tons of Canadian bands, including AIDS Wolf, The Awkward Stage, The Bicycles, Born Ruffians, Cadence Weapon, and Christine Fellows - and that's just the As, Bs, and Cs!
The marathon is yours to run October 31-November 4.
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 19, 2006
No, you're not freaking out. This really is
Mr. Rogers
breakdancing.
YoutubeVia
Punknews...
Scarlett Johansson sings the blues.
Spin
Rush's 2112 has been named as one of a dozen works to be
preserved for future generations.
CBC"With just one click", you too can be a friend of the
The Kings of MySpace.
Youtube
Posted by John
on Oct 19, 2006
Malajube is getting set to release their Polaris Prize-nominated album, Trompe L'oeil, in the United States at the end of October. It's been a huge hit in Quebec, and increasingly in English Canada. Now it's getting rave reviews south of the border, too - including a coveted 8.2 on Pitchfork. The band has also just been added to the CMJ Music Marathon lineup.
Keyboardist and singer Thomas Augustin says they're surprised by all of the attention - especially since their songs are in French.
"I was amazed with the fact that people from the states actually like the record. And it's such a big market, a big place," he says. "But we're really excited about it, that's for sure."
Trompe L'oeil will be released in the U.S. on October 31.
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 19, 2006
Jilted
Peter Mackay makes a dig at former girlfriend
Belinda Stronach in Parliament.
Globe and MailTory bill aims to cut greenhouse gases in half by 2050.
CBCUK tribunal rules that teaching assistant was wrongfully suspended for wearing veil.
The IndependentMaher Arar receives Letelier-Moffitt International Human Rights Award... well he would have, but he's on the U.S. no fly list, so he couldn't fly to Washington to accept it.
Toronto Star
Posted by John
on Oct 19, 2006
Vancouver band Pride Tiger has signed a deal with EMI. The band is in Los Angeles making their first album for the major label. Guitarist Sunny Dhak says the deal means the band members can quit their day jobs and focus on making music. So far, he adds, it's been a bit of whirlwind experience.
"We were on a tour and basically, four days after we got back, we left for L.A., which is where we are right now making the record," says Dhak. "So we're all in super high spirits about it and looking forward to this project - that's for sure."
They don't have a name for it yet, but Pride Tiger is aiming to release their first album on EMI in March.
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 19, 2006
When I hear this song, I'm reminded of roadtrips with someone very special to me. These roadtrips don't happen anymore, but instead of feeling sad about it, this song seems to spark the happy moments of these mini-adventures.
I'm not sure if that's the message
Ashley Park, another great Vancouver project, is trying to project. Then again I'm prone to completely missing the real message and fabricating my own. That's the best part about listening to music!
This song ends with a subdued lap steel guitar solo and I always appreciate a little instrumental break in any song.
So here is "
Born Again". I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to check out their New Music Canada page as they have lots of incredible songs for your listening pleasure.
Posted by Scott Muc
on Oct 20, 2006
Hello from Halifax!
As you're reading this, yours truly is at the Halifax Pop Explosion. Looking forward to tonight's show at The Marquee Club! For more on that, check another blog post.
It will be painfully obvious that The R3-30 is pre-recorded, given that it will follow our live simulcast on CBC Radio 2 & 3 tonight!
OK...the great satrad giveaway continues this week with John Nixon from St. George, ON getting a FREE Sirius Satellite Radio for his pitch. We have a new number one song, four chart-breaking CHARTBREAKERS, Frank @ chromewaves.net presents a song that he thinks should be on The R3-30, OK Cobra and Great Aunt Ida each give us an "Occupational Hazard", and there's an interview with Memphis.
As if that's not enough, there are a couple of surprises, too. I forget what they are, but I remember being surprised when I heard them.
For your chance to win a FREE Sirius Satellite Radio, call us and pitch a song that you think should be on The R3-30. Leave a message at 1.877.955.6565. Tell us who you think should be on, why, and your number, too!
Now, to look at the list, hit those words to the right.
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 20, 2006
Today marks the one year anniversary since CBC Radio 3 host
Alexis Mazurin died after suffering a massive heart attack while attending
Burning Man two months earlier.
I didn't know Alexis all that well. I was still working at
ZeD in those days, and our relationship consisted of nodding at each other when
we passed in the halls, but news of his condition and subsequent death affected
me deeply.
Everything went down during the
CBC lockout late last summer,
so it was already a very strange time for everyone here at CBC Vancouver, and I think
affected everyone in some way whether they knew him or not.
Throughout the day we'll be posting entries from those
close to him. He might be gone, but he certainly won't be forgotten.
Posted by John
on Oct 20, 2006
One year later...
On behalf of Alexis' family and myself I would like to
write about what this time of year means for us. You'd think that after such a
large chunk of time things would have become easier but right now it feels like
everything just happened yesterday. The whole thing is surreal and Alexis'
presence is so strong that it's hard to believe he didn't just go away on
vacation for awhile.
We've declared this day a national holiday, which means we
have a whole long weekend! We plan on using this time to reflect on Alexis and
what he meant to us, to remember all the good times we had and also to talk to
him because it doesn't hurt to vocalize how much you miss him.
I always thought he would hear every thought I sent to him
and then his mother told me, Say it out loud! How is he going to hear you
otherwise?! Good point -- moms always know best. So let Alexis know how you're
feeling or how much you miss him and tell him hilarious stories, or play
him music -- he'll
hear you.
This time of year also gives us time to reflect on the love,
kindness and generosity of everyone who helped and supported us and Alexis
through all this. None of us could have made it without you. The outpouring of
help and love from our friends, families, even people we had never met before
was overwhelming and we are thankful to you all every single day.
None of us could have imagined the impact Alexis had on
everyone around him. He always was too good to be true, an angel in our midst,
and we all feel blessed to have known him for the time that we did.
So please celebrate Alexis Day with us, help us to keep his
memory vibrant and alive! Celebrate the man who meant so much to us and
always will.
We love you Alexis. We promise to stay strong.
Posted by Lindsay Wood
on Oct 20, 2006
For
the better part of three years, each and every morning, that was how I was
greeted in the office by
Alexis Mazurin.
Now it was never my first greeting of the day - as late as I usually
saunter into the office Alexis always came in later than I did - but for some
reason, it was always my most memorable greeting of the day. It was just the way he said it... no, that's
not quite right... it was who was saying it.
In
that three word sentence that was made up of a measly three syllables, because
I knew who Alexis Mazurin was and the l
arger-than-life personality that was the
driving force behind that simple phase; I knew that it meant so much more. It meant ‘hey Dave, how's it going? What did you do last night? How's your day been so far? What's new and exciting in your life? Hear anything interesting? Tell me because I genuinely want to know.'
And
that was Alexis. In three words, he was
able to convey what it takes a normal person the better part of a five-minute
conversation to get around to. In three
words he able to generate a warmth and feeling of genuine interest that some
people spend most of their lives never learning to master.
Man...
I really miss those morning greetings.
Now
I first met Alexis back in my
120seconds.com days when Radio 3 was still a
fledgling concept made up of a few websites and I was the lowly
jack-of-all-trades researcher-cum-associate producer. He was a brash force of nature that kept
submitting all of these short films to the site that I swear the first words
out of my mouth after watching them was always, "um... are we even allowed to put
that up?!?"
But
of course we always did, and to this day they are still some of the funniest
and edgiest films that we have up on the site... well at least I think so.
To
honour the anniversary of the passing of one of the most genuine and dynamic
personalities that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, here are three
films by Alexis that I think you'll all enjoy.
Power ClownsBunk DateBirth of the Break
Oh...
and "Hey Alexis... ‘sup?"
Posted by Dave Yee
on Oct 20, 2006
I remember hitting the road
with Alexis.
Alexis and I
were visiting Pemberton to interview a 4-H Club pig-rearing finalist.
(Admittedly, it was a slow story week and we just wanted to get out of town and
hang out with pretty farm girls.) The drive was long. The CBC radio signal cuts
out on the upper leg of the Sea to Sky
Highway so we played tuneage on the CD.
Alexis and I are different people.
He liked Wu-Tang. I preferred Public Enemy. To
annoy others, he would turn up Justin Timberlake and Andrew WK. My guilty
pleasures tend towards Journey and Cheap Trick (Live at Budokan).
Except, he couldn't stand
the Beach Boys, and I was in a Brian Wilson phase. Not to get all
Jackie-Chan-Chris-Tucker about it all, but let's just say it's best not to play
the Beach Boys in a car when a black man is driving.
For some reason California
Girls didn't do it for him. He hated it. Instinctively. Perhaps it's
genetic.
To this day, somewhere
between Whistler and Pemberton, my copy of the Beach Boys' Today and Summer
Days (Summer Nights) lies at the bottom of a ravine.
And you'd think that would
be that, but a week later he and I had to record a new theme song for our radio
show (we changed it every week). Alexis brought into the studio a set of sleigh
bells and a clap track a la Brian Wilson.
That was Alexis. Impulsive.
Judgemental. Open-minded. I miss him.
Posted by JJ Lee
on Oct 20, 2006
Posted by John
on Oct 20, 2006
I first met Alexis Mazurin back in the fall of 2001 here at CBC Radio in Vancouver.
I was part of a team working on Pass The Mic an experimental program created to showcase new talent and new voices. We were in the pilot stage and had yet to find the perfect host. The minute Alexis opened his mouth I knew our search was over.
Even though he was fresh out of jounalism school, Alexis possessed more confidence and charisma than many seasoned broadcasters. Plus he was über-creative, intelligent, inquisitive, fearless, competent, generous, easy-going, and fun.
He was also incredibly athletic. And while sharing an office with him I learned to dodge airborne basketballs, avoid abandoned skateboards and carry on conversations with a hand-standing co-worker.
Besides working together at CBC, Alexis and I were members of the Vancouver comedy troupe, Hot Sauce Posse. The group performed live at many venues and events. The photo you see here is proof that the two of us were shipped off to the Broadway Theatre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan back in November 2003 where we performed with CBC Radio's Madly Off in all Directions.
Our sketch lampooned Adrienne Clarkson (Canada's Governor General at the time) who was taking some heat for traveling to the North Pole with her entourage of artists, authors and other frequent flyers. I played The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson. Alexis hammed it up as the sexiest black Santa Claus ever. And if you're wondering how we did, I think the audience laughed. But the truth is my memory is clouded by the fact that I flubbed Alexis's first line on stage. Actually, it's more like I stole his first line.
What was supposed to happen was I knock on Santa's door, and then he opens it and recognizes the G.G. and says, "Hey...aren't you Adrienne Clarkson?". And then I launch into my lines. But for some inexplicable reason, when I heard the door-knocking sound effects my brain got rattled and I blurted out a very loud "Hey..." To which Alexis responded with a corrective "NO! HEY!" And then time froze. In a split second we knew that the choice was ours...burst out laughing or carry on with the show, leaving the audience guessing what the hell the beginning of our routine was all about. Well, I'm proud to report that we suppressed our laughter and carried on with the show. But from that day on, we had our ritual greeting of "Hey" "NO! HEY!".
And that always made me smile. Still does.
Posted by Robyn Levy
on Oct 20, 2006
This week on podcast #74, we've a cross-section of titanic
talent from fresh faced teenagers
Spiral
Beach, to grizzled punk
perfectionists
Nomeansno.
Peaches tells us how to giv'r,
MSTRKRFT makes their podcast
debut, and
Shane Nelken aka
The Awkward Stage takes some time off from his day
job to kick things off. Go get it.
M4A MP3 OGG iTunes
Posted by John
on Oct 20, 2006
This is a
tough day for us, a tough day for me. A year ago today was a total disaster.
Sorry to make it personal but that's what I remember.
On October
20th 2005 I visited Alexis in the hospital at about 5:00pm. I said a
final and teary goodbye because things weren't looking good. They expected him
to pass any time, and several of his friends and family and girlfriend Lindsay
were there.
I had a
private moment with Alexis and left. I went home and gathered up my hockey gear
and headed to the rink for a game. I always arrive first to get all my gear on
and since those rinks are concrete bunkers my cell phone was kaput, but
apparently people were trying to get a hold of me.
Alexis'
mutual friend and my hockey teammate Scott "Cabo-Wabo" Cabianca was the next to
arrive at the rink and he informed me that Alexis passed away just a short time
after I left the hospital. Even though I knew Alexis was really close to
slipping away, it still stunned me. Like a sledgehammer to the gut. It hit me
very hard, because to me Alexis always seemed larger than life and
undefeatable. Nothing could stop this kung-fu kingpin.
That night
I went home alone and got wasted pissed drunk by myself. The next day I was
expected to come in, drop everything, act like a mature, sober journalist and
tape a tribute show to Alexis. I was a complete fucking basketcase and at first
refused to do it. Thanks to Steve Pratt and JJ Lee I pulled it together and we
created a nice tribute to my pal Alma. But I tell you, a year later it all comes
crashing back. The loss, the love, the appreciation for everything Alexis
Mazurin brought to life, to his family, to his friends, and to everyone at CBC
Radio 3.
Tonight on
Sirius 94 we are paying tribute to Alexis.
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 20, 2006
Earlier this week,
Lindsay Wood,
Alexis Mazurin's girlfriend
joined
Grant with her friend and partner,
Crystal Precious to talk about an
upcoming fundraiser they've put together to honour Alexis's memory.
The November 4
th event aims to raise money for
C.U.F.A. - a Brazilian organization supporting underprivileged youth, and will
feature an evening of the best in local hip hop, comedy, world music, burlesque
and DJ talent. More on the deets later, but for now check out the interview.
Posted by John
on Oct 20, 2006
Sit back and enjoy a little "He Said/She Said" on our Halifax Excursion:
Lisa: The flight was uneventful. And really, isn't that the best thing you can say about flying? Don, James and I met Craig at the airport in Toronto...already drinking. After parking the bags at the lovely Lord Nelson, we met up with Steve and headed over to the bar the guy on the plane recommended: My Father's Moustache. We almost left after we were informed that the chicken wings were all out. What!? I mean, we didn't even know this place was famous for them but when you find out you can't have them...so we moved on. And on. And on. Finally, there it was - 3:30 a.m. and Craig and I were yelling encore to the cover band (Shameless) at Cheers.
And yes - that was the highlight.
Craig: I saw Theodore Tugboat today. He was nice.
*You can catch CBC Radio 3's showcase at The Halifax Pop
Explosion on SIRIUS Satellite Channel 94, CBC Radio Two, or listen online. Show
starts @ 9:30 PM AT / 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT.
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 21, 2006
So the saga continues. It's a bit of a drive from Winnipeg to Calgary,
where we need to pick up our road manager
Jeff (AKA Jeproc AKA Sun Tzu AKA Jeph
aka this guy has a gang of aliases for somebody who doesn't rap). An essential
of this kind of travel is good music. When you get a car full of dudes with
such surprisingly varied tastes it's guaranteed to be an eclectic soundtrack.
Of course we give some classic hip hop the heavy rinse, but everything from
Level 42's greatest to Aloe Blacc gets some play.
Fernie. It's a small ski town in The Rockies, just on the
B.C. side of the Alberta
border. It differs from Banff
or Whistler in that the majority of people who come here to hit the slopes are
really serious. The place has character, and looks like it hasn't
changed in years.
So we posse up and move our luggage into The Royal. Since
it's a little early for skiing, the hotel is mostly deserted, and we get most
of the second floor. I'll skip the details, but it was a very late night and
Fernians like to party. It was a rough, rough morning folks.
The show pops off nicely. There isn't really a stage to
speak of, so the crowd is right there the whole time. The heads at the front
are amped, and they're a matter from inches from us the whole time. The royal
is a blast,
shouts to our boy Kyle and the staff for making it a memorable
night. This needs to be a stop on the next tour. Me and Jeff, being the early
risers, pack the car and wake the dead. Calgary
is next, and Calgary
is full of surprises.
Posted by Birdapres
on Oct 21, 2006
ROCK | Blind Assassins, Circus, Dali Circus, Dame, Explode When They Bloom, Holoscene, Joey Only Outlaw Band, John Hughes, Michael Ambery, Nocturnal Press, Nurotek, One Bad Son, Red Ram, Staylefish, Steve Pike Band, The AIDS, U.S.P.
POP | Andy Keith & The Stolen Saints, Carmen Hillary, Heather Mckenzie, Henri Faberge & The Adorables, Jordan Lee, Megan Podwin, Peter Judd, Shelby Lamb, Sheree Plett, Vetch
ELECTRO | DangerDangerMammothHunter, Lemmings Go Here, Londra, Longyears Slowtears, Marko Lukac, One
HIP HOP | Baba Brinkman, Conscious Flow, John.E.Memphis
R&B | Chris Rouse & The Arousal, David Ward Loose Change Trio, Ryan
See ALL NMC Bands ON TOUR!
(Henri Faberge and the Adorables, pictured)
Posted by MAK
on Oct 22, 2006
What a show! Missed it? No worries, we have it right here.
Well most of it anyway. And without the booze, and sexy audience members, but it still rocks. Please enjoy this fine selection of assorted tuneage from CBC Radio 3's
showcase at The Halifax Pop Explosion:
Listen to
Duchess Says set:
Listen to
We Are Wolves set:
Listen to
Jon-Rae And The River set:
Listen to
Cadence Weapon set:
And of course, what would this post be without some pics. Check out our
Flickr slideshow.
Posted by John
on Oct 22, 2006
And now for part 2 of He Said, She said
Lisa: The final moment of the Halifax experience - a donair from the King of Donairs at 4 a.m. Craig, Don and I ate ours in Don's room after a brilliant night at the Marquee. The show got off to a bit of a rocky start, after a small (okay, rather large) technical hiccup caused us some grief, and as I was warned, the night went by so fast. Kicking off with Toronto's The Diableros, and ending at 2 a.m. with Cadence Weapon still onstage. I have to say this one of the best bills I have ever seen - and one of the biggest treats for Halifax Pop Explosion audiences. And I know what you're thinking "she's exaggerating,"...
Craig: OK, let me jump in here; Lisa's not exaggerating at all. From the beautiful pop of The Diableros, through the frenetic sounds of Ducchess Says and We Are Wolves, the earthy sing-a-long revival of Jon-Rae and The River right up to the blistering set by Cadence Weapon, the night was a microcosm of what CBC3 does everyday. A diverse, eclectic night of music, and the packed house was more than ready to come along for the ride. A highlight for me was Annie (above) from Ducchess Says and her...ah...er..um..onstage "weirdness". Riveting, and fun. Sorry you can't see that on the audio, but there are lots of pics that capture it. (More after the jump)
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 23, 2006
Woke up in
Fernie extremely hungover. Thankfully the drive to Calgary is a short one, and our hotel was booked and ready for a late snooze before heading to sound check. All we gotta do is drop
Bird The Record Nerd off at some out of the way house for some secret-mission-type vinyl liberation and then sweet, sweet salvation awaits at The Royal Wayne Motor Inn.
After what seems like weeks we find the spot and the Bird flies the coop (it was in one of those neighbourhoods where the streets ain't even have names like street, or avenue, it was all Ranchero Link, Livingstone Heights, Byfield Cove, and Huntington Mews. Mews. What the hell is that about?).
So check this out. In Winnipeg we played
The Royal Albert. In Fernie we performed and stayed at the
Royal. In Calgary we're holed up at the
Royal Wayne Inn. So I wanna know where's my Harley Race crown and purple velvet cape? Next tour...
Calgary and The Distillery were great, like always. Loyal, informed listeners and top notch treatment from our promoter (
Big ups Cosm) and the staff at the venue (
Philly is the man). Kicked it with lotsa old friends, some Winnipeg ex-pats, some Calgary regulars we been seeing for years. I don't know if I should send a shout out to
Punk Rock Dan for lacing us with some shots fulla harsh liquor and Tabasco, those ones almost killed Bird and I. What they were called I don't think I'm willing to type out, raunchy stuff. I'll shout his band out, they're called
Sheglank'd Shoulders, don't front.
A 3 AM pizza and wings freakout and now its up and on to Vancouver. Today we're having a demo listening party in the ride. If your CD is wack it gets frisbee'd out the window...
Birdapres &
John Smith are blogging from the road on their cross-country Peanuts & Corn Tour.
Posted by John Smith
on Oct 23, 2006
The Western Canadian Music Awards were held in Winnipeg last night. There were many talented singer-songwriters on hand to bask in the spotlight of recognition for their efforts in the Canadian music industry. Congratulations goes out to all of the nominees and the winners, which include..
Posted by MAK
on Oct 23, 2006
Two Canadian teams involved in
space elevator competition embroiled in disputes with organizers over rules.
CBC
Former Enron CEO sentenced to 24 years for involvement in scandal.
Globe and Mail
Activists take over abandoned hotel in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside as part of campaign for more social housing.
CBC
Violence against civilians in Darfur and Chad on the rise.
Reuters
Posted by John
on Oct 23, 2006
What's with all the beardos in music these days.
CBCAnti-drug campaigners P.O.ed at George Michael after he praises marijuana.
Globe and MailSandy Runaway succumbs to lung cancer.
Punk News
Posted by John
on Oct 23, 2006
The Toronto band Illuminati got a lesson in the international textile trade last week.
They were heading for their first ever show in Seattle.
But at the Canada-U.S. border, they were told that they were allowed in, and their CDs were too - but their t-shirts would either have be destroyed or returned to Canada because they were made in Turkey.
Bassist Nick Sewell says that rather than destroying dozens of shirts, he did the trek back to Canadian soil in the pouring rain.
"I was so soaked that when I took a step," he says, "my shoes would squeak and squirt water onto the sidewalk."
When he finally got to the Canadian border station, guards told Sewell he couldn't leave the shirts there. So he turned around and made the trek back with his bin full of shirts. And that raised alarms back at the U.S. border.
"They were like, ‘What are you doing? Hey sir, sir, SIR! Where are you going?' And I was like, ‘Sir, they won't let my t-shirts in, so they told me to take them back to Canada,'" recounts Sewell. "‘And Canada won't let me have them, so now I have to go back to the U.S. border station and destroy them in front of one of your fellow officers.'"
In the end, the group decided to skip the Seattle show, take their shirts, and made the trek back to Toronto - through Canada. Now Sewell has a message for other bands.
"Hey, if you're going in, don't bring t-shirts," he says with a laugh. "Just bring CDs."
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 23, 2006
Dear Blog,
It was as if the coasts were having simultaneous music festivals this weekend. The Halifax Pop Explosion came to an end in the east while the Mint/Exclaim 15th Anniversary Road Show came to an end in the west. Sadly, I could not attend the Pop but I did get to go to three Porno shows this weekend... oh yeah and I got to see the New Pornographers play three times.
The highlight of the Victoria (Oct. 20th) show had to be the MC. Very funny guy. Forget his name but... wow. Another great highlight of the night was the sound guy falling asleep during the New Porno's set. Sound asleep. Novillero covering the Stranglers song "Golden Brown" was another fantastic moment.
Then it was over to Vancouver for two nights at the Plaza. Two jam packed shows. Two different line ups and two very different New Porno set lists. The highlight of the Saturday show and the disappointment of Grant Lawrence's life (besides his last four dates) was that The N.P. played "Letter from an Occupant" (his all-time favourite Canadian song) and he wasn't in attendance. There was also a booze-soaked after party at the Media Club where Fun 100, Vancougar and The Neins Circa played to a comfortably packed house.
The last night of the tour they burned the place to the ground. Bella kicked it with hot disco off-beats and Young and Sexy locked harmonies tighter than a sumo wrester in leather pants. Then the New Pornographers hit us hard. Every song they played on stage was a hit. In the encore they tackled Supertramp's "Take the Long Way Home". Highlight of the night had to be the "Can Kurt keep his whiskey glass on the drums while he rocks out?" contest (which he won) and the old (really old) Smugglers videos playing between bands with the pre-pubescent, yet still very hairy, Grant Lawrence starring in them.
Check out the photos of this historical weekend, and congratulations to our satellite radio contest winners!
Posted by Chris Kelly
on Oct 23, 2006
I had a hell of a time taking part in the Exclaim! Mint Roadshow, it was very fun, and made me feel very proud, very proud indeed.
Proud of Exclaim! Magazine, and Mint Records because, as R3's Jen van Evra pointed out, they've been promoting indie Canadian music since before the internet!
Proud of the amazing bands that travelled across Canada to celebrate; Novillero (who totally remembered me from the Tour / Tournée!!!), Immaculate Machine (who made me swoon with joy and prompted a zombie-mouth button purchase) and The New Pornographers (who are so awesome live and thanks to Kurt for the Jameson's).
and ...
Proud, proud, proud of my Rae & Jerry's Pen. I've been treasuring this little gem, since the R3 / BAP team stopped in for thick slabs of steak so many months ago. Winnipeg will let you know that Rae & Jerry's is an amazing (and historic) restaurant that is definitely worth the trip.
At the show on Saturday night, Dave Berthiaume (Novillero drums & vocals) needed a pen, and I had just the pen. My Rae & Jerry's pen was held by each New Pornographer as they signed a set list that was soon to become an killer momento for Novillero.
It is the little things that count, wouldn't you say?
p.s. I had Don Pennington contribute his pen to the photo shoot, so we could check out both the styling font and the address on our fabulous pens.
Posted by LB
on Oct 23, 2006
SOCAN (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) today announced the recipients of its first-ever ECHO Songwriting Prize will be members of Propagandhi - Chris Hannah, Todd Kowalski and Jordan Samolesky - for their song "A Speculative Fiction."
SOCAN will recognize this achievement as they present the inaugural winners with their well-deserved prize tomorrow, October 25th, at Fressen on Queen Street in Toronto. SOCAN's ECHO Songwriting Prize is an innovative prize that highlights and celebrates the talent of Canada's best independent, "emerging" songwriters.
Congratulations goes out to one of the hardest working bands in Winnipeg and in Canada!
If you haven't heard their award winning song, hear it now...
Posted by MAK
on Oct 24, 2006
If I really stop and think about it, the name of the Peanuts And Corn Record Label still makes me giggle... but the number of new albums out on PnC is no laughing matter.
The label boss-guy mcenroe put out a dope album / mixtape called Mastermind. My Vancouver homie who is now my Winnipeg homie Birdapres has his new one out, called Get It Done.
... and just today, little John Smith's album was released, it's called Growing Pains.
John Smith was the youngest MC in the PnC fam for ages, but now Smitty says he is middle-aged "in rap years", and this new, mature John Smith is coming with the heat!
Please, tell me that "Any Time" is not a banger, I dare you!
Posted by LB
on Oct 24, 2006
Posted by John
on Oct 24, 2006
Vancouver's blackest band, the Black Halos, today, announced the hiring of a new guitarist - Johnny Stewart. Stewart will take over for the Halos' original guitarist, Jay Millette, on second guitar duty. Jay sadly decided to throw in his black towel just over a month ago.
The Black Halos have played in 14 countries this past year alone and are currently writing for a new album. It will be The Black Halos 4th full length album with critically acclaimed producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney).
Their next show is Nov. 7th in Vancouver @ the Buffalo Club.
Hear "Burning Trash" from their latest album "Alive Without Control"...
Posted by MAK
on Oct 24, 2006
And here we have producer
Chris Kelly sporting the latest
CBC Radio 3 cotton tee. Have fun down at the club Chris, but remember to behave
yourself!
Due to overwhelming demand,
the CBC online shop now carries
Radio 3 gear! Finally you can wear duds that will truly define you as an
individual. Clothes that say "Look at me! I have impeccable taste in music!" Be the envy of all your friends (Ha! As if you aren't already.)
Get yours today!
Posted by John
on Oct 24, 2006
A recent study suggests that
MDMA (aka Ecstasy) could lead
to better therapies for Parkinson's and other neurological diseases.
Medical News Today
Rush Limbaugh accuses Parkinson's sufferer
Michael J. Fox of being "either off
his medication or acting" in
a political ad the actor shot for Missouri
Democratic Senate candidate
Claire McCaskill.
CBC
U.S. President George Bush uses "the Google."
Crooks and LiarsToy company removes pole-dancing kit from website after
complaints.
Daily Mail
Evolutionary theorist postulates that
humanity may split in
two with a genetically modified upper class, and a dim-witted underclass.
BBC
Posted by John
on Oct 24, 2006
There are lots of great things about going to live shows: you get to see the bands you love, hang out with your friends, and maybe put back a pop or two.
But when was the last time you got to dine with the artists beforehand?
At this Friday's Carolyn Mark Hootenanny, you can feast on fine foods such as asiago and mushroom tart; crustine with sundried tomato, pesto and goat cheese; lasagna with smoked salmon;and roasted sweet pepper salad with dates, candied walnuts and honey dressing - all while chatting with fine Canadian artists such as Mark (the "Terrible Hostess" herself), Jenny Whiteley (who is releasing the follow-up to her 2004 Juno Award winning album that night too), and the Ridley Bent Band.
Then you can stick around, check out the show, and dance off all those extra calories!
Dinner's at 6 ($20 for dinner and show), show is at 7:30 ($10 for the show only). St. James Hall @ 10th and Trutch in Vancouver. If you need more info, call 604-215-0577.
Here's the complete lineup:
Carolyn Mark
Jenny Whiteley
Ridley Bent Band
Weathered Pines
Amy Honey
Kent McAlister
The Minimalist Jugband
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 24, 2006
Posted by John
on Oct 24, 2006
The other day I stumbled on a
treasure trove of
vintage Sesame Street vignettes
on Youtube, and was showing them to
Chris Kelly, when he commented how much they
reminded him of
Chad VanGaalen's recent video "Flower Gardens". It has that same "what the hell's going on" sorta feel as the old Sesame Street films,
though maybe just a tad more macabre.
VanGaalen, who tries to divide his time equally between making music and drawing apparently did all of the animation himself.
Posted by John
on Oct 24, 2006
There is every possibility that I'm going to scoop Lisa on this..
While at the Halifax Pop Explosion, Lisa and I spent Friday night traipsing (as my Mom would say) around town trying to catch as many bands as humanly posssible. We spent short time in Hell, a room beneath The Marquee Club, where we took in a set by hometown boys, Their Majesties.
All of the rock critic adjectives apply: "catchy, infectious, hooky, angular". Actually, "angular" doesn't describe them. It doesn't describe anything musical, really. It's just a word that critics like to use.
Most of all, this band was entertaining. Something that a lot of bands forsake.
I could spend some time here discussing musical theory and song structure as it relates to "Highspeed". With the descending guitar lick going from the major to the relative minor..yada yada yada...but you'll get it. They wear their influences on their sleeves. Add to all of that, we interviewed Daniel Girard on Saturday night and he was a helluva guy.
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 25, 2006
Former UN weapons inspector
Hans Blix calls the war in Iraq a "pure
failure" that has left Iraqis in a worse state than under Saddam Hussein.
CBC
Justice Gomery disappointed that none of his recommendations
to keep the government clean have been implemented.
Globe and Mail
Canadians like their blogs.
CNews
NDP proposes rules to improve the manners of
Parliamentarians.
CBC
Posted by John
on Oct 25, 2006
Madonna blames the media for adoption fiasco.
CBCGrocery store employee claims he
wrote "American Idiot", sues Green Day.
Punk News
Dead musicians and celebrities still making far, far, FAR
more money than you will ever see in your life.
Globe and Mail
Pete Doherty in gig trouble.
BBC
Notorious
"DVD Jon" claims to have cracked Apple's
restrictive iTunes playback restrictions.
Toronto
StarThe Mint Records presents The CBC Radio 3 Sessions CD has shot up 35 spots and is now #9 nationallly on campus radio.
Chartattack
Posted by John
on Oct 25, 2006
It's kind of good to be back. Honestly. We cruise into town
around 10:30 on Sunday
night, and quickly settle down for the night. The next day will be a busy one,
so a little hard earned sleep is essential.
The crew has two performances, one is a special "
In Session"
gig for the CBC, and the other is our tour date at Sonar. Of course I have a
bunch of catching up to do, and I manage to fit that in somehow.
For the CBC, we beef up our set with the vocal stylings (and
laptop tapping) of the one and only mcenroe. We decide to split it down the
middle, half
Smitty and half
Birda music. The session goes well, and will
likely air in the near future.
The tour date at Sonar brings some more special guests.
Having worked with a cross section of Vancouver Hip Hop talent on my latest,
this is a perfect opportunity to see how it goes live.
John Smith's set is athletic as ever, and the usually icy Vancouver crowd thaws out.
I won't even try to claim hometown advantage here, I've been greeted by blank
stares and crossed arms as much as anybody. They're open.
My set is a little chaotic, which I'm sure has nothing to do
with an evening of patio sitting (and everything that goes along with that).
Performing "Pace Yourself" with Evil and "Scratch Chorus" with Jaykin are
definite highlights of the trip. Moka Only closes the night down with a couple
newer songs and caps the whole thing off for me. It's all love out west, and I
think everybody gets more than they expected.
What's that Jeff? We're driving to Edmonton right after? I do the usual
front-of-nightclub hanging out, and trade stories and jokes for a while. Then,
with a brief sadness, we load up the car. It's a real trucker-type haul to Edmonton, and the drivers
gear up with a collection of energy drinks and coffee. The stuff good songs are
made of.
Birdapres & John Smith are blogging from the road on their cross-country Peanuts & Corn Tour.
Posted by Birdapres
on Oct 25, 2006
Lisa Christiansen sent me an
interesting essay from yesterday's
Toronto Star speculating on whether or not the internet has made underground social movements a thing of the past.
I don't think so at all. The underground is alive and well (trust me, I was just there), and if anything, the issue isn't that there are no new movements, so much as
there are so many that it's impossible for the media to easily name and define any one as being dominant.
I think the big movements like hippie, punk, and grunge (was grunge unique enough to be called a movement?) were mostly media constructs. Really, these were just subcultures that went big, and the reason they went big is because the media picked up the story, and ran with it, thus further swelling their ranks.
Far from killing subcultures, the internet allows individuals to connect with the subculture that most suits their tastes, and so part of the reason we're not seeing any super-groups form is because there's so much choice.
As to whether or not virtual participation has less value than fleshy participation, who can say? So long as people are actively taking a role in the culture versus passively consuming something handed to them, there's probably value in it.
What do you think? Are we all just spinning our wheels or what?
ETA: I realized after writing this that
I'd forgotten about rave culture (possibly due to going to the damned things). It was kind of a big deal.
Probably at least as big as Punk in terms of the way participants embraced a truly counter culture approach towards social interaction - probably largely due to the drugs everybody was taking.
The politics of that culture were radical enough for many governments to work towards its eradication. The British Government went so far as to create legislation specifically to deal with, and contain raves in the passage of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
And seeing as the whole rave thing really only died out after the turn of the century, it's not like we've been without a huge scene for as long as this piece implies. (now I'm all steamed up!)
Posted by John
on Oct 25, 2006
Whew! Left Vancouver immediately after Monday's show for a 14 hour marathon drive to Edmonton. I promised
Jeph I'd stay up to keep him company if I could play the CDs I wanted (Z-RO, Eightball & MJG), but barely made it outta city limits before passing out. I woke up to mountains, coyotes, and elk. Cool. (BTW,
good luck finding a public restroom in Jasper. I almost didn't make it.)
In Edmonton Bird slept as Jeph, Hunnicutt, and I went savage on all-you-can-eat ribs at Tony Roma's. This is the rock star life I was led to believe rap would accommodate. When the waitress asked what we were doing in Alberta, I lied and told her we were in a death metal group. Look out for
Sour Diesel (my fictional band name), they slay!
From the outside The Frat looked like a hole in the wall but we entered to find a gorgeous club with great sound. My new solo album,
Growing Pains, was released on this day, and copies were flying off the merch table. Lotsa good hip hop people in Edmonton (Big ups Touch, Other Jeff, Advokit, Sundance, Max Prime, and those crazy sisters). We met
The Whistler, a local, errr, ah, um, lets say eccentric. He treated us to a performance, too bad he didn't wait till our set was done.
Off to Saskatoon, but not until I go to West Edmonton Mall to shoot guns. Not in a disgruntled employee way, there's actually a SHOOTING RANGE IN THE MALL! Serious.
Birdapres & John Smith are blogging from the road on their cross-country Peanuts & Corn Tour.
Posted by John Smith
on Oct 25, 2006
I once spent a sweat 'n urine soaked night in the lower-tier
emergency ward of a Welsh hospital in a backwater pisshole called Bridgend. I
was on tour with my band and was severly exhausted, dehydrated, deflated,
depressed, dysfunctional, and disoriented.
Throw in
tsunami-like attacks of
diarrhea and I was a mess. My doctor was a Jamaican woman with a Welsh accent
who wore an outrageously loud, baggy orange, purple, silver and gold sweater
adorned with a unicorn jumping over a rainbow. While she hooked up the
intravenous drip to my arm, babbling incoherently, I remember thinking "hey
lady, the Value Village free bin called, they want their sweater back".
My band had to play the gig without me (first and only time in 18 years of
rocking) at the local rugby club. Even though there were only about four people
there, a brawl broke out.
Therefore, my memories and opinions of the lil' country in the lower left
armpit of England aren't exactly what one would call 'fond'.
Opinions can change
however, and my mood barometer for the land of the Red Dragon has
begun a bit of an upswing upon the discovery of
Birds Of Wales, a music
project by Morgan Ross, who formed the band while attending UNBC in lovely
Prince George. The band has since relocated to Toronto, while their music
has found a home on a British label. The band moniker can be
explained in part to Morgan's ferciously patriotic mom, and the fact
that he grew up along side his mom's pet cockatoo. Check out this beautiful song
"The Fine Art Of Ballet Dancing", especially notable for its perfect whistling
solo. It's also in the podcast this Friday!
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 26, 2006
Boycott = $ Daily Mail
Different times, same place. Two docs examine problems faced
by musicians who speak out on public issues.
Guardian Unlimited
Frank @ Chromewaves passes an incredible 1001 post in 1001
days.
Chromewaves
Posted by John
on Oct 26, 2006
Metric lead singer Emily Haines has announced a North American tour with her band, the Soft Skeleton.
The tour kicks off in Montreal January 4th at the Theatre Outremont. In addition to 10 major American cities, Haines will be performing in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
But don't expect to find Metric's guitar and drum heavy sound, because Haines' solo material is made up of much softer vocals and piano.
As she describes it, "It's music to dream to."
If you'd like to check out her solo material, you should
listen to her set from the CBC Radio 3/Bande à Part See Vous Play
concert in Toronto
earlier this month. Listen to it here:
And here are all of the dates:
January 4 Montreal, Theatre Outremont
January 5 Ottawa, Bronson Centre
January 6 Toronto, Danforth Music Hall
January 7 Philadelphia, First Unitarian Church (Sanctuary)
January 8 Boston, Paradise Lounge
January 9 New York, Hiro Ballroom
January 10 Washington, 9:30 Club
January 11 Detroit, Magic Bag
January 12 Chicago, Lakeshore Theater
January 14 Winnipeg, The Garrick Theatre
January 16 Calgary, Grand Theatre
January 17 Edmonton, Citadel Theatre
January 18 Vancouver, Commodore
January 19 Portland, Doug Fir Lounge
January 20 Seattle, Crocodile Café
January 22 San Francisco, Great American Music Hall
January 23 Los Angeles, El Rey Theater
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 26, 2006
Canada Post workers in Vancouver
stage protest over being forced to deliver a controversial religious brochure calling
AIDS "the plague of this 21
st Century: the consequences of the sin
of homosexuality."
CBC
Nicaraqua's legislature expected to approve new law, which
outlaws all forms of abortion, including those intended to save the lives of
pregnant women.
LA Times
UK's
foreign secretary recommends imposing a "
global warming tax" on airline
tickets.
This Is London
Posted by John
on Oct 26, 2006
Toronto band The Sadies kept the gods of spring reverb happy this Tuesday in Studio 22 when they were in session, but let's rewind the tape for a moment, back to Sunday night.
That's when I saw their show at the Commodore here in Vancouver. I have to admit (with some bewilderment) that I've never actually seen The Sadies play before, which is weird because they play a lot of shows in a year and I know that they came to Calgary quite a few times over the years that I lived there. Too bad for me, but I finally figured out why everyone has raved about their live shows forever. These guys are amazing players. There's nothing flashy, no pyrotechnics not even a lot of guitar pedals on stage I noticed, but the tones coming out of those Gretsch guitars through Fender amps - man, it was incredible!
The very tall and thin Good brothers Travis and Dallas (who were named by their parents after country stars Merle Travis and Dallas Frazier) dropped by for music and conversation about everything from getting behind Neko Case to underscoring Tales of the Rat Fink. They also brought a special guest along with them...
Check out The Sadies in session coming soon.
Posted by Tariq Hussain
on Oct 26, 2006
Justin Rutledge is hitting the road for 30 dates with Blue Rodeo lead man Jim Cuddy.
They'll be traveling to theatres from coast to coast until December 7th.
Rutledge says that he and Jim Cuddy have already been rehearsing songs to play together at the shows.
"Jim's a real inspiration," he says, "so I have a feeling I'm going to learn quite a bit on this tour."
Rutledge was also just named Best Singer/Songwriter in this year's Now Magazine Best of Toronto issue, which came out today.
"You know you never really think you're going ot make somewhat of a living off what you do in your spare time. But it makes me feel like I'm supposed to be doing this," says Rutledge, on his cell phone from Toronto. "It makes me feel really good."
Other winners in Now's Best of Toronto issue include Jenny Whiteley, Owen Pallett and Shawn Hewitt.
Posted by Jennifer Van Evra
on Oct 26, 2006
At present,
the CBC Radio 3 team sits in offices at the CBC "bunker" in Vancouver as demolition rages around us.
Crews are working loudly and feverishly to create new condos attached to our
downtown location, as well as completely renovating our decades-old concrete
bomb shelter.
The very
first time I ever entered this bizarre, extremely dated structure was when I
was seven years old, in grade two, on a day time field trip tour of CBC. We
walked through the various hallways seeing how it all worked, and when we
finally all arrived back in the lobby, our path crossed greatness. There before
us was a bonafide Canadian television star...
Mr. Jackson Davies, the young,
bald, hilariously befuddled cop from the world-renowned show
The Beachcombers. Of course he wasn't wearing his RCMP costume at the time,
so when he asked the class "who can tell me what character I play on the
Beachcombers?" I immediately shot up my hand.
"Yes, you,
the one in the back that looks like a cross between Woody Allen and Urkel?"
"You are
the policeman!" I shrieked through a nasal cavity stuffed with snot.
"That's
right, little nerd! I am the policeman! Step forward!"
I pushed
through my classmates and stood side by side with the great Mr. Jackson Davies.
He put his warm hand on my shoulder and said "you know what, kid, you may be an
outrageous geek now, but you may just have a future in this place".
Thank god
my parents allowed me to watch a show that came on right after "Disney" on CBC,
the entire premise of which was a Greek guy who drove a beat up boat around
Howe Sound in British Columbia
salvaging logs with his First Nations buddy.
This past
weekend while riding a BC Ferry through those very coastal waters, I ran into
Mr. Jackson Davies seated with his wife and was able to interrupt their
conversation, and, after these many years, let him know that his off-the-cuff
soothsaying was correct. Thank god for rock ‘n' roll radio! Mr. Jackson Davies
and his wife are fantastic people. Thanks to Chris Kelly for capturing the
moment. Let's
relive the magic of
The Beachcombers right now.
Posted by Grant Lawrence
on Oct 26, 2006
Ok, so Craig and I are on the same wave length for NMC picks. But it's not like there was a shortage of great bands to recommend that played The Halifax Pop Explosion.
For instance: We Are Wolves - electro rock artists from Montreal. This trio is amazing to watch live as they fill the venue with their sexy hard rock tunes and swagger. And as well as sharing their gifts on stage, they share beer. A worthy trait.
If this great song called "Non Stop" has you wanting more, I can deliver. Just look up to your left and see the Halifax icon. Their whole Radio 3 set from our showcase is captured for you listening pleasure.
Posted by Lisa Christiansen
on Oct 27, 2006
Lots going on over the next few days...
Today on SIRIUS,
Lauren Burrows chats with
Rapsure Risin' @ 6:15 PM PT / 9:15 PM ET.
Tomorrow on SIRIUS and CBC Radio Two,
Grant Lawrence interviews
MSTRKRFT @ 4:45 PM PT / 7:45 PM ET.
And Sunday,
Nirmala Basnayake, formerly of
controller.controller, will guest host on SIRIUS @ 4:00AM through till 8:00 AM PT (7:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET)
Posted by John
on Oct 27, 2006
On this, THE 10th EDITION of The R3-30, I'd like to pause and doff my cap to those rag-tag kids who never fail to work just hard enough to make the show each week. Pictured above, from left to right:
Mark Macarthur - We're cutting him loose next week. Don't tell him.
Pedro Mendes - I know what you're thinking; "What's with that shirt?"
Andrea Gin - In happier times. Buck up, kid, you'll learn to laugh again.
James Booth - Or as we call him in the office, "Li'l Jimmy Bluepants".
Tariq - He snuck into the shot.
I couldn't do the show without you, because you've robbed me of every ounce of my self-confidence.
With apologies to Mrs. Wall, my grade 7 English teacher, here's a run-on sentence...
This week we have a new number one, 5 new songs, 3 CHARTBREAKERS, pitches from The Dudes and Cam at Exclaim!, interviews with Emm Gryner, Classified and TV On The Radio, Birdapres tells us what "Get It Done" is all about, the long-promised 90 second egg from God Made Me Funky's Phatt Al, we give away a satellite radio, and you get your chance to win one, too! Tune in to hear Chris' winning pitch this week. When we called him, he laid some rhymes on us!
Plus, we'll be giving away some TV On The Radio CDs! You'll have to listen to find out how you can win one!
The R3-30 debuts at noon (EST) on Saturdays on Sirius 94. You can also catch it Saturdays and Sundays at midnight (EST) on CBCRadio2.
To see The R3-30 in all of its listing glory, hit "read more".
Posted by Craig Norris
on Oct 27, 2006
"
Kids are flocking to our recruiting centres across our
country" says General Rick Hillier.
Toronto
Star
Military axes physical fitness requirements for new
recruits.
CBC
Iran
steps up uranium enrichment.
Forbes
White House backpeddles on Cheney's torture comments.
Reuters
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell promises to boost shalter rates
for welfare recipients and build better facilities for the mentally ill.
CBC
Posted by John
on Oct 27, 2006
Music critic
Jason Richards responds to
accusations made by
K-os a few weeks ago on his MySpace page.
Now Magazine"
Mr. Loaf" talks about his latest album, Bat Out of Hell III.
Globe and Mail
Judge delays hearings on whether or not Malawi bent its
own adoption rules to allow
Madonna to take custody of a one year old boy.
CBCLady Sovereign covers the
Sex Pistols for The O.C.
Pitchfork
NYC music scene remains healthy despite loss of CBGB.
New
York Times
Posted by John
on Oct 27, 2006
Last stop. Saskatoon
is the right way to end it, too. It was the first city outside of Winnipeg to show me love,
back when I was hypeman for mcenroe's initial solo outings. All ages, important
in Saskatoon,
where they start attending underground rap shows at 12. Toontown's the type of
place where Busdriver and 2Mex sell shows out and are considered rap stars, and
rappers-du-jour can't draw 20 bar star broads. Our type of town.
Jeph is sick, Bird's well on his way, and my voice was
sounding like Buck 65's best Tom Waits impression. That don't change nothing,
we were determined to go out on a great performance. Sound was awesome, and the
venue was cozy. The Bassment used to be a jazz club, art with horn players
still adorn the walls, and the bright yellow tiles on the way in letcha know
there's some history to the place.
After sound check we headed to CJSR for an overly candid
interview on 3
rd Verse with our homies Chaps and Soso. Goofy as all
hell. Headed to The Basement and of course the crowd support was there, and
Bird,
Hunnicutt, and I gave em what they wanted. Photos and autographs before
the show, all the energy we had during, and lotsa love afterward. I can't
overemphasize how good Saskatoon
makes us feel.
I'd sum up, but we still got Brandon on Nov.17 at The Hill. We'll see ya
then....
Birdapres & John Smith are blogging from the road on their cross-country Peanuts & Corn Tour.
Posted by John Smith
on Oct 27, 2006
No.
Grant is not huffing helium - at least that's what he
tells me anyway. You'll know what I'm talking about when you download this, our
75
th podcast.
Just a quick aside... on a whim I searched for the sort of
gift one gives for a 75
th anniversary, and while a diamond is
traditionally associated with this milestone, I found
this site, which claims
to have "exotic", and "sensual" gift ideas for wedding anniversaries. Wha? I
don't really think grandma is going to be interested in "sexy coupons - to
encourage your spouse to try different things", but hey... maybe things get a
little boring after 75 years. Sorry for that... sometimes I get the ADD real bad, and I just have to go with it... know what I'm sayin'?
This week on the podcast, we've got new music from
The Cape
May of Calgary,
The Varsity Weirdos of Moncton,
Circus In Flames from Vancouver, and many more. Also up... the
return of
Stand By Your Van, tales from the road by
Gentleman Reg, and the
debut of our new music news feature,
This Just In! Go get it.
M4A MP3 OGG
iTunes
Posted by John
on Oct 27, 2006
With Halloween mere days away,
Grant Lawrence has a great big sack full of treats
for you tonight including, all the best in great Canadian independent music, and
the Trick or Treat Trivia Challenge!
Tune in tonight for a coast-to-coast live simulcast of CBC
Radio 3, airing all over North America on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 94)
and across Canada on CBC Radio Two 7:30 PM - 12:00 AM ET / 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM
PT.
Posted by John
on Oct 28, 2006
ROCK | Andrew Spicer, Basement 11, David Wall, Dennis Paul, Drifter, Gorgeous Priceless, Jehr, Jeremy Head, Jim Byrnes, Leanne Hynd, Linda McRae, Lullabye Arkestra, Mystic Serpent, Pete Binsted, Real Gone, Shayne Lazarowich, Simple Mission, Steve Dawson, The 6ixty8ights
POP | Arnoldo, Bunny Brown, Damian Rourke, Dave McArthur, Nick..., Sophie Young, The Murder Plans, Tour de Fours
ELECTRO | Champion, Dubtet, Naisso, STRO1, The Northern BC Free Jazz Ensemble, The Tremulance
HIP HOP | Double C, Mstile
R&B | Ray Edge
See ALL NMC bands ON TOUR!
(Bunny Brown, pictured)
Posted by MAK
on Oct 29, 2006