This past summer met up with some long lost relatives in Michigan. After the big family dinner, all the 'kids' decided to head on down to the local watering hole. Deciding I needed a little break from the questioning (oh god... the questions!), I went to get a drink.

Thinking I was funny, I dropped my empty Corona on the bar and asked for another "cerveza". The bartender looked at me puzzled and said, "You know, when you walked in here I thought you looked Spanish".

Now at that point, I could either reply with: "No, I'm not Hispanic." Or: "Si"

I went with "Si." So for about 15 minutes I sat at the bar faking an accent while the bartender taught me all about American slang. My favourite part of the evening was when he showed me his tattoo of the confederate flag and asked if I knew what it was. My response (in fake accent) "Dukes of Hazard?"

Now the tricky part, Mr. Bartender started asking me about Spain... and when he brought up music, all I could think of was Tijuana Bibles - who are actually a Toronto band who wear Mexican wrestling masks. Lucky for me, Mr. Bartender knew none of this, and with the mention of the song "Sexo Caliente", I scored myself a free tequila shot.

So, thank you Tijuana Bibles.

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Chins be gone!

Along with hobos and creepy uncles, indie rockers have embraced the mighty beard. Of course, this is nothing new - the beard to band-member ratio is averaging 3:5, so it's high time we paid tribute to this hairy rock ‘n roll staple.

This week on R3TV: host Amanda Putz combs the clubs for beard action (that sounds waaay dirtier than it is)... Caribou's Dan Snaith along with members of The Dudes and New Pornographers philosophize about facial hair... and a very bearded Dan Moxon from Bend Sinister introduces his band's new video, "Time Breaks Down." A great tune deserves a great video, and these guys nail it.

Also keep your eyes open this episode for an opportunity to name a beard style. (C'mon, haven't you always wanted to?) It's a fun and healthy exercise that could win you some fine, fine CBC Radio3 clothing.

WATCH IT NOW

YouTube :: Blip

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My heartfelt apologies for spelling Diana incorrectly!!

From the desk of Diana Suess:

Here I am, decked out in my Radio 3 finest including hat, t-shirt, and slide whistle. Don't ask how it's worked in, it just is. Yours truly had the opportunity to co-host The Craig Norris Hour for Thursday, November 1st.

It seemed like so long ago that Craig and I spent an hour on the phone for a school seminar, and now there I was standing in his office. Well, the office he shares with Pedro. I couldn't possibly explain to you how much fun I had, but I can sure give it a shot.

For starters, on my way to the CBC building, I just happened to run into the Dalai Lama. And I am dead... serious. Nice guy; little shy but smiley none-the-less. I mean c'mon, he's the Dalai Lama!

Anyway, before I knew it I was in the hot-seat with Craig Norris across the way. And what a nice fellow Mr. Norris is! I would just like to say, for the record, Craig does not smell funny, in case you had any preconceived notions of his scent. Recording ensued and even though I was a-shakin' in my boots just 20 minutes prior, things went great! I hope you'll all be listening today to the show right here on Radio 3 so you can hear how things went down. And boy, did they ever go down.

Besides all of this, I got to shake Jian Gomeshi's hand, the lovely Sook Yin Lee brushed my shoulder, I peered into Stuart Mclean's office (like a creep) and of course, the high-light of my day: meeting Jijou Fantoche! He really is the happiest of all puppets. You should see him in action! To everyone at Radio 3, I thank you, honestly, from the bottom of my CBC-lovin' heart for having me! Thanks to Craig and Pedro for your hospitality and laughs. I had a great time and I hope we can do it again sometime! As for Jijou, well, you've got my number you little puppet!

Until next time, Radio 3 land.

The Craig Norris Hour airs Monday - Thursday: 12 noon ET
The show is pre-recorded an hour or so before you hear it, but I'll be checking the comments on the blog!

"We'll never play Nottingham again." - Win Butler, The Arcade Fire. NME 

Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy! Live at the London Palladium DVD (Dec. 4). Paste

Download the new Saul Williams album Niggy Tardust, donations accepted, or take it for free. Punknews

"Ever since label head Jimmy Iovine started dating the lead singer guy of the Pussycat Dolls...."...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead leave Interscope records. Exclaim!

Watch the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, the world's bravest band. Reuters

The Lamest Pop-Classical Crossovers in Music History. NY Mag

Linda Stein, former manager of the Ramones, ex-wife of Seymour and realtor to the stars, was found murdered in her apartment on Tuesday. NY Mag

Today’s unseasonal, and yet refreshing image, submitted by Denis-Carl Robidoux.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

47 million Americans don't have health insurance. Yahoo!

Chrysler cutting up to 12,000 jobs. CBC

US army hits record low recruitment level. Breitbart

Canadian troops and their NATO and Afghan allies declare victory in major military offensive; Taliban in 'retreat'. CBC

Most of the 103 Chad children 'not orphans' after all: UN. Reuters

Man who dropped first atomic bomb on Hiroshima dies. Breitbart

Dalai Lama shares message of peace and happiness. CTV

See the world's best bottom. Daily Telegraph

Texas town up for sale on eBay. Yahoo!

It sounds like some indie Canadian music dream: Young Winnipeg musician moves to Montreal and gets invited to a loft party on his first night in town, where there's this new band playing called Wolf Parade.

Fast-forward to a few years later when, said Winnipeger, is a member of Spencer Krug's other band, Sunset Rubdown and he has his own band - Magic Weapon, made up of members of Shapes and Sizes and Miracle Fortress, another band he plays in.

Thing is - it all happened. And Jordan Robson-Cramer was here in the studio to tell it all.

Happy Day of the Dead or Día de los Difuntos or Día de los Muertos in Spanish. It seems that even though I spent the evening helping my friends take down their Halloween lawn cemetery, complete with three corpses in lawn chairs with goblets of red Jello, the fun of celebrating dead things is not over. But now it gets more serious, well sort of. It’s all about celebrating those who have left us and have gone on to the next thing. I don’t know what that next thing is, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t include skanky nurse costumes and mini Mars bars.

Perhaps this is a good conversation topic for Wintersleep, the Nova Scotia band visiting me today in the studio. Despite all the fun I’m lead to believe happens in the Maritimes, these guys write songs called “Weighty Ghost”, “Oblivion” and “Danse Macabre”.

By next week I’ll be over this obsession with the dead and on to other topics. Oh wait, Remembrance Day is coming up… never mind.

Image by kYsis

Every year, hundreds of Canadians need life-saving stem cell transplants. Over 70% will rely on complete strangers to save their lives - and that's why there's OneMatch, says founder Jesse Plunkett.

This year OneMatch Canada is celebrating its first annual National Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Awareness Week and HipHopCanada has joined up to help support it by hosting two events.

"We are all susceptible to the human condition regardless of race, creed or financial status....The musical community is no exception, and OneMatch is a deserving vehicle for us to show support to our fellow citizens... as a hop-hop artist, I find it alarming that people of colour are less likely to be donors, and I value the opportunity to educate people and fans about the importance of OneMatch" says Checkmate one of the performers at the Vancouver event.

So if you're in Vancouver or Toronto you can check out one of the launch parties hosted by HipHopCanada and Canadian Blood Services. Some fine hip hop DJ's, artists, painters and b-boys/girls will be there to support the cause and bring awareness to it. There will also be speakers at the events - donors, recipients, and leading members of Toronto's and Vancouver's ethnic communities to share their stories.

On November 3^rd, if you are in Vancouver, make your way to the Metropolis at Metrotown to catch performances by Moka Only, Checkmate & Concise, Young Sin, Noble, Andres, Kanabliss, DJ Craig Rip, and live paintings by Hi-Fi Murals.

And in Toronto on November 7^th head to the Berkely to check out performances by Michie Mee, Solitair, Bishop Brigante, JD Era, Ananya Hayes, Theology 3, D.O., Bless, Dynamic.

OneMatch Launch Party Vancouver on Facebook.
OneMatch Launch Party Toronto on Facebook.

Update: Go to the Voting Page Now!

Today on Grant Lawrence Live, 3PM ET / noon PT on CBC Radio 3's web radio:

It's finally time to announce the 2nd annual Bucky Awards, CBC Radio 3's very own year end music awards. For the past few months, a secret committee of CBC Radio 3's finest staffers have hammered out a finely honed list of nominees, to be revealed live on today's show, in the following categories...

Catchiest Hook :: Best Sweatin' To The Indies Workout Song :: Best Song Title :: Best Lyric :: Best Falsetto :: Best Bass Line :: Best Rap :: Best Road Trip Song :: Best New Band Name :: Best Yacht Rock :: Best Reason to Learn French :: Most Unpronounceable Name :: Best Gang Vocals :: Best Song To Listen To In The Fetal Position :: Musician Most Likely to have a Future Career in Television :: Best Video :: Sexiest Canadian Musician :: Song Most Likely To Be A Future Classic

Our staffers scrapped like junkyard dogs over these nominees, which leads us to our...

Poll Question Of The Day:

Which artist or band do you think is an absolute lock for the Sexiest Canadian Musician category?

As the show unfolds, be sure to let us know if we hit the mark with this year's nominees or missed the boat! Are your favourite songs and/or bands on list? Who's missing? I know I will personally freak out if Peter Elkas isn't nominated for Yacht Rock, or the Weakerthans don't make it into the lyrics category. Lisa Christiansen has threatened to quit if C'Mon doesn't make the Future Classics list.

Post your comments below and we'll discuss them on today's show as we reveal our nominated artists. One lucky listener will win a CBC Radio 3 Bucky t-shirt.

To add to the secrecy and suspense, our web radio player will remain blank throughout today's show so as to not spoil the surprise. As each category is announced, they will be added to our on-line Buckys Voting page, and we'll leave the final decisions up to you! The polls will be open from November 1 - November 30, 2007, and the winners will be announced the week before Christmas. You can vote for each category, once every day!

(Ed.: And we'll know if you try and cheat. We're the CBC.)

I was getting ready for an interview with Camaromance, aka Martine Groulx. I had heard "28 Balloons" a lot on Radio 3, a beautiful, hushed meditation on lost love, from her release of last year Different Paths. But I hadn't listened to a lot of the other tracks. So I got to work and fell hard for one of the other songs "Mixing Business with Pleasure."

Almost a country song, but with a mixture of pop elements that drive the song. And coming in behind the course, the dreamy, distorted vocals of producer Patrick Watson. Martine is big time supporter of the French Canadian music scene with her group SOPREF, and also a singer songwriter with a keen eye for getting the right help for her music.

Camromance is also in contention for some much deserved Radio 3 Bucky nominations. After listening to this song, you'll want to send more than a few votes her way, I'm sure.

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Oshawa-cum-Toronto band Cuff the Duke has finally released their third album called Sidelines Of The City. Thematically, the record deals with an emotional tipping point that has caught the group somewhat by surprise... they have actually found themselves yearning for life back in little Oshawa, the town they couldn't wait to flee! Lead singer Wayne Petti will talk about this and other subjects, including guilt-free Canadian references in songs, in this week's podcast interview.

Also on the show, new music from Christine Fellows, Amos the Transparent, the Sunparlour Players, and Magic Weapon. As an added bonus, Nardwuar the Human Serviette provides the history lesson on his new Evaporators song "Gassy Jack" in our latest installment of School Of Rock.

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A magnificent squirrel,
A "magic" band,
Some dirty minds,
Some laughter, canned

A spinning wheel,
Chartbreakers, three
And Pedro's feet
That upset me.

This is what The R3-30 is made of this week.

To find out when The R3-30 airs on the ol' web, click here.
For SIRIUS 94 times, click here.
Don't forget, The R3-30 Podcast drops every Monday morning.

To completely spoil the surprise ending, hit "read more".

Hey now,

My name's Vish Khanna and this is my first blog post. I feel amazing about this. I write for some magazines (Exclaim! and Eye Weekly) and I have a college radio show with my wife Michelle. It's called the Mich Vish Interracial Morning Show! and it airs every Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 AM on CFRU 93.3 FM in Guelph, Ontario. Elvis Stojko is a frequent guest for some reason.

Thanks to my friend Craig and his buddy Pedro, I've been a Tastemaker on their R3-30 show for the past few months. All I have to do is listen to music and nudge these dudes about a song I think they should play on the show. It's pretty easy. The down side? There isn't one really except that Craig and I live in the same neighbourhood. Actually, that's occurred irrespective of my being a Tastemaker, so I can't really blame Radio3 for that. But I will.

Any way, I want you to know about a cool song by Guelph's latest sensation, The Magic. They're an exciting electro-pop three-piece led by local heartthrob Geordie Gordon (pictured above on the right) and it features his brother Evan Gordon (pictured above on the left) and Sylvie Smith (not pictured), who is of no relation. I like to say that she's like a Gordon sister from another mister but she really, really doesn't like it when I say that. The boys don't either. No one does, yet persist I do.

In any case, the Magic have got this song called "Door to Door" that I'm rather fond of. It's got a good, soulful, Stones-y groove with an infectious chorus and perhaps one too many solos but hey, so did songs by the Doors. Whoa, maybe that's what this song is about!

Please give it a listen and lemme know what you think.

Ghislain Poirier's new album "is his wildest tangent yet". Chart 

Tegan & Sara announce European tour dates. MySpace

Avril Lavigne wins 2 MTV Europe Awards. BBC 

Best of Toronto. NOW

Jewish and Serbian community groups in Canada and the U.S. protest against Marko Perkovic's planned North American performances. He has a metal band called Thompson and what he does on stage has many folks outraged. CBC

Franz Ferdinand to release a book 'The A-Z of Franz Ferdinand'. NME

See photos of Sufjan Stevens' The BQE. Pitchfork

The Decemberists cancel the remainder of their US tour due to illness in the band. Spinner

Atlanta's Black Lips to star in movie. Exclaim!

Morrissey rumoured to sign new record deal...but with whom? NME

Thrill Jockey turns 15 this December. CMJ

Ozzy Osbourne is outraged over one sheriff's attempts to arrest criminals. MSOPR

Mark Ronson says he's heading back into the studio with Amy Winehouse asap. Paste

14 Most Controversial Moments in Music. CTV

Today's image, Do Not Hump, submitted by Jordon Cooper.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Good morning world! As I mentioned in this morning's (which will also be Sunday's & Tuesday's) web radio show, I attended the melodic rock show put on by Pride Tiger in Ottawa hier soir.

Paul Hunter (pictured on the far left) was also in attendance, but barely. He swooped in, decked out in his work clothes, at the last possible second the band remained on stage as his story was still being filed for TV at 10:30 pm. That my friends, is a hardcore indie music fan. Let's hope he tells Mansbridge about Pride Tiger.

Don't forget to vote so your favourite Canadian indie artist can get a Bucky Award!

Thousands demonstrate against Georgian President. Breitbart

Democrat Barak Obama introduces Senate resolution on Iran. USA Today

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger political leader killed in air force strike. VOA News

London police found guilty in killing innocent man and resignation calls mount for chief. Christian Science Monitor

Mexico fears disease outbreak from flood. Yahoo!

Hurricane Noel headed for the east coast. Globe and Mail

Palestinian President Abbas meets Hamas leader in first since Gaza seizure. Breitbart

The 'Brainbow': coloring the brains wiring. Wired

Canadian dollar soars. Yahoo!

Genetically modified 'supermouse'. The Independent

Today on Grant Lawrence Live, 3PM ET / noon PT on CBC Radio 3's web radio:

As has been reported earlier this week on this blog, Hallowe'en in Vancouver usually means an outrageous amount of fireworks, firecrackers, and general mayhem well into the night. And while I managed to escape the streets unscathed this year, it was just a year ago, in my usual Tintin costume, that I had a half-brick of "thunderbombs" slipped into my trenchcoat pocket... with a lit fuse.

I was too busy running down the street screaming to catch the pranksters, but this incident brings us to our regular Friday feature on web radio... The Confession Booth. It's an open forum where you can come clean of all those dirty little secrets that you've been harbouring for days, months, years. Let it out! Let the world know! It's Friday, the blog's basically anonymous, so fess up! And so that leads us to...

Today's Poll Question:

What is the best prank you've ever pulled - or had pulled on you?

Post your confessions below and we'll discuss them on the show today. Ever been tricked into drinking urine? Ever received a dozen pizzas you didn't order? Ever given your friend yesterday's winning lottery ticket?

Joining to share stories of some legendary rock'n'roll pranks will be Joey "Shithead" Keithley of DOA! Also on the show, Mairin from Carbon Dating Service and Tyler Bancroft from Said The Whale sharing their best pranks.

It's Friday, so fess up and "get your prank on"!

CONGRATULATIONS TO "BURNT VILLAGE" FOR THEIR WINNING CONFESSION THIS WEEK!!

(please email feedback@cbcradio3.com to claim your prize).

So I'm going to be competing in a radio wizardry showdown Saturday morning at 10am on Radio One's "GO" with Brent Bambury. My challenge is to insert Brent's voice into a piece of archived tape. Bwaahahahaa.

I found this nasty old interview with Margaret Thatcher and after hours of splicing and sound effects, she is now hanging out with Brent on his crafts show making... wait for it... Apple Dolls!

Oh, and the show is opening with a track from Buck 65's new disc, guaranteed to make y'all feel right at home.

Hey, don't forget Feist is on Saturday Night Live tomorrow night!

I wonder if she'll bring back the indie star-studded choir she had with her on Letterman...

I really can't shake it, this death theme that just keeps creeping back into my shows. First it was Halloween, the Day of the Dead, and now today, the ‘death country trio' Elliot Brood.

Apparently these awfully nice boys from Windsor, Ontario wanted nothing more than to distance them selves from a bluegrass tag. Not that there's anything wrong with bluegrass! And anyway, I'm just quoting from an interview with the band. So don't send letters. I love me some good ol' bluegrass from time to time. Really.

Better to direct any anger you have to my first interview today. The Elliot Brood will be joining me in the studio at 3:15 PM PT 3:45 PM PT. They are readying a new release so any scary stories might just filter their way into their music.

Fame at any cost, I have that tattooed on the small of my back in Celtic symbols.

If you have been looking for an excuse to get bushy in the facial hair department, now is your chance. This week I discovered two different movements that you can join to grow a beard or moustache with pride this November.

The rather silly Beardvember group pledges to "unify and beautify men" through their united November growth, and the slightly more serious Mo Bros at Movember urge you to grow a moustache with them and help raise awareness about men's health issues. Jim BBQ (pictured above) is the ambassador from The Republic of Movember - stylin'!

After tonight's show, I'm off on vacation for a few weeks, and I don't think I'll be able to stop my ole man from getting scruffy, but at least I can pretend he's doing it for a November-related reason.

Speaking of the show ...

Tonight you'll hear R3 New Music from Buck 65, Eekwol, Five Blank Pages, The Midways, Shotgun Jimmie, Square Root of Margaret, The Barmitzvah Brothers and Amos The Transparent.

Plus, The Friday Night Hip Hop Megamix with songs from rapping Bucky nominees, songs from rappers celebrating the first annual National Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Awareness Week and a few songs that I just wanted to hear - from Eternia, The Gumshoe Strut and The Narcicyst of Euphrates.

LB is on web radio from 6-9pm PT / 9pm-mid ET

Yesterday on Grant Lawrence’s live web radio show we unveiled all the nominees for the 2^nd Annual CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards…well, almost all of them. Today, we present the nominees in the remaining 3 categories – our first-ever video categories!

Of course the winners are chosen by you – and you can exercise your democratic right by heading over to our Voting Page. You can vote once a day in each category.

You’ll also notice that you can listen to all of the nominees in all of the music categories directly from the voting page, and you can also watch video footage for all of the nominees in the 3 video categories.

Here are your 2007 nominees – now go vote!!

Best Video
Bend Sinister - Time Breaks Down
Cadence Weapon - Sharks
Chad Vangaalen - Flower Gardens
The Joel Plaskett Emergency - Fashionable People
Malajube - Étienne d'Août

Sexiest Canadian Musician
Grand Analog aka Odario Williams
Melissa McClelland
Maygen Kardash from The Blood Lines
Peter Elkas
Rufus Wainwright

Musician Most Likely To Have A Future Career In Television
Abdominal
Joel Plaskett
Ryan Guldemond & Kenton Loewen from Mother Mother
Scott Ross from The Dudes
Shane Nelken aka The Awkward Stage

Hey, Canadian musicians - we are looking for your music videos! Perhaps it's some footage of you making your first album or maybe it's some tape of you travelling through space and time? If your music is involved - you may upload it to your page, just as these fine folks did...

1. Apostle of Hustle - Cheap Like Sebastien 
2. Ayton & Atherton - Capo'd Crusader (Live)
3. Bend Sinister - Time Breaks Down
4. Dysfunct - Let the Night Burn Away / Faster
5. Grand Analog - Touch Your Toes
6. Ham - I see greek fire I hear robots VS. machines
7. Inner Surge - Wolves
8. Jeff Scott - Natalie 
9. Moore - Bangkok EPK
10. Patrick Watson - Drifters
11. Pride Tiger - The Lucky Ones
12. Rock Plaza Central - My Children, Be Joyful
13. taiwanjason - Thomas Chandler Haliburton
14. The Dears - You and Me are a Gang of Losers
15. the land band - sensations inside pt. 2 / the sound of money
16. Zane Thorne - Fires of May 

New Music Canada is waiting for your video footage. If you are a member- login and upload. If you are not yet a member- Sign Up and start your own revolution. We accept these formats: MPG, MPEG, AVI, MOV, M4V, MP4, WMV.

(Grand Analog, pictured)

Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM, be prepared to have your ears massaged with the perfect pop stylings of Petula Clark...with a twist.

Chad VanGaalen, Danny Michel, Emm Gryner, and Kellylee Evans all put their own stylistic spin on the tunes and came out with gold recordings and some chuckles about the process.

It all went down in front of The Grand Theatre's old red brick wall in Calgary. Emm was sexy in her steel-gray windproof mini-dress from the future. Danny cut a sophisticated figure in black. Kellylee showed she is the first lady of jazz in a nightshade floor length gown. Chad was hot. In his parka.

Peep the photos shot by Vancouver photographer Ilia.

Fuse airs Saturdays at 3:00 PM locally on CBC Radio One or via cbc.ca/radio.

So I'm settling in here at CBC Radio 3. Last week, I mentioned wanting to be "Hip Hop Home-Schooled" and lots of you responded with amazing suggestions. Noted! Stay tuned...I'll be playing them in the very near future.

But let's talk about now. Because now I want to hear what you have to say about Namedropping, which is a new thing I'm doing for next week. "How'd you get your band name?" is something no one ever wants to ask. But I want to! And I will.

So write me about which band just drives you mad with curiosity because you NEED to know how they got their name. I'll call them up et voila! You're that much smarter.

This week come hang out with me to listen to Andre Ethier, Apostle of Hustle, Marco Polo and my embarrassing story involving a grade six class project and Kiefer Sutherland.

My show debuts Thursday mornings at 3am Pacific/6am Eastern, then repeats Saturdays at 3pm Pacific/6pm Eastern and Sundays at 6am Pacific/9am Eastern

xoxo,
Hannah

COUNTRY | The Land Band

ELECTRONIC |  Lee Rosevere, Maple Hawk, Sublimatus

HIP HOP | Adoe-G, FAMN, The Runaway

JAZZ | Dyalek, Frank Horvat

POP | Heartbreak Scene, Jeff Scott, Sayde Davis, Sebastian Demrey, The Nines, Ty Pridham, Villa Borghese

ROCK | A Long Story Short, Big Blue Sun, Chocolat, Elephant Stone, Gentlemen of Horror, Michael Marton, Moore, My Dearest Friends, The Jimmyriggers, The Mutes, The Shangs

ROOTS & FOLK | Anrev Noslien, Hot Ardent Zeal, Pogey, Shane J. Crerar

WORLD | Autorickshaw, Gadji-Gadjo

Hit the 'play' button, below, to hear new music from all of the above artists, programmed as you see them listed. If you like what you hear, skip on over to the artist's NMC page for more songs, or photos, or videos, and/or blog entries, add the songs to your User Playlists, etc. Now, how does that sound?

(FAMN, pictured)

This Last Night's Gig post is courtesy of Maddy Van Beek, star of R3TV episode #8...

Last night I went to my first concert at a big stadium, the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. I went to see the two bands opening for Maroon 5 (thankfully I didn't actually have to see Maroon 5... unlike many kids my age I'm not much of a fan).

The bands I went to see were called Phantom Planet and The Hives. Both bands were awesome but I think I liked The Hives better. I went with my Dad, my little sister Alia (pictured above - she's five years old - it was her first big concert, too), Grant and Chris from Radio 3, Beez from Mint Records, Jeremy from International Falls, and Amanda from Plumtree. Dad, Grant and Beez are friends with the Hives from touring in the Smugglers so the Hives arranged for us to have ten free tickets and backstage passes to the show! Tickets were worth $75 dollars so it was a great deal.

I remember going to a hockey game with Chris dela Torre, front man for Axis of Conversation, a few years ago in Calgary. I think we got offered some free tickets, so we went to support our beloved Flames. With beers in hand, we climbed our way to great heights at the Saddledome until we found our seats and got settled in.

An hour later, we were sitting in a war zone. Forget what was happening on the rink, two guys were getting ready for a scrap, hailing insults and obscene gestures back and fourth over 4 rows of seats. There was tension in the stands as one began insulting the other's mother - she's ugly, she's this she's that....

Security showed up and stood close with arms crossed and that seemed to diffuse the situation but it was all so distracting. Strangely enough, that's what I remember most about that night - I can't even recall who won the game!

But the other thing I do remember is that Chris and I talked about music in between periods. In fact, whenever we ran into each other, we'd always talk about music and I knew that he was working on songs at home. But, I was always disappointed that I never got a chance to hear any of his tunes before I left Calgary for Vancouver a year and a half ago.

Now he's made a record and I was stoked when he sent it to me a week ago. Finally, I get to hear Chris' songs!

And now you can too.

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I know what you're asking yourself;

Could that picture be any more unsettling?

The answer is no. No it could not.

Apparently, if Pedro's logic is to be followed, grown men should not wear shorts to work. Silver wrestling masks, though, are no problem.

Tune into this week's edition of The R3-30 podcast and hear the uncomfortable sound of this picture. Small Sins, Basia Bulat and We Are Wolves make their appearance(s) on the chart, we send out a Long Range Request to one wily SOB of a squirrel, and the Wheel of Freedom spins for a loving father.

Speaking of the Wheel, we answer a History of the Chart question that involves a trip to Leathertown. Which is a town, not a bar where Pedro's mask is part of the dress code.

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An illness in the band has forced the Decemberists to cancel the rest of their extensive fall tour.

After playing in Chicago last week, the Portland band canceled nearly 30 shows, including dates in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.

"One of our band members has been ill for a while but we thought all would be well in time for these tour dates," the band said in a statement on its website. "After a couple shows, though, it has become clear that the illness is much worse than we had initially realized. We need to return home so our friend can mend."

The Impact of Music Downloads and P2P File-Sharing on the Purchase of Music: A Study for Industry Canada has found that P2P file-sharing increases music purchasing. Michael Geist

Shane Yellowbird & Cheryl Bear took home just about all of the awards at the second annual Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in Winnipeg. CBC

Celine Dion & Avril Lavigne win at the World Music Awards in Monaco. CBC

Watch Feist on SNL. Stereogum

Black Ribbons - a new project featuring Daniel Victor and Lexi Valentine. Chart 

Hot Hot Heat lead singer, Steve Bays, has contributed guest vocals to DJ Steve Aoki's debut remix album, "Pillowface & His Airplane Chronicles" (Jan. 22). NME

The Verve perform for the first time in 9 years..and the kids really liked it! Something about "incredible" and "life-changing," etc. NME

Daft Punk to release "Alive 2007" (Nov. 20) - a live album to commemorate their latest US tour. Spinner

Want to see what's in Henry Rollins' freezer? Of course you do...Stereogum

What is Emo? (video) Spinner

Today's image, Caution: Ejection Seat, submitted by Dave In TO.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Thousands of Pakistanis detained on emergency rule, as Musharraf gambles with Pakistan's future. CBC

Toddler with eight limbs undergoes surgery. This is London

Woman shoots rare albino deer on opening day of hunting season. Breitbart

Bye Bye PC's? Japan. Yahoo!

Montreal lawyer Lacroix will head CBC/Radio- Canada. CBC

Watch your blood pressure in winter months: study. Yahoo!

Passengers asked to fly with wing tip missing. Daily Mail

Fears for South Africa press freedom as President Mbeki make a bid to buy critical media group. The Independent

Winnipeg's favourite sons The Weakerthans rolled into the nation's capital last night with east coaster Jenn Grant and her band. Joining the headliners on stage was Ottawa's favourite son: Jim Bryson. It was his homecoming show after a month on the road as The Weakerthans' new piano/guitar player. It was great to see Jim's trademark red hat bobbing up and down trying to keep up to the rock antics of Greg Smith. The place was packed, the mood was great, and both Jenn and the Winnipeggers were at the top of their game.

Sitting in a Byward Market pub afterward we started taking about books. My inquiry about John Samson's interest in Murakami became confused with origami... and next thing I know he was busily folding a receipt into this perfect paper prairie lily [pictured above]! This would all have gone down as a lovely late-night memory if Jim, Steve Lambke, and Jon Bartlett hadn't started chiding about seeing all the photos "tomorrow morning on Last Night's Gig..."

I took it as a dare. Here you go!

It's no secret that the record business is bleeding badly, and while major labels try desperately to shore up the damage, EMI - which oversees bands including Coldplay, the Beastie Boys, David Bowie and Lily Allen - is pointing fingers at a new target: their artists.

According to the Financial Times, the record company - which showed a substantial loss in the past year - sent an internal memo in which new tough talking owner Guy Hands calls for a "fundamental change" in the way the company deals with musicians. Hands also threatened to take away artists' advances if record sales didn't pan out.

"While many spend huge amounts of time working with their label to promote, perfect and endorse their music, some unfortunately simply focus on negotiating for the maximum advance . . . advances which are often never repaid," he wrote.

I know the line is "what's in a name" but around here it can also become "what's in a song?"

I have long admired Halifax's Wintersleep for their wall-of-sound guitars and dreamy, haunting vocals. I listened to their song "Jaws of Life" over and over and over.

Then this year out came this new song called "Weighty Ghost" a song that I had come to like before knowing it was Wintersleep. It seemed like a folk song to me, with a sing along chorus and lyrics that were poetic and well, weighty.

So when Loel Campbell and Paul Murphy came by for an interview I took the opportunity to talk about this new song and got some insight into the dynamics of song writing...and band dynamics. I have no idea how band mates have time to have romantic relationships.

Tour schedule after the jump:

I received some serious grief during the morning meeting today when it came up that I appeared in the latest episode of Smallville. Yes, it's true. In various forms since then I have been hit with, "I wanted to see it. How come I wasn't notified?"

I don't know: I had busy week producing a hot web radio show/podcast, I don't want to be a braggart, I was afraid how it would turn out...just consider this your official notice. Although it has already aired, pirates of the internet are streaming it and if those get taken down before you catch it there are always repeats, and failing that you can always wait for the DVD. Season 7, Episode 6 "Lara". I'm the loser lab-technician that gets hit-on and duped by Supergirl.

Now for the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the post:

Did you get to make out with Supergirl? No.
Is Supergirl hot in real life? Yes.
What's Supergirl like? Very, very nice...which is surprising because she's from Toronto.
Are you dating Supergirl? No.
Can I date Supergirl? No.

Other things I learned on set:

- In every shot where you see Superman from the waist up he's most likely only wearing shorts and flip-flops from the waist down.

- Lex Luther actor Micheal Rosenbaum is a big fan of The National.

- Smallville is in Burnaby, BC

There ya go. That's all I know and okay, okay, I'll let you know next time I'm on North American TV. I swear.

(Editor's Note: Chris Kelly will be on Kyle X/Y (ABC Family) in roughly five weeks time in episode #218.)

On the weekend my son Noah had a party to celebrate his new X-Box purchase. Much of the excitement was about Guitar Hero 3, and not just from his friends. I was right in there. Or at least I thought I was. After butchering Kansas's "Carry On Wayward Son", Noah's friend Darragh said "maybe you want to try the tutorial."

So I did, and after four tries I finally got through all of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" without getting booed. Sure, it was the easiest song, but whose idea was it to give me that Kansas song - it's one of the hardest!

I was ready to tackle Warrant's "Cherry Pie" when Noah tapped me on the shoulder and said "mom, when you're done, can me and my friends play?"

I'm heading home later to practice but before then I've got a radio show to do, and hey - it's all mine. No sharing necessary.

Today you'll hear Tariq's interview with the Vancouver singer/songwriter and poet Mark Berube, a station shout out from CKDU - that's 30-watt college radio out of Halifax, and music from some Guitar Hero worthy bands like Islands (this song "Flesh"is one of my faves and did not make it on the Montreal band's debut Return to the Sea), Down with the Butterfly and the Pink Mountaintops.

I'll also start off this week's Song I'm Not Sick of Yet. And believe me, it's definitely one for the Canadian indie Guitar Hero that we here at Radio 3 should be working on.

You know how people try to hide their own thoughts in those thinly-veiled questions like: "I have this friend who has this problem..."

Well, that's what I pulled on Dan Snaith, aka Caribou, when he came by the CBC Radio 3 studio here in Vancouver, BC. For those who don't know Dan, is not only a brilliant musician and crazy prolific songwriter (he had 670 tracks in contention for his just-released Andorra), but he also has a PhD in mathematics.

After some chat about his living in London, England and keeping up with his Canadian friends and musicians the Junior Boys and the Russian Futurists, I hit him with: "so, were your band mates intimidated to meet you?"

Not me, of course - them.

Ladies and gentlemen, Buckys voting is well under-way and already there are quite a few heated races developing in some of the categories. Remember, your vote counts!

Express your democratic right! Head to the official ballot to listen to the nominated songs, watch the video nominees, and vote for the most deserving artists!

As the races heat up, so has Buckys buzz on the internet. Two Hours Traffic, nominated in two categories this year, are determined to snag the Bucky they narrowly missed out on last year for Best Road-Trip Song. Meanwhile, Maybe Smith muses about whether or not Two Hours Traffic hold a slight edge in that category simply because of their band name.

In The Blood Lines’ camp, Maygen Kardash’s brother isn’t too sure how he feels about having his sister nominated as Sexiest Canadian Musician – I guess I’d feel weird too if my sister were up for that honour.

Other bands are also buzzing about their nominations, from The Two Koreas to Akido to Said the Whale, as well as Toronto’s Arts & Crafts label, whose artists weigh in with a healthy 5 nominations.

But my favourite response comes from Magali Meagher of The Phonemes, who are nominated for Most Unpronouncable Name:

“Hello Paolo,
I must say that receiving this e-mail from you, p-a-o-l-o p-i-e-t-r-o-p-a-o-l-o is an honour. 

All best, Magali Meagher (maga-lee mah-her)”

Remember, you can vote once a day in each category. Vote here!

Coming up this week on Grant Lawrence Live on Web Radio, Tuesday - Friday, 3PM ET / Noon PT:

Tuesday: The CBC Radio 3 Trivia Challenge. Call in to the show to go head-to-head with Grant Lawrence live on the air, competing for fabulous prizes in our weekly indie-rock trivia smack-down.

Wednesday: The talk is all about beards. Is the growth gross or gorgeous? We'll discuss indie rock's recent beard boom with a series of bearded and non-bearded guests.

Thursday: A recent study concluded that downloaders actually purchase more CDs than any other demographic. We'll talk to buyers, sellers, musicians, and YOU on what format is preferable to own.

Friday: The Confession Booth takes a one week break as Grant travels to the Nova Scotia Music Awards for the weekend.

Do you know Bucky?

Handsome devil. Part goose and part deer (or duck and caribou, there is actually a bit of confusion around this point), Bucky is the CBC R3 mascot.

Well it's time, once again, for the annual CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards!

Vote here.

Nerds like Lisa Christiansen and I have been thinking about these all year. I especially like the category for Best Lyric. Metaphors, similes, and straight-up rhymes - song lyrics are my kind of poetry.

This year you can choose from the melancholy lyrics of Emily Haines, the rocky romance of Great Lake Swimmers, the patriotic hilarity of White Mic, the indie rock wit of The Two Koreas, and the careful thoughtful lines of The Weakerthans.

The J-Bru song with Classified and White Mic is one of my favourites, and it's mostly because of White Mic. He is an MC out of Halifax, who was a part of Ground Squad with Classified back in 1999 / 2000, and he has also done a lot of skits with Classified over the years. In Put My Work In he's talking about a shirt made of baby giraffe, that's real obscure, and name checks Pierre Trudeau and Guy Lafleur in the same verse.

Best Lyric? Maybe. Most Canadian? I say yes.

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Superstar Dutch DJ Tiesto is about to release his beat-heavy remix of the Tegan and Sara song Back In Your Head from their most recent album, The Con.

On the original track, Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla played guitars, keys, organ and shakers; his Death Cab bandmate Jason McGerr played drums, and Weezer's Matt Sharp played bass.

"We love the Tiesto remix," said Sara of the Canadian duo. "And as narcissistic as it may be, I have danced to it in my apartment!"

The song is the latest in a string of other musicians - including the White Stripes and Motion City Soundtrack - who have put their own spin on Tegan and Sara's songs.

The remix will be available on Sire Records on November 27, but you can check it out right now.

Then, when you need to take a breather from dancing around your living room to the Tiesto remix, you can check out The Broken West's decidedly mellower new cover of the same tune right here.

I want to begin my post today by sending out a hearty welcome to CBC's new President, Hubert T. Lacroix.

Mr. Lacroix, you are welcome to stop by anytime and hang out with us at Radio 3. And... er... don't listen to anything that you may hear about me. I'm a nice boy.

On the show today, we'll be introducing New Release Tuesdays. An entire set and a half of songs from albums that are dropping this very day! Maybe, though, we should have a better name than "New Release Tuesdays". That's sort of lame.

Tomorrow's show will see the return of The Daily Downer. Yes, I've been accused of infusing too much jocularity into the proceedings, so we'll keep Wednesdays grounded by sharing things that have brought us down.

So, what's got you down?

If you don't want to reveal you identity, feel free to email me at feedback@cbcradio3.com. Be sure to put "Daily Downer" in the subject line, and I'll read it anonymously on the air.

New Fancey album, Schmancey, due Nov. 13. Chart 

Dandi Wind lands another magazine, new album Yolk of the Golden Egg to be released early 2008. MySpace

Finger Eleven and Xbox team up to bring their fans HD concert footage. CMJ

Philadelphia's Man Man signs with Anti- Records. Punknews

Raveonettes sign with Vice Records. Pitchfork

Radiohead rumoured to perform on webcast, plus new figures re: sales for In Rainbows. Yahoo! UK

New Oasis DVD Lord Don't Slow Me Down in-stores today; watch the new video for the title track: YouTube

Watch the Killers' new video for "Tranquilize (feat. Lou Reed)". Stereogum

New Daft Punk Alive 2007 DVD track list revealed; video. PrettyMuchAmazing

Guitar Hero III grosses $100 million in just a week of sales. Variety

Rosanne Cash to undergo brain surgery. Spinner

Meat Loaf cancels European tour due to illness. BBC

Four men shot dead, nine injured by a gunman during a Carl Cox set in Venezuela this past Saturday. NME

News Corp Lifts Ban On Universal. CMJ

RCMP officer killed in Nunavut. CBC

Hollywood's film and TV writers go on strike as some shows go 'dark'. The Independent

Employers study applicant's personalities. Yahoo!

CN Tower will 'resemble a red poppy on Remembrance Day'. 680News

Iranian authorities arrests student leader. Breitbart

Loonie and Euro up against U.S. dollar. CBC

Georgian protesters still rally after murder accusation. Breitbart

2007 deadliest year for U.S. in Iraq. Newsvine

Can the U.S. pressure Musharraf? Time

Curry fights cancer. Yahoo!

10 killed, 27 wounded in Thai south. Breitbart

Trustees consider opening an "African-centred alternative school". The Star

Today's image, Toronto's Forgotten Industry, submitted by Metric X.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Coming up today on Grant Lawrence Live, 3PM ET / noon PT on CBC Radio 3's web radio:

You vs. Quizmaster Grant in an all out Canadian music trivia battle!!

So if you know your Bell Orchestre from your Bella, your Pride Tiger from your Fond Of Tigers, or your God Speed You! Black Emperor from your God Made Me Funky!, then get ready to call our toll free number:

1-877-955-6565, ext 1

Call in to be challenged intellectually and win great prizes like: CBC Radio 3 Castro Freedom hats, bunny hugs, t-shirts, books, drink koozies, brand new CDs from an array of artists, and Grant's life-long respect!

Also, feel free to post your own trivia question(s) in our comments section below and try to stump the host!

So be here at 3PM ET / noon PT and phone in!

Camaromance is up for a couple of Bucky Awards. The Montreal singer/songwriter, real name Martine Groulx, is up for the most unpronounceable band name (and to add to this, it's pronounced Grew, not like the hot cereal Gruel), and best song to listen to in the fetal position.

I am happy to report that while the origins of said song "28 Balloons" are dark indeed, much has improved since the days of writing for the release Different Paths. She is busy with her group SOPREF that helps support Quebec musicians, but also fielding questions about her mysterious back-up singer - The Desk.

See also: NMC Track of the Day for Nov 2

Mother of god, Spiderman 3 sucked. I just lost 2+ hours of my life this past weekend to a film that I think may have been concocted by the same team that made Superman III. Only instead of letting Richard Pryor snort up all the coke in sight, this time around the Spiderman producers did all themselves, and convinced themselves they'd made the definitive hero film.

There is so much in this movie that's bad, it's hard to pick one thing, but if one thing stands out for me to hate, it would be Aunt May. If Uncle Ben hadn't been shot, it was only a matter of time before he blew his own head off, just so he didn't have to listen to her prattle on any more. I know I would.

This wouldn't bug me so much if I didn't think that Spiderman is fairly representative of what passes for big budget sci-fi these days. All flash, no soul, and that's too bad when you know that the genre has so much potential for thought provoking drama.

Luckily I also watched Ever Since the World Ended, a low-budget faux documentary shot by survivors ten years after a super-plague that has wiped out 99.9% of humanity. Little more than a series of interviews with survivors, and carefully chosen shots of a quiet city, it's everything good science fiction should be, and a subtle take on how things might shape up after we all go belly up.

Paradoxically low budget sci-fi could be the future of the genre. Once film makers are free of having to worry about visualizing all sorts of crazy CGI crap, they can focus on making good films. Primer is another great example of this, and was allegedly made for $7K. Rod Serling would approve I think.

Buck 65 - Situation
"It kind of sounds like an early '90s hip-hop record to me and I'm pretty into that," says Richard Terfry, aka Buck 65, about his latest offering of yarns filled with hobos, beatniks, porn makers and all kinds of characters from the other side of the tracks.



Christine Fellows - Nevertheless
Stunning Winnipeg artist Christine Fellows promises "tap-dancing, cake and a whole pile of special guests" at her CD release shows for Nevertheless, an album that can't help but warm even the iciest of hearts.



The Evaporators - Gassy Jack and Other Tales
Hear some great music and get a few lessons in BC history and geography as Vancouver force of nature Nardwuar the Human Serviette and friends tell tales of Gassy Jack, E.J. Hughes, Desolation Sound and more.



Ghislain Poirier - No Ground Under
Dancehall, grime, soca and hip-hop - as well as guest spots by Face-T, Omnikrom, Zulu, Abdominal and more - fill Montreal DJ and remix king Ghislain Poirier's new album, his very first on Ninja Tune.



Neverending White Lights - Act II: The Blood and the Life Eternal
You might just find a signature and a message ("stream of consciousness, personal accounts, words of wisdom, whatever came to mind") in your copy of this new album by Windsor's Daniel Victor. And if you're one of five people to find a CD with circled lyrics, you win a prize!



Ridley Bent - Buckles and Boots
Populated by a cast of modern day desperadoes, lovesick drifters, and small town heroes, this new album by Ridley Bent - who once wanted to be a pro skier - is so full of down-home country, it should come with a saddle and spurs.



More after the jump:

At the UK's Guardian Unlimited website I found an article with the got-to-click headline: "Where are rock's working-class intellectuals?"

The piece was in response to the film Control, a bio-pic about the short life of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Apparently Ian was a big reader, and a reader of important books by J.G. Ballard and William S. Burroughs. Hence, apparently - an intellectual. I know I'm editorializing here, but I have to agree with someone who posted in the comments when they say:

How do you discern a real working-class intellectual from a wannabee intellectual? Any idiot can throw in a few literary, cinematic or political references into their lyrics, song titles or band name to make them selves deeper than they really are. Being a fan of any obscure high-brow author or filmmaker does not make one an intellectual.

You can read the article yourself and make the decision to lament the lack of weightiness in contemporary music. I'm okay with our current crop. There are enough smarties out there to make up for the others. And fingers crossed that no one try's to overstep their, um - skills? I mean would I respect Avril Lavigne if she wrote a song about a Margaret Atwood novel?

I'll do my best to make the show as balanced as possible. Just good music and I'm sure more than a few achingly-painful attempts at being witty by me, your host. But not having to try hard is Halifax's Joel Plaskett who joins me for today's installment of Tour Diary. We'll also hear all about the Wooden Stars in the feature called Then and Now. And songs from Said the Whale, We Are Wolves and the Song I'm Not Sick of Yet.

And while you listen to music, I'll continue with my reading of War and Peace. Seriously, I did just buy it. Okay, I haven't started it yet, but I do place it on the table at coffee shops with a book mark right in the centre.

Radiohead has certainly got more than its share of press for allowing its listeners to decide how much to pay for the band's latest album, In Rainbows.

But the million dollar question is, "How much are people willing to pay?"

According to a new study by a research firm called comScore, the answer is: not much.

In fact, a full 62 percent of the Radiohead downloaders studied paid absolutely nothing for the new album. Nada. Zip. And the remaining 38 percent paid an average of $6.

Tonight in Toronto @ the Berkeley Church (315 Queen St. East) the all- mighty Google will be launching Youtube.ca!!! YouTube.ca? Yes, YouTube Canada! But wait...isn't the internet worldwide? Don't we already get YouTube in this country? Why would we need a Canadian version?

According to YouTube.ca, "In developing territory-specific YouTube sites, we wanted to bring YouTube to you, in your language, while making local talent more visible..."

I guess they are staying true to their "local talent visible" promise tonight because they are getting Vancouver's Said the Whale to play the launch; a booking which came about because their video for "This Winter I Retire" was featured on the original YouTube.

You'll have to wait until February 5 for the release of Jason Collett's new album, Here's To Being Here. But the Toronto singer-songwriter and member of Broken Social Scene has released a few details, as well as a couple of downloadable MP3s.

"This is very much a guitar record, in the sense of it being very tasteful...that's the greatest accomplishment of this record," says Collett on his website.

"Recording in bigger spaces and live off the floor was the ideal I wanted to shoot for with this record. Recording this way allowed for spontaneous creations, which led to many wonderful little accidents."

Howie Beck produced the new album, and it features guest appearances by Andrew Whiteman (Broken Social Scene, Apostle of Hustle), as well as Tony Scherr (Norah Jones, John Scofield), Liam O'Neil of the Stills, and more.

To check out the new tracks, click here.

Whatever it is, spit it into a bottle and sell it to me/ I'm looking to buy freedom from my sobriety/ Just like Huey Lewis, I need a new drug

Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton - "The Bank"

It's not easy to be a lyricist. I take that back, it's not easy to be a great lyricist. Anyone can slap down a line or two about the degree to which they would like someone to deliver them a much-needed drink. To achieve this depressive tone however - to convey exactly how the need to have a drink far outweighs the nature of the drink itself - requires a special skill. Just reading the first two lines makes one realize how little they need a drink in comparison. It has set the song up to be almost overwhelming to the listener.

Then, with the tone established, the subject matter accepted, she lays the closer: Huey Lewis. Who the hell in the modern era references Huey Lewis? As the listener, what are we supposed to think? Can we still feel depressed with the floodgates, which have held back a force of 80's memories, now opened?

Then I realized, it's been a long time since the 80's. The News has been put to bed, and the "New Drug" Huey Lewis was in search for so long is now most likely something to take away the pain from the long hangover afterward. It's been 25 years since "I Wanna New Drug" came out. 25 years from now, will another lyricist write a song about needing a new drug - a new drink - and reference Emily Haines? Can there be a more depressing thought?

Probably not to Emily. And that is why I champion this lyric for a 2007 Bucky award.

Please vote now.

When I was a kid, Remembrance Day seemed to be one of the most staunchly observed days of the year. Gathering at the cenotaph in the centre of town, we'd have the day off school and we'd listen to prayers and reflections from veterans.

Even at that young age, I understood and respected the sacrifice that these men and women made for us. Just as I still respect the sacrifices that our soldiers continue to make for our country.

While the role of our military has been questioned as of late, one can never discount the dedication of our armed forces. My uncle, a veteran of WWII reminded me last week that it's OK to have disdain for war, but never malign the soldiers.

Maybe, this Sunday when you're observing your moments of silence, you can play this song by the late, great Matt Osborne.

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Last Friday night I went down to the Plaza Club here in Vancouver to check out The Acorn. It was an early show. Really early - like 8pm early. That's the way it works down there on a Friday night - as soon as the live music is over, and while the night is still young, the place turns into a dance club.

Well, I'm happy to say that despite the "early bird" time slot, there was quite a large mob of enthusiastic fans gathered at the foot of the stage as the band came on. The Acorn waved a smiling "hello" and launched right into a vibrant rhythm of handclaps and pounding toms.

There were definitely some new musical elements in their sound since I first heard them back in March of 2006. Back then, when we recorded them for this Session, they hadn't yet released their latest record Glory Hope Mountain.

But they had started on working on it and I remember that we did in fact talk about some of the songs (which are based on the life of lead singer Rolf Klausener's mom).

So here's the Session.

Oh and if you live in Waterloo Ontario, be sure and check out The Acorn on November 15th as part of Exclaim Magazine's Wood Wire & Whiskey tour with Elliott Brood, Plants & Animals and Sunparlour Players.

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The Joel Plaskett Emergency will be performing for 5 nights, in Toronto @ the Horseshoe Tavern, Dec. 10, for the venue's 60th anniversary party. The band will perform a different album from the Plaskett back catalogue at each of the shows. Chart

Justin Small of Do Make Say Think talks about touring and their massive entourage. Denver Post

Hello, Blue Roses - a new duo featuring Sydney Vermont & Dan Bejar, will release their debut LP early next year. Pitchfork

We Are Wolves = Artist of the Day. Spin

Cha-ching! The Canadian music industry made a load of cash in 2005...$932 million. CBC

Here we go...questions and/or concerns are popping up over Industry Canada's latest study on file-sharing and the impact it has on CD sales. Globe and Mail

Quebec sells the most records per capita, so why were so few Francophone artists included in Bob Mersereau's latest book, The Top 100 Canadian Albums? Gazette

"Friends Of John" - a benefit concert for Ra Ra Riot drummer, John Pike, who passed away last June, will take place December 15 at the Middle East in Boston and feature Pike's favorite acts, Tokyo Police Club and Vampire Weekend. CMJ

Conductor of wolves: Frank Carter, lead singer of UK hardcore band, Gallows, tops the Cool List for 2007. NME

Pete Doherty apologizes for his latest relapse. Reuters

Watch the new Babyshambles video for "You Talk". Stereogum

Former Stone Rose, Ian Brown, announces he will release his single "Sister Rose" in Japanese. NME

Lily Allen becomes a lingerie model. Pitchfork

Jay-Z says he won't sell his new album "American Gangster" in iTunes because he wants it to be sold in its entirety. Yahoo! UK

Payola won't help you now: Jennifer Lopez rumoured to be dropped from Epic/ Sony due to poor album sales. Yahoo! UK

Maybe it's just a wise idea to stay away from Prince and his music altogether? BBC

Looking for that great holiday gift idea for the Hip Hop fan in your life? Pitchfork

Loonie keeps on soaring, above $1.10 US. CBC

Bibles banned at 2008 Beijing Olympics. CBN News

Facebook welcomes Coca-cola and Blockbuster; turning users into Endorsers with "social ads". New York Times

Canada going soft on death penalty: Amnesty International. CBC

Thousands of unripe bananas wash up on Amsterdam's shore. Newsvine

Falafel trail leads to nowhere. CQ Politics

Pakistani police beat former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto supporters. Newsvine

The Onion still hiring more employees while other newspapers are losing readers. AlterNet

American financial crisis of billion-dollar loses could be coming to a place near you- Britain. The Independent

Dozens killed in fighting between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tigers. Breitbart

Today's image, Home Theatre, submitted by John Fortin.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Coming up today on Grant Lawrence Live, 3PM ET / noon PT on CBC Radio 3's web radio:

There's been a lot of colourful chit-chat around CBC Radio 3 this week about beards, what with the latest R3TV episode and all. And even though beards have been on a growth spurt amongst the indie-rock sect for several years, in 2007, bushy wads of facial hair have exploded both on stage and off. At the recent Black Mountain/R3 show in Montreal, it looked like a massive open-audition call for Castaway: The Rock Opera. And so that leads us to our...

Poll Question of the day:

Are beards sexy?

YES - 71%

NO - 29%

I mean... what's the appeal? Why do men grow beards? Are girls attracted to a face full of hair? Why is at least one member of every band in Canada sporting a version of the Rip Van Winkle? Then again... Peter Elkas is nominated for a Bucky Award in the Sexiest Musician Category and he sports a nicely trimmed beard. Sam Roberts' shaggy locks and facial fuzz is so influential his entire band followed suite, John K. Samson is rockin' a little beard on the current Weakerthans tour, whereas the band Ladyhawk is basically a massive hair explosion. Even Peaches had a beard!

Please post your comments below.

Place your vote and share your beardo or weirdo opinions and stories - the best and the worst - and we'll discuss your comments on today's show. We'll also get opinions live on the air from some of the bearded ones: Pete Elkas, Kevin Drew, Ladyhawk and others.

One lucky listener, bearded or not, will win a CBC Radio 3 Castro Freedom Hat, which we all know goes very well with a beard....

CONGRATULATIONS TO TODAY'S WINNER: session 420

Apparently it's even Beard Month.

Tom Waits, Ray Charles, Elvis Costello and the Pixies are just a few of the musical heavy-hitters that have been featured on the high-profile American TV program, Austin City Limits, which has been on their air since 1976.

Montreal's The Arcade Fire has just been added to that illustrious list with their September 14^th performance on the show - and if you get PBS, you can watch the whole shebang this Saturday, November 10. (For listings, go here.)

But for now, you can check out their performance of "Keep The Car Running" right here, along with an interview in which the band chats about everything from what music they listened to when they were kids to what it's been like to achieve worldwide fame.

I know I'm a privileged person. And no, I'm not talking about that soaring loonie. I mean by the music I get to play all day. Yesterday I discussed an article from a British music critic wondering where he could find the rock intellectuals. I received a thoughtful letter from David in Calgary who felt that Canadian indie rock had an abundance of smart-folk riches. My recent interview with PhD of mathematics holder Dan Snaith a.k.a. Caribou drove that point home.

As much as I would love to say that our air and water and maple syrup had something to do with our clever artists, I think it's something much simpler. The musicians we play keep it pretty simple. They do what they love to do, and only add on to their art when a good cause comes their way. In the case of the referenced by David-in-his-letter, Weakerthans front man John K. Sampson, when not making music he takes part in national literary book competitions, among other things.

And to add fuel to this burning issue, I came across this quote from an interview with Chris Rock in the most recent Rolling Stone magazine:

"Music kind of sucks. Nobody's into being a musician. Everybody's getting their mogul on. You've been so infiltrated by this corporate mentality that all the time you'd spend getting great songs together, you're busy doing nine other things that have nothing to do with art. You know how shitty Stevie Wonder's songs would have been if he had to run a fuckin' clothing company and a cologne line? ... Rap sucks, for the most part. Not all rap, but as an art form it's just not at its best moment. Sammy the Bull would have made a shitty album. And I don't really have a desire to hear Warren Buffett's album - or the new CD by Paul Allen. That's what everybody's aspiring to be. We live in a weird time... No one's smart - we just know who makes money."

Now I can't say with any certainty that we don't have some artists here at Radio 3 that wouldn't mind taking over the world. But imagine how nice that world would be...

To get you in the mood for this new indie Canadian world order, I've got a show packed with the talents of our many fine altruistic musicians. Music from C'Mon, Les Breastfeeders and Patrick Watson.

And I'll be visited in the studio by the pop trio Bella. We'll talk about their ideas on running the world. I mean, who hasn't thought about having your own cologne?

When Keith Parry first opened Scratch Records on Vancouver's downtown eastside, a new technology called the "compact disc" was just starting to catch on - vinyl and cassettes still ruled the day - and the internet, at least as we know it, was still the stuff of techies' dreams. Parry was just 20 years old when the tiny basement record store came up for sale.

"It was run by a couple and they were breaking up. And I made a bad deal to buy the few used records and racks and bins they had and took over their space - and moved into the back of the store," he remembers.

"I didn't have a business background. I didn't really have a great understanding of independent music at that point in time. So it was trial by fire, really," he says with a laugh. "Sure, I had a record store. Now I had to learn how to run it and how to get customers."

Evidently he taught himself well, because the Vancouver store is still up and running (no small feat), they have a strong distribution business, and their record label is the Canadian home to huge BC bands including Destroyer, Black Mountain and Frog Eyes.

And now many local luminaries - including Destroyer, Pink Mountaintops, Vancougar, Riff Randells and many more - are helping the Vancouver institution to celebrate its 20th anniversary. (Black Mountain officially kicked off the festivities last weekend.)

Toronto singer/songwriter Bob Wiseman – a former member of the Hidden Cameras and Blue Rodeo – has just released the video for the song “Who Am I” from his latest album, Theme And Variations, and his friend and tour-mate Feist makes a guest appearance.

In the video, Feist spins something (a can?) at the end of a string, waves at the camera in the middle of a cobblestone European street and talks silently to the camera as the accordion-wielding, film-making Wiseman, known for his smart, self-effacing lyrics, sings a sweet tune about trying to figure out who we are and what exactly we’re doing here.

The video was shot when the two were on tour together in Europe.

Watch it now.

If you've ever been involved in an indie filmmaking project, you'll know that securing music is one of the toughest parts of the job. Especially since CD sales are tanking, record labels are demanding ever-higher fees - and that's if you can secure the rights at all.

But it seems that the whining of Moby's filmmaker friends has paid off, because the DJ has decided to offer up several tracks for free to independent and student filmmakers through a website called mobygratis.com.

"This portion of moby.com, 'film music,'" he says through the site, "is for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for their independent, non-profit film, video, or short."

Among the available tracks are B-sides from the American musician's landmark 1999 album Play, as well as songs from 2002's 18 and many more.

All he asks in return is that, if the film gets a distribution deal, the filmmaker contributes a small amount to charity. According to Moby - a committed vegan - any funds raised will go directly to the Humane Society.

At the end of his message, he writes: "I hope that you find what you're looking for."

Hi everyone! Holy blog action. Some of you wrote in to tell me where you are and what you're doing when you're listening to my show. I'll tell you where I am right now - in the cavernous, labyrinthine CBC headquarters in downtown Toronto. By myself. In a studio. I like to know that you're listening to me while you're making art in Sudbury or having an art party in Windsor (art party?! am I invited?!).

Also, a bunch of you responded to tell me about me about bands you want Namedropped. Cool! This week we're doing Saint Alvia Cartel.



Who knew that asking a band about their name could yield such vivid storytelling? It's definitely something, I'll tell you that.

What else do we have happening on the show this week...we've got Better Friends Than Lovers, who I'm really feeling, plus about as many BSS offshoots as you can have in a three-hour period (Stars, Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, Kevin Drew).

My show debuts Thursday mornings at 3am Pacific/6am Eastern, then repeats Saturdays at 3pm Pacific/6pm Eastern and Sundays at 6am Pacific/9am Eastern. So there. Bust out the finger paints. I'm coming to your party.

xo,
Hannah

I was waiting for the elevator in my apartment building last week and could hear REM's "Everybody Hurts" blaring from the apartment across the hall. The song ended and as I stepped into the elevator; it started again...

When I came home about two hours later, the elevator opens and I'm once again greeted by Michael Stipe singing "the day is long; and the night; the night is yours alone..."

Now, I don't know this neighbour, but I thought about making a CD for them. And I wouldn't want to change their mood necessarily; if you want to be depressed, roll with it. But how about you mix it up for the rest of us. On my CD, there would still be plenty of tunes to rock in the fetal position to (by the way- you do know there is a Bucky award for that, right?)

So top of the list, Emily Haines "Doctor Blind".

Now cheer up, alright?

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When Saskatoon band The Blood Lines lucked into a gig at this summer's Beijing Pop Festival, they weren't just taking their road cases with them - R3TV also armed them with a camera.

So for our 30^th episode, we present a special video diary from the prairie group who traveled across the planet to rock out - musically and socially - for only a handful of days.

The group secured a sweet spot between cool Chinese indie acts, and such big-ass headliners as Nine Inch Nails and Public Enemy. They also battled with the food, played dress-up, and met the kookiest interviewer I've ever seen.

It was my job to wade through almost ten hours of footage - and I have to say, The Blood Lines didn't leave much out. Thanks to their amazing access and sense of fun, I felt like I was in China with them as a fifth member (or maybe a merch-monkey). Hell, I even know their bathroom secrets now. And you'll be glad that one scene hit the editing room floor with a splat.

Congrats on the great gig, Blood Lines. And thanks for sharing it with R3TV and our viewers. Enjoy the episode!

WATCH IT NOW

YouTube :: Blip

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RSS : http://www.cbcradio3.com/podcast/video/iTunes/

Today's image, Don't Stop, submitted by Nick Cheeseman.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Exploding piggy-bank aims to scare Japanese into saving. Breitbart

Facebook ad backlash begins. TechCrunch

Syria allows US in to screen refuges. Newsvine

Pro-democracy Suu Kyi to 'co-operate with Burmese Junta. CBC

When mother nature decides she wants a river, she gets it. Pictures

Top 7 weirdest houses. Wiki

21 year-old Canadian detainee faces new hearing in Guantanamo. Breitbart

Hundreds held in Bhutto protests. BBC

Overweight live longer: new study. The Independent

The 'YouTube killer', 8 die in schoolroom shooting: Finland. Times Online

Mother sends stripper to schoolboy's classroom as birthday present. Daily Mail

I'll be completely up front here and let you know that today's show was pre-recorded yesterday. And yesterday was "Bring Your Kid To Work Day" at CBC. Since my six year old daughter doesn't really seem to want to work in radio (she wants to be a marine biologist), I brought in Eric Balnar. He does want to enter broadcasting and, if this show is any indication, he will soon have my job.

Tune into today's show to see what I mean.

Here's his take on the day:

Today I got my chance at my 15 minutes of fame (that is - before I am actually famous). It was my moment to co-host ‘The Craig Norris Hour' and 'The Happy Morning Fun-Time Show'. So there I was, a seventeen year old Guelph boy, sitting in the very same room as Craig Norris - the world famous ‘Guelpher'. As an aspiring sports broadcaster, Craig gave me the opportunity to come and see what really goes on at CBC. Plus, he was generous enough to actually give me airtime. It's a laid back atmosphere, with some great people. Craig is no exception to this, as he one of the nicest guys I have met.

Thank you very much to Craig for giving me the chance to see what this crazy industry is all about.

The New Pornographers and Crystal Castles to perform at the Estrella Damm Primavera Club festival, in Barcelona, Dec. 3-8. Pitchfork

Watch the Flatliners' new video for "Eulogy". Punknews

Cineplex Entertainment and EMI Music Canada announce that the Beatles' movie 'Help!' will be presented on Nov. 26 in 32 theatres across Canada. The movie has been restored and remixed for extra viewing pleasure. Chart

Radiohead album to be released Dec. 31st; band makes statement re:ComScore.com sales figures. Billboard

Amy Winehouse is granted a US Visa. Yahoo! UK

My Bloody Valentine to reunite, new album on the way. NME 

Raekwon reveals some dysfunction in the house of Wu-Tang. Billboard

Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, Lil Wayne and Ja Rule convene at New York's State Court. Reuters

Electrelane on 'indefinite hiatus'. Pitchfork

Lingerie company denying rumours Lily Allen will be modelling for them. NME

Hole guitarist, Eric Erlandson, teams up with actor Vincent Gallo for a new improv group that will tour NA soon, called RRIICCEE. Pitchfork

Elvis Costello says "I don't care if I ever play in England again". NME

Another Smiths DVD on the way. Paste

The University of Oregon refuses to reveal student's IP info to the RIAA. Political Punk

The fight over ownership of medical items used on Elvis Presley is coming to an end. Spinner 

Country music Hall of Fame singer, Hank Thompson, dies at 82yrs. CBC

Coming up today on Grant Lawrence Live, 3PM ET / noon PT on CBC Radio 3's web radio:

Panic at the record company!!!

No matter what the decade or the threat, it seems that the music industry is a doomsday business. ("Hometaping is killing music" was an industry guilt trip from the late 70s / early 80s). Then again, in 2007, music has never been so free! Just this past week, it was revealed that the majority of the million plus downloaders of the Radiohead experiment didn't actually pay a pence... or a penny... on the flipside, a Canadian government study just dug out this tasty moonrock to fly in the face of the industry's armageddon, saying that "...among Canadians actually engaged in it, P2P file sharing increases CD purchases", which leads us to our...

Poll Question of the day:

DO YOU STILL BUY MUSIC?

YES - 83%

NO - 17%

Time to step up! Is it a yes or no? If yes, on what format? What was the last CD you bought? What are your spending habits? Where do you buy most of your CDs? Any vinyl lovers like me still out there? If no, why not? Is it a budget issue, a space issue, a format issue, a record store clerk intimidation issue, or simply a case of why the hell would you waste your money on something that is free?

Please post your comments below.

Place your vote and share your opinions and stories - good and bad- and we'll discuss your comments on today's show. We'll also get opinions live on the air from some owners of various Canadian independent record companies, and some die-hard Canadian music fans.

One lucky listener will win a stack of... uh... FREE CDs... including the new CBC Radio 3 Sessions CD Volume III.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER... EASYPHOENIX!

The legend goes that Elliott Brood wanted to avoid the moniker of "bluegrass band" and created Death Country. It seems that banjos are inextricably linked to bluegrass, despite the fact this brood just isn't.

The Toronto-by-way of Windsor, Ontario band has been making and touring their own brand of - I'll call it darkly joyous folk-rock - for a few years now. First with their EP Tin Type, and then with the crazy successful Ambassador from 2005.

They've been out on what they call their last tour before hunkering down to get the next record out. I attempted to get some previews and discovered that a lot of this band's success comes from good flea-market scouring. Casey and Mark joined me in Vancouver before their show.

Read more for the Brood's Tour Schedule

According to one of those important studies from the Institute of Most Obvious, young women are tired of "skinny, sleazy and stupid" role models (I'm not sure when models became role models), and would like to see more diversity in who sells useless consumer goods. However, tired of doesn't mean not seduced by, no ones going broke using this strategy.

I haven't seen the results of the study on young men but I'm guessing they probably aren't as bothered about the diversity issue as their female counterparts.

So in the interest of bringing higher ratings to CBC Radio 3, I have decided to host the show as a skinny, sleazy and stupid model. I suppose it really is a shame that this is radio and you will have to use your powers of imagination, but please make me hot and irresistible. It's probably the closest any of us will get to this fantasy, so we'll enjoy it together.

On today's show I'll be seductively spinning some haute tunes by the Golden Dogs, Bend Sinister and the Great Outdoors.

We'll hear my interview with the electronic artist Montag a.ka. Antoine Bedard who talks about his new music and his wide-ranging collaborators. We'll also hear about the worst job ever from Paul Acoin of the Hylozoists.

I'll try not to say anything too stupid, not that you'd care really. Just refer back to my picture and everything will be alright.

The Born Ruffians are a very young band. Well, not that young in terms of playing together. Luke Lalonde, Steve Hamelin and Mitch DeRosier have been a band now since high school when they rather confidently/ballsily sent out demos to record companies. And now that they are old enough to hang out in the American clubs they play in, and have a real proper release coming out, much is looking up. After finding the guys wandering the halls here looking for the studio, I dragged them in to chat about those humble beginnings and what's coming up.

Although I've outed myself on more than one occasion as the office metal head, I also have another great love: Brit Pop. I guess it started with the Smiths...and hasn't really stopped. I'm currently pretty crazy about Muse and Hi-Fi, but I'll swoon to old Blur and Oasis any day. And then there's the Cure, Happy Mondays and Stone Roses cds that just never seem to leave the car.

Though the name suggests that it needs to come out of the UK, that's not entirely true. It's a fact that many fine Canadian bands know how to make it, and one such new maker of this music is Victoria's The Paper Cranes.

The husband and wife duo of Ryan McCullagh and Miranda Roach-McCullagh took their name from a Japanese proverb that one who folds 1,000 paper cranes will be granted one wish. And in this song they let on what that wish might just be. This is "I'll Love You Till My Veins Explode."

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No, the title of this podcast is not what I repeat to myself over and over when I head out the door on a blind date.

It's in reference to a heinous stadium rock show I saw last weekend... you can hear the story for yourself on this week's show.

Also on the podcast, the mighty return of the orginal fan-favourite, the 90 Second Egg. This time around it's Broken Social Scene's affable and brutally honest Kevin Drew in the hot seat and oh does he ever dish. We'll also be playing nominees from both the Nova Scotia Music Awards (where I'll be spending the long weekend) and our very own Bucky Awards.

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Stars go Green! A&C

Spookey Ruben returns! Chart

New Protest the Hero album, Fortress, will be released Jan. 29. MySpace

Jay Z loves the Arcade Fire. Guardian UK

Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is arrested and could serve a life sentence behind bars. Reuters

Radiohead webcast @ 1pm PST today? NME

Watch Radiohead cover Bjork in last night's testcast for today's webcast. Stereogum

Sufjan Stevens announces a new Christmas song exchange contest. Write and record an original, send it in, if you win: Sufjan will trade the rights for one of his songs for the rights to yours. Pitchfork

Watch the Arctic Monkey's new video for "Teddy Picker". Stereogum

Lily Allen gets her own show on BBC and the audience will include only her MySpace friends. Spinner

Nirvana's Krist Novoselic starts writing for Seattle Weekly's blog. Pitchfork

Prince states he's 'not suing his fans'. NME

We may never have seen Monty Python's Life of Brian if it wasn't for George Harrison. Uncut

A personal assistant to Linda Stein, who was murdered Oct. 30, has been arrested in connection with her death. CBC

No longer on hiatus, the Blood Brothers officially break-up. Spin

Today's image, Riding the Rails, submitted by James Pullar.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Pakistani police lift house arrest order for former Prime Minister and opposition figure Bhutto. BBC

Just nine months after giving birth Paula Radcliffe wins the NYC marathon. Yahoo!

Cops see 12 year-old boy running with toy gun and shoot him dead. No charges. Commercial Appeal

A writer's blog from the picket lines, day 3. TriggerStreet

Quebecer suing RCMP police for $47 million. Cnews

Indian girl born with extra limbs wakes after surgery. CBC

Bush administration looks to "blame" someone for war. AlterNet

Polish president nominates liberal Tusk as PM. Breitbart

There's nothing like the bond between a son and his Dad. And our Long Range Request this week is nothing like a bond between a son and his Dad. Like Lucy Van Pelt, Oprah and Dr. Phil before us, The R3-30 is facilitating catharsis...one damn song at a time.

To make you feel better, too, we're giving you a chance to WIN your own copy of Andorra by Caribou! Plus, The Wheel of Freedom spins for Taylor in Belmont who picks a sweet song by The Diableros, we play a Facebook R3-30 F.C. Fave for Suzanna, and our History of the Chart question this week is all about boys and girls.

There are, of course, the obigatory yet exciting Chartbreakers, and we learn something pretty unbelievable about our boy, Paids "Garcia" Mendes.

The R3-30 debuts Fridays at high noon (ET) right here where you are.

An interesting phenomenon happened to me Tuesday morning. After spending the preceding week psyching myself up for the BC Poker Championships (through my questionable position as a member of "the media", they granted me a seat in their "free-role" event). I was going to play for a chance to get a free ticket to their main event - a $2500 buy-in extravaganza.

It's probably not an exaggeration to claim that a few of us at Radio 3 are poker afficionados. Our bi-weekly night of friendly wagering has been euphemistically dubbed the CBC Knitting Club and is now almost as much an institution within the CBC as the Bruno Gerussi Naturalist Society. As I was representing not the CBC, but the Knitting Club, I knew I had to perform well. I felt prepared mentally and physically (I mean, really, what would that take), but spiritually I was weak. One question remained unanswered: what song would I hum during the tournament?

The morning of the game, the answer came to me in the form of Harvee's "Father Was A Gambler". This perfect little ditty raged through my brain for the drive up, the sign-in, and the sit-down. Then the unexpected happened. Once the chips fell, my mind went musically blank. For the first time in my life I was without a song (this isn't a joke - not a time in my life can I remember not having a tune in my skull - if you watch my wedding video you can actually see me mouth the lyrics to The White Stripes' "Hotel Yorba"). But for over three hours while playing poker, the well dried. Then, just as I walked away from the final table in fourth place (did I mention there were prizes for the top three finishers?) it happened. The song came back.

Faced with the choice of becoming a professional poker player, or staying here at CBC Radio 3, listening to songs all day, I'm going to choose the latter. To only have my thoughts to listen to all day is not really an appealing prospect. So, to give you a quick glimpse into the inner workings of my brain, I give you the soundtrack currently playing in my head. Take a listen to Harvee's "Father Was A Gambler".

Avast, Nova Scotians, I'm headed your way! The occasion is your province's annual Nova Scotia Music Awards. This year, I have the honour of attending the entire long weekend event in beautiful Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Nominees and showcase performers include R3 faves like the Superfantastics, Rebekah Higgs, In-Flight Safety, Classified and many more.

I'll be around all weekend, so I'd love to talk rock, hoist a Keith's (even though I'm kinda on the wagon), or see a show... on Saturday at 1:00PM in the conference centre, I'll be on an industry panel discussing how to get your music played on the radio. Immediately after that at 2:00PM, I'll be giving my own workshop called "Making Friends With The Media". If you're around, I hope you can attend.

On Sunday, I'll be at the awards gala at the Astor Theatre, co-presenting the NSMA for Best New Artist Of The Year. Check out some of the nominees on today's brand new Podcast #129. And, as always, if you have any tips for me while in Liverpool, feel free to post them below!

Brad Warner is an author, a musician, a filmmaker and a Buddhist priest. It all might sound like an unusual mix, but only if you haven't had a chance to read one of his books. I just finished his latest Sit Down and Shut Up - Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death and Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye.

Starting life in Akron, Ohio where he became an integral part of the hardcore music scene, Brad then found his way to Buddhism, a dream job with an entertainment company in Japan and finally to LA. Along the way he became a priest, wrote a book and now is playing again with his band Zero Defects and even made a film about the bands that made up his world in the early 1980s.

I can't promise we will get to all of this in my interview with Brad today, but I'll do my best. What I will promise you is no one will become enlightened along the way. That may be a pretty big statement, but again - this is an epiphany garnered from reading the book and if it doesn't make sense...you're right on track.

I'll also be playing music, oh yes. I could tell you about it, but after this interview I'm hoping you'll just be open to anything.

Joel Plaskett has spent almost half his life as a touring musician. He knows how to get through a bad show and enjoy the ones that reaffirm his career choice. The Halifax singer/songwriter was mighty nostalgic when I reached him at a hotel room somewhere in Toronto for this weeks Tour Diary. He had just finished some opening dates with The Tragically Hip throughout the US and was looking forward to some home-country love.

 

It’s been one week since voting officially opened for the 2^nd Annual CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards. Ever since, the Buckys Ballot has been visited by independent music fans far and wide, having their say. The musicians themselves are also having their say.

And everyone in the R3 office is constantly pestering me about the results. "Who's leading? Who's winning?"

But that information is strictly classified. The results are tabulated on a computer kept in a double-locked storage room at the end of a drab, unassuming corridor deep in the triple-basement bowels of the CBC Radio building in Vancouver (affectionately known to its staff as “The Bunker”). Once a day, it is my duty to venture into the abyss and brave the cast-off dust of a thousand disintegrating tape reels in order to see who's in favour with indie scenesters. Which musicians are going to take away this year’s batch of Buckys?

Some of the results so far are shocking, and I can't resist leaking a few choice details. Quoth Mark Macarthur when I told him the current standings for Musician Most Likely to Have a Future Career in Television, “Are people even watching the clips?! I can't believe he's not winning!"

And clearly, some bands have rallied their fans with more success than others – some of the categories have runaway leaders (Best Bass Line, Best Song to Listen to in the Fetal Position). When I told Lisa Christiansen, she had this to say: "I'll tell you why Dustin Cole isn't winning. That song is so good, when you listen to it, you stay in the fetal position. That's why fans of that song haven't responded - they're still curled up. Quote me on that - I want them to get moving!"

And some categories have incredibly tight neck-and-neck races (Best Rap, Best New Band Name, Best Road-Trip Song, Sexiest Canadian Musician). One of those categories is even in a dead heat - all knotted up, defying statistical probability.

In short, nothing has yet been decided. You still have a chance to influence these results – your vote counts. Vote now!

Hey, Canadian musicians - we are looking for your music videos! Perhaps it's some footage of you lip syncing to your new tune or maybe it's some tape of your best gig ever? If your music is involved - you may upload it to your page, just as these fine folks did...

1. Andre Larose - Home 
2. Bob Wiseman - You Don't Love Me 
3. Jell - Out of Control
4. Louwop the dirty general - Freestyle
5. Muneshine - Status Symbol
6. Octoberman - By The Wayside
7. Purrr - Oscar Singing Purrr / NXNE Show Live From The Horseshoe
8. RAS - I Care 4 U
9. Tfyqa / White Noise - Highest Bidder
10. The Killin' Time Band - Willie Jack Haze
11. The WhiskeyDicks - The WhiskeyDicks at the Commodore

New Music Canada is waiting for your video footage. If you are a member- login and upload. If you are not yet a member- Sign Up and start your own revolution. We accept these formats: MPG, MPEG, AVI, MOV, M4V, MP4, WMV.

(Muneshine, pictured)

Saturday at 3:00 pm--wherever you are in Canada--don't be like me. I always forget to turn on my radio. Last week I was unpacking right next to it and didn't turn it on. (Sounds like Grant's last date.)

Anyway, on November 10th tune into the delightful chirpings of Calgary's Woodpigeon and blues-Jay Crocker & his Electric Apes. Both bands delivered gorgeous new tunes to the Fuse stage to be dusted up by each others' feathers.

Ok, I'll quit the avian flutterings. Just listen to their beautiful music and you'll see why Calgary is cool.

Saturday on Fuse at 3:00 pm locally on CBC Radio One.

One of favourite quotes comes from (so quoted from another source) David Johansen of the New York Dolls: "rock stars don't dress for the weather." A lot is explained in these few words, but mostly you get a sense that image and music are eternally intertwined.

Vancouver Pop trio Bella are an interesting study on the issue of image. If you see their photo (as you do above) you see some pretty cool characters ready to aggressively rock your world. But then meet them, and they are sweeter than candy.

Charla and Tiffany minus Cameron joined me in the studio to talk about their aptly-titled new release No One Will Know (that you are really funny and nice) and the quest for some new sartorial sponsors.

BLUES | Peacework, The Son Roberts Band

COUNTRY | Gene Strandquist, Lee Mellor

ELECTRONIC | Fefe June and the Oil Guzzling Sluts, Flora, Gerard Leckey, Gore-tek, Guillaume & the Coutu Dumonts, Let's Go To War, Pelthead International, Piper Davis, Purrr, Sebastien Charest

HIP HOP | REL

POP | Ana Vido, Dana is Gone, Justin Plet, Kyle Dine

ROCK | Afterglow, Bionic, Chocolat, Dale Roossien, Faith Rising, Fourthwall, Hue, Jell, Lines on Vinyl, Loverboy, Might., Punchtube, Richard Summerbell, The Killin' Time Band, The Whodos, Trigger Effect, VKNGS

ROOTS & FOLK | Fawn Bones, TheAdores, The Whiskeydicks, Violet Booth

WORLD | RAS, Ryan Enns

Hit the 'play' button, below, to hear new music from all of the above artists, programmed as you see them listed. If you like what you hear, skip on over to the artist's NMC page for more songs, or photos, or videos, and/or blog entries, add the songs to your User Playlists, etc. Now, how does that sound?

(Purrr, pictured)

Yesterday I saw red lights. They were alternating with green lights. They reflected in a doorway and I walked through it. Ah yes, the holiday season is fast bearing down upon us. I mean, I've just barely sprinkled salt on my panfried pumpkin seeds and already I've got to think about Christmas! I kind of like it though, not the commercial sell, sell thing but there's something that makes me smile when I see window displays, and flashing lights - or maybe it's just my retinas bugging out...

So anyway, I'm cruising along in my festive mood and I stop into London Drugs for batteries when all of a sudden I hear the song 500 % by the Winnipeg band Boats. It's sort of faint but I stop dead in my tracks. This is odd. See, up until a few days ago, I hadn't even heard of this band. A friend of mine introduced me to them recently and so I've been checking out their songs and I've particularly enjoyed 500 % because of its great melody. I keep listening...

It turns out, the song playing at the London Drugs is not 500 % - too bad. It's actually a Christmas song!

So why did I think it was Boats? Well, if you check out this track, you'll hear the reason for my mistake. There are some fantastic choral vocals that build and build toward the end of the song - it's really cool.

Yes, I think it'll get you in the festive mood one way or another and since you can't hear it (yet) at London Drugs, here it is.

Boats perform in Vancouver at The Royal Unicorn on Tuesday, November 13^th (located at 147 E. Pender St.)

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He came, he saw, he conquered!

Joel Plaskett arrived just minutes before the commencement of the annual Nova Scotia Music Awards ceremony on Sunday, after wrapping up his US tour with the Tragically Hip. Good thing he showed up... the Joel Plaskett Emergency and their current album Ashtray Rock was nominated in six categories (Best Video, Best Pop/Rock Recording, Entertainer Of The Year, Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year, and Group Recording of the Year).

By the end of the night, Joel wore out the stairs to the stage of the packed Astor Theatre in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, scooping all six trophies. His acceptance speeches were short, gracious, and self-effacing, as the amount of statues grew at his feet in the front row of the theatre. (A foreshadowing of Joel's three Bucky nominations?)

For most of my music-enjoying life, I've been down with rap music. But, from about 1993-1995, I was right into electronic music (in those days I just called it techno).

Some rave-promoting friends took me to my first big party at the CN Tower. It was excellent. I dressed up like a weirdo, danced all night, played laser tag, and even saw Chris Sheppard in line at Taco Bell.

It was a bit cheesy, but that night opened my eyes to this whole other world of music. A world that I am again visiting, while listening to the music of Doug Rowed.

Doug is a painter who also made a bunch of experimental ambient music in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, using an ARP synth, RYTHM ACE beat box, and a ROLAND space echo. Later, in the "new millennium" Doug found himself with a garden shed full of reel-to-reel recordings.

What to do?

Well, what Doug did, was hook up with Shawn Hall (aka The Corduroy Kid, of Old Sofa Music) and digitize the recordings. Doug thinks that Shawn liked his "CBC Hinterland sound."

Then - and here is where you can tell what a smart guy he is - then Doug put those songs up on New Music Canada!

The music is gentle and good, it's now available on an album called GARDEN OF ETHER and here's a sample ...

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Please forgive the lateness of this post. Usually, I work on The R3-30 Podcast post from home on Friday and my computer suffered a power surge and I lost - yes - everything. Please, no lectures about backing stuff up, etc. I hurt enough already.

See how happy that Dad and son are up there? If only we could all have that sort of relationship with our fathers. All happy and stuff. That Dad up there has something in common with listener Junior L's Dad: they both love Dubai. Check out the Long Range Request this week to hear what I mean.

There's a tonne more stuff on this week's podcast but I'm frankly too stressed about my computer to remember what that stuff is.

Have a listen and email me... er... send me a fax.

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The cliche is true: "You don't know what you've got until it's gone".
Why do I rely on my computer so much? Damn! As you may have read earlier, my home PC is gone to the great beyond.

Today, I need to hear some of your computer horror stories. I need to know that I'm not alone. Please.

Has your computer ever forsaken you?
(comment below and let us know)

Along with some great music and my whining, we'll hear a Stand By Your Van with Lullaby Baxter, and Lauren's interview with People For Audio.

Vancouver's Three Inches of Blood fire their drummer, Alexei Rodriguez, after an altercation with Saxon drummer, Nigel Glockler. Blabbermouth

Metric to release live DVD, Live at Metropolis, Feb. 12 (Last Gang). Pitchfork

New Hayden album, Field & Town, due Jan. 15 (Hardwood). Chart

New Hawksley Workman album, Between the Beautifuls, due Jan. 29 (Universal). Chart

Winnipeg's Comeback Kid begin recording live footage for new DVD. Punknews

Music World files for bankruptcy protection. Globe and Mail

Radiohead sign US deal with ATO Records Group. Billboard

New Weezer album to be released April 22. Punknews

Boy George charged with false imprisonment. Reuters

Prince premieres new song "PFUnk" - a song about his recent legal rousings. NME

Kanye West releases a statement about the passing of his mother. NME

Musician Gilberto Gil to resign from government post. CBC

Mapping Canada's 18 Taser-related deaths. CBC

28,000 flee camps after fighting in DR Congo. Breitbart

Fast Foods: ads vs. reality. Moonlime

Hamas-Fatah rivalry turns deadly in Gaza. CSMonitor

Myanmar police arrests activists as UN envoy meets with ministers. Breitbart

Mulroney inquiry should have happened months ago: Dion. CBC

Disney-land of the Dead. Boingboing

Benazir Bhutto calls on Musharraf to stand down. BBC

Health-care spending continue to grow faster than economy. Globe and Mail

Today's image, Feuilles tombées / Fallen Leaves, submitted by Denis-Carl Robidoux.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

I'm filling in for Grant today as he was off cavorting the East Coast doing dubious duty at the Nova Scotia Music Awards. (I suspect he's looking for love in Lunenberg.)

Now, truth be told, I'm actually in Fuse fervour today, so the show you'll hear from 12:00-15:00 PT was pre-taped on Monday. Despite the uncertainty I displayed in the beginning, I now know that Jim Bryson [pictured above] stopped by for a segment (or two) and while Andre Ethier was kicking around CBC Ottawa all day, he didn't. However, to my great surprise and pleasure Andy Swan did.

Not knowing they'd be through, I hadn't programmed any songs by any of those fine artists. So, after they make their appearances please use the search feature and have a listen to each of them.

Hey there folks, not that I would ever want you to NOT listen to me on Radio3.com, but if you live in Ontario and would like to take part in a telephone discussion about how we get our music, then you'll want to tune into Ontario Today (TOMORROW - Wednesday!) where yours truly will be sitting in and talking about the extinction of chain record stores and the evolution of digital downloading.

It will be more fun than that description up there. I promise.

The Ontario Today phone-in segments gives you a chance to share your opinions and questions on current topics, every weekday within the show between noon and 2PM ET.

More info tomorrow morning!

Today, a small army of Canadians armed only with guitars, a banjo, a trumpet, and their own songs, will politely invade the United States. A whopping eight all-star independent Canadian singer-songwriters will be strumming their way through the northeastern seaboard over the next week, including Jim Bryson, Jenn Grant, Royal Wood, David Myles, Old Man Luedecke, Tanya Davis, Catherine MacLellan, and Jill Barber.

They're calling it the In The Dead Of Winter Tour, a rolling extension of the annual frosty Halifax music festival of the same name.

Here are the dates, and tell 'em CBC Radio 3 sent you!

After a recent wagon ride in Calgary to announce the next Virgin Festival, record company founder and kazillionaire Sir Richard Branson is giving Canada another major event: an environmentally-themed concert called Flick-Fest - and it's happening in the bustling metropolis of Estevan, Saskatchewan.

"Humanity's window to act on climate change is narrowing," said Branson in a press release. "And it's up to each of us to find new ways of getting more people involved in this global fight. So next spring, Estevan will hold a carbon-neutral party to raise awareness-spreading the word to more Canadians. It's going to be a blast."

The small Saskatchewan city - population 10,000 - found out on Monday that it had won a nation-wide environmental competition, narrowly beating out Duncan, BC and Wolfville, NS.

Famed electronic foursome Ladytron has signed to Canada's Nettwerk Records.

The Liverpool group - which formed in 1999 - has been on tour almost non-stop for four years, but they are finally taking out some time to record their fourth full length, which is expected out in May 2008, and will coincide with a full North American tour.

"Ladytron is one of the coolest, most vital and cutting edge bands around right now," says Nettwerk co-founder Mark Jowett. "Each of their albums is more seductive than the last, and their live performance is electrifying."

The May release will be the first since 2005's Witching Hour, which Pitchfork called "the most urgent and immediate of their career."

"We came straight from our final shows in the US to the studio in Paris to complete what we have been working on for the last year or so," says band co-founder Daniel Hunt. "The sessions are exciting, and we can't wait to get the new tracks out there."

Each city has their claim to fame and as we're all beginning to find out here at R3 sometimes a band will make that list. So, here are a few things you should know about Fredericton:

:: Fredericton, then called Ste. Anne's Point, was the Capital of Acadia from 1692 to 1698.
:: From 1876-1940's the upper level of City Hall was an Opera House where traveling entertainers and local performers would appear on the house stage, including the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde.
:: Fredericton's motto is "Fredericopolis silvae filia noblis" - meaning Fredericton, noble daughter of the forest.
:: The notorious Benedict Arnold once lived in Fredericton

AND THEN...

::C'mon visited Fredericton and nearly lit Vixen's on fire during their Worst Show Ever

Corb Lund - Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!
Including tales of a defeated cavalry and a solder who was involved in an covert anti-Contra operation in Nicaragua, many of the songs on this renowned Albertan's latest are about war all through the ages.



Champion - Champion et ses G-strings Live (CD/DVD)
If you've never seen DJ Champion live, you should add that to your life to-do list. But until then, you can kick back and check out this package, which includes never-before heard songs, an audacious version of Nina Simone's Feeling Good, and a short documentary shot during the Montreal Jazz Fest.



Andy Swan - Ottawa
This leader of the Toronto pop band the Michael Parks brings a decidedly country flare to this solo album, which includes Rolf Klausener (The Acorn) on bass, John J. Higney Jr. (Two Minute Miracles) on guitar and Jon Bartlett (Rhume) on drums, as well as guest appearances by Jim Bryson, Andrew Vincent, Dave Draves, and more.



Shotgun Jimmie - The Onlys
After the breakup of Shotgun & Jaybird earlier in the year, this founding member has created a batch of songs that are warm as a seat by the fire on a blustery fall night.



Attack in Black - The Curve of the Earth (LP/iTunes)
This surprise album happened when a band member found an old two-input tape recorder. Inspired by the "warmth and innocence" of the recordings, they decided to set up in a sun room and spend two days and nights recording everything they wrote. "The process," wrote the band on their blog, "was some of the greatest fun we have ever had together."

More after the jump:

Ten years.
Holy crap.

In a fit of nostalgic fever last week, I ripped a whole pile of discs and King Cobb Steelie's Junior Relaxer was one of them. When I flipped it over and saw that it came out in '97, I was floored.

I distinctly remember that I was in a friend's car and we heard "Rational" on some new music show. We were so proud that people we knew were on the radio that we may have cried. I don't remember. But we sat and grooved to its dirty loops and then Kevan Byrne's lyrics hit me. Then I kind of felt guilty for grooving.

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I distinctly remember the moment I met Teekay, front man for the Calgary band Dragon Fli Empire. I was combing through the racks of vintage at Divine Decadence when this guy comes up to me and goes: Hey, are you Tariq? And I go: Yeah. And he says: Cool. My name's Tarik (but he pronounces it more like Tar-eek) and I play music too.

Well, any idea I had about being the only musician named Tariq in Southern Alberta or all of the prairies for that matter, was suddenly shattered right then and there. I said: Nice to meet you.

And it was. Weeks later, Teekay brought his sampler over to my place so we could try some musical collaboration. I was very intrigued by his skills on that sampler. He could isolate and sample a drum part from any CD and then edit it down to make a loop with lightning speed.

Yes, there are many reasons to get into DFE in addition to Teekay's mad sampling skills like the fact that they play a unique style of ultra positive hip hop music. No spoilers here.

In this session, you'll hear some fabulous DFE material embellished at times by their very special studio guest as well. Curious to know who that was...? Well, you know what to do.

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Whoa.

Thanks for all of your computer horror stories! I feel so much better knowing that I'm not alone at all. I'm going to read some of them on the air today. It seems that my computer is back to normal now, too!

Besides that, we'll have music from Moneen, Sarah Harmer, Jenn Grant, Sloan and more. Plus Lisa's interview with Amon Tobin and a Tour Diary with The Besnard Lakes.

All of that, though, sort of pales in comparison to this.

New Cadence Weapon album, Afterparty Babies, will be released March 4 (Anti-). Pitchfork

Plants and Animals talk about their latest EP With/Avec. Chart

Rufus Wainwright, Interpol, David Bowie, the Beastie Boys, Patti Smith and Lily Allen contribute lunchbox designs for charity. Paste

Neko Case writes poetry for Poetry. Pitchfork

Hear music from Chris Walla's new solo album, Field Manual. Spinner

The White Stripes hook up with Beck for some B-side action. NME

Queens of the Stone Age perform an intimate show at a California rehab facility that resulted in the staff tossing the band out. NME

Jay Z scores his 10th number one album and is now tied with Elvis Presley for the second most #1 albums on the charts; the Beatles remain at the top with 19 albums. Billboard

Ben Harper talks about the recording process for his latest album. Orato

Gene Simmons talks about Radiohead's new business model. Exclaim!

Singers, songwriters, and industry types give the US Senate their two cents on performance royalties from radio broadcasters. Variety

Dublab goes non-profit. Stereogum

Microsoft purchases Musiwave and by doing so positions itself to compete directly with Apple's iPhone. CMJ

Warner Music CEO admits they "were wrong" to go to war with consumers. Punknews

Media conglomerate, Bertelsmann, reports 66% drop in net profits. Variety

Got a complaint? Sing about it. Globe and Mail

Magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits Chile. Newsvine

Mulroney says 'nothing to hide'. CBC

Lululemon's seaweed clothing 'has none'. NewYork Times

French strike creates travel chaos. BBC

Students protesting tuition fees arrested by Montreal police. CBC

Georgia will lift a state of emergency on Friday. Breitbart

Sensitive Guantanamo Bay manual leaked through Wiki site. Wired

Prime Ministers of North and South Korea hold talks for the first time in 15 years. Breitbart

Bridge world in an uproar over anti-Bush slogan. New York Times

Today's image, Running Man, submitted by Marc Hodges.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Hey, got any plans for August 30-September 1 next year?

Here's one for your calendar: get discovered at Bumbershoot.

Every Labour Day weekend, more than 150,000 music fans flock to Seattle, which hosts hundreds of high-profile bands. Last year alone, the fest hosted the Shins, Joss Stone, Black Revel Motorcycle Club, Kings of Leon, Tokyo Police Club, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Devendra Banhart, and many more.

Now they're looking for people to showcase their talents at next year's event, and they have just put out a call for applications.

But Bumbershoot isn't only open to musicians: they're also looking for writers, visual artists, dancers, filmmakers, performance artists, crafters, and yes, even restauranteurs, to perform at the fest.

All of the application info can be found here.

Good luck!

When I was first invited to the Nova Scotia Music Awards, I took one look at the details of the event and said "yes". Picture this: a weekend of the best in Nova Scotian music, surrounded by awards, parties, seminars, workshops, brunches, showcases, and celebration, all in the tiny coastal town of Liverpool, NS.

The centre of the action was the spectacular setting of the White Point Lodge, a 1950s-era beachside getaway nestled on the open Atlantic Ocean. Musicians, nominees, and industry alike stayed in classic, two-room beachfront cabins, surrounded on all sides by cute little bunnies hopping to and fro on the grass.

After arriving in Liverpool on Saturday morning, I dropped my jaw, then my bags, and prepared for my industry workshop. It's a seminar that I've been conducting lately, specifically for musicians, called "Making Friends With The Media: What the Media Expects From You, And What You Can Expect From The Media". Usually these types of workshops are held in some corporate boardroom in the basement of a downtown hotel. Imagine my shock when I walked into the White Point presentation hall, only to find myself looking out huge picture windows to a sweeping view of the crashing Atlantic surf, dotted with crazed, wet-suited surfers.

The workshop went well, but just like in any classroom, we couldn't help but gaze out the window, especially when Danny from In-Flight Safety jumped up and yelled "jeezejosephnmary, it's-a snowin' outside!!" Sure enough, it suddenly looked more like Nunavut than Nova Scotia, and naturally, I panicked. The Nova Scotians all just took it in stride and cracked another Keith's. By nightfall, the snowfall had blown into an all-out blizzard. But hey, no matter... let's rock..!?

Coming up today on Grant Lawrence Live, 3PM ET / noon PT on CBC Radio 3's web radio:

Um... yeah, we know it's Wednesday... but Grant just got back from the Nova Scotia Music Awards, so for this week only we're moving Trivia Tuesday to Wednesday, so we won't miss a week of...

You vs. Quizmaster Grant in an all out Canadian music trivia battle!!

So if you know your Sloan from your Slow, your New Pornographers from your New Town Animals, or your Young Galaxy from your Young Canadians, then get ready to call our toll free number:

1-877-955-6565, ext 1

CONGRATULATIONS TO TODAY'S WINNERS: Jeff in Calgary, Andre in Penatong, Erika in Halifax, Shirley in Montreal, and Frank in Toronto!!

Call in to take the CBC Radio 3 Trivia Challenge and win great prizes like: CBC Radio 3 Castro Freedom hats, bunny hugs, t-shirts, books, drink koozies, brand new CDs from an array of artists, and Grant's life-long respect!

So be here at 3PM ET / noon PT and phone in!

Canadian dynamic duo Tegan and Sara have a brand spankin' new EP out today. Now, you might be a little miffed when you find out that it's only available on iTunes in the U.S. - but that's ok. They're willing to take the blame.

The I'll Take The Blame EP includes two versions of "Back In Your Head" (one is a studio version, the other a Tiesto remix); two b-sides ("One Second" and "I Take All The Blame"); as well as the video for "The Con."

But until it arrives here in Canada - coming soon, they say - you can check out exactly what Tegan is willing to take the blame for, taken from the band's MySpace page:

It's one thing to get your music into ads and on TV shows. But you know you've really hit the bigtime when a major comedy troupe spoofs your work.

As you undoubtedly know - how can you not? - Feist is absolutely everywhere these days, thanks to the iPod ad that features her video for the ridiculously catchy, gets-lodged-in-your-head-for-days song "1 2 3 4".

Now, Mad TV has created its own hilarious take on the Feist video, which is one single shot in a warehouse space, and includes a pack of colourfully-dressed dancers.

Check it out here.

Just when you thought that Broken Social Scene couldn't possibly fit any more musicians on stage, it turns out there's just enough room for a few very special guests.

Dinosaur Jr. lead man Jay Mascis, Scott Kaneberg of Pavement, as well as Jeremy Shaw and Emily Haines of Metric (I know, I know, she's technically a BSS member too) will all join Broken Social Scene for a live show at Webster Hall in New York tonight. Also joining them will be American Analog Set's Andrew Kenny and Sam Goldberg as the stellar group performs songs from Kevin Drew's latest album, Spirit If..., as well as older BSS material.

Speaking of Metric, the Toronto group has just announced that it will release its first-ever concert DVD in February. Shot at Montreal's Metropolis, Live At Metropolis includes performances of favourites including "Live It Out," "Combat Baby," "Poster of a Girl" and "Monster Hospital."

"We have always and will always love the city of Montreal," said Shaw in an interview, "so it only made sense to film the DVD there."

An audio preview of the DVD - including live performances of "Patriarch on a Vespa," "The Police and the Private" and "Too Little Too Late" will be made available on iTunes in December.

I was thinking about hipsters this weekend. All because of Norman Mailer, that great man of letters died at 84. Amongst his many accomplishments, according to the New York Times, was a hipster intellectual.

Now I'm not sure if everyone feels the same way I do, but "hipster" is not the most complimentary of terms. In fact, in this office it is definitely a word that could result in very angry words. Not that any of us don't want to seem fashionable or culturally relevant, it's just we don't want to seem like ironic poseurs who don't know how to think for ourselves anymore.

So either the writer of Mr. Mailer's obit is kinder to hipsters or just maybe the word used to mean something different.

Maybe like hippies - those people who at one time stood for social change, only to become smelly and lazy - the word hipster used to mean something. Could it be that it was synonymous with ingenuity and enthusiasm for the arts and politics?

It's something to ponder. Perhaps I will reclaim the word and make it a source of pride. I will come to work tomorrow and say "I was at this art show and it was filled with hipsters..." and instead of eye rolling my colleagues will ask where I was and make a point of stopping by because it's obviously a very important event.

I'll keep you up to date on my progress.

On today's show I'll be joined by Oshawa's favourite sons Cuff the Duke. They have a new release called Sidelines of the City, that, depending upon the review you read, is either a lot country or a lot rock. Even those terms have meant different things at different times.

Join me at 3 p.m. PT for Appetite for Distraction.

If you've ever wanted to dress like David Bowie, you're in luck! A British designer, Keanan Duffty, has released an entire line of Bowie inspired clothing through, get this, Target.

Target is only in America, but getting the entire Thin White Duke getup may be worth the drive.

I wonder if they have the black unitard from Labyrinth.

So I'm on Luba's MySpace page (long story), and I notice Annie Lennox is one of her friends. I click, and who do I see on Lenox's page, but his Holiness himself, the 14^th Dali Lama.

Wow.

So this gets me thinking... if the Dali Lama is into MySpace... what about the Pope? And sure enough, Benedict XVI has his own page. If these are fakes, they're good ones. I'm absolutely positive the Dali Lama's page is real, and I'm pretty sure this really is the Pope's page, though his detail's section is almost too funny. Under "Children" he has "Love kids, but not for me.", and under "Occupation", he has "Pontificate", which is funny, but technically true.

Some other notable points...

:: The Pope at 2998, has fewer friends than the Dali Lama at 27,119.

:: People are generally nicer to the Dali Lama, or maybe the Pope just has a more open comment policy. (and the Pope appears to have a more eclectic group of friends)

:: If you start the players on their respective pages at the same time, you get a trippy mash-up.

:: The Pope has God as a friend, while the Dali Lama does not, so what does that tell you?

Hi all! Join me this week as I do the ol' Radio3 thing. Please join
me. Or else I will feel so alone in that studio. So. Alone.

This week, we Namedrop The Two Koreas. I know this blog post is titled with a tongue-in-cheek jab at the ridiculous image of Kim Jong-Il but
truth be told, I simultaneously crack jokes and feel weirdly intense
about the whole North Korea thing, not so much in a George W
"axis-of-evil" way but more in that I feel for the citizens. Trapped!

I'm totally fascinated by docs on North Korea (and playing the
guessing game of how objective they are, which spy is lying, etc). I
also went to the DMZ last winter. It was mildly deflating. Not because
I expected drama, but because I didn't expect a Disneyland vibe, which
I'll admit, is there. Plus, a tour by an American soldier doesn't let
you forget the role the Cold War has played out on the Korean
peninsula.

Wow, I just got kind of heavy. In a blog post? Ok, shake it off.

So join me this week as I chat with The Two Koreas about how they got
their name.



Plus lots more goodies, of course.

My show debuts Thursday mornings at 3am Pacific/6am Eastern, then repeats Saturdays at 3pm Pacific/6pm Eastern and Sundays at 6am Pacific/9am Eastern.

xoxo,
Hannah

Not to sound nerdy, but I really miss making mixed tapes. I know it's very 80's, but there is just something about the pause-record-play that makes my heart flutter. Perhaps it's that mixed tapes require a smidge more love than burning a CD. To perfect the mix, you always have to find a 2 minute song to use up that last little bit of magnetic tape. And if you have a great record collection, mixed tapes used to be the only way to go.

Cassettes also require patience, unless you're willing to dub at high speed (and listen to your favourite tracks sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks).

Did I mention I also just re-watched High Fidelity for the 80^th time?

Anyway, I made a tape for my pal Josh. He's the kind of guy who has a bowl of Cheerios tattooed over his heart and Minor Threat tattoo on his calf. When searching for the 2 minute song to fill the end of the tape, I found this gem from The Creepshow. They're a psychobilly group from Burlington, Ontario, and when I saw them in Vancouver I shook my tail off.

What a perfect end to Dance Mix ‘07...kidding.

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"They say you never get a second chance to make that first impression."
Abdominal - "Abdominal Workout" (this week's video, incidentally)

What kind of impression did your first gig make on you? I'm not talking first gig played, but first gig attended. R3TV producer Jordan Kawchuk tracked down some of our favourite artists to get the skinny on their first time.

Check it out, and tell us... what was your first gig?

WATCH IT NOW

YouTube :: Blip

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RSS : http://www.cbcradio3.com/podcast/video/iTunes/

I am one blessed S.O.B.

Throughout my radio and T.V. career, I've managed to meet and hang out with some pretty amazing people. The Amazing Kreskin, Joe Clark, Yanni, Amanda Putz, Geddy Lee, Shane MacGowan, Dave Thomas, Al Franken, Tie Domi, Tariq... among others.

I can now add to that list Mr. Igor Gouzenko. At least, that's who he said he was. Jittery and disoriented, Igor wandered into Toronto office of Radio 3, saying that he had some sensitive documents for Ernie Coombs. When informed of Mr. Coombs' passing, Mr. Gouzenko ran from the office screaming, "They got him. They got him, too!"

Hey, what're you doing this weekend?

The Craig Norris Hour airs Monday - Thursday: 12 noon ET
The show is pre-recorded an hour or so before you hear it, but I'll be checking the comments on the blog!

See photos of Kevin Drew on stage with Emily Haines @ Webster Hall, NYC. Pitchfork 

She's the One: Caribou gets the remix from Hot Chip & Kelley Polar. Pitchfork

Regina Spektor collapses before she was to take to the stage in Nashville. CMJ

Radiohead reveal album artwork for In Rainbows. NME 

The Breeders in the studio with Albini; Kim & Kelley Deal will perform for a charity in Chicago, Dec. 4. NME

Ministry to kick-off final tour in Vancouver, March 28. Chart

Amy Winehouse is booed by fans. Yahoo! UK

A Glasgow man purchases a pair of tickets to see Led Zeppelin for $170 thousand in a recent charity sale. Reuters

Survey says: people with a background in music tend to earn higher wages. Yahoo!

Stun gun death on video. CBC

Young Pakistanis turn to web for protest. Newsvine

David Letterman will pay his staff's salaries. Fafarazzi

French transportation strike extended. Reuters

Imran Khan, the Pakistani opposition leader, arrested yesterday after sending message 'my life is in danger'. Independent

China pursuing 'aggressive spying program'. US Commission. Breitbart

Chile receiving aftershocks after earthquake left 15,000 homeless. CBC

Possibly NSFW. 25 Dirty things you can learn from Google Trends... Kitchener... you dirty little weirdo! Zentastic

US Army deserters lose their bid to have the Supreme Court of Canada hear their cases. Globe and Mail

Dr. Garrett Lisi, a man happier on surfboard than in the lab, stuns physicists with theory of everything. Telegraph

Today's image, littlebullhorns, submitted by Alex Cairncross.

We're always on the lookout for great photography, so if you'd like to check it out, and maybe share some of your shots, please join our Flickr pool.

And be sure to check out our newest Flickr pool, CBC Radio 3: Last Night's Gig... a community dedicated to capturing artists in their natural habitat.

Coming up today on Grant Lawrence Live, 3PM ET / noon PT on CBC Radio 3's web radio:

Volume. Music. The two go together like vinyl on a turntable, strings on a guitar, moustache on a banger. But when does live music become songs for the deaf?

I received an email from a listener the morning after the Caribou tour migrated through Winnipeg. This listener was a huge fan, bought an advance ticket, and eagerly counted down the days to the show. She left three songs into Caribou's set. Why? Deafening decibels that cut through her ear plugs and bass lines that could dislodge the spine. Apparently, the volume ruined the songs. This leads us to our...

Poll Question of the day:

IS THE VOLUME TOO LOUD?

YES - 76%

NO - 24%

Yes or no? Are venues blasting us into the street with painfully loud PAs? Do bands need to play that #*!% loud? Doesn't it seem strange when a club full of people simultaneously pull out earplugs when the headliner goes on, ironically blocking out the sound of the show they just paid for? Must a club crank music between bands? Can't we talk with our friends at a normal level at any point of the night without screaming over the music?

Or... is that just a bunch of whining about one of the most visercal experiences on earth, a live, loud rock n roll show? Is volume part of the experience? Are earplugs for idiots? Was rock and roll and all its satellites made to be played loud or not at all? If it's too loud, are you too old? Is there such a thing as mid-to-low-volume hardcore, rap, punk, or metal beyond your iPod?

Please post your comments below.

Place your vote and share your volumous opinions and stories - good and bad- and we'll discuss your comments on today's show.

One lucky listener will win a set of CBC Radio 3 earplugs.

A CBC Radio 3 insider scoop: Lisa Christiansen CRANKS the studio speakers, Tariq likes his headphones at 11, and Lauren Burrows keeps the levels whisper-quiet at all times... what are you volume habits?

When the Rheostatics split last year, their diehard fans were heartbroken. No more epic live shows. No more albums to add to the prolific discography. No more double-necked guitars with maple leaves on them and songs about heading west on tour or about the Canadian Conservative Youth Party Alliance. The band - a favourite for more than two decades - played a final show at Massey Hall, and it was over.

Guitarist and singer Dave Bidini wasn't happy, either. But instead of crying over spilt Rheos, the writer and musician decided to pick up and take off to find rock 'n' roll in faraway lands. The result is Bidini's new book, Around The World In 57 1/2 Gigs.

R3: Why did you want to write this book?

DB: I wanted to do a book that was wider in scope than the last two I had done. I just thought it would be good to get off the couch and into the world and force myself to do the writing through experiential travel as opposed to straight memoir. So it was good to get out there and rattle around a little bit and write about what I saw.

Ghost stories are like buying a lottery ticket. For a brief moment you believe...

My comrade Mary-Anne Korosi sent me this news story about security camera footage from a gas station in Parma, Ohio. It seems to show a blue ghost moving around outside near the cars. Or maybe it's an angel, says one of the customers; another wades in with the requisite "I think there was a native burial ground here once."

I've watched it a few times just because I like the thrill of imaging it really is something strange, unexplainable. And when we hear of the hoax - even that will be pretty great. I mean, why pick a gas station in Ohio, why make the ghost blue, and why in November - Halloween was weeks ago (as an aside - why do news anchors feel a need to speak in those inane phrases "say Dick, high gas prices aren't the only thing scaring people at this service station...")?

But for a brief time, like this past weekend when I imagined winning the $37 million from the 649, I look around me and feel like the landscape has changed. Things I couldn't see before are now right before my eyes. I didn't win and that real angel - Chris the master Vegas illusionist will probably fill us all in soon enough.

Of course there's always a few whiffs of the gas...that always makes me feel like a millionaire and see ghostly images, too!

Back to reality here, I'll be hosting a radio show and won't bring up scary gas prices stories, but I will take you to a riot, courtesy of Stars, bring you an interview with Vancouver's Elizabeth, Day 4 of the Song I'm Not Sick of Yet, and play a tune from a band you might not know made it into the 100 Top Canadian Albums.

Stay tuned...if you dare.

It's a first. After nearly a year of Tour Diary installments, Haligonian Rebekah Higgs is the first singer I have ever interviewed who travels with paper mache rabbits. True, I've never asked, but I think it's a safe bet to assume she's the one and only.

On the phone from a tour stop in St. John, New Brunswick, Rebekah talked about her Subaru-fueled tour and her thrift shop finds that quickly fill up the car and her on stage wardrobe. But for her CD release party Friday night in Halifax she'll be wearing the outfit seen here, and the bunnies will be in attendance, too.

Tour dates after the jump:

I guess it's not so secret now, but Stars are playing Canada's third ever MySpace Secret Show November 18th at The Media Club in Vancouver.

The show is free for attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more details, click here.

Also, If you can't get to a gig and would like some official Stars gear, they've just opened their own online store. If you register you could win $100 in free merch. If you win, don't forget about your pal Lana (size M) who told you about the store.

Every week on the blog, we bring you the latest CD releases in an item called For The Record.

Today we're starting a new feature: the For The Record Questionnaire, where we ask Canadian artists about their new album. First up, the beloved Winnipeg song crafter, Christine Fellows.

Your Name:
Christine Fellows

Name Of Your New Album:
The album is called Nevertheless.

Story Behind The Name:
It's named after a poem by Marianne Moore. Moore was a celebrated poet and legendary spinster who lived and wrote in New York in the 1940's. She wore a black cape and tricorn hat, kept a pet alligator in her bathtub, won a Pulitzer, and loved baseball. The album is based partially on her life and work.

It's in my nature to try and find fault where there isn't any. Now I have made that admission, I would like to take issue with the majority of music festivals today.

Is it too much to ask to have an easily identifiable, clearly-stated direction apparent right in the title? Most names just don't give any clue - origins ranging from location (Glastonbury); corporate sponsorship (Virgin Fest); to complete nonsense (Bumbershoot, Lollapalooza) and I have a hard time nailing down exactly what I should expect to hear at any of them. Potential ticket holders are essentially at the mercy of an ever morphing lineup pulling from every genre of music and Lord help you if your taste doesn't traverse every one of them. Thankfully Vancouver's Festival Of Guns will save us all.

Named for the affinity rock guitarist have for calling themselves ‘gunslingers', the 6^th annual F.O.G. is about to descend on Vancouver. So I know if I go (which I will) I'm going to be treated to 60 bands, all of which will have at least one thing in common: guns... I mean: guitars. Be it Punk, Rock, Indie, Hardcore, Metal, or any number of sub-sub genres, the festival organizers have worked hard to uncover some of the region's finest independent musical talent and bring it together for 4 nights of gunslingin' action (Nov 15^th to 18^th). Bands of note include The Manvils, The Great Outdoors, The Spitfires, and The Sessions.

Oh, and because I can't resist tacking on a shameless self-promotion plug onto the end of this post. I will be one of those 160 guitarists (if my calculated estimate of 2 guitars, 1 bass player per band holds any weight). I am one of two last minute bass players standing in for Hot Little Rocket's Matt Swan who had to leave town very unexpectedly.

Bring out your guns.

Today marks the official half-way point of Buckys voting. Only 15 more days to go, folks!

From here on out, the intensity increases as bands continue to line up their supporters. And we're going to feed the fire. Over the next two weeks, keep your eyes on this blog for our picks - Radio 3 personalities and their friends will be boosting our favourite Buckys candidates, just as George Stroumboulopoulos played advocate for Tommy Douglas in The Greatest Canadian.

And I'll take the lead. The first time I heard The Wet Secrets' Secret March, the word "anthem" instantly sprang to mind. Before long I was driving up Vancouver's Main St with the windows down in the Mini Cooper I occasionally sign out from the car co-op, blasting that beautiful bass line and feeling on top of the world. That's because like all the best bass lines, not only does it act as a bedrock for the track, supporting all the other instruments, but it lifts you right up on its own.

That's why I'm voting for The Wet Secrets in the Best Bass Line category. I urge you to vote for them too!