CKCU 93.1 FM

I'll Remember You .......

2012-03-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the passing of my mother, Jane Crosier. A radio host at CKCU for 12 years. An employee of the Carleton Board of Education for 30 years. And a pretty great wife, sister, aunt, mother and grandmother. Every day I take a few moments to think about the good and bad times and to wonder about how much she has missed in those three years. Grief is still something I am trying to understand and come to terms with.

One of our hosts was telling me that after the passing of his mother he was really struggling to plan his show ahead of time. I really understood that. For me there were a few months after where I just could not concentrate on anything and getting things done was a real struggle. I became detached from the wonder of the day. Recently I once again suffered a loss. This time the sudden death of a dear friend. And for a stretch I was just not able to sit down and move things from the in basket to the out basket. I am glad that I didn't react by getting aggressive or drinking or over eating but the cloud of depression hits us all in different ways. And during it the ones that are close to us are also struck by its silent shroud.

Now when I hear of a loss for someone else it gives me that cut to the quick pain. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you have experienced loss. May those around you help you find your way back up to breathe. And may you remember the good times and the blessing it is to spend time with people who love you for what you are and give unconditional love.

Tell those close to you that you love them and give them a hug, they just might hug you back.

Ron Sweetman's Essential Jazz Artists

2012-02-28T05:27:00.000-08:00

Here, in alphabetical order, are ten jazz artists who, in my opinion,
should be in every jazz lover's record collection:

Louis Armstrong - particularly the Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings
from the 'twenties]

Ornette Coleman - anytime from the 'sixties to now, particularly with
his original quartet

Miles Davis -his style changed often but he was always interesting and unique

Duke Ellington - from the 'forties, 'fifties or 'sixties

Coleman Hawkins -from the 'fifties onwards

Charles Mingus - in the 'fifties and 'sixties

Jelly-Roll Morton - in the 'twenties

King Oliver - in 1923 with his Creole Jazz Band

Charlie Parker -from the 'forties onwards

Cecil Taylor -from the 'eighties onwards

Gord Peeling - Best of 2011

2012-02-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

Here are my top 11 picks of 2011 plus some honourable mentions

La Bottine Souriante - Appelation d'Origine Controlee (Borealis)

Brozman, McSherry & O'Connor - Six Days in Down (Riverboat)

Paul & Liz Davenport - Spring Tide Rising (Hallamtrads)
Brian Finnegan - The Ravishing Genius of Bones (Singing Tree)

Genticorum - Nagez Rameurs (Roues et Archets)

John Kirkpatrick - God Speed the Plough (Fledg'ling)
The Once - Row Upon Row...(Borealis)

The Old Swan Band - Swan For the Money (Wild Goose)
Martin Simpson - Purpose + Grace (Topic)

Emily Smith - Traveller's Joy (White Fall)
Heidi Talbot - The Last Star (Compass)

Honourable Mentions:

Beoga - How to Tune a Fish (Compass)
Barbara Dickson - Words Unspoken (Greentrax)
Jim Moray - In Modern History (NIAG)
Brian Peters - Gritstone Serenade (Pugwash)
Les Poules a Colin - Hebertisme Nocturne (self)
Various - Rough Guide to English Folk (Rough Guide)
Various - Music & Song From Scotland: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Greentrax Records (Greentrax)

Best of Jazz 2011 - Ron Steeds

2012-02-21T06:12:00.000-08:00

Ron Steeds is our Sponsorship and Fundraising Coordinator. He is also one of the members of the This Island Earth collective of hosts. This Island Earth is on Sundays from 1 - 4 PM. He is a member of the improvised music collective. Here are his favourite jazz recordings of the past year, in no particular order.

Trio M – Guest House (Enja)

The trio of Myra Melford, Mark Dresser and Matt Wilson continue their astounding telepathic collaboration with their second recording.

Craig Taborn – Avenging Angel (ECM)

This is Craig Taborn stripped down – just him and a grand piano. Add to that the unmistakable gorgeous ECM sound and you have an intimate listening experience.

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam)

DJA is starting to turn heads for his composing and conducting prowess. This is as exciting a listening experience as there was this year.

Ingebrigt Haker Flaten & Dennis Gonzalez – The Hymn Project (daagnim)

Take the venerable Dallas trumpet player who has played with many of the great modern jazz musicians, add the dynamic Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten who is a member of Atomic, School Days, Scorch Trio and School Days (to name a few) and you have a sure fire recipe for the “sound of surprise”.

Michael Bates – Acrobat: Music For, And By, Dimitri Shostakovich (Sunnyside)

Michael Bates creates infectious, thoughtful, intense jazz out of his inspiration – modern classical music. It should be heard to be believed.

David Binney – Barefoot Town (Criss Cross)

The unmistakable alto sound of David Binney combined with his hypnotic compositions create raga-like swells of sound. I like that.

Vijay Iyer – Tirtha (ACT)

Vijay Iyer has been pushing the boundaries of jazz for more than a decade. He never fails for surprise the listener.

Mostly Other People Do The Killing – Coimbra Concert (Clean Feed)

These guys are having fun. There is a looseness to their playing that gives the listener the impression they’re about to lose control. But then they pull it back. They are both forward looking and constantly referencing the past, with covers that pay hommage to classic records. This one is no exception. Compare it to Keith Jarrett’s Koln Concert.

Rudresh Mahanthappa – Samdhi (ACT)

Much like his frequent collaborator, Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa combines his life experience, his academic background (he has a degree in mathematics) and his study with Steve Coleman. He has a singular alto sax tone.

Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleur Libres (Constellation)

In the same way Don Byron’s “Tuskeegee Experiments” investigated the intense history of the Black experience, Matana Roberts’ 2011 release focused on the Black woman in the past in a very personal way.

Best Black & White Album Covers

2012-02-17T05:46:00.000-08:00

Alanna Yaraskavitch is a former co-op student. She has also been a part of both the Wednesday and Thursday versions of Special Blend. The Special Blend is a public affairs/music show put on by a variety of hosts every morning from 7 - 9:30 AM. Here are her favourite black and white album covers, in no particular order.

Glasvegas - Glasvegas (2008)

Bad album, but it has a cool cover that's a modern take on Van Gogh's Starry Night. This would look great on a t-shirt.

REM - Accelerate (2008)

Phwor! A cartoony, collagey cornacopia of contrast. Say that ten times fast.

The Beatles - Revolver (1966)

This looks like something from mid-90's zine, but they did it in 1966! And, yes, it probably has (unfortunately) inspired countless Beatles fans to try to draw John, Paul, George and Ringo for themselves.

The Stranglers - Black And White (1978)

Photo cover! You can hardly see that one guy's head, which is pretty spooky at first glance. Clean, stark and punk as hell.

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)

I remember hearing somewhere that this drawing is from a book. It's very artsy, dark and cooler-than-thou. Perfect cover for the mood of the album.

Ramones - Ramones (1976)

Iconic! They all look SO tough and cool that you just can't look away. Plus you can see Tommy Ramone's belly button.

Cults - Cults (2011)

Aww, what a yucky crap band. But this album cover is killer! I looked at this record and I thought "Oh man! This is gonna be great rock'n'roll! They're banging their heads! Wow!". Sadly, it's not. The cover still rules though.

Crass - Christ: The Album (1982)

Simple, meaningful, clean. Almost 30 years later it still looks like a graphic designer's dream.

XTC - Go 2 (1978)

I don't care what anyone else says; this is the most hilarious, brilliant, wonderful album cover of all time. Essentially an essay about album covers as the album cover. Best line? "They're TRICKS and this is the worst TRICK of all since it's describing the TRICK whilst trying to TRICK you, and if you've read this far then you're TRICKED but you wouldn't have known this unless you'd read this far." Genius!

Philys' Song choices Of 2011!!

2012-02-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Now I know what your thinking... what are Philys' top 10 song choices of 2011?!?.... well here I give you that very important question with an answer. I give you my Top Ten Songs from 2011. (In no order!)

Starting with "Countdown" by beyonce.
Beyonce always has the moves and the amazing vocals so thats why shes on this list.

Next we got here Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera "Moves Like Jagger"
Great song to dance to and sing along too, nothing but fun. And plus trying to imitate Mike Jagger is always fun to try.

Now we got Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe. Such a fun song to sing too. And best part of all is that Carly is Canadian and even tried-out for Canadian idol!(Remember that show?)

Next singer tops my list with 2 songs! shes one "only girl" who has 2 on the list and we all know "what her name" (got the hints?..) its Rhianna with "we found love feat. Calvin Harris, and Cheers (drink to that)

happy to see this star putting out her new c.d. in a while heres Kreesha Turner with "I could stay" Plus the video is stunning and beautiful.

Heres LMFAO One of the best fun entertainers. These guys are all about partying, having fun, and not taking life to seriously. (which all thoes frowners need to live by) This is "sexy and I know it"<--- Confidence booster!!

This next singer is a REAL singer, meaning he can sing live better than the actual track. not many "singers" can say that (hint hint Justin Bieber)... Plus im pretty sure hes the definition of: "Romantic" Heres Bruno Mars with "Greneade and "It will rain"

Now I had to put this catchy song on the chart, I mean even tough, Big guys were singing this track. Its the cute, adorable and funny Selena Gomez with "love you like a love song"

Now I know I said top ten but I Had to put Drake the former "Degrassi" star turn Rapper, I feel that his music is like a lyrical Diary. He doesn't need to degrade women or swear every 2 seconds to prove or show his point. Heres Drake with "Headlines."

Now this is the end of the countdown by me Philys O.g (co-op gal) Hope you checked out all the videos, comments and enjoyed the music. Peace!

Top Albums Of 2011 - Ron Sweetman

2012-02-15T04:56:00.000-08:00

Ron Sweetman is the host of In A Mellow Tone every Wednesday night from 9 - 11 PM, which you can check out the website for here: http://inamellowtone.blogspot.com/. Here are his favourite albums of 2011.

1. Lina Allemano - Jargon (Lumo)

2. Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society - Infernal Machines (Newamsterdam)

3. Atomic - Theatre Tilters Vol.1 (Jazzland)

4. Blue Notes - Spiritual Knowledge & Grace (Ogun)

5. Boswell Sisters - The Boswell Sisters Collection (Storyville)

6. Ornette Coleman - 1987 Hamburg Concert (Domino)

7. Joseph Daley Ensemble - The Seven Deadly Sins (Jaro)

8. Gord Grdina & Mats Guftassen - Barrel Fire (Drip Audio)

9. Charles Mingus - Complete 1961-1962 Birdland Broadcasts (Rare Live Recordings)

10. Don Pullen - Plays Monk (Whynot)

10 Must Have Albums To Start Your Hip Hop Collection - New Journey Edition

2012-02-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

Without much deliberation, these albums come to mind quickly when thinking of only 10 must have albums for any respectable collection of hip hop music. Certainly it would not end here.

1. Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers of Hip Hop
The Wu-Tang Clan emerged and certainly changed the scene with one of, if not the first, large crew of emcees. Plus, their vast styles and affinity for kung-fu made them a very unique group.

2. Nas - Illmatic
Classic on all fronts. At the time this album was very unique as it was one of, if not the first, to attain multiple producers all with highly respectable histories. Nas was also being toted as the next Rakim. This album was/is a very big deal in hip hop.

3. Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
A very important piece to have as it's not only a great album but highly respected among numerous other artists/groups. Rakim was/is lyrically unbelievable and highly unique. At the time, Rakim's lyrics and style were unheard of until he emerged on the scene.

4. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
I went with De La's 2nd album as they really nailed things on the head with this release. It was one of the few albums to receive 5 stars in the Source magazine and is classic because it seemed to flow perfectly. Tracks were bridged with skits and made this album highly unique. A definite must have.

5. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
While Tribe's previous 2 albums are also must haves, I went with Midnight Marauders as it really seemed to embody the role that Tribe were on. I feel as though they had really nailed it on the head in terms of sound. An absolute classic that, in my opinion, everyone loves.

6.Gangstarr - Daily Operation
It was a coin toss between this and Hard To Earn. My favourite group of all time and one of the most respected producers in hip hop really developed their sound on this album. DJ Premier and the late Guru made up the group Gangstarr. Guru's monotone flow and DJ Premier's perfect production really started to develop a much copied sound on Daily Operation. Strong on all fronts: production, lyrics, flow and overall sound.

7. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
This album really made a mark in creating a strong west coast vibe/sound. A must have because of it's lyrical content in that it helped to define the west coast, California's Compton. The true gangsta album putting Compton on the map permanently in one swoop.

8. EPMD - Strictly Business
Perhaps this album is more to do with my personal upbringing, but classic none-the-less. EPMD were regarded as perhaps the first underground heavy hitters whom later introduced the world to the highly bit group Das Efx, Redman, K-Solo and Keith Murray. Also an all time favourite, EPMD are a must to the east coast head.

9. Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
At the time Outkast emerged, my general impression of the south was the Florida south and the Miami Bass sound to which I wasn't keen on. However, Outkast's production by Organized Noise was distinctly dope while Big Boi & Dre (Andre 2000) complimented the beats perfectly.

10. Tupac - All Eyes On Me
While I was never a huge Tupac fan, I still highly respect him and the mark he left before passing in 1995/6. I went with All Eyez On Me as he had already done so much when he created this classic album after getting out of jail. Death Row had recently signed him and pushed a lot of money into the project. His lyrical content was very heavy and this is definitely a must have.

Other Highly Notable Albums (without a doubt):
Dr. Dre - Chonic
Dr. Dre - Chronic 2000
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Wu-Tang Clan - Forever
Redman - Whut Thee Album?!?!
Das Efx - Dead Serious
Geto Boys - We Can't Be Stopped
Boogie Down Production - Criminal Minded
Boogie Down Production - Sex & Violence
KRS-One - Return of the Boom Bap
Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane
Masta Ace - Disposable Arts
Beastie Boys - Licesed To Ill
Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle

Other Highly Notable Artists/Groups (without a doubt):
Run DMC, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G.

Courtesy of Dj Ducats from "The New Journey" playing "Straight Hip Hop, Still No Fluff!!"

10 Albums To Start A Steve Earle Collection With

2012-02-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

Darcy Lynch is the host of Guitar Town, a show that airs every second Monday morning at 10 AM. Here's his list of 10 albums to start a Steve Earle collection with.

1. El Corazon (1997)

First ("Christmas In Washington") & last ("Ft. Worth Blues") songs are the strongest on the album. The latter is a tribute to Steve’s friend and mentor Townes Van Zandt, who died shortly before the release of this album. Lots of other great tunes in between like "Tanneytown", "Telephone Road" and "NYC".

2. Guitar Town (1986)

This album is so good I named a radio show after it. Steve’s debut into the country/rock world. Includes classics like the title track, as well as "Good Ol’Boy", "Hillbilly Highway" and "Someday".

3. I Feel Alright (1996)

First three songs blend together like one awesome 8 minute track. Also make sure you check out "Now She’s Gone" and "The Unrepentant".

4. The Hard Way (1990)

Steve’s last album before he hit rock bottom with drug addiction but he still managed to put together a very strong record. "The Other Kind" is one of his best and if you’ve never heard "Justice in Ontario" or "Have Mercy", take a listen now.

5. Train A Comin' (1995)

Steve’s first sober album; this really showcases his genius as a storytelling songwriter. "Tom Ames Prayer" and "Ben McCulloh" are the strongest songs on the album.

6. I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (2011)

His latest album goes back to his folk/country roots and focuses heavily on mortality and reflection. The lead track, "Waitin' on the Sky to Fall", is superb and "God Is God" is the most personal song on the album.

7. Copperhead Road (1988)

Of course the album he is most known for, it includes the overplayed title track and the underplayed "Johnny Come Lately" and "Back to the Wall".

8. Exit O (1987)

Includes three of Earle’s best – "Nowhere Road", "The Rain Came Down" and, my personal favorite, "Angry Young Man".

9. Jerusalem (2002)

Not one of Earle’s better albums but the title track is one of his best songs and makes up for some of the weaker tunes.

10. Transcendental Blues (2000)

Title track has a Beatles feel to it and "Over Yonder" is the most personal of his anti-death penalty songs.

Punk: A Primer

2012-02-08T05:54:00.000-08:00

Alanna Yaraskavitch is a former co-op student. She has also been a part of both the Wednesday and Thursday versions of Special Blend. The Special Blend is a public affairs/music show put on by a variety of hosts every morning from 7 - 9:30 AM.

Whenever I went into a music store as a young child, I would take a look at "London Calling" by The Clash. "WOWZAS!" I would think to my seven year old self. "This must be incredible!". A couple years later, I finally clued in to the fact that maybe I should actually get the record. I got the CD from the library, and I turned the volume on really low. I had no idea what it was going to sound like. I feared for the worst. However, all it took was one listen-through to get me hooked. Whether you are hate punk or love it, here are some of its great records.

The Ramones - Ramones (1976)

The record that started it all. Four boys from Forest Hills playing songs about sniffing glue, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and wanting to be your boyfriend. 1-2-3-4!

The Replacements - Tim (1985)

More sincere and sensitive than most punk records, this was the last Replacements record with the full original line-up. Full of catchy tracks and lyrics that make your heart explode, from the cuteness of "Kiss Me On The Bus" to the down and dirty punk anthem "Bastards Of Young". This is a killer album.

The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols (1977)

I had no idea what to expect the first time I put this record on. It's actually pretty harmless, in all honesty. If, by of course, you classify harmless as denouncing religion, the monarchy and life as we know it. Fun fact: Malcom McLaren told Johnny Rotten to write a song like Television's "Blank Generation" after a trip to New York. He came up with "Pretty Vacant".

The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (2003)

WHAAAT? A modern classic punk album?! It's true. This is the one and only album put out by Portland garage poppers The Exploding Hearts. After its release, three of the members died in a car crash. I can barely listen to this album without crying. Great, catchy stuff.

The Clash - The Clash (1977)

Be still my heart. The Clash are my Beatles. And they should be yours too! This record is insane. I could listen to it about a billion times and it would never, ever get old. From the opening chords of "Clash City Rockers" to the drums in "Janie Jones" to the lyrical brilliance of "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais", if you can only listen to one punk record for the rest of your life this should be it.

The Slits - Cut (1979)

Scarier than the Sex Pistols, doing reggae before The Clash, The Slits were true innovators. Ari-Up goes crazy when she sings. Something about the way she screams "Typical girls, typical girls" on this record continues to resonate with women - and men - of all ages.

The New York Dolls - New York Dolls (1973)

Glammy goodness! The New York Dolls are like a cooler, more dangerous version of The Rolling Stones. David Johansen's opening howl in "Personality Crisis" sets the tone for this great rock 'n' roll record filled with a delightful don't-give-a-crap punk attitude.

Bikini Kill - The CD Version Of The First Two Records (1994)

Their first two EP's on one convienent record! Riot Grrrl legends (though they'd probably hate that I wrote that). This is a noisy, frantic and urgent record. One time I heard Alan Cross play "Suck My Left On" on The On-Going History Of New Music and he warned the audience beforehand. HARDCORE!

Television - Marquee Moon (1977)

How does this record continue to sound so modern?! "Marquee Moon" is timeless. Definitely not conventional 3 chord, 2-minute punk. Filled with tons of guitar wails and lyrics that are more like poems than songs. Essential!

Teenage Head - Frantic City (1980)

Hamiltion PUNX. That cover! Those songs! How is this punky-power-poppy riot of a record not being played 24 hours a day on every commercial station in the world? The breakdown in "Take It" makes me want to die and puke and scream at the same time it's so good.

Top 10 Albums Of 2011 - Ron Steeds

2012-02-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

Ron Steeds is our Sponsorship and Fundraising Coordinator. He is also one of the members of the This Island Earth collective of hosts. This Island Earth is on Sundays from 1 - 4 PM. He is a member of the improvised music collective.

This is my current 10 favourite World Music albums at the moment. Some have been on the list for a while (“Radio Kaboul”; “Terra Nostra” and “Imidiwan:Companions”). Some are relatively new to me (David Dalle turned me on to “Eternal Light” over the past year when he played several pieces on his show – THANK YOU DAVID!). Some replace the previous albums by the same artists (“Gakondo”; “Rising Sun”). Some others could easily be exchanged for other albums by the same artists (Kayhan Kalhor & Brooklyn Rider’s “Silent City” could easily have been Kayhan Kalhor & Erdal Erzincan’s “The Wind”). All have have sustained my attention over many listens. I’d recommend any of these recordings to anyone who is looking for something a little off-the-beaten-track and appreciates fine musicianship and compelling compositions. In no particular order:

1. Gakondo – Mighty Popo

2. Rising Sun – Souljazz Orchestra

3. Terra Nostra – Savina Yannatou

4. Radio Kaboul – Mahwash

5. Imidiwan: Companions – Tinariwen

6. Eternal Light – Shankar/Zakir Hussain/T.H. Vikku Vinayakram

7. Silent City – Kayhan Kalhor & Brooklyn Rider

8. Second Nature – Minor Empire

9. Zembrocal Musical – Ernst Reijesger & Groove Lele

10. Lost – Bazar Bla

Favourite Albums Of The Past Year - Cold Heat

2012-02-06T05:32:00.000-08:00

Cold Heat is a show that plays raw funk and deep soul tunes of the late 60's and early 70's. It is hosted by Marjan Stojanovic and can be heard every Monday from 5 - 6 PM. Here is a list of albums Marjan enjoyed in the past year.

1. SOUNDTRACK
Savage! (Money records 1973)
Musical score by Don Julian

Why Savage? The answer is simple! Because it’s different than any other blaxploitation soundtrack. Don Julian achieved this fantastic groove without the overloaded horn arrangements but with longer and perfectly structured songs.

2. JAZZ FUNK
Peter Herbolzheimer: Soul Puppets – Unreleased Jazz Funk library 1970-75
(Sonorama Records 2011)

This album has everything that you need for your daily dose of the soul groove music. Every song is a unique experience but, all together they make the album

3. GLOBAL GROOVE (but out of this world)
Safet Isovic and Plavi Orkestar: Mujo Kuje Knonja Po Mesecu
(B side single PGP Beograd - Yugoslavia 1969)

The song was recorded by accident to mark man’s landing on the moon?!
A traditional folk singer recorded his already hit song with studio musicians and introduced this new sound to the world, the Funky Sevdah!

4. GOSPEL SOUL
The Voices of East Harlem: Right on be free
(Elektra Records 1970)

This is the most powerful, positive and uplifting record that you can get!
This group of 20 kids aging from 12 to 21 will take you on a journey, but after listening to the entire album you will feel as though you are part of them.

Ottawa Bands To Watch In 2012

2012-02-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

Alanna Yaraskavitch is a former co-op student. She has also been a part of both the Wednesday and Thursday versions of Special Blend. The Special Blend is a public affairs/music show put on by a variety of hosts every morning from 7 - 9:30 AM.

Ottawa already has a ton of awesome bands but here are some that I think are going to do cool things in the upcoming year.

Pregnancy Scares
Members of Mother's Children/Steve Adamyk Band

Now that local heroes Germ Attak have broken up there is a void in the hardcore scene. Hopefully Pregnancy Scares will be able to fill those shoes! Their demo got a great review in MAXIMUMROCKNROLL ("pit inducing mids... led by snotty and sophisticated vocals... layer the whole recording with a blanket made of magic") and hopefully they'll put out a proper 7" sometime this year. You can download their demo for free on their Tumblr page (link at the top).

Boyhood
Members of White Wires/Mouth

Ottawa's newest band is not disapointing at all. Boyhood plays slow, mellow, garagey indie rock perfect for just lying on the floor with your head beside the speakers. A cool change from the three-chord powerpop goofiness that seems to be the rage among many Ottawa groups. Not to say that there's anything wrong with three-chord powerpop goofiness! I love that stuff, but it's nice to see someone doing something else.

The Johnnies
Members of The Allrights/Shaker & The Romps (I think...)

The Johnnies have been around for a little while but their first 7" is going to come out early this year on Ottawa's own Pretty Bad Records. Catchy pop punk from Centretown made by four ladies who have all adopted 'Johnny' as their first name. Hopefully an album will follow shortly!

Of course, the highly anticipated third album from The White Wires is also going to come out sometime this year. It's going to be great to hear new stuff from the catchiest band in Ottawa. Until then, we'll just have to watch this video of old guys singing "Let's Go To The Beach".

Philys' Top Ten Artist/ Bands To Watch For

2012-02-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

So many Blogs so little time.. Hey Guys its Philys' O.g. bringing to you my top ten artist and bands to look out for with their music. Now all hit singers/ performers were "the artist to watch for" at some point. And so here are some who i think can make it big with their music.

First we got Victoria Duffield a former "Next Star" contestant. She didnt win the competition but sure came close. Her song "shut up and dance" is a dance,hard kinda song,her dance moves aren't bad But the video kinda is.

Next we have another "Next Star" contestant Alyssa Reid 2 tracks sound quite similar, with small changes to make it a "new" song but there both still catchy. Heres Alyssa Reid with "Alone Again" and "The Game."

Next we got a band. This band first song that came out to the public was "tonight tonight" (which I know all the words too)(bragging points).. And i now really like their other hit "Like It Like That". Heres Hot Chelle Rae!

Another band we gatta watch for (well at least i have) is The summer set, Their music is uplifting and just very happy puts you in a great mood and smileing for hours! (more like minutes.. considering the song is like 3mintues)... Heres the Summer set with their song "Someone Like You"

Next we got an artist who i think her voice is soft, and calm, and just great. Found out who she was while watching "MTV Live" and loved her songs. Heres Katy B with "Katy On A Mission"

I had to Put Cody Simpson he performed on MuchMusic and i thought he didnt suck... To be honest I was thinking he would. But i was presently surprise. Here he is with hes song " All Day" (Really like the dancing by the backup dancer.....not Cody.) -_-

Next we got an artist who NEVER sings but puts out great music. This Artist/ D.J (mostly D.J) Has been performing with big names like Usher, Rhianna, Nicki Minaj and much much more! heres David Guetta With Rhianna "Who's That Chick"

Got another D.J this D. J is definatly someone to watch for. His Beats are amazing and actully Flo Rida used the chorus and beat of hes song to create his new song "Good Feeling" heres Avicii with "Levels".

Now we got P. Reign. A rapper that has appeared with many known stars like Headley, Alyssa Reid, and more. Heres P.Reign with Headley in their song "Invincible"

Last I've added A band who's music i'd normally not like but I heared this band on "MTV Live " numerous times and fell in love with the lead singers voice.Heres Mumford and Son with their hit "The Cave"

So there you have it folks my list of top artist/bands to watch out for,for more of their hits,Check all the artist/bands listed here on youtube. Enjoy :)!

Best Albums Of 2011 - Julian Zanetti

2012-02-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

Julian Zanetti is the host of Only Human, a show heard every Wednesday morning from 10 - 11 AM. Only Human is a program that focuses on music made by artists in tight jeans, as opposed to marketers in grey suits. Here are Julian's favourite albums from the past year.

1. KEN mode - Venerable

This year's top album hails from Winnipeg, by all accounts a dreary, frozen wasteland. KEN mode has been taking all of this negative energy and channeling it into awesome metallic noise rock for years. This year's offering is no different, with added punch due to being recorded at God City with Kurt Ballou. The band sounds tighter than ever, and the increased production only serves to highlight the band's strengths: ripping riffs, haunting atmospheres, and a whole lot of vitriol. One of my favourite sections of the album is the last two minutes of The Irate Jumbuck, where the band loosens off the riffs and instead takes us through a section of decidedly creepy ambience. I had the great pleasure to see them live twice this year, and they are an incredible live band. A lot of sound to be produced by just three dudes.

2. Bâton Rouge - Fragments D'Eux Mêmes

This album just makes me feel great. It also helps to soften the blow of Daïtro's haitus. 4/5 of the members of Daïtro come together here to make some music that while on the surface doesn't share much in common with their former band, can definitely be recognized as being made by the same guys. It's emo music done so absolutely right. Bâton Rouge put out ten songs in 2011 and I listened to them a combined 850 times.

3. All Pigs Must Die - God Is War

As far as hardcore goes, this is probably the hardest album I heard this year, and definitely the angriest. Vocalist Kevin Baker of The Hope Conspiracy (who we haven't heard from since 2007) makes a convincing case that he may be one of the best hardcore lyricists and vocalists there is. Every line is spat out with such passion and malice. This is one pissed off dude. Backed by some amazing riffage from a couple of Bloodhorse dudes, blistering drums from Converge's Ben Koller (would you expect anything else?) and again produced by Kurt Ballou, APMD looks to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

4. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972 / Dropped Pianos

Tim Hecker put out two releases in 2011, the lush Ravedeath, 1972 and the contrastingly stark Dropped Pianos, a collection of sketches that gave us a unique look into the creative process of the artist. Ravedeath was a departure from Hecker's past work, predominantly featuring the pipe organ which was then manipulated through the usual array of effects to create the wall of sound we know. While this may seem like a gimmick, the organ lends itself extremely well to Hecker's wash sound, pushing his music ever higher to heavenly reaches. I had the great pleasure to see him perform in a church on the pipe organ this year, which was extremely special and moving.

5. Young Widows - In and Out of Youth and Lightness

Young Widows has long been one of my favourite bands, and they returned with a changed sound in 2011. Gone is much of the distorted riffs, gone is most of the yelling, but the same dark, off-kilter sound permeates this album. This is the sound of a band growing up.

6. Light Bearer - Lapsus

Light Bearer proves that post-metal still has fresh sounds to offer. Featuring vocalist Alex of the now completed Fall of Efrafa, Light Bearer is another heavily concepted band and I really look forward to hearing all the music they plan to create. Like Bâton Rouge, this is another band that softens the blow of the loss of another band that was dear to me in the past. It appears my fears were in vain however, as Light Bearer more than fills the void and indeed is only the beginning of what promises to be another epic series of records. Full of crushing guitars and ridiculously heavy drums, this is definitely something to check out.

7. Trap Them - Darker Handcraft

Trap Them have been playing a mix of grindcore and hardcore for many years, but are at their dirtiest, fastest, and most focussed on their 2011 outing. Dirty is actually the first word that comes to mind when I listen to this. It's not pleasant music at all. But they are masters of their trade, and kicking through walls is what they do best. Just check out the transition to double-time at around 1:20 here. Just masterful. Again recorded with Kurt Ballou.

8. Touché Amoré - Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me

This is a great band. Angry, emotional, seemingly tireless... signed to Deathwish and put out their second album in 2011. Also I got to see them twice, once opening for La Dispute and the second time as a headliner, with Pianos Become the Teeth (who are only okay) supporting. This album finds the band knowing their strengths, crafting perfectly concise bursts of energy and emotion. The band especially shines live, giving it their all night after night. (I imagine. I for one have not been disappointed.) The opening track (~) was one of my summer songs this year. It makes me feel good.

9. Weekend Nachos - Worthless

Probably the heaviest thing I heard this year. Whether they're playing extremely fast or extremely slow, the band pummels the listener into submission. The 14-song album lasts just 26 minutes, and if you take out the three longer tracks, you're left with 11 songs in 11 minutes. Pretty goddamn tight.

10. Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction

Devin Townsend once again becomes his absolutely insane self, reaching levels of energy and insanity that we haven't really heard since his Strapping Young Lad days. Featuring an insane roster of high-profile guests from bands such as Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Ihsahn, Gojira, Meshuggah and many more, the album is a vertiable progasm. Also featured throughout is the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, giving the album a distinctly off-kilter feel. Each song brings together tons of different elements, which seem wanky on the surface but works in the context of the album.

Other music I really enjoyed this year:

Alaskan - Adversity; Woe
Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies
Alpinist/Masakari Split
Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
The Body & Braveyoung - Nothing Passes
Boris - Attention Please
Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Corrupted - Garten Der Unbewusstheit
Dads - Brush Your Teeth, Again ;)
Danny Paul Grody - In Search of Light
The Drift - Blue Hour
Grails - Deep Politics
Lipstick Lesbian - Madeleine
Man Man - Life Fantastic
Oathbreaker - Mælstrøm
Russian Circles - Empros
12XU - Les Grandes Marées

Best Albums Of 2011 - Infinite Ceiling

2012-01-26T04:16:00.000-08:00

Mark Keill hosts Infinite Ceiling every Thursday from 8:30 PM to 10:00 PM. Infinite Ceiling takes a look every week at the wonderful world of avant-progressive music, the genre of music with, it seems, as many sub-genres as countries where it is being created. You can visit the website for the show here: http://www.infiniteceiling.ca. Here are Mark's favourite albums of 2011 in no particular order.

Ske (Paolo 'Ske' Botta) - 1000 Autunni (Fading)

One Shot - Live in Tokyo (Soleil Zeuhl)

Scherzoo - 01 (Soleil Zeuhl)

Accordo Dei Contrari - Kublai (Independent)

Gösta Berlings Saga - Glue Works (Cuneiform)

October Equus - Saturnal (AltrOck)

Korekyojinn - Tundra (Magaibutsu)

Bill Laswell/Raoul Björkenheim/Morgan Ågren - Blixt (Cuneiform)

Future Kings of England - Who is This Who is Coming? (Backwater)

Ambisonic - ARP (Independent)

Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning (Kscope)

Van der Graaf Generator - A Grounding in Numbers (Esoteric)

Hiromi - Voice (Telarc)

Levin Torn White - Levin Torn White (Lazy Bones)

Kronos Quartet/Kimmo Pohjonen/Samuli Kosminen - Uniko (Ondine)

Favourite 2011 Jazz Recordings - Swing Is In The Air

2012-01-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

Jacques Émond has been hosting Swing Is In The Air every Sunday from 4 - 5:30 PM for over 20 years. Here are his favourite jazz recordings from the past year.

1. Sonny Rollins – Road Shows Vol. 2 (Doxy)

Great playing by Sonny, Roy Haynes, Jim Hall and guest saxophonist Ornette Coleman.

2. Poncho Sanchez And Terrence Blanchard – Chano Y Dizzy! (Concord)

Poncho is one of the finest Conguero in jazz and Terrence Blanchard is one of the top trumpeters and composers in modern jazz.

3. Donato Bourassa Lozano Tanguay – Autour De Bill Evans (Effendi)

Fine tribute to the music of the fabulous Bill Evans by four fine Canadian musicians: Michel Donato bass, Francois Bourassa piano, Frank Lozano sax and Pierre Taunguay on drums.

4. Frank Sinatra and Count Basie – The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings(Concord)

Finally a reissue featuring two of the giants of music, with fine arrangements by Neal Hefti and Quincy Jones.

5. The Robert Fontaine Quartet – The Quiet Fellow (GSM)

An excellent group led by local drummer Robert Fontaine with bassist Tom Denison, Yves Laroche on piano and Rick Rangno on flugelhorn.

6. Ken Peplowski – In Search Of… (Capri)

One of the finest recordings by this excellent clarinetist and saxophonist backed by pianist Shelly Berg, Tom Kennedy on bass and without a doubt one of the finest drummers in Jazz: Jeff Hamilton.

7. Rebecca Kilgore & The Harry Allen Quartet – Feinstein’s Loews (Arbors)

This is a live recordings featuring two excellent artists: vocalist Rebecca Kilgore and saxophonist Harry Allen. Fabulous singing and great playing by all.

8. Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – That’s How We Roll (Telarc)

This is the most exciting big band in modern jazz. Pianist and saxophonist Goodwin is also a very fine composer and arranger.

9. The Phil Norman Tentet – Encore (Mama)

This Tentet features some of the finest musicians based on the West Coast, such as pianist Christian Jacob, trombonist, Scott Whitfield, trumpeter Carl Saunders, Roger Neuman on sax, Larry Koonse guitar, Rusty Higgins on alto, etc.

10. Remi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble – Hommage A Charlie Parker (Effendi)

This is a wonderful tribute to Bird by three saxophonists plus a rhythm section playing some of the finest music by the legendary saxophonist.

11. Charlie Haden Quartet – Sophisticated Ladies (Emarcy)

I love when Charlie Haden and his musicians record material from the Great American Songbook. Some of the singers on this albums are Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Renée Fleming and others. Great recording as usual from Haden.

12. Warren Vache – Ballads and Other Cautionary Tales (Arbors)

Warren has to be one of the top cornet players in Mainstream Jazz. It is difficult to find a recording by this artist that doesn’t impress and this recording is very impressive indeed.

13. Johnny Mandel - The Man and His Music (Arbors)

This is a superb recording featuring Sherrie Maricle’s DIVA Jazz Orchestrea with arrangements under the direction of Johnny Mandel live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York. Get this recording; you will not be sorry.

Top Picks For 2011 - Dave Aardvark

2012-01-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

Dave Aardvark is a CKCU board member. Here are his top picks from the past year, in no particular order.

Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams (Sub Pop)

Gardens - S/T (Alive Natural Sound)

The Black Keys - El Camino (Nonesuch)

The Bongolian - Bongos For Beatniks (Blow Up)

Viva L’american Death Ray Music - Miles Of Smiles, Towns Of Frowns (Mexican Summer)

All Pigs Must Die - God Is War (Southern Lord)

Zebrassieres - Black Brainwave (P.Trash)

Holy Cobras - Forever (Telephone Explosion)

The Dirtbombs - Party Store (In The Red)

the band whose name is a symbol - Vs. The Purveyors of Conspicuous Authenticity (Birdman Sound)

The Steve Adamyk Band - Forever Won’t Wait (Dirtnap)

TV Ghost - Mass Dream (In The Red)

The Mercy Now - Self Control (Heartbeat)

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club - Unentitled (Alternative Tentacles)

Fabienne DelSol - On My Mind (Damaged Goods)

tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l (4AD)

Garaga - Miss Universe (Skreedlegroove)

Top 10 Of 2011 - Rob Bitschofsky

2012-01-23T04:04:00.000-08:00

Rob Bitschofsky is a part of the This Island Earth collective of hosts. This Island Earth is on every Sunday afternoon from 1 - 4 PM. He is also a member of Gamelan Semara Winangun. Here of his top 10 albums of 2011, in alphabetical order.

Afrocubism - Afrocubism (World Circuit)

Kiran Ahluwalia - Aam Zameen: Common Ground (Avokado)

Batsumi - Batsumi (Matsuli Music)

Fatoumata Diawara - Fatou (World Circuit)

Kip Hanrahan - My Home In Anger (American Clave)

Seun Kuti - From Africa With Fury: Rise (Knitting Factory)

Cheikh Lo - Jamm (World Circuit)

Minor Empire - Second Nature (World Trip Records)

Talvin Sing and Niladri Kumar - Together (World Village UK / IODA)

Various Artists - Music From Saharan Cellphones Volume 1 (Sahel Sounds)

Most Played Albums of 2011

2012-01-17T04:42:00.000-08:00

Here are the top ten albums that were played the most on CKCU this past year. You can check out the full list here: http://cod.ckcufm.com/charts/2011.html.

1. Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune (Arts and Crafts)

2. Feist - Metals (Cherrytree/Interscope)

3. Ohbijou - Metal Meets (Last Gang Records)

4. Elliott Brood - Days Into Years (Six Shooter Records)

5. Austra - Feel It Break (Paper Bag Records)

6. Bruce Cockburn - Small Source of Comfort (Truth North)

7. Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming (Dunham/Daptone)

8. Jenn Grant - Honeymoon Punch (Six Shooter Records)

9. Memphis - Here Comes a City (Arts and Crafts)

10. Library Voices - Summer of Lust (Nevado Records)

Window of Opportunity - Top 10 Albums of 2011

2012-01-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

Laurie Ann Copple and Tony Copple host Window of Opportunity every Friday afternoon from 3 - 4 PM. Here are their top 10 albums of the past year.

1. Laila Biali - Tracing Light

2. Murray McLaughlan - Human Writes

3. The Once - The Once

4. Good Lovelies - Let The Rain Fall

5. Doug MacLeod - Brand New Eyes

6. Dave Gunning - Salute To John Allan Cameron

7. James Hill - Man With A Love Song

8. Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer

9. Cadence - Cool Yule

10. Natalia and Montuno - Moving North

Special mentions go out to the Babes 4 Breasts compilation (masterminded by Amanda Rheaume) and Black America Sings Lennon And McCartney.

Top Artists Of 2011 - Ron Steeds

2012-01-12T04:38:00.000-08:00

Ron Steeds is our Sponsorship and Fundraising Coordinator. He is also one of the members of the This Island Earth collective of hosts. This Island Earth is on Sundays from 1 - 4 PM. He is a member of the improvised music collective.

This is the list of World Music artists who, when they release a new recording or re-release a recording that’s been out of print, draw my immediate attention. They never disappoint me, often surprise me, always thrill me. They span the globe – beginning right here in Ottawa (Mighty Popo and Souljazz Orchestra) and fanning out to Africa (Fela Kuti & Tinariwen), Spain (Radio Tarifa), Greece (Savina Yannatou), India (Ravi Shankar), Persia (Kayhan Kalhor), Argentina (Astor Piazzolla) and Australia (Baka Beyond). All incorporate influences from other cultures. That’s probably why they appeal to me: each of them is unique.

1. Fela Anikulapo Kuti - the originator of Afrobeat music.

2. Tinariwen - the leaders in Desert Blues.

3. Savina Yannatou - one of the most glorious voices on the planet.

4. Ravi Shankar - the master of the raga.

5. Radio Tarifa - this ensemble combines Spanish Flamenco and Northern African music.

6. Mighty Popo - Popo keeps getting better and better with every recording. I feel lucky to get a glimpse into the musical soul of Rwanda through Popo.

7. Souljazz Orchestra - taking Fela Kuti into the 21st century.

8. Kayhan Kalhor - the fearless Persian musical explorer who creates astounding music with anyone whom he plays.

9. Baka Beyond - Martin Craddick & crew melds Celtic, African and Australian musics into a unique hybrid.

10. Steve Tibbetts - this restless musical explorer has collaborated with Choying Drolma (a Tibetan nun), Knut Hamre (a Swedish violin player) as well as creating music inspired by his trips around the world.

Best Of 2011 - Both Kinds Of Music

2012-01-11T05:03:00.000-08:00

Dick Altavista is the host of Both Kinds Of Music every Wednesday afternoon from 1:30 - 3:30 PM. Both Kinds Of Music focuses on (alt)-Country, Power Pop and Garage Rawk. The show also features tons of live in-studio permformances. Here are his favourite albums from the past year, in no particular order.

The Bruitals - Here Come

No Fly List - Blaze On

The Golden Seals - Increase The Sweetness

Charlotte Cornfield - Two Horses

Idyl Tea - Song That’s Not Finished Yet

Kelly Prescott - I Leave You Dreaming

Jehan Khoorshed - No Harm Done

Dave Norris & Local Ivan - Alma Mater

The Shakey Aches 7”

Camp Radio - Campista Socialista

Jack Oblivian - Rat City

John Wesley Coleman - Bad Lady Goes To Jail

The Pack AD - Unpersons

Huntley Slim & The Suburban Cowbopys - Make Work Project

Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO

Morgan Friend - Angel Goin’ Down

Ballgag’N’Chaingang - Bang!

Ha Ha Tonka - Death Of A Decade

Lydia Loveless - Indestructible Machine

Meredith Luce - Live At The Branch

David Picco - David Picco

Wagons - Rumble, Shake and Tumble

Fiftymen - Once Upon A Time In Toronto

Little Foot Long Foot - Oh, Hell

The Jeers - The Jeers

Jill Sobule and John Doe - A Day At The Pass

D. Charles Speer & The Helix - Leaving The Commonwealth

Hans Chew - Tennessee & Other Stories

Favourite Artist of 2011 - Lenny Wu

2012-01-10T04:30:00.000-08:00

Lenny Wu is the host of WildWorks every Wednesday morning from 11 - 12. WildWorks brings you the latest Canadian indie music and features interviews with Canadian artists, bands coming to Ottawa and bands from the local scene. Here are his thoughts on his new favourite artist of 2011.

Since I usually listen to RTHK Radio 3 from Hong Kong on the weekends. I tend to keep my cultural heritage, even though I've lived in Canada for all my life. RTHK Radio 3 is the English language station to Hong Kong's public broadcaster.

From a show archive on Radio 3 at the beginning of 2011, I discovered an indie folk musician who's born in Hong Kong but lives in England. Her name is Emmy The Great. What caught my attention to her music is that it is very poetic and relaxing to listen to. Her voice captures the lush, soft tone to each of her songs.

I try to bring in something that's unique and different compared to the usual fare of Canadian and non-Canadian indie music that shows on CKCU bring. The funny thing from her Wikipedia bio is that her genre is anti-folk. I have no idea what that means.

With her second album, the unique thing prior to her release was that she partnered with Pledgemusic and getting her fan-base to donate and contribute to the record.

With that discovery of her music, I was able to convince Ryan Bresee of Whatever's Cool With Me to play some of her tracks on occasion. I could be wrong on this but even the new CKCU Volunteer Coordinator, Chris White, has liked what I played from her.

For fans of folk music, it's recommended that you give her album a try.
Unfortunately, the radio host who introduced me to Emmy the Great's music left Hong Kong in April.

Virtue is her second album and was released on June 13, 2011. The record label is Close Harbour Records. It's available on the iTunes Store. Her website is www.emmythegreat.com.

Best Albums of 2011 - Joe Reilly

2012-01-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

Joe Reilly hosts a show every Monday night from 9 - 11 PM. Here are his favourite albums from 2011.

Broken Records – Let Me Come Home

If you like the Waterboys and/or Arcade Fire then this Scottish outfit’s sophomore album will kindle the passionate fires of your soul. The aching soul at the heart of the song “Home” helps make it the best song of the year.

Sigur Ros – Inni

Who really cares about live albums? You will, when the band in question takes its songs to uncharted celestial heights and captures the whole affair in a beautiful, artsy black and white film. Gorgeous.

Cris Derksen – The Cusp

Released in late 2010, this collection of music by the Vancouver cellist moves from dark, rhythmic pieces to lovely ambient soundscapes and includes aching shoe-gazer pop as well as touches of Canadian aboriginal music. Hypnotizing.

The Apache Relay – American Nomad

A scorching set opening for Mumford and Sons in Montreal brought this foursome to my attention, and this album delivers a solid mix of folk and rock with some orgasmic, pop anthems thrown in for good measure.

Foster the People – Torches

These guys blend the sounds of rock, pop and hip hop to create a bouncy, effervescent soundtrack to summer – although some darkness lurks in the lyrics of tracks like mega-hit “Pumped Up Kicks.” A quirky mix that at times is reminiscent of MGMT at its best – minus all the bloated self-awareness.

The Decemberists – The King Is Dead

The finest REM album since Automatic For the People. Peter Buck guests on here and helps the Demberists create wonderful folk-pop-rock.

Peter Gabriel – New Blood

A flawed album of Gabriel covering his older material with only an orchestra to back him up. In the past he worked with some of the best female vocalists on the planet (Kate Bush, Sinead O’Connor) so sadly the vocal work by his daughter and others don’t stand up. Get the double disc as the orchestral works without voices are powerful.

Bright Eyes – The People’s Key

Awesome show at Folkfest and a beautiful album.

Death Cab For Cutie – Codes and Keys

A fine return to form for Death Cab.

The Orienteers – The Orienteers/Giant Hand – Starting As People

Two excellent local releases to check out. Orienteers, make pacific gorgeous pop and Giant Hand’s edgy haunting songs may remind some of Neil Young.

Matthew Crosier's Best of 2011

2011-12-22T05:21:00.000-08:00

Matthew Crosier is the CKCU station manager. He also co-hosts a show with Dave Sarazin every Monday from 11 AM - 12:30 PM called Between Thought & Expression. Here are his favourite albums from the past year.

1. Sun Araw – Ancient Romans (Sun Ark)

From mountain peaks to underwater caves it’s a ride that demands your attention and time and rewards you with an escape of epic proportions

2. Bombino – Agadez (Cumbancha)

I can’t stop listening to this Tuareg guitarist, a Pied Piper for troubled times.

3. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath 1972 (Kranky)

Again Hecker shows there can be life in glitch. He takes the listener on a journey that was recorded in Iceland. Tune in, Turn on and drop the needle (the record needle that is). A great escape awaits.

4. Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place (Asthmatic Kitty)

An atmospheric journey conducted by this sound sculptor. It's an interesting trip down this rabbit hole.

5. Sidi Toure - Sahel Folk (Thrill Jockey)

6. Wooden Shjips – West (Thrill Jockey)

Produced by Phil Manley.

7. Lucinda Williams – Blessed (Lost Highway)

Produced by Don Was. Gritty and raw rock, this is one of the better discs in her catalogue. Cut to the core songwriting performed in her raspy sandpaper voice with a crack band ripping away. Great stuff.

8. Amir ElSaffar – Inana (Pi Recordings)

A blend of the Middle East and American Jazz.

9. Glenn Jones – The Wanting (Thrill Jockey)

Superb acoustic guitar LP.

10. Alban Gerhardt – Casals Encores (Hyperion)

A wonderful tribute to the master of the Cello.

And also...

11. Dr. Mustafa Raza – Sounds of the Veena (Arc)
12. Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming (Daptone)

13. Ivan Fischer with Bupapest Festival Orchestra – Bartok Bluebeard’s Castle (Channel Classics)
14. Amina Alaoui - Arco Iris (ECM)
15. Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits - Caym Book of Angels Vol 17 (Tzadik)

Top 10 Songs Of 2011 - Ron Steeds

2011-12-21T04:51:00.000-08:00

Ron Steeds is our Sponsorship and Fundraising Coordinator. He is also one of the members of the This Island Earth collective of hosts. This Island Earth is on Sundays from 1 - 4 PM. He is a member of the improvised music collective. Here are his favourite songs, while not all from 2011, but of the past year nonetheless.

These are songs that have stuck with me, some for more than a decade. I never grow tired of them and constantly find new things to hear when I listen to them. While the whole albums that these tunes come from may not all be among my favourites, these individual tunes are. These tunes are on constant rotation on my MP3 player.

1. “Mumakata” – CODONA (from CODONA I)

2. “Ohureo” – Baka Beyond (from The Meeting Pool)

3. “Slither” – Annoushka Shankar & Karsh Kale (from Breathing Under Water)

4. "Salama” – Malagasy All-Stars (Introducing Vakoka)

5. “Mbube” – Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds (from The Secret Museum of Mankind, Vol.4: Ethnic Music Classics, 1925-1948)

6. “Ascending Bird (after a traditional melody)” – Kayhan Kalhor & Brooklyn Rider (from Silent City)

7. “Agbara” – Souljazz Orchestra (from Rising Sun)

8. “Ngire Nte” – Mighty Popo (from Gakondo)

9. “Me To Feggari Perpato / Ivan Ndonka Dumashe” – Savina Yannatou (from Terra Nostra)

10. “Awali” – Pierre Bensusan (from Wu Wei)

e.V's Essential Baker's Dozen for 2011

2011-12-20T04:36:00.000-08:00

e.V's Underground is hosted every Tuesday night from 2 - 7 AM by the Queen of Doom herself! Here are her lucky 13 releases of 2011, in no particular order.

From Toronto, kickass goth metal act Syrynx and their self titled EP feature the astonishing vocals of 17 year old Mikki Straatsmaa, who is well on her way to kicking Amy Lee and Tarja's butts - strong songwriting. And she has already fronted her own project, Viveyenne, since she was 13.

Hailing from Sault Ste. Marie, Woods of Ypres's blackened doom metal masterpiece The Green Album clocks on at a gruelling time length but is worth the pain.

SIXX AM is the only band to have written 2 albums based around a book. It's the side project of Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba of Guns and Roses, and producer James Michael - and features a soaring guitar solo from Ashba that continues to give me goosebumps. Featuring dark carnival photography from Sixx, based on his photography book "This Is Gonna Hurt" and with a strong message of empowerment for souls on the margins of society - that it's OK to be different.

Seven Thorns - Return to the Past. Delicious Danish power metal - non-fattening, so bears repeat listening. My favorite pick is Forest Majesty but this is all I could find on Youtube.

Canadian folk metal mavens Scythia and their sophomore offering "...Of Exile" features epic lyrics, epic playing and plus the "oboe of death".
Stand out track is the rousing of exceedingly Hobarth's Inn, featiring a goat at the very end.

Local hard rockers Down In Ashes smoke up the place with their sophomore self-titled EP. Standout track: The World Is Ending. A soundtrack like this could make the apocalypse more palatable!

Sounding like a cross between Bruce Cockburn, Lou Reed, Stan Rogers, Brad Roberts with some Jyrkki Linnankivi (The 69 Eyes) thrown in Finnish singer-songwriter, Hannu Lepistö's 5 track solo debut EP ranges from Americana to dark rock, strong effort that bears repeat listening and got the producer so hooked she made him some videos.

Raising industry hackles by releasing their latest album on The Pirate Bay, Italy's Dope Stars Inc.'s Ultrawired points the way to the digital future with a rock solid melodic industrial metal album that only grows better with repeated listening.

Impossibly infectious punked out track from Ottawa's horror-balladeers Patron Saint of Plagues; is this why they call their fans the Infected?

With vocals and vibe comparable to a combo of Michael Gira (Swans) and the late great Peter Steele (Type O Negative) and Carl McCoy (Fields of the Nephilim), Chris Compton has produced Frostbite: Valentine and Other Stories of Hope,a dark gothic masterpiece likely to be enjoyable by the non-gothic. Listen here: http://soundcloud.com/frostbitevalentine/03-valentine.

Wonderfully written and played dark, And Death Will Follow Me is heavy rock project by Sal Abrusco under the name A Pale Horse Named Death. He also used to drum for type O Negative.

Turisas, the Finnish folk metal outfit named for a sea monster and famous for their folk metal cover of Boney M's Rasputin, released an oddly (for them) orchestral 3rd album. Stand Up And Fight features Matthias "Warlord" Nygard's voice in glorious powerful form and wonderful playing.

Another top pick is UK rock outfit The Union and their sophomore sizzler, Siren's Song. Here's the title cut.

Canada's All Else Fails debut features strongly written orchestral-inflected metal with prog elements, for the thinking metalhead. Stream it on their Bandcamp page here: http://allelsefails.bandcamp.com/.

And lastly - the kick ass cover of the year. Chicago industrial monsters Marazene Machine cover Motley Crue's Live Wire. I like it better than the orginal. With Crue approval: Tommy and Nikki liked it so much they tweeted links to the band's video for the tune to their followers.

Charlotte Cain from The Groove's Top 25 Disco Picks For 2010

2011-12-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

The Groove is Canada's longest running disco show, hosted every Saturday from 1 - 3 PM by Elorious Cain. His daughter Charlotte, a frequent co-host on The Groove and CKCU Radio Camp survivor, has compiled her top 25 songs of the past year.

1. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

2. Taio Cruz - Dynamite

3. Lady Gaga - Alejandro

4. Katy Perry Ft. Snoop Dogg - California Gurls

5. Ke$ha - Tik Tok

6. Usher Ft. Pitbull - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love

7. Bruno Marrs - Grenade

8. Katy Perry - Firework

9. B.O.B Ft. Hayley Williams - Airplanes

10. Eminem Ft. Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie

And also...

11. Stromae - Alors On Danse
12. Rihanna - Only Girl In The World
13. Jessy Matador - Allez, Ola, Ole
14. Selena Gomez & The Scene - Naturally
15. Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love
16. Ali Nadem - Electro Champion
17. B.O.B Ft. Bruno Marrs - Nothin' On You
18. Shakira - Waka Waka
19. Wiley & Chew Fu - Take That
20. Deadmau5 - Not Exactly (2010 Extended Mix)
21. Teo Moss - What You Like (J.P Candela Ibiza To Paris Remix)
22. Chris Sorbello - So Lonely (Hook And Sling Mix)
23. Die Antwoord - Evil Boy
24. Adultnapper & Mr.C - Keep Off Sycophant Slags
25. Kele - Everything You Wanted

Chris White's Favourite Songs of 2011

2011-12-16T04:48:00.000-08:00

Chris White is the Volunteer Coordinator here at CKCU. He was one of the founders of the Ottawa Folk Festival and was their artistic director for several years. He also co-hosts Canadian Spaces with Chopper McKinnon every Saturday morning from 10 - 12 AM. Here are his favourite songs from 2011.

Bruce Cockburn - "Call Me Rose" from Small Source of Comfort

Murray McLauchlan - "Picking Up Mary Lou" from Human Writes

Missy Burgess - "If I Fell in Love Again" from Play Me Sweet

Andrea Simms-Karp - "Decoy Decoy" from Hibernation Nation

Ian Tamblyn - "Chasing the Sun" from Walking the Bones

Clear - "Gospel Rhyme" from Never Falling Again

Dave Clarke - "Just Waiting For a Train" from Reunion

James Hill - "You Should See Me Now" from Man With A Love Song

Dala - "Horses" from Everyone Is Someone

Lindsay Ferguson - "Volcano" from Monkeys Under Stars

A Beginner's Guide To Whatever's Cool With Me

2011-12-15T04:53:00.000-08:00

Whatever's Cool With Me is a general music show hosted by Ryan Bresee every Thursday morning from 9:30 - 12. He plays a little bit of this, a little bit of that and he takes requests! Visit the Whatever's Cool With Me website to check out his playlists (http://www.coolckcu.com) or follow him on Twitter (@coolckcu). Here are 10 discs with which one could start a Whatever's Cool With Me collection.

Dinosaur Jr. - Whatever’s Cool With Me

A great EP (although not my favourite Dinosaur Jr. album) and my show was named after the title track.

Infinite – 360 Degrees

For as long as I can remember, the instrumental version of the title track from this Canadian MC has been the theme music that introduces my show.

Outkast – ATLiens

This is my favourite rap album of all time and still gets play on my show to this day.

Sebadoh – Bakesale

A classic indie rock album. As a teenager, this kind of stuff defined campus radio for me.

Eric’s Trip – Love Tara

Much like Sebadoh, this was a campus radio staple for me.

DJ Shadow – Endtroducing

A landmark album that I have never tired of. It’s a classic that spawned countless copy cats.

Ketch Harbour Wolves – Dead Calm Horizon

This is an example of a relatively unknown band that I fell in love with and used my spot on the radio to try let as many people know about this fantastic record.

Henry Cyr- Sending Angels Down

This is really just a few songs burned onto a CD-R. Henry is a homeless man in Ottawa that you might recognize. He’s missing his left hand and plays guitar with a mug over the stump using it as a slide. He sings original and very passionate blues music that will knock you on your butt. Look him up on Youtube to get a taste. Having a show on a campus/community station allows me to play stuff like this that you wouldn’t hear unless you saw him on the street.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook- Night Song

CKCU has exposed me to music from around the world and that has been reflected in my playlists over the years. Prior to his passing, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan teamed up with Canadian Michael Brook to create that blends electronic sounds with traditional Qawwali music.

Dawn Upshaw and the London Sinfonietta – Gorecki’s Symphony #3

Not being on a commercial radio station allows me to play some very long, but very beautiful music. This particular recording of this famous piece is haunting and I make sure it gets played at least once per year.

Best Of 2011 - Lisa Corkery

2011-12-14T04:26:00.000-08:00

Lisa Corkery hosts Tread Lightly every second Thursday night from 11 - 12 PM here on CKCU. She is also on the Board of Directors. She recently renovated her kitchen! Here's her best of 2011 list.

Various Artists - The National Parks Project

This is an epic moment in Canadian musical and film history. The depth here is incredible. On Tread Lightly I've been showcasing a different park's collaborators each week. I play a couple of tracks from each of the artists' catalogue and then the result of the three of them together in their NPP. So far we've only covered 2 so plenty more to come in early 2012! Check out the film and soundtrack, first chance you get www.nationalparksproject.ca.

Bill Callahan - Apocalypse

The track "Drover" is an anthem.

Daniel Romano - Sleep Beneath the Willow

If I'd had a vote, this record would have won the Polaris Prize. Timeless.

Snailhouse - Sentimental Gentlemen

Beirut - Riptide

And also...

The Kills - Blood Pressures
Buck 65 - 20 Odd Years
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Wolfroy Goes to Town
Junior Boys - It's All True
Timber Timbre - Creep on Creepin' On
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Camp Radio - Campista Socialista
Giant Hand - Starting as People
Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Best of 2011 - Dave Edition

2011-12-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

Sidi Toure - Sahel Folk (Thrill Jockey)

At its heart, Sahel Folk is an album of friends reuniting around a glass of tea. It’s Sidi Touré’s second album, but the first time most of his collaborators have been documented. Chronicled in a live “field-recording” style at Sidi’s sister’s house, the simplicity of the takes highlight the beauty of the songs and the skill of the players. Each track on the album is a duet recording of Sidi and one friend, a product of a very specific two-day process. On the first day, the friends would meet, play, and choose a song over a glass of tea. On the second day they would record the song, allowing themselves just two takes to retain the spontaneity of the recording and reunion. It was the original intent of Covalesky, the album’s producer, to create an historical document about the traditions of Gao, and to mix the audio of Sidi and his friends’ songs with street recordings and interviews. However, once the recording started, everything changed. Covalesky puts it best when he says “In the face of such beauty and power delivered so simply by Sidi Touré and his friends, there was nothing to add. Everything was there. – Thrill Jockey

Drive By Truckers – Go Go Boots (RED Distribution)

Far more than on any of the Drive-By Truckers' previous albums, Go-Go Boots rises like smoke from the old Muscle Shoals country-and-soul sound. Having recorded with Bettye LaVette and Booker T. Jones, and having spent a lifetime listening to classic soul albums by Bobby Womack, Tony Joe White, and especially Eddie Hinton, it was inevitable that the Truckers eventually produce this album.

J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why (Sub Pop)

Nearly all acoustic, Several Shades of Why was created with the help of a few friends. Notable amongst them are Kurt Vile, Sophie Trudeau (A Silver Mount Zion), Kurt Fedora (long-time collusionist), Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), Matt Valentine (The Golden Road), and Suzanne Thorpe (Wounded Knees). Together in small mutable groupings, they conjure up classic sounds ranging from English-tinged folk to drifty, West Coast-style singer/songwriterism. But every track, every note even, bears that distinct Mascis watermark, both in the shape of the tunes and the glorious rasp of the vocals. Ten brilliant tunes that quietly grow and expand until they fill your brain with the purest pleasure.

The Dirtbombs – Party Store (In The Read)

Detroit's Dirtbombs are back with a brand new full length album that serves as a sort of companion piece to their Ultraglide In Black album. On that album the band performed cover versions of 60's and 70's soul music. On Party Store the band tackle Detroit techno music of the 80's and 90's. Techno music as performed by a rock band. Includes a mind-blowing 22 minute version of Innerzone Orchestra's "Bug In The Bassbin". Vinyl comes as a beautiful triple gatefold with the hour plus music spread over three 12"s.

Devon Williams – Euphoria (Slumberland)

Euphoria presents an homage to things romantic and rare. A powerful and catchy set of songs matched with a more intricate and layered production than his 2008 debut solo album Carefree, _ Euphoria_ retains a uniform feel though it was recorded and mixed in several studios by producers like NYC's Jorge Elbrecht (from the excellent Violens) and Vancouver's Dave Carswell, who also produced Williams' onetime touring mate, Destroyer. From the gushing crescendo of "Slight Pain" to the trance-like state of "Dreaming," the album's vast emotional landscape embodies the tough-minded/tender-hearted spirit that animates Williams' live performances. The 12 songs on Euphoria live in a dizzy head space of quiet desperation, progressing from the loving and warm "Revelations" to complacency in "Sufferer," then back to the optimistic "Right Direction" directly into the claustrophobic, pounding chorus of "How is There Always Room?"

Steve Adamyk Band – Forever Won’t Wait (Dirtnap Records)

Ottawa’s roots-punk Steve Adamyk Band wear their influences loudly and proudly, but anyone who listens to them knows they have a lot more to offer than just a revival of the Ramones, Buzzcocks, and Dickies (who they cover, with “X-Eyed Tammy”). Power pop and straight-ahead hard rock inform their sound as much as raunchy punk from 1977, and Forever Won’t Wait is the album where they begin to prove just how thoroughly solid they can be, after a less than stellar self-titled debut. With 16 tracks, all around the one- or two-minute mark, there isn’t a sleeper to be found on board. They could all be singles. Each song is a quick and crispy amped-up rocker, with a sugar-soaked hook to balance out the vintage raunch and modern-day blast. While it’s been well publicized that lead singer/guitarist Steve Adamyk is the chief songwriter, drummer Dave Williams, bassist Davey Quesnelle, and second guitarist Emmanuel Sayer play with a tightness that only a band with years of camaraderie could share. Forever Won’t Wait rocks hard, and though there are hints of nostalgia, it seems timeless and is packed full of good fun from front to back.

TBWNIS Vs. The Purveyors Of Conspicuous Authenticity (Birdman Sound)

Hard hitting improvised psych rock. could be from 4 - 9 (or more)people involved on any given night. Only 100 copies were pressed.

Top Albums Of 2011

2011-12-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

As chosen by me, Alanna the co-op kid! These aren't in any particular order.

Rat Tales - Rat Tales (Self-released)

Trashy garage punk record made in their mom's basement. These boys are from Bells Corners and they sure know how to rock! All the songs are great but my favourites are "Skeleton Boy", "Lean On Liquor" and "Spooky Voodoo". BONUS: You can download the album for free off of their Bandcamp page, http://rattales.bandcamp.com/album/rat-tales.

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See (Domino)

What a great record! Kind of mellow, kind of rock, but 100% AWESOME! The words in the title track make my heart break in two. I want to marry Alex Turner.

Crusades - The Sun Is Down And The Night Is Riding In (It's Alive)

Members of Sedatives, The Creeps, Steve Adamyk Band and Zebrassieres get together and make some dark pop-punk about Catholicism. The cover is great, the songs are catchy as hell, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT OUT OF LIFE?! Stream it here: http://itsaliverecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-sun-is-down-and-the-night-is-riding-in.

Hunx And His Punx - Too Young To Be In Love (Hardly Art)

Technically Hunx And His Punkettes now, this album is a winner. 60s girl group vibes mixed with a healthy dose of leather jacket attitude. Swoon, swoon, swoon! The best songs are "The Curse Of Being Young". "Tonite, Tonite" and "If You're Not Here".

Various Artists - Bloodstains Across Ontario (Mammoth Cave)

Young Governer! Peach Kelli Pop! Dagger Eyes! Some people say that compilations can't be great. This 7" proves them wrong. 13 songs about this beautiful province. Solid stuff! Stream it here: http://mammothcave.bandcamp.com/album/mcr017-bloodstains-across-ontario-7.

The Drums - Portamento (Moshi Moshi)

More emotional than their first record, this is some great stuff from a band that almost self-destructed last year. Portamento sounds like Echo & The Bunnymen had a kid with The Smiths, and then somehow time-travelled to the 21st century. And that cover! SPOOKS!

Family Matters - Family Album (Self-released)

Who is this band and where did they come from?! How on Earth did they make such an awesome lo-fi punk record? This is a KILLER album! All of the tracks flow into each other so nicely it makes me weep out of happiness. And there's a Beach Boys cover! My favourite songs are "Green Anarchy", "Other People's Lives" and "Boyfren". Download it for free on their Bandcamp page: http://familymatters.bandcamp.com/.

Steve Adamyk Band - Forever Won't Wait (Dirtnap)

Hometown heroes return! Poppy garage-punk sounds that will make you mosh like a maniac alone in your bedroom. And there's a Dickies' cover to boot! Perfect for anyone who enjoys fun. Stream it here: http://exclaim.ca/MusicVideo/ClickHear/steve_adamyk_band-forever_wont_wait_album_stream.

Cover Songs

2011-11-25T08:32:00.000-08:00

On Monday Nov 28th Dave Sarazin and I will be hosting a cover show from 11am-12:30pm. We plan to take as many requests as possible and just may do a part 2 if we get enough or who knows, even a part 3.

We will talk about why a cover song matters and what it says about the song and the artist who covers it.

Does a song need to be defined by time and place? Can a song be done in a different style and still work? Can an artist take something and make it their own?

Hendrix ripping into All Along the Watchtower, changed the way Dylan himself performed the song ever since. Many others are just footnotes. What are the great covers? What makes them great?

Here are a few of my faves. What works for you?

Why is CKCU important?

2011-11-02T05:47:00.001-07:00

Paying back what’s owed: my debt to Radio Carleton

Why is CKCU-FM so important to so many people? Why do we continue to contribute to the fundraising campaign year after year, decades after leaving Carleton U? I know it is because we formed lifelong personal and professional friendships working at the station, and we had a lot of fun in those early days. But for me, it was a genuine turning point in my life: I owe any success I have had to my experience at Radio Carleton.

When I first came to Carleton in the fall of 1974, I was returning to university after more than a year working as a waiter. I already had a number of strikes against me: I had eked through CEGEP in Montreal and then dropped out of first year Ottawa U; I was a new father; I was studying for a BA, against my personnel manager father's best advice, as he saw it as a degree with no practical application; and although I aspired to be a journalist, I neither typed nor took shorthand, skills required for journalism school.

But Carleton had one thing few other universities offered: a radio station that welcomed volunteers. Although only carrier current at the time, its leadership also had a dream: to become a legitimate FM broadcaster.

So I walked shyly into Radio Carleton and was welcomed by the then-public affairs director, Chris Henry, asked about my interests (politics and sports) and quickly assigned to a weekly magazine program, Parliament in Review. It was a revelation: I was able to go to Parliament Hill every day and listen to Question Period and join with other professional journalists outside the House of Commons in the daily “scrums.” I had access to Members of Parliament whenever I needed a quote for a documentary or story. And I could apply what I was learning in the classroom to the issues of the day. I undertook documentaries on women in politics and capital punishment, among others.

I became confident in my own knowledge and learned more from the “pros” I rubbed shoulders with each day on the Hill. And working alongside brilliant students of radio like Randy Williams, Rob Braide, Craig Mackie, Andrea Thiel, Jeff Greene, Penny Macrae, Eric Dormer, and so many others, I honed my skills. From time to time, one of the journalism students at CKCU would slip me into a class and I would glean some knowledge from professors like Joe Scanlon and George Frajkor.

In November of 1975, we did get the desired FM license and we were broadcasting to the entire National Capital Region; my learning experience grew, as did my access. I covered the Progressive Conservative convention in February 1976, interviewing all of the candidates as well as former leader John Diefenbaker at his home with colleague Paul Park. I had special access to candidate Brian Mulroney, and was on the floor when Joe Clark was declared the winner. I branched out into sports, attending Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Alouettes and Expos games and doing interviews for the sports program of the time. I even attended the Stanley Cup parties with the “Habs” and Montreal media. That spring, I received the award for best reporter/researcher, and “Parliament in Review” won for best public affairs program. And in the process, I became a much more engaged student.

The next year, I went to Washington DC and reported on Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s meeting with President Jimmy Carter at the White House and his address to a joint session of Congress. I also produced a documentary on the impact of the 1976 Parti Québécois election for “Special Blend.”

When I money for tuition ran short, I decided to take my experience as a reporter and see the country, working in radio and television in Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary, St. John’s, and Corner Brook. This led to opportunities to work on the Quebec referendum campaign, and as assistant to the opposition leaders in Quebec and Newfoundland and finally as a press secretary on Parliament Hill. Then seven years later, I returned to Carleton to complete my degree.

Since then, I have branched out to write articles and op-eds for the Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette, Calgary Herald and others. I worked for CBC Radio in Montreal and ran for office, becoming a municipal councilor in the Montreal area. When I went to Geneva in 1995 as the spouse of a diplomat, reading the morning news as a volunteer at the local radio English language station provided me with a profile that led to job opportunities in the UN system, working in Africa, Macedonia and Bangladesh.

In 2000, I returned to Ottawa to study at Carleton and received a Master’s in Journalism with a thesis about the impact of the news media on the United Nations called “Like Moths to a Flame.” And now, thanks to that degree, I have been at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada since 2002.

I often think, “there but for fortune go I,” and know that I might still be waiting on tables if not for the support and encouragement of my colleagues at Radio Carleton. That small community was an island of sanity for me, and I always tell Carleton students looking for a challenge to go to the fifth floor of the University Centre and see if that is where they belong.

My story is one of many: there are uncountable numbers of CKCU-FM “graduates” who have gone on to positions of prestige and responsibility in broadcasting and elsewhere, and that is why we are so loyal to Radio Carleton. As for me, I will never really be ever to repay what it gave me, but my annual contribution is one small way of giving back.

Andrew Caddell, BA ‘86, MJ ‘02, is the global practice lead, forestry at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

CKCU draw for donors

2011-10-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

We are introducing some more incentives into the drive. On Saturday December 3rd at 11am we will be conducting a series of draws for different prizes. Everyone who has or does contribute before the drive ends is eligible. person will be entered into every draw they are eligible for. So if a person pledges $50 or more they will be entered into all the draws.

Everyone who makes a donation is eligible to win prizes except for CKCU staff (Dylan, Chris,Ron, Dave, Matthew). The number and value of prizes available increases with higher donation levels.

$10 or more a package of 5 CD's to be selected by the winner

$25 or more - an IPOD Touch

$35 or more - a Travel Cuts travel voucher valued at $250
( The voucher can be used for any travel services provided by Travel Cuts, including flights, train trips, tours, travel insce and vacation packages. The voucher can be redeemed at any Travel Cuts location in Canada. The voucher is courtesy of Travel Cuts located at Carleton University in Room 302 of the University Centre building)

$50 or more - an IPAD 2

CKCU needs your help to archive all our shows!!!!

2011-10-26T07:51:00.001-07:00

Want to listen to all CKCU shows on the web at any time?

We are planning to archive all our shows on our web site so that you can listen to them at any time. In order to do this we have to reach our $111,000 goal for the funding drive. Please dial and donate at (613)520-3920 or(1)877-520-3920 or ckcufm.com !!!!!!!!!!! just imagine "Friday Morning Cartunes", "This Island Earth", "Canadian Spaces" at any time. Please help us make it happen!

CKCU Funding Drive Incentives?

2011-10-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

Our annual funding drive is on now. We offer great radio for your donation and a tax receipt. Community listings, interviews, live in studio music. What more would you like? Maybe some big prizes? A draw for an ipad or ipod? Trips? Let us know

Did you know you can donate $93.10 or more to be a host for an hour on CKCU?

what would interest you?

CKCU Funding Drive Day #1

2011-10-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

We are a celebrating our 36th Anniversary this year and we want to make it a special year by making our Funding Drive goal of $111,000 by Nov 6th.

Since 1975 we have been providing the best in: music, spoken word and multicultural programming 24/7/365. All of our hosts are volunteers but you would never know it by listening to the outstanding programs they produce. We cover everything from Indian Classical to Death Metal and from Bluegrass to Electronica. And we provide in-depth context about where the music came from and where it may be going. We also cover a wide variety of spoken word topics from politics to sports we offer a unique perspective. We also provide programming in more than 15 different languages. Our more than 200 hosts range in age from teenagers to seniors.

We are an independent media outlet like almost no other. And as a registered charity we can give you a tax receipt for your donation.

Please consider donating to keep our independent voice on the air.

You can donate on our web site or by calling the station during the funding drive

There is no CKCU without you.

To donate call (613)520-3920 or 1-877-520-3920 or ckcufm.com

Thank you!!!!

Barnstorm !!!!!!

2011-09-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Bus to Barnstorm this Saturday!!!!

We still have room on the bus for this amazing event. Send me an email to manager@ckcufm.com and you can ride the bus from Carleton to Finch, watch all the great bands in a terrific setting and ride the bus back to Carleton at the end of the show.

The cost? If you send me an email. The cost is free!!! Yes Free !!!!!

Don't delay, write today

http://barnstorm.ca/

Live Albums Part Four

2011-07-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

It's the Friday before the long week-end. Hope you all have a great and safe time doing what you do. Not sure if I will be able to catch any live music but I will certainly listen to some great live recordings.

Taj Mahal - The Real Thing - Columbia

2Lp set from the Fillmore East. Searing blues with horn players from the Charles Mingus band. This is a must listen

Ted Hawkins - The Final Tour - Evidence

Venice Beach busker finally gets signed and tours just before he passes away. He sings soul from the soul. And draws upon: pop, folk, country and blues to take you on a wonderful trip

Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club

The greatest soul singer of them all captured live at his prime. Backed by the King Curtis Band. This disc just comes for life as soon as you put it on. You can feel the sweat from the band and appreciative audience.

Otis Redding - Live in London and Paris

He recorded several great live albums which were released after he died. So I think we can safely say he must have been one of the best live performers of all time. Backed by Booker T & the MG's and the Mar Keys horn section. This just burns from beginning to end!

Ray Charles - Ray Charles at Newport

Oh my, is it possible to be this good? You would not want to come on a stage after Ray Charles was finished.

B.B. King - Live At the Regal

Here is the "King of the Blues" earning his crown. If you only know his later work with the superstar guests you owe it to yourself to go back to when his performances mattered. And none is better than this one.

James Brown - Live at the Apollo

He would make many excellent live records during his long career. But this performance by Brown and the Flames is tops!

Harry Belafonte - Belafonte at Carnegie Hall

2Lp and my all time fave live record. It has it all. Music, performance, audience participation and FUN

Great Live Recordings Part Three

2011-07-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hope you are enjoying checking out these amazing live discs. Feel free to give your faves a shout out as well.

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison

The Man in Black brings his show behind the bars and rips into a set for an appreciative group of convicts. Sounds like a movie script? It happened and it was better than anyone could have imagined.

Buck Owens and His Buckaroos - The Carnegie Hall Concert

A great concert hall with one of the best country bands of all time. It worked and it is superb!

Merle Haggard & the Strangers - Okie From Muskogee

he goes back to his roots and performs in front of a wild crowd a set of wild fast and out of control songs. Backed by the best band in the business.

Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen - Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas

Keeping the spirit of country alive with a rock and roll heart. They rip through covers and originals at a break neck pace.

Emmylou Harris - At the Ryman

Backed by the Nash Ramblers this is an outstanding live set. Mixing originals, old tyme music and modern covers they take the listener through a survey of Americana. All performed by a top notch band and one of the best singers in the history of country music.

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Live!

Outstanding performance by this talented singer and fiddle player. Here band is not too shabby also. They mix the modern with the traditional. From ballads to foot stompers it has a little of everything.

Great Live Recordings Part Two

2011-07-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Ahh the sound of live music captured and put in the bottle. To be opened by your turntable, CD player or computer. The sounds of 1946 or 2011 just waiting to be unleased. We have had some great ones listed on the new CKCU forum http://www.ckcufm.com/forum including

Hawkwind - Space Ritual

recorded live in December 1972. It is a wild space rock opera. Excellent from beginning to end

and here are some more to check out!!!

Spirit - Live Spirit

not the original version of the band. maybe not all live? who knows why this is as good as it is but it is great!

Ginger Baker - Ginger Baker's Air Force

recorded live at Royal Albert Hall in 1970. Jazz rock with Afro percussion. Denny Laine is on fire here. This was their 2nd show ever.

Delaney and Bonnie - On Tour

recorded at Croydon in 1969. Features some of the finest live performances by Eric Clapton and George Harrison. Much of the band goes on to form Derek and the Dominoes as well as back Harrison for All things Must Pass and Concert for Bangladesh

George Harrison - The Concert for Bangladesh

the first rock superstar live fundraiser concert and probably the best. features Indian classical with Ravi Shankar, and amazing live performances by Leon Russell, Billy Preston and Bob Dylan

Great Live Recordings! (Guitar Rock from the 60's & 70's)

2011-07-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

One of the great thrills of music is when the musicians and audience are in the moment. Where nothing else matters other than the next note. Where time stands still as you are covered in the warmth of live music. Usually that feeling is very fleeting but through the magic of recordings sometimes those great evenings are recorded for posterity and go on to define a musicians career. I know there are many horrible rock, pop, metal, etc live records. But what are the really good ones? Which ones put you in front of the stage while the band takes you to another place?

Here are a few you should check out or revisit.

Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys

The band features: Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums. The music is on fire here. Every note cuts to the core. The guitar effects are spectacular. The performance of "Machine Gun" is definitive, a radio play, novel and rock opera all in one. One of the greatest live cuts of all time. And unfortunately the message is just as relevant today as it was then.

Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East

A 2 LP set recorded with the original line up. This is as much jazz as it is rock, blues and soul. Duane Allman's guitar sounds like a cry from the wilderness, like the wind through the trees, like water crashing onto the beach. His brother Gregg on keyboards and vocals provides tremendous backing. 10,15 and 20 minute tracks fly by as if they just got started. What a show this must have been to see live.

Santana - Lotus

A 3LP that has no excess. The band is starting to change but Carlos Santana is still on top of his game. Latin rock at its finest.

Grateful Dead - Live/Dead

A 2 Lp set. Features terrific performances of "Dark Star" and "St. Stephen". There was lots of life in the Dead at this point.

Osibia - Black Magic Night Live at the Royal Festival Hall

More percussion than guitar driven but fits in nicely with these other albums. Afro-latin, jazz fusion. This is great!

What live albums do it for you?

Afro Beat!

2011-07-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

The endless beat from Nigeria combining Yoruba, jazz, funk and highlife. Music that even allows dancing challenged individuals a chance to move and groove. It can be heard on CKCU every Sunday on This Island Earth and on occasion on other CKCU programs. Turn it up and leave it on!

It begins and ends with the wonderful Fela Kuti. Combining politics, showmanship and musician ship. There are few who could stand taller, play longer or groove better.

Tony Allen learned the trade drumming for Fela and has continued to push the boundaries.

Sonny Okosun would have some success in North America. His songs were on the soundtracks for: "Sun City" and "Something Wild".

Keeping the beat going in Nigeria is Funsho Ogundipe

Finally one of the leading Afrobeat bands of today is Antibalas. I have been lucky enough to see them live several times. It is a show that is not to be missed!

Frank Zappa Long Songs

2011-07-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

I hope you have had a chance to catch Bobby Marquis' ongoing series on Frank Zappa. This week he just aired part 8 of a group of interviews he has done with Frank Zappa alumni. It is a wonderful series: well researched and presented. You can hear it every Wednesday from 3:30pm-4:30pm or you can check out the audio archive here http://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/88/info.html.

So to end this week of long songs here is a master of the 8 minute + musical excursion. Frank Vincent Zappa!

Frank Zappa - Absolutely Free - Brown Shoes Don't Make It

Frank Zappa - Lumpy Gravy - Lumpy Gravy Part One

backed by the 50-piece Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra

Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat - King Kong. Zappa does Jazz Rock

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats - Willie the Pimp. Captain Beefheart on vocals.

Frank Zappa - Burnt Weeny Sandwich - Little House I Used to Live In. Features Don Preston on piano

Long Songs Part Three!

2011-07-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

Third and final sample of great long songs for long players. Which ones do you love to hear?

The Marshall Tucker Band - Southern Woman
jazzy and bluesy, southern rock. good music for a hot day!

Paul Butterfield Blues Band - East-West
rock, jazz, blues and indian raga. With Mike Bloomfield!

Sandy Bull - Inventions for Guitar & Banjo - Memphis Tennessee
radical take on this Chuck Berry classic backed by Billy Higgins!

Aretha Franklin - Live At Fillmore West - Spirit in the Dark

One of the best live recordings ever made. Features King Curtis and his band. Billy Preston on organ, Cornell Dupree on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums. At one point she invites Ray Charles up on the stage to join her for what would become a career defining moment! This video is not the same show but gives you a sense of what it was like

The Chambers Brothers - The Time Has Come - Time Has Come Today
one of the best psych rock songs ever

Long Songs Part 2

2011-07-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Well there are enough of them to go on forever so I think it will be ok if we do day two. What are those classic tracks you are hoping the DJ will drop? Here are a few people have enjoyed when I played them

Dr John - Remedies - Angola Anthem

this is one of the wildest tracks you have ever heard. the groove goes on forever and the chanting and singing is way out there. outstanding track!

Terry Callier - What Color Is Love - Dancing Girl

Why is he not better known? Combines funk, rock, folk, jazz and more. Has an amazing voice and writes and performs at a very high level. This is superb!

Lou Bond - Lou Bond - To The Establishment - Stax

Is this really his only record? Don't know a lot about him but this album and this
song in particular are wonderful

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul - Walk On By

The Bar Kays with one of the coolest people to ever walk the earth. Jaw dropping good.

Curtis Mayfield - Curtis - (Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go

Tough, cool, smart, amazing percussion, wild production and a performance that sizzles!

Sly and the Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On - Africa Talks To You "The Ashphalt Jungle"

such a talent who burned out way too soon. What style of music is this? Funk, soul, jazz? Doesn't matter it is great!

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - Right On

He can make the best 3 minute single you have ever heard and it turns out stretching it out was no problem.

Long Songs on Long Players (LP's)

2011-07-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Looking for your suggestions for great long songs. There are genres that feature many of course: classical, jazz, world and electronica come to mind. But for today I am thinking of the great long cuts that can take up half a side or an entire side of wax. Just about everyone in campus radio has a need for a long song from time to time and often the audience will love them as well. The freedom to play a 10minute + cut is one of the things that makes campus/community radio wonderful. Here are a few I have gone to from time to time.

The Sons of Champlin - Loosen Up Naturally - Freedom

all of side 4 on this classic double Lp. One of the many great bands in the late 60's and early 70's. Horn sections, organ and guitar. Great stuff

Barclay James Harvest - Barclay James Harvest - Dark Now My Sky

Takes a little time to get going but at more than 12minutes it has time and it ends up being a great closer to a superb debut LP by this Prog band from Oldham.

Strawbs - Just A Collection of Antiques and Curios - Where is this Dream of Your Youth

Staying on the other side of the pond for a moment this LP was recorded live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. The percussion is outstanding the band must have had a great time playing this.

Charlie Daniels Band - Fire on the Mountain - No Place To Go

Bluesy country rock in the Allman Brothers style with cowboy hats.

Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs - Loan Me A Dime

Made some pretty horrible stuff later on but this is sensational. In large part due to the great playing by Duane Allman. An all time classic!

What long songs do you enjoy?

CKCU 93.1 Radio Tribute to René Joly

2011-07-13T04:53:00.000-07:00

CKCU 93.1 Radio Tribute to René Joly with “tic” and guests There will a tribute and celebration of René Joly’s life on Wednesday’s Hump Day version of Special Blend on July 13, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:30 AM. The show will have on hand some close friends of René, plus “tic” will be featuring a lot of world, Celtic, and didgeridoo music from his collection. Special Guest Dick Alta Vista from “Both Kinds of Music” will play music from artists like: Katy Moffat, Bob Dylan, Guy Clark, Todd Snider, Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez, Tim O'Brien, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Tom T. Hall Kinky Friedman, John Prine, Ronee Blakely, Giant Sand, and Steve Forbert. He will continue the tribute on his show from 1:30-3:30. For those that knew him, René was an avid music lover attending Irene’s Pub, and many local and long distance music festivals. René passed away suddenly on March 29, 2011 at the age of 63. René’s family made a very generous donation of René’s CD collection to the CKCU Music Library – a superb collection collected over a lifetime by a true music lover. Our hosts and audiences will be all the richer as a result, and we will cherish this donation for a very long time.

Who To See At Bluesfest in Week Two

2011-07-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 12:

Baloji - National Bank Stage - 9:15pm - hip hop by this Congolese Belgian. A mix of politics, bravado and passion.

John Fogerty - MBNA Stage - 9:30pm - a dino who is really worth seeing still. The music is played in Dentist offices, elevators and grocery stores non-stop. But the heartbeat of rock and roll resides with Fogerty. And he can still do it like almost nobody else his age

Wednesday July 13:

The Dirtbombs - Hard Rock Stage - 7:45pm - Gritty Rock and Roll from Detroit with Mick Collins from the Gories. Need I say more? A must see show every time they are near here.

My Morning Jacket - MBNA Stage - 9:15pm - Wilco meets Neil Young. Probably not as good as either act but they have a lot to offer

Thursday July 14:

La-33 - National Bank Stage - 9:30pm - 12-piece salsa from Bogota. Named after Calle 33, their home street in the Colombian capital. This will be outstanding.

Friday July 15:

Big Sam's Funky Nation - 8pm - Subway Stage - Formed by Big Sam of dirty dozen fame. Funk from New Orleans led by slide trombone! People will be dancing at this stage!

Saturday July 16:

Braids - 6:30pm Subway Stage - Canadian shoegaze with a bit of rock, this may be on of those quiet little gems away from the Madding Crowd.

Sunday July 17:

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - 7:15pm - Hard Rock Cafe Stage - The acid jazz legend who came to fame with the Greyboy All Stars. Has become a little more rootsy but has not lost the funk and fun he has shown throughout a sparkling career. Should be great show!

Who would you most want to see at a house concert?

2011-07-08T04:54:00.000-07:00

In the fall we are planning to present a series of house concerts that listeners can win by joining the "friends of ckcu" mailing list. To join the list you can email info@ckfcufm.com and put "subscribe" in the subject. These concerts would allow you to invite 10 friends to your place and we would bring in some food from one of our wonderful sponsors as well as present a great local artist in the intimacy of your own home. If you could pick anyone local that you would want to have play at your place who would it be?

Who to see at Bluesfest in week one?

2011-07-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

Not sure who to pick? Not sure there is anyone worth seeing? Today we try to help you out with a few best bets for week one.

Wednesday July 6:

6pm Hardrock Stage - New Country Rehab - amazing country band from Toronto featuring the uber talented John Showman.

9:30pm - National Bank Stage - Jose Conde - maybe a little too slick but with enough latin energy and vibe to be well worth seeing

Thursday July 7:

9:15pm National Bank Stage - Sierra Maestra - Cuban son at its finest. Like the Buena Vista Social Club? then you will enjoy this show

Friday July 8:

9pm - Barney Danson Theatre - Sherman Robertson (he also plays Saturday and Sunday). Who knew there was blues at the Blues festival? And he presents a good show

9pm - Subway Stage - Wanda Jackson - Still rockin' with a career that has lasted for five decades. If you were not able to get in to her show at the Elmdale Tavern here is your chance.

9:30pm - MBNA Main Stage - The Black Keys - did you see them playing the CKCU 30th Anniversary Party in 2005 at Barrymore's. That was fun eh, see them again

Saturday July 9:

6:30pm - National Bank Stage - Larry McRay - what is happening? two solid blues acts at the Blues festival? What is the world coming to?

7:00pm - MBNA Stage - Dennis Coffey - one of the funkier 70+ people still touring. If he only plays "Scorpio" would you be disappointed?

Sunday July 10:

7:15pm - Hard Rock Cafe Stage - The Funky Meters - Are you kidding me? The Meters? Ivan Neville is here with two bands. They are must see shows

7:30pm - Subway Stage - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - How is this band allowed to play the "city that fun forgot". People might just get out of their lawn chairs and dance. Oh the horror.

9:30pm - Subway Stage - Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk - An entire evening with Ivan. Who says there is nothing to see at the festival this year?

If you could pick anyone alive for the Ottawa Bluesfest?

2011-07-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Over the last several years we have enjoyed several games with the Ottawa Bluesfest. First we start by scouring the web to find the rumours of who will be playing this year and then once the list comes out we then say how disappointed we are with who is coming. So today as the Bluesfest gets ready to start lets pick from the artists who are alive and decide who should be at the Bluesfest. We won't worry too much about having Blues acts at Bluesfest and we won't worry about Government funding for Canadian Artists, scheduling conflicts, budget or just about anything else that the organizers of the real Bluesfest need to consider. So there are 13 days for the Festival let's pick 5 artists per day for a total of 65 artists. The real Bluesfest has many more acts than that. Who would you pick if you could have anyone?

Here is my suggestions, please feel free to make yours of rip into these.

Tuesday July 5 - A New Orleans Day to kick things off

1) Allen Toussaint - there is nothing this guy can't do. Producer, songwriter, arranger, session pianist, solo artist, he is a one man festival

2) The Neville Brothers - some of the members are actually here at this year's festival. Soul, funk, R&B, just an amazing group who still sound great.

3) Dirty Dozen Boss Brass - R&B meets New Orleans Brass, a great party band

4) Maceo Parker - he is actually from North Carolina but he is of course about as close a connection to James Brown as possible and he just flat out grooves.

5) Dr. John - The Voodoo music is still swinging and Ottawa could use a little tribal communion.

Wednesday July 6: a little rock in a world where rock is almost gone

1) Japandroids - loud, fast and out of control, says good times at the fest

2) Crystal Antlers - from California, maybe not quite as loud but should be great live

3) The Twilight Singers - Dulli seems to have his act together, it's a good time to see him

4) The National - great pop band, the sort you may have thought were extinct

5) Arcade Fire - did you know the drummer of the band, Jeremy Gara was a co-op student at CKCU, hired as a summer student to sort LP's and was a tuesday afternoon host on CKCU?

Thursday July 7: aging singer/songwriter night or Hardly Strictly Bluegrass East

1) John Prine - despite years of hard living and fighting off cancer, he still puts on a great show

2) Guy Clark - why is not more popular? one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time

3)Emmylou Harris - still amazing. she could sing the phonebook and make it work. was later in her career when she started to write most of her own material. A national treasure.

4) Nick Lowe - is he really older? seems like yesterday he was in Rockpile? Well it wasn't but he has gracefully made the transition from "Heart of the City" to fit on this bill

5) Ry Cooder - songwriting may not be his best quality but he almost never performs and his rare shows are out of this world. as is his body of work

Friday July 8 - TGIF!

1) Aloe Blacc - one of the best singles in years, and it turns out he has other great songs also

2)Talib Kweli - loads of talent

3)Cee Lo Green - parental warnings aside, should be worth seeing

4)Janelle Monae - drama and music

5) Kanye West - topping off a topper of a show

Saturday July 9: Dinosaur Night # 1 - hey need to sleep in on Sunday

1)Ray Davies - played one of the best Bluesfest shows ever, please make up and bring back the Kinks. Or at least a band that can play like the Kinks.

2)Patti Smith - you don't want to come on the stage after her

3) Tom Waits - has never stopped being relevant

4) Lou Reed - aging with the anger and ferocity still intact. Maybe we will even get some Velvet Underground.

5) John Fogerty - the best Dino show in an arena I have ever seen and look at that he is here at the real Bluesfest

Sunday July 10: Country night for those who remember country music used to be about story telling

1) Ryan Bingham - sweet sweet country music. one to keep an eye on

2) Robert Earl Keen Jr. - despite his best efforts he is still going strong

3) Vince Gill - you may need to take my word because the recordings don't show much but he has a great live show and can pull it off on a big stage

4) Allison Krauss - has it all including a lights out band

5) Avett Brothers - not really country, but they can write, sing and need to be at the festival

Monday July 11: let's call this critics and cool kids day. no day off at this fest

1) Animal Collective - freak folk? melodic psych? something like that

2) Fleet Foxes - baroque pop? i think you get the idea. one hot band

3) Sufjan Stevens - critic fave who can back up all the claims

4) Joanna Newsom - ok if you don't know go get the music. better yet get a turntable, buy the LP's, drop the needle and then get to her show

5) TV on the Radio - another critic fave that will deliver good times

Tuesday July 12: the return of Lilith Fair

1) Cat Power - seeing her at the Black Sheep Inn was one of the most unusual and best shows ever

2) The Submarines - they are pretty catchy eh!

3) Joan as Police Woman - music sounds good on the recordings could the live show be strong as well?

4) Adele - who knew you can be popular and have some talent?

5) Laura Marling - yet another person with talent who can sell records. What is the world coming to?

Wednesday July 13: Atmospheric night. Let's hope there is a pink sunset and then a lightning storm in the distance

1) Julianna Barwick - ethereal sound scapes will send you to another place.

2) A Silver Mount Zion - chamber rock from Montreal, will mix well with the sounds of the transitway

3) Godspeed You Black Emperor - sharing some of the same members as Mount Zion, they will complete the interplanetary travel

4) The Sea and Cake - cerebral music at a festival? why not

5) Tortoise - still going and showing no signs of slowing down

Thursday July 14: Words Night

1) Garland Jeffreys - one of the best live shows you will see. oh yeah he writes amazing songs too

2)Michael Franti - is it possible to keep getting better and better?

3)Saul Williams - back doing his thing, and what a thing it is

4) Mike Ladd - amazing live performer, spoken work at its finest

5) The Roots - been here before, I think it is time to see them again.

Friday July 15: Afrobeat Night

1) Tinariwen - been here at least twice before, can't come often enough

2)Souljazz Orchestra - more than deserve to play this day!

3)Antibalas - killer live show

4)Tony Allen - what a show he did in Ottawa!

5)Seun Kuti - not his father but he puts on a great party

Saturday July 16 - Dino Night # 2 - somebody has to buy a ticket

1) Mark Knopfler - please suck it up and bring back Dire Straits

2) Jeff Lynne - do what you can to re-live the Move and ELO and the Wilbury's and...

3) Tom Petty - wow a dino who still has new music we might like

4)Neil Young - maybe he can try an outdoor festival show again and bring back Crazy Horse. they may not have been as bad as we thought

5) Bob Dylan - still clinging to the hope he can pick up a guitar again, regain his voice and play with the Hawks. Oh well let's instead count on a good beer sponsor to aid with appreciating what little he has left in the tank

Sunday July 17: I guess there should be some blues

1) Eric Bibb - despite his handsome looks he can pull off hurtin' like few others

2) Corey Harris - sit back and drink this in, has bite but worth it

3) King Clarentz - would love to see him

4) T Model Ford - is he still alive and performing? if so he is a must

5) Mavis Staples - not just blues but she has heard them and she is fabulous live

Well there it is. Flame away.

Happy 4th of July!!!

2011-07-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day to our friends in the USA. Thank you for the declaration of independence, for Thomas Jefferson, John Steinbeck, Benjamin Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Jesse Owens, FDR, JFK, baseball, jazz, Walt Whitman, James Brown, Henry David Thoreau, Irving Berlin, Martin Luther King Jr, R&B, Babe Ruth, Bob Dylan, John Muir, John Coltrane, Soul, Rosa Parks, Funk, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marvin Gaye, Ralph Waldo Emmerson, Sam Cooke, Helen Keller, Duke Ellington, Jackie Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Jonas Edward Salk, Country Music, Cole Porter, Frederick Douglass, The Carter Family, Sinclair Lewis, Hank Williams, Robert Frost, Frank Sinatra, The Grand Ole Opry, Albert Einstein, Chess Records, Miles Davis, Muhammad Ali, Willie Dixon, Ernest Hemmingway, Cesar Chavez, Robert Johnson, Harriet Ross Tubman, Blues, Mardi Gras, Carl Sagan, Ray Charles, and Harry Belafonte!

Here are a few songs to celebrate the day

Woody Guthrie - This Land is Your Land

Dave Alvin - 4th of July

Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun.

and finally Nina Simone

What songs do you want to send out to our American friends.

Great Canadian Songs

2011-06-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

As we get ready to wave the flag and celebrate our love for this fair land let's look at some songs that tell part of the story of what it means to be Canadian. I am going to start with two Canadian icons, Ian and Sylvia. A rodeo rider in his youth, he took up music while recovering from an injury he sustained in a fall. He would go on to become part of the folk scene in Toronto and later New York. With this song he wrote a classic that sounds as old as time but was written in 1963. It has everything from: living in the cold, working hard and finding some hope along with the hard times.

"If I get there before the snow flies
And the things are going good
You could meet me if I send you down the fare
But by then it would be winter
There ain't too much for you to do
And those winds sure can blow cold way out there"

here is "Log Driver's Waltz" written by Wade Hemsworth and performed here by Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Hemsworth studied painting at the Ontario College of Art. And served with the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War Two. While Stationed in Newfoundland he discovered traditional music. After the war he worked as a surveyor in the wilderness of Labrador, Northern Ontario and Quebec. In the 50's he moved to Montreal and worked as a draftsman for the CNR. He would write and record some quintessential Canadian folk tunes including the "Black Fly Song" and this one. Here it is animated by the NFB.

here is "Acadian Driftwood" by the Band. This group of Canadians and one American (Levon Helm) are noted for being at the forefront of writing the myth of the South and Americana in general. Tucked in with those themes there is this ode to the Acadians who were kicked off their land.

"fifteen under zero when the day became a threat
My clothes were wet and I was drenched to the bone
Been out ice fishing, too much repetition
Make a man wanna leave the only home he's known"

now being Canadian isn't all sad, lonely and cold is it? when we are not burning cars after losing the hockey game. there are a few of us who can kick back, crack open a smile and an adult beverage and say. I am Canadian, happy and proud. Jack Scott was born in Windsor and put out some great hits in the late 50's and early 60's. No woe is me here.

"The way I walk is just the way I walk
The way I talk is just the way I talk
The way I smile is just the way I smile
Touch me baby, and I'll go home wild!"

What songs say "Canada" to you?

Unusual music on Soundtracks?

2011-06-28T05:10:00.000-07:00

I have to admit last night I was watching "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2". It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and there was a moment in the film where I almost fell off the couch. During one scene they played Cesaria Evora. I never expected to hear something from my prized music collection played in a film like that.

I started to think what other movies have music that you would never expect? How about, "Henry Poole Is Here" starring Luke Wilson, who might be a friend of Robert Zimmerman. The film is about "Henry Poole moves in to a house in his old neighborhood, to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone. The discovery of a "miracle" by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life." light stuff and I did not expect to hear Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet"

Finally my mouth hit the floor when I was watching "Cars" with my kids and heard none other than Hank Williams singing "My Heart Would Know" on the soundtrack. Pixar and Hiram King Williams? Is this a sign of the apocalypse?

Have you had any of these moments?

Best Album Cover Art Part 2

2011-06-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Let's continue with some of the great album cover's theme. On the CKCU Facebook site "Moonbase Alpha" has added the wonderful: The Bats: The Lawn of Things

I really like the cover for: Colour Haze - All - on Electrohash Records. This LP was given to me by Derek Bradshaw, host of Crossing Boredom on CKCU. The music by the way is just as good as the cover

When I was a kid we had a portable record player and a few discs. The one I remember best was Woody Guthrie - Songs To Grow On For Mother and Child. Truly great music full of wonder and promise and it turns out the art work suits it. There is more than one cover for this LP but this is the one we had and reminds me of the TV show "Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings".

Finally this cover reminds me of a Tintin adventure. It is Klaatu - Raarities

Best Album Cover Art

2011-06-24T11:33:00.001-07:00

No matter what your thoughts are about the value of downloads, cd's, etc it is hard to argue that vinyl rules with Cover Art. But if you want to make that argument. Go ahead! I am all "eyes". From replicas of classic paintings to wild freak out moments to who knows what there is something tactile, engaging and wonderous to sitting in front of great album cover art, ideally while the LP in question is spinning in the background. What does the album say about the band? About you? Is there a secret message? Do you need to make sure your parents don't see it? From the crude and rude to the mundane to wild fantasy you can trip the light fantastic with just the beauty of the art. There have been many great album covers over the years. What are your faves? Here are a few to revel in or revile.

One of the all time greats has to be Roger Dean. His work with Yes is definitive.

I have always been fond of his work with the bombastic rock band Budgie

And of course his work with Gentle Giant was inspiring and educational

Artist Frank Frazetta was pretty wonderful also.

Which album covers do it for you?

R.I.P. Roberto Miranda

2011-02-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

We have lost part of the heart and soul of CKCU. Roberto Miranda, long-time host of "Punto De Encuentro" has passed away. It was such a pleasure to know him. The warmth of his handshake would stay with you for hours. A kind gentle soul, he did so much to help so many. Every time he came to the station to pre-record an interview for his Wednesday night show, he made us all feel so special. What a wonderful man.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

matthew crosier

MIRANDA CALDERON, Eduardo Roberto Born on January 21, 1955 in Guatemala, and died peacefully at home in Ottawa on February 17, 2011, surrounded by family and friends. Roberto came to Canada in 1993, a refugee from political persecution in Guatemala. His brother Willy had been killed by the Guatemalan dictatorship. Roberto's profound love of life enabled him to turn his suffering and that of his family into a life-long engagement with social justice. He was a union leader in Guatemala and a dedicated member of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. He was a born teacher-starting with children in Guatemala and ending with Spanish classes at Health Canada. Everyone who met Roberto learned some Spanish-his enthusiasm was infectious. Together with some of his students, with his union, and with many friends, he founded Education in Action, an organisation that works with the Campesino Committee of the Highlands in Guatemala to build houses for impoverished campesinos. Roberto's love of life and abundant generosity of spirit touched everyone he met-whether he was playing soccer, shopping at garage sales, organizing events for fair trade Cafe Justicia, or laughing with friends and with his beloved wife Yolanda and children, Danny and Florecita. He will be profoundly missed by family and friends all over the world. Friends may pay respects at the Kelly Funeral Home, 585 Somerset St. W. (centretown) on Saturday from 7 to 9pm. Funeral to St. Joseph's Church on Sunday at 2pm. In memoriam donations to Education in Action ( education-in-action.squarespace.com ) Hasta siempre, companero! www.kellyfh.ca

Drums! Drums! Drums!

2011-01-14T05:07:00.000-08:00

It's Friday. Strike up the drums and drive us to the weekend. Today a list of boom ba da boom to drive the cold winter away.

Susie Ibarra - Drum Sketches - Innova - 2007

I can still feel the beat from her show at the Ottawa Jazz Festival all those years ago. All her discs are worth giving a spin as is her work with the likes of Matthew Shipp and Wiliam Parker. On this disc she alternates between the drum kit, kulintang and surunay. Solo percussion of great beauty and texture.

Art Blakey - The African Beat - Blue Note - 1962

One of the all time greats. This may not be his best disc but it sure is fun to listen to. Thunderous booming drums, driving beats a soundstage that goes from wall to wall. African rhythms driven by American jazz. Crank it!

Louie Bellson - Skin Deep - Verve - 1955

he played like a fiend for 15 minutes and kept the audience thrilled or he can use brushes with the softest touch. and he was one of the first to play two bass drums at the same time. ohhh joy!!!!

and of course there are many others such as Buddy Rich and Joe Morello to explore

The Master Drummers of Burundi - The Master Drummers of Burundi - 1994- Arion

time to get up and dance. it must be something else to see this show live! or even better to play with them!!!

Olodum - Live at the Montreaux Jazz Festival - Continental - 1997

from South America to the world. let's take the streets and rip it up!

Clyde Stubblefield - The Funky Drummer (from James Brown single 1970 later released on the compilation "In The Jungle Groove"

Have a great weekend!

Jazz Artists to watch in 2011

2011-01-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

Who do you think will make music that matters in 2011?

Here are a few I am looking forward to:

Youn Sun Nah - this Korean Jazz vocalist earned rave reviews for her 2010 release "Same Girl" on ACT. Although she has been around for some time she is just starting to get noticed on this side of the Atlantic.

Enjoy this fun take on Metallica

Vijay Iyer - American Jazz pianist who melds jazz with Indian Classical music. Regularly works with the wonderful Rudresh Mahanthappa. And has collaborated with Mike Ladd. Last year his "Solo" disc was on many best of the year lists. What's next? His upcoming disc is called "Tirtha" and finds him performing with Prassana and Nitin Mitta!

Phronesis - featuring bass player Jasper Hoiby. Have begun to win awards in the UK and appear poised to make a name for themselves in Canada and the USA.

CKCU's Top 50 of 2010

2011-01-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the amazing online play lists at CKCU we can now present a full chart for the entire year! Thanks to Colin Henein for all his hard work making this happen. Here is the link to the full list on our web site. These are the albums that were played the most on CKCU in 2010!

http://cod.ckcufm.com/charts/2010.html

1 Arcade Fire The Suburbs
2 The Acorn No Ghost
3 Shad Black Box
4 the Sadies Darker Circles
5 Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record

6 Trevor Alguire Now Before Us
7 Stars The Five Ghosts
8 Terry Gillespie Big Money
9 Black Mountain Wilderness Heart
10 Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans The Falcon Lake Incident

Best Box Sets of 2010

2010-12-24T05:26:00.000-08:00

Ahhh the big epic collection of multi disc sets on LP/CD/Download. Holding the promise of great unreleased tracks, rare photos and well written essays on the importance of your favorite band, record label or style of music. Often they end up being disappointing but sometimes you find a bit of magic. Today I hope you may find some gems here.

1) Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology - Numero Group

I have heard a few tracks from this forgotten soul star before and enjoyed them. Here you have 6LP's and 4 CD's that are fantastic. 52 page booklet. 81 songs. Less than $80. A no brainer. This is amazing. If you like Al Green, Wilson Pickett or Marvin Gaye then this is for you

2) CTI Records - The Cool Revolution - Masterworks Jazz

4 CD's surveying Creed Taylor's wonderful jazz label. Gold by Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine and many more. Straight ahead at times, very funky at others. An outstanding collection. Check out this Esther Phillips version of Gil Scott-Heron's classic. Home is Where the Hatred Is. This is a great box set,

3) Africa - 50 Years of Music 1960-2010 - Sterns Africa - 18 CD's, 185 songs from 39 countries. Organized by six categories: north, south, east, west, central and Portuguese-speaking. 3 cd's for each category. Stars like Manu Dibango are sequenced with lesser known but equally great artists. This can be found for under $80 also an excellent value

4) Ponte Duro: The Fania All Stars Story - Codigo Music

Four CD set, 3 of them are live! With what has to be one of the best live acts of all time. 1970's Salsa in New York. This music grooves as well as anything you have ever heard. Sizzling set that burns! Essential

5) Akira Kurosawa's Movie Soundtracks - Doxy

a four LP set containing the full soundtracks to Rashomon (1950), Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954), A Living Being (1955), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958). Full colour artwork depicting the poster to each movie. Features composers Fumio Hayasaka. and Masaru Satō. Sweeping music that will transport you to another realm. Did you like the Star Wars "Empire Theme" now hear the original!

Songs of 2010

2010-12-23T05:49:00.000-08:00

Today I want to look back at the singles of 2010. Those catchy moments of things that stick in your head.

Here are a few:

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar from his disc "Good Things". John Tackaberry played this on "Black and Blues" you are a cool guy "Rusty Tack"

Arcade Fire - Sprawl 2 - from "The Suburbs"

drummer Jeremy Gara was a co-op student at CKCU and hosted a great show on Tuesday afternoon!

Caribou - Odessa - from his LP "Swim"

more great beats from this Canadian mathematician

The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio - from "High Violet"

this catchy tune was played a few times on CKCU this year

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - I Learned the Hard Way - title track to her latest

sounds nothing like 2010 but this is timeless

Best of 2010 Part 7

2010-12-22T05:04:00.001-08:00

Well we are at the end of this series. I hope you enjoyed this survey of some of the year's best. Let's finish with the sort of disc that doesn't usually work and that is a veteran performer who teams up with young hipsters and makes something contemporary. Gil Scott-Heron is not a typical music veteran and his latest "I'm New Here" is shockingly good. If you don't have any of his records this could be a good start but you would be better off picking up a copy of "Pieces of A Man", it is one of the best records with a message of all time. He has made many other great tracks during his 30 year career as well and I think that "I'm New Here" will not be an afterthought when he is finished. His reading Robert Johnson's "Me And the Devil" is bone chilling.

"It must-a be that old evil spirit, so deep down in the ground
You may bury my body, down by the highway side"

Hip beats thump over cello loops and are thrown under the wheels of dark, dangerous poetry. This is not a happy record. It has the scars of junkies and the stench of sewers and the fear of a world gone wrong. But is so real that you may need to leave the lights on and hold on to your teddy bear at night.

" if you see the vulture coming
Flying circles in your mind
Remember there is no escaping
For he will follow close behind"

It is Robert Johnson back with us in 2010

Best of 2010 Part 6

2010-12-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for that last minute Christmas gift for a music fan? Or maybe you are getting ready for a Boxing Day sale to get something for yourself. Well, today's pick for Best of 2010 may just be the one to get. With the Starbucks push behind the "Buena Vista Social Club" it is easy to write it off. But if you go back and listen to that disc you will be thrilled by how great it is. Today's choice is a little or maybe a lot of what the Buena Vista Social Club was meant to be. Produced Nick Gold had intended for the amazing Cubans and Ry Cooder to be joined by two Malian master musicians: Bassekou Kouyate and Djelimady Tounkara. Unfortunately they were not able to get visas to visit Cuba and the recording progressed without them. Now 16 years later a terrific Cuban cast including Eliades Ochoa is joined by Mali's, Toumani Diabate and Lassana Diabate as well as Kouyate and Tounkara. The result is a mix of Cuban and African music that is as good as any hybrid before them. There is no way you can listen to this and not smile and nod your head. This music connects to the happy place inside of all of us.

Best of 2010 Part 5

2010-12-20T06:29:00.001-08:00

Funk, soul and chill out groove with jazz on the latest release by the Whitefield Brothers. They charged on to the scene with "In the Raw" in 2002. Now eight years later they are bringing down the house with "Earthology".

A quick check of the CKCU online play lists (http://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/search.html) shows that the disc has been played on programs as diverse as: Cold Heat, Unclassifiable, This Island Earth, Steve Kirkland and Roots and Rhythms. Giving you some idea of how diverse the appeal is to this LP/disc.

It is a stone funk classic and will be enjoyed for years to come. Hip Hop influences meet very funky jazz, percussion drives the beat everywhere. Traditional instruments rock out. This disc is pure F-U-N!!!!!

Best of 2010 Part 4

2010-12-17T05:20:00.000-08:00

Texas has been a hotbed for incredible singer/songwriters for some time. And you could extend that to say it has just been a great place for musicians. Since it is/has been home to greats from many styles of music as well including: Van Cliburn, Charles Brown, Cliff Bruner, Charlie Christian, Roy Hargrove, Buddy Holly, Bob Wills and many more. But for today I want to look at singer/songwriters. The Lone Star State has seen more than it's share of greats: Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Willie Nelson, etc. etc. If you like those artists than you will love, Ryan Bingham. His debut disc, Mescalito, with Lost Highway Records in 2007 was outstanding. In 2009 he put out the superb "Roadhouse Sun" and this year he hit another one out of the park with "Junky Star". It is a roots rock masterpiece. An "On the Road" for countrified folkies. Did I mention he won an Oscar for "the Weary Kind" in the movie, Crazy Heart. Yes this is the same guy. There is nothing new here. It is sex and drugs and rock and roll. And relationships and self doubt. It is just done as well as anyone.

Best of 2010 Part 3

2010-12-16T05:23:00.000-08:00

This is something of a sentimental choice for today I want to highlight, guitar player, Jack Rose. He passed away in Dec 2009 at the age of 38 from a heart attack at the age of 38. As I think about it more, his sad ending is why I thought of this record but it more than stands on its own for the music.

This is a superb disc of instrumental acoustic guitar. Drawing upon the roots of blues and folk and early bluegrass and brought into today this is one of those escape to a desert island discs. Without the need for a passport. Beautiful from beginning to end. This is a classic

Best of 2010 Part 2

2010-12-15T05:31:00.000-08:00

So far I decided not to rank these releases but that will probably change. Instead for the next little bit I want to highlight some of the best music of 2010 and then we will release what got the most airplay on CKCU in 2010.

For today I want to spotlight another singer/songwriter, this time an American, Joanna Newsom. "Have One on Me" is the follow up to the spectacular "Ys", 2006. Her latest is one sweeping epic, part "Dr Zhivago" and part "Canticle for Leibowitz". Within the majesty are stark, quiet, personal moments of great intensity. She patches together a quilt of word play that is unique, varied and at times almost impenetrable. Her harp and voice tie it all together. In an often dull world she is the Dorothy after the tornado.

Best of 2010

2010-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

In reality I doubt one can ever fully figure out the best releases for any year, at least not till some significant time has passed. But anyways over the next few segments here I want to highlight some good music that you may want to listen to. Please feel free to comment and make suggestions about music that hit you in a way that you are still thinking about.

I am going to begin with an artist who has been making a name for herself in a short time and who is being compared to some iconic singer/songwriters. I am talking about, Laura Marling. Her latest disc is called "I Speak Because I Can". This UK singer came to attention at the age of 16 through a series of brilliant songs she posted on Myspace and at the age of 18 she put out the ridiculously good, "Alas I Cannot Swim".

She writes and sings with a wisdom that belies her years. Her slightly husky voice is intoxicating and her writing is direct and passionate. There is little in the way of woes me, navel gazing. And she isn't tip toeing through the tulips. Not every song knocks you over but more than enough do to make this a must listen if you like singer-songwriters.

In "Rambling Man," she writes:

its funny how the first chords that you come to
are the minor notes that come to serenade you
it's hard to accept yourself as someone
you don't desire
as someone you don't want to be

I think she just summed up our times as well as David Byrne did with "Once In A Lifetime".

I have enjoyed the music of Regina Spektor and Feist and I adore Bonnie "Prince" Billy who Marling lists as a vital influence but I think in a short time she is now head and shoulders above them. This is the work of a mature, thoughtful, passionate person who says the things we wish we could put into words. She may very well be the artist of the 2010's!

Best Year Ever for Ottawa Music # 5

2010-12-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

What a year it has been. I hope calling everyone here, Ottawa artists hasn't relegated them in any way as just good for a "local" band. The reality is everyone listed here has made great music and can and should be appreciated by music fans living in Ottawa or Tokyo. Adding to this amazing year is the latest release by John Geggie, Ottawa's bass player extraordinaire. From his work with Chelsea Bridge to his guest appearances with the NAC Orchestra to his late night jam sessions at the Ottawa Jazz Festival to his stunning series of annual concerts at the NAC 4th stage he has created so many magical music moments at live shows and in the recording studio it is hard to imagine that the best is yet to come. But that is what his latest CD "Across the Sky" shows clearly. It is an amazing disc and is one of the best discs I heard this year. It features drummer Nick Fraser, pianist Nancy Walker
and saxophonist Donny McCaslin. This disc swings, swirls, swoops and soars across a moving shady soundscape. This is accessible music that dips a little outside from time to time. The canvas they paint is beautiful and stays with you for a long time.

Best Year Ever for Ottawa Music # 4

2010-12-09T06:40:00.001-08:00

The Mighty Popo is a Rwandan refugee who has made frigid Ottawa home and has helped countless people in Africa and Canada throughout the years. In the "City That Fun Forgot" he is one of the few who gets the passive crowd, dancing and singing. He has it all! The stage presence, the material and the musical chops. If anyone should be a music star it should be the "Mighty Popo".

His latest release "Gakondo" is another ridiculously good CD. "Gakondo" means origins or tradition. His live shows and previous releases were rooted in traditional music but were informed and infused with elements of Reggae, Soul, Blues and R&B. "Gakondo" features: Intwatwa songs of the Batwa people. Popo has steeped himself in the poetry of the “Ibwami” and has created a tribute to ancient songs and poems that tell the story of an entire civilization. The lyrics are written solely in Kinyarwanda, Rwanda’s only indigenous language.

The solo numbers were recorded live in the studio with one microphone picking up both the vocal and the guitar. The rest of the album was recorded live in the studio with minimal overdubs on percussion; the bells were recorded straight from the footsteps of the dancer. The result is a stunning world class recording that provides musical gifts every time you play it.

Dance into your favorite local record store and pick this up as soon as you can.

Best Year Ever for Ottawa Music? # 3

2010-12-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a band that seems to have burst onto the scene but in reality is a group of friends who have been playing in various bands for years. And there is a certain bias here towards how good this group is. The bias is because it features CKCU volunteers and friends of CKCU. But I think despite the rose coloured glassed, this is one fantastic group and recording. The group in question is "The Band Whose Name is A Symbol" and the LP is "Biker Smell". It features a large cast which includes: John Westhaver, host of "Friday Morning Cartunes" on CKCU, that is one of the best radio shows on the planet and Bill Guerrero whose CKCU program, "Crimes Against Music" is pretty great also. The music is a wall of psych rock and stoner rock that hits you like the storm from Sinclair Ross' "Painted Door". It is a mind blowing, earthquake smashing bonanza. This record is a must have for the collection!

Best Year Ever for Ottawa Music? # 2

2010-12-06T05:49:00.000-08:00

I would suggest that over at least the last 10 years, the artist who has received the most love on CKCU has been Jim Bryson. On a station that for the most part features the no-repeat year, Mr Bryson has been in regular rotation. I remember years ago at a Birdman Festivus party, John Westhaver introducing Jim by saying we were about to hear the most important singer/songwriter in Ottawa. If memory serves correctly this was before Jim had released his debut disc. John does not shower praise on people often so I listened carefully to Jim live and on his recordings and I have been doing so ever since. All of them are worth having in your collection and I think that his latest "The Falcon Lake Incident" is the best yet. It doesn't hurt that the Weakerthans play with him on this disc, they have been one of the best Canadian bands themselves over the last decade. Jim's voice just keeps getting better and better. It's warm, vulnerable and passionate. The music is of course roots rock of the finest kind and would not be out of place on an Uncle Tupelo disc. Recorded in a cabin during a frigid Manitoba winter, the disc is named after a UFO sighting from the late 60's that happened nearby. I can't really see any connection with the lyrics but that doesn't take away from anything. John Westhaver was right (as always), Jim has become a fabulous songwriter and is on even footing with other great Ottawa based songwriters - Lynn Miles and Ian Tamblyn. His personal observations on life are gripping and he is able to come across as if he is talking just to you. This is a superb disc!

Best Year Ever for Ottawa Music?

2010-12-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

2010 may not be hands down the best year ever for music in Ottawa but it has to be in the conversation. In a variety of styles we have seen amazing live shows and recordings made this year by the residents of the Nation's Capital. All of these fine folks have graced CKCU for interviews and live performances. Over the next week or so we will highlight some of their outstanding releases. Feel free to add your comments and suggestions. And better yet pick some of these up as presents for yourself or friends.

Let's start with the debut release by vocalist,Renee Yoxon, "Let's Call It A Day". A Carleton grad with a degree in physics and minors in math and music. She has burst onto the Ottawa Jazz scene as THE singer to listen to. This collection of Jazz/Folk with guitarist Renee Gely mixes the Great American Songbook with jazz/pop classics and one original.

Many have done this before and some are untouchable. Most of them of course are ho-hum paint by numbers and are not worth repeat listening. "Let's Call It A Day" thankfully is one of those discs that stands up to serious listening time. Yoxon gets right into the songs and sings in the moment with a passion and joy that connects with the listener. The delicate and understated arrangements by Gely bring the power of the compositions forward. There is a respect to the lyricists that is appreciated. And there is always a sense of fun here that can't be missed. There was a time when the craft of songwriting was a full time job for people whose craft was impeccable. That is celebrated here but it is not a dusty shelved museum piece. It is alive with smoldering heat that is hinted at with the cover. Forget those horrible Rod Stewart homages to the songwriters of the past or those middle of the road strolls with Norah Jones. Instead I encourage you to find a wonderful escape here with a singer of terrific quality. Who knows where she will go next but I am sure we will be hearing from her for some time to come.

Hidden Music Gems #5

2010-12-02T05:17:00.001-08:00

Last one of these for a while but it is probably the best of the bunch. Later on these guys become way too slick but there was a time when they were as good as it gets and that time was 1971. If this record only had "Ohio/Machine Gun" on it, you could not go wrong buying it. Thankfully it also includes 6 other covers. It is a record of its time and it is timeless. The Vietnam war, civil rights movement, environmental issues, were all on fire at the time and throwing gas on the blaze is this superb LP. That opening cut that combines Neil Young's observations on the Kent State shooting with the Jimi Hendrix is spell binding. What really makes this work is that music is terrific. The way they make music by Stephen Stills and James Taylor their own is breath taking. If you know nothing of the turmoil of 71 you will still love this disc it's that good.

Hidden Music Gems # 4

2010-12-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

Here is another disc that is FUN and if you only know the group from their 80's hits you would never think this is the same band. Well before MTV and before they played cheesy synths, the J Geils Band, tore the roof off one bar after another and in their day were a must see show. Recorded in 1972 at Detroit's Cinderella Ballroom they feature songs off their first 2 LP's. Everything is played at a furious pace. They are no masters of the blues to find the best version of these Otis Rush or John Lee Hooker tunes you should go to the legends themselves. But to just have a rip roaring good time, this is a fabulous slab of vinyl.

Hidden Music Gems # 3

2010-11-25T05:16:00.000-08:00

If you grew up in the 80's or later it's hard to imagine that Bob Seger or perhaps more accurately the Bob Seger System was this good. But there was a time when they rocked as much as anyone who was part of the "Detroit Rocks: scene. Put this record on and don't tell anyone who it is, if they like gritty, dirty, bug in your teeth rock. They will want it turned up to 11. "Lucifer" is as good a 2.30min barrage as you will ever hear. Things sure went south for his music after this. Mind you I imagine his bank account was much bigger in the later years.

Hidden Music Gems #2

2010-11-24T05:42:00.000-08:00

Part two in this series. Another disk I discovered through my CKCU colleagues. This time it was CKCU Sponsorship/Fundraising Coordinator and one of the hosts from "This Island Earth", Ron Steeds who turned me on to this great disc. The band is "Heads Hand and Feet" which features, English guitar wizard, Albert Lee. The album is "Old Soldiers Never Die". Sounding like a mix of: the Allman Brothers, the Band, the Grateful Dead and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It is a terrific find that stands up to repeat listening.

Hidden Music Gems #1

2010-11-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

I want to run a few different lists of essential or at least interesting music finds. I encourage you to fire off your ideas as well. CKCU is full of people who love music, are obsessed by it and live for it. Over the many years I have been so lucky to chat music with many of our hosts. My first hidden gem comes from one of those conversations. This one with CKCU's Chair of the Board of Directors and host of the Sunday Night Mind Melt, Bijon Roy. He told me about the first solo record by David Crosby. I admit I was skeptical about the disc, although I like Crosby on harmony vocals, I didn't think he had the songwriting chops or leadership skills to pull off a solo disc. When I looked at the LP and saw it was full of guest stars including: Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Jorma Kaukonen, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, Grace Slick and Neil Young, I thought my fears would be confirmed. But when I found the copy here at the station and put it on, I was blown away.

It is a shambolic mini masterpiece. Off the rails, in the ditches and basking in a sunset of warmth. It chugs and puffs through one sweeping soundscape to another. Crosby's vocals are somewhat hidden in a subterfuge of haze and somehow it works. Looking to escape the early winter blues? here is a cheap passage that doesn't require a passport.

Thanks Bijon

David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name

Thanks!

2010-11-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a long and winding road over the past month. Somehow we seem to have found our way through the weeds. Thanks ever so much to everyone who donated to CKCU this year! Thanks to all the alumni and current volunteers who came out to celebrate with us for our 35th Anniversary events!

Thanks to our sponsors, listeners, Carleton University, Carleton University Students, CUSA, GSA, CKCU Board of Directors and volunteers for being the heart and soul of this little station that could and did!

Last Day of CKCU 2010 Funding Drive!!!!

2010-11-07T06:28:00.001-08:00

We are over $102,000 - $8000 to go and 8 and a half hours left

Looks like it will be a dramatic finish this afternoon. We have been closing the gap this week-end from the pace we set over the last few years.

Excellent shows yesterday by Canadian Spaces, Back 40, The Groove and Reggae in the Fields in particular and many other shows also saw support from the audience.

And here we are the last Sunday and the target is in sight. I think we can do this and obviously our listeners do also. Through your hard work and their generous support we may just once again push this little station that could up over the big hill. We are on the cusp of going from "I think I can, I think I can" on the way up to the joy of "I thought I could, I thought I could" after rising over the mountain.

I hope all of you can make it out to our 35th Anniversary Party on Nov 13th at Porter Hall, 2nd Floor Unicentre Building so I can thank you in person. Along with the buffet dinner and great conversation, we will have a terrific CKCU swag bag that you can only get at the dinner, filled with unique CKCU stuff.

May the Mighty 93 live on and live long

Matthew Crosier

Final Weekend for CKCU Funding Drive 2010

2010-11-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Final Friday for CKCU Funding Drive.m we are almost at $85,000 and we need to reach $110,000 by Sunday at 5:30pm to make our goal. Please support CKCU and help us celebrate our 35th Anniversary by calling (613)520-3920 (1)877-520-3920 or ckcufm.com. Thanks!!!

Can't say thanks enough to everyone who has already donated. It means a lot to us!!!

The next 35th Anniversary event is on Saturday night at Babylon featuring the Band Whose Name is a Symbol and Slim Cessnas Autoclub. The rockers from Denver are one of the best live bands that I have ever seen and I have been lucky enough to see them three times. Every show went by so fast, it felt like they had just taken the stage but in reality close to 2 hours had raced by. And I suddenly forgot I am from the city that fun forgot and had started cheering and dancing along. So get yourself out to Babylon on Saturday and bring your dancing shoes!!!

Carleton Alumni Weekend on Sat May 15

2010-05-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

This Saturday Carleton Almuni weekend will include a tour of CKCU. We are celebrating our 35th anniversary in November so we are particularly pleased to be included in this Alumni Weekend. If you attend you will get a chance to tour CKCU and take part in a production work shop.

Ottawa Festival Season 2010

2010-05-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

So many choices and many are expensive.

Who do you look forward to seeing this year?

Ottawa Jazz Festival 2010:

The NAC 4th Stage shows with Tomasz Stanko, Christian Scott and Tord Gustavsen should be spectacular. The intimate environment is bound to make these special shows.

Joe Lovano and the Roy Hargrove Big Band are highlights I look forward to on the main stage.

Mostly Other People Do the Killing may very well be the best show of them all.

Ottawa Bluesfest 2010:

The Campbell Brothers return and they put on a tremendous live show.

The Occidental Brothers should be great.

Alejandro Escovedo on the indoor stage, wow!

Ottawa Chamber Festival 2010:

Barbara Furtuna performs with the amazing Constantinople Ensemble.

Best of 2009

2009-12-29T11:14:00.000-08:00

Hello,

While we continue to work on the new CKCUFm.COM. I wanted to get a blog going for the station. During the month of January we will get the audio streaming fixed and start CKCU Podcasting. We will also have the on-line playsheets working and get the calendars and show highlights fixed. Yes you have probably heard that before but I am feeling pretty optimistic about it working this time. So to start the CKCU blog I wanted to see what people felt were the best releases of 2009. I want to stay with new music and not re-issues but you can list them if you want. Here are a few I have enjoyed

1)Pieter Wispelway - Walton Cello Concerto - Onyx

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 51515.html

2) Oumou Sangare - Seya - World Circuit/Nonesuch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbxCaUdvlsI

3) Kronos Quartet - Floodplain - Nonesuch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TWsIvJYiPs

4) Guy Clark - Somedays The Song Writes You - Dualtone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso

5) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - Anti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbjnS_RTj_o

6) Vieux Farka Touré - Fondo - Six Degrees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lfHx4rdHa8

7) Laura Gibson - Beasts of Seasons - Hush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkjJtMaXgU

8) Budapest Festival Orchestra - Ivan Fischer - Johannes Brahms Symphony no. 1 - Channel Classics

http://www.channelclassics.com/budapest ... scher.html

9) One For All - Return of the Lineup - Sharp Nine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhyD_HzapcY

10) Sajjanu - Pechiku - Tzadik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgSufjY7Zs8

What did you like this year? I will post an all Canadian list soon.