Green Eggs and Ham: Beats of 2011

Sometimes I get ideas and, even though they don't seem like they will, somehow they work out. Take this week's show: I wanted to make a 2-hour mix compiling some of my favourite tracks to dance to this year and turn it into a radio show. The thing about the show is that it features interruptions: commercial breaks, the weather and my blather. It shouldn't work. It worked. Here's the playlist:




Miracle Fortress - "Tracers"
Karen O, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - "Immigrant Song"
Das Racist - "Girl" 
Toro Y Moi - "New Beat" (Star Slinger remix)
tUnE-yArDs - "Gangsta" (Ad-Rock remix)
Dillon Francis - "Masta Blasta"
The Count & Sinden - "After Dark" (Krystal Klear remix)
Cut Copy - "Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution"
Neon Indian - "Polish Girl"
Tycho - "Hours"
Holy Ghost! - "It's Not Over"
Purity Ring - "Belispeak"
M83 - "Midnight City"
Active Child - "High Priestess"
BRAIDS - "Plath Heart" (Morgan Greenwood remix)
Junior Boys - "Itchy Fingers"
Grimes - "Oblivion"
Daft Punk - "Encom Part 2" (Com Truise remix)
Born Gold - "Lawn Knives"
"Weird" Al Yankovic - "Perform This Way"
      *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Handsome Furs - "Repatriated"
Young Galaxy - "We Have Everything"
Austra - "The Villain"
Four Tet - "Locked"
Radiohead - "Lotus Flower"
Bon Iver - "Calgary"

12 Days: 3 more to grow on.

Holy crap I'm so terrible at blogging.

I'm not going to lie. I had days 10 through 12 ready, coming down the pike. I just plum forgot. All those sugarplums, I suppose, getting to my memory. Here are the rest of your presents.

For the 10th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: 10 times the soul of most other tunes. Stevie Wonder knows where it's at.



For the 11th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: the best funny Christmas song ever recorded. There have been many who have attempted to wrest the novelty song crown from the head of Al Yankovic, but none have succeeded. You've heard the rest, now hear the best.



For the 12th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: Sloan doing a rendition of "The 12 Days of Christmas" just so they could include a wicked drum solo. Be patient.




There you have it. Eat. Be merry. Have some good times. Drink...A LOT.
Happy Holidays.

12 Days: Fear - "F*** Christmas"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams.

Ok, so I skipped a day. See, I realized that my math had me finishing the 12 days on Christmas Eve instead of the Day itself. So sue me.

On the 9th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: 8 yelled expletives. Thanks, Fear, for keeping us all honest this time of year.

Green Eggs and Ham: The Not-So-Secular Xmas Special!

The title says it all. 2 hours of sugarplum-laden chestnuts smothered in egg nog and candy canes. Ok, so it was mostly songs about Santa and Jesus. Since I don't actually believe in either of those people, I find other reasons to make it the season to be merry. Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-here's the playlist:


Tom Waits - "Christmas Card From Hooker In Minneapolis"
Chocolate Snow - "Let Me Be Your Christmas Toy"
Rheostatics - "Aliens (Christmas 1988)"
Woods - "Christmas Time Is Here"
Wilderness of Manitoba - "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel"
David Myles - "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
Ron Sexsmith - Maybe This Christmas"
Honky Tonk Kid - "Honky Tonk's Blue Christmas" (feat. Apollo Ghosts)
Cold Chillin' Juice Crew - "Cold Chillin' Christmas"
Litterbug - "It's Christmas Time"
Sloan - "12 Days of Christmas"
Fountains of Wayne - "I Want An Alien For Christmas"
Eels - "Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas"
B.A. Johnston - "B.A. Sings A Christmas Song"
Pedro The Lion - "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"
Mother Mother - "Hit Er Miss Christmas"
Pointed Sticks - "Power Pop Santa"
The Moby Dicks - "Presents"
The Crystals - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
Slow Club - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Santa Goes Straight To The Ghetto"   
              *this week's Slice of Cheese (but it's all cheese, really)
Kanye West - "Christmas In Harlem"
Kurtis Blow - "Christmas Rappin"
Mike O'Neill - "Frosty The Gold Rush"
Bob Dylan - "Here Comes Santa Claus"
Wintersleep - "Little Drummer Boy"
Jim Bryson - "Silient Night (cutguitar)"
Stephen Colbert & Jon Stewart - "Can I Interest You In Hannukah?"

12 Days: Mavis Staples - "Christmas Vacation"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams.

On the 8th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: 8 Staples belting. Ok, just one. But it's a great song from the funniest Christmas movie currently in existence (not the best, however, since that's Die Hard). Hip-hip-hooray for Christmas vacation!

12 Days: Loretta Lynn - "Country Christmas"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: the queen of western halls-decking and jingle-belling, Loretta Lynn, putting her aw-shucks stamp on the holiday to end all holidays. Sometimes it's OK not to be cynical about this time of year (even though this is the same woman who sang "Christmas Without Daddy" and "To Heck With Ole Santa Clause").

12 Days: Joe Pesci - "If it Doesn't Snow On Christmas"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams... and pretend I posted this on Sunday.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: an old Gene Autry tune dressed up in Guido formalwear and spouting profanity. The fact that there was a time when Joe Pesci could successfully pull off an album as his character from My Cousin Vinny is just proof that the obsession with Italian-Americans didn't start with Snookie and Pauly D. Fuhgeddaboudit.

12 Days: The Pet Shop Boys - "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams... and pretend I posted this on Saturday.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: a song as gloriously euro-trash as it is heartbreakingly depressing. The Pet Shop Boys knock it out of the park, making you dance...shamefully.

12 Days: Bad Religion - "Joy to the World"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams... and pretend I posted this on Friday.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: atheist punks doing what comes naturally when confronted with a Christian holiday as ubiquitous as the winter birthday. That is to say, planting tongue firmly in cheek.

12 Days: Jan Terri - "Rock and Roll Santa"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams.

On the third day of Christmas my true blog gave to me: everyone's favourite Chicago limo driver Jan Terri doing what she does best (being absolutely terrible). I dare you to get all the way to the end of this one. I weawwy think it's fiwst wate.

Green Eggs and Ham: The (By No Means Definitive) Best of 2011

This week's show was the first of 2 dedicated to the best music of this year, with next week's show focusing on music that's danceable. This might very well be a record for the most songs I've fit into a single show, but that might have something to do with the under-2-minutes-long-each lightning round of 6 songs. Remember, as the title says this is by no means definitive. I actually had more than enough good stuff to choose from, but sacrifices must always be made. Sacrifices like the Slice of Cheese segment, which is taking a couple of weeks off. HEEeerrree's the playlist!


My Morning Jacket - "The Day Is Coming"
Arkells - "Whistleblower"
Ohbijou - "Echo Bay"
Cloudsplitter - "Start with the Soil"
Bry Webb - "Persistent Spirit (For K)"
Fleet Foxes - "Blue Spotted Tail"
The War on Drugs - "Baby Missiles"
Fucked Up - "Inside A Frame"
Dog Day - "Scratches"
Smith Westerns - "Dance Away"
Tim Hecker - "The Piano Drop"
Loom - "Promised Land"
Destroyer - "Chinatown"
St. Vincent - "Northern Lights"
John Maus - "The Crucifix"
Apollo Ghosts - "Lightweight"
Eyebats - "Indian Head, SK"
iceage - "Rotting Heights"
R.E.M. - "That Someone Is You"
Sloan - "I've Gotta Know"
Blitzen Trapper - "Might Find It Cheap"
One Hundred Dollars - "Ties That Bind"
The Deep Dark Woods - "The Place I Left Behind"
Daniel Romano - "Time Forgot (To Change My Heart)"
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - "Heart in Your Heartbreak"
Slow Down, Molasses - "Late Night Radio"
Shotgun Jimmie - "Late Last Year"
Sandro Perri - "Love & Light"
Chad VanGaalen - "Sara"
Wild Beasts - "Reach a Bit Further"
Hey Rosetta! - "Welcome"

12 Days: Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams.

On the second day of Christmas, my homeboy (or true blog) gave to me: two tonnes of Death Row rap, with Nate and Snoop Doggy Dogg sippin' egg noggy nogg, with Daz Dillinger, Bad Azz and Tray Dee like nutmeg on top.

12 Days: The Kinks - "Father Christmas"

Check back here every day until the 25th, also known as the widely suffered through Christian omniholiday known as Christmas, for some of my favourite yuletide jams.

On the 1st day of Christmas, my true blog gave to me: The Kinks being cynical as hell, no pear tree required.

Today's Tune: Bidiniband - "Last of the Dead Wrong Things"

It's never not a good day for something by Dave Bidini, and this year seems to have been creatively fertile for the chapeau-sporting rocker from Etobicoke. His column for the otherwise-aggrevating National Post tends to be thought-provoking and share-worthy fare. His excellent tour memoir On A Cold Road is in this year's non-fiction edition of Canada Reads. His post-Rheostatics on-again project Bidiniband is set to release their second album, In The Rock Hall, in January. Take a second and try not to feel jealous while listening to "Last of the Dead Wrong Things", as emblematic a Bidini song as we are ever likely to hear.
DOWNLOAD it for free on the Bidiniband site.

Green Eggs and Ham: Forget the Lyrics

This week's show was an all-instrumental affair, a counterweight to last week's lyrically-based Story Time show. Something about the 30-minute sets, the gorgeous arrangements and the lack of vocals made this edition of Green Eggs and Ham feel both quick and outside of time. I cheated on my own theme again, however, and succumbed to "Hangin' Tough" Here's the playlist:


Ponytail - "Late For School"
Johann Johannsson - "Melodia (III)"
Valley of the Giants - "Back To God's Country"
Holy Fuck - "Choppers"
The Budos Band - "Ghostwalk"
The Meters - "Oh, Calcutta!"
TLO - "Lost"
Do Make Say Think - "Auberge Le Mouton Noir"
Broken Social Scene - "hHallmark"
K.C. Accidental - "Ruined in '84"
Colin Stetson - "Judges"
Onra - "Sitting Back"
Aeroplane - "London Bridge"
SBTRKT - "Go Bang"
Tycho - "Daydream"
The Acorn - "Do You Not Yearn, At All?!"
Belle Orchestre - "The Gaze"
New Kids On The Block - "Hangin' Tough"    *this week's Slice of Cheese
Shooting Guns - "Liberator"
Junior Pantherz - "Jammer"
Slow Down, Molasses - "Wake Me At The Coast"
The Hylozoists - "If Only Your Heart Was A Major Sixth"
Siriusmo - "Nights Off"

Today's Tune: Drive-By Truckers - "I'm Sorry Huston"

It's no secret that I really, really like the raucous crew of Alabama badasses that is Drive-By Truckers. It's with a not-unnoteworthy amount of sadness that I read the farewell remarks of Shonna Tucker, the group's only female member and a great song writer in her own right. I'm sure she will be moving on to an interesting solo career or some other similar project, and Jason Isbell already left the group years ago only to miss some of their most interesting work, but considering I've never had the chance to see DBT live, it's too bad I will never be able to witness performances like this. Rock on, Ms. Tucker.

Green Eggs and Ham: Story Time

This week's show (co-hosted by the apt Rich Taylor) was all about the narrative. Songs with full stories, brimming with detail. Extended jams with spoken word tales that grab you. And then I took a break from it for a song and played something by Blaque. Here's the playlist:


Memphis - "A Ghost Story"
Okkervil River - "Lay of the Last Survivor"
Townes Van Zandt - "A Joke"
The Weakerthans - "Tournament of Hearts"
William Shatner - "Common People"
The Super Friendz - "Better Call"
B.A. Johnston - "Kiss Her You Loser"
Velvet Underground - "The Gift"
Jason Collett - "Parry Sound"
The Deep Dark Woods - "The Ballad of Frank Dupree"
LCD Soundsystem - "I Can Change"
Joni Mitchell - "The Last Time I Saw Richard"
Tom Waits - "Watch Her Disappear"
Drive-By Truckers - "The Three Great Alabama Icons"
The Mountain Goats - "This Year"
Blaque - "Bring It All To Me" (ft. JC Chasez)   *this week's Slice of Cheese
D-Sisive - "Russell Peters"
Shad - "A Good Name"
The Hold Steady - "Two Handed Handshake"
The Rural Alberta Advantage - "Tornado'87"
Owen Pallett - "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt"

Video Killed: Egyptrixx ft. Ohbijou - "Old Black"

The new video for this sped-up, cranked-up Egyptrixx version of the Earth song "Old Black" (featuring the Mecijas from Ohbijou, a band I quite enjoy, on vocals) is an all-too-rare example of visual art complimenting musical art.

Abstract forms pulse, divide and coalesce into stark, striking images. A 3D Rorschach emerges, your brain sees crinkled garbage bags, perhaps melting licorice. Black and white fade into white and black, shimmering from an unseen light source. 

The song, as Egyptrixx always is, is also awesome.

Green Eggs and Ham: Instantly Blank

A fine morning for radio. From disco at 7:30, electro-disco at 7, new-new wave disco at 6:30 and everything in between I certainly presided over a versatile line-up. Here's the playlist:


Rain Over St. Ambrose - "Campfires"
King Tuff - "Hands"
Action Makes - "Berlin"
Efterklang - "Scandinavian Love"
The Drums - "Hard To Love"
Carpet of Horses - "Take Hold"
Old Man Luedecke & Lake of Stew - "Monsanto Jones"
The Weather Station - "Everything I Saw"
How To Dress Well - "Decisions" (ft. Yuksel Arslan)
Houses - "Wash"
Blood Orange - "Instantly Blank (The Goodness)"
Twin Shadow - "Forget"
Sloan - "Shame Shame" (Live 20/09/93)
Psychobuildings - "Terror Management"
Mr. Oizo - "Jo"
SebastiAn - "Arabest"
Chromeo - "When The Night Falls"
Slates - "Your Town Is Doomed"
No Age - "Fever Dreaming"
Jon McKiel - "Fist Fight"
The Jacksons - "Can You Feel It"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Adam Mowery - "Calm Down Miss Cherry Hand"
Shimmering Stars - "Dancing To Music I Hate"
Adam & The Amethysts - "Prophecy"
Whitehorse - "Killing Time Is Murder"
Al Tuck - "Slapping The Make On You"
Drive-By Truckers - "The Thanksgiving Filter"

Exclusive: Ohbijou - A Quiet Riot

Casey Mecija is way too nice. Maybe it comes through in Toronto band Ohbijou's music. I sat down with the chamber-pop outfit's voice to talk about songwriting, road snacks and heavy mellow. This is how it went:

Today's Tune: Foam Lake - "Die Fighting"

Some bands have songwriting chops. Others, the ability to play the shit out of their instruments. And then there are bands that have a compelling reason of being.

Saskatoon's Foam Lake are all of the above. A literal band of brothers that has been a major player on the periphery of the local music, most noticeably as the "backing" (I hate that term) band for Alberta transplant Shuyler Jansen, now ready to meet the spotlight's harsh glare with the release of their debut album Force And Matter.

Foam Lake craft rockers with real emotional depth, not content to sit idly by while other bands play to the rafters. This is arena-rock for the soul.


3 Die Fighting by FoamLake

Green Eggs And Ham: Songs About Your Girlfriend

All about the new this week, with new tunes from Bry Webb, Sunparlour Players, The Wooden Sky, Thee Oh Sees and Los Campesinos!, among others. I turned an on-mic mistake into an impression of a skipping record fading away into nothing. I played some songs. Mirth was made. Catharsis? We'll see. Here's the playlist:


Young Dreams - "Young Dreams"
The Rest - "Cried Wolf (And Other Animals)"
Sunparlour Players - "Once Before"
The King Khan Experience - "Knock Me Off My Feet"
Omma Cobba - "Don't Take It Too Hard"
Uncle Bad Touch - "On An Island"
Los Campesinos! - "Songs About Your Girlfriend"
Portico - "We Built A Dynasty"
Dog Day - "In The Woods"
Snowmine - "Curfews"
Foam Lake - "Black Hole"
Bry Webb - "Zebra"
AC Slater - "Calm Down"
Willy Moon - "I Wann Be Your Man" (Drop The Lime remix)
Austra - "Lose It" (Diamond Rings remix)
Eight And A Half - "Scissors" (TOKiMONSTA remix)
Thee Oh Sees - "The Dream"
Kiss - "Crazy Crazy Nights"   *this week's Slice of Cheese
Duchess Says - "Narcisse"
Chad Vangaalen - "Replace Me"
The Wooden Sky - "City Of Light / Dancing At My Window Reprise"
Escort - "Makeover"

Processed Cheese: September 2011

Be back here every month for a look at the previous month's selections from my show's "Slice of Cheese" segment. If the song is significantly cheesy, there's bound to be a video equally (if not more) so.

At least that's what I normally say. But what with a busy fall and my constant procrastination, I never got around to posting the videos for October, September, or even August. With August handled (scroll down or click on the blog name.... if you can't figure that out go back to reading books), here's a look at what September brought us for fromage.

There's a whole lot of 80's going on this month, with a kick-off from Pepsi & Shirlie: backup singers from WHAM who managed to milk a few more pence out of their dying careers. Here they are on Top of the Pops in 1987. Dig the socks.

Next we have The Flirts, with a dynamic Italo-disco gem from '84, "Danger". No video for this, but groove along anyway. I seem to have a thing for girl groups.



Mid-September saw the return of my "Now & Then" show, with pairs of songs showcasing the progression (or lack thereof) in the careers of different artist. The Slice of Cheese was a double-bill, with the new "Weird" Al Yankovic parody of the T.I. jam "Whatever You Like" (an ironic rumination on the rampant poverty in the good ol' U.S. of A.) paired up with "This Is The Life" from Dare to be Stupid (an ironic rumination on the then-rampant poverty in the good ol' U.S. of A.). This animated video has way too many jokes. Enjoy:



Here we go. Something I can make fun of. Former session musicians Mr. Mister play a private show (for an iguana in a deluxe cage) in an expressionist church while a pretty lady dances in the window. Toss in a few creepy papier maché masks, some divine intervention to set that damn iguana free, and people getting turned into chairs for no reason and you have this:



This next one is the sort of faux-profound video that, these days, would warrant a Kids Help Phone PSA at the end of it. Herein, Corey "Sexy As He Wanna Be" Hart leaves home, presumably because he has an abusive father. How does the video show his father is abusive? It doesn't, except maybe to point out that he looks kind of menacing and has a MOUSTACHE! Flee in terror! Corey trots out in the rain, popped-collared leather jacket and all, hitch-hikes into the BIG CITY, gets pushed around by a tiny line cook, meets some hookers who seem really into him, and generally gawks around like he's never seen public transit or public transience before. Cue the montage of EVERYTHING THAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED IN THE VIDEO, and a final chorus performance scene, close it off with Corey looking poutily into the camera, and call it a day. Never surrender.

Green Eggs and Ham: Heaven's Gonna Happen Now

Back on the horse, back in the saddle, galloping at full speed. That was this week's show, horse metaphors and all, with a vein of country and folk running through it all. Rest stops taken in the worlds of dance, punk, and awesome covers. I think Mandy Smith and I both got the "Positive Reaction" we were looking for. Here's the playlist:


The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Heaven's Gonna Happen Now"
Each Other - "Goosing Statues"
Sandro Perri - "The Drums"
The Antlers - "VCR"
The XX - "Basic Space"
Ohbijou - "Obsidian"
Cuff the Duke - "Bound To Your Own Vices"
The Sadies - "Violet and Jeffrey Lee"
The Decemberists - "Burying Davy"
Ox - "What I Love About Cars"
J. Mascis - "Not Enough"
Lindstrøm - "De Javu"
Friendly Fires - "Show Me Lights"
Eyebats - "Night Banger"
Bayonets!!! - "Pope of Eagleface"
Korean Gut - "If You Want"
Sleigh Bells - "Straight A's"
The Gooeys - "Suspicious Hunch Amongst the Bloody Mary for Lunch Bunch"
Mandy Smith - "Positive Reaction"    *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Snowblink - "Sea Change"
Said the Whale - "Lines"
Auld Beak - "Lovers In A Dangerous Time"
PS I Love You - "Subdivisions"
Jack Hardy - "The Tailor"

Processed Cheese: August 2011

Be back here every month for a look at the previous month's selections from my show's "Slice of Cheese" segment. If the song is significantly cheesy, there's bound to be a video equally (if not more) so.

At least that's what I normally say. But what with a busy fall and my constant procrastination, I never got around to posting the videos for October, September, or even August. Count on seeing it all of it 'fore the weekend is out. First we've got a great group of videos for the August slices.

 Peter Cetera from the band Chicago shows us his dojo:


Real McCoy show us their music is powered by a steampunk Asian slave force radio station:


These guys "come on just a bit too strong", but they show me that I miss highwaisted bathing suits (and that they know how to employ a good pun):


And finally, Will Smith shows us his great Ricky Martin impression (although this video isn't synced up with the music, it's too good to pass up):

Green Eggs and Ham: While I Was Out (Election Weeks 3 and 4)

I'm a failure. I can't manage to be a political campaign organizer, radio host, comic store employee, server of delicious food and drink AND blogger all at the same time. It's time to fix that. More on that in (literally) a day or two, but for the sake of being complete, here are a couple fun playlists from 2 weeks ago and 1 week ago respectively.

First, we have the Halloween show! Always a personal highlight, with interspersed horror movie trailer, eerie overtones, and the occasional Vincent Price impression thrown in for good measure. Here's the SLAYlist!!!


Esben and the Witch - "Argyria"
The Luyas - "Tiny Head"
Chad VanGaalen - "Do Not Fear"
Pallers - "Wicked"
HTRK - "Poison"
You Say Party! We Say Die! - "Monster"
Woodpigeon - "An Entanglement of Weeds"
Caribou - "Sun"
Ryan Adams - "Haloweenhead"
The Rural Alberta Advantage - "Under The Knife"
Purity Ring - "Lofticries"
Miracle Fortress - "Spectre"
Siriusmo - "123"
Shooting Guns - "Harmonic Steppenwolf"
 iceage - "Rotting Heights"
Male Bonding - "Pumpkin"
The Pack A.D. - "Sirens"
J. Geils Band - "Fright Night"   *oh, you KNOW it's the Slice of Cheese
The Dears - "Blood"
Jeans Boots - "Dark Forces"
Buck 65 - "Zombie Delight"
Austra - "Spellwork"
Timber Timbre - "Bad Ritual"


And here's the playlist for last week's show. Shout Out Out Out Out weigh in on the hot topic of what to do about the high cost of rental property (at least that's what I said they did), I take a dip into the 90's and never want to return, and some guy totally requested "Heart of Gold" like he was asking me to find obscure Krautrock in the station's music library. Here's the playlist:


Sloan - "It's In Your Eyes"
Will Currie & The Country French - "John Denver Haircut"
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down"
Hooded Fang - "ESP"
Neil Young - "Heart of Gold"
Joe Henry - "Heaven's Escape"
Bonnie Prince Billy - "Time To Be Clear"
Nick Drake - "Things Behind The Sun"
Dinosaur Bones - "Royalty"
Controller.Controller - "Rooms"
Duotang - "A Biased View"
TV On The Radio - "Will Do" (Switch Remix)
SBTRKT - "Trails of the Past"
Sepalcure - "I'm Alright"
The Diodes - "Shape of Things To Come"
The D'Urbervilles  - "We're Blowing Up"
Gauntlet Hair - "Top Bunk"
Ethel Merman - "Something For The Boys" (Disco Version)   *Slice of Cheese, duh
M83 - "OK Pal"
Shout Out Out Out Out - "They Tear Down Houses Don't They?"
Terra Lightfoot - "Sleep Through The Winter"
Arkells - "On Paper"

Green Eggs and Ham: Election Week 2

Another show by the seat of my pants, delving sporadically into the in-station library mid-show more than I have for a long time. But sometimes that's when it all comes together, with musical genres overlapping until the show as a whole is like a musical melting pot; a whirlwind two hours of music that I hope feels like a guided tour of quality creative expression. Or it's just a bunch of songs. Whatever. Here's the playlist:


The Black Angels - "Entrance Song"
The Hold Steady - "Barely Breathing"
Camp Radio - "Alone In A Tent"
Malajube - "Le Blizzard"
Quaker Parents - "Teeshirt"
Twin Sister - "Space Babe"
Ryan Adams - "Rocks"
Poler Bear - "Parachute"
Fleet Foxes - "The Shrine / An Argument"
Marine Dreams - "Visions"
Snailhouse - "Sentimental Gentleman"
Grimes - "Oblivion"
Daft Punk - "Encom Part 2" (Com Truise remix)
Born Gold - "Decimate Everything"
Chixdiggit - "Miso Ramen"
Bayonets!!! - "Space Agency"
Many Metal Mistakes - "Death Proof"
Male Bonding - "Carrying"
B.A. Johnston - "Pep and Ched"
The Cover Girls - "Show Me"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Teenburger - "Kill Lincoln" (feat. D-Sisive)
Siskiyou - "Twigs And Stones"
Greg MacPherson - "Ukrainians"
Octoberman - "The Years"
Adam & The Amethysts - "Canadian Tired"

Green Eggs and Ham: Election Week 1

A week off for a rejuvenating house concert with Paper Beat Scissors and Terra Lightfoot, a new job for the provincial election, and here we are: I'm busy and tired as hell. This week's show was fun, though. Everything kind of clicked into place. Here's the playlist:


Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans - "Fell Off The Dock"
The Dodos - "Sleep"
Man Your Horse - "Grass Baskets"
David Francey - "Yesterday's News"
White Ash - "Katie Cruel"
Feist - "Bittersweet Melodies"
Sandro Perri - "Love & Light"
Jason Collett - "The Slowest Dance"
Michael Rault - "The Things You Said"
Feral Children - "Magic Sacred Ritual"
S.C.U.M. - "Amber Hands"
Surfer Blood - "Miranda" (SVIIB Exhalation Remix)
Karlsson & Winnberg - "The Dance"
Casiokids - "Det haster!"
The Barr Brothers - "Beggar in the Morning"
Bruce Peninsula - "Chupacabra"
Aaron Hall - "Curiosity"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Socalled - "Work With What You Got"
Painted Palms - "Water Hymn"
The Darcys - "Shaking Down The Old Bones"
Dive - "Sometime"
Ohbijou - "Iron and Ore"

Green Eggs and Ham: Panties by Request

Nothing says "busy life" like an extremely late blog post that amounts to not much more than a copy-and-paste job and little bit of commentary, right? Well, it's been busy. What with all the CFCR-sposored FM-phasis shows, working, and otherwise being lazy, I'm finding it hard to find time for the cool stuff, like this (oh yeah, you can also see what else has been occupying my time at unrealcity.ca). This week was week 2 of FM-phasis, and I actually got 2 (2!) calls from people making pledges. One was a pay-for-play request (that sounds bad, doesn't it?), so I played "Bargain! Shop Panties" by SK's Little Miss Higgins (also Santigold for the other pledge). The rest of the playlist is below:

Blue Peter - "Radio Silence"

Wild Beasts - "Thankless Thing"

The Lazy MK's - "Sled Dogs"

Music Explosion - "A Little Bit O' Soul"

The Beatles - "Money (That's What I Want)"

Beach House - "Walk In The Park"

Les Jupes - "Someone Lit A Fire Under Khruschev"

Hollerado - "Riverside"

SebastiAn - "Embody"

Little Miss Higgins - "Bargain! Shop Panties"

Pat Jordache - "Radio Generation"

The Weather Station - "Everything I Saw"

National Parks Project (Old Man Luedecke, Tony Dekker, Daniela Gesundheit) - "Listen And Profit" 

Corey Hart - "Never Surrender"   *this week's Slice of Cheese

Smith Westerns - "End of the Night"

Dan Mangan - "Post-War Blues"

Blitzen Trapper - "Street Fighting Sun"

Santigold - "L.E.S. Artistes"

Green Eggs and Ham: I can't FM-phasize this enough!

Trying desperately to get pledges this morning (as part of the annual funding drive FM-Phasis), I came up with bupkis (except a $75 donation from... my dad). I even had concert tickets (Ghostkeeper! PS I Love You!) to give away... no taker. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. This show also saw my tributes to C'mon, who just announced they are breaking up, and Arcade Fire for their Polaris win, in the form of the Cadence Weapon song "The Suburbs". Here's the playlist:


Share - "Awake At Dawn"
Dawn Golden & Rosy Cross - "White Sun"
Drive-By Truckers - "The Living Bubba"
Arctic Monkeys - "Don't Sit Down 'Caus I've Moved Your Chair"
Jason Bajada - "Panama"
The Drums - "Book Of Revelation"
The Danks - "No Radio"
Jeans Boots - "Money"
LOOM - "Wholesome"
N.A.S.A. - "Money"
Active Child - "Ivy"
Cadence Weapon - "The Suburbs"
Rebekah Higgs - "Lazy Mornings"
Blood Orange - "Sutphin Boulevard"
Ghostkeeper - "By Morning"
Mr. Mister - "Hunters of the Night"   *this week's Slice of Cheese
PS I Love You - "Starfield"
C'mon - "From Where We Started"
Adam and the Amethysts - "Gitchee Gumee Yeah Yeah"
The Beets - "Doing As I Do"
Nordic Nomadic - "Bite To Chew"

Green Eggs and Ham: Tales of Future Past

This morning's show was spent examining the growth of different bands over their careers, in a "then-and-now" 2-song format. 'Twas fun. I made sure to take a dance break (during which Peter Henderson tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to shit myself), but otherwise it was an all-nostalgia trip down memory lane. Plus, Weird Al. Awesome. Here's the playlist:


Sloan - "Beverly Terrace"
Sloan - "Pretty Voice"
Radiohead - "Codex"
Radiohead - "Bones"
The Deep Dark Woods - "Sugar Mama"
The Deep Dark Woods - "This Town Has Got Me Down"
Junior Boys - "Neon Rider"
Junior Boys - "Banana Ripple"
The Dears - "Autonomy"
The Dears -  "Stick w/ Me Kid"
Siriusmo - "Fermonikon"
Young Galaxy - "Cover Your Tracks" (Dunez remix)
New Look - "The Ballad"
R.E.M. - "Überlin"
R.E.M. - "I Am Superman"
Shuyler Jansen - "Wedding Band"
Old Reliable - "Forever In Blue"
"Weird Al" Yankovic - "Whatever You Like"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
"Weird Al" Yankovic - "This Is The Life"         *this week's other Slice
Hey Rosetta! - "Seventeen"
Hey Rosetta! - "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Memphis - "What Is This Thing Called?"
Memphis - "East Van"

Green Eggs and Ham: Flirting with the Locals

A two-hour chunk of good times this morning. Tipped the hat off to newly christened Born Gold, played songs sung in French (Yelle) and Finnish (Regina) and managed to fit in 3 local acts without even trying. The Flirts took a turn at being Slice Of Cheese with the full 12" mix of their song Danger, and Madam Raz from Kingston, ON truly impressed. Here's the playlist:


Mother Mother - "Original Spin"
Handsome Furs - "Memories of the Future"
Yelle - "C'est pas un vie"
Memoryhouse - "Sleep Patterns"
Regina - "Unessa"
Brock Tyler - "Because You Live"
Ha Ha Tonka - "Lonely Fortunes"
The Karpinka Brothers - "Tether Ball"
Bruce Peninsula - "Salesman"
Elliott Brood - "Owen Sound"
Jacuzzi Boys - "Libras and Zebras"
Father Figures - "Are You Dead"
M83 - "Midnight City" (Big Black Delta Remix)
Junior Boys - "Banana Ripple" (Stay+ Remix)
Born Gold - "Alabaster Bodyworlds"
Madam Raz - "Kingston Smell"
Slow Animal - "Heatwave"
Male Bonding - "What's That Scene?"
Zammuto - "Yay"
Reform Party - "The Cables"
The Flirts - "Danger"     *this week's Slice of Cheese
Digitalism - "Forrest Gump"
Obits - "Everything Looks Better In The Sun"
The Golden Seals - "The Year Things Fell Apart"
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - "Asking Price"
The Antlers - "French Exit"
Ringo Deathstarr - "Imagine Hearts"

Today's Tune: Sea Oleena - "Milk"

I admittedly know very little about Montreal's Sea Oleena. I know her name is Charlotte. I know she makes ethereal tunes that punch you in the solar plexus, leaving you breathless. I know her song "Milk", my favourite from her EP Sleeplessness, is a heady mixture of hip-hop-worthy swagger and drawing-room piano. I know she is touring with BRAIDS, which will see her gracing the stage of the Roxy Theatre on September 18th. I also know I have a crush on this music.

Today's Tune: Father Figures - "Are You Dead"

I thought I was going to have to listen to Surfer Blood to help convince myself that the increasingly fall-like temperatures outside were summery and hot. Enter Father Figures: a dynamic 2-piece from Saskatoon whose gonzo song-structures, shifting tempos, winning riffs and nostalgic feel can brighten the corners of any dark day. I'm kind of obsessed with bands that manage to blow speakers and eardrums with only 2 instruments, so it's no surprise that I dig these guys. Did I mention they're pretty fresh out of high school?  This is a band to watch.


01 are you dead by thefigs

Green Eggs and Ham: 2 Hours of Joy with a Sprinkle of Ire

Another whirlwind show, with stopovers in the land of folk, the city of dance and 1980's UK (a world where Pepsi and Shirlie had a #2 pop hit).  I also tipped my cap to Slow Down, Molasses, who can be seen playing at the End of the Road Festival this weekend. Here's the playlist:

Cloudsplitter - "Start With The Soil"
Siskiyou - "This Land"
Elvis Perkins in Dearland - "Hey"
Wax Mannequin - "Is The Life Of A Man Any More Than The Leaves?"
The War On Drugs - "Brothers"
R.E.M. - "Sitting Still"
Adam & The Amethysts - "Prophecy"
The Liptonians - "You Know I Did"
Tristan Psionic - "Trans Am Kid"
The Shrapnelles - "Desert Furs"
Reading Rainbow - "Dead End"
Mates of State - "Sway" (Diamond Rings Remix)
Purity Ring - "Belispeak"
Junkie XL - "Molly's E" (Azari & III Instrumental Remix)
Strange Talk - "Climbing Walls" (Van She Tech Remix)
Makeout Videotape - "Slush Puppy Love"
SSRI's - "Rows"
Wavves - "I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl"
Pepsi & Shirlie - "Heartache"        *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Vulture Kult - "The Last of the TKO's"
Slow Down, Molasses - "Late Night Radio"
Tassseomancy - "Diana"
Timber Timbre - "Do I Have Power"

Green Eggs and Ham: Scrappy, Hungover and Late

A day late, a few dollars short. What can I say? I got caught up celebrating my birthday last night, the whole while songs from this week's show played in my head. Here's the sometimes noisy, sometimes jiggy, always fun playlist:


Washed Out - "Far Away"
Terror Bird - "We Were Monsters"
This Hisses - "Swagger"
Weed - "Eighty"
The Gertrudes - "Six Jars"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Monday Morning"
Cass McCombs - "The Same Thing"
Dolorean - "The Unfazed"
Nurses - "Trying To Reach You"
Mister Heavenly - "I Am A Hologram"
Hunx And His Punx - "Can We Get Together?"
Geoff Berner - "I Kind Of Hate Songs With Ambiguous Lyrics"
Four Tet - "Sing"
Toro Y Moi - "New Beat" (Star Slinger Dancehall Mix)
Puzique - "Don't Go"
tUnE-yArDs - "Gangsta" (Ad-Rock Remix)
Cut Off Your Hands - "Hollowed Out"
Graham Wright - "Potassium Blast"
Snailhouse - "Great Storytellers"
Will Smith - "Miami"   this week's Slice of Cheese
Sleep ∞ Over - "Romantic Streams"
Elite Gymnastics - "Is This On Me?"
The Two Koreas - "Midnight Brown"
Quivers - "Sou'wester"
Camp Radio - "The Girl Who Stole My Motorbike"
Slates - "Broken Parts"

Green Eggs And Ham: Summertime Girls In The Place Of A Storm

A pretty gloomy morning weather-wise, so I peppered the show with sunshine and distraction. Here's the playlist:

Moonface - "Fast Peter"
British Sea Power - "Living Is So Easy"
Brasstronaut - "Same Same"
Apollo Ghosts - "Lightweight"
Quest For Fire - "In The Place Of A Storm"
Sexy Mathematics - "No Communication"
The National - "Runaway"
Spectrals - "Big Baby"
Treelines - "Summer Song"
Library Voices - "Traveller's Digest"
Arkells - "Whistleblower"
Diplo & Douster - "ON!"
Maluca & Party Squad - "Lola"
Bonjay - "Stumble"
In Media Res - "Hollis"
Deloro - "Nostalgia R.I.P."
My Morning Jacket - "First Light"
Y&T - "Summertime Girls"    *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Hooded Fang - "ESP"
The Fresh & Onlys - "I Would Not Know The Devil"
Little Girls - "Delaware"
Baby Eagle - "Driving Blind"
Carter Tanton - "Murderous Joy"
Fruit Bats - "You're Too Weird"

Video Killed: Chromeo - "When The Night Falls"

Someetimes a music video comes along that restores your faith in the medium. This is one such clip.
Montreal's Chromeo are known for good videos, and I knew I was in for something good with the release of their new one for the tune "When The Night Falls". I never expected the twists, turns, pregnancies and general absurdity of this:

Green Eggs and Ham: Novelties, F-Bombs and Cover Songs

There's the one song I played that ended up having the word "fuck" in it about 8 times (I forgot), there were some truly random genre hops, I played a couple modern-day novelties that managed to BOTH be connected to Jack White and there were 2 cover songs from idiosyncratic tribute albums. It was a good week (did I mention I played moombahton?). Here's the playlist:

Portico - "I Heard There's Proof"
Plants and Animals - "Undone Melody"
The Unsettlers - "Fold Back the Black"
Kris Ellestad - "You're Sick (of Me)"
The Tallest Man On Earth - "The Drying of the Lawns"
Los Campesinos! - "We've Got Your Back"
Paper Cranes - "Rabbit in a Snare"
Broken Records - "You Know You're Not Dead"
Purity Ring - "Lofticries"
Twin Shadow - "Shooting Holes"
Stephen Colbert & The Black Belles - "Charlene II (I'm Over You)"
"Weird Al" Yankovic - "CNR"
Neon Indian - "Polish Girl"
Dillon Francis - "Masta Blasta"
The Count & Sinden - "After Dark" (Krystal Klear remix)
Dog Day - "I Wanna Mix"
Peace - "Grey Walls"
Snowblink - "Heckling the Afterglow"
Real McCoy - "Another Night"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Constantines - "New King"
The Mountains & The Trees - "Fear Of Ghosts"
Jim Guthrie - "If Chairs Were Bears"
The Morning Benders - "Last Nite"
You Say Party - "Love Makes The World Go Round"

Processed Cheese: July 2011

Be back here every month for a look at the previous month's selections from my show's "Slice of Cheese" segment. If the song is significantly cheesy, there's bound to be a video equally (if not more) so.

We start with Bob Seger, in a completely nonsensical video for "We've Got Tonight". It looks like a jewelry commercial crossed with a Viagra ad seeded with random concert footage throughout. A bloody mess, as it were. Watch Bob Seger apparently woo a girl by walking around in slow motion and never appearing in the same place as her, playing piano while looking like a dirty hobo and writing music (metronomes allowed) in his voyeuristically filmed apartment. This video makes no damn sense. Also, for a song called "We've Got Tonight", shouldn't at least SOME of the scenes take place at... I don't know, night?



Now we travel to Stockholm, 1986, to see Johnny Tempest and his band Europe (I still can't believe this was considered "metal") play their song "Ninja". That's right, it's about ninjas. Awful lyrics, regrettably long song. Unfortunately there is no proper "music video" for this tune, so the concert footage will have to do. Like most 80's bands, Europe have about as much stage presence as a bag of marshmallows - with their hair and the lights doing most of the heavy lifting - so I hope you get through it. Ninja sorvaaaaa!



I swear I'm not picking on the 1980's; I love a lot of music from that decade. I'll try to get better representation in next month's crop of fromage. In the meantime, watch Paul Young dance like an imbecile (in slow motion, no less!) in his video for "Every Time You Go Away". Nothing quite sums up the impact of this song like this YouTube comment: "I´m a very child in this years and so remember my first girl so dance with the close my eyes and so much large and big crazy kiss of my life never in my life you are missing" .... what?? Other than the lovely close-ups of Mr. Young (he must have been quite the heartthrob) this is basically one of those terrible concert montage videos. It still manages to throw in random details like a room filled with lanterns and netting (weird), pointless animation (weirder) and Paul Young throwing his sweat-covered towel into the crowd of adoring and stupid female Brits (gross... why didn't he just wipe himself off with his frilly shirt cuffs?).



Finally, we come to Raw Silk (possibly the material Paul Young's frilly shirt cuffs are made of) and their oft-sampled track "Do It To The Music". No video for this, but there is a painful performance from Top Of The Pops, replete with lip-synching and no visible band. Beyond the fact that this is a performance of a song about "doing it" to music being performed on a family-friendly show often watched by children, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about this. Once you finish, search for the U2 TotP clip from around the same time; a performance they're sort of ashamed of from when they were just wee lads. It's pretty priceless.

An Open Letter To The Sheepdogs

You've achieved that great and iconic rock and roll rite of passage: your picture is on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. But now is not the time to take the words - penned so cleverly by Shel Silverstein and made famous by Dr. Hook - in this song literally:



This song was meant ironically, lampooning the rock and roll lifestyle admired by so many as just so much stuff and nonsense.

So how do you go about maintaining your credibility, your homespun charm and your winning personalities in an industry still dominated by egoism and greed (even in a very lean time for those traits)? Good question. And it's not one I can answer based on my own personal experience. But you get a bit of know-how from the world of music if you just pay attention. Here are some tips:

1) Don't spend all your time with each other: There are some great bands that have imploded because of personal differences. Think of the Beatles. Other bands might have done the same, except for their ability to separate from each other when not on tour. Think of a band often called the "Canadian Beatles"-- Sloan. These 4 guys have been together for 20 years and counting even though they often have disagreements and creative differences. They also started their careers with a large amount of publicity and hype, being signed to the venerable Sub Pop record label during the grunge gold rush of the early 90's.

2) As Public Enemy said, about an altogether different topic, don't believe the hype. You're a talented group of guys, and you've got a lot going for you musically, but the amount of fans your appearances in Rolling Stone have garnered are the kind of short-attention-span band-wagoneering that's all too common in this day and age. Crank out some new tunes, and right quick, or you won't be getting Twitter mentions from the Prime Minister again any time soon.

3) Keep it real. People say that all too often, and usually to no effect, but I mean it. If you want to live the rest of your musical lives with your dignity intact, you've got to stay connected to what it's all about: the music. Luckily, we seem to be slowly getting past the era of the hedonistic rock band holed up in an expensive studio in an exotic location bent on crafting that concept album that ultimately nobody will understand. We know that's not going to happen. It's still important that you remember to connect the dots between where you've been, where you are, and where you want to go. And take us along with you, eh?

You're at the point now where you've got to decide what to do next all on your own. Really, there's nothing I can say to you to answer that one. All I can really tell you is "I Don't Know".

Green Eggs and Ham: The Karate Kid, The Sheepdogs and I

Loads of new tunes are coming out lately, previews of the upcoming releases for the Fall. This week's show included sneak peeks of new albums by St. Vincent, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Tycho and Ohbijou with plenty of older songs thrown in for good measure. I also read an open letter to Saskatoon band The Sheepdogs (who are gracing the cover of the new issue of Rolling Stone, don't cha know?), which will be posted here later, and Peter Cetera weighed in with "Glory Of Love", his contribution to the soundtrack to The Karate Kid 2. It was a very classy affair. Here's the playlist:


The Decemberists - "Dear Avery"
The Deep Dark Woods - "Back Alley Blues"
Yukon Blonde - "Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore"
Pallers - "Come Rain, Come Sunshine"
The Cars - "Stranger Eyes"
Nick Diamonds - "Gone Bananas"
Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Definite Darkness"
Mark Sultan - "I'll Be Lovin' You"
Hot Hot Heat - "JFK's LSD"
St. Vincent - "Surgeon"
Greg MacPherson - "Travelling Style"
Jeans Boots - "Money"
Tycho - "Hours"
Holy Ghost! - "It's Not Over"
Chromeo - "Don't Turn The Lights On" (Aeroplane Remix)
Ohbijou - "Niagara"
Harmony Trowbridge - "West Coast Girls"
The Luyas - "When I Am A Woman"
Peter Cetera - "Glory Of Love"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
The Sheepdogs - "I Don't Know"
Sloan - "She's Slowing Down Again"
The Sadies - "Another Day Again"
Slam Dunk - "Feral Child"
The Ramones - "I Don't Wanna Grow Up"

Today's Tune: tUnE-yArDs - "Gangsta" (with The Roots)

Well this was just about the best thing ever.

A few years ago I saw Merrill Garbus' co-fronted band Sister Suvi at a local bar and, while I thought they were fantastic with a future ahead of them, I never thought within a few short years I would be seeing what I saw last night: Garbus, in her current project tUnE-yArDs, playing band leader to Black Thought and Questlove of legendary Philadelphia hip-hop crew and Late Night house band The Roots. Check out this punchy version of (already punchy) "Gangsta" from the album W H O K I L L.  I defy you not to have it stuck in your head for the rest of the week.

Today's Tune: Ohbijou - "Niagara"

Toronto's powerhouse chamber-pop ensemble Ohbijou have always packed their songs with lush arrangements, emotional poignancy and enough charm to make anyone sit up and pay attention. What's really noteworthy is that they've managed to one-up themselves on "Niagara", the lead single from Metal Meets (out September 27th), by adding more musical elements (swirling keyboards, rock-riff punch) in such a controlled way that it sounds beautifully restrained.  This is revelatory make-out music. 

Listen and download below.

Ohbijou: "Niagara" by wearesolidgold

Green Eggs and Ham:

How about this? On time posting this for the first time in 3 weeks. I'm going to have to take another look at how I go about things. In the meantime, take a peep at this week's playlist. Music from all over the country and beyond. Special shout-out to those making artful instrumental music and to 41st and Home, who are set to play a show tonight to benefit local charity We Are Many. Full playlist below:

Mikal Cronin - "Get Along"
Extra Happy Ghost!!! - "Fire On Fire"
PS I Love You & Diamond Rings - "Leftovers"
Samantha Savage-Smith - "The Fight"
Sarah Farthing - "Oh Why Did You?"
41st and Home - "Gorbachev"
Roxy Music - "No Strange Delight"
Wild Beasts - "Reach A Bit Further"
Chilly Gonzalez - "Siren Song"
Colin Stetson - "Clothed In The Skin Of The Dead"
economics - "Organ Thief"
Foam Lake - "Die Fighting"
LDFD - "Outtacontrol"
Alpines - "Cocoon" (xxxy Remix)
Africa Hitech - "How Does It Make You Feel" (DVA's Hi:Emotions Remix)
Fucked Up - "Turn the Season"
The Pack A.D. - "Sirens"
Raw Silk - "Do It To The Music"     *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Junior Boys - "Itchy Fingers"
Egger - "Ricky MIA"
Karkwa - "Le bon sens"
Cuckoo Chaos - "Just Ride It"
Mode Moderne - "Real Goths"

Green Eggs and Ham: A Midsummer Day's Meat

We've got this weird running joke in my family: every time we mention the song "Every Time You Go Away" by Paul Young, we change the ensuing line to "you take a piece of meat with you". It prompts laughter every damn time (we go away). I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me until this week to play that song as the slice of cheese, but I'm glad I finally did. Here's the playlist:


Sunparlour Players - "If the Creeks Don't Rise"
Dog Day - "Scratches"
jj - "Ice"
Graham Wright - "Your Heart Is My Heart"
Shotgun Jimmie - "Late Last Year"
Dinosaur Bones - "Royalty"
The Lonesome Weekends - "Drink When I Cry"
Wilco - "Passenger Side"
Kathleen Edwards - "Summer Long"
Architecture in Helsinki - "Sleep Talkin'"
Pop Winds - "Feel It"
Teen Daze - "Surface"
Zomby - "Alothea"
Zomby - "Black Orchid"
Araabmuzik - "Free Spirit"
Derek Allen - "Spirits in the Material World"
National Parks Project - "The Humble Fawn"
Neil Young - "There's A World"
Peter Elkas - "Hummingbird"
New Pornographers - "Moves"
Paul Young - "Every Time You Go Away"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
The Dodos - "Don't Stop"
Winter Gloves - "Dancing My Heart Out"
Josh Reichmann - "People Fade Away"
Wax Mannequin - "Robots, Master And Lady"

Today's Tune: M83 - "Midnight City"

I love M83. With a flair for nostalgia and an ear for innovation, Anthony Gonzalez knocks it out of the park every time. I'm also a sucker for double albums, so the announced October release date of the new M83 double disc Hurry Up, We're Dreaming gave me an anticipatory rush of endorphins that was the highlight of my day. Listen to "Midnight City", the new rave-up from the forthcoming album that is sure to be a finalist for song of the summer, below. You can also download the song HERE.

Midnight City by M83

Green Eggs and Ham: Wait, what?

It looks like the summer heat has addled my normally addle-free grey matter. I had a show last week, promise, but I forgot to post the playlist. Yikes.


The Super Friendz - "Better Call"
Big Troubles - "Misery"
Cuff the Duke - "Follow Me"
Active Child - "Hanging On"
Junior Boys - "Second Chance"
C'mon - "Army Of Love"
Cigarettes - "Bullfigh"t
Harvey and the Phenomenals - "Soul and Sunshine"
Vetiver - "Worse For Wear"
Kate Maki - "Fought the Cattle"
Matthew Barber - "Ring Upon Your Finger"
Beat Connection - "Balearic Trunk Rhythm"
Crystal Castles - "Suffocation"
Austra - "Spellwork (MNDR Nighttime Remix)"
Bayonets!!! - "Last Spike"
Ultimate Power Duo - "New Normal"
Mudhoney - "The Farther I Go"
The Twilight Singers - "Waves"
Arctic Monkeys - "Teddy Picker"
Europe - "Ninja"        *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Ok Go - "This Too Shall Pass"
The Burning Hell - "Nostalgia"
Chad VanGaalen - "Freedom for a Policeman"
Handsome Furs - "Officer of Hearts"
John Maus - "Cop Killer"

Today's Tune: Teen Daze - "Surface"

Vancouver's Teen Daze has been fashioning his own brand of dreamy pop for a minute (under the aforementioned moniker and as Two Bicycles), releasing an EP here and there. Well, it seems he's set to release another EP, A Silent Planet, with the people at the terrific Lefse Records. You'll have to wait until September 13 to get your hands on a copy (order the tape, it it please the court), so in the meantime (over and over again for the rest of the summer) you can download the song "Surface" for free on the Teen Daze bandcamp page. If you insist on doing some sort of activity while listening to Teen Daze, I recommend floating on the surface of a highly chlorinated backyard pool in the scorching hot sun while pining over a summer crush. Typical stuff, really.

Exclusive - Bayonets!!! Sled Island, CP and Eagleface

At Sled Island this year, Edmonton nerd-punk provocateurs Bayonets!!! stood on the street with me and tolerated my questions (for this site and cfcr.ca). Their punchy brand of 30-second jolts transcend some of the worst-lit show footage I've ever taken. We talk about Roy Rogers, the pope of Eagleface, and plenty more.

Green Eggs and Ham: Sounds Like Real Radio!

Fully alert, caffeinated and ready to go, I zoomed through this week's show like a man with a mission. Stopovers with the Hero Hill Canada Day mixtape, songs with the title Black Water, my interview with Charlie from Crocodiles and plugs for lots of upcoming live shows made this one easy. Here's the playlist:


The Ghost Is Dancing - "Rogues and Heroes"
Clem Snide - "Burn the Light"
Apparat - "Black Water"
Timber Timbre - "Black Water"
k-os - "BlackWater"
Joel Plaskett - "Jimmie's Still Jimmie"
Dan Mangan - "Oh Fortune"
"Weird Al" Yankovic - "Craigslist"
The Warped 45's - "Bitter Green"
Octoberman - "Baby Step Back"
Wool On Wolves - "Boss Man"
Villa Nah - "Daylight"
Teddybears - "Weed In a Rizzla" (feat. Trimbal)
Toddla T - "Watch Me Dance" (SebastiAn remix)
The New Division - "Starfield"
The Hidden Cameras - "Do I Belong?"
Bob Seger - "We've Got Tonight"     *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Les Jupes - "Mathematics"
John K. Samson - "Petition"
Xavier Rudd - "No Woman No Cry"
The Deep Dark Woods - "Westside Street"
One Hundred Dollars - "Everybody Wins (Except For Losers)"

Exclusive - Sledding With Crocodiles

During the Sled Island festival in Calgary I had a chance to sit down with Charles Rowell from San Diego band Crocodiles. It went a little something like this:

Processed Cheese: June 2011

Be back here every month for a look at the previous month's selections from my show's "Slice of Cheese" segment. If the song is significantly cheesy, there's bound to be a video equally (if not more) so.

We start this month with Michael Bolton and his painful uplifter "Time, Love and Tenderness". This video seems to have been a promotional afterthought, made at the same time as his label was setting up things like photoshoots and interviews (both of which are included in the video). The rest of the non-performance footage is made up of faux-candid attempts to humanize Bolton by showing him schooling a bunch of back-up singers at pool and overalls-clad basketball. Cut to the final round of choruses shot at what looks like soundcheck at an arena in Boise. The band seems to be way too into this whole playing for Bolton thing. I wonder what they're up to now.

Now it's back to 1979 and "Boogie Wonderland". There's nothing wrong with this straight-up performance video, except they inexplicably don't use any of the microphones they bothered to set up on the stage. Perhaps they don't believe in amplification.

The Victorian-era mishmash that is the video for "Goodbye Bad Times" by Giorgio Moroder and The Human League's Philip Oakey, easily the worst this month, teaches us a valuable lesson. If your wife spurns your mutton-chopped advances, you will be able to meet somebody to replace her by almost killing her in an equestrian hit-and-run. Women like near-death experiences, apparently. Also, muttonchops (see: Jackman, Hugh). Philip Oakey does virtually nothing, ensuring further decades of fame and success.

June's cheese comes full circle with "Be My Lover" from early 90's pop blahnd La Bouche. This has a bit in common with the Michael Bolton video; it disguises the fact it was cheaply shot in an empty warehouse by using lots of tilted camera angles and dramatic lighting. There are a lot of pointless shots of the one-verse-wonder rapper from La Bouche "dancing" (read: spinning, gesturing, falling into pushups) that seem like they were ripped from a Marky Mark video, and lots of backlit attempts to silhouette the singer from La Bouche as sexy. Oh yeah, there's also a plot: La Bouche girl hangs a man meat locker-style in a semi, drives it to an empty warehouse and sings at him in an attempt to woo him. Then there's a party.

I love music videos.

Green Eggs and Ham: SUMMER SPECTACULAR

Oh, summer. In Saskatchewan, it's the season of high winds, construction, mosquitoes and sunburnt noses. This week's show was a celebration of sorts: of the summer vibe that has a tendency to pervade music all year round. The songs this week will do well at your next BBQ or BBBQ (the extra B is for BYOBB [that extra B is a typo]), and it'll do equally well at cheering you up in the dead of winter. Here's the playlist:


Wavves - "King of the Beach"
Jason Collett - "High Summer"
Wild Nothing - "Summer Holiday"
Land of Talk - "Quarry Hymns"
Zombifyus - "City Heads"
The Fjords - "Come My Way"
Sloan - "Shadow of Love"
The Soft Pack - "C'mon"
Jaill - "Summer Mess"
Panda Bear - "Surfer's Hymn"
Washed Out - "Feel It All Around"
Young Galaxy - "B.S.E."
Crystal Fighters - "In the Summer" (Streetlife Deejays remix)
Superhumanoids - "Mirrors" (Cosmic Kids remix)
CEO - "Come With Me"
Delorean - "Warmer Places"
Slow Down, Molasses - "Wake Me Up at the Coast"
PS I Love You - "Facelove"
Socalled - "Work With What You Got"
Twin Star - "Summer Loving"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
The Wilderness of Manitoba - "Summer Fires"
The Rural Alberta Advantage - "In the Summertime"
Regina - "Jot Et Sä Soita"
Broken Social Scene - "Meet Me in the Basement"
Kisses - "Kisses"
Black Mountain - "Holiday"

The Sleducation of Brendan

Summertime in the Northern Hemisphere means certain things to certain people. It's that time of the year when you bust out your favourite groin-hugging piece of swimwear and hit the beach, sip a Tom Collins on a patio somewhere, or simply curl up under a blanket in a darkened basement reading Nietzsche (I'm talking about you, goths). It's also the season for music festivals, a worldwide circuit that gets everyone to pay big ticket prices to stand in a sun-baked field somewhere and sort of see the Dave Matthews Band (if only that tall guy would move his head a little to the left). To the ever-growing list, add Sled Island: Calgary's answer to the bloated outdoor indie Meh-stivals. I went to Sled for the first time this year not knowing exactly what to expect. I knew I would see a lot of bands; I also knew I would probably learn a thing or two about how to go about things for the next time. Here's what I learned:

1) I'm out of shape.
The shows that take place over the 4 nights of Sled Island take place in 30 venues spread out over Calgary's infamously sprawling downtown areas. It's recommended to "do" the Fest by bike; quicker than walking, you save lots of time on transportation that you could be using to see more bands. My first night in Calgary I was on foot the entire time and, while not particularly tiring, it was time-consuming enough to be bothersome. Not to mention that all night long I watched well-prepared scenesters whizz by me on their fixies, seemingly taunting me with their good sense. I opted to bike for the remaining nights of Sled which proved to be a good decision. I also biked during the day, however, and this served only to remind me that I don't often bike ALL DAY. By closing time on Friday, for instance, I was experiencing enough fatigue that I was considering pounding the pavement the next day. I sucked it up. Biking is more fun.

2) Who needs context?
There were certain bands I told myself I had to see at Sled Island 2011: Twin Shadow (they killed it at the Hifi Club), of Montreal (their live show is spectacular in every sense of the word) and Crocodiles (showmen and songsmiths who craft great tunes and put in the work), among many others. These were shows I'd go into with expectations, and most of the time the expectations were exceeded. Some of the truly inspirational and affirming moments of the weekend came with the exposure to new acts I'd never heard or heard of before: bands like Red Cedar (an up-and-coming Vancouver 5-piece who would fit on a bill with Yukon Blond) and Bayonets!!! (a fun Edmonton nerd-punk outfit that played a long-for-them 16 minute set on the same bill as Auld Beak) really made the trip worthwhile.

3) I'm addicted to technology.
While the real story of Sled Island was the music, I wouldn't have seen nearly enough without electronic devices. This occurred to me the night before the trip when I was charging my phone, my iPod, my computer, my video camera and my portable recharger simultaneously. My phone alone was a Sled Island schedule, a map, a resource of information on the bands themselves and sometimes a phone. Time and time again, after pausing on a street corner to search on my smart-phone for the directions to the next venue, I was regarded as a local and asked for directions by strangers. I was rarely, if ever, actually helpful to these people. I'm sure I did a bit of damage to the reputation of all Calgarians, so you're welcome Saskatoon.

4) I've got my work cut out for me.
In an effort to capture the essence of Sled Island for this site and cfcr.ca, I brought along my trusty Panasonic camcorder with the hope of getting lots of good footage. I did; a little too much. The tape was rolling at multiple points during every band I saw but, since I saw 26 bands (of a possible 300+), I have just a bit of sifting to do. Check back here for video highlights of Sled Island, as well as interviews with Slam Dunk, Bayonets!!! and Charles Rowell from Crocodiles

5) We need to feed our scene.
Sled is great and, while a uniquely Calgarian experience, involves a couple of long drives for us out-of-towner music fans. Once in the city, I found myself running into Saskatonians everywhere- fellow Sled attendees, Toon-town expats, even strangers that turned out to have common acquaintances. The place was crawling with Hub City natives. Saskatoon is still a small city with an even smaller music community, but that's no reason not to dream big for the future. We do have rambunctious upstarts working their butts off to bring bands to our town for us to see, even in the festival template (ViveFest comes to mind), but nothing yet on too large of a scale (at least for independent music). This can change, and everyone can help it along by doing small things; go to a couple more shows, tell a few more friends about a band you love, fly blind by going to see somebody you've never heard of. Go to something like Sled Island and spread the word about Saskatoon, the Paris of the Prairies. Imagine if we had The Dandy Warhols, The Buzzcocks, or of Montreal coming to town. Now, do something to make it happen.

Stressed Out rock out at Broken City Social Club

Green Eggs and Ham: A mouth, an island, a saxaphone great

I've got approximately 5 minutes before I head out the door to go to Calgary for the Sled Island Festival (which I will be covering for this site and cfcr.ca), so I'll make this one quick. I played some bands playing this weekend at Sled, some singer-songwriters, an epic Simple Minds groove, a terribly cheesy dance number from La Bouche, a tribute to Clarence Clemons and tons more. Here's the playlist:


Feuermusik - "Doppelspiel"
Islands - "The Drums"
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - "Season's Trees"
The Meters - "Can You Do Without?"
Clams Casino - "Gorilla"
Morgan Cameron Ross - "Let It Go"
Ron Sexsmith - "Michael and His Dad"
Laura Peek - "Grown Up"
Eamon McGrath - "Dark End of the Street"
Friends Electric - "Reach Out Your Hands"
Simple Minds - "This Fear of Gods"
Junior Boys - "A Truly Happy Ending (Diamond Rings Remix)"
Gold Panda - "MPB"
Of Montreal - "Sex Karma"
Twin Shadow - "At My Heels"
Braids - "Plath Heart"
Dum Dum Girls - "O Mein M"
Jon McKiel - "Motion Pictures"
La Bouche - "Be My Lover"   *this week's Slice of Cheese
Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest"
Bruce Springsteen - "Badlands"
Young Rival - "T-Shirt and Shorts"
Pat Jordache - "Radio Generation"
The Two-Minute Miracles - "Put It Out"

Today's Tune: Junior Boys - "A Truly Happy Ending" (Diamond Rings Remix)

What a way to wrap up the remix rainbow. In case you're just tuning in, for the last six weeks, Diamond Rings has released a different remix every week. This week's effort, the final release (coinciding with the international release of Diamond Rings' album Special Affections), is a fun re-do of the Junior Boys' "A Truly Happy Ending". Download it below.

DOWNLOAD=> Junior Boys - "A Truly Happy Ending" (Diamond Rings Remix)