Having had a few days to let Sunday's show, (No Borders), sink in, it's really starting to grow on me. There were quite a few last minute changes (long story) so it didn't end up quite as planned but (speaking very personally!), I like the blend of material from relatively new artists and newer material from veterans.
The show starts with a straight-ahead rocker from Britain's Kasabian. Up next is an extended cut from The Stone Roses. This song takes a while to get going but be patient. It has a great blend of percussive groove with rock. The following songs feature the distinctive vocals of Chris Cornell (Audioslave) and Matthew Bellamy (Muse).
Our first "featured artist" is Colin Hay. Colin first came to prominence in the early eighties as singer/songwriter with Australia's "Men at Work" ("Who can it be now", "Down Under"). It was a listener who turned me on to his current solo material (which has been featured in the soundtracks to "Scrubs" and "Garden State"). I'm still catching up on his material but am really enjoying his gift for songwriting, especially the storytelling of his lyrics. (He also has a 'Barenaked Ladies' sense of humour when it comes to lyrics). Colin is on tour on the US east coast in April/May and then hops over to BC and Alberta in July/August. Very worth catching! Check his website for details: http://www.colinhay.com/
From Colin, we move to a true surprise (for me): Rik Emmett. Rik is probably best known as singer/guitar player for Canadian power trio Triumph. He has grown into a remarkably versatile artist. The cut we selected is an acoustic piece that is as far removed from 'power trio' as you could possibly imagine. Rik is also on tour. Check: http://www.rikemmett.com/.
We follow Rik with a cut that might suggest we're 'Living in the past': a brilliant, acoustic based cut from a classic band (you'll have to listen to find out who).
The show closes with an artist that never ceases to amaze me: Jeff Beck. The first cut has a great groove to it (and a very wide dynamic range - if you don't have a lot of bass on your speakers, you may think the song has stopped at a couple of points). His ability to pull sounds out of a guitar that I don't hear anyone else doing is quite remarkable. You will find yourself wondering when he's using a bottleneck and when he's doing wild string bends coupled with skilled use of the vibrato bar. The second cut is a live blues cut. Listen to the nuances he puts into each note. Amazing! On one note, he bends the string so much you wonder how the neck didn't snap, let alone the string. Still producing cutting edge material after all these years!
Cheers,
Michael
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Year end show
By the skin of our teeth, we managed to get the year's final show (Archive 13 Beaucoup Entendu) uploaded on New Year's eve (with special thanks to Jay VP, a Vancouver based recording engineer with a growing international reputation, who helped trouble-shoot a ridiculously stupid techie problem of my own creation at the last minute!).
With most of the shows, I like to present a cross-section of material in the hope of turning someone on to an artist/song they hadn't heard before.
This show is an exception. With other stations producing their "Top 500 songs of all time" countdowns, I decided to take a (heavily biased) look back at artists that have had a major impact on me personally and the music industry in general. You will no doubt be familiar with most of the artists but the song choices may be different from what you'd see on most 'best of' lists. In most cases, I chose the songs that locked me in as a fan. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the choices!
Also included are two songs that were a large part of the impetus to launch this station. In particular, the final cut of the show is a 17 minute instrumental that would most likely never see the light of day on a conventional station. Not an instantly catchy pop/rock tune. Instead, a song that takes its time to draw you in. If you give it a chance to get under your skin, you will find yourself returning to it over and over.
All the best for the new year!
Michael
With most of the shows, I like to present a cross-section of material in the hope of turning someone on to an artist/song they hadn't heard before.
This show is an exception. With other stations producing their "Top 500 songs of all time" countdowns, I decided to take a (heavily biased) look back at artists that have had a major impact on me personally and the music industry in general. You will no doubt be familiar with most of the artists but the song choices may be different from what you'd see on most 'best of' lists. In most cases, I chose the songs that locked me in as a fan. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the choices!
Also included are two songs that were a large part of the impetus to launch this station. In particular, the final cut of the show is a 17 minute instrumental that would most likely never see the light of day on a conventional station. Not an instantly catchy pop/rock tune. Instead, a song that takes its time to draw you in. If you give it a chance to get under your skin, you will find yourself returning to it over and over.
All the best for the new year!
Michael
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