Trapper Radio

The English Beat, and Why You Should Care

2010-05-10T11:10:00.005-04:00

Legendary ska revivalists The English Beat will be bringing a resurrected line-up to The Magic Bag in Ferndale on May 20th, and CJAM has your chance to attend this potentially once-in-a-lifetime show for free!

The English Beat (or The Beat, as they are known in their home country) formed in the 1978 in Birmingham, England. Already intent on mixing reggae with the swingy, skiffle-sound that had worked so well for the Beatles, the band's sound began to expand as new members brought in new influences. Backup vocalist Ranking Roger became a pioneer in bringing what was referred to as "toasting" to a UK audience (toasting = talking over a beat laid down by a DJ. You can see where this will become important in the years to come). A saxophonist by the name of Saxa allowed the incorporation of ska instrumentation.

As their stock rose in England, most of their exposure in North America came from pioneering modern rock stations in the USA, like KROQ in Los Angeles. The band began referring to themselves as The English Beat state-side to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name. Alas, after three albums (two of which were Top 5 hits in the UK, with impressive showings in the US and Australia) the band split up in 1983. Perhaps as a testament to the band's influence and following, five compilation and best-of albums dedicated to the band have been released, two more than they ever released during their career. Members of The Beat would go on to form General Public and, probably more recognisably, Fine Young Cannibals. Today, The (English) Beat is considered one of the pioneers of the "2 Tone" style and regarded as one of the most entertaining groups from ska's second wave.

This version of the Beat features original vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Dave Wakeling with a fresh roster of musicians supporting him. Allegedly, there is new material forthcoming from this lineup, but, knowing their fan base, I suspect they'll be sticking to old favourites for this performance.

So, listen to Trapper Radio on Tuesday, May 11th from 2:30-4pm on CJAM 99.1FM (or www.cjam.ca) to win tickets for you and a guest!

Watch the Closing Doors

2010-04-20T15:06:00.011-04:00

Imagine the tombstone reading "Trapper Radio Blog", and the hand holding a keyboard or a taco or something blogger-y. I promise that I'll make it work this time. Track list for April 20th, 2010:

Cavaliers - Green Eyes (Cavaliers, ind)
From Fiction - Terry (Bloodwork, Last Gang)
Collective Efforts - In Your Mind (Medicine, ind)
Bridge & Tunnel - Indoor Voices (Indoor Voices EP, No Idea) !
Mantler - Fresh and Fair (Monody, Tomlab) !
Jon Cleary - When You Get Back (And the Absolute Monster Gentleman, Basin Street)
Ian La Rue & The Condor - A Crow's Flight (A History of Layers, ind) !
Peter Karp & Sue Foley - Mm Hmm (He Said She Said, Stony Plain) !
Clutch - Opossum Minister (From Beale Street to Oblivion, DRT)
Orphan Choir - Parable (Orphan Choir, Art of the Underground) #
Bruce Barth - I'm Old Fashioned (East and West, Maxjazz)
Tin Kitchen - Archibald Alexander (Grace EP, ind)
Guru - Transit Ride (Jazzmatazz Vol. 1, Virgin)
Poirier - 90's Backyard (Running High, Ninja Tune) !
Thom Swift - Killer (Blue Sky Day, Ground Swell) !
Everyone Everywhere - Tiny Planet (Self-titled, Tiny Engine) !
Shotgun Jimmie - Unlimited (Paint it Pink EP, Just Friends)
Shotgun Jimmie - Drunkenness (Paint it Pink EP, Just Friends)

The AV Club has a great article about hip-hop MC Guru, who passed away Monday after suffering from a series of serious health complications resulting from a battle with cancer. One half of the duo Gang Starr, the article serves as a brief-yet-fitting retrospective on Guru's career, and some inevitable conflicts that may arise over his legacy.

In addition to stuff from the new Bridge & Tunnel EP, I played the first track from Everyone Everywhere's impending full-length release. The band and their label, Tiny Engine, are going to be hosting a new song from the album for free download every day at a different music blog. The list of songs and where to find them can be found in this blog post. You can also pre-order a physical copy of the album here.

I'm really intrigued and impressed by the way this new wave of DIY punk bands are conducting their business. Traditionally, DIY punk has taken a staunch anti-corporate view to music by taking control of how it's bands create and distribute their music. By and large, the majority (although not all) of punk rock today is written about rebelling against the mainstream music business, rather than the old "Anarchy in the UK" anti-authority trope many people are used to. But while most fans discover and consume their music through their computers, the furthest that labels like No Idea, Plan-it-X, Suburban Home, Asian Man (and so on and so on) have delved are setting up websites and adapting their mail-orders to online stores. I love those labels, and I'm not suggesting they should do a thing to change their business models. Suburban Home in particular is at the forefront of creation regarding distribution of physical music. Many of them are very supportive of the bands I'm referring to, and do distro for many of the physical releases of the albums. I'm just saying that it is refreshing that a whole movement of bands have naturally come to a place that is really innovative and confident in a realm that is really uncertain and scary from a sustainability perspective.

These new bands, like EE and Bridge & Tunnel and many more who have become associated with DIY site If You Make It, are not only embracing the DIY ethic, but finding new ways to apply it to the changing methods of music distribution and consumption. They've found a way to please both the broke fans and the music purists by providing a large offering of free stuff with options to buy physical, namely on vinyl. It makes a lot more sense when you also consider how many punk bands release most of their music on small EPs and splits. Even if you doubt the practicality and sustainability of how they do things, you have to admire that they are at least embracing a reality of modern music (digital distribution) that the majority of bands and labels have been struggling with (or denying it's existence at all).

photo courtesy www.mitchclem.com, Nothing Nice to Say. Copyright 2005.

I Dance I Dance I Dance

2009-12-08T14:38:00.007-05:00

Photo from the stellar new collaboration between Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle. Title from Blah Blah 666 and the country of Mexico. The track list for December 8th:

Primal Scream - Over & Over (Beautiful Future, B-Unique)
Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle - Itchy Feet (Let's Just Stay Here, Mint) !
God Made Me Funky - Cybersects (Nu Funktonia, New Empire)
Stereotyperider - Unacceptable (Prolonging The Inevitable, Suburban Home)
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Couch Potato (The Hidden Land, Sony BMG)
Sloan - Iggy & Angus (Navy Blues, Universal)
Phosphorescent - I Gotta Get Drunk (To Willie, Dead Oceans)
OOIOO - Irorun (Arminico Hewa, Thrill Jockey) !
Glomag - Pocket Calculator (8-bit Operations, Receptors)
Ghettosocks ft. D-sisive and Muneshine - U Ain't This (Treat of the Day, ind) !
Choke - Slow Fade (Slow Fade, Smallman)
Deer Tick - Axe Is Forever (More Fuel For The Fire, Partisan) !
The Racoon Wedding - I Will Be Found (Gather Gather Bones Rattle Rattle Truth, Ford Plant) !
Golden Ghost - Pried Up The Bark (The Unimaginative Body, Epiphysis) !
Outkast - Xplosion (Stankonia, Arista)
Freznal Rhomb - I Don't Need Your Loving (A Man's Not A Camel, Fat Wreck)
Disasterpeace - Flamenco Sketches (Kind of Bloop, ind)
RaggaDeath - Hemisphere (Raggadeath, Attic)
Blah Blah 666 - Mexican Hat Dance (It's Only Life, Barnyard)
Talk Normal - Bold Face (Sugarland, Rare Book Room) !

Next week, I plan on starting my look at the best albums of the year. It is my first time doing this, but I think the best way to do this is to do it in two shows. Each show, I'll play something from the best album in five different genres, as well as some runners-up and albums that didn't get enough attention this year. Plus, over the next two weeks you can expect regular blog posts discussing/reviewing said albums. Exams? What exams?

It's The Same Old World, But Nothing Looks The Same

2009-12-03T18:52:00.011-05:00

Don't have much to say. The show was good this week. The track listing for December 1st:

Tom Waits - Make It Rain (Glitter & Doom, Anti-) !
Bear vs Shark - Ma Jolie (Right Now, You're In The Best of Hands, Equal Vision)
Kid Koala - Robochacha (Some of My Best Friends Are DJs, Ninja Tune)
Cuff The Duke - Promises (Way Down Here, Noble) !
Belle and Sebastian - You Don't Send Me (Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Rough Trade)
Muneshine - Liquorhound (Status Symbol, Wax Reform) !
Million Dead - Holloway Prison Blues (Harmony No Harmony, Xtra Mile)
Rita Chiarelli - Quanto Sei Bella Roma (Cuore: The Italian Sessions)
The Paddingtons - Tommy's Disease (Zane Lowe Sessions/First Comes First, Vertigo)
Blue Rodeo - Never Look Back (The Things We Left Behind, Warner) ! Blue Rodeo - Candice (The Things We Left Behind, Warner) !
Horrorpops - Boot2Boot (Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, Hellcat)
Oh No - Perceptions (The Disrupt, Stones Throw)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Even Heroes Have To Die (The Brutalist Bricks, Matador) !
Buried Inside - Time As Abjection (Chronoclast, Relapse)
Glossary - Shout It From The Rooftops (The Better Angels of Our Nature)
CFCF - Break-In (Continent, Paper Bag) !
Millencolin - Broken World (Machine 15, Epitaph)
Crown City Rockers - Break (The Day After Forever, Gold Dust) !

The Paddington's song I played today was taken from a session they did with Zane Lowe in the UK. It was offered for download on their website years ago, but it's no longer there, so I'm directing you to First Comes First, the band's first full-length on which "Tommy's Disease" would later appear.

Glossary's The Better Angels of Our Nature and frontman Joey Kneiser's solo album The All-Night Bedroom Revival are available for free download at their website. They've got new stuff, Feral Fire, out in February, I'm really looking forward to hearing it.

Also, the Ted Leo track I played is from their album The Brutalist Bricks, expected to be released in March. That song is available at the Matador Records website.

From a purely technical standpoint, Tom Waits doesn't sound all that different between his studio albums and his live performances. But why is it when listening to Glitter & Doom it sounded like Waits is doing an impression of himself? Don't really have anything to back that point up with, just something I've having a hard time getting around.

Ttrraappeerr Rraaddiioo

2009-11-26T22:23:00.005-05:00

I don't think I have any more music in me. I've given it all to you. Track list for the double-length show of November 24th:

The Lytics - I'm Here !
O Pioneers!!! - We Have Friends (I Promise)
Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard - These Roads Don't Move !
Captain Tractor - This Time Tomorrow
John Coltrane - Woody'n You
Slayer - Human Strain !
More or Les - Eat Your Food
The Bull North - Antihero !
Tsunami Bomb - Take The Reins
Black Coffee Cowboys - Love Bandits
The Mark Inside - Coming Back Under Attack
Junk Culture - My Two Hands !
Junk Culture - Watson's Glassy Stare !
Junk Culture - For Elise !
Billy Bragg - Deportees
Tor - Star of Wonder !
Bouncing Souls - The Ballad of Johnny X
Rae Spoon - Revivalist
Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - Here's to Life
Soccer Team - Traffic Patterns
Oceanographer - Remembering Things That Never Happened #
Devendra Banhart - Angelika !
Born Ruffians - Barnacle Goose
United Steel Workers of Montreal - Rise Up
Kae Sun - Too Young, Too Soon !
Defiance, Ohio - This Feels Better
Defiance, Ohio - Never Forget, Ever
John Mayall - Nothing to Do With Love
Bill Charlap Trio - Lorelei
Meat Beat Manifesto - Happiness Supreme
Two Hours Traffic - Back Seat Sweetheart
Minor Threat - Think Again
Aceyalone - Lonely Ones
Lightning Bolt - S.O.S. !
Two Gallants - Nothing To You
Living With Lions - Cold Coffee
El-P - No Kings
Young Rival - Too Hip
Indio Saravanja - El Camino Blues !
Against Me! - Slurring The Rhythms
The Detroit Cobras - Leave My Kitten Alone
The Detroit Cobras - (I Wanna Know) What's Going On?

In honour of the slur of songs above, here are a slur of thoughts. I'll probably be coming back and adding more in later.

Two Gallants don't seem to get consistent recognition. Their melodies are pretty much what you would expect from a two-person alt-country band with a heavy rock leaning, but the lyrics have a wonderful old-west bite to them. Check out The Throes for more of the grittier stuff, and last year's self-titled album for something a bit deeper.

Born Ruffians and Devendra are two favourites of year-and-a-half-ago Josh Kolm. Although I'm sure I'll be finding time for them again soon. Banhart's newest once again maintains his signature sound without being (too) derivative, and we'll be getting new BR next year, which is going to be certainly amazing.

Young Rival/Mark Inside this Saturday at Phog, I'll be the one sitting by the speakers. Detroit Cobras are at the Magic Stick on Thursday, I'll be one at home writing term papers.

Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn!

2009-11-20T11:58:00.008-05:00

This week I remembered I love the Loved Ones even though Dave Hause wears white sunglasses. Track list for November 17th:

Chuck Prophet - American Man (¡Let Freedom Ring!, Yep Roc) !
Grand Analog - Ole Mine Town (Touch Your Toes,
The Loved Ones - The Bridge (Build and Burn, Fat)
Paul Reddick - Waves (Villanelle, Northern Blues)
Electric Six - Rip It! (I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being The Master, Metropolis)
Lee "Scratch" Perry - I Am A Madman (Live @ Maritime Hall, 2BI)
The Secretaries - Hey Girl (The Secretaries, Rawlco) !
Johnny Truant - Realist Surrealist (In The Library of Horrific Events, Dine Alone)
Snuff - The Damage is Done (Reach, Cargo)
D-Sisive - West Coast (Jonestown, Urbnet) !
You Say Party! We Say Die! - Make XXXX (XXXX, Paper Bag) !
Dawes - When You Call My Name (North Hills, ATO) !
Mischief Brew - The Gypsy, The Punk and The Fool (Smash the Windows, Fistolo)
The End - My Abyss (Elementary, Relapse)
Sunparlour Players - The Detroit River is Alive! (Hymns for the Happy, Baudelaire)
Attack in Black - Blood (In The Tracks) (Yours (By One Thousand Fingertips), Dine Alone)
Kam Moye - Let's Be Honest (Splitting Image, MYX) !

You will notice I didn't stick D-Sisive's Jonestown in bold. I'm having a hard time placing it , especially after comparing it to Let the Children Die from earlier this year. Which is totally unfair, not only because Children is a friggin masterpiece, but because they are very different albums in terms of tone and perspective. All the same, go to www.d-sisive.com and get the free download of the new album, it is absolutley worth your time.

I'm really surprised I haven't played The Loved Ones before, especially considering how much I adore the Build and Burn album. I'm really, really surprised I haven't gone over to look at frontman Dave Hause's MySpace before today, where he's posted a handful of solo tracks that serve as a decent preview of what's to come on his planned solo album. It's good, it fits in nicely with the rest of the Revival Tour gang. Sound finds itself somewhere between Joey Cape and Tim Barry, if that means anything to you.

Next week: three hours of Trapper Radio, starting at 1:00PM! I'm trying to find ways to get creative and utilize the extra time to its full extent, but I may end up just doing two episodes in one week. Either way, it'll be good, I promise.

Jet Plane, To L.A.

2009-11-15T19:46:00.010-05:00

Two updates in one. Mega-update = mega-fun! Track list for November 3rd:

Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One - We Taking Over (Parallel Uni-verses, Gold Dust) !Eric's Trip - My Room (Love Tara, Sub Pop)
Swank - Halo in the Headlights (The Survival Issue, ind)
Nothington - Meant to Lose (Roads, Bridges and Ruins, BYO) !
The Black Hollies - When You're Not There (Softly Towards The Light, Ernest Jenning) !
Duke Ellington - Jam With Sam (Love You Madly Comp., Naxos)
Stripper's Union - No Ones Watching (Local 518, Universal)
Clipse - Wamp Wamp (What It Do) (Hell Hath No Fury, Re-Up)
The Lawrence Arms - Demons (Buttsweat and Tears, Fat Wreck) !
Den-igan - Baby Birds (Square Root of Fun, ind) !
MF-Doom - Bergamont Wild (Special Herbs Vol. 3, Female Fun)
Hockey Night - Saturday Night Gallop (Keep Guessin', Lookout)
Dillinger Escape Plan - Milk Lizard (Milk Lizard, Relapse)
Ox - Miss Idaho Redux (Burnout, Weewerk) !
D.O.A. - The Enemy (Something Better Change, Sudden Death)
Doop and The Inside Outlaws - Burn This City (Everett Bellher, Inside Out)
Alex Cuba - Gira (Alex Cuba, Caracol) !
Clit 45 - No Sanctuary Insanity (Self-Hate Crimes, BYO)
Lights Out Asia - Mir (Tanks and Recognizers, n5MD)

And November 10th:

Disjam - Vitisse
The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer (Stay Positive, Vagrant)
MC Lyte - I Cram To Understand U (Lyte As A Rock, First Priority)
Kent McAlister - Another Bridge (How I'll Remain, Rawlco) !
Braid - Collect From Clark Kent (Frame and Canvas, Polyvinyl)
Ben Folds Five - Selfless, Collected and Cold (Whatever and Ever, Amen, Epic)
Sufjan Stevens - Movement III: Linear Tableau with Intersecting Surprise (The BQE, Asthmatic Kitty) !
Pigment Vehicle - Combing The Dessert (Murder's Only Foreplay When You're Hot For Revenge, Sudden Death)
Buck 65 - You Know The Science (Man Overboard, anti-con)
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Christ For President (Mermaid Avenue, Elektra)
Moka Only - Benefits !
Champion - Perfect In Between (Resistence, Saboteur)
The Job - Problem (The Job, Hi-Hat)
The Swiftys - Find Another Fool (The Swiftys, Atomic Works)
Black Keys - Psychotic Girl (Attack and Release, Nonesuch)
Maserati - This Is a Sight We Had One Day from the High Mountain (Inventions For The New Season, Temporary Residence)
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You (I and Love and You, American) !

Really impressed by the new stuff from Del and Tame One. It defiantly makes up for the "meh" that was Funk Man, Del's release from earlier this year. I'm crediting Parallel Thought's producing.

The Ox song, "Miss Idaho", first appeared on American Lo-Fi (I played it during one of my first times on air during a fill-in). But the "Redux" version, which closes out their new album, is so big and epic-scaled. It's impressive that the same song can be re-recorded in such a creative new way--they can put versions of the song on all their albums and I'd probably be thrilled.

I played D.O.A. last week while ensuring people that reports of original drummer Chuck Biscuits' death were false. Even the CBC was fooled by the story, which originated from a music blogger citing a source posing as Chuck and his wife. This week, reports of Maserati/!!! drummer Jerry Fuchs' death were not only unfortunately true, but a few were also accompanied with almost-jokes at the cause of death, his hoodie getting caught as he tried to leap from a stalled elevator, causing him to fall five stories down the shaft (get it? Because he was a hipster from Williamsburg! They wear hoodies!). While the lines in the stories were only wink-nudging at the joke (and when has Gawker ever covered Maserati or !!!? Clearly running out of opportunities to make a hipster jokes) the comments sections defiantly took it and ran with it.

Rick Rubin produced the new Avett Brothers album I closed out with. Glad to see him get his fingerprints on something great again.

I'll Put A Bullet In His Heart If He Ain't Home By Sundown

2009-10-31T10:10:00.004-04:00

Today was the day I played an album as old as I am. Playlist for October 27th:

The Tragically Hip - I'll Believe In You (Or I'll Be Leaving You Tonight) (Up to Here, MCA)
Brand New -Vices (Daisy, Interscope) !
Ninja Gun - Restless Rubes (Restless Rubes, Suburban Home)
Ninja Gun - Eight Miles Out (Restless Rubses, Suburban Home)
BK-One with Benzilla - Gititit (Radio Do Canibal, Fifth Element) !
Logo Hoax - Deflect, or Destroy (Logo Hoax, Strip Maul)
Drive-By Truckers - Aftermath USA (A Blessing and A Curse, New West)
(Young) Pioneers - Ballad of the (Young) Pioneers (Free The (Young) Pioneers Now!, Lookout)
(Young) Pioneers - Downtown Tragedy (Free The (Young) Pioneers Now!, Lookout)
BC ft. Saul Williams - Ode to Gill Scott-Heron (Time Pieces Pt. 1: Time Capsule, Domination) !
The Wooden Sky - When We Were Young (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, Black Box) !
Jawbreaker - Boxcar (24 Hour Revenge Therapy, Tupelo/Communion)
The British Columbians - Gasoline Handshake (The British Columbians, ind) !
High Watt Electrocutions - Obliteration (Desert Opuses, Introspection) !
Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killah, Method Man & Cappadonna - Ice Cream (Only Built 4 Cuban Link Pt. II, EMI)
Moneen - Great Escape (The World I Want To Leave Behind, Dine Alone) !
Devil Eyes - Freak Pocket (Devil Eyes, Signed By Force) !
Jimmy Burns - Shake For Me (Night Time Again)
Ron Leary - Hey, Hey! (Lapse, Boot Brush) #
The Ponys - Get Black (Celebration Castle, In The Red)

So What If All My Heroes Are The Losing Kind?

2009-10-24T18:54:00.008-04:00

I need to make sure I can pronounce the things I am going to say before I say them. The track list for October 20, 2009:

Ben Nichols - The Last Pale Light In The West (The Last Pale Light In The West, Liberty & Lament)
Fond of Tigers - Elkore (A Thing To Live With, Drip)
Guignol & Mischief Brew - Fight Dirty (Fight Dirty, Fistolo) !
Kat Danser - Keep On Movin' (Something Familiar, Big Beauty)
Strange Fruit Project - Good Times (The Healing, Spilt Milk)
Dave House - 60 Blocks Up (Intersections, Banquet)
Strike Anywhere - Failed State (Iron Front, Bridge Nine) !
Ninety Pounds of Ugly - Not Tonight (Richmond Hotel Room #3, ind) !
Lucero - What Are You Willing To Lose? (1372 Overton Park, Universal) !
Yesterday's New Quintent - The One Who Knows (Angles Without Edges, Stones Throw)
Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck - Brooklyn, NY (Goodbye Debris EP, ind)
OK Cobra - Camel Clutch (Delerium & Remens, Top Billed) !
The Spy's - Ludwell Woodwork (Original Punkrock From Canada 1979-1980, ind)
Guillemots - Annie, Let's Not Wait (Through The Windowpane, Polydor)
The Get Up Kids - Action Action (Live @ The Granada Theatre, Vagrant)
The Wheat Pool - Lefty (Hauntario, Shameless) !

The Get Up Kids play the Majestic Theatre October 24th, The Wheat Pool open for Rah Rah October 27th at Phog, and in a super big rare show of fun awesomeness, Frank Carlonie, former frontman of The Spy's, will be performing with Kevin Shannon, aka Heavy Kevey of The Dry Heaves, at The Loop on December 11th. Wowee.

Loves Me Some Lucero

2009-10-19T12:40:00.004-04:00

This week's show will feature music and a ticket giveaway from one of my all-time favourite bands and a consistent big draw in the country and punk worlds.

LUCERO will be playing a show at The Magic Stick in Detroit on Wednesday, October 21st. The day before (Tuesday, October 20th for those bad with dates) on Trapper Radio, I will be giving away a pair of tickets to this show for absolutley free!

I will be playing some music from frontman Ben Nichols' solo release from earlier this year as well as Lucero's brand new full-length, 1372 Overton Park, thier first for Universal. It has been making noise in the critical community and drawn praise from old and new fans alike for continuing the band's talent for country-infused southern punk while taking the next logical step by incorporating elements of soul, bluegrass and gospel. Listen if you want to hear why and for a chance to see these song performed live in front of your very eyes!

It will be a party for sure, but to win, you have to listen! I'll give the cue at some point during the show, 2:30-4:00PM on Tuesday, make sure you are tuned to 99.1FM or rocking the online stream at www.cjam.ca.

We Expected Something, Something Better Than Before

2009-10-13T22:46:00.008-04:00

It's good to be back. Track list for October 13, 2009, the first at 99.1 MF'Hz (Megafuckin' hertz):

Hot Water Music - Trusty Chords (Caution, No Idea)
Matt Pond PA - The Butcher (Emblems, Altitude)
Reverend Horton Heat - Please Don't Take The Baby To The Liquor Store (Laughin' & Cryin', Yep Roc) !
Dragonette - East (Fixin' To Thrill, Universal) !
No Use For A Name - For Fiona (Keep Them Confused, Fat Wreck)
500 Miles To Memphis - All My Friends Are Crazy (Sunshine In A Shotglass, Deep Elm)
Blood Meridian - Soldiers of Christ (Soldiers of Christ EP, Outside)
The National - Start A War (Boxer, Beggars Banquet)
Orphan Choir - The Night Nurse (Orphan Choir, Art of the Underground) ! #
RZA - Booby Trap (Digi Snacks, Koch)
Carlos Del Junco - Mashed Potatoes Canada (Steady Movin', Northern Blues)
Lou Barlow - One Machine, One Long Fight (Goodnight Unknown, Merge) !
Sole and The Skyrider Band - More (Plastique, Fake Four) !
High Watt Electrocutions - Dragged Into The Vortex (Night Songs, Introspection)
Loose Tooth - Be Yourself
Langhorne Slim - Back To The Woods (Be Set Free, Kemado) !
Acres and Acres - Money (All Nations, ind) !
Chuck Ragan - 10 West (Gold Country, SideOneDummy) !

Photo from the video for The National's "Apartment Story", which is also on the wonderful Boxer album.

The new Orphan Choir full-length has been a long time coming, and is worth your time for that reason alone. Pick it up at Dr.Disc or order it from Art of the Underground (and check out some of the other great stuff they distribute, too). Fun fact: if you see the guys from Orphan Choir around, sing them some Lucero lyrics; they'll get you in places.

I didn't play the new Dragonette by choice. Let's just say I'm not a fan.

The video I mentioned of The Gaslight Anthem covering Hot Water Music's "Trusty Chords" live last week is hosted here at Punknews.org. It's worth watching to see how on the ball the fans are, knowing right away which song it is and singing right along. Also worth watching to hate them all, since nothing that awesome has ever happened to me at a concert.

Langhorne Slim was a pleasant surprise this week, but thinking back, he shouldn't have been. He has always done a good job of putting out consistently original folk songs in a one-of-a-kind style. Back To The Woods is bit broody, but that is relative to Slim's other work, and is still a fairly upbeat, rootsy indie release.

Cautious Optimism

2009-10-13T00:39:00.005-04:00

For those unaware, CJAM FM left the 91.5 frequency Monday night and began broadcasting at 99.1 Wednesday afternoon. The pledge drive which punctuated the final days at 91.5 came agonizingly close to breaking the goal. Granted, expectations may have been high since the last couple pledge drives broke the record of the one set before it, but through the support of listeners, volunteers and the community, the station raised just over $23,000. Thank you all (donations can still be made year-round at the website), but now, it's back to the fun stuff.

It's been a while since I've done a proper show. The station was off the air last Tuesday, and the one before that was a special "pledge" edition of the show, so I'm eager to get back behind the mic and do what I'm used to doing Tuesday afternoons. In the meantime, I've redone the blog to look less amateur-ish, bit the Web 2.0 bullet by starting a Twitter account (twitter.com/JoshKolm), and hopefully will have more interesting theme music finished to start the show off with every week. Be sure to tune in tomorrow; I've got some new and old punk, country and hip hop favourites as the focal points and plan to (finally) dip into my vinyl collection for the first time.

2009-09-27T19:33:00.004-04:00

I hope you're feeling charitable my friends, because CJAM's annual pledge drive has arrived once again.

If it feels like it came a bit early this year, that's because it has. While we still need your support to help us with the day-to-day cost of running a radio station, this year is particularly urgent.

As you surely know if you've heard the station in the last month, on October 5th at midnight, the plug will be pulled at 91.5 (FOR-EH-VER) so that a new antenna may be built and the station can begin broadcasting at 99.1 FM. This show, along with every other show, host and volunteer will be moving along with the frequency where we can provide what you've come to expect from us with the added security of protected status.

This is not a cheap process. Consultations, labour and the new antenna itself have come at a price. To help offset that price, the dedicated staff and volunteers at CJAM are taking to airwaves early this year and with added intensity. The pledge drive began last Friday at noon and runs right until the power goes off on October 5th. Us volunteers have filled the airwaves with plenty of good reasons to open your hearts and wallets, from the role CJAM fills in the community to running down the list of incentives (t-shirt, totes, mugs, CDs, tickets and more!).

This Tuesday's show will be a special pledge-drive edition, during which I will be raising money with help from a rag-tag bunch of loveable goons. However, do not feel obligated to wait until then or not pledge if you miss it. Call in to the station RIGHT FRIGGIN NOW (519-971-3630 or toll-free 313-963-6112 ext. 3630) and someone will be there to take your pledge, or go to www.cjam.ca to pay securely online. Also go there to get a peak at some of the incentives that await you as a token of appreciation should you decide to do the right thing. You can also hit the Music Department Blog to check out the large and thoroughly nice array of music-related prizes our Music Director has arranged.

Remember: what would Bryan Danielson do?

GUITAR SOLO!!!

2009-09-24T21:02:00.006-04:00

Today I decided John Darnelle only hurts me because he loves me. Track list for September 22:

The Warped 45s - Really Don't Mind !

Speech Debelle - The Key !

Billy Bragg - A13, Trunk Road To The Sea

Beastie Boys - Egg Man

Shonen Knife - Your Guitar !

Rough Skeletons - All Want To Do Is Run !

Linus Loves - Rock Chk

US3 - The Future Ain't What It Once Was !

Squirtgun - She's Ohio

The Mountain Goats - Pslams 40:2 !

The Mountain Goats - Palmcorder Yajna

The Mountain Goats - No Children

The Mountain Goats - Family Happiness

The Mountain Goats - Alpha Double Negative: Going To Catalina

Cousins - Around Thier Waists !

Oorn - Monarch of Night ! #

Ryan Adams - Halloween Head

Son of Dave - Old Times Were Good Times

Hawksley Workman - Prettier Face

Dark Meat - The Faint Smell of Moss !

Suffer Fate 'Cause It's The Only Lift Ya Got

2009-09-08T14:57:00.010-04:00

The ways I single-handedly reduced the station's reputation today: refered to Only Crime as containing members of Guttermouth (it's Good Riddance and Bane), not only allowed myself to be distracted by Cristina and Clara being a-holes but acknowledged them on air, and trying to talk over the handy man's cell phone after it went off during a break.

Music was good though. Track list for September 8th:

The Avett Brothers - Nothing Short Of Thankful (Mignonette, Ramseur)
Young Rival - Poisonous Moves (EP, ind.)
Sole & The Skyrider Band - This Bad Reputation (Battlefields EP, Fake Four) !
Guttermouth - My Neighbor's Baby (Eat Your Face, Epitaph)
Only Crime - Take Me (Virulence, Fat Wreck)
Those Darlins - Wild One (Those Darlins, Oh Wow Dang) !
J Dilla - Body Movin (The Shining, BBE)
John Frusciante - Omission (Shadows Collide With People, Warner)
Ataxia - The Sides (Automatic Writing, Record Collection)
Pissed Jeans - Pleasure Race (King of Jeans, Sub Pop) !
Luxury Christ - Gentle Direction (Problematic For The People, Eleven37)
God Made Me Funky - The Jam (We Can All Be Free, New Empire)
Jim Byrnes - Last Fair Deal In Town (House of Refuge, Black Hen)
Wavves - Gun in the Sun (Wavves, Fat Possum)
Ganglians - The Void (Monster Head Room, Woodsist) !
The Decemberists - The Sporting Life (Picaresque, Kill Rock Stars)
Augury - Faith Puppeteers (Fragmentary Evidence, Sonic Unyon) !
Fembots - My Life In The Funeral Service (The City, Paper Bag)
Fred Eaglesmith - Chain Gang (Tinderbox, A Major Label)
Young Rival - 4:15 (EP, ind)

I gave away a pair of passes to see Wavves and Ganglians play at The Magic Stick in Detroit on September 21st. If you wish to go, tickets are still available through TicketMaster.

In other shows, Young Rival are playing Phog Lounge in Windsor September 18th. I played a few songs by them, and I enjoyed them, but it did not do justice to thier live set, which is absolutley fantastic. Might end up being one of the best shows of the year.

Be sure to keep listening if you liked the new Sole stuff. This EP was released in advance of his new full length, Plastique, which I will be sure to play when it comes out in the near future, especially if this is an indication of the type of material to come.

Once You Crawl In You'll Never Come Back Again

2009-09-01T14:38:00.011-04:00

Zee playlist for September zee first:

Portgual. The Man - Guns & Dogs (The Satanic Satanist, Equal Vision) !
Enter Shikari - Solidarity (Common Dreads, Ambush Reality) !
Twilight Hotel - Viva La Vinyl (Highway Prayer, ind)
Casual Sax - 4 x 12 = Yaay! (The Blow Sven Theory, Wonderful Sound) !
Banner Pilot - Greenwood (Collapser, Fat Wreck) !
Arab Strap - Direction of Strong Man (Elephant Shoe, Jetset)
Eels - P.S. You Rock My World (Electro-Shock Blues, Dreamworks)
Sleater-Kinney - Jumpers (The Woods, Sub Pop)
Silver Jews - Sometimes A Pony Gets Depressed (Tanglewood Numbers, Drag City)
Drag The River - Indianapolis (Live at the Starlight, Suburban Home)
Bane - My Therapy (The Note, Equal Vision)
Maestro Fresh Wes - I'm Showin' You (Symphony In Effect, LMR)
Fortunately, Everything Dies - Token Untitled Song (Censored, ind) ! #
Have Heart - Hard Bark On the Family Tree (Songs To Scream At The Sun, Bridge Nine)
The Gaslamp Killer - Anything Worse (My Troubled Mind, Brainfeeder) !
Arcade Fire - Haiti (Funeral, Merge)
Dream Warriors - Follow Me Not (And Now The Legacy Begins, Island)
The Wooden Sky - Angels (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, Black Box) !
The Wooden Sky - Oh My God (It Still Means a Lot to Me) (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, Black Box) !
Misha - Weatherbees (Teardrop Sweetheart, Tomlab)

Hm. More new stuff than I thought, considering how much my focus was drawn to stuff released a few years back. I don't mean the Dream Warriors or Maestro Fresh Wes; I was thinking the Arcade Fire and Sleater-Kinney.

Funeral and The Woods occupy a very wierd time for me, starting around 2002 and ending around 2007. There was some really good music put out in that time. But they haven't been out long enough to be considered "classic". On the other hand, they aren't recent enough to ride the intial hype. In fact, some of the backlash to the hype hasn't faded away ("I knew about them before you but now everyone does so I'm not going to listen to any of it").

Sometimes it's not as mean-spirited as that. Sometimes you just listen to an album so much you get tired of it. It happens. But as that does fade away, your intial interest (plus nostalgia) creates a strange feeling when you pick something up from 3-8 years ago.

I've been revisiting albums like this alot lately--with Arcade Fire this week plus Tapes n' Tapes and Arctic Monkeys over the last few weeks--and I'm going to try to keep doing it at least once a show for the next few months. I'll think of a clever name for it and everything. I'm thinking Decemberists for next week.

More info on Fortunately, Everything Dies can be found at his MySpace and a free download of Censored is at his Bandcamp page. Suburban Home's page for the free download of Drag The River's long out-of-print Live at The Starlight is right over here.

Hell, I've Forgotten What To Say

2009-08-25T14:28:00.009-04:00

I still love alt-country and Anti- is still the greatest label in the world. In new developments, Permanent Bastards are the shit. Track list for August 25:

Square Root of Margaret - Revisit the Cosmos: With Your Host, Gelatinous "Space" Mendoza! (Teragram Photeur, 33 1/3)
The Weight - Dragged Back In (Ten Mile Grace, Sabot)
Motel Motel - Mexico (New Denver, Rebel Group) !
Del The Funky Homosapien - Back In The Chamber (Eleventh Hour, Definitive Jux)
Catch 22 - Keasby Nights (Keasby Nights, Victory)
Tugboat - El Scorcho (Weezer: The 8-bit Album, Pterodactyl Squad) !
Samiam - Sunshine (Astray, Hopeless)
Wilco - Bull Black Nova (Wilco (The Album), Nonesuch) !
Chadio & Aalo Guha - Overshine (Underestimated Raindrops, Imaginations Treetrunk)
Misery Signals - Labyrinthian (Controller, Ferret)
The Smokin' 45s - One Eyed Jack (On The Boards, ind) !
Awol One & Factor - Stand Up ft. Myka 9 & Aesop Rock (Owl Hours, Fake Four) !
Joe Henry - Stars (Blood From Stars, Anti-) !
Permanent Bastards - Those Forgotten Pioneers (Emericans, ind) !
Permanent Bastards - White Tree (Emericans, ind) !
Permanent Bastards - Business Never Personal (Emericans, ind) !
Permanent Bastards - Faux Real! (Emericans, ind) !
Bloc Party - ~~Luno~~ So Here We Are (Silent Alarm, Atlantic)

Permanent Bastards have replaced Deer Tick (who replaced Sights & Sounds) as my band I have fallen in love with and will campaign for them endlessly. No sleep until Emericans has been played in its entirety thirteen times. Check them out at thier MySpace or at Rubber Factory, who is thier distro label.

I meant to play Luno as a favour to a friend after I refused to play Blink 182 or Taking Back Sunday, but apparently I messed up.

I've been waiting patiently for my copy of The Weight's new album, Are Men, to arrive in the mail, but I couldn't hold out any longer. Expect to hear from that one as soon as I get my hands on it.

My amazement with Epitaph's "Anti-" imprint is beyond words at this point. It makes me angry how good they are.

We're Running Perfect

2009-08-16T16:44:00.010-04:00

I had an unavoidable appointment and couldn't make it in to the show this week. Never fear, because the ever helpful Cassandra Brait was a pal and took over hosting duties for the week. She did a good job. Perhaps a bit too good...

It was a rude awakening for me that I must kick things up a notch to avoid being usurped. Cassandra's playlist for August 11th:

Less Than Jake - Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts (Pezcore, Asian Man/Fueled By Ramen)
Portugal. The Man - How The Leopard Lost Its Spots (The Satanic Satanist, Equal Vision) !
Metric - White Gold (Grow Up and Blow Away, Last Gang)
Stars - The Vanishing (Heart, Paper Bag)
Ohbijou - Black Ice (Beacons, Last Gang) !
Dredg - Lightswitch (The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, Ind. Label Group)
Forgive Durden - For A Dreamer, Night's The Only Time Of Day (Wonderland, Fueled By Ramen)
Owl City - Tidal Waves (Ocean Eyes, Universal)
A Day Away - Major Tom
Propagandhi - Night Letters (Supporting Caste, G7 Welcoming Committee)
NOFX - Blasphemy (The Victimless Crime) (Coaster, Fat Wreck) !
Blasternaut - Seize The Day (Overload, ind)
Subways - Shake, Shake (All or Nothing, Warner)
Deer Tick - Friday XIII (Born on Flag Day, Partisan) !
Jennifer LFO - Two Stars (Songs From The Alien Beacon, Kanada Kid)
Hot Hot Heat - My Best Friend (Happiness Ltd., Sire)
Dillinger Four - Gainesville (Civil War, Fat Wreck)
The Honorary Title - Cats In Heat (Anything Else But the Truth, Doghouse)
Eels - That Look You Gave That Guy (Hombre Lobo, Vagrant) !
Melissa Bathory - The Last Time (Hands, DIY) !

Dillinger Four? Propagandhi? NOFX? Eels? Seriously, it's like I was never even gone.

Seriously though, I've been slacking with the blog this summer and for that I'm sorry. I will be prompt and capable with the posts from now on. Fer real.

An Examination of The Different Broods (aka Elliott Brood Giveaway)

2009-07-08T21:52:00.004-04:00

The Brood was a group of wrestlers who teamed up together during the late 90s in the then-WWF. Gangrel, Edge and Christian were followers of a vampiric clan who came to the ring while the arena was dark, rising from the stage through a ring of fire. They regularly utilized evil methods to get a win, such as interfering in matches while the referee was distracted and drenching thier opponents with a large bucket of blood. They used thier underhanded tactics to try and one-up good, rule-abiding wrestlers such as Owen Hart, Al Snow and The Hardy Boys.

They are bad.

The Brood is a race of alien insects found in the Marvel Comics universe. Alien-esque in appearance and reproductive methods, they live in a hive that spans thier planet and follow thier Queen unquestioningly. Said Queen has led them into battle with Ms. Marvel and caused the infection of most of the X-Men with parasitic Brood-spawn on numerous occasions.

They are bad as well.

Elliott Brood is an alternative country band, currently from Toronto but including two members who grew up in Windsor. Thier last album, Mountain Meadows, blends the band's proficiency for fun, fast country with indie-rock like production and attention to artful song arangement. It was nominated for a Juno Award and is currently on the list for this year's Polaris Music Prize.

They are good.

Elliott Brood will play an outdoor afternoon show at The Magic Stick on July 19th. Details regarding tickets are available through The Magic Stick and other ticket retailers, but I will have a pair of tickets for you if you are attentive and punctual. Just listen to Trapper Radio this Tuesday, July 14th and some time between 2:30 and 4:00PM I'll open up the phone lines. Be the first to reach me at 519-971-3630 (Windsor) or 963-6112 ext: 3630 (Detroit) and you'll get into the concert absolutley hassle-free! And no, listening to my show is not a hassle. And no, calling it one isn't funny.

Your Part Is To Be What You'll Be

2009-07-08T20:35:00.004-04:00

Today I traced my musical trajectory since the age of 12. This flow chart is so I don't have to repeat my life story/condense the message into a much more efficient form. It's better for all of us. Track list for July 7th:

Less Than Jake - Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts
NOFX - Blasphemy (The Victimless Crime)
The Ramones - Slug
Nick Drake - One of These Things First
Ben Kweller - How It Should Be (Sha Sha)
The Mountain Goats - Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton
Constantines - Soon Enough
Born Ruffians - Hedonistic Me
The National - Abel
Ghost Mice - English Channel
Two Gallants - Las Cruces Jail
Tim Barry - Avoiding Catatonic Slumber
Propaghandi - A Speculative Fiction
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Wacky World of Rapid Transit
Ghettosocks - Song About Breakdancing
Glamour Puss - Hollow Man
Wailin' Jennys - Old Man
The Mammals - Come As You Are

I'll fill this space with a few paragraphs on what I discussed/the flowchart above when I'm less dead-ass tired.

Be sure to tune in next week when I bring you a very special edition of REGULAR PROGRAMMING!!!!!

Trapp!

2009-06-23T21:35:00.004-04:00

Today was a shortened program, for reasons explained in my previous post. The shortened track list for June 23rd:

* = Canadian ! = New

The Foriegn - Rogue * !
Buddy Guy - T-Bone Shuffle
Moneen - Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do *
NQ Arbuckle - Huntsville Affair *
The Magic Numbers - This Is A Song
Deer Tick - Houston, Texas !
Dark Tranquility - Blind at Heart
Less Than Jake - Johnny Quest Think We're Sellouts

There wouldn't be much else to say, except I got around to those last two tracks. As I put on "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts", I thought about the first time I had heard it, and how much that song means to me. It may sound silly to say this about an above-average ska-punk song, but I can be sure that without that song I would not be here at CJAM today.

I was 12 or 13 at the time, and had up to that point been feeding off a constant stream of mainstream music. When someone in my class played that for me, it made clear to me a possibility I had never seen: I could find music on my own. There were bands (alot of them!) that were still making music without being famous or on the radio (good ones, too!). If I could figure out the type of sounds I wanted to hear, I could find a band making them in exchange for a little time on the internet. (The fact that I got an internet connection around the same time is a huge factor as well, but a different topic all together)

Thinking about this really got me in the mood to pull the trigger on a show idea I've been sitting on for a while: tracing my musical interests, from Johnny Quest to present, through each genre. Even though I had taken off the mainstream blinders, it would be many years before I could wrap my head around the idea of people being into multiple genres. You were either rap or rock, classic rock or punk, and so on and so forth. As a result, it took me a while to get where I am today, but layed out a strictly defined path that may be fun--for me anyway--to revisit, either next show or the one after.

Have a good week!

Programming Notice: Shortened Show Next Week, National Aboriginal Day feature

2009-06-19T17:06:00.003-04:00

Next Tuesday (June 23rd), CJAM 91.5FM will be airing "Voices of Our Nations", a collaborative project between indigenous radio programmers from across the country on Aboriginal history, cultrue and identity, from 3PM - 9PM in honour of National Aboriginal Day.

You may have noticed that 3PM on Tuesday is usually when I am one-third done stummbling through my show. I will be back June 30th with my next full show (and hoooooo boy if you knew some of the new releases I just got access you, you would be sure to tune in), but next week I will be more than happy to bridge the gap between our regular CJAM programming and this very special feature. So, I'll be doing a shortened version of the show next week (since it's one-third the length, I will refer to it as "Trapp") and try to play one song from every genre I try to get to on a weekly basis. And maybe some of this new stuff I'm itching to get my hands on (seriously folks. This stuff could last me for months.)

First, We Take Manhattan

2009-06-17T15:17:00.006-04:00

Not much to add today. Lots of new Canadian music, including many that are nominated for the Polaris Music Award. The track list for June 16:

* = Canadian ! = New Music P = Polaris Nominee

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Bindhi Bhagee
eels - What's A Fella Gotta Do? !
The Damnations - Kansas
Boo Hoo - Lonely Days Inn of Violence *
Cadence Weapon - Diamond Cutter *
Arkells - Ballad of Hugo Chavez * P
Elliott Brood - T-Bill * P
Fucked Up - Days of Last * P
D-sisive - Kneecaps * P (kinda)
Sights & Sounds - Reconsile * !
Justin Hines - You With The Perfect Eyes * !
Sunset Rubdown - Idiot Heart * !
Silversun Pickups - Substitution !
Gorillaz - O Green World
Catherine MacLellan - Take A Break * !
Hex Bombs - Rest In Peace
Against Me! - National Myth
Hot Water Music - I Was On A Mountain

The long list of nominees is at the Polaris Music Prize website, a site that annoys me with how Pitchfork-y it looks. Look at it anyway, because not only does the list sport an impressive number of CJAM and indie-blog favourites, there are alot of lesser known artists from non-rock and non-hip hop genres, which is really nice to see. Also, I put "kinda" next to D-Sisive on the track last because the track I played was not from the nominated and fantastic "Let The Children Die", because someone decided to be a jerkass and swipe it.

I attached the photo of Leonard Cohen to this post because, besides being the consumate Canadian artist, it's pleasant just to know he is out there. It was actually painful to hear about him un-retiring and going out on tour again this past year. Such awesome news should never come as the result of the way he was scammed by his ex-manager. But even though being on his bottom dollar was probably a big motivation to get the 74-year-old touring again, it's still Leonard Cohen. The album nominated is a live set recorded in London, and it works so well. Obviously, you want someone like Cohen to get out there because he wants to, not because he has to, but being stellar under any circumstances speaks to how legendary he really is. And maybe this prize will give him that artistic satisfaction, if he hasn't realised it yet.

There's Tears On My Cheeks From Being So Dumb

2009-06-03T19:02:00.004-04:00

Double-sized due to the lack of update last week. Lay off, I'm a busy man. To make up for it, I'm introducing something a little extra, which you'll see shortly after this post/have already seen if I've done it and you read the page from top to bottom. The track listing for June 2:

* = Canadian Artist ! = New Music

This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb - Jack Johnson
Random - Boss Battle: Jewel Man !
8-Bit Weapon - Chip On Your Shoulder
Team Teamwork - Virginia (Lost Woods)
Bearfoot - Single Girl !
Subhumans - Firing Squad *
C.R. Avery - Down At The Cafe *
Jason Lytle - It's The Weekend !
Tony Monaco - Ode To Billie Joe * !
Mad Caddies - Backyard
Japandroids - Rocker East Vancouver * !
Triclops! - Freedom Tickler
Submission Hold - Final Coup of The Last Millenium *
Canteen Knockout - Balls Out Trucking *
Ziggy Marley - Walk Tall !
Corbin Murdoch & The Nautical Miles - Wandering Time * !
Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King - Burnin' To The Ground
Slakah The Beatchild - Some Beats * !
Westbound Train - Come And Get It !
Ghost Mice - Up The Punks

June 9th (may be in wrong order. Again, lay off):

The Lawrence Arms - Ramblin' Boys of Pleasure
Gordon Downie - Figment *
David Dondero - The One That Fell From The Vine
Kobayashi - Shasta *
The Sights - Everybody's A Poet
Abstract Rude - Diggin' It !
The Fortunate - Pinch Hitter *
Lou Rawls - Room With A View
Kimya Dawson - Happy Home (Keep On Writing)
The Clash - Junco Partner
The Clash - Version Pardner
Billy Bragg & Joe Strummer - Junco Partner
Lee Harvey Osmond - Queen Bee * !
Busdriver - Split Seconds !
High School Football Heroes - Don't Come Around
Jason Plumb & The Willing - Wascana * !
Def3 & Factor - Stutter Step * !
Justin Hines - Curious Boy * !
Dillinger Four - Noble Stabbings!!

The full album by Random, Mega Ran 9, inspired by the Mega Man franchise and follow-up to Mega Ran, is available for stream here. Team Teamwork's Ocarina Of Rhyme, a mashup album featuring in-game music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is here. Rhyme isn't as solid overall as Mega Ran 9 due to some of the more forced collaborations dragging it down, but the tracks that work, work really well. Definatley check out the Clipse track I played, plus the remixed Jay-Z, Aesop Rock, Common and Mike Jones.

Stuff from 8-Bit Weapon is here. If you like the chiptune stuff I played last week, check out Dwelling of Duels, a site I mentioned which features competition between amateur musicians creating some always interesting and often surprising tracks. While it is pretty much remixed video game music and not technically chiptune, I still like it as something in the background while I roam about the house. Chiptune, for those who missed it, is a sub-genre of electronic music in which the sound chips from 8- and 16-bit video game consoles are used in electronic instruments (from keyboards and synths to electric drums and keytars) for sound, although the availability of ROMs on computers is making that a more common and accessable method.

I'm The Sucker Now

2009-05-26T18:33:00.007-04:00

Tried to mix things up on the show today. I usually organise my selections into neat little blocks of the same genre, but I decided to experiment with playing them in a non-genre specific order.

Look at me, talking as if you care. Track list for May 26:
* = Canadian Artist ! = New Music

Elvis Costello - Complicated Shadows !
Calibretto - Don't Go Into The Woods
Harley Poe - I've Found A Sucker
Releveler - Denial * !
Sights & Sounds - Shudder, St.Kilda * !
Chisel - Red Haired Mary
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Army Bound
Jay Bennett - Another Town Another Ride Another Window
Metric - Gimmie Sympathy * !
RZA - Up Again
Dark Night Of The Soul ft. Frank Black - Angel's Harp !
Record Of The Week Club - Wails On * !
Yesterday's Ring - They Oughta Name A Drink After Me * !
Neil Young - Tonight's The Night
Z-Trip ft. Busdriver - Take Two Copies
??? (Sorry, I'm totally blanking on this one)
Steve Earle - Hard-core Troubador
Against Me! - Those Anarcho Punks Are Mysterious

Of all the new stuff I played today, Sights & Sounds is probably the most likely to end up on the inevitable "Best of The Year" list. It's the best metal album I've heard this year (yes, better than Mastodon), although some may contest how metal it is since alot of *ahem* "softer" musical genres have a presence. But I think that's what makes it so good, the incorporation, which not only gives the band a more original sound, but creates some epic-scale build-ups in the songs.

Jay Bennet's 2008 album, Whatever Happened I Appologise, is available at the rockproper website. It is a free download, like everything on the label, although there is a campaign accepting donations to get it printed on high-quality vinyl. Most of the MP3s aren't the greatest quality, so it seems like a reasonable project.

You can read more about the Record of The Week Club at their website. It features background info on the project, as well as downloads and notes on all the songs. Some really great Manitoba-based musicians involved in this, I recommend you check it out, since there it is free.

Jay Bennett, 1963-2008

2009-05-25T11:56:00.010-04:00

Several sources (most thouroughly the Chicago Sun-Times) are reporting that mutli-instrumentalist Jay Bennett died in his sleep yesterday at the age of 45.

Bennett was best known for his work in Wilco, joining to record their second release Being There and continuing to work with the band until 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, an album that will likely stand as Bennett's greatest performance. The most prominent aspect of Foxtrot--provided by Bennett--is the absolutley masterful use of electronic, non- and obscure instrumental sonic elements that guide the more traditional melodies. Here, in a scene from the documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, you can watch Bennett hard at work as he explains that for himself:

Bennett's touch seemed to give the band a drive that allowed them to move on from 1995's A.M. album, which had gotten a lukewarm recpetion from critics and was viewed as a failure by members of the band. Since the success of Being There, Wilco has forged a permanent place in the canon of American music by being consistently confident in their creative process. It is fully plausable that there is some parallel universe out there where Bennett never joined Wilco and they are relegated to Sun Volt-like mediocrity.

Bennett released numerous solo recordings that were constantly overshadowed. His depature from Wilco was notoriously bitter, and he struggled to surpass thier level of notoriety (or his own when he was with them).

Last month, Bennett revealed in a blog post he needed surgery to correct a painful hip injury he had sustained in the early 90s with his first band, Titanic Love Affair, but couldn't afford it due to a lack of health insurance. This was followed by Bennett's filing of a lawsuit at the beginning of May for unpaid royalities from the Break Your Heart documentary. Depending on which fan you asked, this either painted Bennett in the light of an angry old band member trying to settle a score or a hard working musician with bad luck who had no other options.

I don't know what about this depresses me more: me being a total Wilco freak or the fact that I talked about the lawsuit on last week's show thinking it was filed by Jay Farrar. As of this posting, none of Bennett's former band-mates or family members have made a comment, besides second hand condolenses relayed through friend and collaborator Ed Burch. There has been no official speculation as to cause of death, and Burch says an autopsy will be performed this week.

UPDATE: Jim DeRogatis' Sun-Times article, which I link to above, has been updated with a statement from Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. It is pretty much the standard statement, although that's really all you can expect.

Oh, Right, The Blog. Sorry.

2009-05-20T18:56:00.004-04:00

I'm tired. Track list for May 19:

Heaven & Hell - Fear
Strike Anywhere - The Promise
Radio Birdman - Muder City Nights
A Wilhelm Scream - 5 to 9
Desaparecidos - The Happiest Place On Earth
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band - To All The Lights In The Windows
The F-Holes - Dixie Band
Uncle Tupelo - Still Be Around
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - Rise Up With Fists!! (Live)
Kids On TV - A Song For Holly Woodlawn
Katchafire - Mister Flava
De La Soul - Rise and Shine
AC Newman - Prophets
Great Bloomers - Daylight
Great Northern - Houses
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Apostle of Hustle - How To Defeat A More Powerful Enemy
Big Dave Maclean - Why Do Girls Do That?

Not much to say except how much more the Horrors sound like the Cure on thier new album. The stream for the new Wilco album is (UPDATE: was) right here. It doesn't work for me, so I'll let you know what I think when I get my hands on a physical copy next month (UPDATE: and so will you, if you missed it). Show next week is gonna be rad, I promise. The corresponding blog post will make up for this lame effort as well.

Songs For The Sinister, Chords For The Capricious

2009-05-12T17:44:00.006-04:00

Alot of new music on the show today, including some album of the year contenders and tastes of greatness to come. But the big draw was live performance by local folk singer-songwriter Den-igan (literally; homegirl probably tripled my regular listening audience). The set was fantastic and sounded great, especially for such a simple, studio-mic setup we used. I had some live, candid shots that really captured the performance well, but forgot my camera in the studio. Sorry, I'll put them up when I get it back. Track list for May 12th:

* = Canadian Artist ! = New Music # = Local Artist

Chuck Ragan - Don't Cry
Den-igan - Beam Me Up Scotty #
Den-igan - Title Song #
Den-igan - #
Den-igan - In Case You Forgot #
The Mountain Goats - Lovecraft in Brooklyn (Aesop Rock Remix)
Aesop Rock - Coffee
D-Sisive - Switzerland * !
The Draft - Lozee Rose
Screaming Females - I Believe In Evil !
Jack-O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers - Ditch Road !
NOFX - First Call !
St.Vincent - Actor Out Of Work !
Silversun Pickups - Substitution !
Wilco - Heavy Metal Drummer
Austin Lucas - Somebody Love You !
Ghost Buffalo - Your World
F&M - There Really Is A Meaning To The Title Of This Song *
Mother Mother - O My Heart *

If you want to hear the live performance, go to the CJAM Archives (click on May 12, then start at 2:30pm), and more from Den-igan can be heard on her MySpace.

We had a brief discussion about the cover of the upcoming Wilco (The Album). Here it is, so you can see what our enjoyment was about:Don't worry, lonely camel. I'm sure someone will come to your party. Especially if Wilco will be there. People will be all over that shit once this album drops.

Wilco (The Album) is set to be released June 30th. I also played something by Chuck Ragan, whose next solo folk album is done and hopefully will be out by the end of the year.

I played a remix of The Mountain Goats' "Lovecraft In Brooklyn". The orginal is from last year's Heretic Pride, and you can download the remix, done by Aesop Rock, here at Glorious Noise.

Live! Tuesday! Music! Den-igan!

2009-05-06T20:50:00.004-04:00

On the show next week (May 12th), my friend Danielle Haslip, also known by the pseudonym DEN-IGAN, will be in the studio with me, playing a few songs, having a chat and being generally entertaining. Den has played sporadically in local garage bands in the past, but has recently resolved to persue her music career more vigourously on her own. Her sound is indie-folk, which is a classification that is easy to make because of how well her songs have turned out. She's been playing open mics at local venues such as Phog and begun working on recording her first demo in her home studio. You can check out what she has produced so far at her MySpace page (my personal favourite: "K.S.S.B."), but she'll be busting out her best stuff live, on-air on Trapper Radio, Tuesday May 12th from 2:30-4:00PM.

I Got The Money, Now Away I Go

2009-05-06T19:30:00.004-04:00

Last show kinda blew for me. I had just came from work, which had forced me to participate in the three activities I hate the most (shaving, getting sunburnt, and rushing to be on time somewhere). Overall, I was very frazzled and tired and not as prepared, so I couldn't achieve my normal goals of quality. Plus CD Deck 1 was being an evil, uncooperative beast, as usual. I have dubbed her Angry Helen (pictured above).

I was in a shit mood leaving the CAW Centre, but then two things raised my spirits. First, I saw a guy riding one of those low to the ground, three-wheeled bicycle things, but the curb hid the pedals so it looked like a half-man, half-bike was running up the street. Second, I didn't get a ticket for parking at an expired metre. Track list for May 5, 2009:

* = Canadian Artist ! = New Music # = Local Artist

Bouncing Souls - OLE
Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire * !
Division of Laura Lee - Need To Get Some
The Hives - Die, All Right
Explode When They Bloom - Wolves #
Torngat - L'Ecole Penitencier * !
Oliver Schroer - Field of Stars * !
John & The Sisters - Too Damn Big *
Fraser - Lead Me * !
Fleet Foxes & Wilco - I Shall Be Released
Saul Williams - Sunday Bloody Sunday
Eels - Get Ur Freak On
Love - Seven & Seven Is
Buffalo Springfield - Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing
The Monks - He Went Down The Sea
Way To Go Einstein - Paralax * !

I thiiiink that's it. I left my paper in the studio, so I may be forgetting a song. I feel like I forgot a song. I'll have a post with links/resources that I mentioned on the show up in a little bit. It'll include a lengthy discussion about Oliver Schroer, a classical artist and string musician who died last year. I was unaware Schroer was dead, but in less than a day I have become absolutley fascinated with the man and his music.

UPDATE: Division of Laura Lee have two remixes of their song "Central Park" from last year's Violence is Timeless on the I Made This label. The tracks are hosted at the band's website, and are pretty kickin.

Congrats to Paul from Detroit, who correctly identified the song Fleet Foxes were covering to win a pair of tickets to see FF when they hit the Royal Oak Music Theatre on August 8th. Also, I'd like to appologise to Paul from Detroit for not giving away Wilco tickets, like he had been hoping for.

Giving Back: Free Fleet Foxes For (F)you

2009-04-29T22:43:00.003-04:00

One of Sub Pop's crown jewels, FLEET FOXES, will be bringing thier show to the Royal Oak Music Theatre in Detroit this August. Tickets/details will be more abundant within the coming weeks, but here is a little something for you in the meantime. Trapper Radio and CJAM 91.5FM will be giving you and a guest a chance to see the Seatlle indie-folk quintent for free!

Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut broke the band in a huge way last year, landing them spots on Top Album of the Year lists from publications like Rolling Stone, Q, Spin and The A.V. Club, plus #1 honours from Under The Radar, Billboard.com, Pitchfork, Mojo and The Times (UK). This is the band that told Virgin Records to go suck a lemon, how could you not want to check them out FOR FREE!?

Listen this Tuesday, May 5th from 2:30 - 4:00pm for your chance to win. There will be a skill-testing question, of course, so have your thinking caps ready! Or the internet! FOR FREE!!!

Generate The Music That Makes You Feel Better (Doodadoo doodadoo doodoo doodoo)

2009-04-29T00:10:00.008-04:00

Not much to say today. Solid show, if I do say so myself. I'd like to apologise, though, to whoever it was that called me the exact moment I turned the mic on to go back on air. I would have gotten around to picking up if you were patient/had called back at a later time. Call in next week and I'll make sure to take care of whatever was so urgent. The track list for April 28:

! = New Music * = Canadian Artist # = Local

The Lodge - Hey, Kidz * !
RJD2 - Since We Last Spoke
DOOM (ft. Ghostface Killah) - Angelz !
Raekwon - Guillotine (Swordz)
Heavyweight Dub Champion - Babylon Beast !
Razorlight - Northern London Trash !
The Pigeon Detectives - Romantic Type
The Holloways - Generator
JW-Jones Blues Band - Without You *
Wailin' Wayne and The Pain - Gotta Go Blues *
The Divorcees - Shoot To Thrill * !
Rattlesnake Choir - I've Come To Get My Baby Out of Jail * !
Two Cow Garage - Should've California
Stereotyperider - You're Not Safe With Us
Despistado - A Stirstick's Prediction *
The Rebel Spell - Hacksaw *
Sleater-Kinney - Wilderness
Fortunatley, Everything Dies - Wanna Hang With The Meth? Bring The Rope # !

Do not know what is up with the pic at the top, by the way. I Google image searched Despistados and that was easily the most interesting image to show up. Although I am oddly intrigued by this:
Jefe Despistado was attached to this as a title, which roughly translates as "Confused Boss" (despistado translation courtesy of Google, jefe translation courtesy of NOFX). The fact that Despistado means confused doesn't explain what is happening in this cartoon (the boss appears to be having Tetris-related difficulties, unless Tetris means something in Spanish) or why that cat has giant testicles, but it does explain the bunny/rooster encounter up top of the post.

Just 'Cause I Don't Run My Mouth Don't Mean I Got Nothin' To Say

2009-04-21T23:32:00.003-04:00

This is about 30 hours late, so I've lost whatever mood of thought I may have been on. I couldn't think of a picture that encompased the show, so look at the Colonial Englishman riding a zebra over there and enjoy. The track list for April 21:

* = Canadian Artist ! = New Music

The Dears - Money Babies from Missiles, Dangerbird Records *
Kentucky Nightmare - Caroline & I from Take Her Favour, Standard Recording Co.
Lee Lewis and His Orchestra - Million Miles Away
Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You from Puzzles Like You, 4AD
The Paint Movement - Knock Knock from Our Eurythmy, Nevado Records * !
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - ...Is Pushing Luck from Calibration (Is Pushing Luck and Key Too Far), N20 Records
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Melting Chariots from The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange, Infrasonic Sound
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - If Gravity Lulls, I Can Hear The World Pant from Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo, Gold Standard Labs
The Mars Volta - Aberinkula from The Bedlam in Goliath, Gold Standard Labs
The Divorcees - Guess You Left The Leavin' Up To Me from You Ain't Getting My Country, Haysale *
Drive-By Truckers - Marry Me from Decoration Day, New West Records
The Devil Makes Three - All Hail from Do Wrong Right, Milan Records !
Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles - I'll Show You How from The Stars Are Out, Sugar Hill Records !
The Foriegn - Rogues from Elemental, Know Something Records * !
Red Ants - Incendiary Devices from Phobos Deimos, Seize The Captial! *
Busdriver - Imaginary Places from Temporary Forever, Temporary Forever
The Roots - The Seed (2.0) from Phrenology, Geffen
Black Diamond Bay - New Soldier from Calm Awaits, Ind. * !

I have about five songs on my computer by Lee Lewis and His Orchestra. The band, and all information on it, seems to have vanished. This means two things: 1) If you liked what you heard from LL&HO today, you are quite out of luck, and 2) One day, I'll get me $10 from some rare music collector for these low-quality MP3s.

UPDATE: Spoke too soon. I found a MySpace page, which claims they were signed to a small label called Valiant Death, whose website appears to be down, which sucks because that is where most info on the band seemed to be. LL&HO are a small time indie band local to Virginia, and have sold near 100 CDs, DIY style. I still seem to be the only one with the MP3s. My plan continues un-impeded.

That is it. Cross your fingers for me at the Jammies this Friday, because I doubt you voted for me when you had the chance.

Brothers and Sisters!!! (Or, The Best Promo Picture In The World)

2009-04-14T18:25:00.010-04:00

Today I reinforced my love of Public Enemy and Minor Threat. The track listing:

Joey Cape - Errands from Bridges
Drag The River - J.J.'s Drivin from Bad at Breaking Up !
The Handsome Family - Little Sparrows from Honey Moon !
United Steel Workers of Montreal - Tracie Dean from Kerosene & Coal *
Great Lakes Swimmers - Still from Lost Channels * !
First Words - Bobbi With An I from Future Superstars of Canadian Rap 2009 * !
Cale Sampson - The Human Genome Project from Cale Sampson * !
Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause from It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
The Hope Conspiracy - Nervous Breakdown from Black on Black: A Tribute To Black Flag
Minor Threat - Guilty Of Being White from The Complete Discography
Germs - Forming from MIA - The Complete Anthology
Fucked Up - Baiting The Public from Hidden World *
The Jeff Presslaff - Felix Major from Red Goddess * !
Editors - The Racing Rats from An End Has A Start
Eels - Susan's House from Beautiful Freak
The National - Abel from Alligator
Say Hi - One, Two...One from Oohs & Aahs !
Julie Doiron - Blue from I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day * !

If you listened today you noticed I dropped the "L" in the "Flag" in Black Flag at least three times. It was an accident, I swear, and I regret the error. Two "la"s each followed with a different sound is hard to keep up.

I seriously love 80s American hardcore punk rock. Every time I revisit it and get in my little phase, I'm a little bit closer to being shirtless and punching strangers. It may be melodically repetitive and the songs teasingly short, but sweet Jesus nothing has more pure aggression. And the 80s stuff was much more welcoming than contemporary hardcore music, which leans more and more towards metal. I love metal, but hardcore isn't a genre where you want to draw attention to your musical prowess. While the guys in Minor Threat would go on (in Fugazi etc.) to be an example of guys who actually did have more than a three-chord knowledge to draw from, the bands of the 80s, whether they knew how to do otherwise or not, focused on what the music did instead of what it sounded like. You didn't have to be groundbreaking or make masterpiece albums; since the focus was on the live show and not recording, it was about the pure, angry emotions it made you feel. When you draw attention to the "influences", genres you incorporate to be "original" and break up the songs with impressive guitar solos, it draws attention to the music and keeps the listeners from getting into it, body and soul and fists and legs. The worse the better, I guess. It suits the music.

I'm not gonna write my own piece on it--I still have three that I've promised and haven't gotten to. For info on that period, I highly recommend Paul Rachman and Steven Blush's documentary American Hardcore, which is really easy to find. For music, hardcore is one of the only genres where I would rather have a collection/compilation of a band than a studio album, mostly cause the comps can usually hold most of a band's catalogue. Go for Minor Threat's Complete Discography, Black Flag's The First Four Years (pre-Henry Rollins) and Damaged (first/best full length, w/Rollins), Bad Brains' I Against I, D.O.A.'s Hardcore '81 and X's Los Angeles.

Some day I'll publish a post that isn't a show recap. Some day...

Working Overtime: Woah Ho Ohh, We Gotta Stay Positive

2009-04-09T18:39:00.006-04:00

I did a fill in today from 5-6pm. I like doing these. I love my time slot, and I dig playing variety, but sometimes I get into a genre I'm playing and get kinda disappointed that I have to switch it up and wait until another show to try and pick up where I left off with the groove I'm on. So it was nice to play a solid hour of (mostly) punk. Although I'm sorry to disappoint the guy who called in only to discover it wasn't a regular show. The track list:

! = New Music * = Canadian Artist # = Local Artist

Propagandhi - Tertium Non Datur from Supporting Caste * !
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive from Stay Positive
The Lawrence Arms - Recovering The Opposable Thumb from Oh! Calcutta!
NOFX - The Quitter from Coaster !
Million Dollar Marxists - Status Que? from Million Dollar Marxists EP *
Small Brown Bike - Trains All Talk from Nail Yourself To The Ground EP #
Blurt - And Then I Came To Terms from The Upsides of Effort #
At The Drive-In - Enfilade from This Station Is Non-Opperational (also appears on Relationship of Command)
Chixdiggit! - Jimmy The Con from Pink Razors *
Fake Problems - The Heaven & Hell Cotillion from It's Great To Be Alive !
Fake Problems - Level With The Devil from It's Great To Be Alive !
Shotgun Jimmie - The Cost of Doing Business from Still Jimmie * !
The Bad Plus w/ Wendy Lewis - Lithium from For All I Care !

The Bad Plus track is from an all-covers album that Wendy Lewis provides vocals for. It is a Nirvana cover, which was the best Kurt Cobain tribute I could come up with, seeing as the anniversary of his death was this week. I couldn't think of anything I could do in time for the regular show last Tuesday, but this popped into my head today, as I had taken a look at the CD a few months ago.

You'll probably be hearing more from the impending NOFX album Coaster as soon as a copy of it floats into the studio. "The Quitter" is an advance track that you can download for free from the Fat Wreck Chords website, where you can of course also find the standard selection of free tracks the generous (i.e. good) record labels tend to offer.

I've Been Swayed By The Cool

2009-04-08T00:47:00.008-04:00

Today was wierd. Despite starting out with three strong opening tracks, plus great stuff from some of my favourites (Del, Lucero and Erik Petersen's Mischief Brew), today was just really down. Alot of the songs I played, while nice, were very slow and soft. But then Miles Davis showed up and saved the day. The track list:

! = New Music * = Canadian Artist # = Local Artist

The Gaslight Anthem - The Backseat from The '59 Sound
Good Old War - Coney Island from Only Way To Be Alone
Heartless Bastards - Brazen from All This Time
Superchunk - Learned To Surf from Leaves In The Gutter EP !
Gomez - Bone Tired from A New Tide !
Del The Funky Homosapien - Go Against The Grain from Funk Man (The Stimulus Package) !
Modulok - Timewalker from Cities and Years * !
Ecstatic Sunshine - Little Big Dipper from Freckle Wars
The Royal Wood - Wish To Paint from The Lost and Found EP * !
Lucero - Watch It Burn from Nobody's Darlings
Tin Star Orphans - Farmers' Pants from Yonder * !
The Provincial Archives - While I Am Writing Letters from Nameless Places * !
Mischief Brew - Nomad's Revolt from Smash The Windows
The Weakerthans - A Plea From A Cat Named Virtue from Reconstruction Site *
The Weakerthans - Virtue The Cat Explains Her Departure from Reunion Tour *
Miles Davis - Blue In Green from Kind Of Blue (Legacy Edition)
Miles Davis - All Blues from Kind of Blue (Legacy Edition)
London Apartments - Oh, The Brightest Light from Signals and Cities Are Forever # !

People--mostly the ones who know Miles Davis' name but not the man's music--tend to instinctivley name Birth of The Cool as Davis' best recording. Cool is great, for sure, but Kind of Blue is easily the best album from the stuff he did for Columbia Records. That was a period of more "maturity", for lack of a better word, when Davis was able to take the invations he had previously cultivated and position he held within the jazz community and parlay them into a wholley artistically sound series of sessions.

I mentioned a few things on the show today. First, the LUCERO concert is THIS SATURDAY APRIL 11TH, 8pm. I'm not sure where it was advertised as previously, but it is now taking place at The Magic Stick. This seriously sounds awesome and I urge you to go if you have the chance and love country/alternative country music. I haven't heard frontman Ben Nichol's solo recording, which was out earlier this year, but based on his performances in last year's Revival Tour (which will be back this year!) it can only be good. Lucero is also in the studio between performances (the Detroit concert is part of a very small block of Great Lakes area shows) and the band has said on thier website that they are very excited. It is the band's first major label release, though, so we'll see.

Second, head to Del The Funky Homosapien's Bandcamp page for a FREE DOWNLOAD of his album FUNK MAN, released today! I thought the free-ness was a one day thing, but lucky for those who missed it, Del is keeping it free as part of his "Stimulus Package". On the page you can also find inexpensive digital downloads of most of Del's other work. And yes, I know he used to spell his name with "Tha" and "Funkee". He's changed it for some reason. I don't know why.

That was a long one. Stayed tuned; within the next few days I'll have a post on why I always seem to play/love the opening song on albums. Seriously.

REMEMBER to vote for Trapper Radio in the 2009 Jammie Awards. The show is up for TWO awards, and needs your votes! Go to the studio to vote in person or at www.cjam.ca

Listen To The Nice Entrepreneur.

2009-03-31T21:39:00.005-04:00

For those unware, the 2009 JAMMIES, the annual award ceremony honouring the work of CJAM's most dedicated volunteers, is fast approaching! What's more, voting is up to you, the listener! Stop by the studio in the CAW Student Centre any time to pick up a ballot, or go right on over to www.cjam.ca, scroll down a tad on the main page and you'll find a nifty online voting form!

What's more still, is that Trapper Radio--yes, this very program--is nominated in two, count 'em TWO categories! So please, for the sake of my self-confidence, vote for TRAPPER RADIO in the BEST NEW PROGRAM and BEST MUSIC VARIETY PROGRAM categories. Voting closes APRIL 15TH. And by all means, feel free to attend the awards celebration on April 24th at the Fish Market in Windsor. All info is right next to the voting link, which I provided you with just a second ago.

Remember: Trapper Radio is free. Least you can do is throw me a few votes.

"There's An Air and Space Museum!"

2009-03-31T19:16:00.004-04:00

No jibber jabber today, time to get down to business.

The track list for today's show:

* = Canadian Artist ! = New Music # = Local Artist

Constantines - Young Lions from Too Slow For Love (alt. version. Original on Shine A Light) * !
The Dirtbombs - Natural Man from If You Don't Already Have A Look
NBFB - Engine Block from Confidential
Tim Vaughn - Your Way from Two Tone Blue
Fugazi - Do You Like Me? from Red Medicine
The Explorers Club - Do You Love Me? from Freedom Wind
Braid - Do You Like Coffee? from Movie Music, Vol. 2
Some Action - Don't You Look For Me from The Band That Sucked The Life Out Of Rock 'n Roll And Killed Itself In The Process
Ataxia - The Sides from Automatic Writing
John Frusciante - Enough of Me from The Empyrean !
Lexington + Whatevski - Back Seat Driver from Preggers Can't Be Choosers * !
Two Fingers - Two Fingers from Two Fingers * !
Mastodon - Quintessence from Crack The Skye !
Gojira - To Sirus from From Mars To Sirus
The Fitzpatrick Incident - A Maverick Stance from A Partisan Effort * !
Melissa McClelland - I Blame You from Victoria Day * !
Billy Bragg - I Almost Killed You from Mr. Love and Justice
Booker T. - Nan from Potato Hole !
Orphan Choir - Cross Your Fingers from EP #

I was really impressed with the John Frusciante album when it came out, not just because I have a music fanboy hard-on for the guy. He is very artistically minded and spirited, so I expected to hear a lot more experimentation and ambience and overall artsy-fartsyness on this, especially due to focus he put into it as his current main gig. But what was also there is what Frusciante has been really good at on his other solo efforts: very traditional, melodic and catchy rock and roll songs. Even the aforementioned tracks that were more out there had an epic, symphonic rock epic aspect to thier compostition. And of course, what Frusciante is the best at, guitar solos. Soooo happy he hasn't forgotten about his guitar solos.

I also mentioned some artwork that I promised examples of so you don't have to look for it yourselves.

The Gojira album, which as I mentioned on the show always reminds me of the Simpsons quote in the post title:

"How's he breathin'? Ain't no air in space!"

Not to take away from the quality of the album. I played it for a reason. It is quite superb.

I know I also promised the back of the Mastodon album, where the FBI anti-piracy reminder is enlarged and centred so it looks like part of the artwork. This is a hard one to find. You'll have to pick up a copy yourself. If you don't want to buy an album solely for slightly amusing use of authority symbols, simply place the CD back on the shelf after picking up is complete.

Let It Flow, Ohhhhh ohh ohohohh

2009-03-24T21:04:00.001-04:00

With the exception of the first four and last two songs, today I mainly focused on artists that played SXSW in Austin, Texas last week. Trying to bring a little taste of the world's largest showcase of new and emerging musicians, I played 12 of the near-1,400 musicians that performed. I know, just enough to do it justice, right? The track list for this week:

* = Canadian Artist ! = New Music # = Local Artist

The Vines - Get Out !
Descendents - Dog and Pony Show
MxPx - Biting The Bullet (Is Bad For Business)
New Found Glory - Such A Mess !
Frank Turner - Long Live The Queen
Arkells - Abigail *
Dan Mangan - Robots *
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Gold Heart Mountaintop Queen Directory
Micachu - Golden Phone !
Shad - Brother (Watching) *
Josh Martinez - Ritalin Future Song *
Alex Cuba - Agua Del Pozo *
The Perpetrators - Scratch the Surfish *
Langhorne Slim - Electric Love Letter
The Jayhawks - I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
NQ Arbuckle - Ontario, Michigan *
Elliott Brood - T-Bill*
Shotgun Jimmie - Waist Deep in the Water *
The Locusts Have No King - Last Ride *

So obviously this is a paltry representation of what the festival had to offer. If you want to check out all the bands that played, head over to www.sxsw.com and check out the schedules from last week, which have links to artist profiles, most of which have a free MP3 for you to listen to a discover the band through.

However, I highly recommend you check out Paul Ford's Six-Word Reviews at The Morning News. Not only has he given roughly 1,300 songs six-word snippets that serve as wonderfully accurate summations of each, it also serves as a wonderful little database, giving you direct links to the SXSW profile page, alphabetising the artists and providing essential info.

Plus the reviews are really entertaining. A few excerpts:

"Woodhands : Robots hatefuck weaker robots to this."
"Fuckshovel : How do YOU think 'Fuckshovel' sounds?"
"Star Fucking Hipsters : They meet Starfucker, the world ends."
"Starfucker: They meet...Oh shit. Run fast."
"The Proclaimers : '500 Miles' was twenty years ago" (Side note: The Proclaimers still exist. Yeah, I know.)
"Talk To Angels : You named band 'Talk To Angels'?"
"The Orchid Highway : Bowie grants Brian Wilson a joeblob"

With a Shimmy and the Shank

2009-03-17T16:23:00.005-04:00

This was not a St. Patrick's Day show. To say that would not only be narrow-minded, but also an insult, as having a show devoted to such an obvious and shallow theme would not be up to intellectual and creative standard I aim to uphold on Trapper Radio. I object to the continued bastardization of St. Patrick's Day, where everyone, regardless of ancestry, pretends to be Irish and exposes themselves to watered-down versions of rich cultural history as an excuse to get drunk off thier asses on a weekday, instead of putting the desire to engage in such practices on a day that is not "acceptable" on themselves.

On the other hand, it is alot of fun. So screw it.

Now, the Irish-rock flavoured track-list!

* = Canadian Artist # = Local Artist ! = New Musice

Dropkick Murphys - Famous For Nothing
The Tossers - Goodmorning Da
The Pogues - Bright Lights
Flogging Molly - Requiem for a Dying Song
Ben Kweller - Gypsy Rose !
Ben Kweller - Run
Ben Somer - Stiff Drinks and Hand Grenades * !
The Bens - xfire
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Lethal Bizzle - Kickback
Buck 65 - Driftwood *
DL Incognito - Atmosphere *
Ghostface Killah ft. The Wu-Tang Clan - 9 Milli Bros
Wolf Parade - Soldier's Grin *
Handsome Furs - All We Want, Baby, Is Everything * !
Swan Lake - Paper Lace * !
Sunset Rubdown - Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days *
The Mountain Goats - Dilaudid
John Vanderslice - White Dove
Assassinate the Following - Manditory Abolishment #

I led off a set a music by dudes named Ben with something from Ben Kweller's new full length, Changing Horses. Unfortunatley, due to my ineptitude, I miscued the CD and played the lead track, "Gypsy Rose", instead of "Things I Like To Do" which, besides being the most fun song on the album, would have done a much better job of proving the point about Kweller's music I was trying to make. To make matters worse, I ensured you listeners that you could stream the song and the entire album at last.fm, only to find now that the stream has been taken down. You can still find some new BK tracks here and here, but alas, not "Things". So, if you are desperate to hear it (which you should be) you can find the album in stores and on iTunes. I promise.

After the BenBlock, I played a block of rap and hip hop artists who are amoung the most important out there (except Lethal Bizzle, who has gone mainstream in the UK, but the man still has chops). Especially Buck and Incognito, who really are standouts from Canadian rap music (sorry k-os, but everyone knows about you now). The Ghostface track is from Fishscale, the first in a rapidly-released chain of top-notch solo material from the Wu-Tang member, and Aesop is just insanely talented on the mic.

We also had a block in there a Wolf Parade-related projects. I don't call them side-projects, because each of the bands have a unique and relevant spot in music all on thier own, and each release from them holds up just as well as any WP release would.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to party...

I Do These Things So You Don't Have To

2009-03-12T11:28:00.008-04:00

On Tuesday I mentioned a few North American Born Ruffians shows have been added now that the band is back from their Australian tour. Only six, to be exact, and we are lucky enough to have one right in our backyard, as well as a few others in what might be described as the cul-de-sac up the block.
Full info can be found at the band's website here. On MARCH 19TH, the 'Ruffians will be playing at the CROFOOT in PONTIAC, MICHIGAN. I know, it is awesome. But if you feel like doing a little travelling, you will be rewarded will slightly more awesome, as the band will be playing four double bills with Akron/Family; two each in Toronto and Montreal. The tickets for the March 24th show have already sold out, but there are still some available for MARCH 23RD at SNEAKY DEE'S in TORONTO and MARCH 25TH & 26TH at IL MOTORE in MONTREAL.

Also, for those interested, the Less Than Jake/Flatliners concert I mentioned will be on MARCH 21ST at ST.ANDREW'S HALL. Less Than Jake's website is advertising the show as $20 at the door or $18.50 in advance from various ticket retailers.

I played a song from BBC 3's Mighty Boosh show. The collection that it appears on is hard to track down, so if you wanted to hear it again, here it is. Also provides a visual that gives you a better idea of where the comedy comes from. Howard, the guy with the moustache, has been kidnapped while fishing by Old Gregg, the green fish-person in the tutu, after a flash of the latter's magically hemaphroditic genitals caused the former to pass out.

Some Kind of Circus Show

2009-03-10T17:22:00.005-04:00

Ho boy. Today was what you would call an "off day". Hopefully I didn't drive off any of the listeners I gained on the first show. I'll have something really great lined up next week to make up for it, I promise.
I played alot of indie this week--it ended up being pretty mellow--but I also had a good ska block and some comedy based stuff. The track list for this week:

* = Canadian Artist # = Local Artist ! = New Release

The Bicycles - Walk Away (From A Good Thing) * !
The Antlers - Bear !
Crumpled Holiday - Lonely Road # !
Sorry About Dresden - Sick and Sore
Born Ruffians - I Need A Life *
Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between
The Johnstones - Action *
Less Than Jake - Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin
The Flatliners - ...And The World Files For Chapter 11 *
Flight of the Conchords - Bus Driver's Song
The Dead Milkmen - If I Had a Gun
Ween - Freedom of '76
Brenan Brothers - The Throw Down * !
Brenan Brothers - Kingdom Come * !
The Mighty Boosh - Love Games
Kings of Leon - Fans
The Slate Pacific - OEC * !
Destroyer - Watercolours Into the Ocean *
The Magician - Indicator Stop Bath * !

Yeah, someone actually gave me call wanting to hear the Mighty Boosh. As always, I was happy to oblige.
Almost every person who has reviewed the Antlers album has been going totally batshit nuts for it. I wouldn't lost it to that degree, but it is very solid. The Antlers are one of those very rare, great bands that offer their whole catalog for download on thier website (www.antlersmusic.com), and they have an external link to where you can stream the new disc. It is free, and free is good.

The First Show

2009-03-03T18:55:00.005-05:00

Well. I stumbled, paused, had crappy transitions, misplaced stuff and played the wrong song once, but overall I think it was a good opening experience. I got to play my favourite song and spin some of my favourite "hidden gem" (ie. music snob) albums, plus I didnt't break any equipment or laws. The track list for March 3:

* = Canadian Artist # = Local Artist ! = New music

Soundtrack of Our Lives - Fly !
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb - This Is What I Want
Ghost Mice - England
Shotgun Jimmie - Summersound *
Mountain Goats - San Bernardino
Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir - Lousy Drunk *
Colonial Quarrels - Ever Felt The Light? * !
Arbouretum - The Midnight Cry !
Wilco - Jesus, etc.
Ladyhawk - I Don't Always Know What You're Saying *
Mother Mother - Try To Change *
Vetiver - Sister !
Devendra Banhart - Long Haired Child
Propagandhi - Night Letters * !
American Steel - Sons of Avarice
Propagandhi - Dear Coach's Corner * !
Moneen - Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do *
O Pioneers - Saved By The Bell Was A Real Good Show !
The Tvees - I Can Wait * !

I hadn't heard the new Propagandhi disc before I played it today, which can be a leap of faith, but I was really pleased. I was almost glad I screwed that one up. I had intended to play "Dear Coach's Corner" but instead ended up playing the first track on the CD, which was a real big departure from any Propagandhi sound I've heard before. Not that it was a bad (it is so good), but I was wondering if there was going to be anything more "traditional", for lack of a better word. When I backtracked and played the right one I got what I was looking for, musically and lyrically. I really didn't expect that track to be a direct letter to Coach's Corner, either, but the band did it in a way that really worked as a song (hockey + politics! Brilliant!). When you've walked as much ground as these guys have, you have to get out there sometimes to stay relevant.

There will be more posts soon as I have free time, probably about alt-country or folk in rock music.

Welcome To The Blog!

2009-02-25T20:52:00.005-05:00

The show starts in a little less than a week, but--in the interest of preparedness--I thought I would get the blog up and running.

Until then (Tuesday, 2:30-4:00 on CJAM 91.5FM, tell your friends!), admire my customization choices. What do you think, was Minima a bad template choice? It's a bit over used, but I think I pulled it off nicely.