Joel Plaskett talking with fans at the 2011 Vancouver International Folk Music Festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am going to make a statement here. I love Joel Plaskett. The guy is a one man songwriting machine. This tune is from 2009 and really highlights what Joel is all about. I’ll write a song and then we will have a blast with it. His music always hits the good time mark and is always presented in a very casual, this is me way. If you haven’t yet tweaked in on his music, do it now. One Canadian that deserves, no, demands a world-wide audience.
Aerial image of in Athens, Alabama, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hey y’all. How you been. I have enjoyed major summer and have barely had time to read and comment let alone post. Figured that this tune was a good segue to getting back on the keyboard. The Alabama Shakes are a band out of Athens, Alabama (not Georgia, nor Greece) with an outstanding album released in April of 2012. Instant classic???? I vote yes. Remind me of Black Keys with a dose of Sheepdogs.
Hope to post a few things in the coming few weeks, then get back on the beam full-time again in September.
Aerial image of in Athens, Alabama, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hey y’all. How you been. I have enjoyed major summer and have barely had time to read and comment let alone post. Figured that this tune was a good segue to getting back on the keyboard. The Alabama Shakes are a band out of Athens, Alabama (not Georgia, nor Greece) with an outstanding album released in April of 2012. Instant classic???? I vote yes. Remind me of Black Keys with a dose of Sheepdogs.
Hope to post a few things in the coming few weeks, then get back on the beam full-time again in September.
Murray had a strong career in the 70’s and 80’s, writing and recording many current staples on Canadian classic radio. Unfortunately, he never hit mainstream elsewhere.
Terry Jacks Guests on OTR (Photo credit: Stephen Dyrgas)
Smaltzy Canadian pop at its’ best (worst?). The Poppy Family had a string of North American hits in the late 60’s and early 70’s. The group was made up of Susan and Terry Jacks.
BTO’s very first release, very different from everything they did afterwards. My favourite song by them by a country mile. This clip is of Randy Bachman only, but it is live and is at a great venue in Vancouver called the Commodore Ballroom. Great groove.
I have not done one of these for a while, so it’s time to pick up where I left off and continue the series. I think we all might have needed a break. Only 380 songs to go. This set is heavy on the classic rock and features an icon of my generation, one of the founders of The Band, Robbie Robertson. Also included is one of the judges for Canadian Idol, Sass Jordan and one of the worlds greatest bands, Rush.
English: Robbie Robertson during a March, 2011 radio interview. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of the rock era’s greatest bands, The Band, spawned several major solo careers. Robbie Robertson is one of the major talents of the era. This version is live on Letterman, supported by fellow Canadian Paul Schaffer. This is one hot version.
Coney Hatch was an 80’s rock band who created 3 albums. The band was produced by Kim Mitchell, an accomplished Canadian act in his own right. Carl Dixon, the lead, played with April Wine and the Guess Who in later years.
Another 80’s band, Strange Advance were more of a new wave style group. They won Juno’s (Canada’s Grammy) in 1982 as Most Promising Group and were 1985’s Group of the Year. “We Run”s off their 1985 album “2WO”, which won them their Juno that year.
Sass Jordan had a great run from the late 80’s through the 90’s. When Canada pursued their own version of American Idol, she was selected as one of the judges. This was her first hit in Canada, recorded in 1988. Don’t panic, the song starts at about 22 seconds.
A Girl Like You (Edwyn Collins song) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Lets dip into the past and visit the 90’s. Always liked this one. A Girl Like You was released in 1994 by Scottish artist Edwyn Collins and had great success in both the USA and the UK, reaching #4 on Billboard. The song (and artists) are classic one hit wonder material, meaning, an extremely talented musician with many good albums to his credit, caught he world’s imagination only once. Check out his other material.
Max Webster was the starting point for 2 of Canada’s most brilliant songwriters, Kim Mitchell and Pye Dubois. The band formed in 1973 and had a string of hits and gold albums until 1981. The principals all went on to great solo careers.
An oldie from a Scottish band called “Travis“. This song “Why Does It Always Rain On Me“, released in 2006, but only hit my personal world today. Shame on me. Another nugget that presented itself in those dreary 20 minutes between work and home. The band is from Glasgow and they formed way back in 1990. The host on CBC2 told a story about the band, in that it rains when they play this live and outdoors. Interesting. Enjoy a very nice tune.
The Song Of The Day will dedicate this post to Tommy Marth, saxophonist extraordinaire. Tommy died of his own hand on April 23. He was 33. His work is most often associated “The Killers” who he played with during 2008 and 2009. He also appeared on their albums, “Sam’s Town” and “Day & Age“. This is a live version of Joy Ride.
Greg Keelor at the Spencerville fair (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Crash Vegas was a Canadian folk-rock band from the late 1980’s. It has a connection to Blue Rodeo in that Greg Keelor, the other singer and songwriter for Blue Rodeo was one of the founding members. He left the band before they had recorded anything. This song is from their 1989 record, “Red Earth”. The quality of the clip is lacking and I apologize. Could not find anything better.
