Get In On the Action: CiTR 101.9FM Fundrive is Taking Over Vancouver

If you
a) live in Vancouver, and
b) enjoy fun, then you most definitely will want to
c) be in the know of CiTR's intense November calendar of Fundrive related events.

On November 12, CiTR will launch its 4th Annual Fundrive, encouraging listeners to “Own Your Frequency.” Over the two-week period, CiTR DJs will be taking their message to the airways, asking listeners all hours of the day and night to support the station’s independent programming. This two-week funding drive will raise necessary funds to cover operating expenses, equipment purchases, and much needed studio upgrades.

Although CiTR is partially funded by UBC student fees, CiTR needs funds raised through the Fundrive to cover operational expenses, upgrade studios, and launch community projects. CiTR exceeded its 2008 Fundrive goal of $15,000 – raising a stunning $23,000 – due to the generous contributions of listeners and local businesses.

Film, poetry readings, book tours, shows, live radio, dance parties, DJ's, and general partying are about to abound, and you can help CiTR meet its 2009 goal of $24 000 by attending the events going down.

- become a fan of the Fundrive on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/CiTR-1019-FM-Fundrive/178331172125?ref=ts) for up to date info on all the events

- follow the drive on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CiTRradio

- check out http://www.citr.ca/ for updates and http://www.citr.ca/index.php/get-involved/donate/ to donate any time you like

Mark your Google calendars! Join in:

Thursday, November 12 -
That DJ Competition, 8:00pm @ the Pit Pub (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174088735889&index=1)

Monday, November 16 -
CiTR Queer Film Night presents I Can't Think Straight, 7:00pm @ Vancouver International Film Centre
(http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170346303340&index=1)

Tuesday, November 17 -
CiTR SHiNDiG Semi Final #1 feat. aunts and uncles, Half Chinese & The LIVING DEADBEATS", 9:00pm @ The Railway Club (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171876587900&index=1)

Thursday, November 19 -
PEACE & WALTER TV live on Thunderbird Radio Hell, 8:00pm @ the Gallery Lounge, Student Union Building and on 101.9fm, at the SAME time!
(http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161764415266&index=1)

Thursday, November 19 -
Audiotext Poetry Night, 9:00pm @ St. Augustine’s, 2360 Commercial Drive
(http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=175812612431&index=1)

Wednesday, November 25-
Amy Goodman in Vancouver, 6:30pm @ Vancouver Public Library in the Alice MacKay Room, 350 West Georgia St
(http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174542287859&index=1)

Friday, November 27 -
CiTR Fundrive Finale!!!, 8:00pm @ The Wise Hall
(http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204066800990&index=1)

Phew. Feel in the loop yet?

Olenka and Slow Down Molasses at Ottawa's Raw Sugar Cafe

On Oct 27th at Ottawa's Raw Sugar Cafe.
Playing there were:
Jonathan Pearce

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers

Slow Down Molasses
Here is a 12 minute interview I did with one member of Slow Down Molasses.


Review of the show is here.

Audio interview with The Ghost Is Dancing

Interviewed the Toronto band The Ghost Is Dancing on October 17th.
In this 15 minute interview, we talked about their tour, album, bands, Toronto, Ottawa, the music video for "This Thunder", USA and music stuff.

Review of the show.

What is Indie: The 19th Century Answer

This week on Radio 3 Lisa Christiansen brought up that age old question - "what is" and "what isn't" indie. The particular context in which she brought it up was in relation to film, not music but it's all really the same question. As I tend to do when someone asks a good question on the R3 blog - I went on at some length several times. Among other things I mentioned that an entire documentary had been done on the question of "What is Indie" and that it had failed to find a hard answer.



But I have what might be an answer. Appropriately enough this possible answer comes from the 19th century and a man named Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who had three questions for critiquing something (in his day it was literature and theatre but those were the times). His three questions were:

1. What was the artist trying to do?
2. How well did he do it?
3. Was it worth the doing?

Personally, I would rearrange these questions a bit:

1. What was the artist trying to do?
2. Was it worth the doing?
3. How well did he (or she - it's been over 200 years) do it?

If it wasn't worth doing how much does it matter how well it was done?

Maybe, just maybe, it is the question "was it worth doing" that defines "What is indie". I don't, in any way, side with those who attack people simply for being successful - the Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, (Leslie) Feist and Metric are all still independent - that they are successful just means that they are talented and what they do resonates - it has nothing to do with their independence.

Let's look again at those questions.

1) What was the artist trying to do?

This doesn't have to be profound. If the answer is: sharing ideas, experiences, and thoughts. That's a worthy goal - it is the core of art.

If the answer is: Get Rich or Die Trying that's another matter.

(we'll go with my revision) 2) Was it worth doing?

This, I think, is the point where we define "Indie" - much of what exists in popular culture - in mainstream film, music, theatre, television, etc., is not something that was 'worth doing'. 50 Cent wants to "Get Rich or Die Trying" That may be worth doing for him, but why should the rest of us care - the same goes for most of what is produced for television, for film, most of the US Top 40, Suesical the Musical, etc., ... if it is 'worth doing' it is indie.

Which takes us to question 3) How Well Was it Done - Contrary to the opinions of some of the advocates of indie - just because it was worth doing does not mean that it was done well. Some people are independent because they are simply not good at what they do. Simply because an artist is unsigned and independent does not mean that they are good and worthy of attention.

No one has ever been able to successfully answer What is Indie but will Was it worth the doing? do in it's place?

Is the Indie vs. Mainstream Battle Over?

The Indie vs. Mainstream battle has raged for decades now: there's the indie is good and mainstream is bad side and the never ending 'what is indie' side. If you grow up fighting a particular fight it is sometimes hard to know when the fight is over. I've been pondering it lately and I think that this one is. It is not over because one side or the other won, it is over because indie and mainstream music are not even in the same business anymore. Some time, about 10 years ago the 'music business' came to a fork in the road and indie went one way and mainstream went the other. I think at this point they are far enough apart that they own have their distinct territory without much overlap and I think if you take a hard look at any music it is easy to see which side of the wall it falls on.

mainstream sues people over file sharing, or for playing their CDs at a place of business or ... well anything to keep the lawyers busy really.
indie may not be happy about file sharing, but most on this side also recognize the promotional value of free music (and if they are honest with themselves many if not most on both sides will download a song or two themselves sometimes.) If indie walks into a dentist office or hair salon and hears their album playing they are very happy, they don't ask to be paid for it.

mainstream is primarily about the relationship between labels, wholesalers and retailers.
indie is primarily about the relationship between artists and fans.

mainstream is as much about a performers image and their off stage exploits as it is about what they do on stage or in the studio.
indie is almost exclusively about what happens on stage and in the studio.

mainstream is about pure entertainment value.
indie should be entertaining but it is about the art of music - scantily clad choreographed dancers are a rarity at live concerts - at least on stage.

mainstream hires stylists, image consultants, and makeup artists
indie does not

mainstream is $15-20 at HMV or Wal-Mart
indie is $8 at Zunior or $10 for a physical copy at the merch table ($15 for vinyl).

mainstream is an industry it cranks out music and popular entertainers with all the same level of passion that a soap factory cranks out bars.
indie is an art (that like all art would also like to make a living.)

Finally - unlike the old days mainstream is not out scouting for bands they can sell (ruin) - they manufacture bands now. Between their stylists, fashion consultants, hair and make-up people, image gurus, airbrushing, planting of stories with the paparazzi, song writers, music writers, auto-tune, studio tricks etc., they can take pretty much anyone regardless of description or talent and make them a salable commodity. There is no point in going out and seeking out bands who might have integrity and/or ideas of their own.

That fork in the road I mentioned above was the internet. When it arrived it brought inexpensive music production, marketing and distribution, file sharing and social media. It also brought the million channel universe. In the old world the same companies that owned the mega-labels also owned the radio and television stations, newspapers and magazines. They played and covered largely their own artists. The arrival of podcasts, internet radio and internet tv meant the monopoly of the entertainment conglomerates was broken. Independent artists and small labels saw an opportunity and took it. The big labels, the traditional giants of the music business took it as a threat and lawyered up.

The indie vs. mainstream battle at this point reached a fever pitch. There have been (and still are) attempts by the big labels to control the internet, to limit access to sites they don't approve of etc., (to keep up to date on these efforts just watch Michael Geists blog.) By and large though I think the battle is over.

When I talk to people I don't find alot of overlap between audiences. I find very few people who listen to 50 cent AND Buck 65, none who listen to Britney Spears AND Basia Bulat. There is the occasional crossover like Feist but for the most part they are two different worlds. I don't find many people anymore who think that Feist or Arcade Fire aren't "indie" anymore just because they've become successful. Generally, the people I talk to who are into indie music don't even watch the same television shows, listen to the same radio stations, or read the same publications as the people who are interested in more mainstream fare.

At some point when no one was paying attention the two warring factions simply became different countries. Mainstream music is no longer the enemy of music. The mainstream has almost nothing to do with music, they manufacture a product (like lug nuts, or donuts) and sell that product. Indie, for lack of a better term at the moment, has claimed the mantle. In future books on music history there will be almost no mention of the mainstream 'music industry' except as a footnote. So, having taken over it's time for us to simply turn our backs and walk away from the old music industry and focus on strengthening what's been built.

Indie (or whatever we want to call it) understood the internet as an opportunity, seized it immediately and is more and more successful every year. Mainstream (or the 'music industry that was') is still suing and lobbying governments to try to make the internet go away (the only way they'll ever even slow down file sharing is to shut down the internet entirely.) They took the internet and technology as a threat and still do and every year they get weaker and more remote. The war is over, now it's time to rebuild.

Raw Sugar Cafe: September 2, 2009

On August 2nd I went to see three acts at Raw Sugar Cafe
They were:
Tissø Lake from the UK

Brooke Manning from Toronto

The Wilderness of Manitoba from Toronto

It was a nice intimate acoustic show for all three acts playing.
Full review is on here.
Listen to the interviews I did with each musicians.
Full review is on here.
Tissø Lake

Brooke Manning with Erin Lang

The Wilderness of Manitoba
The Wilderness of Manitoba: Interview by blurasis

The Wooden Sky: Bedrooms and Backstreet Tour in Ottawa

August 17th, the band Wooden Sky made a stop in Ottawa for their Bedrooms and Backstreet tour.
They played at a nice small store called Canteen.
Here are the photos from the show.
The first band was Ottawa's Old Crowns.

Here is a interview I did with them before their show.
Interview: Old Crowns by blurasis
Here is a photo of Wooden Sky.

After their set I got a chance to do a quick interview.
Interview: The Wooden Sky by blurasis
Overall it was a nice set they put despite being a hot humid summer day.

Arietta in Ottawa

I went to see Arietta play at Zaphod Beeblebrox on July 25th.
Apparently they were suppose to open up for Black Diamond Bay but the drummer fell ill.
So it was just a solo show for Arietta.
Here are some photos.

Also I did a interview with the band.
Its about 20 minutes.
Sorry if the waitress happens to come in part of the interview.

Black Diamond Bay Added to the Swim Drink Fish Music Club

Followers of this blog will know that I think Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Swim Drink Fish Music Club is an excellent way to support a great environmental group and get exposed to great Canadian Music. Check out my earlier posts here and here.

Now the Club has started a Friday Release series, and "It's all Been Said" by Black Diamond Bay is the first instalment. From the Club itself:

In August 2007 Patrick Krief (formerly of Montreal art-rock band The Dears) put out a seven song EP (Take It Or Leave) with Sunny Lane Records under the name ‘Krief’. To play these songs live he called upon his cousin Andre Bendahan (Bass), George Donoso III (Drums) and Roberto Piccioni (Keys). The shape the songs were taking live was so much bigger than that of the recordings that they couldn’t justify not having a name for that sound. So Black Diamond Bay was born. After over a hundred shows together they started to put together what is now their debut album “Calm Awaits”. Krief says, "there are laws to protect clean water, and they need to be respected and enforced". Check out Black Diamond Bay's exclusive track "It's All Been Said", now in the All Music section, only on the Swim Drink Fish Music Club today!

Now - although the Club says the track is only available on Friday - I was just able to download it - so join and see if you can get it too! And if you can't, join anyway for many new tracks every Friday, as well as plenty of other music. Membership is only $9.99 for a year:

All proceeds from memberships benefit Swim Drink Fish Music partners Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Ottawa Riverkeeper and Fraser Riverkeeper. So get your ears on some exclusive new music, and help Waterkeepers across Canada help continue the fight for swimmable, drinkable, fishable water.

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's Swim Drink Fish Music Club Confirms More Bands

A short while ago I wrote about this awesome fundraising initiative (see the post here). Ryan over at Lake Ontario Waterkeeper tells me they have plenty of great Canadian acts signed up to provide you with exclusive content if you become a member of the Swim Drink Fish Music Club. Here's a list of the confirmed bands so far (and a great list it is):

Gord Downie and The Sadies, Ghost Bees, Sarah Harmer, Great Lake Swimmers, Emma Lee, Wintersleep, Land of Talk, Dave Bidini, Apostle of Hustle, Ohbijou, Chris Brown and Kate Fenner, Arkells, Marco Benevento, Shade, Collen and Paul, The Gertrudes, Billy the Kid, Zeroes, The Billie Hollies, The Violet Archers, Carmen Townsend, Black Diamond Bay, Provincial Parks, Jessie Dangerously, Immaculate Machine, Don Vail, The Abrams Brothers and - just announced - Clothes Make the Man.

The Club's website is up and live now, thought it will continue to be tweaked until the big launch occurs. For only $9.99 (what a deal!!!), you can get a one-year membership to the Club. Membership features include:

- access to monthly feature artists

- weekly indie artist releases

- each song features a "Story" - an audio clip from the artist explaining why they chose to get involved

- access to news and info from local waterkeepers

- access to Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's weekly radio show, Living at the Barricades

- access to an 18-20 weekly news segment by Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

- access to the entire back catalogue from their first compilation, At the Barricades Vol. 1

- of course, GREAT CANADIAN MUSIC!

Right now, the Club has one new feature song from Chris Brown and Kate Fenner, entitled The Waterkeeper. Kate's story: she and Chris believe that "access to clean water should be a basic human right". But the song also reflects the "magic of water...to inspire a sense of gratitude and wonder in the face of this great life-giving force". Join now to get access to this and many more great songs.

If you are an artist, there is no deadline for you to get involved. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is still encouraging artists interested in contributing an exclusive track to contact Ryan at [email protected] with a link to their material.

This is a fantastic initiative to support a great cause: check it out when you can.

New Spin Podcast: Interview with Smiley Ralph, one of the few indie acts in St. John's, NL

Smiley Ralph is about the only local indie pop act in St. John's, Newfoundland that I know of, other than Greg Hewlett's wonderful band Pelago. And let's not forget AE Bridger. Smiley Ralph just played a wonderful show at The Ship on Saturday, truly proving themselves as one of the freshest indie acts out there. Ryan Kennedy (guitars, keys, vocals) and Andrew Strickland (bass, vocals) sung harmoniously with each other, Chris Donnelly ripped it on the drumz, and Justin Frampton colored the well-crafted songs with wonderful min7 chords. If you are a fan of Pavement, Sebadoh, Built to Spill, and any other band associated with the indie-rock cannon, this is your band to watch in St. John's. Like their name suggests, Smiley Ralph will put a dance in your step and a smile on your face.

Listen to the podcast.

in sound,

dashiell brown, host of The New Spin

Ruby Coast Gets a Nod in Spin Magazine

Aurora-based indie outfit Ruby Coast has been turning heads and ears lately with its shimmery pop sound, which reminds me of a combination of Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire without the sense of doom. Add a touch of Los Campesino's cacophonous sounds, and a whole lot of great, energetic songwriting, and you've got a success story in the making.

Ruby Coast report via their facebook and myspace pages that their song "Neighbourhood" has been named a "song you must hear" by longstanding alternative music magazine, Spin (see page 42 of the April 2009 edition - there's that big band from Ireland on the cover... ummmm....odd name....X...no - U - that's it: U2).

Fresh off a US tour, which included a stint at mega music event SXSW, the band must be feeling great about its future. No surprise - check out their music online when you can. Congrats to Ruby Coast!

LIFE SUPPORT Leukemia Fundraiser Brings Montreal Musicians Together

Hey Guys,

I wanted to spread the word about a great event we are helping out with this weekend. It is a Leukemia Fundraiser at Foufs. Hexes & Ohs, Barton Fink, First You Get the Sugar and Straight to Memphis are playing.

If you're interested, check out the details. Should be a lot of fun!

Tickets are available at http://www.indiemontreal.ca/

Cheers!

Go NORTH to Detroit, SOUTH to Windsor.

A short list of Canadian Indie artists playing the Windsor/Detroit area.

4/4

Slow down, Molasses

Valery Gore

Wax Mannequin

Phog Lounge

157 University W.

Windsor, ON

www.phoglounge.com

4/6

F*cked Up

Magic Stick  8PM  $12

4120 Woodward

Detroit, MI

www.majesticdetroit.com/stick.asp

4/16

Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains

Pike Room @ The Crofoot  8PM  $8

1 S. Saginaw

Pontiac, MI

www.thecrofoot.com

4/22

Beast

Phog Lounge

157 University W.

Windsor, ON

www.phoglounge.com

4/30

Elliott BROOD 

The Blind Dog   8PM  $10

671 Ouellette Avenue

Windsor, ON

www.theblinddog.ca

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's New Canadian Music Fundraiser

Exclaim! reports on its website a great new initiative from environmental group Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Those familiar with the group will know that, in 2007, it engaged some Canadian music royalty to donate tunes to a fundraising CD entitled At the Barricades: Volume 1. Produced by veteran Canadian singer/songwriter/producer Chris Brown, the disc included tracks from Bruce Cockburn, Broken Social Scene, Kate Fenner, Sarah Harmer, Stars and many more (including Pete Seeger). You can still get that CD here.

But the latest Waterkeeper fundraiser is awesome for Canadian music lovers: a year long online music project entitled the Swim Drink Fish Music Club. Starting in April, members of the club can get exclusive and rare tracks from participating artists, information on the Waterkeeper's attempts to promote swimmable, drinkable and fishable water, and news updates. No doubt Waterkeeper will call on past contributors for this innovative charitable musical endeavour. But it is also looking for new material from other artists. According to their website:

"Every month we feature a new artist, with a large image and audio story on the Club’s main page. New content is added weekly, and a notice is sent to all Club members to let them know you’ve joined the fight for clean water. Your track page includes photo, streaming audio, an audio story about your song, download options, and links to similar content.

When your song is released, you’ll get a chance to promote your music to our club members, a chance to do some media publicity with our marketing team. Because the online distribution process is more organic than a traditional CD, we can coordinate the timing so it works best for you! We’ll also encourage our members to visit your website, buy tickets to your shows, or order full albums if they like your stuff."

If you're interested, send an email to [email protected] and let them know what you’re thinking. You can also call Waterkeeper at (416) 861-1237.

Bell Orchestre N.E. American Tour Starts Soon

Great American music blog Brooklyn Vegan has been touting Bell Orchestre lately, more evidence of Canadian music spreading abroad. The six member band cites influences as varied as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Arvo Pärt, The Penguin Café Orchestra, and Talk Talk, but crafts a decidedly unique pastiche of sounds on their instrumental tracks - sometimes pastoral, sometimes raucous, always unique and cerebral.

The band scored huge on its sophomore release on Canadian Indie mega-label Arts & Crafts: As Seen Through Windows features John McEntire (Tortoise, the Sea and Cake) recording the disc. Here's how the band describes the result on their own website:

"The result is at once fierce and beautiful, delicate and dirty. McEntire’s
extensive studio knowledge and attention to craft provided Bell Orchestre with a
kind of bridge, spanning the diversity of their sound to create a richly layered
and sonically expansive recording; a recording that closely mirrors Bell
Orchestre’s very process of making music. Opening with the distressed sound of
muted and distorted horns, strings and drums—an almost monstrous sound, the
album effortlessly shifts into an elaborate and soaring movement, sometimes
edging close to fragility, sometimes on the verge of exploding, but never once
faltering nor threatening to lose its way."

Sounds amazing to me....

The band heads out on the road the first week of April, hitting mostly Quebec, eastern Ontario and Toronto, and culminating with what I am sure will be one of THE must-see sets at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. What's really cool is that Bell Orchestre has secured a few churches to perform in (notably in Kingston and Ottawa), and that ought to be one fantastic experience.

Here are the dates - don't miss it if you can:

4 Apr 2009 21:00 Sydenham Street United Church w/ Colin Stetson Kingston, Ontario
16 Apr 2009 20:00 Theatre Granada w/ Colin Stetson & Julie Doiron Sherbrooke, Quebec
17 Apr 2009 19:30 Theatre Petit Champlain w/ Colin Stetson & Little Scream Quebec, Quebec

18 Apr 2009 20:30 First Baptist Church w/ Colin Stetson & Little Scream Ottawa, Ontario
19 Apr 2009 22:50 La Tulipe w/ Colin Stetson & Little Scream Montreal, Quebec
23 Apr 2009 23:00 Starlight Social Club w/ Colin Stetson Waterloo, Ontario
24 Apr 2009 20:00 Courthouse w/ Colin Stetson Toronto, Ontario
25 Apr 2009 20:00 Casbah Hamilton Hamilton, Ontario
30 Apr 2009 18:30 Le Poisson Rouge New York, New York
1 May 2009 21:00 Somerville Theater w/ Colin Stetson & The Havels Somerville, Massachusetts
10 Jul 2009 20:00 Winnipeg Folk Festival Winnipeg, Manitoba
11 Jul 2009 20:00 Winnipeg Folk Festival Winnipeg, Manitoba

And here's Bell Orchestre performing at the Hillside Inside Festival in Guelph earlier this year:

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture"

First, a confession: I am not a music critic. Yet, I'll often share my enthusiasm whenever I listen to good music. This time I wanted to jump right in with a quick overview of some of the recent CDs launched in Montreal. Marie-Pierre Arthur's self-titled debut album would have been a good start. And then I realized that it is impossible to write about her without first mentioning Karkwa. Not only are they featured as musicians on her album but they also have produced it. They represent such an interesting example of the creative indie/alt Montreal scene. So, may I recommend instead that you listen to both albums? http://tiny.cc/ffhji http://tiny.cc/6xIZd Of course, you may want to listen to Karkwa & Marie-Pierre Arthur when they came to Studio 12 / Radio-Canada (also featuring Plants & Animals) http://bit.ly/K3zHu
Finally, should you feel curious to discover more of the French-speaking scene artists, I would truly recommend Jim Corcoran's show "À propos" on CBC http://www.cbc.ca/apropos who has done an outstanding job presenting and sharing his passion for over twenty years!