The Christmas Program Guide for 2012 – S08E16

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone.

It’s that festive time of the year where Christmas music is being played on the radio and television. The 2012 edition is a bit different as I try avoiding to play the usual Christmas pop tunes on the airwaves.
I shifted the modern and mainstream Christmas tunes for the blog part for the show (stay tuned for the update). I have noticed that a couple of CKCU shows have been playing tracks from the likes of Christmas In Hollis by Run DMC and countless versions of Fairytale of New York.
On the live radio show, what was played were more on the Canadian indie Christmas music and luckily got to play some of the tunes from the newly released Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada 4. There was also an extended edition as I tried to not play a lot of Christmas tunes but used more on the Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada 4 compilation as they were new. The local band, The Acorn are on the new holiday compilation.
The photo shown has the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, a Santa hat and a present as a prop.
As usual on Christmas day, the only thing I anticipate is the Doctor Who Christmas special. This year was pretty good and all I can say about the new companion just makes me melt my heart.

Ending The 2012 Interview Segment with Diamond Rings and Holiday Tunes – S08E15

To cap off another year with great Canadian indie music. Ending the interview segment for 2012 happened to be Diamond Rings. It was quite the last minute as I encountered a problem from last week’s radio show. It was the second time to interview John O. aka Diamond Rings as he’s currently touring to promote his second album, Free Dimensional. I forgot how laid back and easy-going when I chatted with Diamond Rings. He was in Ottawa on Friday, December 7th and heard the show at Ritual Nightclub was sold out. Aside from the funny photo shown on top, I got a lot of “likes” when I posted the photo.
The audio of the interview will be posted below.

JD & The Straight Shot Concert Review from November 8, 2012

On November 8th, I had the opportunity to check out the New York band, JD & The Straight Shot at the National Arts Centre. They were the opening act for ZZ Top. The Straight Shot is fronted by James Dolan, who owns the Madison Square Gardens company. Other members in the band consist of guitarists Marc Copely and Adam Levy, keyboardist Brian Mitchell, drummer Shawn Pelton, bassist Zev Katz, and violinist Lorenza Ponce. It’s definitely a powerhouse of a band as some tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. The Straight Shot aren’t no slouch as they toured with The Eagles, The Allman Brothers and others to name a few.
The band’s musical style and influence are a blend of classic rock and blues. The unique thing about the band is that they’re not signed to a major record label and Dolan understands the changing business of the music industry as anyone can make their own music using their computer.
When they were in Ottawa, they were promoting their current EP, Midnight Run. With their performance, it felt like I was at Ottawa Bluesfest in an in-door setting because of the slow styled beats and melodic sound. Their current EP also brought out a New Orleans theme and in a way, holding a glass of Bourbon while. Mind you, I am not a drinker.
One of the songs Dolan mentioned during his performance that it was considered for a movie called Lawless but it got passed off. Instead, they performed to the delight of the Ottawa crowd.
Overall, the crowd enjoyed The Straight Shot’s performance and even Dolan said that the Ottawa was great. No one left their seats during the performance.
Midnight Run is available on iTunes and at any music stores.