American football and Canadian music.
By listening to ESPN's PTI, Football Today, and Soccernet podcasts I keep appraised of my sporting interests while walking around campus. Sure I end up ignoring most passers-by, but guess what? They all have headphones in anyway. If you are a sports fan I highly recommend PTI, on TV or in podcast form. What an entertaining show. With the hosts' rapport I daresay it would even be entertaining to a non-sports fan, not to mention a decent lesson in how to fight and stay friends!
But the thing I really wanted to mention in my fleeting moments before hitting the books this morning is the "Canada Live" podcast by CBC Radio. With my subscription to this podcast I now have on my ipod what amounts to five (and counting) free, good quality sounding, fantastic and recent Canadian live albums! The concerts are abridged, and are interspersed with comments from a host and the odd interview, but these are short and sweet and actually quite good. I love it.So if you are a beginner to the amazing Canadian music scene I don't think you have any excuse for buying what your local radio station is selling you, when you can easily discover what's out there with such tools as this (and CBC radio 3). Sure, there is still stuff on there not to like, but that's the great thing about it: You give a listen, and if it doesn't grab you, you sift it out and download what you want.
Anyway, pictured here is the Great Lake Swimmers (led by front-man and beautiful song-writer Tony Decker). You can hear a recent concert of theirs if you like. As the host said, lately they have been taking Canada, "not by force, but by the fragility of their sound." Great description! They really are worth giving a listen.
The other four concerts I've downloaded in the last few months include Joel Plaskett (I call him a Canadian treasure), Bruce Cockburn (where've I been all you're life?), Hey Rosetta! (not bad, some of you might like them more than I do), and Chad VanGaalen (recent Polaris Prize short-lister). Any of these would be a great place to start, not only if you want to get to know what's up in Canadian music, but if you want a few hours of solid musical enjoyment.
As I walk by Scotland yards, loving it but missing home too, I sure appreciate that at least a few pieces of Americana and Canadiana are only a fingertip away.
6 comments:
I though of you and your family as I sat down to watch Monday Night Football on.. uh... Monday night.
Old man Favre was quite impressive.
Who's your favourite team?
Hey, you watched "I Know Where I'm Going!"
That's great. My perception of that movie might have been skewed by the fact that I saw it in a jam packed movie theatre that was laughing aloud at every possible moment . . . but I loved it. Glad you enjoyed it too!
Jon: The Colts. I am not sure who else. I oscillate on the other teams. I was probably rooting for the Packers in that one, but like the Vikings somewhat.
Yeah it was good Jeff. Thanks. A packed theatre would make it great I'm sure!
Podcasts kept me from going crazy for a couple years while working a tedious job, so I certainly appreciate their value. However, the thought of students wandering around a campus, all with headphones, is pretty depressing. As if we weren't isolated enough already.
I really love that Great Lake Swimmers song 'Your Rocky Spine.'
Yeah you gotta take the headphones out sometimes. But that's the way it is: Headphones and cellphones, unless you are walking with someone . . . but even then . . .
Cash Making Opportunities - The Beginning The working life is already tough enough, but the worries of being out of work was even tougher. The unsecured working environment have prompted me to search the internet for an alternative source of extra income so that I could learn how to Make Money Work for me and be Financially Independent. I listed down a number of Free Internet Business Opportunity Ideas while researching ways how people earn money online while working-from-home.......
www.onlineuniversalwork.com
Post a Comment