Co-Produced by
Warwick Patterson and Megan Cole.
ThisCityRocks.com catches up with the Great Lake Swimmers on their previous tour through Vancouver. Check them out on tour through Canada in March 2009 in support of their upcoming album "Lost Channels". ThisCityRocks will be back with more this season...stay tuned!
Plans are afoot to get ThisCityRocks up and running again in the new year with a new series of music and band interviews. I'm looking for someone with music industry connections to help us promote the show to the labels and bands, and to assist in booking interviews....anyone? Thanks!
When Jeff Healey passed away in March, I have to admit I hadn't thought much about him for many years. Angel Eyes was his breakout hit in 1988, and came at a time when I was watching lots of Much Music after school. Even though it probably wasn't "cool" to like that song as a teenage boy, the song - and Jeff - struck a chord with me. I think it was one of the seminal songs that gave me a deeper interest in music. How could this blind guy play a guitar so damn well? When I read that he had died, and saw all the outpouring of tributes for him, I felt a sudden guilt that I hadn't heard any of his recent work. For someone who influenced me so much, why didn't I know more about him? Apparently, I had been missing out on one of Canada's finest musical talents! So, I went searching for some of his music and found an album called 'Live in Montreux (1999)". I'm a big fan of live albums, so I sat back, cranked the speakers, and for the next hour was completely spellbound. How did I not listen to more of this before? This was straight up, amazing, blues rock and roll. When the album finished, I hit play and listened to it all over again.
Jeff Healey was all set to release a new record when he passed away, and "Mess of Blues" is now out. After many years persuing his passion for traditional American jazz, this was his first blues and rock album in over eight years. And it's a good one... As a Canadian music fan interested in rock and roll, you should check this album (and Jeff's whole career) out. Here's a couple of great videos showing his legendary guitar skills, and his passion for the music.
A young Jeff destroys on "Shine a Light":
More after the jump...
The powers that be have announced the winner of the Polaris Music Prize - an award that "honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music by recognizing, then marketing the albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history, as judged by a panel of selected critics and experts." The winner also gets $20,000 to put towards a full-length album. This year's award goes to Patrick Watson. I'll be honest and say that I haven't listened to his music much, other than seeing him play on the Juno Awards show. But I did some internet surfing this evening and am really digging his music. There will always be debate about who should win these sorts of awards, but you can't go wrong with giving this guy the prize.
In TCR news, we have two more shows with Winston and the Great Lake Swimmers coming online shortly - stay tuned!
Feist performed 1234 on Letterman the other night with an all-star group backing her up including AC Newman of The New Pornographers, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, members of The National, Grizzly Bear, Mates of State, etc. All of whom could have played Letterman on their own merits. Great rendition of 1234...
[VIA]
It sounds like Vancouver's live music scene is going to take another big hit this summer, as the Dominion Hotel and Lamplighter Pub have been purchased, and any gigs booked from September onwards are tentative at best. What's going on with this city?! Does nobody see the value in good live music venues? There is an ever-widening void in this town for comfortable, fun rock n' roll venues. Let's pack the Lamp for the rest of this month and show our support - maybe the new owners will renovate and create something even better...but I'm not holding my breath.
Long Live the Lamp.
[via From Blown Speakers]
This post doesn't involve Canadian music. This isn't even about trendy "indie" music. Its about a man who can sing. Really, really sing.
The latest in a long string of so-called "talent" shows on television, "Britain's Got Talent" wrapped up last night, and the winner has taken the UK - and the internet - by storm. His initial American Idol-style audition segment looked doomed from the start - an awkward, shy, cell phone salesman saying he wanted to sing opera - this couldn't go well. But then he opened his mouth, and even Simon Cowell sat up straighter and took notice. Paul Potts was fantastic! Watch his spine-tingling audition below, and then check out the other links as he goes through the semi-finals and the finals. Not only did he wow the audience in that first audition, but he went on to win the entire contest! Nice to see people still appreciate great talent, no matter what style of music they are singing.
Paul Potts Semi-Finals:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nHYYz_mGP1U
Paul Potts Final Performance:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nbzRJqe1X-o
The Winner is Announced:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mUyKYB4zYCQ
