May 2012 Archives

Waterloo alt-pop band Will Currie & the Country French are touring through Ontario this spring -- and, with their poppy, piano-driven tunes, you'll have as much fun in the crowd as they do onstage.

 

Click below to hear the interview with Will Currie, Aaron Mariash and Daniel MacPherson, which aired on Bandwidth on May 26th.

 

 

 

May Long weekend may be over, but don't despair! We've got all sorts of great tunes for you this week -- from the Ottawa Valley's Hinterlandband, Hamilton's The Wild Suns, and even a bit of Feist (have you heard? She's got the 3 most-played tracks on CBC Music this week!)

 

 

 

We've also got a piece by the CBC's Garvia Bailey about Cold Specks' doom soul sound and her debut album (click here to listen) and a nice, long chat with Will Currie, Aaron Mariash and Daniel MacPherson from Will Currie and the Country French. We chat about everything from band dynamics (hint: it's sexier than you think) to Bach contatas... and we're playing their song that's an ode to a classic hairstyle -- the John Denver haircut (which I rocked in my younger years -- with the picture to the right as visual proof).

 

 

 

We also end up talking a bit of politics. It turns out that Will Currie, who penned the band's song Tommy Douglas (which you can download for free by joining the band's mailing list), is a big Power & Politics fan -- so we did a mini studio tour after the interview and the band met Evan Solomon, who hosts the show. (L to R: Evan and Will)

 

 

 

A big congratulations to Lenny Wu, from Ottawa, who won our AWESOME BANDWIDTH GRAB BAG giveaway. All he had to do was tweet the show to be entered in the contest, and as you can see from the picture on the right... he's just picked up a sweet haul of CDs, CBC swag, and a lovingly handcrafted paper crane from a page from this week's Bandwidth script (which I learned to make courtesy of YouTube). So keep an ear out for the next grab bag giveaway!

 

UPCOMING SHOW INFORMATION:

- for The Wild Suns, check out their Facebook page

- for Will Currie and the Country French, check out their website

- for Jill Zmud, check out her website

 

And a big thanks to you -- for listening to Bandwidth! The Spring ratings are in and Bandwidth is the #1 Saturday afternoon music show in Ottawa. And if it weren't for Quirks & Quarks, we'd be the #1 Saturday afternoon radio show in Ottawa. So thanks for lending us your discerning ears -- it means a lot!

 

Have a fantastic weekend and I'll catch you next week,

 

Meg.

 

Playlist for May 26, 2012

 

Theme: MICHIGAN LEFT - Arkells

THE BAD IN EACH OTHER - Feist

INTERVIEW PAK - Cold Specks

BLANK MAPS - Cold Specks

Sting: LIVING UNDERGROUND - Hinterlandband

INTELLIGENT DESIGN - Hinterlandband

TOMORROW MORN - The Wild Suns

Sting: ONTARIO - Will Currie & the Country French

INTERVIEW - Will Currie & the Country French

JOHN DENVER HAIRCUT - Will Currie & the Country French

WEST WIND - Jill Zmud (live)

NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE - Jill Zmud (live)

And the Track to Start Your Saturday Night...

PROMISE LAND - Hooded Fang

 

 

Toronto musician Maylee Todd has got a busy summer coming up... that includes a month-long residency on Toronto Island.

 

Click below to hear my interview with Maylee, which aired on Bandwidth on May 19, 2012.

 

 

 

Ottawa alt-rock band Loon Choir has a great summer coming up. Their sophomore album, Fire Poems, is out on June 2nd, then it's a cross-Ontario tour... that includes opening for Billy Bragg at Ottawa Bluesfest in July.

 

Click below to hear my interview with Derek Atkinson, Kathleen Cauley and Brad Sheffield from Loon Choir (L to R), which aired on Bandwidth on May 19th.

 

... and what better way than to celebrate with a mix for the dock -- or in my case, the patio?

 

And to celebrate that extra glorious day of freedom, Bandwidth brings you the May Long Mixdown -- an awesome, all-Ontario playlist of tunes to get your summer started.

 

We've got an interview with Maylee Todd -- her mix of disco, funk and soul is the perfect addition to any May Long mix. Next month, she'll be doing a month-long residency on Toronto Island, which is a pretty cool way to start the summer. And if you're wondering about that lion dress I mentioned in the interview, you can find it here in Maylee's video for Aerobics in Space.

 

 

Ottawa alt-rock band Loon Choir has a new album, Fire Poems, out June 2nd -- we chatted with Derek, Kathleen and Brad (L to R) for a preview. If you're in the Ottawa area, you can hear a preview of the new album on Sunday, May 20th at the Arrow and the Loon Pub. It all starts at 7 pm, and I heard there will be free corn on the cob... delicious. They've also got their CD release party at the Rainbow Bistro in Ottawa on June 2nd -- for more info, check out their CBC Music page.

 

!!! FREE STUFF ALERT!!!

You can win an AWESOME BANDWIDTH GRAB BAG (a mix of CDs and something crafty by yours truly) just by writing into the show this week by midnight on Wednesday, May 23rd. Tweet or Facebook or email whatever pleases you -- your thoughts on this week's show, a request, even a haiku... and you could have some sweet new music coming yer way.

 

Other things I promised on the show that you can find on the blog:

- Tour dates for The Wind Up Radio Sessions at CBC Music

- Upcoming shows for Amity Beach

 

Have a great rest of your weekend and I'll see you again next week -- if you haven't yet, remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter -- the links are just to the right.

 

Meg.

 

Playlist for May 19th, 2012

 

Theme: MICHIGAN LEFT - Arkells

BACKPORCH - The Wind Up Radio Sessions

INTERVIEW - Loon Choir

ALL BOATS DON'T RISE - Loon Choir

Sting: VICTORIA DAY - Melissa McLelland

MY HEART IS IN A BASKET ON THE FRONT OF YOUR BICYCLE - Fevers

Sting: VICTORIA - The Kinks

MINI PROFILE - Andrew Gill from Amity Beach

JAKE'S VERSION OF PARADISE - Amity Beach

Sting: STEAL MY SUNSHINE - Len

INTERVIEW - Maylee Todd

HIEROGLYPHICS - Maylee Todd

Sting: MAPLE LEAF FOREVER - Michael Bublé

THE WHALE - Will Currie and the Country French

And the Track to Start Your Saturday Night...

FLAT BROKE - Fitness Club Fiasco 

 

In honour of Mothers' Day this weekend, Bandwidth is all about the moms -- moms who are musicians, moms who inspire them, and moms who influence our musical tastes (for better or for worse!)

 

This week on the show, we chat with Ottawa musician/composer/actress/mom extraordinaire Sacha Gabriel (left, with son Shea and daughter Tate) about her many projects -- including her band My Tiny Circus -- and Shea and Tate weigh in on some on them, too. Sacha just finished composing the music for kids' e-book for iPad called Flora's Forest. It comes out at the end of the month -- you can check out the Facebook page here.

 

You'll also hear from Lucas Haneman and Kid Koala about how their moms influenced their musical careers... and hear a story from Emm Gryner about when she gave birth to her son, Ronan (you can find her awesome blog here).

 

We've also got a bouquet of new tracks for you (three can be a bouquet, right?) from Royal Wood, Jarvis Church and Scarlett Jane.

 

This weekend might be special, but next weekend is MAY LONG -- and we'll be getting in the long weekend spirit with a mix of tunes perfect for the dock -- or the patio. Feel free to send me your favourite summer/long weekend tunes at bandwidth@cbc.ca.

 

You'll also see I'm now adding stings in the playlist (that's radio-speak for those quick musical bridges between segments on the show) in case there's a track you want to hear more of -- thanks to listener Angelina for that suggestion!

 

See you next week,

 

Meg.

 

Playlist for May 12th, 2012

 

Theme: MICHIGAN LEFT - Arkells

DO IT BETTER - Jarvis Church

Sting: YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW - Beatles

THE INCIDENT - Emm Gryner

TOP SPEED - Emm Gryner

RIDE ON - Scarlett Jane

Sting: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - ABBA

INTERVIEW - Sacha Gabriel with Tate and Shea

STUPID 2 MAN BAND - Sacha Gabriel w. My Tiny Circus

MINI PROFILE - Lucas Haneman

SMILING FACES - Lucas Haneman w. Angela Galuppo

NOT GIVING UP - Royal Wood

Sting: THE BARTENDER'S JUST LIKE A MOTHER - Slim Gaillard

Sting: STACY'S MOM - Fountains of Wayne

And the Track to Start Your Saturday Night (with a story from Kid Koala)...

MOON RIVER - Kid Koala

 

 

... because who doesn't need a break now and then?

 

We couldn't get you a plane ticket, but we've got the next best thing -- we're bringing you Ontario musicians with their own European connections.

 

 

We've got interviews with Ottawa singer-songwriter Kyrie Kristmanson, who now lives in Paris, as well as a chat with Rhoby Lafrance from Weston Super Mare (band pictured above) -- a Gatineau band that started in London, England. Plus, you'll hear from Matthew de Zoete, who just wrapped up a two month tour in Germany and the Netherlands.

 

If you're in the Ottawa area, Weston Super Mare has its CD release party TOMORROW (Sunday) night at 8 p.m. at Les Brasseurs du Temps in Hull. Opening for the band will be Kris Ward from Right by Midnight and the Brothers Chaffey -- sure to be a good show!

 

And if you're in the Hamilton area, Matthew de Zoete's CD release party for his latest album, Colour Films, is happening at The Pearl Company at 8 p.m. as well.

 

Have a fantastic weekend, and be sure to tune in next week -- we're cooking up something special for the Mothers' Day weekend!

 

Meg.

 

Playlist for May 5, 2012

 

Theme: MICHIGAN LEFT - Arkells

OTHER SIDE OF WRONG - Ken Tizzard and the Bad Intent

INTERVIEW - Kyrie Kristmanson

WICKED WIND - Kyrie Kristmanson

GET BEHIND ME - The Fisher Kings

INTERVIEW - Weston Super Mare

WESTON SUPER MARE - Weston Super Mare

NEW LUGGAGE - BoxFull of Groundhogs

THE FAIR ONES - Shawna Caspi

OTHERWORLDLY ARTISTRY - Matthew Barber

MINI PROFILE - Matthew de Zoete

THE GOOD LIFE - Matthew de Zoete

And the Track to Start Your Saturday Night...

WHITE NOISE - Wendy Versus