Past Episodes: November 2011 Archives

He travels from coast to coast to coast both literally and via the radio.  In concert halls or living rooms, he unites people of every political stripe, supporters and detracters of the CBC, province to province, old and young.  In an age where media likes to talk about what separates us, one wonders that if we can agree on Stuart McLean and The Vinyl Café, are we really that divided?  In a wide-ranging interview, Stuart McLean and Russell Bowers gathered at the Inner Sleeve used record shop in Calgary to chat about entrepreneurship, the Rolling Stones, late night radio, writing and, of course, the latest Vinyl Café Christmas Concert to come to Alberta. 

This is an extended version of their radio interview.  For an opportunity to win tickets to see Stuart in Edmonton on December 4, listen live after the 8:30 news on Sunday.

Kelly Hrudey from Hockey Night in Canada and HNIC Radio on Sirius stopped by the Daybreak studio to chat about a variety of subjects with Russell Bowers.  They discussed the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames and the direction of the teams through the first quarter of this NHL season.  Kelly and Russell also touched on plans for Christmas, but started by exploring Kelly's Ukrainian roots.

The Christmas Carol Project has been a musical tradition in Edmonton since 1996 and features some of Alberta's finest singers and players. Originating with musician John Armstrong, the idea was to take the classic Dickens tale of Scrooge's journey to find meaning in Christmas and turning the words into a piece of musical theatre. Maria Dunn and Terry Morrison have been with the production since the very beginning and they came by the Daybreak studio to play tracks and preview shows at Calgary's Pumphouse Theatre on December 8-10 and at Edmonton's TransAlta Arts Barn on December 28-29.

Maura Shaftoe is an Alberta singer and songwriter with two previous releases to her credit.  She comes to the music business later in her life but with an intent to make music her way. her third CD is a seasonal offering of Christmas carols recorded with her long-time collaborator, Micheal Lent. Tidings of Comfort and Joy is available through Maura's website, and you can also register to attend a special house concert she's holding on December 8.  She visited with Russell Bowers to preview her collection.

SocioSocialYYC is a new style of conference.  It's not about lecturers at lecturns. The group says it wants to bring people together in a "relaxed, sociable environment to exchange ideas." Taking place from 8am-4pm at the Engineered Air Theatre in Calgary, attendees will go over topics in publishing, technology and social media. Presenters will be vying for a place at a  future IdeaCity or TEDTalks.  Registration for attendees can be found here. Manoj Khanna of Rapid Books spoke with Russell about the event and his own experience as a new publisher.

Singer and songwriter Selina Boland has had to do some adjusting during 2011.  The musician moved across Canada to Alberta from her native Newfoundland.  Now, she's making her way through the music scene and finds that she's adjusting her sound as she progresses.  Ahead of her show at the Friend's Church in Calgary on December 4, she spoke with Russell.

 

As the poltical climate in Canada has shifted West, many of the places and people of this region are in the national spotlight. The perceptions of cities like Calgary are changing in the consciousness of the country. But for residents of Calgary, are they taking a moment to recognize the changes that happen outside their door or down forgotten neighbourhoods and alleyways? Author Aritha van Herk and photographer George Webber have collarborated on a new book of words and pictures about the city.  Aritha is the writer of Mavericks: An Inccorigible History of Alberta. George has done photography books on subjects like the Hutterites and First nations. They both spoke with Russell about their newest work, In This Place: Calgary 2004-2011.

Alberta Theatre Projects are producing The Wizard of OZ as their family Christmas show for 2011.  The story of OZ has become one of the most enduring tales from the 20th century, especially once the visual spectacle of the 1939 film became entrenched in our collective consciousness.

 

Two of the actors in this new production took time out from their rehearsals to sit down with Russell Bowers to discuss the challenge of playing roles the audience knows so well, plus what it means to their respective careers.

First up, a preview of one of the songs from the show, If I Only Had a Brain, performed by Bruce Horak, who portrays The Scarecrow. Bruce has had a distinguished career as a performer and writer, plus adding painting and composing music to his pursuits. He even has his own iPhone app!

And then a conversation with Ksenia Thurgood who has the challenge of playing the iconic, Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ.  She's had previous roles in The Cat in the Hat, The Drowsy Chaperone and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.    

He's a Canadian songwriting legend and his voice is woven into the soundtrack of Canada.  For more than 40 years, Murray McLauchlan has recorded music as a solo artist and since 2004, he's been collaborating with the quartet, Lunch at Allens.  With his musical friends, Marc Jordan, Ian Thomas and Cindy Church, Murray has toured all over Canada and that will include a show on December 3 at the Deefoot Casino in Calgary to help the Bow Valley Music Club mark their 20th Anniversary bringing music to Alberta.  Murray McLauchlan took some time with Russell Bowers to reflect on his memories of the club and on making new music with his son on his latest CD, Human Writes.

Author and musician Dave Bidini, explores the life of Gordon Lightfoot through a series of letters written to the Canadian icon. Writing Gordon Lightfoot: The Man, the Music, and the World in 1972 is set in the halcyon days of Canadian folk music as Bidini writes letters to Lightfoot asking about his life and career.  Another of Dave's books, On a Cold Road has just come back in to the literary spotlight as it is contention for CBC's Canada Reads 2011.  Dave Bidini sat down with Russell Bowers to talk about both books and his own music career stretching back to his acclaimed band The Rheostatics and songs like The Ballad of Wendel Clark.

The goal -- to write a book in a month. Is it doable? Ambitious? Or just plain crazy?  For two Daybreak guests it's a challenge they're up to. They are taking part in NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month. The goal, to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Marty Chan is a published author from Edmonton and Chantal Spindler is a pharmacist by day, an aspiring author by night. They spoke with Russell about their projects at the beginiing of November, and even challenged Russell to take part in writing a novel himself.

Holger Peterson has been the host of Saturday Night Blues for 25 years playing the best in blues and roots music. In his Order of Canada award winning career, he's racked up over 2000 interviews with some of the greatest names in Blues. He's also the head of his own record label, the Alberta-based, Stony Plain Records. Holger Peterson has a new book of interviews called Talking Music. He talked about the book with Russell at The Blues Can music club in Calgary.

Alexis Kienlen is a busy woman who makes her living entirely from writing in part with her day job as the Agriculture Reporter for Alberta Farmer magazine.  However, the rest of her is spent writing writing poetry. Alexis has just released her second book of poems called 13, published by Frontenac House. Alexis Kienlen joined Russell Bowers in the Daybreak studio with a reading from 13, love for the freaks.

It's been compared to the Stanley Cup for sports journalists. It's the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award and it meant that Edmonton Sun columnist, Terry Jones, was formally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He spoke with Russell Bowers on the line from his home in Edmonton.