Holiday tunes

I'm not against holiday music, but I always feel like the holiday music hits radio stations too early. Nonetheless, I have a few favourites that I will share with you today. The Simple Plan song should probably be considered a teeny bit embarrassing, but since I don't believe there's such a thing as a "guilty" pleasure, I regret nothing!

Who doesn't want a lifetime supply of Skittles and Slurpees and Eskimo Pies?



Weird Al is always extra special! Not appropriate for small children. LOL



You know it's Christmastime when "Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" takes up residence on the TV.



But my absolute favourite has to be from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". I always wanted a Charlie-in-the-Box. And what's wrong with a cowboy that rides an ostrich?



What are your favourite holiday songs?

The awesomeness of YouTube

The other day, when I should have been doing homework, but found myself unable to concentrate and looking for a distraction, I took a trip to YouTube, that wonderful home for music videos of yesteryear. It started as a search for my favourite 80s videos, and then veered into more Golden Oldies territory (yes, I listen to those, too).

Here's a sampling of what I found. :D

I wish I'd been here:



Look at that hair!



Probably the best part of YouTube is it's ability to preserve history:



Now go forth, and watch some vintage clips on YouTube!

The Winnipeg Music Scene Part 2

More local bands for you to show some love to.

The Watchmen: This band wrote my theme song. End of story. LOL.



Pushing Daisies: The first time I saw this band play was acoustically in front of the olde Shopper's Drug Mart in Garden City Mall (they roll their eyes every time I mention it lol). I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen them since then. I'll go with lots.

The Waking Eyes: I'm a relatively new Waking Eyes fan. I didn't particularly like "Video Sound", but I absolutely LOVE "Holding on to Whatever It Is". And they put on a wicked live show to boot. Check them out at the Pyramid on December 29!

The Details: Another band that I haven't been listening to for long, The Details' "Draw a Distance, Draw a Border" is one of my favourite local CDs, for sure. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have a bad habit of checking out a band live, even when I don't really know anything about them, and The Details were one of those. 'Twas a great discovery!

Steeple Chaser: It's been so long and my memory has gotten so sketchy that I can't remember if Steeple Chaser or Pushing Daisies came first as far as the local band I started to follow goes, but they're pretty close. I remember hearing "Radio Who" on Power 97's "River City Rawks" show one night while driving home from bowling with my family, and I've been a fan ever since.

Mandatory Twitter post

I confess I'm not a fan of Twitter. I signed up out of curiosity, but I don't use it much except to promote upcoming concerts.

We spent our PR class this afternoon learning more about Twitter and its various usefulnesses (word? It is now!). I understand how it can be useful, but to me it seems like more time spent in front of my computer, and not outside with the sunshine. I keep up with many celebrities and music news sites, but I don't tweet much. Do you really need to know that iTunes crashed my computer again? No, you don't.

Some people that I follow:

@IndieCanRadio - independent Canadian music podcast
@ExploreMusic - self-explanatory, really
@chartattack - since it's no longer a printed magazine, I read up on my fave Canadian artists ici, even though they still owe me money
@manitobamusic - the home of music made in Manitoba



PS - If you know WHY iTunes keeps crashing my computer, please advise.

STP and a suggestion

Stone Temple Pilots invaded the MTS Centre last night. I confess that they are not a band that I would have called myself a fan of prior to the concert; I went to the show out of curiosity. It was very good! So good, in fact, that my wallet feels the impending strain of my intention to buy their discography. This is where pawn shops come in. That’s right, I said PAWN SHOPS not iTUNES. I need CDs, man. Digital files on my hard drive don’t cut it. My sweet speakers are attached to my sweet stereo, NOT my PC.

The “suggestion” part of this blog title is intended for all opening acts and it goes like this:

Dear Opening Acts,

It is imperative that you TELL US YOUR NAME before you ask us to buy your record at the merch table.

Sincerely,

Those that would buy your record at the merch table.

The Winnipeg music scene

It's no secret that I love local music.

Here are just a few of the bands that I will drop everything to go see (and about whom my mom has frequently said "Didn't you just see them?") :

TELE: This band's live show will floor you. If it doesn't, then your ears might be broken. The first time I saw them play was when I walked in halfway through their JunoFest set at the Pyramid waaaay back in 2005. Even squashed at the back of the room where I couldn't see anything, I was awed. I only heard two and a half songs, but it was enough for me to file away a note-to-self to check these guys out again ASAP. Matt Worobec is one of the best singers I've ever heard. TELE is currently hard at work on their next album, so there aren't any upcoming shows, but I'm sure they will be making special appearances at Quinzmas or the JP Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday show.

Quinzy: Another fantastic live band, Quinzy writes catchy tunes that will make you dance or cry, and sometimes both. They just released their third EP, "Self-Defense", November 7. The gig was a "show-cial"; four acts opened with maybe ten minutes between them for tear-down and set-up (the "show" part) and there was a silent auction (the "social" part). Catch them next at the aforementioned Quinzmas, December 11 & 12 at the West End Cultural Centre.

JP Hoe: Always a good time, JP knows how to entertain a crowd. Whether it's bringing in Fred Penner to read the audience The True Story of Harry & the Hendersons, or throwing them a prom, it's impossible not to have fun. This year's JP Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday show is going to be awesome.

Sons of York: These guys released their CD "Black and White Summer" November 13 to a crowd ready to dance and clap along with every song. SoY write catchy '60s-inspired ditties that are impossible not to enjoy.

Enjoy Your Pumas: I've only been able to catch these guys once, but they were very, very good. They just re-released their EP on Halloween. I'm sure they'll be announcing more shows soon.

Ray LaMontagne

I could listen to this man sing forever. He's one of those singers that were born for it, you know? "Jolene" is the first song of his that I ever heard, and it is still my favourite. This live version is perfect. Listen, enjoy, cry a little bit, and then go purchase the CD from your retailer of choice.