When I first heard Ontario singer-songwriter Royal Wood live on CBC Radio some months ago, I was captivated. He was playing this song, “I’m So Glad” and I was convinced if that performance couldn’t soothe the savage beast, nothing could.
David would’ve loved this song.
Royal Wood is playing tomorrow tonight in my own neighbourhood and I’m [...]

Let it go, Luba, let go of the gratuitous use of the blue screen.
I don’t remember this video being quite so… BIZARRE. I watch it now and I have no idea what some of the people are actually doing. Was it choreographed, or did the director say: “Pretend you’re demented! A deliriously happy sort of [...]

I was listening to CBC’s Simply Seán (wryly funny, if you like that sort of humour) on the way to Hamilton Airport, and suddenly the distinctly 80’s sounds of synthesizers and guitars wailed over the speakers like a siren call from the distant past…
Bloody hell! It was Platinum Blonde’s “Crying Over You” (Alien Shores, 1985). [...]

I first heard Toronto’s Zaki Ibrahim perform this song on Q’s Canada Day broadcast yesterday from Canada House with Jian Ghomeshi in Trafalgar Square, London. I loved her voice and had to look her up!
Born in Vancouver to a South African father and Scottish/English/Welsh mother (very much a Canadian story right there), Zaki has a [...]

I like the Welsh singer Duffy’s retro sound and the dancing in this video. (She’s also got a killer set of dimples.)
Long live Motown!
–as seen in my Rolling Stone’s New Music podcast.

“With or Without You” from “U2 Medley” by Doyle Dykes. Sungha Jung is 10 years old at this recording, believe it or not. You might be thinking “hey, anyone can learn one song really well”, but do a YouTube search and you’ll see many other uploaded songs played by Sungha, including this one — Eric [...]

Have you seen the new video by Bjork?
http://media.ghostrobot.net/7020_wanderlust.html
It’s very… Bjork, if you know what I mean.

I love making CD mixes, but I haven’t done it for ages. (Right, Helma?)
I’m playing the one I made for Garry’s birthday, and I thought I would publish the playlist. I have to give credit to Johnathan Thompson (David’s fellow art program classmate from college) for about half of the songs, because he’s been [...]

I was sad to read the news this morning that legendary Canadian musician Jeff Healey passed away last night in a hospital here in Toronto at the age of 41, from the same cancer that took away his eyesight as a baby. It didn’t stop him from building a music career, getting married and having [...]

As seen during my commute yesterday morning, via the Best of YouTube podcast on my iPod Touch. Wow. Talk about blowing away the competition; that’s a hard act to follow!