I used to buy 45 singles. I had a record player, purchased at Consumers Distributing, and I'd walk over to Sam the Record Man at Jane and Bloor to buy the Top 40 hits of the day. I had caught the video for Bruce Willis's Respect Yourself and loved it
Before we all gained access to the internet, I was exposed to new music on one of four ways: I heard a song on the radioI saw a video on television (Toronto Rocks, Video Hits, MuchMusic, etc.)A friend would tell me I was missing outI'd read about a band/
Yesterday's Pandemic Friday episode of Toronto Mike'd with Stu Stone and Cam Gordon featured our favourite Yacht Rock jams. That was for Stu, who loves the genre. Now, it's my turn. Next week, we're kicking out our favourite grunge jams. That's right, put on your flannel shirt and a pair
The 21st Pandemic Friday episode of Toronto Mike'd with Stu Stone and Cam Gordon only just dropped, but there's already a buzz in the air about next week's episode. 22 weeks in the making, it's the Yacht Rock ep. If you've been following along with the musical mania, you know
I've spent a lot of time lately reading about Woodstock, listening to recordings from Woodstock, and watching both the 1970 documentary film recorded at Woodstock and the recent PBS documentary about Woodstock currently streaming on Netflix. Woodstock was 50 years ago today. As a Canadian, I'm naturally curious about Canadian
Drake's In My Feelings has reached number one. That means there have now been 51 songs by Canadians to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Here's the complete list of 51 songs performed by a Canadian citizen to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's Love-Love-Love by Guy LombardoCry
I've been digging USS for over a decade, so when lead singer and song writer Ashley Buchholz agreed to come on Toronto MIke'd in the early days, it was an absolute thrill. Here's episode 95 with Ash from USS. Tonight, I was invited to a private birthday party for the
I've been a Smashing Pumpkins fan since I first caught Cherub Rock on the radio in '93. I jumped on the subway and headed downtown to pick up Siamese Dream and just loved what I heard. What a great album. I played the mess out of Mellon Collie and the
Drake's Nice For What is a great jam, and it's currently enjoying its second week at number one. That means there have been 50 songs by Canadians to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and this entry is a week late. Here's the complete list of 50 songs performed
Kanye West makes it very difficult to defend him, so I've always stuck to the music. Kanye's persona is brash, nutty, and typically ill-informed. Often he's trolling, but sometimes it's difficult to tell. He dropped this song last night, which is a rather brilliant troll job if you ask me.
When Avicii passed away on Friday, I did what I often do when a musician dies. I dove into his catalogue of work. He's got a song called "LE7ELS" that I quite like. It came out in late 2011. Here's that jam. At the time, my oldest daughter was really
With a hat tip to @1236 it seems Drake has another number one hit on his hands with God's Plan. God's Plan had a record on-demand streaming total in its first week, propelling the single to the #1 spot. Here's the complete list of 49 songs performed by a Canadian
Last week, I had one of those surreal moments that you can't believe is actually happening. Legendary sports broadcaster Dave Hodge visited my home and spent a couple of hours with me in my basement while he shared his 100 favourite songs of all-time. Yes, this actually happened, and I
If you've ever listened to a Kick Out the Jams! episode of my podcast, you've heard me talk about the potent power of nostalgia. I've often said the music you loved as a teenager will stick with you the rest of your life. I was 20 when I first heard
Guns N' Roses played for well over three hours last night and gave us everything that even smelled like a hit. Check out this setlist. It's So EasyMr. BrownstoneChinese DemocracyWelcome to the JungleDouble Talkin' JiveBetterEstrangedLive and Let DieRocket QueenYou Could Be MineNew RoseThis I LoveCivil WarYesterdaysProstituteComaSpeak Softly Love (Love Theme
With apologies to Rush, here are a few of my all-time favourite instrumental songs. Add yours to the comments! Bonus points if you embed a YouTube video of the song. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Pretty Little Ditty The Allman Brothers Band - Jessica Dick Dale and the Deltones -
When I learned Dream Warriors, Michie Mee and Maestro Fresh-Wes were performing at Nathan Phillips Square tonight, I knew I had to be there. They called it Roots of the 6ix and it all started at the kid-friendly time of 6:30pm. I absolutely loved And Now the Legacy Begins,
I'm old enough to remember when a Canadian topping the Billboard Hot 100 was a rare occurrence. Now, with Drake and The Weeknd and Justin Bieber, it happens fairly often. And it's happening right now. Here's the complete list of 48 Canadian songs to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Bob Marley released Redemption Song in late 1980, mere months before his death. It's a powerful song that always struck a chord with me. "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery" is Marley making Marcus Garvey's words immortal. I love the song, but my go-to version isn't Marley, it's Joe Strummer. Joe
A couple of years ago, former MuchMusic VJ and current CP24 Breakfast host Steve Anthony dropped by to chat about his career on the radio and on television. He was engaging, entertaining and energetic. And, as it turns out, he wasn't full of shit. Early in that episode 123, Steve
If you caught episode 167 of my podcast, you heard Retrontario talking about the Laurie Bower Singers. We played "Season of the Yonge" by the Laurie Bower Singers, a song about our very own Yonge Street. "Season of the Yonge" is so obscure, I couldn't find it on YouTube, but
Drake finally has his first Billboard Hot 100 number one as a lead artist. One Dance by Drake and featuring WizKid and Kyla currently tops the chart. Here's the complete list of 45 Canadian songs to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's Love-Love-Love by Guy LombardoCry by Johnnie Ray
Justin Bieber's latest album is a hits machine. He just scored his third number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the first three of his career, all from Purpose. Here's the complete list of 43 Canadian songs to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's Love-Love-Love by Guy LombardoCry
Yet another Canadian song has topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Justin Bieber's Sorry is the current #1 single. What was once a pretty rare event now feels commonplace. Here's the complete list of 42 Canadian songs to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's Love-Love-Love by Guy LombardoCry by