It's December, and that means you'll likely need to assemble a Christmas party playlist for a holiday party or two. A great deal of Christmas music is awful, but there are a few dozen or so I can stomach. Here are my personal favourite Christmas songs if you need a
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Joni Mitchell is my all-time favourite Canadian female singer. When I meticulously assembled a list of the 100 best Canadian songs of all-time back in 2007, she appeared on the list four times. Today, she celebrates her 70th birthday. Happy 70th birthday, Joni!
When listing "rain" songs on Saturday, I included a gem by Melanie. "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is a great tune, but it's not my favourite Melanie tune. I'm partial to "Brand New Key". You don't hear much about Melanie these days, likely because she seemed to withdraw from
It's been raining cats and dogs all morning in Toronto and it doesn't look like it's going to let up for hours yet. That was the perfect excuse for me to assemble a brilliant 25 song "rain" playlist. Every song had to have "rain" in the title. I didn't include
After taking my daughter to see Selena Gomez last week, I started thinking about bands I've seen live. Here's a list of bands I've seen live. It's possible I'm missing an act or two, but I think I've got most of them. 3 Days Grace3 Doors Down30 Seconds to Mars54-40A
Last night, I took my daughter to her first concert. We saw Selena Gomez at the Air Canada Centre. It was a beautiful Saturday in Toronto, so we went to Buskerfest on Yonge first before grabbing dinner and heading to the show for the opening act. The first performer was
When my power returned yesterday evening, I blurted out "I've got the power!". I was channeling Snap! who had a hit with the song in 1990. The Power made me think of similar pop-rap hits in the early 90s. Naturally, I remembered that time two songs shared the same chorus.
I got married on Saturday. It was an awesome day, and now that it's come and gone, I can share the music we chose. ProcessionalJust Breathe - Pearl Jam SigningSea of Love - Cat Power RecessionalI Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles Bridal Party EntranceBlister in the Sun
I'm getting married in a few weeks, so we're now finalizing the music for the big event. There's been some fun debate with regards to what song will play before the ceremony and after the ceremony and while we sign the marriage certificate and all of that, but picking the
I'm still south of 40, so I don't remember Anne Murray's heyday with "Snowbird" and her other early and mid-70s hits. I missed the Anne Murray era, but I have very strong memories of her. In 1977, Anne Murray released There's a Hippo in My Tub, and my parents bought
Hey Mike;I'm teaching a music course in the TDSB; as a career musician, enjoying it immensely (no sound checks).The other day, a bright kid comes with this question: "Mr. Corby, what was the first rock song?"He was , of course not referring to rock...AND ROLL!!!! but to
Annette Funicello passed away yesterday. Disney had the young actress signed to a record contract when she recorded "It's Really Love". "It's Really Love" was simply a reworking of a Paul Anka song called "Toot Sweet". Paul Anka reworked the song a third time and came up with "Johnny's Theme"
Today is the perfect day to share my favourite song from the first band I saw live in concert, Chalk Circle. April Fool
Perusing Twitter, I caught this tweet from my buddy Marc. The top 10 one-hit wonder bands from Toronto blogto.com/music/2013/03/… via @blogtoat least 7 of these aren't one-hit wonders, maybe 8 or 9?— marc weisblott (@scroll) March 5, 2013I had to click over to the blogto.com
I'm sharing Drake's new video because it includes a lot of Toronto. Feel free to debate which bottom Drake is referring to. Yes, at some point during Aubrey Graham's childhood his mom moved him into a duplex in Forest Hill and he played Jimmy "the wheelchair guy" on Degrassi, but
Back in 2007 I decided to check out an HBO show entitled John From Cincinnati. It wasn't bad, and I ended up watching all ten episodes, but looking back I think it was the theme song that kept drawing me back. I just adored their use of "Johnny Appleseed" by
A list of the top 50 Toronto albums is making the rounds, so I thought I'd chime in with my six favourite Toronto albums. With apologies to the Rheostatics, Rush and Blue Rodeo, these are my top six. Hayden - Everything I Long For Favourite Tracks: "Bad As They Seem"
I just got home after seeing Lowest of the Low perform at the Horseshoe Tavern. The Horseshoe is turning 65 years and Lowest of the Low rocked the house as part of the celebration. We got just about all the amazing tunes from Shakespeare My Butt and more during two
I was tipped off to this list by Alan Cross. It's from NME.com and it's 25 Things You Didn't Know About Fairytale of New York. 1Despite the wintery subject matter, the song was actually recorded in July, in sweltering heat. 2The song started life as a bet. Pogues producer
I'm listening to a Monkey playlist consisting of these ten Monkey songs in honour of Toronto's Ikea monkey. Brass Monkey - Beastie BoysMonkey Gone to Heaven - PixiesShock the Monkey - Peter GabrielMonkey Wrench - Foo FightersEverybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - The BeatlesHalf Ass
A lot of music you hear at this time of year is pretty awful. I'm referring to the schmaltzy pop holiday standards you'll hear on CHFI or at your local mall. But not all Christmas music is bad, so throughout this month I'll be sharing MP3s of my favourite Christmas
