Halifax Is Burning :: S01E014

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010.

Tonight on Halifax Is Burning I performed not one, but two countdowns - the Top 5 Local Singles of 2009 and the Top 10 Local Releases of 2009.

These are all basically based on iPod spins. Did I listen to these songs/albums a boat load over the past twelve months? Hell yes. Hence, the lists.

Unfortunately, the servers are still down over at CKDU, so downloading the show from the archive still isn't a possibility until the new year when the techs are back online. So, in lieu of that, I put together a sweet download for you. Get it while it's hot.

Track List
TOP 5 SINGLES of 2009
#5 - Milks & Rectangles - Slander Debunked
#4 - Prospector's Union - Valley Neighbors
#3 - TGTGG - Gettin' Dirty In The Afterlife
#2 - Kestrels - Ridicule
#1 - The First Aid Kit - New York City

TOP 10 RELEASES of 2009
#10 - The Slate Pacific - Safe Passage
#9 - Myles Deck & The Fuzz - Police Cops 7"
#8 - A History Of - Action In The North Atlantic
#7 - Share - Slumping In Your Murals
#6 - The Olympic Symphonium - More In Sorrow Than In Anger
#5 - Mardeen - Single #1
#4 - Bloodsport - Goodbye To The Holy Mountain
#3 - Dog Day - Concentration
#2 - Cousins - Out On Town
#1 - York Redoubt - self titled

Halifax Is Burning :: S01E013 - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!

Well, the Christmas Holidays are upon us, and I'm sitting in my parents' basement in Sluice Point so I wasn't around to do my show this week. Luckily, I found an awesome fill-in, my good friend Jean-Paul Joseph Marc André à Billy à Michel sur Armand!

Not only did he do an awesome version of hosting the first ever Halifax Is Burning Christmas Special, he also debuted a bunch of new holiday tunes by bands like The Superfantastics & The Heavy Blinkers. And on top of all that, he even snuck his own Christmas tune into the mix!

The CKDU archives are still down for now, so I've hosted this show on my own personal server as a Christmas gift to all the dedicated listeners out there in radio/internet land.

And as a bonus gift, I've also included a download link to
Jean-Paul Joseph Marc André à Billy à Michel sur Armand's soon-to-be classic Christmas ditty, "A Whole Mess of Lobsters."

Enjoy!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

December 22, 2009
(right click, "save as," send to Santa!)

Track List
The Superfantastics - Do They Know It's Christmas?
The Heavy Blinkers - Silence Your Drum
Tom Fun Orchestra - Merry Christmas From Me To You
Rich Aucoin - Oh My God!
Death by Nostalgia - Carol of the Bells
Jean-Paul Joseph Marc André à Billy à Michel sur Armand - A Whole Mess of Lobsters
BA Johnston - BA Johnston Sings A Christmas Song
The Superfantastics - Star of Christmas
Mike O'Neil - Skating
Old Folks Home - Frosty The Snowman
Kyle Evans - A Wonderful Christmastime
Hoop Dreams - Under A Christmas Star
The O By Gollies - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Quiet Parade - What Child Is This?
Carmen Townsend - O Come All Ye Faithful
Wintersleep - We Three Kings


CHRISTMAS BONUS DOWNLOAD!

Jean-Paul Joseph Marc André à Billy à Michel sur Armand - A Whole Mess of Lobsters

Heavy Blinkers Christmas Song/Video

One of Halifax's quintessential mainstays, The Heavy Blinkers, have just released a new Christmas song about the little drummer boy, complete with a really cool video.

Download the mp3 HERE.

Watch the awesome video here:


Recently named one of "The Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard' by Spin magazine (July 2009), The Heavy Blinkers' long awaited new record, Health, includes contributions from renowned artists such as Sondre Lerche(Astralwerks) and Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas (Drag City). The album will be released in March, 2010.

Halifax Is Burning :: S01E012

Unfortunately, some servers are down at the ol' station - so I couldn't put up this week's episode for download.

But if you didn't listen to it live on the radio (which, PS, you should have), my friend Leah Hassin joined me in studio to talk about this:

From EXCLAIM.CA

Exclusive: Joel Plaskett Confirms Thrush Hermit Reunion
12/14/2009 By Vish Khanna

After a weekend rampant with speculation, Joel Plaskett has confirmed that his beloved former band, Thrush Hermit, will indeed be reuniting for a short string of dates in 2010.

Among the most respected and emulated artists to emerge during the mid-’90s Halifax pop explosion, bolstered by Sloan's Murderecords, Thrush Hermit featured Plaskett, Rob Benvie, Ian McGettigan and Cliff Gibb. When Gibb departed in 1999, drummer Benn Ross joined the Hermit to tour behind what was arguably their best record, Clayton Park.

Since the band's demise, Plaskett has gone on to a storied solo career, Benvie has dabbled in music, but is mostly immersed in writing as a novelist, and McGettigan has been playing on and producing records by others, most notably those of the Joel Plaskett Emergency.

In an Exclaim! exclusive, Plaskett answered questions about the reunion in an email interview this morning:

So, is there a Thrush Hermit reunion of any kind happening? If so, where and when will this take place?

Joel Plaskett: Yep! In March. Not sure if the dates are totally locked down yet but it's looking like Moncton, two nights in Halifax, Ottawa and two nights in Toronto. Maybe one more somewhere else in Ontario. Wish we could go out west but we gotta keep it brief.

What exactly prompted this particular reunion show/tour? Who initiated it?

JP: Rob may have brought it up first. We'd been batting it around casually for about a year, but we wanted to make sure the timing made sense.

Is this a one-off or is there any possibility that a tour or further collaboration might happen?

JP: As it stands, this is a one-off tour. We're all busy with our own agendas and we wanted to do this, so we are all pressing pause on our other lives to make it happen in March.

How do you feel about getting the band back together to play again?

JP: I'm super-excited to rock out with the boys again... and to play some serious riffs.

Here are all the Thrush Hermit reunion tour dates announced so far:

3/19 Halifax, NS - Paragon Theatre
3/20 Halifax, NS - Paragon Theatre
3/24 Peterborough, ON - The Historic Red Dog
3/25 Ottawa, ON - New Capital Music Hall
3/26 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
3/27 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace

In celebration of this most awesome announcement, Leah and I hosted a Thrush Hermit marathon for the whole hour and played some sweet tracks from classic albums like 1995's Smart Bomb, 1997's Sweet Homewrecker, and 1999's Clayton Park. Shoulda been there.

Christmas Giveaway!

Halifax Is Burning is celebrating the holiday season by giving away two copies of A Company House Christmas, featuring some of Cape Breton's finest musical talent like Carmen Townsend, The Tom Fun Orchestra, Kyle Evans & more.


Track Listing
01. Carmen Townsend - O Come All Ye Faithful
02. Mike Lelievre - Up On The Rooftop
03. Steven MacDougall - Dollar Store Christmas
04. Carmen Townsend - Let It Snow
05. The Tom Fun Orchestra - How I Spent Christmas
06. Mike Lelievre feat. Colin Grant - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
07. Buster & Sunday - Curoo Curoo
08. Carmen Townsend - Silent Night
09. Kyle Evans - A Wonderful Christmas Time
10. Steve Fifield - Bootlegger, Bootlegger
11. Bernie Simons - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
12. The Company House Choir - We Wish You A Merry Christmas

The album is being sold throughout the province, and is donating part of its profits to Christmas Daddies. Preview some of these tracks HERE.

You can win one of these cds TWO different ways:

#1 - Post a Youtube link to YOUR favorite Christmas song of all time on the blog in the comments section to win Copy #1
#2 - Listen to the show this Tuesday, December 15 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm for your chance to win Copy #2

It couldn't be easier!

Happy Holidays!

Congrats to Crafts For Kids!

Five days, eight shows and 40 bands later, crafts for kids was a smashing success raising $4000 to buy craft supplies and other fun stuff for kids at the IWK in Halifax.
Kudos to coordinator/organizer Lindsay Allain, and a big thanks to all the bands who volunteered their time for this event!

[The Fantods at Gus' Pub - Friday, December 11]

Halifax Is Burning :: S01E011

CRAFTS FOR KIDS!
Woo!
Go see these shows, help some kids make some crafts and take their mind of being in the hospital

December 9, 2009
(Right click, save as, include in email to Santa)

Track List
Rich Aucoin - Alive
Jenocide - Fashion Icon
The Fat Stupids - Sixteen
Myles Deck & The Fuzz - Lights Out Electric Co.
Stop Motion Massacre - Downtown's Dead
No Flyers Please - Moe
The Fantods - Left A Light On
The Stolen Minks - Viola Desmond
The First Aid Kit - New York City
The Bad Motels - Just Because I Don't Care
The Got To Get Got - Burn Yaletown Burn
The Numbered Head - Man Action
The Establishment - The Day We Hit The Coast (Thrush Hermit Cover)
The Lodge - World In me
Laura Peek & The Winning Hearts - Stand Right There

Halifax is Burning For The Kids!

[CLICK ON THIS TO MAKE IT BIGGER!]


This week on the show, we'll be talking to Lindsay Allain who is the organizer of EIGHT shows happening in Halifax next week!

The ambitious project is all in an effort to raise money to buy art supplies for kids at the IWK.

What an awesome cause.

Tune in to hear not only a conversation with Lindsay about these great shows, but also tons of music by many of the bands listed on that poster above.

Tuesday 6:30pm - 7:30pm on CKDU 88.1 in Halifax.
Streaming live (and archived!) at www.ckdu.ca

Halifax Is Burning :: S01E010 (woo 10!)

Old man winter's here. What a bast.

December 1, 2009
(Right click, save as, listen to it with a cup of cocoa)

Track List
Brian Borcherdt - Torches
Postdata - Tobias Grey
kary - Better
Yellow Jacket Avenger - Hiding Out
Gamma Gamma Rays - Science
Alright Already - Do The Suburban
Myles Deck & The Fuzz - Lights Out, Electric Co.
Cuban Assassins - Dead Dead Dead
Mother Mother - O My Heart
La Strada - Orphan
Husband & Knife - Career Suicide
Cousins - Anxious
Rich Aucoin - Alive
Matthew Good - Last Parade