From: owner-canadian-music-digest@smoe.org (canadian-music-digest) To: canadian-music-digest@smoe.org Subject: canadian-music-digest V2 #46 Reply-To: canadian-music@smoe.org Sender: owner-canadian-music-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-canadian-music-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk canadian-music-digest Wednesday, March 10 1999 Volume 02 : Number 046 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Say it ain't so! [Paul Schreiber ] Re: OAC: Junos [Steve I ] Re: OAC: Junos - Kim Hughes [Steve I ] Re: Say it ain't so! [Steve I ] Re: That Rufus! [Steve I ] Re: That Rufus! [James McGarry ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 00:32:06 -0500 From: Paul Schreiber Subject: Re: Say it ain't so! Steve wrote: >I assume that I'm the nag Paul refers to, so it may sound wierd that I >would speak up for Melanie here. I know one of the times Paul saw Melanie >was at a bookstore appearance (and that was the only time Jess saw her), >and believe me when I say that it really wasn't representative of just how >powerful her shows can be. I'm not saying that Melanie is bad, or that I don't like her at all. What I _am_ saying, however, is that Emm is a far better musician and performer. I've tried to get into her stuff, it just doesn't happen. When I walked out of Lilith smiling like a giddy nut, it was because of Sarah McLachlan, not because of Melanie Doane. (Seeing Kevin Fox there was a nice surprise.) I often find myself with a big grin on my face after leaving Emm's shows. She *rocks* live. Paul shad 96c / 3A CS / mac activist / eda / fumbler fan of / jewel / sophie b. / sarah slean / steve poltz / emm gryner / / x-files / buffy / dawson's creek / habs / bills / 49ers / t h i n k d i f f e r e n t. "Mulder, not everything is a labyrinth of dark conspiracy, and not everybody is plotting to deceive, inveigle, and obfuscate. ... Where are you going?" -- Dana Scully, "The X-Files" "To find someone who I know plotted to deceive, inveigle, and obfuscate." -- Fox Mulder, "The X-Files" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 09:12:18 -0500 (EST) From: James McGarry Subject: Re: OAC: Junos On Mon, 8 Mar 1999, Tabassum Siddiqui wrote: > though (for those of you who don't know who she is, Kim is a great music > journalist here in Toronto that's always championed BNL and lots of > other Canadian artists. But recently she was axed from hosting an > interview show on local rock station Edge 102. Well, they can eat her > dust, baby!). Yeah, what's up with that? I've had more than a few people ask me... ...she's still writing for NOW though... > Wilkinsons (are they a great-looking family, or what?) and the Johnny > Favorite Orchestra (all 100 of those guys looked sharp ). The Sloan Did they have their plastic musicstand covers? They lifted that idea from a Colin James... ...I'd seen Johnny Favourite a few times before, then this gig with Colin's Little Big Band replete with wonderful faux '40's plastic bandstand covers, then *bing* the very next week Mr. Favourite's band is loaded with said plastic bandstand covers. > voice that was announcing the nominees before. Scanning the credits, I > realized it was Erica Ehm! Remember her from MuchMusic? How the > once-mighty have fallen... ;-) Oh how I miss Erica (who hosts shows on the Women's Network and the Life Channel) in the utter vapidity that followed her departure... I miss Monica Deol too... *sigh*... Rachel Perry blah! I'd guess among the current "on-air personalities" that only Rebecca Rankin *sigh* *slight drooling noise* has working brain cells. James. P.S. Byron Wong is just crazy! ;-) ========================================================================== James McGarry | jmcgarry@UoGuelph.CA - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Some men are so selfish that they read a book or go to a concert for their own sinister pleasure, instead of doing it to improve social conditions , as the good citizen does when drinking cocktails or playing bridge." - Jacques Barzun French-born U.S. Educator ========================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Mar 1999 11:48:03 -0500 From: Steve I Subject: Re: OAC: Junos James wrote: >> Wilkinsons (are they a great-looking family, or what?) and the Johnny >> Favorite Orchestra (all 100 of those guys looked sharp ). The Sloan > >Did they have their plastic musicstand covers? They lifted that idea from >a Colin James... ...I'd seen Johnny Favourite a few times before, then >this gig with Colin's Little Big Band replete with wonderful faux '40's >plastic bandstand covers, then *bing* the very next week Mr. Favourite's >band is loaded with said plastic bandstand covers. Maybe Big Bands'R'us were having a sale? Steve ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Mar 1999 11:48:03 -0500 From: Steve I Subject: Re: OAC: Junos - Kim Hughes Tab wrote: >Steve wrote: > >>Tab, I enjoy reading your updates, but I can't say I agree with your No I didn't write that (although I enjoy reading Tab's updates too)! :-) Didn't realize there were two Steves on here. Guess we're going to have to use nicknames. Can I be "Schmoo"? The other Steve wrote, and Tab responded: >>I also remember she interviewed superGARAGE and just made up >questions >without knowing anything about the band, like if they >looked forward >to touring across Canada for the first time, when in >fact they had >already done it. > >That could alway sbe from erroneous/dated facts in the group's >bio/presskit. I've accidently asked an artist or two a foolish question >myself because of something written in the (usually lael-written) bio. Speaking from experience, bands' bios are quite often extremely out-of-date. Just to give an example, one could say that getting signed to a major label would qualify as a fairly important event in the career of an artist, certainly worthy of inclusion in a bio, right? But both Emm Gryner and Sarah Slean's bios made no mention of that fact for several months after they'd been signed. They are far from unique in this regard, I recall reading tons of band bios while working at NXNE and I was surprised at how many were obviously written at least a year earlier. Then of course if the interviewer goes by the bio information, he/she can be made to look really bad, when the misinformation actually came from the band itself. It certainly happens. In an ideal world the interviewer would have time to check the info provided with the band with info culled from other sources but in reality, if you're interviewing 2 or 3 bands per day you just may not have time for it. >;-) And the new format of "Live in Toronto" is particularly sad, with >much reduced time for interviews and that big chunk of the same old >music off the top. The interviews and in-studio performances were what made the show worthwhile. Sad to see time for those things cut back. Steve ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Mar 1999 12:52:42 -0500 From: Steve I Subject: Re: Say it ain't so! Paul wrote, re: Melanie Doane: >I'm not saying that Melanie is bad, or that I don't like her at all. What >I _am_ saying, however, is that Emm is a far better musician and >performer. I've tried to get into her stuff, it just doesn't happen. When >I walked out of Lilith smiling like a giddy nut, it was because of Sarah >McLachlan, not because of Melanie Doane. (Seeing Kevin Fox there was a >nice surprise.) Ah, Lilith Fair. That's probably not a very good indicator of how good Melanie can be either. She probably only did a 30 or 40 minute set and those were her first shows after not performing for -two years-, *and* they were in front of giant Lilith audiences. Not the most favourable of conditions. Emm was a bit rusty too at her first show back at Holy Joe's after recording in England, and she'd only been off from performing for 5 or 6 months. And it was in front of an intimate crowd filled with friends and longtime supporters, not a group of total strangers. And of course she had time to do a proper set. There have to be some allowances made for things like that. I'm a pretty jaded music fan, I've probably *forgotten* more shows than most people see in a lifetime (of course, that probably reflects more the sad state of my memory than the number of shows I've been to). But Melanie put on some absolutely magical shows that stunned even me. She's an amazing performer. All this Emm vs. Melanie talk reminds me of yet another reason why I hate the Junos and awards shows in general. It pits artists against each other as if you could really say one is better than the other, when really it's a very subjective judgment, and what can be more subjective than appreciation for music? Best New Artist? *PLEASE*. Why not call it "Commercially Successful Artist Who We've Just Discovered This Year Who Has the Most Widespread/Mainstream Appeal Among Junos Voters"? As James said, the Junos will never have any impact on my music listening. In fact I will never pay much attention to the Junos at all, except to talk about how ridiculous they are. We all have our internal version of the Junos, and these are far more valid, far more real, than the Junos could ever be. Melanie probably would have won the Steve-O for the Best New Artist about three years ago. Two years ago it would be a toss-up between Emm and Sarah Slean. Last year, probably Rufus. If I get to speak with him tonight I'll present him with the Steve-O with lots of fanfare and publicity and streamers and confetti and all that. :-) Steve ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Mar 1999 12:57:59 -0500 From: Steve I Subject: Re: That Rufus! [Tab transcribed tons of Rufus quotes] So Rufus was interviewed by both Eye and NOW huh? He is really taking the world by storm... I believe every one of his shows here since his C'est What days has been sold out. Wish I'd been at those C'est What shows! He was scheduled for an NXNE appearance last year at Sloppy Joe's (I think) but for some reason he was cancelled. It would have been really cool to see him in such an intimate little room. >[P.S. Those of you going to see Rufus at the magical Trinity Centre >tomorrow, have fun and let the rest of us too-damn-busy saps know how it >was.] Rufus is going to be great. Imogen is too. Tonight's gonna be *AMAZING*. Steve ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 13:34:41 -0500 (EST) From: James McGarry Subject: Re: That Rufus! On Tue, 9 Mar 1999, Steve I wrote: > but for some reason he was cancelled. It would have been really cool to > see him in such an intimate little room. I've seen him in a very intimate setting, the Black Mustard, very, very packed and very tiny, probably the worst place to have a big show. There were lines and people outside, The performing area is about the size of a small bathroom and the audience area is set up for dining and is really only the size of a large, elongated livingroom. This in a big folk town which _had_ to see Rufus, due to his, um, relations. Still it was a wonderful, charming show, even if Emm was locked out for a while and I couldn't figure out the lock... *sigh* ...Rufus was as large as life, so very casual and completely goofy. :-) I'm looking forward to tonight too... ...it should be loads of fun. I'm wondering about bringing my camera... James. ========================================================================== James McGarry | jmcgarry@UoGuelph.CA - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- An artist should be fit for the best society and keep out of it. - - John Ruskin ========================================================================== ------------------------------ End of canadian-music-digest V2 #46 ***********************************