Season Finale

Sunday at Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival – S11E34

ODBF 2016 Sunday Main-1

It was quite a weekend to be at the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. I wasn’t planning to go to Sunday’s event but decided to go because one of my lion dance member was participating in the race and also support Loon Choir play live.

Despite being another scorcher, there were some winds helping cool things slightly. It was fun to hop on the raft to check out the races as mentioned that my lion dance member taking part in it. The schedule for the races were delayed and I was able to catch it while on the raft. It’s just the thrill to seeing the races on the waters. Photos are posted below.

The concert series ended with Loon Choir, Young Empires (from Toronto) and Ottawa’s own A Tribe Called Red. Winds were blowing during Loon Choir’s performance while the loud tone from Young Empires rocked through. Lastly, A Tribe Called Red brought loud, strong beats and getting to crowd to dance it out with excitement. Don’t forget to check out the photos below.

Overall, an excellent 2016 edition of the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival and the organizers and volunteers have done a great job holding the festival. It’s become the best in North America. Dragon boat racing, various activities and live music in the hot Summer, you can’t beat it in Ottawa.

This wraps up season 11 of the blog. It’s been fun filled ride with the music and lifestyle events covered in Ottawa. See you in the Fall.

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Saturday at Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival – S10E34 [Season Finale]

ODBF June 27th Main-1

It was another exciting time at the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. The lineup for Saturday’s concert was amazing to say the least. It consisted of Ottawa’s The Acorn, who I have been seeing a lot recently as Rolf Klausener and company released the new album, Vieux Loup. The album is also on the 2015 Polaris Music Prize long list.

Following The Acorn was Jeremy Fisher, who now lives in Ottawa. He had a good set and brought a lot of fun humour which the crowd loved. After Fisher was done, next was The Rural Alberta Advantage and they didn’t disappoint. They were rocking each songs and the crowd enjoyed it.

Last, but not least was Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, who I last saw back in February for NAC Presents. Mangan and his band returned to Ottawa for the Dragon Boat Festival. Also, his band mates were doing double duty as two of the members played as Peregrine Falls and they performed at Ottawa Jazz Festival prior to going to Dragon Boat Festival.

Dan Mangan + Blacksmith did not disappoint as they played tracks from their album, Club Meds and previous songs from Oh Fortune and Nice, Nice, Very Nice. The encore set had some favourites from Robots, Basket and a few others.

Overall, it was great attending Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival as I missed out from last year due to NXNE in Toronto being at the same time. What I love about Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival is that the concert series is all Canadian and it’s free. The organizers love and understand Canadian music. It was fun to hang out with some of the CBC Radio 3 fans as they were at the festival. It was a great to overcome my post-NXNE withdrawal. Marvellous job, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival!

You can check out the photos over at Flickr by clicking HERE. Continue reading →

Crissi Cochrane at Ottawa Fringe Festival – S09E42 [Season Finale]

With Crissi Cochrane Impossible

The wonderful folks at Ottawa Fringe Festival have been bringing the free live music programming. Last year, it was The Elwins and this year is Crissi Cochrane. To my own surprise, I didn’t expect her to be in Ottawa. I usually get into a semi-NXNE withdrawal and would need some live music to bring on the recovery.

For those who don’t know, Cochrane is originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia but is living in Windsor, Ontario since 2010. She has made a great 2014 as she released her second full-length album, Little Sway in January and was in the top 10 of CBC Music Searchlight contest.

It was my first time to see her perform live in Ottawa. I did see her perform at an unofficial fan picnic in Toronto’s Trinity-Bellwoods Park last year. It’s her first time playing in Ottawa.
The setting at Fringe Fest’s Downtown Rideau Stage was quite intimate. Cochrane played some tracks from her current album and played cover tracks from the likes of Billie Holliday, Amy Winehouse and The Bee Gees. Her style of music brought an influence of jazz, soul and R&B. It was definitely a nice Thursday night to go out and enjoy live music.

You can check out the photos posted over at Flickr.

There was lots happening in the downtown core. The TD Ottawa Jazz Festival had the legendary Earth, Wind and Fire while Mugshots had  the Rehab Pizza Party with Ottawa’s Silkken Laumann playing and a DJ set by Cadence Weapon. Exciting times in the Nation’s Capital with festivals going on.
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Wrapping Up Season Eight & The Interview with Born Ruffians – S08E46

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Born Ruffians ODBF Vinyl

I can’t believe the blog has gone on for eight seasons and as usual, it’s that time to wrap up the blog and radio show (currently on season four) for the Summer. On this week’s show, there was the interview with the Toronto band, Born Ruffians as they were in Ottawa on the weekend for the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. You can listen to the interview below the entry. Note: The version on the blog is a full version as we discussed about social media. The radio show version was edited.
Apologies for the image as I forgot to get a photo with the band members.

Also on the show was the conclusion to the tribute to Beyond’s Wong Ka Kui as June 30th marks the 20th anniversary of his death. The song choices for the Cantopop segment are the well-known Beyond tracks. One track I played was unusual choice and it’s an English song called Long Way Without Friends. Another classic song played which had significance back in 1990 and it was about Nelson Mandela. That song is 光輝歲月, which is translated as Glorious Days. We’ve been hearing about Mandela’s health in the news recently. It’s just fitting to play that song one more time as it’s another tribute to a fearless leader.

Due to the length of last week’s entry, I’m reposting the interviews with Chris Ho and Crissi Cochrane. In case you weren’t able to find it. They are posted alongside the Born Ruffians interview.
Maestro Fresh Wes takes the number one spot for this week to end the month of June on The Wild 10 Countdown.
The playlist from the June 26th radio show (season finale) can be seen at this link.

Still having a bit of NXNE/Toronto withdrawal and if you kept up to date on my Facebook page, I posted a link from the CBC Music Presents The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions where there was a finale party in Toronto. Yes, I appear in the video. If you’re wondering why I have been wearing an aqua coloured vintage adidas jacket, it partly due to attending the 2012 edition House of Paint. I decided to wear the track jacket and wore it during my high school days in the 1990s, which still fits me.

Last thing, this ends the blog for another wonderful season. I know it’s confusing that it’s season eight and the radio show is season four. A big thanks goes out to Candice So as she helped out and contribute for the blog. We also had a great time interviewing bands and musicians. You’ve been awesome!
Another shoutout goes out to Lauren Bridle in joining me for the first half of season four of the radio show on CKCU.
The blog will be back in the Fall for season nine but expect a few Summer specials on the blog.

Have a great Summer.
NOTE: I will not be doing any music interviews for the Summer. They will return in the Fall.
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Wrapping Up The Seventh Season & The Wendy Versus Interview – S07E45

It’s that time of year to wrap things up and it’s been a wonderful season for the blog and the radio show. I know that both are on different series numbers as this blog is on seven and the radio show at three. It’s still confusing to say the least. As June wraps up, it was an exciting month due to various events and finally going to Toronto after a six year absence.
This past weekend was exciting as there were so many events in Ottawa. The Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, TD Ottawa Jazz Festival and one event I took part was The Community Cup. It was fun taking part in the soccer tournament, even though I was sore the next day. I will admit that I was out of shape playing soccer due to a lot of speed and endurance. Overall, it was to show new Canadians show the love of the game.
I was able to document the trash talking tweets between CKCU & CBC Ottawa and the images. It is at this link.

Wrapping Up The Season
Looking back from this year, it’s been an opportunity to chat with the usual Canadian bands and musicians. Probably the most exciting was getting my co-host, Lauren to come out and help me assistant on the interviews. The highlight having to be Dan Mangan back in October. Considering that he’s become popular now since the release of Oh Fortune and winning a Juno Award.
Another highlight was having Candice So coming on the show in November and having fun with the music that I usually play. There were a few low points but it won’t be mentioned. It was back in late October and early November, you’ll probably know and it was very frustrating for a reason.
Who’s the band to finish off this season? It’s Wendy Versus from Toronto. The interview was aired on CKCU-FM and I made a mistake after airing the interview by saying Crayon War instead of Crayon Wars.
The playlist for this week’s radio is at this link.

Have a great Summer. On a programming note, I will be airing the Nat & Marie interview in three parts. The Summer edition radio show will slightly be on the social media and online culture aspect. Hope you will enjoy it.

Radio Show/Interview
The June 27th Show – Press play to listen.

The Wendy Versus Interview

It’s a Six, Folks (Season Finale) – S06E45

It’s been an exciting sixth season on the blog and a second season for the radio show at CKCU-FM. Apologies that it sounds confusing between radio and the blog.
On my radio show, I wasn’t sure about having co-hosts but it became helpful to myself as I didn’t have to mess up compare to hosting alone. I have to give credit to the Italian co-host who joined in the first half of 2nd season as she was able to broaden my music horizons. She was there for a couple of months and I still miss her presence. As for the second half of the season, I had a returning host from a former radio show and was helpful to my show. Then there was a new co-host as she’s studying in Journalism at Carleton University. It was helpful for her in gaining some experience and is into the Canadian indie music, which certainly helped on my radio show. How could I not forget about Digory as he’s appeared on and off and there were a few people who came on as well.
I could not forget about the countless of interviews I’ve done with musicians and bands. The people who inspired me to make the show interesting are Ellie Davis, George Stroumboulopoulos and Nat & Marie (second half of the season).
To clarify, I will still be on the air but airing reruns on the interviews. I didn’t explain on The Wild 10 Countdown as that will continue in podcast/pre-recorded form.
Speaking of The Wild 10, there were two debuts in the form of Matthew Barber and Graham Wright. For the third week in a role, Lose It by Austra is still number one.
For the second year to Cantopop listeners/fans, there was a tribute to the Hong Kong rock band, Beyond on the live part of the radio show.
Last but not least, the playlist for the June 29th show is at this link. The audio is posted below.
As usual, the blog will be on a Summer break, even though Ottawa has a bunch of Summer festivals happening. Don’t worry, there will be a few Summer special entries.
Have a great summer! New season (series 7) returns in September.

Audio/Podcast
The June 29th Radio Show (Season Finale) – Press play to listen.

The live part/second hour of the show is posted up on Podomatic. Click here to listen.

Wrapping Up Season 5 – S05.2E10 (Season Finale)


Summer Extra
I posted up the three Canada Day audio interviews at this link. The site is at the Wild 5 Countdown site.

Part 2 (June 30, 2010)
Finally, I finish up this entry as Wednesday’s radio show wrapped with the conclusion to the Young Galaxy interview and final original interview at venues with Born Ruffians.
The playlist what I played is at this link.
This is it for the Summer as I won’t be writing too much entries but expect a few Specials on the blog. The radio show will continue on with specials and re-airings.
Without further ado, here’s the audio links to listen.

The Full Radio Show for June 30th, 2010. Press play to listen.

WildWorks Extra – 2nd hour: Songs by Beyond. A Tribute to Wong Ka-Kui, who passed away on June 30th, 1993.
Press play to listen.

Band Interviews
Part 2 of Young Galaxy: Press play to listen or download it.

Born Ruffians Interview: Press play to listen or download it.

This ends Season 1 for the radio show and Season 5 (full) on the blog.

Part 1 (June 23, 2010)
This is the first of 2 parts to the end of season or series 5 of my blog & my radio show. The radio show will continue during the Summer as I will still be on the air and airing past interviews. It’s more like “the best of.” Expect no new materials for all of Summer but there’s a possibility of a few themed specials. The blog itself will be on a Summer break, just like the TV shows which ended in May.
The June 23rd show was considered the 2nd last show before the Summer break as I needed to air a couple of new interviews. Joining me on the radio show was a CBC Radio 3 fan/listener, Johanna Innes. She’s from Ottawa but studying at South Carolina. It was a blast having her on because she’s so interested in Canadian music and really enjoy being on the radio. Another reason for her to be on was that she recently attended NXNE in Toronto over the weekend and also talked about The Polaris Music Prize Long List. We discussed the positives and negatives as who were on the list and who wasn’t on the list. It was a shock that Said The Whale weren’t on the list. I had to play False Creek Change as a sort of protest in a tongue and cheek manner.
I was happy to hear that You Say Party (formerly You Say Party! We Say Die!) will be continuing after the death of drummer of Devon Clifford. Although, they lost another founding member but added two new members. It’s great that they will be continuing on.
Also on the show were two interviews being aired. The first was Vancouver’s fanshaw and the other was The Besnard Lakes. I had an extra half hour and aired the first part of the Young Galaxy interview.
Here’s the playlist for what was played on the show. Click here to check it out. The Wild 5 Countdown is on link list (right side if you can find it).

Last thing, I did not experience the earthquake as I was on the bus. I missed out on the fun and fear. If you’re interested, you can listen to CHUO’s Now Playing at this link. I was listening on the bus and the fire alarm almost gave me a hearing loss.

Without further ado, you can listen to the radio show by pressing play here. To make it simple, I also have hours 1 & 2 for separate listening if you don’t want to listen for all of 2 hours.
Full show

Radio Show – Hour 1

Radio Show – Hour 2.5


The fanshaw Interview
Press play to listen or download it.

The Besnard Lakes Interview
Press play to listen or download it.

The Young Galaxy Interview (Part 1)
Press play to listen or download it.

So long until the Fall!