Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies hosts a one-hour special celebrating the best music from the east coast on BARENAKED EAST COAST MUSIC! The East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs) threw a four-day party and this special captures the celebrations held in Fredericton earlier this month. It telecasts on CBC Television on Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m.

Trying to book time at the Rock Garden. no one answering the phone?
Now you know why!

Roadie Hero
This is great - I have a third guitar hero controller so even when two people are playing a third can be standing in the glow of the TV as well at the ready with another guitar just like a real roadie. Now we can really expand on that experience.

Poor Jimmy

Books that make you stupid
This isn’t music related but a) it is interesting to me, and b) I am hoping some one does the same thing with music.

http://booksthatmakeyoudumb.virgil.gr/

Dreamsploitation on Myspace.com
Tomorrow [Thursday night] you will have the opportunity to catch the latest addition to the From Here To There family, Dreamsploitation at the Marquee Club [he should be on around 11-11:30]. Cover is $5.

Chuck Blazevic is the person behind Dreamsploitation. An accomplished musician he is also currently a member of the Heavy Blinkers. Although young, he is very serious about his music. Thankfully, as you can see from the video below, as serious as he is, he thoroughly enjoys himself while sharing his music.

As far as his music goes, I don’t know how much this comparison will mean to most but imagine Caribou-meets-Madlib. It is beautiful melodic music, yet some of his songs would perfectly accommodate an MC. He creates extremely organic electronica.

How’s this for a vision about your own music [taken from his MySpace]:

Lost legends float in and out of the waves, momentary magic from the moonlighting pit band, 3/4 of a measure re-contextualized from an arranger’s finest hour at the close of the 1960’s, a failed (but right on) ruff disco vamp, an italian b-movie & its physical and sonic vixen, a swedish vocal session with love to brazil, one lady without her three men (not that they were bad at all!), and a sliver from the turn-of-the-century arpeggiated liquid sound - among others - sound for imagery appropriated and made into an imagery generator (and booty shaker?!?)

Forward looking but backwards facing, Dreamsploitation is all about the love of music - past, present and (most importantly) future; this is music for music lovers.

We are very excited to be working with Chuck. We have lots of plans and even more ideas for him and his music and he has no shortage himself.

You can see his debut live performance from an open mic show below for a taste of his live performance, while his MySpace has plenty additional music. His live setup is one not likely seen by many folks. If you are wondering what exactly it is, it is a digital interface [specifically a Monome 256] allowing for the manipulation of samples loaded from his harddrive.

Tow Hours Traffic: Nighthawk - Directed by Sean Wainsteim
Take a night club, move it to the outdoors and watch the animals. I like.

For more videos see www.seanwainsteim.com/

The guys had a great year last year, pretty impressive - they’ve clearly worked hard. I try not to cut and paste press releases too often but not many easier ways to sum up the year they had better than what was sent out, and they deserve the props, so:

2007 was an incredible year for Two Hours Traffic. After releasing their Joel Plaskett produced second full length album “Little Jabs” in July, the band found themselves the proud makers of one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year. Little Jabs has appeared on numerous top ten lists while the band won two PEI Music Awards, a CBC Radio 3 Bucky Award for Best Road Trip Song, and currently hold down 3 East Coast Music Award nominations. The album stayed on the top 20 national college chart for 10 weeks, (are STIIL on charts 6 months later), and it hit # 1 on the CBCR3 30 Chart in September staying in the top 5 for 4 straight weeks. Two Hours Traffic was voted the #13 Hottest Band In Canada in the annual year end iheartmusic poll, had 3 songs on recent episodes of the TV show Gossip Girl, as well as songs on Smallville, The Ghost Whisperer and The OC. and their “Road Trip” viral contest/campaign received over 500,000 unique hits.

The band is nominated for ECMAs [ congrats] next month in New Brunswick and have found themselves with three showcases as part of the event before heading off across Canada.

CBC Radio 3 Present Two Hours Traffic Nighthawks Tour Dates
Feb 02 – Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse
Feb 06 – New Glasgow, NS @ North Shore Education Centre
Feb 07 – Fredericton, NB @ UNB – The Cellar – ECMA Showcase
Feb 09 – Fredericton, NB @ Delta Hotel – ECMA Showcase
Feb 09 – Fredericton, NB @ Nicky Zee’s – ECMA Showcase

Continue reading for remaining cross Canada tour dates (more…)

Jammin’ the Blues is a 1944 short film in which several prominent jazz musicians got together for a rare filmed jam session. It features Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, Marlowe Morris, Sid Catlett, Barney Kessel, Joe Jones, John Simmons, Illinois Jacquet, Marie Bryant, Archie Savage and Garland Finney. For some, this is their only known appearance in a theatrical film. Barney Kessel is the only white performer in the film. He was seated in the shadows to shade his skin, and for closeups, his hands were stained with berry juice. Lindy Hop legends Archie Savage and Marie Bryant do the Lindy Hop (Jitterbug) on this footage. Directed by Gjon Mili and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

I love the drummer switch up. Actually I love it all.
Classic.

OK so I am pretty sure I promised no more Celine but Point 7 in the video sealed the deal that this would be making it to a post.

It also introduces AQR’s Musical Diversions - music related stuff you could definitely do without knowing about but ….well….I got nothing. If you’re going to waste time on something it may as well be tied to music too like the rest of your life.
Musical Diversions = FUN!!!!!!!!
Don’t you fucking forget it!

Things will be shocking. Music will be everywhere. It will all be on tape or blogged about.
This is crazy.

Bonus Listening Materials: Ooh! You Shocked me! - mp3

The MP3 Taser Holster Combo

Three great videos for you from three great local bands.
Laura’s and Wintersleep’s are for new releases, while the Superfantastics just released Pop Up Book on vinyl [well not just but…]. The Superfantastics plan to be recording the follow-up over the winter with a tentative March release date. Which also means a whole new crop of awesome DIY video making from the duo.

Wintersleep - Weighty Ghost
Shot in Halifax, NS. Directed by Sean Wainsteim.

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Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts - Stand Right There
Directed by Ante Kovac

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The Superfantastics - Tonight Tonite
Probably my favorite song off Pop Up Book. Directed by Mike Holmes, based on a concept by Paul Firelinger.
From the comments:

When I downloaded this as an mp3, the genre for the song was “Adorable”. Now normally, I have OCD tendencies when it comes to music tags (I may not be a neat person, but my music library is disturbingly well-organized), but I left it because this music and video are, quite simply, adorable.

And so begins cleaning out the back log of drafted posts:

Created as part of the Atlantic Film Festival’s 10×10 program. With the support of Norwood Cheek, 10 filmmakers were paired up with 10 bands in a 4 day workshop to make 10 videos.

And for all the bands with videos and footage of their own to share:
Top 20 Video Sharing Sites for Musicians

Missing are videos from:
Jessica Rhaye
i see rowboats
Tim Chaisson
Caledonia
And I think I`m actually missing tow more videos and acts that escape me right now….

Halifax indie-rock band, Caledonia, is interview for CBC News in Halifax during the making of the Atlantic Film Festival 10×10 music video. [Norwood Cheek is in there too].

Song written and performed by: The Pact
Video by: computer.says.no
http://www.myspace.com/thepacthalifax

Dog Day “Oh Dead Life”

Song: Dog Day
Video: Norwood Cheek

Sigh

Song: Down With the Butterfly
Video Directed By Charles Jannasch

Which Doctor - Mark Bragg

Music video directed by Justin Tomchuk

“Boy Who Lost An Eye” Steven Bowers (2007, Steve Yorke)

Alternate cut of the Steven Bowers music video screened as part of the 10×10 Inspired Music Series at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2007.

Performed by Steven Bowers and the Acoustic Theft
Written By Steven Bowers
Directed By Steve Yorke
Director of Digital Photography Michael Fox
Re-Cut By Steve Yorke