LISTENING IN
Symphonic Scorpions rocking like a hurricane
With apologies to Kraftwerk and Trio (remember the classic “Da Da Da”?), The Scorpions are Germany’s greatest contribution to the rock music canon. Still going strong, the band formed in 1965 but hit its commercial peak in the ‘80s with a series of power ballads that helped define the niche, such as “Winds of Change” (about the political transformation of Russia) and “Still Lovin’ You.” MORE
LISTENING IN
From Chicago to Toronto, the Legend of Buddy Guy
I saw the amazing Buddy Guy a few years back at Casino Rama, in Orillia, Ont., still rocking (and wading into the audience) even in his early 80s. Now 87, the last of the great Chicago bluesmen is on his “Damn Right” farewell tour, and I’m lucky to be catching him again tonight (Friday) at Massey Hall in Toronto, where he has played 18 times since 1970. MORE
If you love Elton John (and Bernie Taupin), the performance honouring the pair with the prestigious Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song for 2024 is a must. The gala aired on PBS earlier this week and featured a host of performances, including Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlisle, and Garth Brooks covering John/Taupin classics. Even Metallica weighed in for “Funeral for a Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding” (oddly, it worked!). MORE
LISTENING IN
Once upon a time, there was a total eclipse
You may have heard there’s a total eclipse coming on Monday. With this in mind, it seems appropriate to dust off “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, the song by husky-voiced Welsh chanteuse Bonnie Tyler, but notably written by inimitable Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman after the two split. MORE
LISTENING IN
Paul Kelly’s Aussie anthem for us all
It’s Australia month at Goway and any mention of DownUnder always gets me thinking about my favourite singer, the amazing Aussie Paul Kelly – a multi-talented singer-songwriter-poet I have previously introduced in this space, comparing his band and style to Blue Rodeo. MORE
LISTENING IN
New video reveals Jimmy Buffet’s Bourbon Street ‘education’
These are a few of my favourite things: Jimmy Buffet, New Orleans, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. And now the three of them have amazingly come together with the unexpected new video of a song recorded in 2023 just before the late singer’s untimely death. MORE
LISTENING IN
Getting tipsy with Celtic Thunder
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, it naturally behooves us to offer an Irish song this week, and I’m a sucker for the classics, like “The Rocky Road to Dublin,” “Whiskey in the Jar,” and “The Orange and the Green” – which is why we’ve done those in years past. MORE
LISTENING IN
Cyndi still wants to have fun
It’s International Women’s Day, so what better time to check in with Cyndi Lauper, the one-of-a-kind pop star who is still synonymous with the 1983 song “Girls Want to Have Fun” – an instant feminist anthem that went on to influence a generation of female performers (and listeners) while also becoming an expression in the everyday vernacular. Lauper, now 70, is in the news this week, having just entered a partnership with the Swedish masterminds behind the immersive virtual concert ABBA Voyage. MORE
LISTENING IN
Just a couple of (rad) girls
Gwen Stefani made news this week. Travel news. The glimmering pop star performed Godmother duties for Royal Caribbean International as the cruise line launched its new Jubilee flagship in Miami on the weekend. MORE
LISTENING IN
Dave and the Dead – jam-tastic!
Dave Matthews… backed by Dead & Company (remnants of The Grateful Dead)… playing the Bob Dylan classic “All Along the Watchtower”… via Jimi Hendrix… What more, I ask you, could you ask for? MORE
LISTENING IN
Advice from Keb’ Mo’ and Rosanne Cash
I’ve loved the music of Kevin Roosevelt Moore known as Keb' Mo', since my blues loving (and playing) cousin Jerome, introduced me to his music some years ago. Since then, the American blues musician and eight-time Grammy Award winner, has become a staple in our house. MORE
LISTENING IN
Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs wow at the GRAMMYs
Tracy Chapman’s performance of her song “Fast Car” with country musician Luke Combs, who recently recorded it, was one of the highlights and an extraordinarily moving moment at the GRAMMY Awards. Chapman is a four-time GRAMMY winner and 13-time nominee. She first performed “Fast Car” at the 1989 GRAMMYs where she won the award for Best Female Pop Vocalist. At the 2024 GRAMMYs, Combs was nominated for his rendition of the track for Best Country Solo Performance. MORE
LISTENING IN
Remembering a kick-amp classic
Late last month Mary Weiss, lead singer of the pioneering 1960s girl group The Shangri-Las passed away. The band was best known for its classic “Leader of the Pack,” but also the hit “(Remember) Walking in the Sand.” MORE
LISTENING IN
Time to get away with The Black Keys
A buddy messaged me the other day and said, “Have to say it's the first time I've ever landed in Vancouver to see everything covered in snow.” It was so cold in T.O. my wife wouldn’t let me walk the dog (her concern was for the dog!). And don’t get us started on the rain and fog. Needless to say, winter is wearisome in this country, and there’s so much more to come. MORE
LISTENING IN
Doobies do their part to help Maui victims
In the tradition of great charitable relief songs like “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” “We are the World,” and “Tears Are Not Enough,” The Doobie Brothers have recorded a song – “Lahaina” – to help raise funds for recovery in Maui from last year’s devastating wildfires. The band has deep connections to the Hawaiian island, as has Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood (who lost his restaurant on Maui to the fires). MORE
LISTENING IN
The sweet sounds of the Stones and Lady Gaga
Last week I proffered my favourite song from 2023; now it’s time to tout last year’s best (in my humble estimation) album: The Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not typically blinded by any and every offering from rock bands whose best days are years (decades!) in the past, but dropped-jaw kudos to Mick, Keith et al, whose latest album is, I daresay, right up there with some of their best. MORE
LISTENING IN
My unexpected favourite song of 2023
‘Tis the season for best-of lists, and whereas my days of accounting such things are mostly past, 2023 produced for me a definite – and most unexpected – song. One I still can’t get out of my head. And don’t want to. MORE
LISTENING IN
Happy New Year from us (and ABBA)!
No backstories or raisons d’etre this week. Just a simple video with a simple message: Happy New Year from us. The song from the Swedish superstars was released in 1980 but the sentiment remains the same. Hope you have the very best for 2024 – and see you next year! MORE
LISTENING IN
‘The boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay’
The Pogues’ song ‘Fairytale of New York’ is one of the most played Christmas songs of the 21st century. A standout line in the chorus reads: “The boys of the NYPD choir were singing ‘Galway Bay,’ and while many have joined in to sing out the line, few are aware that the NYPD choir has, in fact, never existed, let alone sung ‘Galway Bay.’ MORE
LISTENING IN
On the run for 50 years with Paul McCartney
Can you believe its been 50 years since the release of “Band on the Run,” Paul McCartney’s best post-Beatles album, which not surprisingly was the top-selling album in Canada (amongst other places) in 1974? MORE