Coming this Friday...

Well things look pretty well sewn up for TGIFR this week and so I'll give you a little heads-up as to what will be on.

First up will be an interview with Mat and Ashley from Boats talking about Cannonballs, Cannonballs and the CD release show for that album.

Then we'll have a special in-studio performance and interview with Tim Crabtree (UK by way of Halifax) who performs under the moniker Paper Beat Scissors. I recently wrote about his EP Flicker on my music blog, Ear To The Sound. Tim stopped into the studio recently and we had a great chat and I was fortunate enough to also get him to perform some songs live.

Lastly, we'll be talking to Weakerthans front-man John K. Samson, but the subject of our talk has nothing to do with his band and everything to do with Iceland. Samson is one of the organizers of the fourth-annual Nuna Now Festival and we'll be talking about FM Belfast (playing Friday at the Albert) and the rest of the schedule for the fest.

Tune in this Friday, April 30th from 6:30 - 8 PM!

The 28th will be busy, the 23rd is busy.

So tonight's episode is hella busy with talk and a touch of music.
Joining me in-studio is long time TGIFR favourite and local legend Greg MacPherson. He just released his new album Mr. Invitation on Smallman Records two weeks ago and stopped by the station to talk about the album and play a couple songs for us.
By phone we've got Olga from the Besnard Lakes who are playing the Royal Albert on the 28th with Hollerado and locals Absent Sound. The band just got back from a European tour of their new album The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night.
We've also got a phoner with Nick from Plants and Animals who are ALSO playing in Winnipeg on the 28th, at the West End Cultural Centre. Plants and Animals will be playing material from their new album La La Land.

Here's what I played in between all the talk about new albums...

Set One: 6:30 - 7 PM

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar [Stones Throw]
Plants and Animals - Game Shows [Secret City]

Set Two: 7 - 7:30 PM

Greg MacPherson - Smoke Ring [Live at UMFM]
Greg MacPherson - Ukranians [Live at UMFM]
Greg MacPherson - Broken Dreams [Smallman]

Set Three: 7:30 - 8 PM

Besnard Lakes - The Lonely Moan [Outside]
Jose James - Love [Brownswood]

Online, but not online...

So I had hoped to post the download link to Thank God It's Free Range's first podcast in quite a while, but unfortunately due to some technical difficulties the files are unavailable. Hopefully you heard the show live because it was a doozy. By phone we had Jeff Innes from Kelowna, BC band Yukon Blonde (who are playing the LO Pub here in Winnipeg tomorrow night). I had a taped phoner with East Coast singer-songwriter Rose Cousins (who will be in town April 29th playing the Park Theatre with Amelia Curran) and joining me in the studio was author David Robertson who has written a four-part graphic novel about seven generations of an aboriginal family - the first book is called Stone and it was just released by Portage & Main Press.

Strong interviews all, and a shame that I can't share 'em with you here.
Anyway, here's what I played:

Set One: 6:30 - 7 PM

Library Voices - Haunt This House [Young Soul Records]
Balkan Beat Box - Move It [National Geographic Records]
Interview with Rose Cousins
Rose Cousins - I Were The Bird [Old Farm Pony Records]
Horse Feathers - Starving Robins [Kill Rock Stars]
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt [Dead Oceans]

Set Two: 7 - 7:30 PM

Interview with Yukon Blonde
Yukon Blonde - Brides Song [Bumstead/Nevado]
Waving Hand - The Man Living On The City Landfill Site [Independent]
Tony Allen - Busybody [World Circuit/Nonesuch]

Set Three: 7:30 - 8 PM

Erykah Badu - Window Seat [Universal Motown]
Interview with David Robertson
Vesely Couture - Tasty Crumpet [Independent]

Back in the saddle.

Well I've been doing my show intermittently while on parental leave, but I'm back at it and have all sorts of things planned in the coming weeks (Greg MacPherson performing live in-studio, Hannah Georgas on the phone, graphic novelists David Robertson and Scott Henderson, and much more).

As for what I had on last Friday (which will be up as a podcast on the UMFM website SOON), the show included an interview with Tyler Shipley (Consumer Goods), talking about his solo album Sentinel Road, an interview with novelist Drew Hayden Taylor - who discussed his 're-telling' of the Nanabush legend in Motorcycles & Sweetgrass, as well as a host of new music.

Here's the setlist:

Set One: 6:30 - 7 PM

Magnum K.I. - Eyes On Fire [Independent]
Interview with Tyler Shipley
Tyler Shipley - A Woman In The Strike [Grumpy Cloud]
Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore - Sweet Marie [Sub Pop]
Bird Of Wales - My Lady In July [Sparks]
Ryan McGrath - Way West [Independent]

Set Two: 7 - 7:30 PM

The Sea & Cake - Exact To Me [Thrill Jockey]
Interview with Drew Hayden Taylor
Sally Seltmann - Harmony To My Heartbeat [Arts & Crafts]

Set Three: 7:30 - 8 PM

The Apples In Stereo - Dream About The Future [Yep Roc]
Mantler - Breaking Past The Day [Tomlab]
Woodhands - Talk [Paper Bag Records]
Booka Shade - Havanna Sex Dwarf [Physical Records]
Nice Nice - One Hit [Warp]
Lullabye Arkestra - The Icy Hand That Guides Us [Vice]