How It Went Down - February 17, 2012

After several weeks of TGIFR being preempted for Bison Hockey broadcasts, the show was back this week (I, of course, have been here the whole time since I work the boards for the hockey broadcasts) and I was joined by phone by Wes from The Darcys who reinterpreted Steely Dan's dad-rock classic Aja, in addition to releasing their self-titled debut a few months ago. I caught him after a 14 hour drive to Portland. Also spoke to Romi Mayes about her February 25th show at the Park Theatre with longtime co-conspirator Jay Nowicki, and with opener Bobby Desjarlais.

Here's what was played:

Set One: 6:30 PM - 7 PM

Evan Voytas - "You Don't Even Know Where It's At" [Dovecote Records]
Mitchmatic - "One Word" [Old Ugly]
Grimes - "Genesis" [Arbutus/4AD]
Phenomenal Handclap Band - "Form & Control" [Tummy Touch Records]
Cedar Park - "Think So Now (feat. Esthero)" [Dead Daisy Records]
Alex Winston - "Choice Notes (Jesus Million remix) [Unreleased]
Quantic & Alice Russell with Combo Barbaro - "Look Around The Corner" [Tru Thoughts]


Set Two: 7 PM - 7:30 PM

The Wooden Sky - "Angelina" [Black Box Recordings]
Rose Cousins - "One Way" [Outside Music]
Paper Beat Scissors - "Folds" [Forward Music Group]
Interview with Romi Mayes
Romi Mayes - "I Can't Get You Off Of My Mind [Live at CYRK]
Romi Mayes - "Lucky Tonight" [Independent]


Set Three: 7:30 PM - 8 PM

Wintermitts - "Birds" [Independent]
The Bokononists - "In War This Is Fair" [Independent]
Interview with The Darcys
The Darcys - "Home At Last" [Arts & Crafts]
Memoryhouse - "All Our Wonder" [Sub Pop]

How It Went Down - January 13, 2012

Another busy one, jam-packed with talk and tunes. Lyzie Burt brought her keyboard in and played a few tunes from her new record, Marina Endicott talked vaudeville and Chris Sheasgreen and Marvin Kaye talked picking up the pieces after their star died.

Here's what was played:

Set One: 6:30 PM - 7 PM

Seeker Lover Keeper - "Even Though I'm A Woman" [Spunk Records]
Lyzie Burt - "Find You In Your Sleep" [Live at UMFM]
Lyzie Burt - "The Cash" [Live at UMFM]
Lyzie Burt - "Van Song" [Live at UMFM]
Lyzie Burt - "Cigarettes & You" [Live at UMFM]
Interview with Lyzie Burt
Lyzie Burt - "Mr. Elliot" [I'm Trying Records]

Set Two: 7 PM - 7:30 PM

Interview with Marina Endicott

Set Three: 7:30 PM - 8 PM

Hands & Teeth - All That Was [Independent]
Interview with Chris Sheasgreen and Marvin Kaye
Jonas Bonnetta - "French Toast" [Shuffling Feet]
Rae Spoon - "I Can't Keep All Of Our Secrets" [Saved By Radio]


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Catch you in a couple weeks!

Catching up and looking ahead...

Wowzers. Totally flaked on keeping on top of things here. There've been five shows since I last wrote a "How It Went Down" so I'll point you in the direction of my showlogs on UMFM's website with a little blurb about each show in a minute.

But first I want to plug this coming Friday's show - it's the 13th of January (inauspicious start to what the Mayans indicated would be our last year). I spoke to Marina Endicott about her novel The Little Shadows - which made the Globe & Mail's Top 100 for 2011 - when she came through town and have yet to find a moment to air it, but I'm finally going to broadcast our feature chat.
Earlier today I spoke with the creators of HBO Canada's Less Than Kind, a show filmed/set here in Winnipeg that enters its third season this Sunday the 15th dealing with the death of its star Maury Chaykin.
And I'll be joined in studio by Lyzie Burt for both an interview and a live performance of material from her new album Cigarettes And You, which gets its release on January 20th at the LO Pub.

Also wanted to give a heads-up that over the next few weeks, my show will be preempted for Bison Hockey broadcasts so there will be no show on January 20th, February 3rd and 10th.

Here's what happened on previous episodes of TGIFR:

Friday December 2nd - my interviews with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, known collectively as Jay & Silent Bob. Mewes is no stranger to Winnipeg as he films Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil here in town, and Smith - being a huge hockey fan - admitted to considering buying Jets season tickets despite living in LA.


Friday December 9th - all about the live music as I was joined for live sessions by three local acts. Metal band Forged In Fire, retro-rockers The Noble Thiefs and roots-rockers The Magnificent 7s.

Friday December 16th - I sat down with historian (and friend) Richard Brignall to talk about his new book, Forgotten Heroes: Winnipeg's Hockey Heritage, and talked on the phone with Adam Dorn, known to music fans as Mocean Worker.

Friday December 23rd was pretty much all talk as I sat down with John Einarson to discuss his latest (and dream) project, a biography of Ian & Sylvia entitled Four Strong Winds, and I also spoke with the award-winning author Ami McKay who followed up The Birth House with The Virgin Cure.

I didn't do a show on the Friday December 30th as I was under the weather.

Friday January 6th was a real treat as Jenny Berkel came in and blew me away with her amazing voice and songwriting. We discussed her new album Here On A Wire, and then I was joined by the organizers of the Big Fun Festival to talk inspiration and line-ups.

How It Went Down - November 25, 2011

Another wild one this past week. Cheering For The Bad Guy started things off right with a five-song-set live on air. Great stuff from a bunch of great guys. Then we spoke to UMSU VP Matt Hepner about the Brewmaster's Dinner held at Degrees as part of the UMSU Movember campaign, and finally we had jazz musician Paul de Gurse on to discuss exactly why and how he's reworking Talking Heads material for a jazz quintet.

Here's what was played:

Set One: 6:30 PM - 7 PM

Cheering For The Bad Guy - "Grand Rapids" [Live at UMFM]
Cheering For The Bad Guy - "Train Song" [Live at UMFM]
Cheering For The Bad Guy - "Jesus Murphy" [Live at UMFM]
Cheering For The Bad Guy - "Tires Under The Tree" [Live at UMFM]
Cheering For The Bad Guy - "Jesus Is My Drinking Buddy" [Live at UMFM]
Deer Tick - "Main Street" [Partisan/Dine Alone]
Interview with Cheering For The Bad Guy


Set Two: 7 PM - 7:30 PM

Dum Dum Girls - "Coming Down" [Sub Pop]
The Noble Thiefs - "Trapped Up" [Pipe & Hat]
Interview with Matt Hepner
The JD Edwards Band - "Going Down To Mexico" [Independent]
The Wooden Sky - "Go Straight" [Black Box Recordings]


Set Three: 7:30 PM - 8 PM

Interview with Paul de Gurse
Talking Heads - "Once In A Lifetime" [Sire]
Raleigh Moncrief - "I Just Saw" [Anticon]
Kate Bush - "Wild Man" [Fish People/Noble & Brite]
Bry Webb - "I Will Give You Everything" [Zunior]



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This Friday's show is a pretty sweet coup for me. I've got two separate interviews with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith - aka Jay & Silent Bob. The pair are coming to Winnipeg December 11th as part of the Jay & Silent Bob Get Old tour and each managed to accommodate an interview in their busy schedules. Definitely worth tuning in for.

The following week (December 9th) I'll have local metal act Forged In Fire starting the show off with a live set debuting some new tracks (newer than the EP they released earlier this year. I'll also have an interview with Adam Dorn (aka Mocean Worker) discussing his latest record, Candygram for MoWo! and a lot of other talking points, and we'll have the Magnificent 7's capping things off with a live set spotlighting material from their new record, All Kinds Of Mean, which gets its launch at the West End on Thursday, December 15th.

How It Went Down - November 18, 2011

As we head toward the Christmas holidays, there's all sorts of shows and events going on here in town and thus, TGIFR is jam-packed with guests and interviews from now until the New Year. On the 18th, I had an in-depth conversation with Susanne Tabata, director of the great documentary Bloodied But Unbowed that examines the Vancouver punk scene in the late 70s and early 80s. I also debuted some live songs I recorded with Mark Browning (aka OX) when he came to Winnipeg earlier in the week. And speaking of live, Sweet Alibi came in and performed some songs from their debut LP and answered my questions about the record.

Here's what was played:

Set One: 6:30 PM - 7 PM

D-Sisive - "The Unknown (feat. Birdapres & Cadence Weapon)" [Urbnet]
Cannon Bros. - "Out Of Here" [Disintegration Records]
Interview with Susanne Tabata
The Subhumans - "Fuck You" [Bluurg]


Set Two: 7 PM - 7:30 PM

Ferriswheel - "Dots and Dreams" [E-Tron Records]
Tycho - "Daydreams" [Ghostly International]
Ox - "Share Gas Drive West" [Live at UMFM]
Ox - "Indie Rock Radio Nation" [Live at UMFM]
Ox - "Trans Canada" [Live at UMFM]
Ox - "Nico" [Live at UMFM]


Set Three: 7:30 PM - 8 PM

Sweet Alibi - "The Trial" [Live at UMFM]
Sweet Alibi - "There She Goes" [Live at UMFM]
Sweet Alibi - "Something Good" [Live at UMFM]
Sweet Alibi - "Suddenly" [Live at UMFM]
Interview with Sweet Alibi
Sweet Alibi - "Crybaby" [Independent]

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Tomorrow, I've got Cheering For The Bad Guy coming in to start the show off live with some brand new songs. We'll be talking to UMSU VP Matt Hepner about the Brewmasters Dinner that Half Pints and Degrees are hosting on Saturday as part of Movember, and we'll speak to local jazz artist Paul De Gurse about his December 1st show re-imagining the Talking Heads. And next week - December 2nd - have I got quite the special show. In advance of their Jay and Silent Bob Get Old show December 11th at the Walker/Burt, I'll be talking to Jason Mewes AND Kevin Smith. Seriously.

How It Went Down - November 11, 2011

Another barn-burner of a show. This one featured interviews with Mark Browning of OX (who is due to record a live session when he comes to town tomorrow, November 16th), Peter Katz (who is also in town tomorrow, at the West End), Ryan Weber of The Weber Brothers (who played the Park Theatre in support of their new record, Baddest Band In The Land), and Daniel Pangman from the Lonely Vulcans who released their new record, Vulcan Cesspool at the Times Change(d) on Friday night.

Here's what was played:

Set One: 6:30 PM - 7 PM

Marine Dreams - "We'll Get Her Back In Your Arms" [You've Changed Records]
Crooked Fingers - "The Hatchet" [Merge]
Interview with Ryan Weber
The Weber Brothers - "Stay In The Game" [Independent]
Great Aunt Ida - "Community" [Zunior]
Gospel Music - "I Can't Be A Man If I Don't Have A Woman" [Kill Rock Stars]
Bry Webb - "Zebra" [Idee Fixe]

Set Two: 7 PM - 7:30 PM

Interview with Daniel Pangman of Lonely Vulcans
Lonely Vulcans - "Lonely Vulcan Cake" [Transistor 66]
Yamantaka//Sonic Titan - "Reverse Crystal//Murder Of A Spider" [Psychic Handshake]
Interview with Peter Katz

Set Three: 7:30 PM - 8 PM

Peter Katz - "Song For Oliver Schroer" [Shape Of A Boy/Tangents]
Interview with Mark Browning (OX)
OX - "Midnight On The Island" [Cosmic Dave's Record Factory]

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As for this week, I'll definitely be featuring the live session with OX, along with a live session and interview with Sweet Alibi (releasing their self-titled debut this Sunday (Nov 20th) at the Park Theatre. And mark your calendar for the 25th as I'll have Cheering For The Bad Guy debuting some new stuff on live on air.

How It Went Down - November 4, 2011

Had three guests on Friday, but amazingly it felt relaxed in the booth. First up was Shuyler Jansen who was in town to play Pop Soda's on Saturday, but who we talked with by phone on his way to see Mark Kozelek at the West End. Then, also by phone, was Daniela from Snowblink who are on tour with Ohbijou and will open for them this Saturday (November 12th) at the West End. Finally, I spoke to Curtis Nowosad about his jazz quartet performing Bob Marley's Exodus in its entirety at Aqua Books this Thursday, November 10th.

Here's what was played:

Set One: 6:30 PM - 7 PM

The Lonely Vulcans - "Absinthe Father" [Transistor 66]
Shuyler Jansen - "Kill January" [Scratch Recordings]
Ox - "Indie Rock Radio Nation" [Cosmic Dave's Record Factory]
Kathryn Calder - "Walking In My Sleep" [File Under: Music]


Set Two: 7 PM - 7:30 PM

Tim Hoover - "More Napkins (AM Overcast Commoner's Serviette mix)" [Woven Records]
David Braid - "The Way You Look Tonight" [Independent]
Snowblink - "Rut & Nuzzle" [Out Of This Spark]


Set Three: 7:30 PM - 8 PM

DJ Brace - "NH Ten" [Nostomania Records]
Roots Manuva - "Beyond This World" [Big Dada]
Bob Marley - "Exodus" [Island]
Bob Marley - "Waiting In Vain" [Island]
The Ripperz - "Tonight Pt. II" [The Newform Label]
Atlas Sound - "Modern Aquatic Nightsongs" [4AD]

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As for this coming Friday, it's Remembrance Day so I won't be live, but I'm putting together a solid pre-record featuring interviews with the Lonely Vulcans, Peter Katz and Ox, all of whom have shows in the near future so check their online listings!