Conducting leadership styles

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.

Watch the TED.com clip

You're not gonna put Charlie Parker in with the Rock n Roll, would you?

A scene from one of my favourite movies.

CTV saves the Hockey Theme

CTV Inc., together with Copyright Music & Visuals, today announced that CTV Inc. has acquired all rights to 'The Hockey Theme' in perpetuity, preserving the song's legacy and ensuring it will be heard on national television for years to come. 'The Hockey Theme' song will now live on CTV Inc. properties TSN, RDS and across Canada on CTV during coverage of the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Read the TSN story.

Hockey Night in Canada Theme dropped

The theme song of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada has been dropped by the network.

The song's composer Dolores Claman and the CBC could not come to a rights agreement and ends 40 years of the popular piece of music, which has been become the nation's unofficial second national anthem.

The CBC, in conjunction with leading music producers Nettwerk Music Group, will conduct a nationwide search, inviting Canadians to write and record an original song for Hockey Night in Canada. Fans and a jury of experts will choose the best new composition and CBC will offer $100,000 for the winning song

Read the Fox Business story.
Read the National Post story.

Just going with the FLOW

When FLOW 93.5 initially hit Toronto airwaves in 2001 as Canada's first urban music station (25 years overdue if you ask me), the on-air fare was mainly hip-hop and R&B -- neither of which, by the way, are musical genres, but we can save that for music marketing class 101.

However, seven years later, the station has found itself going in a different direction, choosing to opt for a Contemporary Hits Radio format, a format that boasts a more accessible playlist and broader reach of listeners.

How do urban music listeners, critics and journalists feel about the re-positoning of the station?
Read Ashante Infantry's story in the Toronto Star to hear both sides of the arguement.

CBC Radio 3 Nominations for Best Record Store in Canada

CBC Radio 3 has launched the Searchlight competition in search of "The Best Record Store In Canada." After hundreds of supportive messages poured in, they have revealed an impressive 47 nominated retailers vying for the prize.

CBC Radio 3 host Grant Lawrence says he was surprised by listeners' response. “I thought there was a digital music revolution going on, but it's amazing how fans of stores from every province in the country came out of the woodwork with very passionate nominations."

Voting has now officially begun, and will continue until next Wednesday (April 2), when the list will be pared down to 20, and announced on CBC Radio 3 at 12 p.m. PST/3 p.m. EST. The following week, the list will be pared down to 10, and the final week, voters will choose from the final five. On April 18 – the day before Record Store Day – the Searchlight winner will be announced. To place your vote, click here.

Check out a list of the nominees at exclaim.ca.

RIP Israel "Cachao" López

Cuban bassist and composer Israel Lopez died Saturday, March 22 at age 89.

The man simply known as Cacao and his late brother, multi-instrumentalist Orestes Lopez, are known for the creation in the late 1930s of the mambo, which emerged from their improvisational work with the danzon, an elegant musical style that lends itself to slow dancing.

Read the CBC story

RIP. Mikey Dread

The global dub massive mourns the passing of producer and vocalist Mikey Dread, who died March 15, six months after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was 54.

Read the Exclaim! story.

Converse Makes Cobain Sneakers

Jeez, can you believe this...

Converse is currently producing a limited-edition series of Kurt Cobain-branded footwear as part of the company’s 100th anniversary sales campaign, dubbed “Welcome to the Converse Century.”

Each shoe will come peppered with drawings and writings of the late Nirvana front man that were published in 2002’s Journals

The product line comes with the full cooperation of Courtney Love, who initially green-lit the project, as well as a previous 2007 auction of the dead rock star’s memorabilia “to make a lot of money.”


Read the Exclaim! story here.

Smile of the Week

Where'd the Cheese Go? by Ween is a funny little song that has a story attached to it.

In 2002, the advertising agency for Pizza Hut approached Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, the duo who make up Ween, to record a promotional jingle, which resulted in a 30-second recording of "Where'd the Cheese Go?". It epitomized Ween-style irreverence but did not appeal to the agency, and Pizza Hut rejected several versions of the song outright. True to form (and somewhat indignant), Ween rerecorded the same song with new lyrics as "Where'd the Motherfuckin' Cheese Go At?"

Cohen, Madonna Inducted into Rock Hall

The annual induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame happened last Sunday, March 9 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in NYC.

The class of 2008 were blues harmonica legend Little Walter (inducted by Ben Haprer); Leonard Cohen (inducted by Lou Reed); John Mellencamp (inducted by Billy Joel) ; the Dave Clark Five (inducted by Tom Hanks ??); Madonna (inducted by Justin Timberlake); Surf rock pioneers the Ventures (inducted by John Fogerty); and songwriting giants Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (inducted by Jerry Butler).

Highlights included Iggy Pop and the Stooges performing Madonna's "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light" and Leonard Cohen's acceptance speech (video clip attached)

Read the Montreal Gazette story.

RIP Jeff Healey

Canadian Blues guitarist Jeff Healey has died on Sunday, March 2, after succumbing to a long battle with cancer.

The 41 year-old has battled cancer as early as age one, when a rare form of retinal cancer known as Retinoblastoma claimed his eyesight. He recently underwent numerous surgeries to remove tumors from his leg and lungs.

A prodigious teenager, Healey garnered much attention from his unique guitar technique, which had him playing his guitar on his lap. Known for his rock and blues style and performing with such greats as BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Healey however, preferred playing jazz with his band Jazz Wizards, with whom he also played trumpet and drums.

Healey's love of jazz also led him to host radio shows on the CBC and local Toronto station JAZZ.FM91, where he spun rare jazz tracks from his personal collection of over 30,000 vinyl records.

Read the Canadian Press Obituary.

RIP - Mike Smith of Dave Clark Five

Mike Smith, the lead singer of British band the Dave Clark Five, died on Thursday, February 28 of pneumonia resulting from complications of a 2003 spinal cord injury that had left him paralyzed from the waist down

His death came just two weeks before the Dave Clark Five -- one of the leading bands of the 1960s British invasion -- was due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Dave Clark Five, whose hits included "Glad All Over" and "Bits and Pieces," were one of the first British bands to find major success in the United States after the Beatles.

Smith was 64.

Read the Los Angeles Times story.

Musician has OHIP revoked

Toronto musician Owen Pallett aka Final Fantasy has been stripped of his Ontario health benefits after the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care found Pallett to be ineligible for OHIP coverage on grounds that his time in Ontario didn't meet the minimum requirement of 153 days in any 12-month period. Pallet spends the majority of his time touring and recording outside of Ontario.

On the morning of February 26, Trinity-Spadina Member of Provincial Parliament Rosario Marchese and NDP Critic for Health and Long-Term Care, France Gelinas, sent a letter to George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, urging "immediate intervention to help Owen Pallett."

Pointing out that Pallett should be exempt from the 153 day requirement according to Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act because his Ontario absences were for employment purposes, Marchese and Gelinas call the Ministry's hasty decision to revoke the award-winning musician's health insurance "inappropriate and unnecessary,"

Yeah, no shit!

Read the story from Exclaim! here

The March Issue of Exclaim! is out

Check out the March issue of Exclaim!

Along with Cursed on the cover, the issue also features a timeline on the career of techno legend Carl Craig, a feature on Montreal's Plants and Animals and a tribute to the late Willie P. Bennett.

The Rollings Stones: Say No to Drugs

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are giving people a word of advice...say no to drugs.

While at the premiere of Martin Scorcese’s new Rolling Stones documentary, Shine a Light, in Berlin this week, the Glimmer Twins, spoke out about the dangers of drugs.

The granddads of rock n roll -- who have infamously indulged in their share of chemicals and other assorted medications -- addressed the current problems of British crooner Amy Winehouse.

“I’m worried she might die if she goes down the road that she has taken,” Jagger said.

If anybody should know...

Read the exclaim.ca story.

Flaming Lips do Kylie

This track dates back to 2002 -- I think this is one of my favourite cover versions of any song, ever!

I was living in Melbourne, Australia when local gal Kylie Minogue's original version of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" took over the world. And the Flaming Lips are, well...the Flaming Lips!

Yoko Ono sues Lennon

I read this story today on exclaim.ca and it rather upset me.

It seems that Yoko Ono is suing a singer/songwriter named Lennon Murphy because her name apparently is "causing confusion in the market place that has damaged the John Lennon name."

Silly, eh? But that's not the worst part.

It turns out Murphy -- whose real first name is Lennon -- approached Ono about using the name back in 2000, when Murphy got signed to Arista records. Ono said all was fine.

Only now, as Murphy is no longer signed to a recording deal and struggling to make ends meet, does Ono sue her.

Yeah, I don't get it either...

Click here for the story.

This Week's Indulgences

I always seem to be a little late when getting into cool shit - music, television, what have you. But I wouldn't say I'm slow to pick up on things due to laziness or ignorance. I just hate buying into the hype and all the crap that goes with it -- like frat boys giving it their approval or the over exposure of the 'products' involved (pretty funny coming from a guy who has worked in advertising, pop-culture journalism and promotions, but it's true).

My indulgences this week that absolutely prove this point; the NBC television series 30 Rock and the Radiohead album In Rainbows.

I would occasionally find clips of the Emmy award-winning show 30 Rock on YouTube and mostly get clips of Tina Fey (surprisingly funny) and Tracy Morgan (surprisingly not as funny). I rented the first season DVD set on the weekend, and although I can't say it lived up to the hype that my Bocce buddies had talked up (what ever does?) it was pretty damn good. Alec Baldwin as NBC exec Jack Donaghy and Jack McBraye as NBC page Kenneth Parcell make the show for me. Not really being a fan of Fey's Saturday Night Live material, I was pleasantly surprised with the show's writing and acting.

Like everyone else, I anxiously waited to purchase and download In Rainbows back in October, 2007 when Radiohead offered it on-line, sans record company and price tag, but alas I never did.And after I gave the record a couple of listens on my friend's computer and thought it was worth a purchase, I just got sick every Thom, Dick and Harry talking about it. I just recently obtained the In Rainbow tracks and now can't get enough of the record. The hype was right on this one.

Falling Slowly

This morning I woke up to the song “Falling Slowly” from the film Once.

I didn't know anything about Once when I went to see it in the summer of 2007. I'd just returned to Toronto from living in the countryside of Japan, where I hadn't watched a single film in the year and a half I was there. It was the first matinée that was playing at the Cumberland Cinema in Yorkville the week I got home.

I remember smiling through out the whole film, even through the painfully awkward and melancholic scenes. The effect was immediate and it was all because of the beautiful music that the main character plays on his guitar as a busker. He meets this lovely girl who plays piano, but because of economics practices in the showroom of a local music store.

He offers to play a song for her and they improvise on an unfinished song he has written. The resulting scene is this stunningly beautiful and haunting song.