official home of shane alexander.

bizarre foods in montreal

2012-01-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

I love the food shows. Usually when I'm on a full stomach and I'm not near my kitchen. Be it as it may, Bizarre Foods is a favourite show of mine that's on the Travel Channel. On this episode they go Canadian and check out some eats in Montreal.

bueller, bueller..

2012-01-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

As much as I wish it was a teaser for the sequel of the classic 80s blockbuster, and the return of the much loved Ferris Bueller, it's just an ad that will be airing during the Super Bowl. Brilliant, though. A teaser an for an ad. What everyone is asking now is who's footing the bill?

friday is a moment away

2012-01-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

I had to move the machine upstairs. Working from my bed. Caught something this morning. Got worse during the day. I'm typing from my bed. Tissues surrounding me. Gave up on trying to be clean. Just want to survive. Headache has been aching for a couple of hours, now. Haven't bothered trying to find something on TV. It's been on CITY since I got up here around 2. It's been a rough day, but rewarding day. Got things done. Dispite the cold. The sniffles and head rushes and the slight dizziness. Trying to sleep. Popped a nighttime cold pill just after 1. Napped for an hour. Nothing had changed. Waiting for a few more hours till i can pop another one. I just need to man it out. Friday is a moment away.

2012-01-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

My show will be now available over on its own site. I have decided to give The Shane Alexander Show its own identity. Away from the blog. Away from anything else. I have some ideas for the podcast and this is the only way it'll happen. Hope this doesn't bother any of you that much. It'll all make sense soon. I'll still have teaser posts up here every week promoting the show but it'll come with a link to the show page.

Check out the new page. It's nice.

The NEW Home of the Shane Alexander Show is Here.

shane alexander show

2012-01-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

Dominated by Soul, Funk, Hip Hop and everything nice, it's another week throwing down the jams we love on the Shane Alexander Show. We open up the show with a tribute to the great Etta James and Jimmy Castor throwing in newer joints into the mix, also. Shane makes up for a mistake and gives us an all Cancon set followed by a throwback Hip Hop trip. Not too much talking this week, but we gots the joints for you. It's the Shane Alexander Show. Let's Go..

Something’s got a Hold on Me – Etta James

Tell Mama – Etta James

At Last – Etta James

All I Could do was Cry – Etta James

It’s Just Begun – Jimmy Castor

Scratchin’ – Magic Disco Machine

Otis – Watch the Throne feat. Otis Reading

Killer Dope – DJ Quick

Flavor in the Ear – Craig Mack

Nappy Heads – The Fugees

93 till Infinity – Souls of Mischief (Inst)

*The Village – Ian Kamau

*Jolly Good Fellow - D-Sisive

*I’m Here –The Lytics

*A Little Of Somethin - Dirtybird Beats

*Chin Gang – The Get By

*All of the Above – Notes to Self

Jazz (We’ve Got) – A Tribe Called Quest

Gas Face – 3^rd Bass feat. Zev Love X

Fakin Jax – INI feat. Pete Rock

*Father Time – Saukrates

On and On – Shyhem

The Anthem – The Lootpack

Numb – Linkin Park (Inst)

Love Jones – Jay Dilla

Love – Jay Dilla feat. Pharoahe Monch

*Denotes Canadian Content

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going dark

2012-01-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." Cyril Connolly

A reader recently told me that my writing this year has been darker. I'd rather say more honest. And yes. That was on purpose. Every day I try to accomplish something new. Take my writing to the next level. This year, my goal is to write more about myself and my stories than just stuff that's going on in my day in and day out life. I guess you can say it's fuel for that book I've been wanting to write for a while now. Someday, Shane. Someday, it'll be done. Sometimes I just don't have any stories to tell. Someday's I just want to write about what's going on. How my coffee went cold or that I fell on some black ice while going to grab smokes. How I got denied by a girl. How my date went. I can't control that. What the mind wants to think about it'll think about thus what I will write about. Some days I want to be like your grandfather and just want to tell stories of the old country. And the old times. Before computers and cell phones. The simpler days. The happier days. There I go dark, again. Dark usually means that you're getting honest. Honesty is not always sunshine and Happy Meals. It has that rustic texture to it that make people shy away. It's too real for them. It is what it is, I guess. As a writer I write what I feel.. If I don't, that's when I have to hang it up. When I'm writing for the masses and not for the self. My writing will only effect people when it's truth. Truth is what hits people and make them feel something. If you look at the greatest songs of all time, there's an inch of truth in there. A bit of something that people can relate to. I want people to relate to me. I might be dark, sometimes. That's just how it goes. I'll put on the jacket of death, carry a big stick and wonder around grave sites digging up sentences that will make my readers shiver. But at least they felt something. Much better if I were to write about my go lucky experiences at the county fair that gets no reaction. Dark is good sometimes. And I'm not only talking chocolate. I'll try to lighten the mood, however, but I can't force what the soul tells me. If I made you feel, I've done my job. And I'm grateful.

tomorrow - the cranberries

2012-01-25T01:23:00.000-08:00

Ever since they broke up over a decade ago, I have wanted them to reunite. I was made at them for a long time. Over time, I forgave and shed my tears while listening to Ode to Family. My dreams have come true. The big guy heard me. The Cranberries have reunited. This is the first single off their soon-to-be-released album. Yes.

texting while walking

2012-01-25T01:17:00.000-08:00

One for the urban elite. An instructional video on how to text while walking. And yes, I do stop before texting.

one word movie reviews

2012-01-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

Intense.

pennies found - the holiday crowd

2012-01-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

It used to be big money to shoot an acceptable video for the MTV generation. These days, big budgets have turned into just having a good smart phone with tons of juice. Add some cool apps added to the mix, and you have yourself a decent video. Much like this one that The Holiday Crowd shot for their single, Pennies Found off of the album Over the Bluffs.

To check out an album stream for Holiday Crowds debut album, Over the Bluffs, go here.

You can also check out my exclusive interview I did with lead man Imran Haniff last May, here.

bon joviver

2012-01-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

If you were a follower of this page last year, you would know I am a huge Bon Iver fan. Bon Jovi? Not so much. However, I found this fantastic. What if Iver covered Jovi.

humble and fred join rogers

2012-01-24T06:10:00.000-08:00

It only took three months and 62 shows till blog buds, Humble Howard Glassman and Fred Patterson took their internet radio show to the next level. The duo announced this morning on CITY-TV's Breakfast Television that they'll be teaming up with Rogers Broadcasting.

(TORONTO – January 24, 2012) Rogers Radio today announced the debut of Humble and Fred Radio.com across 18 Rogers Radio websites and on mobile devices through the Rogers Radio app.

"We are thrilled to partner with Humble and Fred and are very excited and proud to be able to offer this unique, innovative show to our Rogers radio listeners." says Julie Adam, VP Programming. "It's like having a 56th station... it's just that this radio station lives solely in the digital space."

Humble and Fred Radio.com is an uncut, uncensored and irreverent podcast baked fresh daily and delivered to listeners around the world. “Humble” Howard Glassman and Fred Patterson offer up a variety of special guests, hot-topic discussions and very funny content.

“We’ve never had so much fun” says Patterson, “And to have Rogers recognize our efforts and want to give us access to their millions of listeners is flattering. Rogers vision of the future is very impressive.

“We’re very happy to be part of the Rogers Family” says Glassman, “In fact from now on we’re going to call Bob McCown dad, and Erin Davis can be our mom.”

The deal will also see the duo joining local sports guru, Bob McCown for bits on FAN 590 and a special little thing with 680News.

insomnia.

2012-01-23T23:44:00.000-08:00

Hello, darkness, my old friend. I've come to talk with you again. I can't sleep. Was sitting up in my bed for a couple of hours. Flipping from channel to channel. Mind numbing process when there's nothing on or just repeats of stuff you watched earlier. Wasn't too much into the Jay or Dave tonight and there isn't any movies on. Caught a bit of the 'wresslin and took in some hockey spots from last nights games. I decided to come down here. Make tea and see where my night travels take me from there. April showers. It was the day today. Brisk wind. Cool temps. Not a typical winter we're having, eh? I'm predicting that it's just going up slightly every year. Every winter it'll get milder and milder. Less snow. Soon we'll be like Vancouver and Vancouver will become like California. I cry for Global Warming. Sure Baby Jesus does, too. 2.39AM. Been trying to sleep for 3 hours now. Hopefully, I'll be down for the count within the hour. Tea's ready. Slightly putting up the volume to my Simon and Garfunkle album. Let's see if this works....

so fly

2012-01-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

apple a day

2012-01-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

ad laughs

2012-01-22T03:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some laughs from the advertising world to start off a lazy Sunday.

future beatmaker

2012-01-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

When advertising is effective. This is a wonderful spot for the new MPC ENNIO 2000. When I picture myself teaching my future son about music, this comes to mind. Ad of the year.

etta and sarah.

2012-01-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

Woke up with a massive headache. I felt confused and lost. I couldn't concentrate. I didn't know what was going on. I woke up still thinking of a dream I had last night. Malcolm came to see me on a bus to talk to me. Yes. The Malcolm. But this was Malcolm pre-X. When he was still a Little and his nickname was Red. It made sense. I've been reading a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King lately. I have been studying both of those guys since I was a young lad. I remember sporting a Malcolm X shirt before the movie came out and my friends wondering who he was. It was just a few weeks after the release of the Spike Lee flick when everyone was sporting the shirts and the hat. The black baseball cap with the white X. Those were huge. Getting off track. I woke up thinking about the dream. Happy that I just had maybe the best dream ever, I felt out of place. I didn't know why. I popped a Tylenol and poured a chocolate chai . I sat in front of my computer and was just lost. Nothing was coming. Head hurting even more. Then I heard about Etta James. I had just finished watching some stuff about Canadian Freestyle Skier Sarah Burke who passed earlier this week. Bummed. Confused. Lost. Not even knowing why. I shut off my television and started to surf the web for Etta videos. I read the words fans left on Twitter and Facebook. There was a lot of death going on today. Didn't like it. I started to wonder more about why people say what they do when people die. Quick responses on a hard subject. Looking back, we all have done the same. How do we really know that the dead is "happier now" or if they're in a "better place"? We don't. It's just a reinsurance that the loved one is being taken care of by whoever is on that dreaded other side.

I cued up Something's Got a Hold on Me. Topped up my tea and continued my thought process. All of this while trying to continue on with my day and replying to E-Mails. The show must go on, after all.

Thought of the floating. The spiritual aspect of the afterlife. If there was an afterlife. This was some heavy duty thinking for 10am on a Friday before breakfast. But I trooped it out. I even went deeper. But let's not go that deep on here. I decided to write down my thoughts. But I couldn't it. My head was too busy with other thoughts. I had other pressing matters. I finally realized that my over-thinking of matters that aren't pressing will just make things worse. Think of the things I have control of. Like my destiny. What I'll eat for lunch. If I'm going to go out this weekend. The important stuff.

I turned up the volume and appreciated the smooth voice of Etta. I flipped through some flicks of Sarah Burke that the Post posted. I drank my tea. I was feeling better by just not thinking too much. That Tylenol must've kicked in.

Malcolm should've warned me about today.

paul rand

2012-01-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

Art is art. Inspirational. I'm going to start posting inspiring stuff on Fridays. It'll get you up for the weekend and give you that extra umph to make the day your best. To start off the new feature, here's someone who I always found inspirational. Paul Rand. In case you don't know, he was the man behind such iconic logos for ABC, IBM and UPS.

rip etta james

2012-01-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

fictional experiences

2012-01-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

When I get that moment when I can't seem to articulate myself in writing, I tend to stop. Tell myself that it just isn't time and just wait till next time. The next time I get a feeling to write. This time is different. I just wanted to try again. See how it goes. At first I thought I'd write a fictional story about this fictional girl during this fictional experience. But I couldn't. The fictional time, I didn't want to relive. The fictional girl I couldn't write about. Yet. Too early. I still care. The fictional place I still go. It's the fiction stuff I tend to have hard time with. It's reliving the idolization of it all. Trying to capture that fictional moment to make it perfect. I'm not a fiction writer. I care. I write about truth. What's inside. What I care about. But I care too much that some things that can't be known. That need to be thought of as fiction. I still have to get over that insecurity of mine. As a writer, I need to be open. Ready for hurt and exposure and truth. Fictional writing is hard. It'll get easier along the way. When I stop caring still.

so cold. so young

2012-01-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a promotional video I shot today during the snow squall hoopla. The wintery weather in January was a nice change for the April mildness we've been having. Appreciate both, of course.

Thanks to Nouvelle Vague and Charlie Watson for the jazzy notes.

z103 morning show gone.

2012-01-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

In a developing story, the morning team of Cory Kimm and Ami Amato were let go earlier today from their morning stint at Toronto area CHR station, Z103.5. In his Facebook status update posted over an hour ago, Cory Kimm alerted fans, "The Cory Kimm Ami A. Show will no longer be heard on Z....we hope to talk with you soon though. Much LOVE!!!"

This comes after whispers siding with Z going under a name change very soon. As reported here previously, Evenov had picked up a couple of domain names using the Energy moniker. They just switched their Z station in Halifax a couple of weeks back.

I smell a name change in the next few days. Most likely, as soon as Tomorrow. No word yet if the station will be letting go any more from their roaster that includes Ashley Greco and the legendary Tony Monaco.

2012-01-19T08:17:00.001-08:00

that's dancin'

2012-01-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

This made my morning. One of my regular readers who thought my name Fame derived from the old TV show, sent me this video. It made me smile. Thanks, Jolie.

rip kodak

2012-01-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the memories had. The moments captured.
Full story here.

bozo

2012-01-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

Bozo Texino, the great boxcar artist, shares some wise words that rings true to someone we all know. Wink, Wink..

shane alexander show

2012-01-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

We're back in action this week on the Shane Alexander Show while other sites are blacked out, we're delivering the best in new joints and classic hits. We start off the show this week with a nice mish-mash of old school and newer tracks from all over the musical map, in pure Shane Alexander Show fashion. For the second set, Shane does a throwback set. We also hear recent tracks from Kendrick Lamar, Common and Odd Future's, Frank Ocean. Shane closes off the show with a cool Cancon set featuring new material from Notes to Self, D-Sisive and a double hit of Ian Kamau. Due to technical problems, we couldn't showcase all the songs from the Urbnet comp album as we wanted to. Also, the new Theo3 joint was lost in the shuffle. Sorry about that. Good show nonetheless. Enough talking. Let's Go..

Never Comin’ Back – Aaliyah
Everything Gonna be Alright – Aaliyah
The Life – Mystic (DJ Mensa Remix)
*Reckless with your Love – Azari and iii
How do you like me Now? – The Heavy
I Remember – The Roots
Lonely Boy – The Black Keys
*The Fall – The Weeknd
Black out on White Night – Sage Francis
93 till Infinity – Souls of Mischief (Inst)
It’s Yourz – Wu-Tang Clan
8 Steps to Perfection – Company Flow
Punks Jump up to get Beat Down – Brand Nubian
Buck ‘Em Down – Blackmoon
The MC – KRS-One
Award Tour – A Tribe Called Quest (Inst)
Celebrate – Common
No Make- Up (Her Vice) – Kendrick Lamar (feat. Colin Monroe)
Love Crimes – Frank Ocean
Vibeout – J Dilla (Inst)
*The Boy who Cried Wolf – Ian Kamau
*Mr. Romance – D-Sisive
*The Village – Ian Kamau
*All of the Above – Notes to Self
*Love (Close Enough) – Theo3 and Scam

*Denotes Canadian Content

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trusting technology

2012-01-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

All day. Staring at the screen. Waiting for an e-mail. Phone by side. Waiting for it to ring. Finally had the courage to pick up the phone to make a call. Will I still get the call I'm waiting for? Maybe they'll e-mail instead. Forgot. It's 2012. Call waiting has been around for a few. Still don't trust it. Never trust technology when it comes to life and death situations. It'll always disappoint you.

In '95 I got my first pager. I was at a coffee shop drinking my coffee and writing. Not much has changed, really. I was waiting for a page. A friend was going to call. Let me know if he wanted to chill. Waited. Waited. Decided to call him. No one answered. Checked my pager again. Nothing. Half hour passed. Checked my pager. Still nothing. Checked the voice mail in case I missed something. Nada. As I was about to give up, I see lights pulling into the parking lot of the plaza. It was him. He waved. I dropped my bag. Pulled out my smoked and lit one up. When back to the counter and ordered my forth. My friend ran in. Asked him where he was. He told me that he tried to page me, but it was cut off. Bell hadn't received my cheque.

I thought of that story all day while staring at my phone and my Gmail Inbox.

Until I got the call.

Sometimes, I guess, technology comes through. Just make sure it's plugged in and the cheque has been paid.

one word movie reviews

2012-01-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

Layers

juice turns 20

2012-01-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

hello

2012-01-17T08:00:00.001-08:00

Hello from ant1mat3rie on Vimeo.

anyone lived in a pretty how town

2012-01-17T06:44:00.000-08:00

When I'm not listening to music, I listen to this kind of stuff. Lay back with your morning beverage, snack in hand and enjoy the reading...

certified

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Got an e-mail late last night from the good people at Urbnet Records. They sent me an exclusive download link for their latest compilation album, Urbnet Certified vol. 1. The album features a bunch of their talent including our homies, Ian Kamau and D-Sisive. The album is tight and worth the listen.

01. Ian Kamau - The Village
02. Besque - Not Enough Love
03. Motëm - All of the Above
04. Def3 - Real Talk
05. D-Sisive - Jolly Good Fellow
06. Dirtybird Beats - A Little Of Something
07. Cityreal - Passing Me By (ft Wes Mackey)
08. Factor - Club Soda OG
09. Fatty Down - Sippin' A Beer Remix (Feat. Evil Ebenezer & Kyprios)
10. royceBIRTH - When The Music Stops
11, The Happy Unfortunate - 89 Vibin'
12. The Lytics - I'm Here

Stream Album for Free Here.

rip jimmy castor

2012-01-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

ironic side of headaches.

2012-01-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

I might have to stop drinking coffee. It's been giving me the worst headaches for a while now. They suck. I feel handicapped. Paralyzed from the neck up. I started this new experiment today with a veggie slash fruit smoothie. Carrots, Greens, Spinach with an Orange juice base. Green and gooey looking, but good. Surprisingly. But will this give me the energy boost I need every single morning if I quit my Joe? I might also suffer from withdraw. Shaking, panicking. Mood swings like a drugged up heroin missing his few days of needle scars. I can't watch Intervention. It bothers me. The few times I did watch, I had nightmares. I guess sometimes, some shows just hit way too close to home. Sad, but true. It hurts to think. Hopefully this smoothie idea will do the trick. Maybe replace the coffee with hot chocolate? Should I join Rob Ford on his mission, too? Nah. I stick with the smoothie idea. Don't need to loose weight. I need this headache to go away. Hurts to type. Think. I might need a coffee after all this to stay awake. The weird ironic thing that we call life, I guess.

classic hits

2012-01-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

one king.

2012-01-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

i have a dream

2012-01-16T05:45:00.000-08:00

my cool grandparents..

2012-01-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

January 15th. A day to celebrate. And to Remember.

My Grandmother used to help me skip school. Well, Sort of. She didn't know that I was skipping school. She just thought that I was sick. I was. Sick of school. I would give her a call and she would come and get me. At the tender age of 7, I had skipping down to an art form. I didn't even know there was a word for leaving school when you weren't sick. Ferris had yet hit the theatres. Back then, school wasn't that hard. Bell rang. We played with our friends. Did some work. Learned stuff. Lunch. Gym. Some math. Went home. Repeat till Mid-June. But I wanted to chill with my grandparents. They were cool. Cooler than my elementary school pals. My Grandfather would teach me boxing moves while my Grandmother would make me something delicious to eat before we walk over to the store so she can buy me Mcdonalds apple pie.

As the years went by, they continued with their cool factor, even if they were getting on with age. The apple pie turned into nice hefty dinners. The boxing moves turned into religion talks. Gramps and I would sit in the back room where he would chill all day in his rocking chair and watch TV. He would let us watch anything we wanted. Sometimes, he would sneak in the stuff the kids liked. Especially the shows that involved blond girls in red bathing suits running on the beach. We would chuckle like little boys while he would keep lookout for when Grandma was coming down the hallway. We would change the channel to something educational. When Grandma left, we changed it back, taking another glimpse of the "nice beach show on channel 29".

Grandpa passed in the 90s. We lost Grandma almost a decade ago. On the same day that would've been my Grandfather's 90th.

January 15th. A day to celebrate and remember. Boxing matches, Baywatch, Walks for apple pie.

Skipping school would have never been so fun without those two.

my philosophy

2012-01-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

It was only about time that I drop a mixtape dedicated to my favourite rapper, KRS-One. The other day, I felt all Hip Hoppy and was listening to my Kris discography. I thought it was about time to do up the mixtape. Like with any legend, it's hard to fit in all his hits on to an hour and half mixtape. Did my best. Tried to convey the sound of KRS One in a single tape. I think I did good. So here ya go. My Philosophy. A KRS One mixtape. How many real Hip Hoppers in the place right now?

Krs One Attacks

Outa Here

Return of the Boom Bap

Poetry

The Bridge is Over

Criminal Minded

My Philosophy

Hip Hop Rules

Self Destruction

P is still Free

Beef

Duck Down

The Original Way

Mad Crew

Represent the Real Hip Hop

Free Mumia

Rappers R N. Danja

Ah –Yeah

The MC

Step into a World

Sound of da Police

Unstoppable – Public Enemy feat. KRS –One

I’m Still #1

BONUS:

A Friend

Out for Fame

4^th Quarter – Free Throws

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all of the above - notes to self

2012-01-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

cold noises...

2012-01-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

When my knee hurts it's gonna get colder. I like to think of it as a connection with the Mother. We're tight. Last night was my first of my detox weekend. All I ate all day was grapefruit and water. It was good. I so be a furitatarian. If there was such a thing. Today, I kind went off the plan. Had two eggs. And Mom's walnut muffin. And hot chocolate. I think the hot drink was called for today. Who knew we would get such a cold few days into April. Feels like April. Well, most of this winter has.

I have been staring at this half done painting I started back in the summer. It's just sitting there. Green, drips of red and silver. I have no connection to it. Nothing. When I look at it, it doesn't tell me a story like my other paintings do. I have no love for it. It's the dark horse of the family. I have to work on it. Just experiment with it and see where it goes. Maybe it'll come out better. Maybe worse. I don't know. I just have to change it.

I was in my basement last night. I heard the alarm go off. I thought my Mom had come. I yelled her name. No answer. I quietly walked up the stairs with phone in toe ready to dial those three numbers. I slowly opened the door and peaked out. No one there. My garage door was open. The wind blew it open. The garage door itself was closed. Wind travels under the garage and hits the door open. Happens every winter. Freaks me out every year. We have to fix that lock. Last year, the alarm went off when we weren't home. Got the call. They said that the police went by and there wasn't any visible trouble. Nothing seemed wrong. Good thing, I was just down the street. Came home. Nothing. Only the garage door ajar. We have to fix that lock.

i did photography today.

2012-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

band of horses - the funeral

2012-01-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

false political battles and old bearded lady.

2012-01-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

I used to watch award shows all the time. I used to look forward to them. It was the Actor slash Talk-Show Host slash Superstar in me that made me think I would someday be on that red carpet that Cosby, J Fox, and Alyssa Milano were walking. I think there's a bit of that in me still. There's a bit of that in everyone. Everyone wants to be a star. Like The Stone Roses, everyone wants to be adored. I turned on The People's Choice tonight, and didn't really get it. Get the whole thing about the show. Why people look forward to them. Why the screams. The cheers. The acceptance of false political battle. The smiles. The intoxicated speeches. Enter Adam Sandler. I'm a huge fan. Well. was a huge fan. The Wedding Singer remains a favourite of mine. Mainly because of his lovely co-star. I heard Sandler spitting out one of those intoxicated speeches. He wasn't funny. Anymore. Not like he was back in the 90s. He did the same old bit. Calling out the bearded lady and old man with one eye, and fat kid with unibrow.

Picked up the converter. Click. Click. Click. Law and Order. I put down the remote. I'll watch this.

Over time, I realized that it's not so cool to be a celebrity. I realized in recent years with the birth of social media and especially Twitter, how lame people we admire really are. I just hope that these aren't their PR people tweeting for them. In that case, they're making their client look like a douche. I guess the days of me listening to pop culture and everyone around ir about the obsessed need to be known and famous and rich and admired is over. It was over a decade ago. I'd rather be just liked and respected. That's it. That's all. I'm a simple guy. Burger and fries type of guy. I'll build you the house. Shack even. As long as we're happy. We'll get by with what we have. We don't need the best in bells and whistles. It's realer that way. No false political battles with the old bearded lady on Fathers day when my child tells me how much she love me.

shane alexander show

2012-01-11T07:04:00.001-08:00

It's a packed show this week on the Shane Alexander Show. We take a rock and jazzy music ride for our first two sets going back to some classic 80s tunes to recent underground jazzy Hip Hop joints. We feature Canadian content from The Holiday Crowd and new Weeknd. Shane speaks of the quote un-quote "Battle" between Common and Drake and we give props to Jay-Z for his Daddy Rap. It's a newsworthy action packed show this week. Let's Go.

Prettiest Eyes – The Beautiful South

Being Boring – Pet Shop Boys

*Never Speak of it Again – The Holiday Crowd

This Charming Man – The Smiths

Old Friend – Alexander

Nightswimming – REM

Holocene – Bon Iver

Blue Monday – Nouvelle Vague

93 till Infinity – Souls of Mischief (Inst)

Goodmorning Sunshine – Quasimoto

Got up this Morning – Sage Francis

Rose Rouge – St. German

*Next – The Weeknd

I Need my Girl – The National

Bonnie and Clyde – Beyonce feat. Jay Z (Inst)

Glory – Jay-Z feat. B.I.C.

Love is a Song Crying – Jay Z and J Dilla

Cater 4 U – Destiny’s Child

Deep Cover – Dr. Dre (Inst)

The Bitch in You - Common

*Headlines – Drake

*Denotes Canadian Content

DOWNLOAD

the cure song.

2012-01-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight was spent listening to different types of music as per usual, but since I was not thinking too much, thoughts came to my head all inspired by what I was listening to. I first looked up The Cure's classic, Pictures of You.

I thought of a bus ride back in late 2007. It was fall and it was raining. I was going down Highway 7 after a long day at the office. I was tired. All I wanted to do was to hit repeat on my Ipod and listen to Robert Smith sing. I looked outside the window of the Number 1 YRT bus and tried to tag the window. the F, A and E dropped slowly. I watched my tag slowly evolve into a drippy masterpiece as I pressed the repeat again and let my thoughts wonder. I repeated this motion a few times until I reached my stop. Good thing that the track is more than five minutes long. The LP version, anyway.I got off the bus and walked home. Said Hi to my Mother and went upstairs. Didn't bother with the computer or TV or even changing my clothes. Just wanted to hear Smith. Don't know why. Just did. I jumped on my bed and pressed play.

I felt empty in November of '07. It was the beginnings of my depression. Pictures of You is the song I associate with those days. Everything about the track made me feel alone, sad, dark but OK. OK with everything that was going on. Not even in that `I'll be OK' way but in the `It's OK' way. OK to feel like this. OK to feel dark and sad and alone. It was a suicidal person's comfort food. Remember walking home at night. Drunk. Barely able to keep in the tears anymore. I'd take a short cut through the park. I would sit on the swing and cry. Cry for a few minutes while I heard Smith sing. It was my medicine. Funny thing is, a song that was actually about depression, Everybody Hurts by the great REM, followed Pictures of You on my Ipod and I never found it soothing or comforting like Cure's track.

Some words do different things to different people.

Over the years, I've been able to listen to Pictures and smile. Appreciate what I went through. What I learned. What I overcame. How it made me stronger. There'll always be that little bit of me that goes back to the dark place when Smith starts humming, but that's OK. Because I'm OK, now.

If only I'd thought of the right words
I could have held on to your heart
If only I'd thought of the right words
I wouldn't be breaking apart
All my pictures of you

If you feel like you are depressed and need someone to talk to, To Write Love On Her Arms is a great non-profit that helps young people find hope. Click Here for more Info.

forgot the isolation.

2012-01-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Spending the afternoon at the local Starbucks reading and catching up on some work. Forgot my headphones. Kinda sucks since I was looking forward to some alone time with Ella. At least they've got a cool Jazz CD playing. I still need to find a coffee house where they still play vinyl instead of these new CD things that the kids are playing with. There was this one bar I knew a while ago that had a record player. We used to go in for some pints and test out the new records we had bought that day from the store down the street. That was a good summer. Listened to a lot of Radiohead and Michael Stipe and Jurassic Five. The bar has since closed. Bummer.

The afternoon out is always good. New scenery. Getting out of the norm. Too much of the regular is never good. Change it up a bit and try something new. It'll keep ya on your toes. Even something as small and insignificant as changing up your drink order. Does wonders. Today I tired the new mocha. I heard my regular Chai was calling my name. I tried to ignore it. Maybe next time I go up we'll reunite.

They changed the CD.. It's some bad commercial folk. I don't recognize it. Now, I wish I had brought my headphones.

so much promise..

2012-01-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

I got this screencap from a video I posted a while ago of the 2000 416 Graffiti Expo which was a yearly event held in downtown Toronto. Goodtimes. I had just graduated Trebas from their Music Business program and was just getting my legs wet in the concert promotions pool. I was meeting great people, listening to my favourite type of music and giving back to the culture I loved so much. Crazy how times flies Crazy how things change. Almost 12 years later. Older. A bit fatter and have evolved from the young B-Boy I once was into someone who has more of an understanding of what Hip Hop culture has done for me and where it sits in my life. And I think that's a good thing. It's always good to know where you sit in relationships. If it's a person or a intangible spiritual belief. The picture reminds me of passion, and love and loyalty and how hard work pays off. The sweat and tears I poured out that summer was crazy. But well worth it. Because of all that, I helped deliver some of the best Hip Hop shows Toronto had ever seen. And I'm proud of that. There was promise inside of me knowing I would make a difference. Looking back, I know I did. Big or small, I helped someone look at the culture I loved, differently. Now, with all that love of the past, It's time to look forward.

more epic

2012-01-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

I did some more of the Life is Epic series where I take cool vintage photos of celebs and re-do them. This time, it's an all girl thing.

Click on 'em to make them larger..

rip larry solway

2012-01-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

Radio got a bit less interesting today. Larry Solway has passed away after a lengthy battle with Cancer. For most of the older ears, Solway was a staple to Toronto radio for years doing time at CHUM, CFRB and 640 where he hosted brash, controversial, and honest talk shows. It was his time, however, at CHUM that he'll always be remembered.

As a young radio wannabe, I got to know Larry when he was on CFRB. One time, when I was 8 or 9, I heard that the Toronto Sun Wrestling scribe, Frank Z, would be on Solway's show talking good ol' 'resslin. I had to tune in. As the eagerness of being on radio took over my body, I had the phone in hand wanting to talk to Frank and Larry while mounted on my kitchen table with the whole family huddled around me. I couldn't wait. I finally heard my name. It was my turn. Larry asked who was on the other line. I quickly responded, "This is Shane. Shane from Stoufville". No quicker then when I picked up the phone to dial CFRB, Larry quizzically asked, "Is this the beautiful Mrs Liz?" - referring to the old manager and real life wife of Randy "Macho Man" Savage. I couldn't speak while my family chuckled quietly in the background. It was all in good humour for Solway.

I continued to listen to the legendary host till the very end and was happy he would do a quick run in politics later on in life. Most recently, I was excited to check out his daily mumbles on his blog, Looking Ahead. I was scared the end was near for the pro last November when he wrote his readers that he couldn't write anymore. The end was near. He wrote, “I'm writing this only to touch base with all my blog readers. I very nearly died from cancerous lungs and am still languishing in PMH where if my luck holds, they will be sending me home, where I cancuddle (sic) up to the trap of my own TV.” The broadcaster signed off, “I hope to survive. If not. It's been good.”

It was very good, Larry and you did us proud. Rest Good, Mr. Solway.

life is epic

2012-01-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

For the first mixtape for 2012, here's an exclusive download before I send it over to the good people at Birp.fm. For thoes who aren't familiar, a few months ago, Birp.fm picked up my indie rock mixtape I did and featured it on their site. Now, I'm doing up the second one for the site. However, before I hand it over to them, I'm letting you get an exclusive listen before anyone else. It's a 10 track Indie rock tape full of new to new-ish tunage from Stars, Feist, The Weeknd, Radiohead and more.

(00:00) The National - I Need my Girl
(4:23)The Willow and the Builder – Heartache
(7:57) Arches – Nowhere to Go
(11:54) Prehistoricos – Los Salvagies
(15:14) Feist – Comfort Me
(18:41) Stars – Dead Hearts
(21:43) Alexander – Truth
(25:53) Radiohead – The Daily Mail
(28:18) The Weeknd – Next
(34:17) Youth Lagoon – Goodbye Again

DOWNLOAD

And to Check out my first mixtape for Birp, Check it out here.

a sunday meal

2012-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

Never need an excuse to make a huge meal for loved ones who wanna drop by on a Sunday afternoon. Got up early and did some preparing. It was good variety over some chai tea and talk and laughs. Here's some of the foods we took in including the fried kailan that my aunt brought over. Crisp and tasty.

x and 'mind

2012-01-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

If you were a fan of Hip Hop in Toronto back in the late 80s to the 90s you would know that you couldn't get the sounds if you didn't listen to some of our local college radio shows. And you would also be familiar with two names. Mastermind (now on FLOW 93.5) and DJ X. I'm sure there's a few thousand heads around my age who always wanted to be in their position. Spinning the tunes and interviewing the biggest emcess coming through on a promo tour. And like the true heads you respect, you are always in awe when they speak of the `old days'. No matter how old you are, you sit down and be quiet and hear their stories.

Came across this interview the two did promoting a new mixtape they did together. You can download it here. But first, check out this well directed interview as X and Mastermind talk Hip Hop in a Hip Hop heads' playground. The record shop..

z103 gets energized..

2012-01-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

Just as I predicted back on December 20th, One of the two remaining Evanov Broadcasting Z103 stations have re- branded into Energy103. The rumour started mid-December when it was found that the Evanov group have bought a bunch of web address' boasting Energy103. The same name of an Evanov station in Winnipeg which came out of the gate last summer with high numbers. It was whispered that the company is planning to flip their Halifax and Toronto Z properties in the new year. Which they have. Well. Almost. Today Z103 Halifax turned into Energy103 right after the suits axed the morning run, the afternoon talent and a producer.

Could Z Toronto be next? I think so.

Z103, which is based out of Orangeville, Ontario, is plugging the start of a new promotion on Monday. That's when the flip will happen, I'm guessing. Nothing like a little tweak to boost the dismal ratings and get the advertisers interested again. It's also interesting to note that the URL Energy1035.com goes to Evanov's homepage where Z Toronto is the last standing one with the name.

Let's get Energized, Toronto.

the broad

2012-01-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

I got introduced to a broad today. Broad Bean. Not so familiar with it, I did some investigating while I was eating the bean tomato pasta with healthy delight. Fascinating stuff you can do with the bean and even more cool is what goes with it.. An omelette, did ya say? Interesting. Also gotta try this broad bean and chick pea dish they mentioned. Chicks and Broads always seem to stick together...

oh mila.

2012-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

truth - alexander feat. rza

2012-01-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

As per the post earlier this morning, here's a single that I'm really digging from Alexander. This is the re-mix featuring the man RZA.

You can download it for free here.

cold sweats.

2012-01-06T00:53:00.000-08:00

Woke up in cold sweats. No Nightmare. No crazy flying dream. Just woke up in cold sweats. Not sure why. I craved the leftover french fries that have been sitting in the fridge for two days now. Made some poutine with them on Wednesday. Needed a fry break after that dish. Today is a new day. Today I was able to finish them. Downloading the Alexander Ebert album. Waiting. I did have some weird dreams last night. A bunch of fighting and tripped out stuff that I don't want to get into. One does have to do with a family reunion and me running away and falling off my bed in the hotel room. I hear if you dream about being in bed, it signifies `putting a situation to bed'. Get it? Cool. I was hoping I didn't need to explain that. Anyway, I think I know what my body is trying to tell me. Thanks for the heads-up, bud. The download is almost finished. I'm really digging this Alexander dude. If you get a chance, give him a listen. He's cool. I fell asleep before The Shore last night. Debating if I want the fab gino crew in my life for 2012. Maybe. Just so tempting to watch. Addicting, really. Sad. I'm sure I'll watch. Just getting really tired of them and their useless manufactured drama. It's Friday. My yearly weekend of vegetating and creating has begun. In solitude. I like to begin the first weekend of the year like this. I have done it for maybe five years now? It's a chance to detox from all the stuff I did during the holidays and a chance to be by myself and think. Sore from the yoga I did last night. I might have to watch some How To videos this weekend on how to properly execute the moves. This is why I love Youtube. Vimeo is fast becoming a favourite, too. Ah. Download is done. Pressing play. Goodnight.

mamastay..

2012-01-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

I just finished doing the locust pose for five. Tomorrow, I'm going to try the bridge pose. Sooner or later, I'll attempt a class. I haven't really been so serious about Yoga since High School. No. As I stated before, this isn't a New Years Resolution. This is just something that happened organically. Something I just felt like I wanted to do. Thought about it. Doing it. Just do it. That's what's up. We'll see what goes down, but so far, I feel refreshed, centred and balanced. My mind is working better. Maybe that's why I hardly had stress backintheday. I did yoga. Mamastay.

one word movie reviews

2012-01-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

Awe-inspiring.

shane alexander show

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you need a mental picture for this weeks show, think of the stragglers after a party chilling out on the couch with the host, just soaking in the nights activities just wanting to go home. Fresh off the Holidays, Shane Alexander returns with a laid back kinda show. Nothing planned. Just talking and playing some good music. In the first set, Shane changes it up by going through the different sounds that makes his ears bubble. Then, we check out some recent indie rock bangers then close off the show with a classic Dilla beat. We're back for the New Year, Ya'll. Let's go.

U&Me&Everyoneweknow – Jean Grae

*Just Tryin’ to Provide – Theo3

Comin’ Thru – Chali2Na

Longevity – J-Live

Everything is Falling Down – Phonte

Lighthouse – The Roots feat. Dice Raw

*High for This – The Weeknd

Girl I Love You – Massive Attack feat. Horace Andy

With or Without You – U2

Will you Still Love me tomorrow? – Amy Winehouse

Jail La La – Dum Dum Girls

Norway – Beach House

93 Till Infinity – Souls of Mischief (Inst)

Paper Planes – M.I.A feat. Bun B and Rich Boy

How you Like me Now? - The Heavy

Use Somebody – Kings of Leon

Time to Pretend – MGMT

*Get it Wrong, Get it Right – Feist

Slow Hands – Interpol

Climax (Girl Shit) – Slum Village (Inst)

Girls Climax – Jay-Z and J Dilla

*Denotes Canadian Content

DOWNLOAD

a true hero.

2012-01-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine died in 2011 from having an epilepsy attack at Finch Station. He fell on the tracks. The subway got him before he was able to be rescued. When I saw this heroic video last night, I thought of Tim. And I thought of anyone who knows someone who has epilepsy who would be forever grateful to anyone who saves their loved ones life. I also think that we finally know what Superman looks like. A feel good video to start off 2012.

do more drugs..

2012-01-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Quit exercising and do more drugs, I told my friend jokingly last night over our New Years beers. Was never one for New Years Resolutions. I don't believe in them. You make goals for yourself. Write them down. Post them on your wall. Look at them daily. Remind yourself. Like Nike, Just Do It. It doesn't have to be shared. The only person who needs to know is you. And you are the one who is going to make it happen. I have goals this year. And they will happen. Certain of that. As I sit here typing just after 11am on New Years Day with a pounding headache sipping on my cold tea that was made a couple hours ago, I look back at 2011 and think it was a great year. Sure. Had some crazy ups and downs. Without the Lows, though, we would never grow. And grow is what I did. No regrets. Just lessons. Lessons that will I take into 2012 while I progress to the next level. The blog is turning 4 this year. Next month, actually and I'm proud I've had it with me. It's been a great friend. Without it, I don't know how I would've survived. I started it during one of the lowest points of my life. I had just quit drinking and I used the page to document my 97 day sober run. I used it as an outlet to express the dark feelings I had in my soul. As I got out of the rut, I showed it on here. Whatever turns my life took since 2008 this page expressed it. I look back at this years posts' and I see how life can be really unpredictable. Things I should've shared on here, I didn't but I was able to read between the lines and knew I really wanted to say something else. Scream when I was really talking. Cry when I was laughing. But I didn't. Maybe someday, I will share all those times with you. Maybe I should save it for my book. 2012 is going to be great. I have a feeling we'll have a lot of turmoil in the world and it'll bring unity. I believe we'll have some hard times but we'll get through it. Personally, I know I have things I need to do. Turning 34 this year and I need to get shit done. Keep up and listen to the heart. That's what really matters. Fuck the rest.

life is epic

2011-12-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

I was browsing the interweb this afternoon and came across two of the most inspirational and captivating photos I've ever seen concerning rock stars. As I went to bed, I was still thinking of both of them. Hours later. I then came up with a tagline, and just had to get to work. I changed up the pictures a bit and then did up the tag line on both. I might do more of these, but I doubt I will ever find as inspirational flicks as these two.

Click on 'em to make 'em larger.

bridge's facial hair

2011-12-29T10:53:00.000-08:00

I think I might have a man-crush on Jeff Bridge's facial hair. Homeboy can rock anything. Beard, Gotee, 'Stache. I wish some of us were that lucky. This post is dedicated to the great Jeff Bridge's Facial Hair.

old man project..

2011-12-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

I have a huge box of change. Mixed American and Canadian coins I would just add to whenever I feel the overwhelming sensation of jiggling in my pocket. I would let it fill up, then add to my huge Pepsi marked piggy bank that sits by my desk. I would go in there for bus change, coffee, pads to the wallet. Yesterday, I decided I will finally find out how much can fit in the box before dumping it into the Pepsi bank. Blame male curiosity slash needing something cool to do. My mission started. First, remove all the pennies. Next. Separate the Americans from the Canadians. Finally. Count.

So far I have come up with $10 Canadian. Tomorrow I will finish the Canadians off. Then tackle the Americans. I think they're more of them, Unfortunately.

While I was doing the count today, I realized that this is an old man project. Those projects that last a week that could actually be done in a couple of hours. But the old guy just gets tired. He needs to take a rest. The rest leads to having a cup of tea. The tea leads to a nap. The nap leads to sleep. Sleep leads to packing it in early. Packing it in early...You get the picture. Well. That's exactly what I did yesterday. Packed it in early. I travelled for just over 4 hours on Wednesday. I did what I could. Today is the next step.

Lesson of the day; Always find something new to dabble in. Even if it's a small side thing. A little project to keep you on your toes. It'll make those winter nights go by faster and keep you busy. Heck. Maybe you'll even learn something. Did ya know that American pennies from the 80s tend to have a totally different texture than the ones that were made in the 90s? I'm sure I'll learn something else today.

#nowlisteningto

2011-12-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

rip joe bodolai

2011-12-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

Sad news out of Hollywood this morning. Joe was from Toronto and used to work with CBC and wrote a bunch of the stations best shows. Including Kids in The Hall. He in fact did the first draft of Wayne's World with Mike. I found his blog a while back by accident. It wasn't until later I would know his bio. Bunch of my industry pals were pals with him. He was a funny guy. When I needed inspiration or a laugh, I would jog over to his page and read. His writing was inspirational, funny and honest. I was sad to learn about the news today that it has been rumoured to be a suicide and The Note can be found on His Page as the last entry. Read it. Took me a while to get through it. At least he wrote it with class and humour. Wish it wasn't so, Joe. We'll miss you.

Hate it when funny dies.

To check out his blog you can go here.

the crazy never die.

2011-12-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

A lucky little find I had today while snooping around the Tube. An old documentary on the great Hunter S. Thompson that was originally only available on VHS. A warm, cozy watch on a Holiday evening.

one word movie reviews

2011-12-25T19:20:00.001-08:00

Slow.

wishes in 2012.

2011-12-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

happy holidays..

2011-12-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

the energy needed back in local radio..

2011-12-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

The latest radio rumour has got me thinking.. Why? Why does the Toronto radio market have to be so stupid at times. Maybe I should inform you first, then make my case. It was heard yesterday that the Evanov group have registered a bunch of sites with the moniker Energy103. Yes. Evanov are the same guys who own Z103 here in Toronto and in Halifax. So, this raises the question are they about to re-brand and tweek for 2012? Evanov kicked out an Energy moniker station in Winnipeg this last summer which came out of the gate with a huge 6.2 share. The Z103 here rarely gets more than a 3 share. Furthermore. And this is part of my problem. There's four other CHR stations in Toronto. Only one of them get ratings higher than a 6 share on regular basis.

So, why can't Evanov - if they're thinking of rebranding - try something brand new? Something that's hasn't already been done. Something that's already going on. Toronto is the largest Canadian radio market. I believe our market has room for some out of the box radio formats. No more Rock, though. We have too many of those, too. How about an 80s station? Or News/Talk station based on the FM dial? Let's even try Country again. Anything.

I'm trying to think of what other format would work with the word Energy as its moniker, but by judging the new station in Winnpeg, it looks like Z might just turn to Energy next year.

(Don't forget kids, we used to have an Energy moniker station years ago. It was CIDC 108FM.)

Tired of the same stuff on the dial, let's make changes that would progress our market. Not make it the stale old humped back grandfather it has become.

Come'on. We need the energy back in Toronto radio.

christmas cheer..

2011-12-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

Did up a couple quick vintage Holiday cards for you guys to pass around. Feel free to post them on your blog, send them to loved ones, or use them as wallpapers.

top albums for 2011..

2011-12-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a great year for music this year. I was satisfied with digging into all parts of the musical globe and picking up gems and future classic releases. I must say, I'm extra happy for Toronto. The world is finally starting to understand that Canada has a cool sound. Anyway, Here's my top 10 releases for 2010.

10. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
A great mid-year release for me to cool out to. Tracks of Note: Perth, Calgary, Berth, Rest.

9. Hot Sauce Committee Part II - Beastie Boys
Some might have forgotten this album dropped this year as it was released so early and the singles were released during the summer of 2010. Anyway, dope album that didn't get as much love as it deserved. Tracks of Note: Too Many Rappers, Crazy Ass Shit, OK.

8. Simple Math - Manchester Orchestra
Another cool-out record that was dropped this year. Thinking music. Tracks of Note: Simple Math, Leave it Alone, Pale Black Eye.

7. Charity Stars at Home - Phonte
The album was the beginning for me this year to realize that Hip Hop is coming back strong in 2011 with quality releases. A record I still love bumping on a weekend afternoon coolin' out. Tracks of Note: To be Yours, The Good Fight, The Life of Kings.

6. 21 - Adele
It was so tough to number the following releases. Any one of the following could easy be my favourite of the year and in some respects, 21 was my favourite of the year. But I digress. So goes such a competitive year in music. Tracks of Note: Lovesong, Turning Tables, Someone Like You.

5. El Camino - The Black Keys
They're still on a hot streak and the kids love them. A great follow-up to Brothers. Tracks of Note: Lonely Boy, Little Black Submarines, Dead and Gone.

4. Metals - Feist
Love this album. Still listen to it at least twice a week. I will never get tired of her voice. Music needs more smart women like hrt. Tracks of Note: Graveyard, Anti-Power, The Bad in Each Other.

3. Undun - The Roots
Soulful journey. Great musical experience. Still get that thing in my stomach when I listen to it. Must have for any Roots fan. Tracks of Note: I Remember, The OtherSide, Sleep.

2. Elmatic - Elzhi
Just as I thought I wasn't going to listen to much Hip Hop this year, I heard this record and I Hip Hop drew me right back in. I love when it is able to do that. Boom Bap with lyrical content. This is Hip Hop and it makes my heart smile. Tracks of Note: Represent, Memory Lane, Halftime.

1. The Dreamer. The Believer. - Common
Late add to the list, before today, number one would've been Elmatic. But much like Elzhi, Common reassured my love for Hip Hop with this release. I picked it up today and already listened to it five times. Tracks of Note: The Dreamer, Lovin' I Lost, Cloth.

common sense returns to hip hop

2011-12-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

It's Boom Bap for the older folk. Finally got the new Common album, The Dreamer. The Believer which drops tomorrow. As much as this album was hyped by me since I first heard Sweet a few months back, the release held up to its hype and is the best record of 2012. Common's best? No. But for sure his best work in recent years. The Dreamer has a Boom Bap undertone to it all the way through but so subtle, you don't even realize that you're five tracks deep and have been bumping your head for a good 15 minutes. For the production heads, Common's relationship with beat maker, NO ID has matured. The lyrical heads will enjoy what Common delivers. Doing what he does best. Hip Hop.

The story of the album covers all topics. Love, Hope, Salvation. Desperation. Sadness. Happiness. Stories intertwined with straight-ahead lyricism. The album is for the mature head. While other releases this year were pretty soft in terms of subject matter, the matured music fan will appreciate what Common has to say on this one. Feature tracks featuring famed poet Maya Angelou, Nas and John Legend are no doubt highlights , but I found joints like Lovin' I Lost (that samples Impressions 1968 tune, I Love and Lost) and Cloth as to be my favourites.

No matter what subject Common battles on this LP, it's clear Common is Hip Hop and with the right production and subject matter, he can still kick out a classic. Dreams can come true is the moral to this story and I found it today when listening to The Dreamer. The Believer.

real life santa

2011-12-19T15:08:00.000-08:00

Real life Santa, indeed. This video will give you the Christmas cheer. Enjoy.

walt

2011-12-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Happy I caught this on CNBC this morning. Happier I found it on the tube to share it with ya'll. Very amazing life story of Walt. Here's the first part. You'll have to find the rest of the parts on Youtube. Worth the watch.

tis the season

2011-12-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

The house is beautiful this time of year. I went around quickly this evening and took some shots. Especially of the ornaments on the tree. Here's a few...

shane alexander show

2011-12-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Back form a mini-hiatus, We return with a Holiday edition of the Shane Alexander Show. The last one before 2012, we hit you with extra music and less talk. Shane mixes it up for the first set with some classic soul and RnB and then kicks it in high gear for the second set with one of the better classic Hip Hop sets ever heard on the show. We boil down with new material from The Roots and a favourite from 2011, Phonte. Shane gives us a taste of new-old Amy WInehouse and a couple of his favourite Christmas tunes to close the show. We'll be back in the New Year. Have a good one...

I’ll Always Love my Mama (Part One) – The Intruders

Don’t Let Love Get you Down – Archie Bell and the Drells

Sweetest Pain – Dexter Wansel

Can’t Get Enough of your Love – Barry White

Slave to the Rhythm – Grace Jones

Weak - SWV

Give me the Night – Randy Crawford

Mood is Right – Queen Latifah

Just Begun – Reflection Eternal feat Jay Electronica, J Cole and Mos Def

Kaisha’s Song (Her Pain) - Kendrick Lamar feat. Ashro Bot

Illusions of a Grandeur – Lil B

*Turnaroundagain – FAT Thursday feat. Theo 3

93 Till Infinity – Souls of Mischief (Inst)

Represent – Elzhi

Represent – Nas

I Got Cha Opin’ – Black Moon

Baby you Nasty – Lord Finesse

Ex Girl to Next Girl – Gang Starr

I Got a Story to Tell – Notorious BIG

Winter Warz – Wu-Tang Clan

Let it Rain – Heavy D

Mics of the Roundtable – Hieroglyphics

Slow Down – Brand Nubian

Real Hip Hop – Das EFX (Pete Rock remix)

Stakes is High – De La Soul

Take it EZ – Common

Blue Sky – Common

I Remember – The Roots

Everything is Falling Down – Phonte

Vibeout – J Dilla (Inst)

Will you Love Me Tomorrow? – Amy Winehouse

Zion’s Daughter – Boney M

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Jackson Five

*Denotes Canadian Content

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the homless voice.

2011-12-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

Backintheday, when I went downtown a lot and spoke to strangers, and when homeless people were actually homeless and not scamming rich people living down the street in a lush condo, I used to give some of my time speaking to the people on the corner. Threw them some change. Bought them a burger. Pop. Got to know them. Know their story. I always had a soft spot for the kids and the old folk. Especially at this time of year. I know it might be cliche if you grew up in the 90s and had the bombardment of various sitcoms where they spent the holidays feeding the needy, but I always thought I should've given back more. Did my time there and helped serve the grub to the good folks of our city. But I didn't. Remained up north in my nice house. Surrounded by gifts and family love. Be it as it may, this video I found on the Vimeo tonight, pulled a heart string. Maybe I'll make it a point to gather the folks and find a shelter in Michigan to do our part. Oh yeah. Spending the Holidays in The States. More on that later. For now, watch and be thankful..

RICO from Jeremy Snell on Vimeo.

come to my show..

2011-12-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

In an age where everyone who thinks they have an ear for good music and have a computer think they can spin, I found this short pretty hilarious. It's an extra long promo for a new show that will be on IFC. It also reminds me that I really need to start looking for new venues to DJ at...

the young march

2011-12-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

I knew it was going to happen, so I made sure to bring my camera this morning along with me on my morning jog. Always great to take part when the people are fighting the man. Even today, when the people are making my life very uncomfortable for the past 8 weeks. Keep on marching, good people. Just hope it's resolved soon. Here's some raw footage I caught.

vintage train dream

2011-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

I went to sleep at around 9pm. Or just before. I knew I'd be up again tonight. Always happens. I thought it'd be later. Guess not. Three hour nap felt like an 8 hour deep sleep. That's how it flows, sometimes I guess. The dream I had was deep. Happy that I woke. Now, able to jot it down before I forget.

I'm on a vintage carrier train. It's narrow. The door is open. I look outside. The train is dark red. I reach inside my pocket to grab my camera. I take a picture of the scenery. I put my head back inside. I see my stuff sprawled out on four different chairs in the front. Computer, Jacket, Hat, Bag, Lunch, Shoes. I see a captain's hat. I put it on. I walk down to check the rest of the train. Only luggage and big boxes on here. I look outside once again. Beautiful forest area. I take more pictures. The train starts to slow down. Looking around. We've arrived at a park I ued to hang out at as a kid. I get off. I see a small train station. I go inside. It's like I just walked into 1920! Tap my hat to the people waiting on the benches. I walk towards the exit sign.

I wake up.

I looked up train in my dream dictionary. It said;

To dream that you are on a train symbolizes your life's journey. It suggests that you are on the right track in life and headed in the right direction. Alternatively, the dream means that you have a tendency to worry needlessly over a situation that will work out in the end.....

...Dreaming of trains may also be a metaphor that you are "in training" for some event, job or goal. According to Freud, a train is analogous to the male penis.

feist vs buck65 on cbc raido 3

2011-12-14T06:57:00.000-08:00

I listen to CBC all the time. And this interview is basically the main reason why. My pal Buck65 conducts a very cool and in depth interview here with Feist. If you have just over a half hour, it's for sure a watch. After, do yourself a favour and listen to some CBC.

gou and cope2

2011-12-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

Got some stuff done today. The headache is back again. Not able to do as much as I wished to have done. Lazed the rest of the day away by eating, drinking tea and watching some hopefully inspirational stuff. Here are a couple of videos I really dug. One having to do with graf king Cope2 and the other to do with creative skateboarding with Gou Miyagi.

Cope2

Gou Miyagi

prophets of rage

2011-12-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

I think I can speak for many from my generation, if it wasn't for one of the most influential music groups of all time, Public Enemy, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing today. Caught Chuck D's tweet earlier today plugging a brand new BBC documentary talking about the epic history of the group. Couldn't share the whole video, so had to Youtube it in different parts. Here's part 1 out of 4. Cop it fast. Don't know how long it'll be up. You can catch the rest of the doc here.

2011 mixtape

2011-12-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

Thought I would put together a quick mixtape giving a shout out to the great year of music it was. All over the board, it called for some great tunes being released. Here are some of my favourites and some fan favourites. Maybe I'll do another version of more of the underground, obscure songs that were released. Maybe not. I kinda like this mix. Even though it was just kinda put together at the last minute, realized on a whim. Be it as it may, it's a cool little mix of some groovy tracks to wild out to on New Years Eve giving a huge cheer to the music scene of 2011. Let's hope for more of the same in 2012.

Back to Front – DJ Shadow

Here’s a Little Something for Ya – Beastie Boys

(To Care) Like You – James Blake

New Day – Watch the Throne

Blue Sky – Common

Love (Close Enough) – Theo3 and Scam

Turning Tables – Adele

Crew Love – Drake feat. The Weeknd

Simple Math – Manchester Orchestra

The Otherside – The Roots feat. Bilal Oliver and Greg Porn

Anti-Power – Feist

Loyalty – 9^th Wonder feat. Masta Killa and Halo

Represent – Elzhi

Blue Jeans – Lana Del Rey

A Song for You – Amy Winehouse

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crashing in a jet plane

2011-12-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Not too sure if the title of this post is harsh. I don't know. If I offend you, please let me know.Maybe I'll change it. So, I was watching this bio on Peter Paul and Mary. Yes. You know you're a true music nerd when. I heard that their iconic song, Leaving on a Jet Plane was written by John Denver. I then thought for a second. I remembered. Denver died in a plane crash. I don't know why I just found this out now. This is - or should be - music trivia 101. Guess it isn't. I thought it was very ironic. He died in a plane crash. Wrote a song about leaving on a plane. Wowzers. Amazingly enough, nothing on his nor the snogs Wiki pages say anything about how it was so frighteningly awkward. He did love to fly, I hear. But still. The only thing that could come close was if Sonny wrote a song about trees. Now, that would've been the hit.

the bigger picture from space

2011-12-10T16:42:00.001-08:00

On a quiet Saturday evening home, It's a night where you look for the bigger picture. Getting you to think about the bigger scheme of things. Enter the necessary space video to help you with your platform the night's subject. Turn this one up. The soundtrack makes this video even that much better..

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

kissing the top40 radio format goodbye..

2011-12-09T05:21:00.001-08:00

While looking at the current radio ratings book, I realized one thing. The Contemporary Hit Radio format is overdone in this market. That's no secret. And I think the people are getting tired of it, too. The new book revealed that all the TOP40 players were down. Kiss fell to a 3.8. Flow flowed downstream to 2.5. Z dove to 2.2. Even Virgin felt a hit with a lower than usual book at 5.2. I personally haven't listened to Top40 radio since the early 90s. I try, but I can't even tune in. The announcers are annoying. The format is just way too loud. Maybe I'm old. Maybe the format just got way too immature and complacent. I say complacent because unlike Toronto's Top 40 radio forefathers, the format isn't going anywhere. In the heyday, with stations like CFTR, CHUM, and CKEY, CHR was a format where they dabbled in all types of genres. For me, CFTR was powerful because in a day I was able to hear anything from MC Hammer and Janet Jackson to Annie Lennox to Parachute Club. Duran Duran to Run DMC. See? It was true variety with that electric Top40-esque energy behind it. Furthermore, I don't know when the big suits consulted the stations saying that the format was for females. Backintheday, TOP 40 was for both male and females. Why? Because everyone loved fun.

Kiss, Virgin, Flow and Z should take a note from our cornerstones on how to improve ratings and make TOP40 radio interesting again. Tap into the heritage. Stop dumbing the format down. Make yourselves relevant. Expand the playlist. Make us want to listen. Follow that recipe, I'm sure ratings will rise. And maybe, if one of these stations flip to a new format, that wouldn't hurt, either. The city needs something fresh. We're tired of the same old thing every hour of the day with the obligatory 45 minute music sweep.

one word movie reviews

2011-12-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

Simplicity.

31 years ago.

2011-12-08T11:32:00.000-08:00

Listen to John Lennon today...

represent, represent...

2011-12-07T14:09:00.001-08:00

I start my teddy bears listening to Hip Hop at an early age....

magical christmas' of our childhood..

2011-12-07T08:43:00.001-08:00

Long day already. More ahead. Feeling the come down already. On my forth cup of Joe. Just want to take a few minutes to jot a few words down. Gotta keep up with my writing, I thought today. Get that practise in. We took Bayview down this morning and it was a nice drive looking at the trees covered with a light blanket of snow. Picturesque. Gave me that real Christmas feeling. Especially playing the Christmas music on CHFI. When Nat King Cole came on, it was perfect. Nat IS Christmas. Or maybe he's just The Voice. It's those individual sounds and visuals that get someone into the mood for Christmas. For me, music has a lot to do with it. That and snow. Some of my best memories of the season came as a kid when we lived on a huge land and the family would get together in the basement looking over our huge backyard covered with the white stuff. We were all singing carols, holding hands and being merry. It was like a movie or one of those old TV Holiday specials. Santa paid us a visit, too. It was truly some magical times.

Funny so many years later, we try to recreate that same feeling. That same aura of love. But we can't. Times have changed. Things have changed. Feelings have changed. We get caught up in our long days and four cups of Coffee, all we can do is to appreciate the present we have together while sharing stories of the old days with the little ones who will think these days are the magical Christmas' of their childhood.

rip dobie gray

2011-12-07T01:25:00.000-08:00

growth for the keys.

2011-12-06T15:11:00.001-08:00

What El Camino told me on first listen today is that the Black Keys have matured as a band and they continue to improve. They continue to grow with every album. 7 records deep, El Camino shows us a brand new side of the Keys. Stripping down to the bare essentials, the album takes us on an emotional ride of despair, love, anger, break-up, loneliness and everything in between. Tracks like Little Black Submarine shows the diversity of band lead, Dan Auerbach where he channels Bob Dylan at first but by the ending you'd think he's part of The White Stripes. While they wear their inspirations on their sleeve, they still remain true and generate such an indie sound that the new bands trying to be them, just sound like a washed-up version of the Keys from a 2008. It's like when they find out everyone has found out their answers, they change their questions. And it just makes them even that much better. Keeping them guessing while still rocking and rolling. Best rock album of the year? For sure. And maybe will tread into the top lists for 2012. It'll be hard to top this release unless it's another Keys release, which will just show us another brand new side of the band. For now, enjoy El Camino. It's rock music in its most natural, gritty form from a band that continues to be consistently exhilarating.

undun: beautiful musical journey

2011-12-06T08:08:00.001-08:00

To really understand The Roots 13th album, Undun, you have to understand the concept behind the story. As band lead, Questlove explained;

“At this point in our career we’d like for our work to have a unifying theme, and an experiential quality,” says Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, 40. “We’ve been intentionally making our albums shorter in length so that they can be experienced as a continuous work. The music is band-oriented with an eye on the moody cinematic. As a DJ, I am the King of playlists, but I don’t want our albums to feel like a playlist or a mixtape for that matter. We want to tell stories that work within the album format and we want the stories to be nuanced and useful to people. undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in Juice… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”

The album is a musical dedication of someone's life, but it also reflects the diversity Hip Hop stands - or stood - for. An eclectic process of beats and instruments tied together with lyrics to make the listener think, and enjoy. I won't call this a true Hip Hop album as the record delves into so many other areas of music. As experimental as it is, it doesn't seem out of place as we know the Roots to always be experimental and try something new while keeping with its Hip Hop roots. The use of the keyboard on Undun is a welcomed mix to most of the tracks even thought they might be subtle, they give that extra touch of brilliance. Just check Bilal's feature joint, The OtherSide. What most would find interesting is the conclusion of Undun where they close the short record with four band heavy instrumental pieces (Redford, Possibility, Will to Power, and Finality) that gives the album closure in a peaceful, poetic way. It's like they are putting the band to sleep. The dark, layer filled album, sounds like a last album. A last ode to their 12 previous albums. If this is the Roots' goodbye, I won't be mad. They're leaving the stage with a masterpiece that makes the fans wanting....More. Much like the Roots previous gems, Do you Want More???!! and Things Fall Apart, Undun is a classic that goes beyond being just a great Hip Hop album, to being a masterful piece of musical genius. The Roots will have you Undun on the first listen.