Friday (on Air)

My favorite holiday is Halloween. No ifs, ands or buts.

Why then do I only have one hour to play the soundtrack to the best time of the year?

Hell, I'm not asking for more money (don't get paid) or a benefit package (now I am getting ridiculous)

I don't want an office, free coffee (end up buying it for everyone else) or a travel allowance.

Just want more time to play spooky, scary, corny, downright weird music this one time each year.

I would protest but there is no one around to listen.

Pass the candy corn

Day before the show (Off Air)

It's been a really rough week. Loads of things to think about.  Phone calls to deal with things not related to the show or my life as it sits at the moment.

Thank God for Halloween this weekend. And the Spooktacular playlist for Friday.

I kinda wish I had about three hours to play with. There are so many classics that I just didn't have enough time to include, not to mention some really old tracks unearthed this week. I do love my vintage tracks. Too bad the production quality is so poor at times.

Anyhow, I suppose one just embraces the event for what it can be and despite dealing with unrelated matters, grab way too many little chocolate bars, put on some highly inappropriate clothing, open a bottle of wine to share with the neighbours and go for it.

Be safe, my friends. And remember, small chocolate bars do not count as calories.

Show Day (On Air)

The week between a festival and Halloween, the most revered of all radio holidays, is never an easy one to program.

Kinda figured it best to include some of the artists who didn't make the Indie show last week (purely due to lack of time, of course) but then out of nowhere loads more stuff came through thanks to the mystery of the interweb gods. So the playlist just sort of became its own entity with the pile up of good music. I love/hate it when that happens. Who doesn't love mail even if it's e(vil) mail? And then you feel compelled to immediately use it.  Well, I do anyway.

Frankly going to the station today is going to be the highlight of the weekend. Heard weird distressed noises in the dark last night outside the kitchen window and being the coward I am didn't head out back with a flashlight to see what the hub bub was about. Just as well, dead rat in the window well. Also a real mess from the raccoon armageddon that takes place on a weekly basis. Not that any of that affects the show but still, it's a comfort to know that CIUT is a reasonably safe bet not to have wild animal turf wars between 7 and 8 pm.

At least that's the hope.

Now on to the Spooktacular playlist for next Friday. Be very afraid.

Election Day (off air)

Despite the fact that the election results really won't impact on community radio per se, I am kinda holding my breath to see who makes it in.

Our national broadcast system could lose even more funding dependent on the outcome of tonight's vote. Not sure it could ever recover even if the next government after this one decides to refuel it's funding. And the one thing that does unite this really big land mass is the CBC.

I am holding my breath on this one. And listening to music today while cleaning out the frig and using everything in it to make meals in advance.

Honestly, got nothing today.

The Day After (off air)

I am simply too sick to listen to anything at the present.

The Indie show went well, only wish there was more time. An hour show just isn't enough.

Will see what the car radio has to offer today. Stay tuned.

Game Day (on and off air)

Another Friday, another show.

This time it's all about Indie Week in Toronto as I think I mentioned yesterday. Went out last night to see someone not even officially part of the event, Clara Venice, who has once again inspired me beyond words to get out there and start making music. With a theremin. And anything else I can dredge up from the masses of stuff reciding in the basement. (I get tired just typing that)

So here it goes, today is show day and the playlist is set, burned, checked, posted and tweeted.
Thankfully the folks who have been included in the list are all really interesting and some of them no strangers to the show. Doing festival playlists aren't always easy, particularily when they are completely unknown to me, but on the other side of the coin, it keeps things fresh.

Let's see how the audience responds. Mind you, competing with the Blue Jays and the festival itself tonight might just be a losing cause.

Indie Week (off air)

This is Indie Week in Toronto and as such, I have worked to put together a playlist that touches on some of the 300 bands who will be here in town.

As well, have posted some random picks on the blog to show folks just how diverse and interesting the event can be. Sometimes looking at the whole schedule is rather daunting, but if there are suggestions, well, it might just spur them on to look a little more closely and actually go to something. That's the theory anyway.

Of course, being part of a community station that actually plays this music (generally new artists, unsigned, non commercial etc) one ends up being invited to their shows and put on the guest list.
No volunteer does what they do for the money. Straight up, it costs to do a program on a community station. And this is a really nice perk. But...bands don't make much when they play the clubs and small venues. Hell most of them are happy to have gas money and a beer.

Therefore, if possible, consider this.

Ensure your admission by agreeing to the guest list. Then pay at the door if you can.
It's generally about $5 or so and if everyone did this, the band will be able to afford to play somewhere else or replace their guitar strings or eat a meal.

It's all about supporting one another.

Now go out there and listen to some live music.

Post Turkey hangover (off air)

Well, survived a family weekend that would make most grown men dry.

Thank God for Tuesday.

And actually started the day off with a little (paid) work as well as sending demo discs (you know me by now, very old school) to another radio station to see if they want me on their schedule from afar.
Of course this will mean figuring out the whole art of podcasting and working from home etc etc.
Can't expect the current station to give me tech backup and studio time for someone else on a weekly basis.

Or can I? (I can be such a brat)

This is Indie week in Toronto and with that comes sourcing a shit load of music from the festival so that the playlist reflects at least some of the bands that are playing. I can see this is going to be a long night tonight.

Stay tuned for more from the happily scattered ultrabusy programmer from hell.

Things to be thankful for (Off Air)

It's the Thanksgiving weekend. Got over one hurdle and have a relatively quiet day before leaping over another. Family can honestly pull you sharply out of your life of the moment and make you remember all the things that make you who you are: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I suspect that's the real reason so many of us find the holidays stressful sometimes.

However, this year, aside from being thankful that I even have a family, I am chosing to think about  other things

I live in a country where it's encouraged to vote without the threat of harm if I don't vote for the "right" candidate.

There is enough to eat and clean water to drink. Don't have to worry that if I get sick I will be making a choice between somewhere to live and health care. Take quite a long time listing all the folks who make my life full of joy and laughter.

And I can create a radio program and have it heard by friends around the world.

These are all blessings that money can't buy.

Best wishes to everyone for a peaceful and joyous time.

Friday Show Day (On Air)

Despite doing this for years both at this station and in Guelph many moons ago, I am always a little frightened by the prospect of going on the air. I think I have already shared that fact, but today for some reason it seems even worse than it has before. Not really sure what that's all about. I mean, it's a long weekend, people are already heading out of town to spend time with loved ones or even not so loved ones. One of my most consistent listeners is going to hear Stevie Wonder tonight as luck would have it.

Maybe I just need to remember that it's like any other holiday weekend. If no one responds to this it's no big deal. If I stumble over announcements or forget to do something, the earth will not suddenly burst into a fiery ball and end life as we know it.

Clearly I need to quit drinking coffee before show time. Maybe I need to consider taking up drinking.

Or maybe I'm just overthinking the whole thing.

Can you imagine if this was a paying, ratings dependent gig? Lord, now I am really nervous.

Time to walk the dog.

Playlist Day (off air)

It's been a good start to the day.

Found some excellent music in the pile of things to listen to, managed to do an almost entirely Canadian list this week, have posted the playlist to the blog in good time.

Now for the fun part.

I actually have to do the SOCAN log this week because I jumped the gun and did it last week when it wasn't due. Sometimes it really pays to read the email closely and not try to multitask. That laundry could have waited another minute as it turned out.

Sometimes finding the actual author/composer of the tracks is a challenge. The hip hop guys have it worse though as many of the artists use aliases and also the mashups are like teasing apart a tangle of wires or wool.

Guess I shouldn't complain and there is no time like the present to do it.

You know, I think I hear the laundry calling.....

And the Beat Goes On

When you are firmly entrenched in one style of programming, how does one switch gears?

This is a question so many volunteers have faced and can't really agree on the best way to attack it.

Am currently looking to stretch out a bit and do a more mellow, subdued late night format for another project, but while pulling music, find that the tendency to try and shake the tempo up part way through is pretty strong.

So...did a regular playlist. Slowly replaced the punk/rock/garage etc cuts with things that reminded me of them but didn't kick you in the head. Hmm...only partially successful. Rearranged the list.
Tried again to replace things that didn't really flow. Too choppy. Threw it out. Started again.

After a couple of hours, the list is far from perfect but have managed to keep the rock and roll wolves from the door.

Now I'm not even sure this is the direction I want to go.

Oh brother. This side project might be doomed. More coffee, bartender.

Time To Review Music (off air)

It's Sunday.

Normally that's a day to travel out to see father, do what needs doing at his place, come home to work outside and generally kick back before the upcoming week.
However the schedule has been turned around this weekend and uncharacteristically there are a few hours without specific routines to follow.

This can mean only one thing.

Preview the music that is sitting by the computer for next week's shows.

Let's face it, my life is hell. Not.

Show Day (on air)

Ever have a day when things start out well and threaten to stay that way?

After a weird and kinda surreal week outside of the station, today looks as if it will be a good one.
Finger crossed, also toes and eyes, although we all know they might stay that way if we do it enough.
(Gad, Mom really knew how to instill fear in her kids)

This playlist looks somewhat more balanced. Let's see if social media responds in any way.

On the equally important side of things, what to feed the hip hop crew on the show following Ruby Slippers?

Danish and chocolate croissants seem the way to go, although if someone doesn't remove the banana bread from my frig, I will eat it all with only small amounts going to the ever faithful dog.

The only real glitch, and it is a minor one in the scheme of things, is the need to fill in a SOCAN log. Being the too busy gal I was this week, misread the date of this and stayed up last night sussing out the composer/author information for all the songs.

Then, I rearead the email and realized  that SOCAN isn't due until NEXT week's show.

Details, details.

(That Danish is starting to look kinda good.....)

The countdown to showtime begins.

ADDENDUM

Show went smoothly. Had some response and it was good. What a relief. As much as it is amazing to do a show for yourself, it's even better to share it with like minded folks.