Keep on keeping on

Here it is, another day after a no sleep night.

Had all these grand plans of things to do today but instead am nursing a headache and upset stomach while trying to get some work done at home. At least it gives me a chance to listen to the playlist for the upcoming show.

Festival previews are a real bugger to do. There, I've said it. When you are faced with hundreds of musicians to pick from, many of whom you've never heard before, the tendency is to go with the familiar. However on an alternative station the whole point it to offer something new, so there are hours of listening to Bandcamp, looking up band websites, trying to find music that isn't going to break the bank (we don't have a salary or a budget, remember?) and then making decisions. Generally the first pass at all of this is just writing down a bunch of names, making sure there is a lot of Cancon of course. Then doing the search, downloading tunes, pulling from one's own library in a pinch and starting the painstaking process of  putting things together so that it flows and also represents as many different types of music as possible without it sounds strident or weird. Tall order? Yup.

Now I am not unhappy with this. Nosiree. The excitement is palpable with the young musicians who have been invited to the gig. The venues get a much needed boost to their sales and once again show that Toronto is indeed a music city. And in the heart of it is media coverage which I am proud to say includes the community broadcasting sector.

So I guess headache, upset stomach and all the hard work not withstanding, it's just good to be part of this in some small way.

Go support independent music. It's an investment well worth your while.