It's that most wonderful time of the year!!!! (Halloween of course)

 

🎶🎶  (C'mon, I know you sang the title, didn't you?)

Well, gentle readers, as many of you know, this is my favorite time, hands down. 

Loads of leaves, damp, misty days, sweaters, rot (well, may not that, although who doesn't love the smell of a forest floor?) and the opportunity to do the annual SPOOKTACULAR show on air.  There are so many wonderful tracks to choose from it is an impossible task to set a playlist for a single hour show without wishing for a lot more time to revel in the glory that is Halloween. 

Having said that, there are some favorites that never get old. Yacht's "Afterlife", any version of "Monster Mash" (although the Dollyrots come to mind, also the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band), "Time Warp", "I Put A Spell on You" (Screamin Jay Hawkins, but also the Kills)... (sigh, you get the picture.)

However, there are always new depths to explore and I will try my best to introduce some of those to each and every one of you. 

So my friends, if you have any suggestions to add to the cauldron that is this gruesome fabulous endeavor, please send them along. 

After all, you can never have too much magic this time of year.

Til later, 

carolB and Callydog (the Queen of Halloween)

PS the membership thing is just over the horizon

Here's to Spring? Summer? Sunshine!

Hi folks!

It's another sun drenched morning and despite the fact that we had not seen rain in what seems like forever, it is a glorious change to the months and months of overcast skies. Mind you, I swear I have seen plants pull their roots out of the ground and very slowly make their way to the birdbath. Then again, it might have been the lack of sleep talking. (What kind of mushrooms were in that salad ?)

Anyway, we have again come to the end of the membership drive and for those who were able to donate this time around, muchas gracias.  The lights will stay on for another six months, the core staff will continue to buzz about sprinkling magic here and there to make new initiatives take flight, and the volunteers will continue to seek out interesting music and spoken word content for your listening pleasure. Not sure how Cally feels about that. She would prefer I played metal 24/7 and spent more time outside rather than previewing music but then again, she only has one vote in this house. Nothing more cookies won't smooth over, I suspect.

Did you know that the new volunteer staff guy has set up a student space for listening to albums? Like, vinyl albums! It's at the UTSU Student Commons and if I was still going to school I would no doubt be living there in between classes. Check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs35Ks_KcbX/

And coming up in the next few weeks, yours truly will be adding a recommendation or two from Bandcamp for your consideration on the blogspot (https://rubyslippersradio.blogspot.com or https://carolbonciut.blogspot.com) which you can decipher with a secret decoder ring. Had to come up with something for those who donated to this show! However, the week after it goes up, I will also post the selection again without the encryption for everyone to enjoy so if a donation wasn't to be for you this time around, never fear! 

At this juncture, just thought I would put in a word for another station which is near and dear to my heart. It is CFRU933 in Guelph (www.cfru.ca) and Ruby Slippers' sister show, Through The Looking Glass, which

airs at 9 pm on Sundays. Different day, different time, different feel entirely. If you are feeling like more mellow fare, may I invite you to join me there. This was my first station and a place of adventures some of which are best left in the past...LOL. 

Well, that's all for today. Nothing earth shattering or even thought provoking really. Just wanted you all to know that the music never stops and as long as there is breathe in this bod, there will continue to be a place that you can stop by and experience new music with like minded people.

Stay safe and rock out!

carolB and Cally the wonderdog

 

 

 

The month of love and broken hearts

Greeting, music fiends.

Normally I would be working on a V-Day playlist but honestly? 

What with grey skies forever, people in distress here and abroad, I just couldn't find the right frame of mind to do so.  

I guess we will all have to somehow find it within ourselves to create the soundtrack of our lives for this month of love and heartbreak. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I am a firm believer of the power of music to elevate us above all the stuff that is going on. It's just that sometimes we all have to arrive at that place in a personal way and not peering through someone else's rose tinted glasses.

So my challenge to you, my friends, is to put together your own playlist of songs that remind you of  people you care about whether they are here or no longer within reach. If you feel like sharing it with me or anyone else is really up to you. 

Just know as you listen to me, I am also listening to you. 

Stay safe and wherever you can, spread kindness.

Back soon.

New year, new blog January something 2023

Greetings from the dining room table.

Welp, here it is, another year, another opportunity to make a new beginning although it may just be more of the same if I am being honest.

Actually, I am being rude. How was your holiday? Did you do anything special or unusual? Sorry about that, it is only too easy to get caught up in the routine during something as emotionally charged as the Christmas and end of year thing. Won't happen again, I promise.

So, the update on the state of the union here is that the shows are still produced from home. It's not that I don't want to experience the terror of live to air broadcasting* ever again, it's just that this Covid thing continues to circle menacingly  and illness would be a good thing to avoid given my commitments  to fresh programming and of course looking after the doggo. Yes, Cally is doing fine, thanks for asking. We had a couple of months of unpleasantness but seem to have stabilized the situation although I expect she will never eat standard dog kibble again. Cooking chicken every other day for her is hard to deal with as a vegetarian but I figure she isn't one and it's only fair not to force my lifestyle on her. (Dog nods head in agreement and goes back to sleep)

So what to expect from this little slice of community radio this year? Artists continue to create amazing stuff constantly and I am amazed and happy as all get-out that they send it my way. It's only right to then share with you and I suppose that is really what the next year will be about. Of course, in the event that I do summon enough courage to head in to the studio occasionally, there will be co-hosting gigs with people far more interesting than me but at present, what with trying to get the automation system up and running, one (or two or maybe six) extra bodies in the studio may not be appreciated. Hence, things continue to be produced  right here, right now (as the CIUT tagline used to say) and I am resigned to not eating dinner at the table in the foreseeable future.

Now about this week's obvious elephant in the room. If you are listening to the show for Jan 6 it will become crystal clear that being in isolation has encouraged the side of me that chases obscure stuff to the ends of the earth. As a "Painting with John" and "How To with John Wilson" fan (both on HBO, and no, this blog is not sponsored although that would be sweet) the tendency to wander down more offbeat and meandering paths has been reignited with a vengeance. Hence, "The Last Unicorn". That in itself is a long story the origins of which go back many many years but perhaps I will save that for another day. What odd memory sparks your imagination? Think about that!

Enough already. Thanks as always for listening (and reading) and continuing to support community radio here in Toronto and right around the globe.  

Stay safe and be kind.

Cheers

carol and Callydog

* believe it or not, I still sweat bullets every time I go live to air, not only because of the fear of saying something inane but also because it is never certain that the CD players or any of the equipment for that matter will trigger when I need it.