5 Artists You May Not Know...But I Love Them...

Cory Noel at CKFM Radio in Old, Alberta tagged me in his note "List 10 Bands/Artists You Love That Your Friends Have Never Heard Of".

The idea is to list 10 bands or artists that you're friends have never heard of. That's hard for me to do as most of my friends are in the music biz and have heard of just about everyone out there already...sometimes before I do.

So, I decided to go with 5 instead of 10 artists, and changed the parameters to...
"5 Artists You May Not Know...But I Love Them...".

Here they are...in no particular order...

1) Patrick Ballantyne - Patrick is a Toronto based singer/songwriter. He has written several tunes with Gordie Johnson for Big Sugar and Grady, including one of my all time favourite songs about Canada, "All Hell For A Basement". Patrick finally released a CD of his own and it was one of my favourite indy releases of last year.
Check him out here:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=382177866


Patrick Ballantyne's self titled debut CD. Go and buy it now off of CD Baby...there's a link off of his MySpace page.


2) John Kilzer - I first heard John Kilzer off of a record company compilation that we had for in-store play at HMV in Guelph back in 1988. His song was "Red Blue Jeans". I loved my red jeans so I bought the cassette "Memory in the Making" and became an instant fan. Tunes from that album like " Memory in the Making", "Heart and Soul", 'Green, Yellow and Red", "Pick Me Up" and "Give Me A Highway" (as well as "Red Blue Jeans") are all on my MP3 player. His follow up CD "Busman's Holiday" featured the tune "Marilyn Dean and James Monroe". John's music is rootsy, guitar driven pop/rock. He is obscure enough not to have any info on Wikipedia and his MySpace page is actually run by a fan, not him. Check out some of his tunes here:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=94338374
Check out the video for "Red Blue Jeans" on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVg_kc-1EI


John Kilzer. Apparently now living in Memphis and involved as a Youth Director / Music Teacher at Grace United Methodist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.


3) Billy Falcon - Billy had a hit in the early 90's with a song called "Power Windows". Billy had been around a long time before that hit though, recording as far back as the late 1970's. He was an artist that Jon Bon Jovi had seen around the New Jersey scene when we was first getting into the music biz. Jon was such a fan that he signed Billy to his JAMBCO label in the early 90's. Billy released two great discs in the 90's, "Pretty Blue World" in 1991 and "Letters From A Paper Ship" in 1994. His tunes are melodic guitar rock with some roots flavouring. Billy moved to Nashville where he has become a fairly well known songwriter. He's written tunes for Trace Adkins, Cher and Stevie Nicks to name a few.
You can check out Billy Falcon here:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=51200027
or on his official page: http://www.billyfalcon.com/
Video for "Power Windows" is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKJebJ7iISQ


Billy Falcon's CD single for "Heaven's Highest Hill" from the Pretty Blue World album.


4) Webb Wilder - Webb Wilder, hailing from Mississippi, blends country with blues rock and surf music for an original sound that he calls "swampadelic". I first heard Webb Wilder at an Island Records showcase of new music at an HMV Managers Conference in Toronto in late 1989, right before I went to work for PolyGram Records.
His second disc "Hybrid Vigor" came out that year and I fell in love with a tune called "Human Cannonball". A year later, working for PolyGram, we had an artist on the same bill as Webb Wilder and I was totally blown away with his live show. Webb has put out 6 more discs since then and has also become famous for some award winning short films that he calls "Corn Flicks".
Check out Webb Wilder's "Swampadelic" music at:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=124586228
or his official home page: http://www.webbwilder.com/
Check out the video for "Human Cannonball" here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGssb5YKaNM


Webb Wilder's "Hybrid Vigor" Album cover.


5) Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers - Another artist I learned about while working in Record Retail. The band's major label debut in 1988, "Rumble", featured the #1 Rock Hit "I'm Not Your Man". The blues heavy guitar rock was in line with Colin James debut release. If you like that album then you will like the "Rumble" disc too. Sadly, the band only released one more disc, 1990's "Guitar Trouble". The entire "Rumble" CD is on my Dell Jukebox MP3 player.
Check out the video for "I'm Not Your Man" here"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjE-VtpOh9w


Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers "Rumble".

Moments That Matter - Early February 2009

Pop Culture:
Music: Dierks Bentley "Feel That Fire" / The Bird and The Bee "Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future" / Bruce Springsteen "Working On A Dream" / Buddy Holly "The Best of Buddy Holly - "The Millennium Collection".
Book: "Johnny Cash - The Biography" by Michael Streissguth.
DVD: "The Buddy Holly Story".
TV: Superbowl XLIII / The 51st Annual Grammy Awards.

Milestones:
-50th Anniversary of "The Day The Music Died" - plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (February 3rd 1959).
-45th Anniversary of The Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan (February 13th 1964).

Hello:
John Kucera (Gold Medal Winning Canuck Ski Racer at Val D'Isere, France).
Steve Omischl (Canadian Winner of 3 straight World Cup Skiing Aerials Season Titles).

Goodbye:
Dewey Martin (Drummer from Buffalo Springfield)
Estelle Bennett (Singer with The Ronettes)
Gerry Niewood (Sax player with Chuck Mangione's band)
Coleman Mellett (Guitarist with Chuck Mangione's band)

Good, Bad and Ugly:
Good: Canada winning medals galore in winter sports - 1 year out from Vancouver Olympics.
Bad: Brushfires in Australia, Plane crash in Buffalo.
Ugly: Chris Brown beating Rihanna.


Superbowl Sunday
Great game. I was kind of hoping for the underdog Arizona Cardinals to win, but giving up a 100 yard interception return for a touchdown with no time left at the half kind of hurt their chances. Although, you have to give Kurt Warner props for bringing the team back and taking the lead late in the game. The Cardinals left Pittsburgh with too much time left on the clock though. Credit the Steelers for working the two minute drill to perfection to seal the win.
Best play of the game might have been Bruce Springsteen's knee slide right into a camera during his half time performance. I don't care if you think Bruce sold out to do the halftime show. I'll take 12 minutes of seeing the master showman at work anytime. It sure beats watching Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson halftime show - although the "wasdrobe malfunction" made for good water cooler talk. I think the last two Superbowl halftime shows have been great, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. How can they top that next year? Maybe Van Halen? That would be sweet!

Groundhog Day
Who came up with this concept? How does a varmint's shadow predict the weather?
Come on! We live in Canada. On February 2nd we know damn well that we've got at least 6 more weeks of winter coming. We'll be lucky to be golfing before the third round of the NHL playoffs start in late April or early May. Stupid groundhog! Stupid winter!

50 Years After The Day The Music Died.
February 3rd, 1959 - the day the music died. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash outside of Clear Lake, Iowa. I watched "The Buddy Holly Story" on DVD on the anniversary of the tragedy. I think it is Gary Busey's best role ever. It got me thinking about what the hell one of the biggest music stars of the time was doing playing a show in a town of about 5000 people in early February. That's how they developed fans and put faces to the names that people were hearing on the radio back then. There were no music video channel . There was no internet. If you wanted to get known you had to go out and hit the people where they live. More artists should do that now. Get a good backing band and put 3 or 4 artists on the bill. Pile into a bus and barnstorm towns, big and small. If you want to reach people with real music do it the old fashioned way. Sure it's a lot of work, but I bet the concept still works in developing long lasting careers. Paul Brandt's Small Towns and Big Dreams tour worked pretty well, didn't it? People in Brooks, Alberta and Fort St. John, B.C. are starved for entertainment. Go play those places and the residents will never forget you. I know I thought seeing Red Rider at the Fort St. John Arena in 1983 was like the Beatles playing Shea Stadium. Okay maybe not quite like that, but still a pretty big deal to have a big rock show in a fairly small town.
I can see arguments about economics coming. I think that's just an excuse. Work hard, plan properly and I think the artists will make money and get to be better performers for playing more gigs in more widely ranging situations. They will also develop a lasting fan base.

Juno Who's Had a Good Year?
On Tuesday, February 3rd, the nominees for this year's Juno Awards were announced. I was especially proud to see that Edmontonian Kreesha Turner was nominated for two awards, Best New Artist and Pop Album of the Year. I was also happy to see Serena Ryder up for a couple of awards. The Junos take place in Vancouver on March 29th.

If This Game Was Happening In My Backyard I'd Close The Drapes
On Tuesday, February 3rd I went to see the Oilers play the Chicago Black Hawks with my buddy Michael Hogan. The Oilers looked bad, real bad. They seemed to have no effort and no heart. Chicago played a decent, but boring, road game and put most of Rexall Place to sleep. At least Michael and I got a chance to catch up on things. I wish the real Edmonton Oilers would stand up. After this loss they rebounded and started playing good hockey again. What's up with this team this year?

Country Connections
I had several good visits with Country artists in the first two weeks of February.
On February 3rd I met with Chad Klinger to hear his new, Bart McKay produced, CD. I think he's got some solid tunes on the disc. I could hear 3 or 4 songs being radio hits.
On February 4th I had a visit with Craig Moritz and Natalie Harper. It was nice to catch up with them and hear about Craig's new video.
On Thursday, February 12th I had a visit with Deric Ruttan and Travis Switzer. Deric was in town for the night. He was on his way up to Whitecourt to play a couple of solo acoustic shows at the casino this weekend.

Grammy Weirdness
Even more bizarre than some of the winners at the 51st annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 8th, was what happened behind the scenes. It's alleged that Chris Brown assaulted his girlfriend, Rihanna, the night before the awards show. This news was just breaking as the rest of the American Music industry was strolling down the red carpet for the night's showcase event.
The Grammy's are always hard to predict. My earlier blog is proof of that. I was blown away with some of the winners this year, but ever since Jethro Tull won the first ever Grammy for Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Performance in 1989, nothing about the Grammy's shocks me any more. It really is a night where anything can, and usually does, happen (remember the "Soy Bomb" incident from 1998?).

Visitors from Away
Lesley's sister, Laura, is here for a visit. She flew in on Monday February 9th. The girls are very excited to have Aunt Laura here. Laura and Lesley have had a good time catching up. I am happy that Laura will be here for most of the time that I am away on the Dierks Bentley tour next week.

Jeremy Summers, one of my old bosses from my Universal Music days, was in town on Tuesday, February 10th. I met up with Jeremy and John Dunham for drinks that evening. While I waited for them I visited with Jane and Will at Jake Daniel's Table Team Trivia night at the Beehunter in the West End. I won a car seat warmer as a door prize. It might still come in handy this winter.

Getting Lucky on Valentine's Day
I left things too late to book a dinner reservation. Lesley and I weren't sure what we were going to do for Valentine's so we didn't really plan ahead too well. When we finally decided that dinner out would be nice, all of the local St. Albert restaurants and all of our favourite Edmonton ones were booked solid. We were thinking we might just have to go to some place that didn't take reservations. Luckily for us though, Brad Slater, from The Team 1260, read my Facebook status about not having reservations and offered me his, as he and Lacey had made other plans. Lesley and I ended up having a fabulous dinner at Yianni's Taverna (although they didn't have their belly dancers on Valentine's Day). After dinner we ventured out to the River Cree Casino and Lesley won $60 playing the nickel slots. There's nothing like getting lucky on Valentine's Day.

"And The Winner Is..." - My Grammy Awards Survey Results

Updated to show actual winners. We were way off! Our votes were only right on 3 of the 10 categories!The good news is that Donna doesn't have to poke her eyes out and Heidi doesn't have to eat her hat.

Here are the results from my recent Grammy Awards Survey. These are based on your votes submitted here and on my MySpace blog page.

Album of the Year
- Your choice is: COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida of Death and All His Friends.
- Coldplay received almost three times as many votes as the runner up, Radiohead (15 - 6). In third spot, just two votes back of Radiohead, was Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (4). Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo each only received one vote in this category.
- My personal favourite in this category was Coldplay, although I am a bit biased working for their label. I was also a big fan of the Plant & Krauss disc. One of those two should win. If Radiohead wins it would signal a real shift in the attitude of the American Recording business. Remember, these are the guys that shunned the traditional way of selling music...and a lot of the people voting for these awards are part of that old machine.
- Actual winner: ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS - Raising Sand.

Record of the Year- Your choice is: COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida.
- This category was a close one. Coldplay recieved 10 votes, just two more than Robert Plant and Alison Krauss with 8. Leona Lewis was third with 6 votes. M.I.A. received 2 votes and Adele 1.
- To answer the question about the difference between this category and the Album of the Year category, this is a singles category. The actually Song of the Year category is awarded to the songwriters of that song.
- My personal pick in this category was Leona Lewis. While my EMI loyalty is hoping for Coldplay, I just have to think that this song, which is still on AC radio current spins lists more than a year after it was released, should win for that kind of endurance and saturation. Plant & Krauss are the dark horse in this category. If they win, commercial radio should start re-thinking what they play. I don't recall hearing this song anywhere except CKUA and CBC.
- Actual Winner: ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS - PLEASE READ THE LETTER

Best New Artist
- Your choice is: JONAS BROTHERS.
- This was a bit of a landslide. A lot of you made comments about how much you dislike the Jonas boys. Donna even went so far as to say she would pke out her eyes if they win this category (I hope she was joking). Still, there was no denying they had a massive year and they received 13 votes, 6 more than runner up, Duffy (7). Lady Antebellum was third with 4 votes. Adele received 2 votes and bringin up the rear was Jazmine Sullivan with 1 vote.
- My heart is with Lady Antebellum in this category. Their debut disc was instantly one of my favourite Country CD's of the last few years. They were great people to work with too. That being said, if I was betting money on this category I would have to go with the Jonas Brothers. They certainly sold more units than the others in this category and they also dominated the media with both positive and negative critiques of everything from their clothes and their hair, to who they were dating, to (shock of all shocks) some actual mention of their music. I know my daughters and all of their tween friends are cheering for Joe, Nick and Kevin. Duffy also had a great year, but she was certainly overshadowed by the Jonas machine.
- Actual Winner: ADELE

Best Rock Album- Your choice: KINGS OF LEON - Only By The Night.
- Another landslide win. The Kings received 13 votes, 7 more than runner up, Kid Rock (6). Metallica was only one vote back of second (5) and Coldplay were just two votes back (4). The Raconteurs didn't receive any votes (although Lisa did say they should win).
- I was a huge fan of the Kings of Leon disc. I bought it after reading a Rolling Stone review of the CD and fell in love with it on my first listen. Of course, my EMI loyalty is cheering for Coldplay again here, but I wouldn't feel slighted if the Kings of Leon win tonight. It's just that good a disc. Kid Rock has a great year too, but a lot of his success was off of one smash summer time hit. If he wins it would be a bit of a surprise...so much so that Heidi says she will eat her hat. I'm going to hold her to that if Kid Rock takes this trophy tonight. Metallica should never be counted out either. The industry likes these guys. This will be an interesting one to watch.
- Actual Winner: COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.

Best Alternative Music Album- Your Choice: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - Narrow Stairs.
- This category was close. Only one vote seperated DCFC from Radiohead. In the end it was Death Cab For Cutie with 8 votes and Radiohead with 7. Beck was third with 5 votes. Gnarls Barkley received 3 and My Morning Jacket just 2.
- I liked the My Morning Jacket CD. It seemed to get a lot of positive press too. I still think it could win this category. However, there is no denying the media's gushing over Death Cab For Cutie. Radiohead could also win, but for reasons I stated in the Album of the Year blurb, they could find themselves on the outside...or maybe this will be the bone that the voters throw them for having a good year despite their shunning of the old way of doing things. Another category that I look forward to seeing who comes out on top tonight.
- Actual Winner: RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows

Best Pop Vocal Album- Your Choice: EAGLES - Long Road Out of Eden.
- The Eagles flew away with this category. They received 9 votes, three more than runner up, Leona Lewis (6). Duffy and Sheryl Crow were tied with 4 votes each for third spot. Rounding out the category is James Taylor with just 2 votes.
- The Eagles are my pick to win. I liked the double disc even though I had to venture into a Walmart store and wait in line at the checkout counter for half an hour to buy it. Maybe that's part of the reason I like it so much. I had to actually make an effort to go and get it. I invested time and money into getting the music (just like the old days). Leona Lewis could be a contender in this category. Her disc is solid although most of America still only knows her for that one giant hit ("Bleeding Love"). Duffy and Sheryl Crow both put out great discs too and, although your votes had him dead last, don't forget the love that the American Music Industry has for James Taylor. They could throw him a bone here too.
- Actual Winner: DUFFY - Rockferry

Best Country Album- Your Choice: GEORGE STRAIT - Troubadour.
- George won this category easily. He received 15 votes. Second place went to Jamey Johnson with just 4 votes. Trisha Yearwood received 2 votes. Patty Loveless was fourth with just 1 vote. Poor Randy Travis didn't get any respect. Not a single vote was cast for his "Around the Bend" CD.
- I have to think that George Strait wins this category. The guy continues to be the monster of country music. Another batch of number one hits off of this CD (what is he up to now...54 number ones?) should propel him to an easy win. That being said, the Grammy's have surprised us before. They could throw their votes to one of the old guard artists (Travis, Trisha or Patty) or they could really step out and crown the newcomer Jamey Johnson. If Jamey wins, a lot of mainstream country folks will be scratching their heads (and asking the Universal guys to get them copies of the disc).
- Actual Winner: GEORGE STRAIT - Troubadour.

Best R&B Album- Your Choice: JENNIFER HUDSON - Jennifer Hudson.
- A lot of you felt that the industry would choose this as the sentimental pick after the terrible tragedy that J-Hud had to endure in 2008. Jennifer recieved the most votes of any of the categories. She got 17 votes. There was a tie for second, four votes each for Al Green and Raphael Saadiq. Boyz II Men recieved just one vote and Eric Benet was shut out.
- My EMI loyalty is behind Al Green but I agree with the majority of folks on this one. Jennifer should win this category. Not only did she have a tough year but this is a solid disc. I look forward to her hearfelt acceptance speech. If she doesn't win, I am sure that whoever does will acknowledge her in their speech.
- Actual Winner: JENNIFER HUDSON - Jennifer Hudson.

Best Contemporary R&B Album- Your Choice: NE-YO - Year of the Gentleman.
- Ne-Yo received 15 votes, 8 more than runner up, Mary J. Blige (7). J. Holiday recieved 2 votes to put him in third spot. Karina and Jazmine Sullivan were both shut out.
- Ne-Yo should win this one although the industry does have a soft spot for Mary J. My EMI loyalty is hoping for J. Holiday, but I think his chances are slim here.
- Actual Winner: MARY J. BLIGE - Growing Pains.

Best Rap Album- Your Choice: LIL WAYNE - Tha Carter III.
- Another close one. Lil Wayne only one by tha one vote (8 - 7) over Jay Z. T.I. was third with 5 votes. Lupe Fiasco got 3 votes. Nas didn't get any love.
- Again, tough one to pick. Does the industry go with the relatively new Lil Wayne or throw their votes to the old guard (Jay Z.). Lupe seems to have a lot of industry love too. T.I. could also surprise here.
At least we know that Kanye won't be storming the stage this year.
- Actual Winner: LIL WAYNE - Tha Carter III.

The Road To A Juno Nomination

Today, Kreesha Turner was nominated for two Juno Awards, Best New Artist and Pop Album of the Year. She released this quote to the media this morning:
"2008 was such an AMAZING year! Being nominated for 2 Juno Awards is such an honour and a perfect way to kick off 2009. I am so grateful to everyone that has supported me - especially the fans!"

It's been a long and hard road for Kreesha to get to this point. It's also been a lot of fun, as a music industry insider, to get to work with Kreesha. Here are some of my memories of the road to Kreesha's Juno nominations.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The first time I met Kreesha I was working for another record label and was with another artist (I believe it might have been The Game). We were on our way into the Bounce FM radio studios for an interview. Kreesha and her Mom were just on the way out of the studios. I had never seen Kreesha in person but I knew who she was. She had just won the first ever Bounce Talent Search and her song, "Bounce With Me" was getting a lot of spins on the station. While the artist I was working with chatted with the on air staff I visited with Kreesha and her mother and wished them luck with her singing career. I was struck by how beautiful and poised this young lady was. I was convinced that she would be a star. Two years later I left Universal Music and went to work for EMI. I was happy to discover that Kreesha had been signed to EMI and I would get to work with a hometown, Edmonton, artist.

Flash forward to early 2008. EMI Music Canada is getting set to release Kreesha Turner's debut CD, "Passion". To set the CD up, Kreesha is doing a promotional tour across Canada to meet with key media and music industry people. As we are close to Valentine's Day, I sit with my youngest daughter one morning and we make up some bags of candy for Kreesha to drop off on our visits.


Ella helps put together Kreesha Turner "Passion" packages.

Kreesha, her day to day manager, Jessikah Roberts, and I dropped in to radio, newspaper outlets, music stores, and concert promoters in Edmonton and Calgary over the course of two days. Kreesha sat in the offices as we played back some music from her forthcoming CD and chatted with everyone about her musical path so far and her plans for the future. She was a delight to work with and made a great first impression everywhere we went.


Kreesha Turner drops into the Alberta Music Industry Association offices in Edmonton - February 2008.

As "Bounce With Me" was released as the official first single from "Passion" it quickly climbed the charts at CHR and Hot AC radio. The song didn't go as high as we would have hoped though as some stations, like the Bounce, had played the song previously when Kreesha first won the Bounce contest a few years earlier. The song did make some surprise appearances on network television in the United States though. Kreesha was still getting some great early exposure.

In the summer Kreesha returned to Alberta and performed at Edmonton's Capital Ex on the Ed Fest stage, opening for Jully Black. Her set was quite impressive. Kreesha's band consisted of keyboards, drums, a bass guitar and three background singers. They put on a very funky show.


Kreesha on the Ed Fest Stage at Capital Ex in Edmonton - July 2008.

While Kreehsa was in Alberta in July we had her perform for a private party of Bounce contest winners at the Bank nightclub. We also drove down to Calgary and had Kreesha perform a set at the oddly named Snatch Rock Bar at a show presented by The Vibe. Kreesha was working on her live performances with the help of ace arranger, producer, performer, Jon Levine, as her keyboardist and band leader. Her stripped down sets featured Jon on Keys and three lovely background singers. We put on a lot of miles in 15 passenger vans over those two days.


Kreesha on stage in a tent behind The Bank nightclub for a Bounce FM contest winners event.


Kreesha performs at Snatch Rock Bar in Calgary.

As "Don't Call Me Baby" took off as Kreesha's second hit single, we finally released "Passion" to record retail on Tuesday, August 12th. Kreesha came back to Alberta for some more promotional dates to celebrate the launch of the CD. On the Friday after release, Kreesha, Jon Levine and the back up singers performed a free lunch hour concert on Stephen Avenue Walk in downtown Calgary presented by Energy 101.5. After her set she signed autographs for about half an hour and sold numerous copies of her CD. That same afternoon she visited Calgary FM and recorded a few songs for the station's "Live at Five" show. Later, that same day, Kreesha signed autographs at Play in Market Mall. Although there weren't too many people at the signing, Kreesha was a total pro and chatted and mingled with the store staff and curious passers-by that had no idea who she was.


Kreesha performs a free lunch hour show on Stephen Avenue in dowtown Calgary.


People line up to meet Kreesha and buy "Passion" after her performance.


Kreesha visits with the store staff at Play in Market Mall.

On the Saturday after "Passion" was released Kreesha made a triumphant return to Edmonton. She performed a set on stage at West Edmonton Mall that was carried live to air on Bounce FM. A large crowd of several hundred people watched the show and cheered on their hometown girl. After the set Kreesha signed autographs for well over an hour.


Kwame from The Bounce introduces Kreesha to a large crowd of hometown fans.


West Edmonton Mall greets Kreesha Turner.

Through the rest of the summer and into the fall Kreesha's star continued to rise. "Don't Call Me Baby" was a hit at CHR, Hot AC and AC radio. It went on to hit #1 on the AC radio chart and stayed there for several months. Kreesha made numerous appearances in fashion magazines (including the cover of Fashion Magazine) and on television. Her singles continued to rack up airplay at multiple formats. She flew back to Alberta to co-host an episode of E-Talk and was a presenter at the Western Canadian Music Awards in Edmonton.


Kreesha and I with Rick Campanelli from E-Talk Canada in the lobby of the Palliser Hotel in Calgary.


Kreesha and I at the Western Canadian Music Awards at the Myer Horowitz Theatre in Edmonton.

In the winter months Kreesha released another single and a video for "Lady Killer". She also released a Christmas song called "Wherever You Are" that got a lot of praise from stations hungry for new, original Christmas music.
Kreesha enjoyed a quiet Christmas and then was back at it early in 2009.
"Shattered" was released as a new single for AC radio and Kreesha came back to Edmonton to be a celebrity judge on a new TV show called "Karaoke Star Jr.". The show was shot in her old school, Victoria Comp. It was another big homecoming for Kreesha as the staff and students were thrilled to see a hometown girl doing so well in the music world. After the show taping, Kreesha was mobbed by hundreds of kids demanding photos and autographs. On the day she visited her old school Kreesha found out that she had been nominated for 6 Canadian Radio Music Awards. All of her hard work and talent was finally being recognized by the Canadian Music Industry on a grand scale.


Kreesha with her fellow judges from Karaoke Star Jr., Danny Fernandes and Tara Oram.

Today's Juno nominations are just one more stepping stone on a long and, hopefully, very successful music career for Kreesha Turner. I am proud to have been involved in working with this fabulous young lady. Good luck Kreesh!

Moments That Matter - January Month End Edition

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
- Monday, January 26th
We lost a family member on Monday. Robert Cowley, my Great Uncle Bob, passed away suddenly.
Uncle Bob was a Staff Seargant on the Sudbury Police force and helped set up a police museum there. The museum is named after him, The Robert D. Cowley Sudbury Regional Police Museum.
I have many fond memories of visiting with my Uncle Bob, Aunt Julie and all of their kids whenever we drove across Canada.


LAST SUPPER
- Wednesday, January 28th
Anthony Farrauto and I took Dan Tucek out for his last supper as Program Director of The Bounce. Dan is leaving the station to focus on his own company, Ear Candy. He's already landed a lot of big clients for his voice over company. Russell James, the APD & MD at the Bounce, and Newcap Radio's Pat Cardinal joined us at Thanh Thanh for dinner.

It was a good night of catching up on the music and radio biz. Sadly most of the conversation was about downsizing. We talked about Universal Music laying off people and Astral Radio laying off people. Careers in the music and radio worlds are shaky at best. At least in radio's case there are more radio station launches on the horizon, so we know there will be more jobs. You can't say that about the music biz. I don't think any new major record labels are about to spring up.

Dan will be missed. I always enjoyed our chats about the music biz. Every time I was in Dan's office at the Bounce my visits would always go on much longer than I intended. A couple of times I even ended up with parking tickets because the conversations were that good.

Dan and I actually go back a long ways. One of his first interviews with a band was with Utah Saints in Toronto. I was the Promotions Rep for PolyGram Records overseeing that media schedule. It was a day I will never forget, although I don't remember meeting Dan. It was the day after the Toronto Blue Jays won their first World Series in the fall of 1992. The highlight of my day was finding a copy of the Blue Jays theme song (Let's Play Ball) for the group to sample for their show at RPM that night. I was also a wee bit hungover from partying on Yonge Street with thousands of other Jays fans. My girlfriend at the time worked for the Jays and I had been to the first 5 games of the World Series, including the first two in Atlanta. I was quite close to the staff of the team back then so it was a pretty special feeling when they won the championship. Sorry Dan, there is now way you could compete with that. Although I am sure the interview with Utah Saints went well. You did go on to become a Radio Program Director after all.


OMG! TWO HOT BLONDES AND THEIR G-STRINGS
- Friday, January 30th
One More Girl were in Edmonton on Friday for a show at the Myer Horowitz Theatre with Jaydee Bixby. I picked the girls, and their Mom, up at their hotel and took them to CISN FM for an interview and acoustic performance. Shortly after arriving at the CISN studios we realized that Carly's guitar had a broken string, the G string. She wasn't used to having to change her own strings so she had to get her Dad, Tom, on the phone to help talk her through the procedure. Mike McGuire tried to catch Carly during their interview but she wouldn't take the bait. He tried to get her to say "G-String" but Carly said "G Note String". Nice catch!

During the show that night, the girls talked about the incident from the stage. Carly said she was afraid that she might break another string during the show. As luck would have it, it was Britt who broke a string. Funnily enough, it was also her G-String. At least it happened during the second to last song of the girl's set so they were able to finish off the show, doing the current hit "I Can Love Anyone", with Carly carrying all of the guitar work.

I brought Hope to see the show and introduced her to the girls during the intermission. She was pretty impressed with the show and how nice the girls were.

After driving Hope home, through a wicked wind storm, I met back up with the girls and we attempted to go out and visit a few Country Bars. We headed to The Ranch but when we tried to go into the club we were turned away because Britt didn't have any photo ID with her. She just turned 18 earlier this month and isn't used to having ID on her. We had planned on going to Oil City and the Wild West as well but decided that we wouldn't risk getting turned away at those places like we had been at The Ranch. We did go to Cook County though as it was close by. Luckily we were on the guest list and were able to walk right in without much of a hassle. I knew the owner, Barry Sparrow, was at the club so it wouldn't have been a problem to get Britt in. We had a drink in the club and met some of the staff. They played the girls song in the club, the first time the girls had heard their music played in a club. Afterwords we met up with Barry and his family at Von's Steakhouse and enjoyed a late night snack in the restaurant.

I dropped the girls off at their hotel a little after midnight and as I was pulling away from the hotel "I Can Love Anyone" was playing on the radio. The perfect end to a great Friday night with One More Girl.


HIP-HIP-HOORAY FOR MALLY
- Saturday, January 31st
The first time I got my ear pierced was way back when I was working in radio in Penticton (as the Night Ranger doing overnights at CIGV in Penticton). One weekend I drove to visit my buddy, Neil Rachynski, in Castlegar where he was working at the radio station. We went out and got really drunk on the Friday night. On Saturday we were very hung over and couldn't even think about drinking the remaining beer in the fridge. We needed some inspiration. All of a sudden a light bulb went on over Neil's head and he said, "Hey! Let's get our ears pierced." We stopped at a record store in Castlegar before heasding to the beauty salon in Trail. We had to check the album graphics from some of our favourite artists to make sure we knew which was the right ear to be getting pierced. After getting our ears pierced we found the inspiration to finish off the remaining beer in Neil's fridge and head back out to the High Arrow, Castlegar's legendary night spot. You haven't partied until you've done it at the High Arrow.

Saturday morning we took Mally to Merle Norman in the St. Albert Centre to get her ears pierced. She had been talking about it for days leading up to her birthday. Of course, as soon as we arrived at the store she got nervous and decided that she didn't want to get it done. I had been toying with the idea of getting my ear pierced again so I told her that I would go through with it if she went ahead and got her ears done. Even that didn't convince her. We told the girl at Merle Norman that we would take a walk through the mall and see if changed her mind. While we were in Claire's looking at earrings it dawned on us that some of Mally's friends might be getting her earrings for her birthday. Once Mally realized that some of her friends might be doing just that she decided she better get her ears pierced. We headed back to Merle Norman. Mally made me go first and then she bravely stepped up and got hers done. She cried as soon as they pierced her ears but not from pain, it was simply a reaction to the whole big build up of nerves. I was proud of her for getting it done. I would have taken her to the High Arrow, if she was old enough...and we were in Castlegar, instead we would have to settle for a birthday party at the Grandin Theatre and dinner out at Montana's.

Mally hosted a bunch of her friends for a party at the Grandin Theatre in St. Albert in the afternoon. The kids enjoyed cake and some snacks in a party room at the theatre. After Mally opened her presents the kids went into the theatre to see "Hotel For Dogs". Lesley went with the kids while I went to the library and enjoyed some quiet time. I really couldn't bear the thought of having to watch "Hotel For Dogs". As it turned out, there were problems with the movie. The picture kept cutting out. When it was over everyone got a free movie pass to come back and see another movie. An extra bonus for the kids at the party.

After the kids party we took the family out for dinner at Montanas. Once again Mally had to be brave. She was afraid that the staff at Montanas would sing to her and make her wear a set of horns. While we were waiting to be seated we saw one of these rituals taking place. Mally didn't want to wear the horns and told the waitress that maybe her Dad could wear them instead. When it came time for dessert and the staff came to sing to Mally, she changed her mind and wore the horns after all. My little girl is growing up. Hip-Hip Hooray for Mally!


Hip-Hip-Hooray for Mally.


MONTH END STUFF

Three Stars of the Month:
1) Barack Obama - incredible innaugaration speech.
2) Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger - incredible landing on the Hudson.
3) Jordan Eberle - Amazing last second goal against the Russians.

Milestones of the Month:
Mally's 8th Birthday.
Motown Records 50th Anniversary.
Doug Gilmour's #93 honoured by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Glenn Anderson's #9 honoured by the Edmonton Oilers.

Best News this Month:
Barack Obama sworn in as President of the United States.

Weirdest News this Month:
Octuplets born in California - Mom has 6 other kids already!

Best Sporting Moment of the Month:
Team Canada wins 5th straight Gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Best New Music of the Month:
Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel
- Mix Supergrass with old David Bowie, toss in some Prince and Van Halen from the 80's. Synth heavy, danceable, fun, pop music. I wonder how these guys would be live. Hope I get to find out.

Best Concert of the Month:
Default at Jet.
- Nothing beats watching a hot sweaty rock show from side stage with a few good friends.

Best Reads of the Month:
Fiction: King Leary - by Paul Quarrington - One of the funniest novels I've ever read. I picked it up after hearing some high praise from another of my favourite Canadian writers, Dave Bidini.

Non-Fiction: It Still Moves - by Amanda Petrusich - Great book about the history, current status and future of Americana Music. The road stories that Amanda writes about had me wanting to hop in the car and hit the highway on a road trip of my own.

Best Screening of the Month:
Dark Knight - Can you believe this didn't get a best picture nomination?

Best Dining out this Month:
Ribs at Montanas in St. Albert for Mally's birthday.

Internet Buzz of the Month:
25 Random Things Survey on Facebook - Seems everyone I know filled out one of these.

25 Random Things

This was floating around Facebook...

I was tagged by Lisa, Karen and Erika...so I guess I have to do this now.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

Here goes...

1) I love the smell of napalm in the morning (ok...so I don't...I do, however, love the smell of coffee).

2) My life is a series of movie quotes and/or song lyrics (see #1 above).

3) I am allergic to msg.

4) I have really curvy thumbs.



5) I am not as competitive as I once was...except when it comes to Scrabble (right Belinda?)..and maybe Wii Sports (right Lesley?).

6) I am thinking about getting my ear pierced again. Mally is getting her ears pierced on Saturday for her 8th birthday. I might just go with her. The first time I got my ear pierced Neil and I did it together and had to check every rock album in the record store first to make sure we didn't get the "gay" ear pierced.

7) I don't have any tattoos...am I the only one on the planet that doesn't?

8) I want to visit the Seven Wonders of the World.

9) I met my wife, Lesley, (and Deborah) the night I was working with Bob Geldof in Toronto.

10) I can't swim. Doggpaddle yes. Swim no.

11) If one of my girls had been born a boy I would have named him Luke just so I could go around saying, "Luke, I am your father". (See #2 above).

12) I was a Bobby Orr fan before I was a Toronto Maple Leaf fan.

14) I am superstitious (note I jumped from 12 to 14).

15) The first 45 single I ever owned was the theme to the TV show "Batman" by Neal Hefti.

16) The first album I ever bought for myself was Trooper's "Hot Shots" (on cassette).

17) I wanted to be a lawyer until I hit Grade 11 and decided I wanted to be a Rock n Roll DJ like Johnny Fever on WKRP.

18) In my opinion Van Halen is only Van Halen when David Lee Roth is the vocalist...otherwise it is just Van Hagar or Van Crap (with Gary Cherone).

19) When I was in Kindergarden I wanted to be a Cowboy or an Astronaut when I grew up.

20) I once threw a dart and it stuck in my sister's arm (I had seen the knife throwing act at the circus with my kindergarden class and thought that might make a good career...changed my mind after that).

21) I went to the Liberal Leadership Convention in Ottawa when I was 16.

22) I read both of Barack Obama's books last Fall.

23) My first beer was with my cousins, Allan and Blair, behind the boathouse at my Grandfather's cottage during a family reunion. I think I was 12. We all had one sip and then poured the rest out.

24) I was known as the Night Ranger when I did the overnight shift at CIGV FM in Penticton.

25) I ate off a frisbee when I got my first apartment because I didn't have any dishes.

***Bonus random thought to make up for the one I skipped between 12 and 14...
I lost my two front teeth in Grade One when I was pretending to be a walrus and a girl, pretending to be a snow leopard, swatted the two sticks I was using as tusks and sent my teeth flying along with them.