April 11 show rundown

Almost a month has passed and yet it only just feels as if we’re getting out of our CMW coma. That’s what plenty of live music does to you. Have no fear, listeners: we’re still in action as always, and we’ll be posting some of our most recent interviews — including those with Toronto acts Paint and Adaline, plus our CMW chats with Kalle Mattson, Samantha Savage Smith, and Poor Young Things — as the week goes on, and we’ll be getting back into that lovely Song of the Week groove (pun intended!) too.

For now, a recap of what we spun last week:

Said the Whale – Loveless
J.J. Ipsen and the Paper Crown – DaDaDa
Eight and a Half – Scissors
Octoberman – Dressed Up
Library Voices – Regina I Don’t Want To Fight
Gold and Youth – Time To Kill
Great Bloomers – Something More
The Wooden Sky – Take Me Out
Kalle Mattson – The Shore
Wintersleep – Resuscitate
Sarah Hallman – Electricity
GSJF – Messages
Bahamas – Lost in the Light

And be sure to tune into tomorrow’s show — 1pm on CHUO.fm or 89.1 on the FM dial for those listening in Ottawa — for our chat with Toronto songstress Darrelle London, who will be hitting up the Centrepointe Theatre in the nation’s capital this Friday, April 20!

‘Til then!

It accidentally aired an hour earlier, but… our Feb. 23 show rundown

Don’t worry, I was surprised too! A small scheduling glitch forced this week’s episode of Now Playing to be aired an hour earlier, at noon instead of 1pm this past Wednesday, the 23rd. Nevertheless, this is what we spun:

The Love Machine – We Are Squirrels, And This Is Nuts
Eve Hell & The Razors – Zombie Love
Olenka & The Autumn Lovers – No Coins
Sound of Lions – One
Great Bloomers – Honey Blanket
Dave Norris and Local Ivan – Goodbye Michelle
Jenn Grant – Parliament of Owls
Giant Hand – Another Step Down
Brad Kells – Let It Go Girl
The Head and the Heart – Down In The Valley [WEEKLY IMPORT]
Doctor Ew – Let’s Make It Legitimate
Hey Rosetta! – Yer Fall
Rebekah Higgs – Wilderness Girls (A.A. Wallace Remix) [Mix/Mash of the Month]

And next week? Oh boy, next week. Next week’s show is going to be just incredible. It’s going to feature TWO LIVE INTERVIEWS + SESSIONS, if you can believe it. No, I can’t believe it either. Toronto’s Hooded Fang just dropped by the studios a few hours ago to record some killer new tracks from their upcoming EP-that-will-actually-probably-be-an-album, and Ottawa’s very own hotshotcasino will be stopping by CHUO on Tuesday to jam and chat before they play Cafe Nostalgica next weekend.

All in all, it’s a show you won’t want to miss.

Last show of 2010! Dec. 29th show rundown

Many thanks to the awesome Jon Cohen of The Jon Cohen Experimental for phoning in for a chat on today’s show — we should hopefully get the audio from that soon and post ‘er here. Don’t forget, you can check him out when he comes to Ottawa early in the new year — he’s hitting up the Avant Garde Bar on Thursday, January 6th, only $6 cover. Check out his site for more info. Update: Jon also tells me the first 20 people in the door will also get a free copy of their sophomore album, Behold. Definitely another awesome reason to go check out the show.

But yes, today’s show was also dedicated to some of my own favourite + top tracks of 2010 — but with a twist. My list focuses more on Canadian artists who may have been neglected from other best-of-2010 lists, and also spotlights some fantastic local acts who released some killer full-length albums and EPs this year. You can’t deny it: 2010 has been the best year yet for Ottawa’s music scene.

Here’s what we spun on the show:

Olenka & The Autumn Lovers – Odessa
Meligrove Band – Really Want It
Little City – Lincoln Learning French
Tokyo Police Club – Favourite Colour
The Acorn – Misplaced
Diamond Rings – Something Else
The Jon Cohen Experimental – Hold the Fire
Broken Social Scene – All to All
Great Bloomers – Small Town Love
The Love Machine – Love is On Your Side
Old Crowns – Shaky Hands
Sound of Lions – Passive Attack
Gramercy Riffs – Dreaming

And man. Here’s my “had I more time, I would have also played” list:
Land of Talk – Quarry Hymns
Loon Choir – New Forewarnings
Basia Bulat – Heart of My Own
Promise Land – Hooded Fang
Rah Rah – Breaking Hearts
Kathryn Calder – If You Only Knew

Alas. An hour can be so restrictive.

And while I didn’t get a chance to mention it on-air, we’ll be extending the EP giveaway! Still the same set-up: tell me what your favourite Canadian album of 2010 is and you could win a copy of The Details’ The Original Mark EP. Comment below or shoot me an email at emma [at] nowplayingradio.com.

‘Til… the new year!

Updates! Updates!

So, okay, the show and this site and even our Twitter feed have been a little, shall we say, dormant over the last little while. But BY GEORGE is that all a-changing. First off, we’ve updated the listings — yes, Sheezer, The Arkells, and Bahamas are all makin’ their way to the nation’s capital pretty gosh darn soon, which is awesome.

Also, for those of you who have been tuning in lately… yes, you have heard me recording from my living room. In community radio, you do what you gotta do. But I’m pleased to announce that we will be recording once again from the CHUO studios at the University of Ottawa campus every week — that means fresh content, fresh tracks, and fresh… freshness. We’re cooking up some fantastic plans to get more Live at CHUO sessions happening, along with more great in-studio and at-the-venue interviews with our city’s (and country’s!) best artists.

In the meantime, check out this new Great Bloomers track we spun a few weeks ago, off their new 7″ – Small Town Love.

June 2nd show recap

First episode of Now Playing? Total success. The badass tracks we spun:

The Acorn – Restoration
The Black Keys – Everlasting Light
Wintersleep – Baltic
Great Bloomers – Find My Way
Broken Social Scene – Romance to the Grave
Dala – Dream a Little Dream of Me
Lisa Bozikovic – The Letting Go
Born Ruffians – Sole Brother
The National – Sorrow
Young Rival – Got What You Need
The Acorn – Misplaced

And, okay. You may be wondering why you don’t see a podcast. Well, considering that the majority of this show was music (as may be the case with some future shows), it’s kinda sticky to be posting podcasts of those puppies. I’ll be posting the complete playlist from every show in its place…. and yes, audio of all the interviews! Oh yeah, did you hear who was going to be on next week? Connor Mercury from The Anybody will stop by to play a few songs in-studio from his recent self-released album Let It Damn Well Hurt before he heads to the Cajun Attic for his pay-what-you-can, 9pm show, and we’ll also be talking to Ottawa sextet Loon Choir in anticipation of their Thursday, June 10th show at Cafe Deckuf.

Gonna be a sweet one — so sweet, we’re setting aside two hours for it. Tune in online via chuo.fm or spin that old-time dial to 89.1 FM next Wednesday at 1pm.

‘Til then!

Upcoming shows and upcoming show

I’ll likely get excited over these all over again on the “official launch” of the show this Wednesday, but might as well spread the joy now: there are some truly awesome shows coming this way over the course of June. A sampling (updated, as Steve St. Pierre reminded me about Old Crowns’ vinyl release party — I knew I wasn’t going to remember everything):

• Lisa Bozikovic and Ferriswheel at Raw Sugar Cafe on Friday, June 4th (eight bucks, 8:30pm)
• The Anybody at The Cajun Attic on Wednesday, June 9th (pay-what-you-can, 9pm)
• Rah Rah, Loon Choir + more at Cafe Dekcuf on Thursday, June 10th (seven bucks, I’ll guess 8pm)
• Library Voices + more at Mavericks on Thursday, June 17th (ten bucks, 8pm)
• Old Crowns + Jonathan Chandler (from Amos the Transparent) at Canteen on Sunday, June 20th (free admission, 3pm)
• Born Ruffians, Young Rival + more at Mavericks on Thursday, June 24th (thirteen bucks, 9:30pm)
• Great Bloomers + more at Cafe Dekcuf on Friday, June 25th (ten bucks, 8pm)

Obviously, there are so many more — and undoubtedly more to be added — and I’ll do my best to keep up the buzz over the next few weeks.

Speaking of buzz, there are also some great releases coming out this week that I will be spinning on Wednesday (excitement!). Get ready for some long-awaited new Born Ruffians and The Acorn tracks, among others, at 1pm this Wednesday on CHUO 89.1 FM.

‘Til then!