April 18th show rundown, plus our chat with Darrelle London!

Continuing in our quest to catch up with interviews and playlists, here’s what we spun on last week’s show:

The Apache Relay – Home Is Not Places
Hooded Fang – Wanning
Tokyo Police Club – Strictly Game
Destroyer – Chinatown
The Barr Brothers – Beggar in the Morning
Cold Specks – Winter Solstice
Darrelle London – First Date
Darrelle London – RV Song
Amos the Transparent – Says the Spark
Silkken Laumann – On The Mend
Grey Kingdom – When The Seasons Drown

And of course, we had the pleasure of chatting with Toronto native Darrelle London about her new album “Eat a Peach” – you can stream the interview (and the song “First Date”) below: (or right-click here to download)

Be sure to catch tomorrow’s show as we gush about tonight’s Bluesfest lineup announcements! (Handsome Furs! Grimes! Hey Rosetta! The Arkells! The Weeknd! And many more!)

“I think ‘yeah’ and ‘baby’ were the most common lyrics…” – Graham Wright phoner + July 13 show rundown

Today’s show was one of our most jam-packed yet, with new tracks from Ohbijou and Dan Mangan, spins from Polaris Prize shortlisters, a chat with our pal and Polaris juror Josh O’Kane about that very prize and the recently announced shortlist, and an interview with Tokyo Police Club’s Graham Wright, who just released his solo album “Shirts vs. Skins” at the end of last month.

Live phoner with Graham Wright on Now Playing, CHUO 89.1 FM

And of course, all that we played:

Ohbijou – Niagara
Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune
Hey Rosetta! – Bricks
Graham Wright – Leftovers
The Arcade Fire – Suburban War
Ron Sexsmith – Get in Line
The Weeknd – The Morning
Timber Timbre – Bad Ritual

Many thanks again to both gents for joining us, and don’t forget — you can catch Graham and Tokyo Police Club this weekend at the HOPE Volleyball Summerfest, alongside CHUO/Now Playing favourites the Balconies.

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!

Sound of Lions interview and Sept. 15th show recap

It feels good to be back in action. Well, half back in action — yes, today’s show was prerecorded. But that didn’t make it any less kickass. This week’s tracks:

Winter Gloves – Plastic Slides
The Balconies – Elephant Lamp
Caribou – Leave House
Rich Aucoin – Brian Wilson is A.L.I.V.E.
Parlovr – Pen to the Paper
The Gallop – Evenings Over the Hills
Sound of Lions – Enders
Land of Talk – Cloak and Cipher
Free Energy – Dream City
Two Hours Traffic – Noisemaker
Tokyo Police Club – Not Sick

A couple weeks ago, I got to chat with Whitney and Christian (and their adorable kitty Mixtape) about their incredible project, Sound of Lions. A little trip-hop, a little lounge, and a whole lot of awesome, Sound of Lions has been in the works for over a year, but this Friday, the 17th, marks their first live show with a full band. Whitney and Christian have been recording a bunch of tracks themselves, in their ecclectic Centretown apartment, but have also been working on expanding their sound with some fantastic fellow local musicians. We talked about working on this new sound, the hip-hop scene in Ottawa, and where they came up with their majestic name:

Be sure to catch Sound of Lions this Friday, Sept. 17th, as they open for Skratch Bastid at Ritual Nightclub on Besserer St. More deets in our Local Listings section.

Speaking of listings… go check that shizz out. Let alone the next few weeks and months, there are actually some incredible shows happening TONIGHT, if you happen to read this in time. Get out of the house and check out at least one of the following:

– Caribou and the Russian Futurists at Babylon on Bank St. (though I hear tickets at the door are limited)

– The Anybody at the Cajun Attic on Dalhousie St. (1opm)

– The Golden Isles at the Avant Garde Bar on Besserer (I just interviewed these guys — they’re great — and will be airing the chat next week)

That should keep you occupied — ’til next week!

Two Ds from Winnipeg: July 28th show recap

A low-key show today? Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean the music was any less awesome:

Stars – I Died So I Could Haunt You
The Details – The Original Mark
Departures – Being There
Hey Rosetta! – Black Heart
Nightwood – Gretta at a Window
Wintersleep – A Long Flight
Blitzen Trapper – Below The Hurricane (This week’s Weekly Import.)
Tokyo Police Club – Favourite Food
The Acorn + Ohbijou – Darcy
Broken Social Scene – World Sick

Yeah, The Details and Departures are from Winnipeg. I like alliteration, okay? Also, I talked about some exciting new shows that have been announced: Wintersleep, The Besnard Lakes, and Hey Rosetta! are all playing various dates at the Capital this October, and Broken Social Scene will be playing the Bronson Centre in December! Advance tickets for that show are available at galleryac.com. Check out more show listings via our brand-spanking-new listings page.

‘Til next week! Though I’m sure there’ll be new, awesome stuff to talk about before then.

June 30th show (and hey, Happy Canada Day!)

We had a sweet show lined up for the last day of June, featuring — as always — some fabulous tunes from our home and native land (plus a few tracks from the UK in honour of the Queen’s visit):

Tokyo Police Club – Favourite Colour
Rah Rah – Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel
Stars – We Don’t Want Your Body
Kele – Tenderoni
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool – Dance the Way I Feel
Forest City Lovers – Sea to Land
The Property Line – All Together
Tegan & Sara – Night Watch
You Say Party – There is XXXX (Within My Heart)

Huge note to make — which I somehow neglected to announce on air — but Forest City Lovers will be swinging by Ottawa early this fall, playing the Raw Sugar Cafe on Sept. 17. Definitely something to check out!

And in advance of the announcement next Tuesday, we also chatted about Polaris Short List predictions. Here’s Now Playing’s Officially Unofficial Polaris Short List Prediction List:

Basia Bulat – Heart of My Own
Brasstronaut – Mt. Chimaera
Jason Collett – Rat A Tat Tat
Frog Eyes – Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph
Dan Mangan – Nice, Nice, Very Nice
The New Pornographers – Together
Shad – TSOL
Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
Young Galaxy – Invisible Republic
You Say Party – XXXX

Your thoughts? Think we’re on the mark, or totally off in left field? Leave a comment — or better yet, drop us a line at nowplayingchuo [at] gmail [dot] com and send us your ten picks/predictions for the Short List. Get ’em in by next Monday and the person with the most picks that actually end up on the List will get a li’l prize from Now Playing.

Just for fun, I made a “sentimental” list of who I’d simply prefer to see make it through:

Apollo Ghosts – Mount Benson
Bahamas – Pink Strat
Basia Bulat – Heart of My Own
Brasstronaut – Mt. Chimaera
Hannah Georgas – This Is Good
Ghostkeeper – Ghostkeeper
Dan Mangan – Nice, Nice, Very Nice
You Say Party – XXXX
The Wooden Sky – If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone
Yukon Blonde – Yukon Blonde

I’m pretty excited to see what happens. Catch all the action next Wednesday at 1pm on CHUO 89.1 FM. ‘Til then, enjoy your Canada Day!

June 9th show recap (now with audio links!)

Our second show boasted two hours of delicious local and Canadian music. The playlist:

Dinosaur Bones – Point of Pride
The Anybody – San Francisco
Born Ruffians – What To Say
Dukes of Burgundy – Talking Backwards
The Balconies – Serious Bedtime
Sloan – Believe in Me
Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
Forest City Lovers – Minneapolis
The Acorn – Crossed Wires
The Tanuki Project – Playground
Tokyo Police Club – Breakneck Speed
Apollo Ghosts – Brown to Grey
The Anybody – Basement Blues
Loon Choir – New Forewarnings
Rah Rah – Arrows
Right By Midnight – Best Way Home
Loon Choir – Vis a Vis

We also had some great interviews with Connor Mercury from The Anybody (complete with an in-studio performance of “My Heart Beating”) and Derek, Nikki, and Jamie from Loon Choir which you can check out below:

Connor Mercury from The Anybody (click to listen, right-click to save file)

Derek, Nikki, and Jamie from Loon Choir (click to listen, right-click to save file)

And don’t forget: you can see Connor’s live acoustic set tonight at the Cajun Attic. Doors are at 8:30 and it’s pay-what-you-can to help the guy out (on his birthday!) as most of his recording equipment and instruments were lost in the Sunnyside fire a few weeks ago. On Thursday, Loon Choir hits the stage at Cafe Dekcuf on Rideau alongside Rah Rah (from Regina, SK) and The Sonic Defense (also from Ottawa).

If you’re looking for more to check out this weekend, you can catch some great acts like The Balconies, Dala, The White Wires, Monkeyjunk, and Sloan all for free at Westfest this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; and you can find Tokyo Sex Whale, Holy Cobras, Mother’s Children, and more at Gaga Weekend this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Get out there and support local music, kids. ‘Til next week!