Toronto Mike

Music

Total 775 Posts

Questions for Jeremy Taggart

I will be sitting down next week with Jeremy Taggart, best known as the drummer for Our Lady Peace from 1993 - 2014. He'll be dropping by to record an episode of my podcast Toronto Mike'd, and I get an entire hour to ask him anything I want. I know
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Bob Geldof and the Telex Machine

I've been listening to Scot Turner's Spirit of Radio Sunday on 102.1 the Edge and it's great.  Earlier today, they played I Don't Like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats, a song that references a telex machine. If you're my age or younger, you've likely never seen a telex machine.
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Of Sheriff, Alias and Frozen Ghost

Remember Sheriff?  They were a Canadian rock band that scored a big US hit with When I'm With You years after they disbanded. Sheriff was vocalist Freddy Curci, guitarist Steve DeMarchi, keyboardist Arnold Lanni, bassist Wolf Hassel and drummer Rob Elliott. Sheriff - When I'm With YouWhen Sheriff broke up,
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The Power of Song

I caught an interesting discussion on CBC Radio this morning about the power of music as therapy.  Music can be used to soothe and revitalize those suffering from dementia, for example. A popular example of this can be seen in this clip of Henry that made the rounds a few
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Christmas Songs I Enjoy

It's December, and that means you'll likely need to assemble a Christmas party playlist for a holiday party or two. A great deal of Christmas music is awful, but there are a few dozen or so I can stomach.  Here are my personal favourite Christmas songs if you need a
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Happy 70th, Joni

Joni Mitchell is my all-time favourite Canadian female singer.  When I meticulously assembled a list of the 100 best Canadian songs of all-time back in 2007, she appeared on the list four times.  Today, she celebrates her 70th birthday. Happy 70th birthday, Joni!
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What Have They Done To My Song Ma

When listing "rain" songs on Saturday, I included a gem by Melanie.  "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is a great tune, but it's not my favourite Melanie tune.  I'm partial to "Brand New Key". You don't hear much about Melanie these days, likely because she seemed to withdraw from
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Musical Acts I've Seen Live

After taking my daughter to see Selena Gomez last week, I started thinking about bands I've seen live.  Here's a list of bands I've seen live.  It's possible I'm missing an act or two, but I think I've got most of them. 3 Days Grace3 Doors Down30 Seconds to Mars54-40A
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Who Anne Murray Is To Me

I'm still south of 40, so I don't remember Anne Murray's heyday with "Snowbird" and her other early and mid-70s hits.  I missed the Anne Murray era, but I have very strong memories of her. In 1977, Anne Murray released There's a Hippo in My Tub, and my parents bought
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What Was the First Rock Song?

Hey Mike;I'm teaching a music course in the TDSB; as a career musician, enjoying it immensely (no sound checks).The other day, a bright kid comes with this question: "Mr. Corby, what was the first rock song?"He was , of course not referring to rock...AND ROLL!!!! but to
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Drake Started From the Bottom

I'm sharing Drake's new video because it includes a lot of Toronto. Feel free to debate which bottom Drake is referring to.  Yes, at some point during Aubrey Graham's childhood his mom moved him into a duplex in Forest Hill and he played Jimmy "the wheelchair guy" on Degrassi, but
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