your song

All you Canucks out there may have heard about CBC Radio's play list for U.S. President Barack Obama, 49 Songs from North of the 49th Parallel. Canadians were given the chance to vote on which songs would best define Canada to the new president. Well leave it to The Hour to come up with their own spin on things. They compiled a play list for former President George W. Bush. And it is excellent. You can see the full list here. I think it really captures his tenure as president. Here are a few of my favourites.

American Idiot - Green Day
2 + 2 = 5 - Radiohead
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta - Ghetto Boys
Thank God I'm A Country Boy - John Denver
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
The Man Who Sold The World - David Bowie
When The Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin

and on earth...peace...

I'm not a very political person. Most of the time, I have trouble following what is going on in the world. But I know enough to know that yesterday's assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a horrible thing for the long suffering Pakistan. She cared about her people and fought hard to bring peace to her nation. And now she is gone. Who will stand up for the people of Pakistan?

Every time something like this happens in a far corner of the world I am thankful that my father emigrated to Canada. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if he had remained in then communist Yugoslavia. Everything I have now is because he was brave enough to leave his homeland. I am proud to be Canadian and even prouder that my father was brave enough to leave the comfort of his family for a better future. I only wish that the rest of the world had the same opportunity for a better life.

why wear a poppy

Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada and other countries around the world. It is the one day each year when we remember the men and women who serve and have served our country in times of war and peace. I don't understand war and probably never will. I'm not sure our troops should be in Afghanistan or anywhere else for that matter. But I've always been proud of Canada's peacekeeping role and one thing I am quite sure of is that we should honour the individuals who gave their lives in an effort to bring peace to our world. That's why I wear a poppy and why I will every year. In an ideal world we would not need to kill each other to work out our differences. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't honour the people who have made sacrifices in the name of freedom.

true patriot love...

A picture post today from beautiful Deerhurst.

Just one reason why I love Canada.

thank you for the music

I try very hard to support Canadian music. Through the magic of iTunes, I've subscribed to a number of podcasts that highlight Canadian music. Maybe I'm getting old, but I just can't get excited about any of the up and coming bands that these podcasts are touting as the best new Canadian talent. I'm starting to feel like a bad Canadian, and believe me, I am a pretty hardcore patriot!

I have recently discovered two UK bands that I just love!

The Shakes are a 4 piece from London, England. When I first heard their song Liberty Jones on about 5 million podcasts in one week, I wasn't all that impressed. Frankly, I was quite annoyed that every podcaster in the universe was playing this song. That's usually the first clue that I will absolutely fall in love with a band. And I did! Soon afterwards, I was on the Podsafe Music Network listening to Liberty Jones over and over again. The really cool thing about this band is that they don't have a record deal and they don't have a full length album out. They have been releasing singles every few months and promoting themselves through the Internet. I can honestly say that the minute they have a CD out I will download it! In the meantime, I look forward to each new single, live track, podcast, and whatever else they put out on their website or the Podsafe Music Network. These guys are totally taking matters into their own hands! It's refreshing to see a band take a different approach. I hope it's working for them.

I am also totally into The Fratellis. These guys got a huge break when their tune, Flathead, was featured in an Apple ad promoting iPod + iTunes. There music is catchy and fun with some excellent lyrics. I'm a total sucker for great lyrics! From what I can tell, they are also an indie band and seem to be developing a good following.

So maybe I'm just more in tune with the UK sound these days. Whatever it is, I highly recommend that you check out both of these awesome bands.