Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Sage
"If more people worshipped music, the world would be a better place"
-Scott Ian of Anthrax
Amen to that, brother.
-Scott Ian of Anthrax
Amen to that, brother.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Platform
I love the extended guitar workout. Songs that exist for one reason, and one reason only -- so a hotshot axe-picker can blast off and solo his way into the sun. And I'm 'aint talkin' 'bout "Eruption" here, or any whimsical folk breakdown like Steve Howe or Jimmy Page might do. I'm talking about those slow-burning scorchers where the rhythm section locks in and lays down a bone-simple rhythmic bed for the soloist to go off on, and the singer retires from the stage to go get a blowjob from a groupie. They can be any length, but the best ones are the ones where either you never notice the time going by, or they leave you wishing they went on longer. So, without further ado, here is a few of my favorites.
Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno - First, all you hear is the drones and chants of the ancients, as if a giant obelisk looms in the distance. Suddenly a screech of feedback announces the arrival of an amped-up speed-freak boogie riff, and Japanese acid guru Kawabata Motako proceeds to being tearing the riff to pieces for the next 20 minutes. As analog synths pan dementedly and a warped space god makes cosmic pronouncements in the background, Motako carries on a full throttle sonic assault, exploring every scorching harmonic that his ultra-distorted guitar can summon.
Comets On Fire - Blue Tomb
Comets On Fire, where have you gone? For the first half of the 00s, these guys absolutely cold-cocked all comers in the psychedelic ultra-rock weight division. Since 2006 however, not a trace of these guys exists on the internet. Twin guitar godzillas Ethan Miller and Ben Chasny have obviously been busy with their many respective projects, but come on guys. It's been five years. You'd think you could at least hit the studio for a weekend and kick out some apocalyptic space death jams with the tape rolling just to give us heads something. Well, if they well and truly are finished, at least we'll always have this hazy sludge mountain to remember them by. As the titanic finale to Blue Cathedral, one of the greatest rock albums ever made, this 10 minute behemoth has always stood as the band's crowning achievement. Chasny and Miller here go supernova as the rythm section lays down a hypnotic groove anchored by Ben Flashman's supremely fuzzy bass. Unlike other Comets freakouts which are all feedback, distortion and amp scream, this is a controlled explosion in molasses slow-motion build towards a triumphant finale. Spirals of guitar undulate and bisect each other at chaotic angles while never spiralling too far from the song's central bass hook. Noel Von Harmonson's echoplex splatter adds a further dimension of sonic dimentia over top. When the whole thing explodes into a heavenly finale, you'll finally glimpse enlightenment. Too band they haven't been around in a while to take us back there.
Built To Spill - Broken Chairs
Doug Marsch is the rarest of things, an indie rock guitar hero. I don't know when hipsters decided that being a really good guitarist was actually a bad thing, but clearly no one told this guy. For a man that has made his career penning unforgettable melodies and twee as fuck ruminations on halcyon innocence, Marsh can absolutely wail on his axe. There is no better showcase for his fuzzy, Crazy Horse-inspired leads than the closing number from their 1999 Keep It Like A Secret album. Check out the 19 minute version on the aptly titled Live album if you really wanna hear him tear a hole in the universe.
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
George Clinton told Eddie Hazel to "play like yo mamma just died," and for the next 9 minutes, Hazel lays down an apocalyptic sonic trip through the gates of hell. Although he does pick up into some flashy, shredding licks at times, most of the solo accentuates Hazel's heavily delayed and distorted wah-inflected tone with masterfully sustained notes and emotionally devastating bends. If Hazel had done nothing else besides this song, he'd still deserve to rank among the greatest guitarists of all time. As it happens, he's all over the first three Funkadelic records, each of them a true psychedelic classic.
Jimi Hendrix - Red House
Really, any number of Hendrix tracks could have belonged on this list, but I've always had a soft spot for this cool Mississippi blues workout. Hendrix would often channel his earthy soul and years of chitlin circuit experience on this song, which he often extended up to 15 minutes or more in concert. Although not a pre-requisite for a great guitar showcase, his excellent vocal performance is of note. He's in full lover-man persona here, his vocals dripping with character and sexual desire. This is interesting, because Hendrix himself thought he was a bad singer, an assertion that I never agreed with.
Neil Young - Like A Hurricane
Not that Niel Young has a shortage of extended guitar jam platforms, but I've always been particularly in love with this song. Though he was known to stretch it out to impossible lengths in concert, this mainstay of his set never bores me. Well, maybe if you include his 33 minute sound collage Arc, but I don't. This song's unforgettable melody is couched in some of Young's most expressive soloing and bookended by his emotionally devastating singing. An absolute masterpiece.
Randy Holden - Fruit & Icebergs
Randy Holden recorded a version of this song with Blue Cheer on their New! Improved! album, but he was only a member of those rapidly fading sludge barons at the tail end of their initial period of greatness. Holden himslef stuck around long enough to record just one side of the record, then went off to record his incredible Population II solo debut, from which this song was taken. The album itself is a love letter to the electric guitar, an example of just how far you can go with one drummer, one supremely gifted axe-slinger, and a wall of amplifiers. This version of "Fruit & Icebergs" is done in gloriously sludgy half-time with twice the fuzz of the original. Holden's jaw-dropping excursions take 60's inspired hard rock and electric blues cliches straight into the ionosphere. You can almost hear the sweat beads running down Holden's forehead and the grimace on his face as he bends into and out of notes all over his punished fretboard. No doubt about it, the man sounds like he's digging a grave. Too bad the album didn't get released for 20 years and the record company sold his gear out from under him, kicking off Holden's 25 year exile from the music world.
Robin Trower - Bridge Of Sighs
I can't get over how rich and thick Trower's tone is on the title track from his 1974 solo album. Trower was never the fastest or most technical player, but when it came to nailing those slow, endless and liquid-smooth space-blues licks, no one has done it better save of Hendrix himself.
Sonic Youth - Hits Of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg)
This is actually a group guitar jam, but the song's lazy lope is the perfect place for Thurston Moore and Lee Ronaldo to slather their molten, fuzz-caked guitars all over a gently babbling river of hallucinogenic sound. Take the trip.
Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno - First, all you hear is the drones and chants of the ancients, as if a giant obelisk looms in the distance. Suddenly a screech of feedback announces the arrival of an amped-up speed-freak boogie riff, and Japanese acid guru Kawabata Motako proceeds to being tearing the riff to pieces for the next 20 minutes. As analog synths pan dementedly and a warped space god makes cosmic pronouncements in the background, Motako carries on a full throttle sonic assault, exploring every scorching harmonic that his ultra-distorted guitar can summon.
Comets On Fire - Blue Tomb
Comets On Fire, where have you gone? For the first half of the 00s, these guys absolutely cold-cocked all comers in the psychedelic ultra-rock weight division. Since 2006 however, not a trace of these guys exists on the internet. Twin guitar godzillas Ethan Miller and Ben Chasny have obviously been busy with their many respective projects, but come on guys. It's been five years. You'd think you could at least hit the studio for a weekend and kick out some apocalyptic space death jams with the tape rolling just to give us heads something. Well, if they well and truly are finished, at least we'll always have this hazy sludge mountain to remember them by. As the titanic finale to Blue Cathedral, one of the greatest rock albums ever made, this 10 minute behemoth has always stood as the band's crowning achievement. Chasny and Miller here go supernova as the rythm section lays down a hypnotic groove anchored by Ben Flashman's supremely fuzzy bass. Unlike other Comets freakouts which are all feedback, distortion and amp scream, this is a controlled explosion in molasses slow-motion build towards a triumphant finale. Spirals of guitar undulate and bisect each other at chaotic angles while never spiralling too far from the song's central bass hook. Noel Von Harmonson's echoplex splatter adds a further dimension of sonic dimentia over top. When the whole thing explodes into a heavenly finale, you'll finally glimpse enlightenment. Too band they haven't been around in a while to take us back there.
Built To Spill - Broken Chairs
Doug Marsch is the rarest of things, an indie rock guitar hero. I don't know when hipsters decided that being a really good guitarist was actually a bad thing, but clearly no one told this guy. For a man that has made his career penning unforgettable melodies and twee as fuck ruminations on halcyon innocence, Marsh can absolutely wail on his axe. There is no better showcase for his fuzzy, Crazy Horse-inspired leads than the closing number from their 1999 Keep It Like A Secret album. Check out the 19 minute version on the aptly titled Live album if you really wanna hear him tear a hole in the universe.
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
George Clinton told Eddie Hazel to "play like yo mamma just died," and for the next 9 minutes, Hazel lays down an apocalyptic sonic trip through the gates of hell. Although he does pick up into some flashy, shredding licks at times, most of the solo accentuates Hazel's heavily delayed and distorted wah-inflected tone with masterfully sustained notes and emotionally devastating bends. If Hazel had done nothing else besides this song, he'd still deserve to rank among the greatest guitarists of all time. As it happens, he's all over the first three Funkadelic records, each of them a true psychedelic classic.
Jimi Hendrix - Red House
Really, any number of Hendrix tracks could have belonged on this list, but I've always had a soft spot for this cool Mississippi blues workout. Hendrix would often channel his earthy soul and years of chitlin circuit experience on this song, which he often extended up to 15 minutes or more in concert. Although not a pre-requisite for a great guitar showcase, his excellent vocal performance is of note. He's in full lover-man persona here, his vocals dripping with character and sexual desire. This is interesting, because Hendrix himself thought he was a bad singer, an assertion that I never agreed with.
Neil Young - Like A Hurricane
Not that Niel Young has a shortage of extended guitar jam platforms, but I've always been particularly in love with this song. Though he was known to stretch it out to impossible lengths in concert, this mainstay of his set never bores me. Well, maybe if you include his 33 minute sound collage Arc, but I don't. This song's unforgettable melody is couched in some of Young's most expressive soloing and bookended by his emotionally devastating singing. An absolute masterpiece.
Randy Holden - Fruit & Icebergs
Randy Holden recorded a version of this song with Blue Cheer on their New! Improved! album, but he was only a member of those rapidly fading sludge barons at the tail end of their initial period of greatness. Holden himslef stuck around long enough to record just one side of the record, then went off to record his incredible Population II solo debut, from which this song was taken. The album itself is a love letter to the electric guitar, an example of just how far you can go with one drummer, one supremely gifted axe-slinger, and a wall of amplifiers. This version of "Fruit & Icebergs" is done in gloriously sludgy half-time with twice the fuzz of the original. Holden's jaw-dropping excursions take 60's inspired hard rock and electric blues cliches straight into the ionosphere. You can almost hear the sweat beads running down Holden's forehead and the grimace on his face as he bends into and out of notes all over his punished fretboard. No doubt about it, the man sounds like he's digging a grave. Too bad the album didn't get released for 20 years and the record company sold his gear out from under him, kicking off Holden's 25 year exile from the music world.
Robin Trower - Bridge Of Sighs
I can't get over how rich and thick Trower's tone is on the title track from his 1974 solo album. Trower was never the fastest or most technical player, but when it came to nailing those slow, endless and liquid-smooth space-blues licks, no one has done it better save of Hendrix himself.
Sonic Youth - Hits Of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg)
This is actually a group guitar jam, but the song's lazy lope is the perfect place for Thurston Moore and Lee Ronaldo to slather their molten, fuzz-caked guitars all over a gently babbling river of hallucinogenic sound. Take the trip.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Devastation
So due to my recent re-discovery of The Sound Of The Beast, I've been excavating that magical 1982-1984 period in which all disparate strains of black, death, power, doom and good old fashioned classic heavy metal exploded outward, diverging with the power of an atom being split. As the shards from the initial metal detonation spurred by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal hurtled onward and upward, genres would soon become rigidly codified. Excellent and powerful music would result, but I've always had a particular fascination with this period, when the lines were still blurry and scene politics not as dogmatic. It's especially interesting to note that by 1984, the great steel lords like Saxon, Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Judas Priest and American counterparts like Manowar were all still firing on all cylinders, while most of the bands who would shape the direction of heavy metal over the next 15 plus years were already in place, either as underground tape-trading fixtures or fresh-faced fusiliers recording debut albums and playing local shows, and even a few groups of teenagers thrashing about in smokey beer-soaked practice pads.
Here is a list of some favourites, new and old, that have been getting extra spins at the altar recently.
Anvil - Metal On Metal Canadian power metal legends best known for appearing in a documentary which portrayed them as a real-life Spinal Tap. Fortunately, a new generation has re-discovered these guys, and fallen in love with ridiculous anthems like the title track and the groupie-slaying sleeze tributes "Tag Team" and "Jackhammer." The leather bondage gear and musical vibrators that were synonymous with their stage dress only adds to their perverted appeal.
Bathory - Bathory Although later they became notable for pioneering the ultra-epic micro genre of viking metal, Sweden's Bathory began life as ultra-crude Venom wannabes. I mean that in a good way. This was a vital step in the creation of black metal.
Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac A great missing link between classic heavy metal and mid-80s thrash, this Ontario band worked much of the same ground as early Metallica, thrashing with wild-eyed abandon and displaying a love for Sabbath's heavy riffage and Motorhead's breakneck speed. For a year or two at least, these two bands were neck and neck, though these guys never really topped themselves after this. Standout track is the ultraheavy "Iron Dogs," but there isnt a weak track here. An overlooked classic.
Iron Maiden - Number Of The Beast
Not much needs to be said about this record. Iron Maiden's first record with Bruce Dickinson saw them leaving their punked-up pub-metal roots in the dust in favour of elaborate, classical compositions and fantastical (rather than macabre) lyrical themes that would define the career of one of the greatest bands of all time.
Judas Priest- Screaming For Vengence
This was Priest at their commerical peak. Touring the world with Iron Maiden in tow, the twin titans created legions of fans everywhere they went. Some of Priest's catchiest songs can be found here, with Downing and Tipton's trademark dual lead guitars carving molten chunks of sound with laser precision. Everythime I hear "You've Got Another Thing Coming" on the radio on our local classic rock stations, I always crank the volume.
Manowar - Into Glory Ride The manliest men who ever manned. Manowar would carry the flame for true heavy metal for decades, but this is one of their best efforts. In particular, "Gloves of Metal" ranks as one of the grestest fist-in-the-air, call-to-arms metal anthems of all time.
Mercyful Fate - Melissa
The arcane, mystical aura of Denmark's Mercyful Fate is matched by their highly accomplished musical feats on spellbinding compositions like "Into The Coven," "Satan's Fall" and the mesmerizing title track. Kind Diamond 's unbelieveable falsetto is in fine form here, and their phenomenoal musicianship and gothic sensibility would have a powerful influence on everyone from Metallica to Mayhem.
Metallica - Kill 'em All
Metallica kick-started a new era in metal with their heavy chugging rythms, giving birth to the thrash metal aesthetic fully formed on their debut. Unlike later albums though, this is pure, unrefined work by a band obsessed with heavy metal, with each song coming loaded by at least six or seven riffs and as many shredding guitar solos. Hetfield's vocals are a little high and screechy, but the band gets by on enthusiasm and sheer conviction. They would never sound like this again, and Kill 'em All captures a young and hungry band on the cusp of greatness.
Motorhead - Another Perfect Day
Easily the most underappreciated Motorhead album. Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson stopped by to inject his fluid, melodic style into the Motorhead machine, and the results have polarized fans ever since. For me, tracks like "Shine" deserve to be ranked among the very best the band had to offer, though if one were to ever categorize a Motorhead album as conventional, this would be it.
Saxon - The Power & The Glory This was Saxon's commercial peak, and great ragers like "Redline" that channeled the drive of their early biker metal roots were bolstered by the elaborate slow build of "The Eagle Has Landed." Things were getting slicker production-wise for them, but on this album, and to a lesser extent 1984's Crusader, Saxon still ranked among the best that Britain had to offer.
Slayer - Show No Mercy Dave Lombaro's shockingly fast drumming and the ultra-evil imagery of Tom Arya's psychotic screams distinguished Slayer very early on. Unlike other speedfreaks like D.R.I. or C.O.C. Slayer was equally interested in the technically accomplisehed tendencies of classic heavy metal. Their chops were raw, but song structures were not being simplified, simply sped up to vaporization speed while still retaining the instrumental breaks and complex bridges. A radical and extremely influential debut.
Venom - At War With Satan
The final of Venom's essential proto-black metal template-setting albums, At War With Satan's epic title track is effectively metal's answer to Milton's Paradise Lost. This is far from the basement-value ineptitude of Welcome To Hell. Here, they prefigure all the baroque tendencies that some angry scandanavian teenagers would ride to infamy in the coming decade.
Warlock - Burn The Witches Germany's Warlock did a raw, energetic take on power metal with a thrashy edge, and threw the soaring vocals of metal-goddess Doro over top. The effect is all shredding, wailing guitars, flying hair and relentless drumming crystalized into pure unadulterated heavy metal.
Here is a list of some favourites, new and old, that have been getting extra spins at the altar recently.
Anvil - Metal On Metal Canadian power metal legends best known for appearing in a documentary which portrayed them as a real-life Spinal Tap. Fortunately, a new generation has re-discovered these guys, and fallen in love with ridiculous anthems like the title track and the groupie-slaying sleeze tributes "Tag Team" and "Jackhammer." The leather bondage gear and musical vibrators that were synonymous with their stage dress only adds to their perverted appeal.
Bathory - Bathory Although later they became notable for pioneering the ultra-epic micro genre of viking metal, Sweden's Bathory began life as ultra-crude Venom wannabes. I mean that in a good way. This was a vital step in the creation of black metal.
Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac A great missing link between classic heavy metal and mid-80s thrash, this Ontario band worked much of the same ground as early Metallica, thrashing with wild-eyed abandon and displaying a love for Sabbath's heavy riffage and Motorhead's breakneck speed. For a year or two at least, these two bands were neck and neck, though these guys never really topped themselves after this. Standout track is the ultraheavy "Iron Dogs," but there isnt a weak track here. An overlooked classic.
Iron Maiden - Number Of The Beast
Not much needs to be said about this record. Iron Maiden's first record with Bruce Dickinson saw them leaving their punked-up pub-metal roots in the dust in favour of elaborate, classical compositions and fantastical (rather than macabre) lyrical themes that would define the career of one of the greatest bands of all time.
Judas Priest- Screaming For Vengence
This was Priest at their commerical peak. Touring the world with Iron Maiden in tow, the twin titans created legions of fans everywhere they went. Some of Priest's catchiest songs can be found here, with Downing and Tipton's trademark dual lead guitars carving molten chunks of sound with laser precision. Everythime I hear "You've Got Another Thing Coming" on the radio on our local classic rock stations, I always crank the volume.
Manowar - Into Glory Ride The manliest men who ever manned. Manowar would carry the flame for true heavy metal for decades, but this is one of their best efforts. In particular, "Gloves of Metal" ranks as one of the grestest fist-in-the-air, call-to-arms metal anthems of all time.
Mercyful Fate - Melissa
The arcane, mystical aura of Denmark's Mercyful Fate is matched by their highly accomplished musical feats on spellbinding compositions like "Into The Coven," "Satan's Fall" and the mesmerizing title track. Kind Diamond 's unbelieveable falsetto is in fine form here, and their phenomenoal musicianship and gothic sensibility would have a powerful influence on everyone from Metallica to Mayhem.
Metallica - Kill 'em All
Metallica kick-started a new era in metal with their heavy chugging rythms, giving birth to the thrash metal aesthetic fully formed on their debut. Unlike later albums though, this is pure, unrefined work by a band obsessed with heavy metal, with each song coming loaded by at least six or seven riffs and as many shredding guitar solos. Hetfield's vocals are a little high and screechy, but the band gets by on enthusiasm and sheer conviction. They would never sound like this again, and Kill 'em All captures a young and hungry band on the cusp of greatness.
Motorhead - Another Perfect Day
Easily the most underappreciated Motorhead album. Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson stopped by to inject his fluid, melodic style into the Motorhead machine, and the results have polarized fans ever since. For me, tracks like "Shine" deserve to be ranked among the very best the band had to offer, though if one were to ever categorize a Motorhead album as conventional, this would be it.
Saxon - The Power & The Glory This was Saxon's commercial peak, and great ragers like "Redline" that channeled the drive of their early biker metal roots were bolstered by the elaborate slow build of "The Eagle Has Landed." Things were getting slicker production-wise for them, but on this album, and to a lesser extent 1984's Crusader, Saxon still ranked among the best that Britain had to offer.
Slayer - Show No Mercy Dave Lombaro's shockingly fast drumming and the ultra-evil imagery of Tom Arya's psychotic screams distinguished Slayer very early on. Unlike other speedfreaks like D.R.I. or C.O.C. Slayer was equally interested in the technically accomplisehed tendencies of classic heavy metal. Their chops were raw, but song structures were not being simplified, simply sped up to vaporization speed while still retaining the instrumental breaks and complex bridges. A radical and extremely influential debut.
Venom - At War With Satan
The final of Venom's essential proto-black metal template-setting albums, At War With Satan's epic title track is effectively metal's answer to Milton's Paradise Lost. This is far from the basement-value ineptitude of Welcome To Hell. Here, they prefigure all the baroque tendencies that some angry scandanavian teenagers would ride to infamy in the coming decade.
Warlock - Burn The Witches Germany's Warlock did a raw, energetic take on power metal with a thrashy edge, and threw the soaring vocals of metal-goddess Doro over top. The effect is all shredding, wailing guitars, flying hair and relentless drumming crystalized into pure unadulterated heavy metal.
Molten
I've been reading Ian Christe's truly excellent book, The Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. It's been a favourite of mine for years, and since I have little new reading material at the moment I decided to dig back into it and read it cover to cover. Christe's truly astonishing depth of knowledge and knowing smirk shine through his well-constructed narrative of the history of heavy music from its inception in the late 60's up until its publishing date in 2002. Anyone with an interest in metal or rock music should read this book, which also contains a series of handy genre guides listing essential recordings in all styles of metal.
Christe also curates and contributes to a fantastic blog at Bazillion Points Publishers which speciallizes in metal-related books, films and food. They have a particularly great collection of obscure metal demos from all manner of underground (and sometimes above-ground) bands. Check it out for an unholy collection of all manner of grimy,dungeon-production thrash, death, black and power metal filth by teenagers who can barely play their instruments. In other words, its fucking awesome.
Christe also curates and contributes to a fantastic blog at Bazillion Points Publishers which speciallizes in metal-related books, films and food. They have a particularly great collection of obscure metal demos from all manner of underground (and sometimes above-ground) bands. Check it out for an unholy collection of all manner of grimy,dungeon-production thrash, death, black and power metal filth by teenagers who can barely play their instruments. In other words, its fucking awesome.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Anchor
So I recently got a job at a local radio station, which is part of the reason the updates have been fewer and farther in between for the last month and a half. Although it started as a promotions gig, (set-up for remote broadcasts, appearances at public events, handing out free stuff and calling contest winners etc.) I've just this past week started to branch out. On Thursday and Friday I took part in the launch of a new top 40 music station, SoNIC 104.9FM and got to operate the board for a few hours. If you're reading this blog, chances are you won't like the music, just like I don't, but a job is a job. Today, I've been thrown into the fire so to speak, as I've been giving updates on-air for NEWS 1130 from Vancouver's 101st summer fair, the PNE. I think it's gone pretty well, in fact I'm writing this update in between cut-ins. So yeah, I have a cool new job, it's going well, and I'm making inroads to a real career. I'll be starting the world-class Radio Broadcast program at BCIT in a few weeks, and I'm already getting paid to go on-air at a major radio station in one of the three largest media markets in Canada. So life is going well.
Honestly, I do have reservations about being part of the machine. Rogers Communications, who owns the stations I work for, is one of the largest companies in Canada. Moreover, the radio business is cutthroat, and I've already seen collegues of mine get terminated in purely bottom-line decisions. I've made my dissatisfaction with how radio has served music for the last few decades clear in this here blog previously, so there is no need to get into that here. That being said, if I can make a living talking into a microphone about my two greatest passions, music and sports, I think I could live with that. And maybe, just maybe, I can make some changes for the better from the inside. Okay, maybe that's a long shot. Clearly, some day I'm gonna have to set up my own pirate radio station, purely for the love of music. Someone has to play Captain Beyond and Sir Lord Baltimore. Keep on rocking everyone.
Honestly, I do have reservations about being part of the machine. Rogers Communications, who owns the stations I work for, is one of the largest companies in Canada. Moreover, the radio business is cutthroat, and I've already seen collegues of mine get terminated in purely bottom-line decisions. I've made my dissatisfaction with how radio has served music for the last few decades clear in this here blog previously, so there is no need to get into that here. That being said, if I can make a living talking into a microphone about my two greatest passions, music and sports, I think I could live with that. And maybe, just maybe, I can make some changes for the better from the inside. Okay, maybe that's a long shot. Clearly, some day I'm gonna have to set up my own pirate radio station, purely for the love of music. Someone has to play Captain Beyond and Sir Lord Baltimore. Keep on rocking everyone.
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