CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy wants to draw your attention to the Western Canadian Music Awards this weekend in Kelowna as part of Breakout West, and in honour of the occasion, here are four Western Canadian recommended listening items.
The Rascalz – “Northern Touch”
Depending on whom you ask, this could either be a nondescript ‘90s style hip-hop song, a jingle that’s been developed utilizing the names of current (and some now recently former) Toronto Raptors NBA players’ names as a playoff promotion for the team, or the definitive patriotic Canadian party anthem.
Carolyn Mark – “The One that Got Away With It”
On a recent drive down the States-side of this temperate Western rainforest that we inhabit, I was waxing on about this singer-songwriter, whose been a staple on the Island and across the country as a touring artist for at least a decade. Think Neko Case but more cheeky.
Rae Spoon – “You Don’t Do Anything”
Taking aim at environmental politics on their most recent record, there are like 10 of them to date, and each of them is rich with personal and poignant storytelling, and musical compositions that excel both as pieces of songwriting, and opportunities to experiment with the traditional constructs of folk songs.
Matthew Good Band – “The War Is Over”
A song that puts a period (plus the eventual epilogue/secret song) on the first full-length recording released under the name Matthew Good Band, and was at the time a record-setting independent album thanks (or so I understand?) to ubiquitous Vancouver rock radio station CFOX. Still warrin’, though.
