Category: RadioZoom

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Less Than Jake at the Commodore Ballroom

This past Thursday night, Less Than Jake played the Commodore Ballroom on a double ticket with Reel Big Fish. It was like being taken back to 1998 all over again, but the show didn’t fail to deliver. RBF and LTJ can still rock it something fierce.

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

Even better, RadioZoom got an interview with Chris in the afternoon before the show, Rebecca being on the prowl with the recording gear. It’s a great interview explaining why they have gone the way of being an independent band on their own label as well as the type of witty banter that can only come from the front man for Less Than Jake.

The interview also gave us photo access for the show, so here are some of my favorite shots I took from the front of the stage.

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

Less Than Jake @ The Commodore - Sep. 18, 2008

It was a wicked show. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any shots of Reel Big Fish, but needless to say, they still put on a hell of a performance. I have forgotten how much fun ska/punk concerts are, mainly because of that damn corporate machine that says ska died about ten years ago. I think not.

You can see all of my photos from the night on the Flickr set.

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RadioZoom#142 – August Long Weekend in Osoyoos

Edited last night, posted today.

This is some audio that we recorded last August after spending a weekend in Osoyoos, B.C. This audio has been sitting around for nearly six months, and I finally got around to editing it. There’s more where this came from, so look for more in the future.

There is still music in this one, as does every episode of RZ.

50:53 minutes
radiozoom.net

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Speaking at MooseCamp, Northern Voice 2008

Canada's Blogging and Social Media Conference Northern Voice 2008 is quickly approaching, and it will be here before I know it. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing because that means I have less time to prepare for actually participating this year. In fact, I won’t be just helping out with the event as much as actually being a speaker on both Friday and Saturday.

MooseCamp is on the Friday, and this year will be slightly different than previous years, if I have understood correctly. The intent is to have this day be more of an introductory track in terms of teaching and sharing the ins and outs of various elements of new media and all the various fun things on the internet that folks like myself like to use. It’s also an unconference[wiki] where nearly anyone with an idea for a session can show up that day and toss their hat into the ring to present something. Generally there is a gathering at the start of the day where everyone nominates what they want to see, and the winners get a time slot.

I’ve been asked to lead a thirty minute session on an intro to podcasting. I’m simply calling it, “Podcasting 101: You do not need an iPod – A crash course on what podcasting is and how you can become a podcaster”. With a short amount of time, there is no way you can cover everything you need to, so this will be more of an introductory session to give you more of an idea of the nuts and bolts of podcasting as well as a guide for things to think about beyond putting out your first episode.

I know I’m not a pro in that I’m making tons of money with the podcasts I produce. Still, I know how to make a podcast, and this is what I intend to share to anyone who wants to learn how that happens. Being that I’ve been podcasting with RadioZoom since 2004, I’ve seen the methods change and morph through many phases. And let me tell you, it’s so much easier now than it was three and a half years ago.

northernvoice2007_20070223_036
Photo credit: jeffreykeefer on Flickr

Northern Voice 2008 kicks in full force on Saturday. There are already a variety of sessions on the schedule that I know that I am looking forward to, but I’ll also be on a panel that day as well, this time as a full representative from The Crazy Canucks. In fact, we will all be there for a panel discussion on “Sports Blogging and Podcasting“. It’s a topic that hasn’t seen a lot of coverage in blogging conferences like this, so it should be interesting discussion, if not to raise awareness with the struggles that bloggers, who are fans, have when it comes to sharing their passion in what they write or podcast about.

So with that being said, I really need to get cracking. It’s not so much that I couldn’t spend thirty minutes talking about podcasting. It’s limiting myself to 30 minutes to talk about podcasting that will be tough, not to mention time for people asking questions. Here’s hoping that all those speeches in college paid off.

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RadioZoom#140 – Six Song Donut Spectacular: September 2007

Recorded in pieces and edited together yesterday, RZ#140 is posted for your listening.

A long over due episode, but an episode none the less. I take you with me on the road for this six song, a carefully crafted episode that I threw together in haste. Theme? My birthday was last month, so I play tracks that I’ve long wanted to play on RZ but never found the way or time to get them in.

50:00 minutes
radiozoom.net

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Vancouver Podcast Meetup: September 23, 2007 (follow-up)

It’s been a while since the Vancouver Podcast Meetup on September 23, 2007, but better late than never to post a few notes and pictures of the event, right?

Bottom line, it was a great night, and that’s aside from the round of beer that Mark bought in celebration of my birthday that was the next day. There weren’t too many who showed for the event, and everyone had familiar faces from the previous meetup in February. The boys from Foreskin Radio, DaveO, Rebecca, John Biehler, Mark Blevis, and myself.

There were a a variety of things that were discussed, namely an around the table mentioning of the podcasts that we each listen to. I stirred up some debate when I said that, yes, I still listen to Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code, but that’s because I derive an element of satisfaction from his shenanigans and mindless dribble, even if he is a millionaire. In the end, as podcasters, isn’t that what we all hope that people enjoy about what we do? Minus the whole millionaire thing…

There are a lot of podcasts that I listen to when it comes down to it. I was even thinking of listing them all here, but seriously, that would just take too long to do. iTunes isn’t friendly in terms of exporting a list that is friendly to posting, but I will say that I do listen to anything Dave does, Clubside Breakfast Time, CBC Radio: BC This Week, Democracy Now!, Fitness Attack, Geek.Farm.Life, Island Podcasting, NPR: Hourly New Summary, The Onion Radio News, Podrunner, Spike O’Dell, Vanmega, and Kaflooey, just to name a few podcasts that I’d like to plug.

We’re really behind on producing an episode of RadioZoom, but The Crazy Canucks are pushing out content like there is no tomorrow. We’re ramping up for the season, so it’s time to get excited for sure. Don’t worry, the RZ fun will continue. Just stay tuned.

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Holly McNarland at the East Vancouver Cultural Center

Holly McNarland
Photo credit: gusgreeper on Flickr

I know the picture is dark, but this whole venue was dark except for the light that shined on the performers. Actually, a few songs into Holly McNarland‘s set, the lights seem to brighten and change colors. Otherwise, Corinna‘s picture here is pretty spot on.

Rebecca has been a fan of Holly’s music for a long time, so I’m familiar with the music. Can’t say that I know a lot of words to very many songs, not to mention the few songs titles that I can name off the top of my head. The one thing I do know is that Holly can wail.

Bottom line, an amazing performance at the East Vancouver Cultural Center. Stripped down to a point, there was no percussion, aside from the occasional tambourine, and some subtle electric guitar to add a little extra where needed. Other than that, acoustic guitars and a fellow female vocalist to provide backing vocals where needed. Worked out beautifully.

On the latest episode of RadioZoom, I was mentioning the amount of “da da da’s” that were utilized in her and the opening act’s music. Adaline probably doesn’t have a song on her latest album called “Da Da Da” like Holly McNarland does, but at a certain point in the evening, I heard a lot of da-da-da-ing going on.

True that I’ve been to a lot of rock shows with a fair share of yeah’s being screamed, and the key thing is that both of these women were using their amazing voices to sing this simplest of syllables. Still, it was something that really stuck out to me.

In the end, she’s still got it. Even after having a child less than a year ago, she was able to get this album put together and out to the masses. Couldn’t have asked for a better, more intimate venue as well.

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Sparta at the Pacific Colosseum

It’s true that Sparta was opening the show for Alice In Chains and Velvet Revolver last Friday, but I think my mind went in reverse for this show. We caught the first half of Alice in Chains and missed out on all of Velvet Revolver. We got in there just in time for Sparta to take the stage, though.

Ticket and pass to interview Sparta

Actually, RadioZoom was slated to have yet another interview with the band[RZ#118, RZ#130], this time with Keeley and Tony. Sadly, and you can read Rebecca’s post about the whole night, it just didn’t work out. This was night number one of being on this tour with VR, taking them around various parts of North America.

Combine the working out the kinks and a big arena show, it wasn’t the strongest performance I’ve seen from Sparta. Don’t get me wrong, they played really well, and the last few songs all seemed uber tight and rocking. I chalk it up to first show jitters. The quarter full Pacific Colosseum received them very, very well.

As an extra mention, Alice In Chains, believe it or not, were pretty amazing. I was a total, non-believer of them going back out on the road without Layne Staley[wiki]. At the same time, we have to be honest to ourselves and understand that Layne is gone forever, so that this would happen isn’t all too surprising. You can’t expect it to be the same or as good as it ever was, so the show must go on, right?

Rocking the Gorge
Photo credit: Jenya Campbell on Flickr

Well holy crap, was I ever blown away. William DuVall[wiki] actually works. The guy has a voice that fits with Alice In Chains, and stage presence never hurts. Even though he has big shoes to fill, I think he is doing a hell of a job making a mark for himself. When they opened up with Again and then busted into Grind right after that, I looked at Rebecca and asked, “Remember when we were sixteen?” To me, that means something. I wanted to keep hearing them rock out and relive my glory days in the nineties, but I had a job to do.

As a side note, I can also say that I’ve seen Jerry Cantrell[wiki] play. Maybe not one of the biggest guitar gods in the world, but a prominent person, to me, in rock and roll history when it comes to the heyday of the Seattle grunge scene. He’s really skinny, too.

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RadioZoom#139 – Local Concert Series; Vancouver Trivia

Recorded on Monday night, posted Tuesday morning.

Flying blind with a case of the Mondays I just wanted to crank out an episode and play some kickin’ tunes. On top of featuring artists who all have concerts in town this month, I prepared some Vancouver trivia for John in honor of his 2 year ‘Vancouver anniversary’, which is just around the corner.

47:11 minutes
radiozoom.net

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RadioZoom#138 – Six Song Donut Spectacular: August 2007

Recorded Thursday and posted on Friday.

I, Rebecca, join John for this late, but ‘better-late-than-never’, episode of RadioZoom as we dedicate #138 to entirely Can-Con.

What’s Can-Con you ask? Well tune right in while we educate the masses about how broadcasters in Canada are required by law to give Canadian artists and Canadian produced music 35% of their airplay. We one-up these regulations and churn out 100% Canadian content and share six awesome tracks.

43:57 minutes
radiozoom.net