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Thanks to the great sound guys at Canmore Idol – Tom from Harvest Moon Acoustics and Amy Nelson, and to Peter for lending us his digital audio recorder, we’re able to present a fantastic week of local music on Mountain FM!  We’ve recorded all the performances from this past Saturday’s semi-final round at the Canmore Legion and will be airing one a day every day this week at about 8:10am from the contestants who made the Top 5!  And after each airing, I’ll be posting the song on my blog, along with the other song they performed that evening, and will also be including a Locals VIP Bonus Code!

Let’s start the week with Joe Todesco!  My apologies for the quality of these photos, they were taken on my iPhone which doesn’t seem to like the stage lighting at the Legion very much…

Joe’s been a consistent performer week after week. The last two weeks, he did some fun acoustic guitar covers of hip-hop songs! He changed it up a bit for this past weekend, getting behind the piano for a beautiful cover of Bon Iver’s “Flume”, followed by an energetic version of Matthew Good’s “Hello Time Bomb”. Hear both here:

DownloadJoe Todesco – Flume

DownloadJoe Todesco – Hello Time Bomb

Joe told me after the show he’s working on an EP of original tunes.  Based on the talent he’s displayed so far, I’m definitely looking forward to hearing it!  He may actually perform one of his originals as one of the three songs he’ll be doing in the final this coming Saturday night.  Get your tickets at the Legion starting tomorrow!

Five performers, five blog posts, and five Locals VIP Bonus Codes!  Enter “Flume” to earn 1000 points in our club.  Each of these codes will only work for one day, so make sure you enter it ASAP!

Just returning from a week in Toronto.  Had a fantastic experience at my first Canadian Music Week!  Saw some great shows and attended some informative seminars.  I also had a chance to chat with a few of the artists we play on Mountain FM!

Victoria Duffield is a sweetheart.  She’s 17-years-old from Abbotsford, BC, and full of both energy and confidence.  Her first single “Shut Up And Dance” became a huge hit, receiving national airplay.  Despite the fact that she’s a rising pop star, she’s just a typical teenager in many ways – travelling with her mom and trying to finish Grade 11 schoolwork in between interviews and performances.  Here’s a somewhat blurry picture of us in the lobby of the Fairmont Royal York, where this interview took place!

Here’s a link to the full, unedited interview I did with Victoria, including a few questions you wouldn’t have heard if you listened to it on-air this morning.

Download Victoria Duffield Interview

On this morning’s show, I had the pleasure of hosting talented local musician Alysse Ernewein.  I’ve actually known Alysse for a number of years – we have done a couple of shows together with the Rogue Players theatre group.  Not only is she a talented young actress, she’s an exceptional singer and songwriter too!  And, at the age of 15, she’s already on her way to future musical success, having just released her first single on iTunes!

If you want to support local talent, the 99 cent download is worth it!  Here’s a link to her song “Meant To Be” on iTunes.  You can also listen to an original song she performed in the studio with me this morning called “The Fading Spark” by clicking the audio track below:

Download Alysse Ernewein – The Fading Spark (Live)

Keep an eye out for Alysse’s EP which should be out sometime in the next year.  She is fantastically talented and I hope she finds huge success in her budding music career!

Enter “Alysse” as a Locals VIP Bonus Code for 1000 points.  The code will work until the end of the day Sunday, March 18th.

Sidewalks are narrow. 

The average, lone pedestrian may find them positively roomy.  But, as a dog owner and the father of a one-year old, I’ve noticed the pavement space tends to fill up fast when you’re pushing a stroller and being yanked along by pooch.  Thus, when approached by another pedestrian in the opposite direction, somebody has to give.  Most of the time, with a dog and a stroller, I believe I should be given passage.  But the other day I encountered a mother with a double-stroller with two kids inside.  I yielded.  Driving a vehicle on the road, there are clear and specific rules on who moves and who yields in any given situation.  Sidewalks…not so much.  I believe this needs to be corrected, and therefore I’m proposing new sidewalk right-of-way rules.  These guidelines will determine who has priority on the pavement, and who needs to move off to let opposing traffic through.

Adult cyclists are at the bottom of the list.  Cyclists aren’t usually supposed to be on the sidewalk anyway, but I get why someone on a bike would want to use one.  The road can be a scary place.  Drivers can be impatient, rude, and downright dangerous to cyclists.  Most people who spend any signifigant time cycling on the road have a story or three about times they’ve come within inches of being clipped by an aggressive driver’s side mirror, cut off on a right-hand turn, and more.  A sidewalk is safe and inviting, and if it’s empty I say by all means, take advantage!  However, cyclists are lowest on the pedestrian totem pole.  Unless your two feet are touching the ground, you’re technically a vehicle.  So when a walker is coming at you, sorry, get the heck out of the way.  Move on to the road, the grass, or if that’s not possible pull over, pause, deal with that annoying bicycle shorts wedgie that’s been bugging you for the last 10 minutes, and chill.  You can afford to be a few seconds late for yoga.  Notice how I said “adult cyclists”.  Young kids on bikes shouldn’t be on the road and therefore get higher sidewalk priority.

Adult walkers are next on this list.  An adult walker has the right to be on the sidewalk, but also the mobility and versatility to move out of the way in most situations.  Group situations with walkers of varying ages get more difficult, and that’s where the “Exit Row Rule” comes in.  On an airplane, young children and those who are not physically capable of opening the door are not allowed to sit in the Emergency Exit rows.  This guideline is a good one to follow when two groups of people are approaching each other in opposite directions on the sidewalk.  The greater the number of “Exit Row Restricted” people, ie. children and elderly, the greater the priority.

I think people with strollers should get fairly high priority.  Strollers are often not easy to maneuver on and off the pavement compared to the mobility of your standard, unadorned walker.  Priority should be given to stroller walkers with additional “family accessories” (additional kids, dogs, etc.)  In the event of a tie or confusion, priority should be given to those with screaming/crying children and/or parents who look like they’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Here, then, is the my unofficial Sidewalk Right-Of-Way list, sorted from lowest priority to highest.

1. Adult Cyclists (Seriously, get the heck out of the way)
2. Adult Walkers (with or without dogs.  A tie between two similar people or groups can be solved with a best-of-three round of Rock, Paper, Scissors.  Or, you know, just figure it out)
3. Child Cyclists
4. Mixed Groups (priority according to the “Exit Row Rule” as detailed above)
5. Person with Stroller
6. Person with Stroller & Dog
7. Stroller and additional kids
8. Stroller with additional kids and dog
9. Stroller, another kid strapped to walker’s back, third kid on toboggan being pulled by rope tied around walker’s waist, and hyperactive young large dog who keeps getting yanking everyone forward and getting their leash wrapped around random things (if this sounds like you, you deserve a medal.  And a vacation)
10. Grizzly Bear

Locals VIP Bonus Code time!  Enter “Sidewalk” for 1000 points.  The code will work until the end of the day Sunday, February 26th.

Happy Friday!  A few odds & ends from my show this week…

The Canmore Winter Carnival gets underway today!  Main Street Canmore is covered in snow, ready for cross-country skiing.  Free rentals available if you don’t have your own skis.  A ton of events going on too, including Kid n’ Mutt Races, Snow Sculpting, the Justice Film Festival, live music, and more.  Visit www.downtowncanmore.com for a full schedule, or listen to my interview with Ric Proctor here:

Download Winter Carnival Interview

I also had a little fun this week coming up with a radio skit highlighting the hazards of skiing on the road:

Download Ski Rage Skit

Finally, Enivornment Minister Peter Kent gave the green light to the controversial Glacier Discovery Walk on Thursday morning.  Brewster Travel Canada expects to have this interpretive glass-floored walk completed over the Sunwapta Valley by 2013.  If you want to learn more about the project you can visit www.glacierdiscoverywalk.ca.  I had a chance to speak with Minister Kent on my show Friday morning:

Download Glacier Discovery Walk – Environment Minister Peter Kent

With the Winter Carnival and the final weekend of SnowDays in Banff, plus great ski conditions on the slopes, it’ll be tough to be bored in town this weekend!  For a Locals VIP Bonus Code worth 1000 points, enter “Winter Carnival” before the end of the day Tuesday, February 14th.

Most of the time, a political party’s riding nomination race doesn’t attract a ton of attention.  But this is Alberta, and these are the Progressive Conservatives.  I’ve heard arguments that this race is more important than the election itself, and I can understand that.  Not to disparage any of the other parties (anything can happen in an election) but the Banff-Cochrane riding has been a PC stronghold for many years, and the reality is that barring a strong surge from another party the person who wins this nomination has a good shot at being our next MLA, replacing the outgoing Janis Tarchuk.  This type of political carrot tends to attract strong candidates, and we have five people with really strong credentials running for the nomination.

This past Saturday, all the candidates attended a Meet & Greet at Rafter Six Ranch.  Each was given 5 minutes to speak on whatever they wanted.  It was nice to see a pretty good turnout to hear what each of them had to say.  I had a chance to speak with each of them individually after the formal portion of the afternoon, and this past week I’ve been airing one of those interviews per day.  In case you missed some, or want to hear them again, here they are in the order they aired (which was based on the order in which I managed to corner each of them at the meeting)

Download Ron Casey

DownloadTruper McBride

DownloadJohn Fitzsimmons

DownloadJon Bjorgum

DownloadRob Seeley

Voting takes place Saturday, January 28th locally at the Caribou Lodge in Banff and the Holiday Inn in Canmore from 10am to 7pm.  You have to be a PC Party member to vote, if you’re not it’s $5 to join and memberships can be purchased at the polling stations.

For a 1000 Locals VIP Club Bonus Code, enter the last name of the outgoing MLA for Banff-Cochrane.  The code will work until the end of the day Tuesday, January 31st.

Seven random observations from last night’s Jim Cuddy show at the Banff Centre:

1. At 56 years of age, Jim Cuddy is still a pretty good-looking dude.
2. Jim Cuddy has one of the nicest singing voices I’ve ever heard.  He sounds just as good in concert as he does on his albums, and his tone is so clear and pleasant to listen to on any song.  I’d be happy listening to him singing the phone book.
3. My favourite song from the show was the Jim Cuddy Band’s version of Blue Rodeo’s “5 Days In May”, a sprawling, jammy take on the song with an awesome violin solo courtesy of Anne Lindsay.
4. The phrase “awesome violin solo” is not one that is commonly used, and that’s a real shame.
5. Crowds at the Banff Centre tend to be very sedate.  People tend to only stand up towards the end of a performance during most shows I’ve seen there.  A performer who isn’t used to it might be looking at all the people sitting there, maybe bobbing their heads a little, going “Are these people enjoying this?”  Yes!  They are!  My theory is that locals prefer to do their hooting and hollering hanging off or hurtling down the side of a mountain, and enjoy live music sitting politely and listening.
6. I just learned last night it’s entirely possible for a person to lose all circulation to their buttocks while sitting politely and listening to a show at the Banff Centre.
7. Playing for a little over two hours, showcasing his great solo material andsome of the best from the Blue Rodeo back catalogue, along with a killer 7-piece band, last night’s Jim Cuddyshow was highly entertaining.  Whatever band he shows up with, you’re always guaranteed a great show when Jim comes to town.

If you missed my interview with Jim on Saturday afternoon, or want to hear it again, here it is in its entirety.

Download Jim Cuddy Interview

For a Locals VIP Bonus Code worth 1000 points, enter the name of Jim Cuddy’sother band (you know, the one he’s in with Greg Keelor).  The code will work until the end of the day Sunday, January 22nd.

Banff Winter Festival organizers were faced with a problem.  Approaching it’s centennial year, the event was at risk of fading away, with declining interest and attendance.  Last year, the Competitiveness Initiative was released in Banff, and it called for a renewed winter festival, bigger and better than ever.  Banff Lake Louise Toursim jumped on board, and SnowDays was born!

Think of SnowDays as a big snow-covered tent, encompassing pretty much any activity going on in Banff National Park over the next month.  From January 14th to February 12th, there are an unbelievable number of events taking place.  Some of the best holdovers from previous Winter Festivals are back, like the Mountain Madness Relay, and some events that were formerly stand-alones like Ice Magic are part of it as well, this year bigger than ever spanning two weekends.  There are also some new events, like this weekend’s Mountain Adventure Festival featuring a free ice climbing wall in Banff Avenue Square, and a new ball hockey tournament in February that I hope becomes a huge success!  You can learn to curl, be a photographer, stargaze, geocache…the list goes on and on!

For more details on SnowDays, check out their website at www.banfflakelouise.com/snowdays.  With such a massive lineup of events you’ll be hard-pressed to not find at least something you’re interested in.  You can also listen to my interview with Micaela from Banff Lake Louise Tourism here:

Download Title

And to celebrate this new festival – a Locals VIP Club Bonus Code!  Enter “SnowDays” for 1000 points.  The code will work until the end of the day Sunday, January 15th.

At this time every year, while we’re busy shopping for our loved ones and dreaming about upcoming family get togethers and festive feasts, we should also take time to think about those less fortunate.  To that end, we have two fantastic campaigns in the Bow Valley.  The Bow Valley Christmas Spirit Campaign serves the Canmore community and Santa’s Anonymous takes care of Banff.  At Mountain FM, we support both through our annual Toy Mountain campaign.  Drop off a new toy at the FCSS office at the Canmore Civic Centre or the lobby of Banff Town Hall.  Those toys will go straight into the hampers and under the trees of local kids in need this Christmas.  Please keep in mind that they need ‘toys’ for kids of all ages, from newborns to teenagers.  The older crowd tends to get somewhat forgotten – a gift certificate is never a bad idea if you’re stuck!

The fundraising goal for the Santa’s Anonymous campaign in Banff is $55,000.  A large portion of that money will be raised this Saturday.  Make sure you bring some change to the Santa Claus Parade of Lights, beginning at 5:30.  Watch for the Santa’s Anonymous float and donate!  Then stop by the Banff Legion for the annual Santa’s Anonymous Auction & Dance.  I’ve never been to it personally (I always seem to have something else going on the first Saturday night in December!) but I’ve heard from a lot of people that it’s a blast.  Live music from SUDS and Friends and one of the biggest silent and live auctions in town!  Some other Santa’s Anonymous events…the Re/Max Skate with Santa will be held earlier and during the evening this year, 5 – 8pm on Thursday, December 8th.  This is weather dependant – I guess it’s been too warm for good ice at the Fairmont Banff Springs Waldhaus Skating Rink, so the fall-back date is December 19th if things don’t get any better.  You can also stop by the parking lot across from Nester’s on Saturday, December 10th.  A Brewster bus will be there collecting donations – Stuff A Bus and support Santa’s Anonymous!  And grab a ticket for the annual Community Christmas Concert, December 14th and 15th at the Banff Centre.  Tickets are free but you need to call the Banff Centre Box Office to reserve.  For more details on the campaign, you can listen to the interview I did with co-ordinator Alison Milroy.

Download Title

Tonight, the Mountain Patrol and I will be joining dozens of other volunteers for the annual Christmas Spirit Food Drive in Canmore!  We’ll be going door-to-door collecting food donations all over town.  It gets going at 5:30 from the Christmas Spirit Office beside Lifeworks Gym – if you want to volunteer to help you can call Debbie today at 403-678-5113.  Otherwise, if you’d like to donate food, have it ready by your front door for the volunteers and if you won’t be home, you can leave it on your front steps with the porch light on and someone will grab it.  Please check expiry dates, all expired food ends up in the garbage!  As for other Canmore events, the Brewster Stuff-A-Bus campaign comes to the Sobey’s parking lot all day December 11th, and the annual Re/Max Skate with Santa happens 5 – 8 on December 15th at the Canmore Pond.  Here’s my interview with Christmas Spirit Toy Coordinator Sally Caudill about the campaign.

Download Title

Please support these two awesome campaigns that help out the less fortunate in town and make sure everyone has a fantastic Christmas!  And an early Christmas present to you…another Locals VIP Bonus Code!  For 1000 points, enter the name of the band that’s playing

As many of you know, I’m pretty involved in the local community theatre scene.  It’s been a ton of fun being involved both on and behind the stage for the last number of years with local productions.  This weekend will be my 3rd show with the Rogue Players.  Most of the cast is made up of kids and youth but there are usually a couple of big kids to anchor the show, and I was asked to play Mother Goose in the production of the same name!  I love doing children’s shows like this because you can go totally over the top with a character.  Plus the costumes are awesome!

That picture was not meant to scare you away!  LOL  If you have kids they’ll love it.  The show’s tonight at 7 and Sat and Sun at 1:30 during the Artisans Market at the Canmore Collegiate High School Theatre.  Tickets available in advance at Cafe Books and HiJinx Toys.

Have you ever wanted to be involved in local theatre?  Have you watched a production and wished you could be up there having fun, or even had the slight urge to give it a try, but maybe you were a little afraid or didn’t know where to start?  There are a couple of things going on this week that you might be interested in!  The Pine Tree Players are holding auditions for a series of four one-act plays.  With the rehearsal commitment being less, and each part being smaller due to the fact that the shows are shorter, this is a great opportunity to give theatre a try!  Auditions are happening Monday and Tuesday night at the Miner’s Union Hall, 7pm both nights.

I would also recommend a fantastic acting workshop taking place locally.  It’s being put on by Pine Tree and run by local professional actor Joe Morris.  I’ve had the pleasure of working with Joe at various times over the last couple of years and he is indeed a master of the craft.  After all, he’s the guy who’s played over 3o characters at the same time with the “One Christmas Carol” show over the last couple of years – if you ever get a chance to see him do that show it’s really something to watch!  The two-day workshop December 3rd and 4th is essentially Acting 101 crammed into two days, great for beginners and veterans alike.  The best part is it’s only $35 – normally this type of workshop would cost hundreds.  Visit www.canmoreactorsstudio.com to find out more!

I’ll leave you with an interview I did with Joe and Jodie Russell from the Pine Tree Players about auditions and the workshop.  I’ll also leave you with a Locals VIP Bonus Code!  Enter the name of the latest Rogue Players show (also the name of the character I play in the show) for 1000 points.  The code will work until the end of the day Monday, November 28th.

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