️
️ June 29th 
️️ A Canada Day themed Church service from St. James Westminster and more Indie music from Vibrafusion Labs!
Details:
️️
This week's service has been in the works for a while, ever since
Rector Keith gave his homily (sermon) on the spirituality that he heard
in contemporary music while he was growing up in the '60's and '70s.
So he and St. Jame's Music Director, Stephen Holowitz, set about to
make that music come alive during a service as well. So instead of
playing traditional hymns and Psalms, they chose 7 songs by Canadian
artists of the era.
️
For the rest of the show, I'll feature another week of 'field
recordings' that I made at Vibrafusion Labs when I was just starting to
get back into recording events for my show after a long hiatus.
I
immediately fell in love with the indie music/arts scene the had
materialized while I was away from it. Amidst the angst and whirlwind
energy, I found SMART music, poetry and art!
This week I'll feature recording from 3 events in early 2015.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-290620.html
️️ May 25th
️ Adversity makes you strong from St. James Westminster and a techno dance party... in the house!
Details:
️
It's the seventh week of Easter and the first Sunday after the
Ascension of Jesus. This week's theme in music and word reflects on how
life ain't always easy but also that adversity can make you stronger as
it did for the early Christians.
️
For the rest of the show, I'll bring you excerpts from a half dozen
events I recorded over the last 6 years featuring the best DJs this town
has to offer.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-250520.html
️️ May 18th
Love is the way of the Church from
St. James Westminster and mining the rich treasures of the London Music scene!
Details:
It's the sixth week of Easter and, as far as I can glean from the
music, readings, homily and prayers, the theme for this week's service
from St. James is that love of others (or 'agape', as the Greeks called
it) is the foundation of the Church on which everything else is built.
In times of crisis, our immediate community becomes far more important.
It's the only level of our society that can make sure that folks, who
would otherwise be invisible to society at large, don't fall through the
cracks.
This is one of those times so lets all spread that agape around and leave nobody in our community behind.
️ The musical theme for the rest of the show is pretty simple... local music from the '80s and '90s.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-180520.html
️️ May 11th
️ The Foundation of the Church from St. James Westminster and honouring The St. Regis Tavern!
Details:
️
It's the fifth week of Easter and the theme for this week's service
from St. James is about the foundations of the Christian faith as the
apostles try to make sense of the teaching of Jesus or 'the way', as it
was called then.
Making sense of a new world order is something
on all our minds these days. So, like the apostles, we should learn from
adversity and work together to help create a better world on the other
side.
️
I've heard that The St. Regis Tavern will be closing for good soon,
collateral damage from the Covid 19 Pandemic. It was a great spot for
local music of all genres. My only regret is that I didn't discover that
sooner.
So, for the rest of the show, I'll feature some
performers that I was lucky enough to have the chance to record there
over the past few years.
️️ May 4th
The Good
Shepherd from St. James Westminster
and part 3 of upbeat music!
Details:
️
It's the fourth week of Easter so the theme for this week's service is
The Good Shepherd. We've been told that it'll be another month at least
before any decision is made about when the congregation can return to
the Church.
Until then and probably a li'le afterwards,
I'll continue to record the Services and open my show with them.
Regardless of how you feel about religion yourself, I hope you can find
some value in the words that are spoken and enjoy the incredible music
that is played. I couldn't have asked for a finer window into how my
local community is coping with the Covid 19 Pandemic.
️
The remainder of the show will be part 3 of my ongoing theme of upbeat
music, suggested to me by my partner Maya.
So I'll continue doing MY part keeping
spirits high and bringing a li'le normalcy into your lives as we all
(and I mean ALL) travel through this 'no time's land' together.
May The Good Shepherd watch over us until
we reach the other shore.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-040520.html
️️ April 27th
️ The Road to Emmaus from St. James Westminster and part 2 of upbeat music!
Details:
It's been a month and a half that I've been doing my radio show at home
and sending it in to the station for air at its appointed time. I have a
good method worked out and reached out the our Program Director, Zahra,
to see what I can do to help pass that knowledge on. So I writing a
training doc and will help individual hosts smooth out the bumps so we
can all do our part to help bring a li'le normalcy to our community when
it needs it most.
️
The recordings of the Services at St. James Westminster are becoming
routine as well. Since we've been recording the music and spoken word
parts separately, the music has actually become more varied and with
more participants. Even folks from out of town have been sending their
parts into our Music Director, Stephen Holowitz. He pieces them all
together and they're complete songs by the time they get to me. I do my
best to make it sound like folks were there.
"When the going gets tough, the weird turn pro!"
From 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (1971) by Hunter S. Thompson
️
The rest of the show will be part 2 of upbeat music suggested by my
partner Maya, because you can never get enough upbeat music, especially these
days.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-270420.html
️️ April 20th
️ Another Church service and upbeat music on this show!
Details:
️ This will be the fifth week I've been doing my show at home and the sixth week that I've been recording services at St. James Westminster
Anglican Church. For the past couple of weeks we've had to do the
spoken word parts and music separately but I've done my best to make it
sound like it's all been done in one sitting. This is becoming a really
amazing body of work, the music is awesome and the words are a window
into the times we are all living through. Whether you're religious or
not, it's worth a listen. Churches and other religious institutions have
stepped up to the plate to help their immediate communities in times of need for
millennia and this is a 21st century iteration of just that.
️ At the suggestion of my partner, Maya, the rest of this week's show will be dedicated to upbeat, uplifting music.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-200420.html
️️ April 13th
The Passion
of Christ (twice), Easter Sunday Service and rock operas!
Details:
️
It's been a month so far that I've been recording services at St. James Westminster
Anglican Church. We've figured out ways to do this safely and it's
getting a good response from the congregation and others that have
heard them.
This week I'll start the show with The
Passion of Christ, the events leading up to and including the
crucifixion of Jesus. I recorded this last week so folks could hear it
on Good Friday where it belongs.
After that, I'll present the Easter Sunday
service with readings from the Stages of the Resurrection and some
simply stunning church organ work by Stephen Holowitz (a good sound
system is strongly recommended).
For the rest
of the show, I'll feature four rock operas from around fifty years ago.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-130420.html
️️ April 6th
A Palm Sunday service and music for these times.
Details:
This was the fourth week I've recorded the Church service at St. James Westminster Anglican Church and I'll start the show this way, as I've done with the others.
Palm Sunday (or Passion Sunday as it's sometimes called) is one of the
high points of the year for the Christian faith. There is pageantry,
choirs, the procession around the signs of the cross and the reading of
the Passion of Christ.
Not this year, unfortunately. So we're
doing the next best thing, bringing the Church to the people as best we
can. The Pastor at St. James has told me that whenever the congregation
is allowed to come back, the first public service will be a full
production of the Easter Service in all its glory to celebrate.
For the remainder of the show, I'll play music for these times. I spent
the week pouring over my music collection to pick out songs that speak
to the times we live in.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-060420.html
️️ March 29th
️️ I'll take you to Church yet again and then another couple of themes in music!
Details:
️️
️ Starting the show tonight, my third recording of the service at
St. James Westminster Anglican Church.
This is the new normal for the foreseeable future. I'm happy and
honoured to have a live recording to do once a week and will keep doing
these as long as I'm needed.
️️️ I'll play another two musical themes for the rest of the show. This week you'll hear music pertaining to spring and flight.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-290320.html
️️ March 23rd
️️ I'll take you to Church again and then through a couple of themes in music!
Details:
️️
I recorded another service at St. James Westminster Anglican Church
this weekend. I wasn't planning on playing it on my show but then two
things happened.
While I was editing the recording of the service, I was marveling at
the effort those folks put into to bringing a li'le bit of normalcy
into folk's lives by bringing the church service to them this way.
Then the second thing happened!
Radio Western is in the midst of a phased shutdown. The building the
station is in will be closing from early evening til early morning,
right when my show is!
No show? No way!
I'm still on the air!
So, like St. James, I'll do my part to keep bringing a li'le bit of normalcy to your lives.
️️
The two musical themes comprising the lion's share of the show are,
appropriately, heaven, as portrayed in music and women's voices in
music (part 2).
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-230320.html
️️ October 14th
️ A singer/songwriter's circle at The London Music Club!
Details:
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to do sound for a
singer/songwriter's circle at The London Music Club in the intimate
Front Room. I knew two of the performers who vouched for me so I could
record the other two I didn't. I'm glad I did, it was an amazing night!
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-141019.html
️️ July 8th
More
Vinyl (The I was a punk before you were a punk edition!)
Details:
Part
2 of my summer project revisiting 94.9 CHRW Radio Western's
vinyl library. This week I'll be playing mostly non-Canadian
compilations with a focus on punk rock, new wave and alternative music
(all names for essentially the same thing depending on who you ask)
from the '70s and '80s.
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-080719.html
️️ July 1st
️ A Canada Day special... IF I can pull it off!
Details:
️
Well, I WAS able to pull off what I wanted and it turned out better
than I thought it would! I was intending to play all Canadian vinyl as
I just got access to the 94.9 CHRW Radio Western's record library which
has resided in out tech room for a number of years. The station has
been making an effort to re-catalog our record library and my Canada
Day show was the first opportunity I had to use them for my show.
️
It turned out that the first shelf I looked at had our collection of
compilation records. Many of these were limited run LPs put out by
radio stations (both commercial and campus or organization promoting a
genre or their city's music scene. I also found a number of
compilations from the Music Industry Arts - Fanshawe College program
dating as early as 1977. For many of the performers on these
compilations, this was the only opportunity to get their songs on vinyl.
For all these reasons, I thought that it would be a great way to
celebrate Canadian music while showing you some of the treasures in our
record library as well!
Podcast link:
http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-010719.html
️️ June 17th
The
Manor Park Evening Post live at The Church of the Epiphany!
Details:
On
Saturday, June 15th, Adam Corrigan Holowitz held his latest episode of
The Manor Park Evening Post. This is a variety show in the true spirit
of theater review, There was music, stories, skits, poetry... and the
inevitable giveaways you see at such events. Adam is a writer,
playwright, producer and humourist in the manner of Stephen Leacock and
the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Stuart McLean. He's everything
that's good and holy about English Lit!
Be prepared for a big show with a small cast!
For
the remainder of the show, I'll celebrate the Summer Solstice in music,
an annual tradition of my own.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-170619.html
️️ March 4th
➡️
My first new Indie recording since before my cyborg hip replacement!
Details:
➡️
It's great to be back on the recording trail again! Tonight you'll hear
Isölation Party's LP release event held at Call The Office on
Friday, March 1st.
Performances by:
⚡️
Shoobies (London)
⚡️
Father Bodies
(Kitchener/Waterloo)
⚡️
Disleksick (London)
⚡️
Isölation Party
(London)
⚡️
Deathsticks (Ottawa)
➡️
For the second part of the show, I'll revisit the 'No London' noise
fest held at EVAC from September 30th til October 2nd in 2016.
️️
February 11th
For
Valentine's day, A Lover's Suite!
Details:
Love
is just a word, but what gives it its power and depth is context! The
concept of love defined by not just our own experiences but also by the
common consensus of the literature we read and the music we listen to.
So, for tonight's show, we explore love as
defined by my favourite songs on the subject!
I call this show 'A Lover's Suite',
covering not just the good but the bad and the ugly as well!
Yes, it's complicated!
️️
February 4th
A new live event recording and remembering the Space Shuttle Columbia
crew of mission STS-107.
Details:
First
up, a live recording that I made on January 25th at First-St. Andrew's United
Church.
Performances by:
⚡️
Jenny Berkel
⚡️
Marty Kolls
The
second part of the show will be devoted to remembering the crew of the
Space Shuttle Columbia who perished 16 years ago this week during
reentry after a 17 day flight of doing science in space.
For decades, it has been a
tradition of
NASA's to wake up the crew of a spacecraft with music. The songs are
usually picked by a crewmember's loved ones and rotated through each
crewmember during the mission. On this flight, the crew was divided
into two teams, the blue & red teams, that were alternated every 12
hours so the experiments could run 24 hours a day. This meant that
there was twice as many wake up calls as a usual mission. The doubling
of wake up calls gives us a li'le more insight into each crew member
that we wouldn't normally get.
So, we'll remember the crew of
Columbia in
the way that I know best... through music!
Through
despair comes hope, so for the final part of the show, we'll hear the
wake up music of two Space Shuttle flights that followed the loss of
Columbia.
⚡️
STS-115 (Mission 12-A - Atlantis)
⚡️
STS-126 (Mission ULF-2 - Endeavour)
️️
January 28th
️
Tijuana Night at The Church of the Epiphany!
Details:
️
Another hybrid show tonight, some old, some new.
We were back
at The Church of the Epiphany for the fourth time in two months on
Saturday evening for Tijuana Night, a tribute to Herb Alpert. The five
piece band was headed up by keyboardist Steve Holowitz who lead us on a
trip to the past for some great musical memories.
In
keeping with the Latin American theme, I'll also play a recording I
made at Sunfest in 2004 of the Toronto base calypso band Cache!
️
Next up will be another of David Pearson's
Acoustic Open Stages at The London Music Hall from
December 7th, 2018. This one was lightly attended but the music still
flowed and some great collaborations took place!
To finish off
the show, my good friend and jazz flutist Jeremy Price and his band
recorded in the early 2000s.
️️
January 21st
➡️
During the last couple of months before my hip replacement, I was
helping David Pearson by doing sound on the Friday night open stage. He
took over for DeRoK in October and,
as I've said many times, it takes the two of us to do ALMOST as good a
job as him!
➡️
And of course I recorded! Because I was getting ready at home for a
couple of months of recovery I didn't have time to do anything with
them. But now I do! Also, it'll take me a while before I can get out to
do more new recordings at large, so I'll take advantage of those
recording for the next li'le while until I get back in shape enough to
hit the streets in earnest!
➡️
This week we'll hear the latest open stage from last Friday as well as
the last one before my surgery held on December 14th.
January 14th
➡️
I'm back... and with two new event recordings as well!
Details:
➡️
I'm back on the air after a month recovering from a hip replacement
(the longest break I've taken in almost three decades). I'm still on
crutches but it wouldn't be the first time I've done radio this way.
➡️
But while I was away, I actually managed to record two events! (Yes, on
crutches!) The first was on New Year's Eve at the Church of the Epiphany
a couple of blocks from where I live.
Host and humourist: Adam Corrigan Holowitz
With performances by:
⚡️
Denise Pelley feat/
Steve Holowitz on keyboards.
➡️
The second part of the show will be The London Music Club's
Acoustic Open Stage held on Friday, January 11th, now hosted by
musician extraordinaire David Pearson.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-140119.html
2019
️️
December 17th
➡️
A Christmas concert recorded live at The Church of the Epiphany!
Details:
➡️
The Church of the Epiphany in my neighbourhood has recently been
hosting music events. I had the opportunity last week to record a
Yuletide concert there.
Performance by:
⚡️
Jen White on Harp
& Robert McMaster on
percussion.
I'll devote the rest of the
show to the Celtic folk-rock renaissance from the late 60s/early 70s
with intermissions from an Irish Céilí at the Black Shire Pub recorded
on July 11, 2014
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-171218.html
️️
November 11th
➡️
Commemorating
Remembrance Day on the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War
(which was what it was called before WW II).
Details:
➡
Tonight we go to church (and start at 12am).
The concert was held at Church of the Epiphany and it was more than
just music. There was also commentary, readings and, yes, some prayer.
➡️
The rest of this long show will be devoted to music and spoken word
along the theme of war.
Lest we forget. 🦇
️️
️️
October 29th
Bones! Live
at Alchemy Junk!
Details:
️
On Saturday, Oct. 27th, Alchemy Junk held a Halloween Techno dance
party at the warehouse. Costumes abounded... meaning folks were dressed
only SLIGHTLY more exotic then usual!
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-291018.html
️️
October 8th
️ Live
at The Loft!
Details:
Podcast link:
️ A
dark and somewhat stormy night did stop folks from heading to The Loft
for a night of great music. This was an event celebrating the release
of a short film by Travis Welowszky about
about Nico Lavender.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-081018.html
️️
September 24th
️ Part
2 of a tribute to the Demics!
Details:
This
week I'll dedicate the show to the spirit of the Demics and play you a
whole pile of local punk bands that rocked this city's bars over the
years.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-240918.html
️️
September 17th
️️
August 20th
️ A
Band of Waves in a park!
Details:
️ This
week features a new recording after taking a break to screw wood and
pound nails. I feel better now...
This
Saturday (Aug. 18th) I had the pleasure of recording an outdoor music
event held in Weldon Park, Arva.
Performances by:
️ Jim Benoit
️ The
Band Of Waves
️ For
the remainder of the show, I'll play some jam band recordings 2004.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-200818.html
️️ July
16th
️ Let
there be live! The early years!
Details:
️ Last
week's show focused on the first live performances I recorded after a
long hiatus. This week, I'll take you back to 2003 to the beginning of
my first stint of recordings I made around town for this radio show.
️️ July
9th
️ Four
(more) years of recording live performances!
Details:
️ I
noticed that this week makes four years since I got back into recording
live performances around town. I originally started recording in 2002
while doing sound for a now defunct bar. When they closed, I took my
laptop and cheap plastic microphone on the street. The 'Wick, The London Music Club, the
Richmond and other places provided good radio show fodder for a few
years. About 2007, I took my life and radio show in another direction
for a while.
But in June of 2014, I dusted
off my gear and went lookin' for likely events to record. My first stop
was the London Music Club which had always had a good acoustic open
stage. After casing the joint for a week (and getting permission to
record), I went back the next. It turns out that DeRoK of the now The DeRok and Roll Radio
Road Show was guest hosting for the evening.
So, part 1 of the show will be
that first recording after a long hiatus from June of 2014, 18
performers from the London Music Club's acoustic open stage.
️ For
part 2 of the show, I'll take you back to my first recording from the
Indie scene. In 2014, Davita Gavita (Davita
G as we know her) occupied the slot before Radio Free London. When I
told her I was recording live performances again, she invited me to
record her band 'Moon Hag' and 'Surprise Party' from Hamilton at the Richmond Tavern. Thus
was the beginning of a long run of recording MANY events from the indie
scene over these last four years!
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-090718.html
️️ July
2nd
️️ June
25th
️ My
Mr. Hyde to last week's Dr. Jekyll!
Again, no details, just a bunch of Canadian
& local punk!
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-250618.html
Celebrating Equinox, the birth of summer!
No details, just a bunch of seasonal and
upbeat songs!
️ June
11th
️ Clear
as a bell live at Call The Office!
Details:
️
Before my radio show last week, I discovered that The Shoobies were
playing again at Call The Office on Thursday and thought I'd try to get
a better recording of them than I played on that show.
️ I had
a pretty good idea I'd do better this time because Shiraz Ebrahim has
always done such a great job doing the sound when I've recorded at CTO
in the past. He has tamed that beast of a sound system so that it's a
real pleasure to go to there and listen to music.
So,
this week I'll devote the show to recording I made at Call The Office
with Shiraz at the controls!
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-110618.html
️
REALLY rough around the fringes! Indie rock live at Forbidden City!
Details:
️ It
was a hot and steamy night last Monday at Forbidden City. Three local
bands and one from Cincinnati were on the bill. Things started out okay
with the first band, The Shoobies, but really started to melt down,
quite literally, while Manager was playing. The laptop I use to record
with overheated and started to glitch out on me. I propped it up to get
better airflow and fanned it with my laptop case til the set was over.
During the break, I shut down everything but my recording software in
the hope that this would reduce the load enough to troop through the
rest or the evening.
️ It
seems to have worked because the recording I made of the Cincinnati
band, Lung, worked out fine with no glitches. But the fun wasn't over!
During the last set with Dong Vegan, the PA melted down during the
first song. I made a few adjustments (turned everything down a li'le
bit) and we were back on track again!
️ So,
even though a couple of the sets were messed up, I'll play 'em anyways.
I try to catch the spirit of an event in my recordings as much as the
performances and this will be a true portrait of a hot, loud evening at
Forbidden City!
️
Forbidden City seems to be filling the void left by the closing of
Vibrafusion Labs as a downtown indie event spot. So, for the remainder
of the show, I'll replay another event from there that happened about a
year ago.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-040618.html
The
Indie Prom: The Grickle Grass Festival
2018!
Details:
This
was the 9th Grickle Grass and has become a spring tradition for the
indie scene. I call it the 'Indie Prom' because it's spring, folks
dress up and it's held on one night. Other than that, it's its own
sweet thing!
️ This
was my third year recording at Grickle Grass. I chose to set up at the
second floor atrium stage where some of the more exotic acts of the
evening were playing.
️ I'll
revisit Grickle Grass's past for the remainder of the show.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-280518.html
️️ May
21st
️
Delicious Chaos!
Details:
️
'Music For No One' presents a night of performance art, experimental
music, poetry and extreme metal at FORBIDDEN in downtown London. Yet
another great event put on by Cailen Dye!
️ I'll
devote the second part of the show to delicious chaos recordings I've
done in the past.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-210518.html
️
May
14th 
Part 2
of Force! A techno dance party celebrating the birth of spring!
Details:
Yet
another great event at Alchemy Junk! This one
was a real prize, This was a minimalist techno dance party as close to
'May the 4th (be with you) as practically possible but also celebrating
the first weekend of shirt sleeve weather of the year with sprouts
(both plant and human) poking their heads out of the ground!
️ This
was also the longest continuous recording that I've ever make. It
almost bit me in the butt because I had some trouble saving it off. But
once I resolved THAT issue, I had another: how to fit an eight hour
event into a four hour radio show. So, in the name of completeness,
Here is the second half of Force!
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-130518.html
️ May
7th
️
Force! A techno dance party celebrating the birth of spring!
Details:
️ Yet
another great event at Alchemy Junk! This one
was a real prize, This was a minimalist techno dance party as close to
'May the 4th (be with you) as practically possible but also celebrating
the first weekend of shirt sleeve weather of the year with sprouts
(both plant and human) poking their heads out of the ground!
️ This
was also the longest continuous recording that I've ever make. It
almost bit me in the butt because I had some trouble saving it off. But
once I resolved THAT issue, I had another: how to fit an eight hour
event into a four hour radio show. So, in the name of completeness,
I'll be playing the first half this week and finish it off on next
week's show!
️ April
30th
Women's voices in music.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-300418.html
️ April
23rd
️
Celebrating the life of Roy McDonald.
Details:
️ Roy
McDonald was a philosopher, writer, poet, busker and connector of
souls, much loved in the London community for decades. He passed away
in January at the age of 80,
️ On
the afternoon of Sunday, March 18th, a celebration of his life was held
upstairs in the Covent Garden Market. In true Roy McDonald fashion, we
heard stories, poetry and music from those who knew Roy best.
Check out this facebook group to find more
about this London icon:
Remembering
Roy McDonald
️ April
16th
️
Commemorating the last 420 of cannabis prohibition!
Details:
Commemorating
the last 420 (April 20th) of cannabis prohibition in
song, word and humour!
️ April
9th
️ Friday Night Live at
The London Brewing Co-operative!
Details:
️️
Friday Night Live is a weekly musical showcase at London Brewing
Co-operative. Run by Jim Sandy MacDonald,
it starts early, ends early and is family friendly (as you'll hear). A
great addition to the Old East Village
community.
️ For
part 2 of the show, we'll RE-revisit an acoustic open stage at the now
defunct APK on Clarence St run by Jenny Rensby on Sunday afternoons
during the summer of 2015.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-090418.html
️ April
2nd
Musical
Chairs at St. Regis Tavern!
Details:
️ This
week we visit a Saturday evening staple of the London music scene, Gigi Ramone's Musical
Chairs! at the St. Regis Tavern.
️ For
part 2 of the show, we'll revisit an acoustic open stage at the now
defunct APK on Clarence St run by Jenny Rensby on Sunday afternoons
during the summer of 2015.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-020418.html
️ March
26th
️ March
19th
️
Revisiting and celebrating International Women's Day, 2017.
Details:
️ This
week we'll revisit a celebration of women's music and voices from an
event held at Bread and Roses Books,
recorded on the evening of March 8th, 2017, International Women's Day.
️
You'll hear five musical performances as well as poetry and words
celebrating women's rights and freedom.
️ To
complete the show, two women poets from other events.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-190318.html
️ March
12th
️ On
the fringes at East Village Arts
Collective!
Details:
️ This
was another short notice recording opportunity. Last Sunday, during the
opening of Megan Arnold's 'Play
Dead Radio' show, she played the artists from an EVAC event happening
that Monday evening. It's been a li'le while since I'd captured some
fringe indie stuff, so...
️
Performances by:
Gum
Depot (Adam Gilkes)
Horses,
Pass By
Kee Avil
Shhh
️ For
part 2 of the show, I'll revisit the 'No London' festival held at EVAC
from Sept. 30th to March 2nd of 2016.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-120318.html
️ March
5th
A
benefit for Keeping Kids Warm -
Helping Homeless Teens One Stitch At A Time on Mar. 3rd!
Details:
️ Here
is how this one played out. I was asked by one of the bands on Friday
whether I could record them at the Eastside Bar & Grill
on Saturday afternoon, Mar. 3rd. They mentioned it was a benefit to
raise money to clothe homeless youth so I jumped at the opportunity.
I've recorded at the Eastside B&G before and the sound person, Mike Woroniuk, does a
great job there.
It turned out that the benefit was about
more than clothing homeless youth but also about youth mental heath,
youth suicide and bullying as well. As a partially sight child going
through a 'normal' school system, I know what it's like to be bullied
by my peers. I was one of the lucky ones, with a loving family a few
loyal friends to watch out for me. So, this event became personal for
me and I stayed up all night after I got home to get it ready for this
week's radio show.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-030318.html
️
February 26th
Crazy Beautiful People!
Details:
️
Crazy, Beautiful People is the name chosen for the Home County Folk Festival
history project. The festival will have its 50th anniversary in 2023
and this group hopes to create a book, a documentary and web page to
commemorate the event. In the tradition of Home County, they are
creating music along the way! A fundraiser was held at London Music Club on
February 10th, 2018
️
Performances where held in both the 'big' room and the 'front' room of
the LMC. I had the opportunity to record in the big room while DeRok did sound and
recorded in the front room.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-260218.html
️
February 19th
️ Fitzrays Indie Wednesday
visited and revisited!
Details:
️ From
Valentine's Day, Feb. 14th:
Duane Lauzon
Walkin' Stick
️ Event
page: Walkin' Stick and Duane
Lauzon - Indie Night
For
part 2 of the show, we revisit a Fitzray's Indie Wednesday from Feb. 2,
2017 featuring:
Black Savanna
Canadian Celtic Choir
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-190218.html
️
February 12th
️
Tonight, three musical events recorded within 26 hours!
Details:
A
couple of weekend's ago, I had to the opportunity to do a lot of
recording!
️ From
Saturday afternoon, January 27th, the Yess Woah CD release event at The ARTS Project,
From
Sunday afternoon, January 28th, The Wood Shed Concert
Series event at London Brewing Co-operative,
a Children Mental Health fundraiser.
From
Saturday evening, January 27th, Gigi Ramone's Musical
Chairs! at St. Regis Tavern.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-120218.html
️
February 5th
️
Promoting the Home County Folk Festival
Fundraiser at The London Music Club on
February 10th.
Details:
️ This
week we'll have a listen to two Home County fundraisers from years
past, from Nov. 29th, 2015 and Sept. 24th, 2016
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-050218.html
️️ A Radio Free London
Special Feature!
The (Almost) Complete Winter Spectacular
Recordings!
Details:
I have compiled all six radio shows of
Winter Spectacular recordings that aired before and after the holidays
onto one convenient podcast page. There you will find (almost) all the
recording I made over three years and four Winter Spectaculars.
Cheers and enjoy:
John
the nitebat
️️
January 29th
️ Part
3 of the Winter Spectacular V
recordings!
Details:
️ This
week continues the Winter Spectacular V recordings. with the Fri., Dec.
22nd and Sat. 23rd, 2017 events at 121 Studios.
️ As
with last week, I'll continue revisiting the Spirit of Winter
Spectacular's Past for the remainder of the show. This week, more
performances from Winter Spectacular II.
Vibrafusionlab - London
on Sat., Dec. 17th, 2014:
Podcast
link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-290118.html
️️
January 22nd
️ Part
2 of the Winter Spectacular V
recordings!
Details:
This
week continues the Winter Spectacular V recordings. with the Fri., Dec.
22nd, 2017 event at 121 Studios:
️ As
with last week, I'll continue revisiting the Spirit of Winter
Spectacular's Past for the remainder of the show. This week, more
performances from Winter Spectacular III.
️ January 15th
️ Part
1 of the Winter Spectacular V
recordings!
Details:
️
Tonight's show will be first week of my Winter Spectacular V recordings
from N+1 Cycle and the Forest City Gallery on
on the evening of Thursday, December 21st, 2017.
️ For
the remainder of the show, I'll continue revisiting the Spirit of
Winter Spectacular's Past. This time it's the Thursday, December 17th,
2015 open stage at Vibrafusionlab - London,
not really an official WS III event but adopted nonetheless.
️ January 8th
A
hybrid show: A new live recording and revisiting a Techno New Year's
Eve!
Details:
️ First
off, a live recording from December 9th in the intimate Cellar Lounge
of the London Music Club.
Tonight's recording is Charles (Chuck) Zurbrigg and Jim Benoit'x first
event of their own, and both with accompaniment.
️ For
the remainder of the show, we'll revisit the Techno New Year's Eve 2016
dance party held at the London Ukrainian Centre.
There was wonderful art, great light show and amazing beats. A good
time was had by all!
️️
January 1st
️ An
Indie New Years Recap!
Details:
️ It's
been a great year for recording live music in London!
️ For
this first show of 2018, I wanted to give as broad a cross section as
possible of the 2017 music scene. I started by looking at my shortest
recordings first. It soon became apparent the mercurial, nova bright
energy of the indie scene would be the narrative thread for tonight's
show.
I also did my best to record at new venues
this year so I picked recordings from as many different places as
possible.
Happy new year!
2017
️️
December 25th
️ A
tribute to spaceflight, both human and robotic... and to Carl Sagan, it
taught us to look up... and dream!
Details:
On the
human side of my tribute, you'll here the wake up music from two Space
Shuttle missions to the International Space Station. In a long standing
tradition of NASA, family members or loved ones would pick a couple of
songs for each crew member as wake up music for each day of the
mission. Also, Walter Cronkite announcing during the landing of Apollo
11.
️ On
the robotic side, two Mars landing. A rare documentary of the Viking 1
landing in 1976 from Jet Propulsion Labs in California including words
from some of the greatest SF authors of all time. The other landing is
of Mars Curiosity Rover which landed a few years ago.
️ To
finish the show, a set of space themed music of my choice and an
excerpt from the Voyager Golden Record which Carl Sagan produced to be
placed on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft which explored the outer
planets of the Solar System.
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-251217.html
️️
December 18th
️ Winter Spectacular
Retrospective - Week 3!
Details:
️ It's
Winter Spectacular season again! This years festival will be held from
December 21st to 23rd. For more information, visit:
http://winterspectacular.ca
️
Tonight's retrospective will be from Winter Spectacular IV 2016. The
music events were from December 15th til the 18th, in various venues.
This week, like the last two, we'll touch upon each event in part.
️️
December 11th
Winter Spectacular
Retrospective - Week 2!
Details:
️ It's
Winter Spectacular season again! As far as I can tell, there WILL be a
Winter Spectacular V this year from December 21st to 23rd. For more
information, vi
http://winterspectacular.ca
️ This
week will be from Winter Spectacular 2015. To my... dismay, when I
looked at that year's recordings, I had over 10 hours worth! The music
events happened over four nights, December 16th til the 19th, in half a
dozen venues. So, this week, we'll touch upon each event with just one
or two performances. It was a hard show to arrange but, hopefully will
give you some idea of the range of the music you can expect from this
year's Winter Spectacular for 2017.
️️
December 4th
️ A
Winter Spectacular Retrospective!
Details:
️ It's
Winter Spectacular season again! As far as I can tell, there WILL be a
Winter Spectacular V this year from December 21st to 23rd. For more
information, visit:
http://winterspectacular.ca
️ Do,
for the next three weeks, I will be revisiting the spirits of Winter
Spectaculars past! This week will be from Winter Spectacular 2014. All
performances were recorded at Vibrafusion Labs between December 17th
and 20th, 2014.
️️
November 27th
️️
November 20th
️ The
'F' word!
️️
November 13th
️ A
Woodfield Community Porch Concert and honouring Remembrance Day in
music.
️ First
off, a recording I made of the third Woodfield Community Porch
Concert Series held on June 15th of this year.
️ The
rest of the show will be part II of honouring Remembrance Day in music.
This week it'll be songs centered around the First and Second World
Wars.
️️
November 6th
️
️ The 94.9 CHRW Radio Western
Fundraiser and some bluegrass!
️ The
first part of the show will be the CHRW fundraiser held at Call The Office on
October 28th.
️ The
rest of the show is devoted to a bluegrass concert held at the Parkwood
Veterans Hospital a couple of years ago in commemoration of Remembrance
Day. Featuring:
Rhyme
and Reason
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-061117.html
️️
October 30th
️ 'Just
Folk' revisited!
On
tonight's show, three rather folksy performances, two recorded recently
and one from a couple of years ago.
️ From
October, Friday the 13th, performing in the intimate 'Front Room' of
the London Music Club:
️ Mike Hagarty and Andy
Hayes
️ Black Savanna
️ From
August 1st, Allison Brown's CD
Release held at Shangrila Yoga Studio.
️️
October 23rd
️ A
hybrid show tonight!
️ The
first hour will be devoted to an indie gig I recorded last Monday at
The Richmond Tavern.
️ Event
page: Radiation
Risks/Klazo/Manager at the Richmond Early Show! 8pm
️ For
the rest of the show, I'll continue my series of themed music
arrangements. This weeks topic of interest is 'contrasts'.
As you may have guessed, I enjoy a wide
range of music. I also like performers and bands that cover a lot of
musical range in their own repertoire.
So, tonight, two songs from each performer
or band to show their diversity!
️️
October 9th
Just a
'regular' good ol' music show!
Tonight,
I'm going to take a li'le holiday from the recordings and give
you the kind of radio show I've done for most of my thirty plus years
here at 94.9 CHRW Radio Western.
The musical theme tonight is one
appropriate for a Thanksgiving holiday weekend... Home!
What I like to do with theme shows like
this is to cover as many aspects and genres of a given topic as I can
find.
️️
October 2nd
Two
recent recording for your listening pleasure!
The
first event I'll be playing is from The Wood Shed Concert
Series held at The London Brewing Co-operative
on Sunday, September 19th
️ For
the rest of the show, I'll play a recording I made in an Old East
Village apartment during an afternoon music creation session held every
week. Everyone attending was a multi-instrumentalist, changing
instruments between songs. I was the only 'audience' there so I thought
I air this one to give you an idea what a crucible of music is like
when it's done by pros!
️
A late addition to fill in til the end of the show is a recording I
made at the Hippy Cafe back in 2004 of local jam band, The Riderless!
Podcast link: http://justatinker.com/RFL/RFL-021017.html
️️
September 25th
️
The TURBINE Tapes!
️ The
biggest techno event in many months was held on Saturday, September
16th at Justin Bardawill's new
space, The Alchemy Junk
Warehouse. Justin invited me to record the mix and I gladly accepted!
️️
September 18th
The
first part of the show is from a benefit event at @Forbidden City for
The Native
Women's Association of Canada held on August 26th!
The
second half will be devoted to the Our Friends Electric
experimental electronic event held at The SoHo Bar and Grill on
September 14th.
️️
September 11th
I promised myself this year that I'd concentrate on recording at new
venues to try to cut a wider swath through the London music scene. So
back on June 17th, I recorded for the first time at Life of Leisure Surf +
Social Club in Old East Village.
️ To
end the show for this week, a retrospective dive with a recording I
made at The London Music Club on
October 22nd, 2005 featuring
The Robbie Antone Band!
️️
September 4th
️ Last
week and this,
Radio Free London has
teamed up with
The DeRok
and Roll Radio Road Show to bring you the complete
Back To The Garden 2017!
️️
August 28th
On
tonight's show, Part 1 of
Back To The
Garden 2017
️️
August 21st
️️ On tonight's
show, another recording from
Fitzrays Indie Wednesday,
featuring:
️ For
the second part of the show, we revisit a recording I made about two
years ago at the APK Live. Jenny Rensby
was hosting an acoustic open stage on the patio (weather permitting) on
Sunday afternoon's that summer. Tonight I'll feature
Yessica Woahneil doing
her first full length sets in front of the public.
The
first half of tonight's show is a recording from East Village Arts
Collective's Collectively Speaking
Saturday evening performance of electronic artists:
As
part of my 'retro summer project' I have two recordings that aren't
mine but are certainly worth some airtime:
️ Red
Fishy Wins - Take Down The Borders:
This six song cassette was recorded in 1992.
️ Erin
Clarke at the Home County Folk Festival
in (approx.) 2005.
️ Last
but certainly not least, a musical tribute to my cat, Lazarus Long, who
passed away in my arms a couple of weeks ago. He was 17 years old and
had a good life.
️ August 7th
️ We
srt the show with a quick turnaround in the 'new' department, recorded
at Forbidden City this last Saturday, August 5th:
️ In
the 'old' department, two recordings that I made in 2004 at the
infamous Hippy Cafe:
️ July 31st
️
Starting off the show is a new recording I made at Call The Office on
Wednesday, July 19th featuring two bands.
️ Ne up
is an It's Trash record label special recorded at Vibrafusion Labs in
2014.
️ ️
Finally, continuing my retro Radio Free London 'summer project', a mix
tape made by the 17 year old son of a friend of mine to celebrate 1997,
the 'Year of the Punk', originally aired on December 29th, 1997.
️ To
open up the show, I have a special retrospective treat... from the
early 1940s!
My father was a gadget freak much like me. In the early 1940s, he
bought a Wilox-Gay Recordio (pictured below), a combination radio,
record player and record CUTTER as well! The record player had two
arms. One was on a worm gear and was spring loaded so it would press
down on the blank record's surface that was used to record with. The
other arm was used to play the records you made back.
So the first set of music on tonight's show will be my parents,
relatives and friends making music... 75 years ago!
️
The rest of tonight's show will be yet another Radio Free London
retrospective, this time from (only) 20 years ago in the late nineties.
️ July 10th
️
Tonight's show is a mixed bag, a recent live recording, a recording
that got turned into an album ad another Radio Free London
retrospective, this time from the late 90s.
️ DeRoK (of the The DeRok
and Roll Radio Road Show) took a recording that I made of his
performance at Fitzray's Restaurant &
Lounge a few months ago and made an album out it! Not just a
digital one but a actual CD with a printed label! I think it's great
that artists can do stuff like this with my recordings.
The
tale end this week's show will be another Radio Free London
retrospective, which I recorded to cassette in the late 90's (as close
as I could date it). The cassette was labeled 'Noise 'R' Us'. I was
going through a hard core phase back then, musically speaking... (more
on that next week. 
)
