New Secret Stash Session: Billy Blasko

Matt's Top 10 Records of 2010....


Women – Public Strain

Four Tet – There Is Love In You

Caribou – Swim

Band of Horses – Infinite Arms

Spoon – Transference

Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise

The Fun Years – God Was Like No

Gold Panda – Lucky Shiner

Beach House – Teen Dream

Avey Tare – Down There

Some Highlights....

With the ball about to drop, I figured one of the last posts of the month should be a wrap up on the music of the past year. I've always done a Top 10 list of the records I truly loved, but this year was a strange one for me musically. In the past 2 years there was a real stand out that took the top spot, but this year was more of a collection of really decent albums, without a mind blower. Some of my friends released some amazing music, and I got to take in some amazing concerts too. Before counting down the list, I wanted to share some special moments of 2010...

- This year marked my first Anniversary! I've offically been married to the perfect woman for well over 365 days, and I've never been more happy to introduce her as my "wife." That's a great feeling.

- In September of this year, I said goodbye to my band mates in The Champion Heartache. After 3 years of making music with some dear friends, it was tough to call an end to it all, but I feel we had some amazing times, made some great songs and released 2 albums that I'm very proud of.

- A month or so ago, we travelled to New York City to see Guided By Voices play for the last time. It was an awesome concert, but the trip itself was one I'll never forget. Chanting "G-B-V" with 3000 other fans is a rush that keeps me coming back time and time again.

- 2010 also marked the beginning of my run as host of the Thursday Open Stage at The Bittmore in Courtice. I've met some amazing musicians and found myself a cozy spot with great staff. I truly hope it continues well into the new year. I can't thank the players enough. Without you, it really wouldn't be possible.

- Back in May, I turned 30 years old. To celebrate, Karlie and I jumped out of a plane! We went skydiving for the first time, and I have to say that I'm really proud of both of us. Totally crazy, and an event I'll remember for the rest of my life.

- A few months ago, my friend Brian Hamilton and I began to work on a video blog called "The Secret Stash." We've only done a few episodes, but it's been really great to creatively work with not only another person, but another medium altogether. I've been really proud to promote and highlight some amazing performers, and I know it can only go up from here. Check it out here!

- Sadly, this year we had to say goodbye to some of our family as well. Our beloved Uncle Igors passed away suddenly this spring, and we made the trip to Vancouver to be with our family, and say our goodbye. It was very difficult, but I was so proud to sit side by side with my in laws and share in their sorrow. My Grandmother's husband John also passed away earlier this year, and directly afterwards it looked as though we were going to have to say goodbye to her too. She really pulled through a sickness that almost took her life, and I'm happy to say we spent her 87th birthday with her just 2 weeks ago. Wow. And if you read this blog, you know that just 3 weeks ago, our beloved cat Charlie was taken from us when a speeding driver hit her and never looked back. I still think of her each day, and feel some solice in knowing we won't have to worry about her again. xo.

- On a lighter note, this past spring I made my first ever appearance on TV! Yes, it was local cable, but I've never been so nervous in my life. The staff of Daytime at Rogers Television made me feel very welcome and relaxed, and I'm happy to say I survived....barely.

- Finally, this year marked my nephew's first Birthday! It's so amazing to watch my sister blossum into an amazing and loving Mother. I really feel a special connection with both her and the little dude. He's so full of life and wonder, and I'm really proud to be an Uncle to such a special boy.

That's all for now, but within the next week or so, I'll be back to post my top 10 fav albums, and more!

The Secret Stash

That's a shot of my friend Brian and I, on location at our friend Anthony's house. We were shooting a session for our new video series called "The Secret Stash." Right now, we've completed 3 separate episodes, but we're still in the process of setting up a proper site. I thought since I've had some tough luck in the past week or so, it'd be cool to come here and spread some positive vibes and get you all to check it out. The focus of the series is to highlight local musicians and give them the proper attention they deserve. We have a long list of peformers that we will feature in upcoming episodes, but for now, you can watch the first few and let us know what you think. Being a local DJ, it's tough for me to endorse or spin music from local artists on the airwaves, but by doing these sessions, I can promote the videos here, and show you all what wonderful and creative friends I have. Please take some time and check it out!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

R.I.P Charlie...

With a heavy heart, I'm sad to announce the passing of our beloved Charlie, better known as "Char Char." Last night I got a frantic phone call from Karlie saying someone hit her with their car, and kept going. We rushed her to the Animal Hospital where were initially told she had a good chance, but after looking at her x-rays, it was time to say goodbye. She was such a beautiful spirit, and always woke me up by brushing her little face against mine to remind me it's time to get up. I'll never forget you Char. Thank you for the short, but precious time we had together.

xo

NYC part 2...

So after waking up with quite the hangover from Sunday night's show, we decided we should hit the town and take in some culture. This started with a cab ride to the Guggenheim. Upon arrival, it was a rainy, windy day, and we were forced to wait in line for about 20 mins. We made the best of it by buying umbrellas from a vendor, and laughed the whole time. Inside the museum, we were given headsets complete with a audio tour guide for most pieces at the exhibit. I was three feet from a Picasso, and seeing the actual brush strokes on that canvas truly is an inspiring feeling. Karlie and I agreed we should look into making our own art, and getting more involved with our artistic side. Like I said, we really were inspired.

After that adventure, we made our way to a really great vegan restaurant called The Organic Grill.
It was a tiny little spot very reminiscent of The Velvet Elvis (RIP) I tried some organic beer, and had an awesome sandwich with home fries. No big deal, but great to eat healthy and see how other vegetarians stick together to create a unique dining experience. After we ate, we made our way back to the condo, as Tash and Alan had tickets for Letterman, and I needed a nap. Poor baby. After the nap, it was time to get another case of beer and hang out in the condo. Apparently Letterman was awesome, and everyone seemed to be in great spirits. We had the Ipod blasting Wu Tang Clan, and Alan and I decided we knew every song word for word, so we drunkenly rapped and hung out on the fire escape, soaking in the city. By the time 11:00 pm hit, we thought we'd better go eat something, so we found a pub up the street, ordered appetizers and a glass of red. We laughed and talked about the trip, football, and other random drunken ramblings before heading back out to time square for an impromptu photo shoot. The city was of course buzzing, and walking around and looking at the action was such a great and overwhelming feeling. I really love it there, but I'm pretty damn sure I couldn't afford to live there mentally, or financially.

The day we left, we spent some significant time in Central Park. We started out by visiting The Dakota which is of course where John Lennon was killed. It was very surreal and eerie to stand next to the gate. I talked to the doorman there, and he pointed out to me where everything happened. For some reason it kind of choked me up. We continued across the street where John's memorial is in Central Park. It's called Strawberry Fields and although it's very simple in design, it speaks to me in such a way that I can only describe as peaceful. For someone who only wanted love and peace, it really saddens me to think of him not being here anymore. New York City truly is John Lennon. We left there, and got coffee and soaked in the sights. Mind you, it's tough to see all of an 800 acre park, but we hit some significant spots including this.

Overall, this trip was just awesome. The flight back home was simple, and I highly recommend flying Jetblue. Cozy, spacious, and sitcoms galore.

Back to my so-called normal life for now. I love New York.

Just Imagine.

Just imagine. Seeing my favourite band in my favourite city in the world. What a whirlwind this past week has been. I only get a limited amount of time off each year, so when I had the chance to see Guided By Voices in New York City, I just had to make it happen. Our trip started by driving to Hamilton to pick up our other travellers, Natasha and Alan. After trying to sleep, we awoke for 7am and made the trek to Buffalo, where we flew to JFK Airport. We arranged to rent a condo in the heart of Manhatten, instead of renting a hotel for twice the cost. It really was within blocks of Times Square and at the heart of the entertainment district. The day we arrived, we checked into our condo, only to find the cleaning lady still there around 3pm. We shrugged it off, and headed out to get pizza, and see the surrounding area. Within minutes we found ourselves looking at the larger than life billboards in the centre of Times Square. I had been here ten years earlier, but it was still pretty amazing to look up and see Puff Daddy looking down at you from the side of a building. After walking for a while, we came across what was certain to be our saviour for the day, if not the entire trip. Let me introduce you to 2 Bros. Pizza. This tiny spot is home to the $1.00 slice of pizza, and truly was the tastiest and cheapest slice I've ever had. I ordered 3 at a time on the Tuesday before we left, but upon first finding it, I had only spent a couple of bucks before finding myself full, and happy to have eaten a real NY tradition. These guys must be millionaires. Each time we walked by, there was a minimum of 30 people in line. Alan said that one morning when he went out to get breakfast, there were people lined up at 9am.

After eating, and seeing some sights, we decided to get beer, and head back to the condo for the pre-game ritual. Now let me explain something here. Natasha and Alan weren't coming to the concert, but my beautiful wife Karlie is the first person to accept and understand my passion for not just music and concerts, but this particular music, and this particular concert. Guided By Voices have easily been my favourite band for more than a decade. There has always been a small window of time before a GBV show that I consider one of the best feelings I've ever felt. Ice cold cheap beer, and lots of it, and a playlist on my Ipod of my favourite songs from the band I'm about to see. This ritual usually happens in a hotel room, and consists of Karlie getting ready, and me dancing around getting drunk enough to save money at the show, but sing my heart out throughout. After this show, I've seen them 15 times, and counting. What's cool about this lineup is that it's the original lineup from way back in the day.... well kind of. I won't go into detail, but let's say that this band has come in many different forms, with the exception of front man Robert Pollard. Now though I've seen them so many times, this one was special because the band was focused on the songs that made them popular so long ago. The setlist was comprised of the classic songs from the classic albums, and it was a beautiful feeling to have thousands of people around you singing note for note to the songs we all love so much. Chris Murphy of Sloan was there too. Hell, my friend from Toronto, Craig Laskey even made the trip to this show! By the way, you can thank Craig for bringing GBV to the Horseshoe for a double header back in July of 2002. Yes, I was at both shows. Anyhow, the band sounded amazing, and the crowd sang along note for note. The setlist was amazing, and the night flew by in a flash of rock n' roll perfection. In retrospect it makes me feel so lucky to have been at this show. There's been talk of more dates next year, but this was hands down the best of the tour and a show I'll never forget.

I have lots of other cool stuff to talk about, and more pictures that I'll get to in the next few days. In the meantime, please head over here to read more about the show. There's some video and some great pictures of the gig thanks to Brooklyn Vegan, an amazing NYC based rock blog.

Here's the setlist:

Guided by Voices Concert at Terminal 5, New York, NY, USA
Setlist on November 7, 201
Tractor Rape Chain
Game of Pricks
I Am A Scientist
Shocker in Gloomtown
The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
Gold Star for Robot Boy
My Valuable Hunting Knife
Motor Away
A Good Flying Bird
Cut-Out Witch
Matter Eater Lad
Watch Me Jumpstart
Striped White Jets
My Impression Now
Awful Bliss
14 Cheerleader Coldfront
Lethargy
Break Even
Buzzards and Dreadful Crows
Exit Flagger
Hot Freaks
Closer You Are
Gleemer (The Deeds of Fertile Jim)
Quality of Armor
Queen of Cans and Jars
Echos Myron
Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy
A Salty Salute
Smothered in Hugs

Encore:
Postal Blowfish
Hey Aardvark
Pimple Zoo
Bright Paper Werewolves
Some Drilling Implied

Encore 2:
Dodging Invisible Rays
My Son Cool
Don't Stop Now

Encore 3:
Johnny Appleseed
Weed King

NYC, GBV... Here we come!

It's been a few days since my last rambling. I just wanted to pop by to say that as of tomorrow, I'm gone for a week. My wife and I plus her sister and bf are heading to New York City on Sunday for a few days. It's easily my fav city to visit, and we're seeing my fav band of all time, Guided By Voices. This is their last show on this tour, and they're playing with the "classic lineup" from back in the day. Expect tons of pictures and a review of the show in a week or so. I haven't seen them since 04', so this truly is rock'n'roll heaven for me.

See you soon!

No More Women?

Let's hope this isn't the end of of a fantastic band...

http://exclaim.ca/News/women_implode_onstage_in_bc_allegedly_break_up

Halloween Gigs and More!

Yes, that's me. I guess that was about 86' or so, when He-Man ruled my life. That's my Dad, the clown and my sister, the baby. Halloween has always been a huge deal to me. I guess it has something to do with the smell in the air this time of year, and perhaps the thought of ghostly spirits walking around in the night. It still sends chills up my spine a little. I have fond memories of my Mom ordering pizza while we got our costumes on, and my Dad would be cranking M.J's Thriller while adjusting the speed on the strobe light that would be directed at the front of our house. I usually knew what my costume would be around Sept.1st each year. To my recollection, they included, and not in any particular order....

He-Man, A Pirate, Zombie, Ninja, Gorilla, Freddy Krueger and The Terminator. Last year, I dressed up as a Butcher of humans. Yes, I have a strange affliction with this time of year, and I think I always will. We don't have kids yet, but it's stuff like Halloween that pushes me in that direction a little more each year. We already have our pumpkins ready, and I have a dead man sitting in a chair in my garage. Don't worry, I didn't kill him. He's just waiting to be sat on our front porch for Halloween night. I also usually hook up my P.A System in the windows upstairs, cranking scary sound effects so the whole neighbourhood knows how crazy I really am. Don't be scared kids! We have chocolate too!

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Friday October 29th:

The Sadies @ Orono Town Hall

Saturday October 30:

The 407's, I Dunno and The Stables @ Murphy's Pub and Grill

Unknown Pleasures...

First of all, I want to say thanks to my good friend Dave at Warner. He's always had my back when it comes to helping with albums I've been waiting to hear, or concert tickets etc. Yesterday I opened a package that came here to the studio, and to my surprise I was sent 2 Joy Division reissues on vinyl. It seems that both "Closer" and "Unknown Pleasures" have recieved the deluxe re-mastering treatment, and are being pressed for the first time in 10 years. When I got home last night, I raced down into my studio and threw these on while my wife made dinner. If you know these albums at all, you may think you know what to expect, but let me be the first to tell you that the mixes on these albums sound light years better then they ever have before. I'm now hearing more of Ian Curtis' vocals, and actual harmonies that I didn't know where even on tape...maybe they weren't before? Peter Hook's bass lines have never sounded so, well, hook-y, and the songs stand as strong today as they ever did in 1979. I urge you to grab both of these for your record collection.

I hope you enjoyed my Four Tet interview. I know it's kind of tough to understand what Kieran is saying because of his accent, and how fast he talks, but the show was really amazing, and I sincerely thank everyone involved with making that happen for me. It was really a night to remember.

Moving towards the end of this week, I'll have some Halloween related posting to do, as it's by far my favourite time of year, and I always like to compile a list of spooky music for my audience. Boo!

Four Tet

Photo by Jason Evans

Four Tet - There Is Love In You Feature Interview Oct 21.2010 by Matt Diamond's Interviews

R.I.P - ELLIOTT SMITH

August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003

Twilight by Elliott Smith

Hey there. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I've been holding off posting here in order to give readers of the blog time to watch our Xiu Xiu interview. I hope you enjoyed it, and that some of you even purchased some of their music. That's the goal here, to introduce you to some new music, and to help promote concerts, events, album releases and more. I'm really excited to announce that my friend Brian and I have begun filming for our new site. This past weekend we spent some time with local artist Dan Brooks, and shot a feature performance and interview with him from my home studio. Expect to see the feature piece on our new blog within the next couple of weeks.

Lot's of amazing shows are happening around Toronto this week. I'm also very excited to announce my next audio interview with Four Tet. Kieran Hebden is the one man band behind this project, and it looks like he'll be calling me on Wednesday to talk about his tour, and the amazing electronic album he put out earlier this year. It's called "There Is Love In You" and it's easily one of my favorite releases of the year. He's coming to the Mod Club on Wednesday, so expect to hear the feature piece right here by Friday. No, it's not just rock n' roll, but it's really tasty and dancey, and I'm very excited to talk with him.

Tomorrow night, Toronto plays host to a couple amazing gigs. Atlanta area band Deerhunter are in town at The Opera House. They've just released a beautiful disc titled "Halcyon Digest" and I urge you to pick it up. I've already witnessed their live act a few months back when they opened for Spoon at the Sound Academy, and I need to watch my budget as far as shows go these days. That same night, L.A band Local Natives play The Mod Club, and they're really amazing too, so it's a toss up. I've posted links at the bottom of this post, so you can judge for yourself.

This Thursday, the one and only Band Of Horses are in town for a sold out show at The Kool Haus. I've interviewed this band a couple of times, the first time way back in 2006 when they first played here at Lee's Palace. Ben Bridwell has become somewhat of a house hold name, and I urge everyone to go get their latest, "Infinite Arms." It's a real beauty, and must have for anyone who loves their rock southern fried. It has a few ballads in the tracklist too, and after one week with this one, I knew the songs' lyrics front to back. Our wedding song was actually Ben covering Gearge Harrison's "Your Love Is Forever." Go see this show if you can get your paws on some tickets.

LISTEN:

Band Of Horses: Infinite Arms - http://stream.bandofhorses.com/

Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest - Revival by Deerhunter

Local Natives: - Shape Shifter by Local Natives

Dear God, I Hate Myself...

Xiu Xiu is an art rock outfit from San Jose California. The sole member of this band, Jamie Stewart sat with me in the parking lot behind Lee's Palace before their gig with Deerhoof on October 3rd to talk about their new album. It's very bizzare, and at sometimes even ugly, but for some of you out there that are tired of the same old thing, this one is for you.

No Leftovers, Really...

What a weekend. I have so many things to be thankful for, but after spending a weekend with my family, I'm reminded of just how lucky I am to have so many people around me that I care about. Friday night I got to lay low, as I had a live broadcast from the Pickering Markets early Saturday. That was a great way to start my weekend, as I met lots of listeners, and got to see some dear friends by the name of One Divided. They played an outdoor show as the sun was beaming and people were entering. I did a quick intro for them, and they sounded great. After that, I hopped in the Rock Cruiser, and headed home to try to help prep some amazing vegan stuffing with my talented wife, but I was ushered out of the kitchen because she clearly had things under control. Next stop was my in-laws. A beautiful meal was prepared without turkey! Yep, the whole fam took a step in a new direction by trying out some new recipes including vegetarion shepard's pie, stuffing, potatoes with mushroom gravy, and 3 different deserts. Absolutely amazing. That was a great time, but I couldn't help but wish that my Mom was around on this holiday. She doesn't live close to us right now, but Thanksgiving was always a big deal for us because she spent the majority of two solid days cooking a meal that would typically last 20 minutes. Miss you Ma! After dinner, it was back to our house for my sister in law's Birthday, where we were joined by our close friends Joanne, Monty, Cal and Claire. It was a pretty mellow night, comprised of lots of red wine, and great conversation.

Sunday was a lazy morning, but with such amazing autumn weather, we were delighted to be invited to my cousin Darryl's engagement party which took place on a beautiful lot just outside of town, complete with 4 picnic tables fully dressed and decked out in true Thanksgiving fashion. I don't see that side of my family often, so it was really great to hug all of the Holtbys. Congrats to Darryl and Larissa. After we got back home, I started a fire in our chiminea, and we sat around talking about how awesome family is, especially during the holidays. More wine, cold beer, and full stomach. Me likey.

Monday was a beautiful day to do just about anything outside. I was honored enough to have my father-in-law invite me to golf with him at his club. However, I felt more than embarrassed about quite possibly the worst round I've ever played. I couldn't hit the ball straight, if at all, and we were paired up with two other golfers who were amazing. This has me seriously thinking about hanging up the clubs for good. Certainly for the season. Fore indeed. After golf, it was off to my Dad's for another meal and get together with my step brother and his family, plus my sister Amy and her family. My nephew Nate is literally running at the tender age of 10 months. It's insane. Check it out here at my sister's blog. Each time I see him, I can't believe how fast he's growing. It reminds me how awesome it is to have kids in your life... just not my own, yet!

Ok, that's a wrap. Tonight I'll post a new video interview from last weekend with Xiu Xiu as promised, and we've now officially named our new video blog, but I'm waiting for my partner in crime to make an official annoucement, and layout for the site etc. I can say this, that our first feature will be on the amazingly talented Dan Brooks. Check him out now!

Ciao.

Happy Birthday John

Saturday October 9th marks what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. I'm not about to ramble on about how much his music means to me, because it's quite obvious to anyone who listens to 94.9 The Rock, that most of us are pretty big fans of The Beatles. This weekend is more of a reflection as to what Lennon's music means to you, the listener. I don't have any close personal attachment to John because I'm just too young to really appreciate what he meant to my parents or the generation before me. I understand it, and I think his music is absolutely important and timeless, but it would be silly of me to talk about how I felt the day he died, simply because I don't remember it. At the time, I was just months old and couldnt' possibly comprehend what was happening, or why. Hell, I still don't. Yes, I know the story, and where and when this life was taken from us, but I still don't know why, and I don't think I ever will. John Lennon spoke a different language. One of life, love, peace and understanding, and his voice was heard on a completely different level. Long live the music of John Lennon.

This weekend in honour of John's Birthday, 94.9 The Rock is giving you the chance to win a copy of "John Lennon's Gimme Some Truth." This is a 4 CD Set featuring 72 classic Lennon tracks, all digitally remastered. This is a must have for any fan. Click here for info.

In other blogging news, our interview with Xiu Xiu will be posted Monday. It looks like I have some other cool features coming up, but I want to nail down some details before I announce them here. We're going to begin shooting some more video with local artists for our other blog soon too, so expect some information on how to get involved within the upcoming weeks. This weekend I get to eat 3 Thanksgiving dinners. Wish me luck, and have a great weekend of your own. Spend some time with family, eat, drink and get fat. It's your duty.

Gobble Gobble. xo

Women - Public Strain

As promised, here is my feature interview with Calgary's WOMEN. The band was in town last week for a show in support of their brand new album titled Public Strain, and I got to chat with them before their gig.
www.myspace.com/womenmusic

Women - Public Strain Feature by Matt Diamond's Interviews

Weekends Rock...

What a weekend! Everything that I blogged about being excited for last friday, turned out to be way better than I ever imagined. I will have lots of updates, and a couple of interviews to post later this week, but what a rockin' weekend! To start things off, my wife Karlie and I joined her Mom, Dad and Sister to do the Farm Sanctuary Walk For Farm Animals. It was a really special event that made me feel a real sense of community along with other people who feel the same desire to inform the public on the cruelty of mass factory farming. It was inspirational to walk side by side with people who aren't afraid to stand up for something we believe in. I shot some video of it, and will post it shortly.

After the walk, we headed into Hamilton where Karlie's sister Natasha and her boyfriend live, where we were greeted with open arms, a few bottles of wine and a delicious meal. We were in town to see Women open for Liars. I had to duck out from dinner to go meet the band for an interview at the venue, which turned out to be one of the smallest clubs I've ever been to, and I loved it. Picture seeing one of your fav bands play in someone's living room. So intimate and cool. I interview 3 of the guys from Women in their tour van, and they were super friendly and funny, and made me feel very welcome. That audio interview is coming this week too. Lot's to do!

After waking up Sunday with a little bit of a "headache," I had to drive back to Courtice to drop Karlie off, and then head back downtown Toronto with my friend Brian, as we had yet another interview to tackle with Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu. They were in town with Deerhoof, and I was really excited to meet with him to discuss their latest album. The cool thing about this interview was that it's the first video interview I've ever done, and as it turns out, Brian and I are going to continue working together, and we're starting another video blog very soon, featuring local musicians, and of course, bands that we dig. Starting with an interview from Xiu Xiu is a pretty rad start if you ask me. Things are really starting to cook creatively, and it feels good to put my own band to rest, and start on something new to support other artists. We still have lots to figure out, but we'll have an official announcement soon!

Wrapping up the weekend, and after watching an amazing show at Lee's Palace, I got home and hopped on my Macbook to check out what was happening in the land of P4K. How could I forget? One of the finest labels on the planet, Matador Records, was streaming live video of their 21st Anniversary Bash in Vegas, and my favorite band of all time, Guided By Voices were headlining! Now, there's a two hour time difference from there to here, and what was supposed to be 11:30 Vegas time, turned out being about 3:30 am our time by the time they took the stage. I tried to keep up as best I could, but as you can imagine, I had a pretty busy weekend, and I ended up falling asleep after 4am. The entire festival featured Matador's finest, including Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Belle and Sebastian, Pavement, and so many more. I was really excited to see what GBV sounded like after getting back together for this tour, but more importantly because Kar and I are heading to see them in New York City next month for the final show on their reunion tour. They were a little rusty, and they look a few years older, but it sure is fun to know every single song in a 30 plus song setlist. That and the fact that NYC is the coolest place I've ever travelled has me very excited. Expect huge posts and reviews after that one!

In closing, I'll get my interviews up here as soon as I can, but I'm just thankful that I have such an amazing team around me who support all of this fantastic art. I love autumn, but weekends like the one I just had, make it that much better.

TGIF...

Nothing major to report, other than the fact that it's finally friday! My cold has somewhat disappeared, and I have an amazing weekend planned. Tonight, visiting family, and relaxing before waking up early tomorrow to participate in The Walk For Farm Animals with my lovely wife, and her family. This is something we believe in, as we've recently become vegetarians within the past year or so. We have many reasons to live our lives this way, but I simply disagree with mass factory farming, and feel this is something I'd love to support.

Saturday we head to Hamilton, as one of my favorite bands by the name of Women are opening for another great band, Liars at a small venue called "This Ain't Hollywood." I'm stoked because I get to interview the band, and then see a killer show in an intimate setting. Their new album is called "Public Strain" and it's getting rave reviews everywhere. It's weird, and noisy, but if you're up for something different, it's a must have. Expect to hear the feature right here early next week. Sunday brings another amazing show to Toronto. Xiu Xiu are playing with Deerhoof, two bands I've loved for a long time, and frontman Jamie Stewart has agreed to sit and chat with me about their new album titled "Dear God, I Hate Myself." It's epic, and very strange. I'm really looking forward to meeting him and seeing the show at Lee's Palace.

Have a great weekend! Pictures and audio coming Monday.

Today is the opening celebration for Feed The Need In Durham! Pop by their open house from 3-5, or enjoy the evening celebration from 5-9. 94.9 The Rock proudly supports this wonderful cause, and we urge you to drop by with a non perishable food donation today. Info is below.


Feed the Need in Durham is a non-profit, charitable organization that is fighting to end hunger right here in Durham Region. Thousands of local people rely on food banks and soup kitchens to get the food necessary to sustain life. Feed the Need in Durham serves the majority of these people through our member agencies located in neighbourhoods across the Region. We believe that the right to food is the right to life. If you would like to join us in the fight to end hunger consider donating food, making a monetary donation, or volunteering your time.


http://www.ftndurham.ca

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame....

Nomination News!

The Beastie Boys have once again been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Brooklyn based trio are among 14 nominees competing for induction into rock's pantheon. Artists become eligible for nomination after the 25th anniversary of their debut record. The "Sabotage" hitmakers didn't release their debut album until 1986, but did release a couple of singles in the early-1980s. Darlene Love, LL Cool J and Donna Summer are also nominees.

Artists become eligible for nomination after the 25th anniversary of their debut record. The "Sabotage" hitmakers didn't release their debut album until 1986, but did release a couple of singles in the early-1980s.

Darlene Love, LL Cool J, Donna Summer, the J. Geils Band, Tom Waits, Chuck Willis, Chic and Joe Tex join the Beastie Boys as return nominees.

The inductees will be announced in December.

The 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees are listed below.

Alice Cooper

Beastie Boys

Bon Jovi

Chic

Neil Diamond

Donovan

Dr. John

J. Geils Band

LL Cool J

Darlene Love

Laura Nyro

Donna Summer

Joe Tex

Tom Waits

Chuck Willis

And, Good Night...

As much as I love the changing of the seasons, it usually brings along the commen cold too, which kicked me right in the butt on Sunday. This past weekend was a truly special one. As I've blogged in the past, my band The Champion Heartache, just released our second and final album. We celebrated with a CD Release party this past friday at Status Lounge in Oshawa. The club was not only very gracious to us and our guests, but the vibe was just beautiful. I've never had so many fans, friends and family in one room at one time. Our good friend Spyro at Sigma Sounds provided an amazing system for the band, and I really urge you to contact him if you have any needs for sound at shows. He's a class act.

This blog is really to be used for more radio chat, and music in general, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us in the past. Our new CD is available upon request, so drop me a line at matt@therock.fm and I'll personally drop one off to you.

As for new releases this week, I urge you to check out the new album by Deerhunter. It's called Halcyon Digest, and it's all I've been listening to for a few weeks now. Check out one of their tracks below. Of course, who could forget Neil Young, and Le Noise. It's really cool to think that this entire album is just Neil and his guitar. Produced by the one and only Daniel Lanois, it's self described as " just a man on a stool and me doing a nice job recording." Both are available now.

Listen here: Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest

Listen here: Neil Young: Le Noise

Friday Sept 24. 2010

After two years in the making, “INDOOR VOICES” is The Champion Heartache’s second full length release, and we’re celebrating by playing one final show before saying goodbye. Join us for a very special performance, including guest appearances, and more. Also, as a special treat, hot on the heels of her brand new record,... our own Trish Robb will be taking on opening duties. Please come and celebrate this special night with us on Friday Sept.24, 2010

Sigh...

Hey, I'm still a Leafs fan, but 5-0? Kind of a scary thought that we're right back where we started last season. Granted, we're trying out some new blood, and it's only pre-season, but I'm really tired of defending my love for this team to my co-workers around here. Aw well... go boys in blue ( not this guy over here.)

There's a few cool shows happening in the city tonight including Teenage Fanclub, The Strange Boys and M.I.A, so if you're not planning on crying in front of the T.V, go check one of them out.

Telephantasm

So yesterday I mentioned that today is new release day. Although there's one "unearthed" track on Soundgarden's best of collection titled Telephantasm, it's done it's job as far as picking and choosing some of the band's finest moments of their career. I think if you're a fan of alternative rock, you probably have some sort of small connection or memory with this band. Some of us were in the Nirvana camp, or Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth etc, but I have one distinct memory of being in my friend Dave's basement during a party at 3am and someone popped in Badmotorfinger, argueably their best recording, if not one of the 90's in general.

The intro to Rusty Cage was absolutle blasting through the big JVC tower speakers, and it kind of freaked me out a little. It's one of those songs that makes you want to jump in an old muscle car and tear up the desert or something. It just grabbed me and kicked the shit out of my ears. It was love at first listen. After that, it was pretty easy to guess why a song like Jesus Christ Pose became the next track that I was glued to for months on end.

After that album, Superunknown was all over the airwaves with tracks like Spoonman, and of course the trippy video of Black Hole Sun, complete with melting faces, and little girls with their ice cream cone. Very weird indeed. I urge any one of you to turn up the volume on a track like Fell on Black Days, and not have the hair stick up on the back of your neck. Good memories indeed. Now comes the debate of whether or not a band like this should do the whole reunion tour deal. Sure, Lollapalooza is one thing, but would you buy an expensive ticket to watch Kim, Matt, Chris and Ben relive the 90's? Well, let's put it this way, if someone buys me a ticket, I'm in. If not, back to the cd player I go...

Oh, and here's their new video.

PS - Who is KARKWA? Well apparently they won the Polaris Music Prize. Didn't see that one coming!

Polaris Music Prize etc.

Well, it looks like I'm back at my blog again. Man, time flies. It's been a while since I last posted, but I'm going to try to sincerely keep at it this time, and provide our listeners with music info, and lots of ear and eye candy. Tonight is the annual Polaris Music Prize award ceremony. The short list includes a couple of really amazing records that have been on my Ipod for quite some time now. You can view it here.

One of those nominees is Dundas Ontario native Dan Snaith, a.k.a Caribou. His album "Andorra" won the 2008 prize, so I'd be very shocked if he took it again, but his latest album, SWIM is brilliant and it's one of my fav releases of the year. I took my wife and a few friends to see Caribou this past friday at The Phoenix and it was a really amazing show. It seemed to fly by too fast, but perhaps I was just too busy dancing and enjoying myself a little too much! Two days before the show, I had the chance to speak with Dan over the phone about the album and his nomination etc. He was really kind, and always an interesting guy to speak with. Please check it out. There's a couple songs from the new album in this feature too.

Caribou Interview Sept 15 2010 by Matt Diamond's Interviews


Tomorrow is new release day! Nothing really special on the list other than My Darkest Days, which I only mention because we spin their new single, "Porn Star Dancing." There's another cool album by TV on The Radio's guitar player and mastermind Dave Steik, under the name Maximum Balloon. Should be pretty cool.

Next week sees the new album by Neil Young called Le Noise, and the best of Soundgarden, called Telephantasm. Awful name, great band. Please tour soon!

Nothing more to report other than the fact that my band The Champion Heartache are set to release our new album this friday. The party is happening at Status Lounge, downtown Oshawa. Our beloved David Marsden has been spinning one of the singles called "This Opportunity." You can check out some of the music at our myspace page.

The Champion Heartache Mixing New LP, Giving Away Debut Album

The Champion Heartache Mixing New LP, Giving Away Debut Album

It’s been over a year since Oshawa’s The Champion Heartache self released their debut disc. The band is now in the mixing stage of their sophomore album, titled Indoor Voices, and to celebrate, they’re giving away their first album for free. “This is simply an effort to get more people to hear the first one. The new disc is about a month or so away, and we’d really like to get some friends excited for the new one. We just hope people haven’t forgotten about us.” Matt Holtby is the lead singer of the band, but claims the new album is strictly a collaborative effort. “This time, we just did a lot of jamming, and feel the next release is a true pop rock record. Lots of fun four minute rockers.”

The band will have a new song from Indoor Voices available within weeks, but in the meantime, download their self titled debut for free below.

Expect to see a string of spring tour dates to coincide with their release.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/2vb4x9

Stop Breathin'

So, tomorrow tickets for the show of the year go on sale. It features Broken Social Scene, Band Of Horses, and the reunited Pavement! Since hearing of this show, I've been driving around listening to Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and thinking back to why I started listening to this band in the first place. Not the lyrics, not the production, not the wanky guitar, but...the hooks. Between this, and Slanted and Enchanted, there more hooks than a tackle box (ZING!) Gotta love it.

Heres details: http://torontoislandconcert.com/

As for some other cool shows coming up, my good friend Jonas Bonetta aka Evening Hymns is doing his CD Release tonight in Guelph. There's also a slew of dates in support of his beautiful new album, plus this friday he'll be joined by our good friends The D'urbervilles, Forest City Lovers, Jenny Omnichord and DJ Hurtsack for the Out Of This Spark 3rd Anniversary bash at the Garrison.

Transference

Today the new Spoon album came out. It's absolutely great, and I urge you to get out and pick it up. I first caught these guys back in '01 opening for Guided By Voices, and I've been a huge fan ever since. They're on Conan tonight too.

This past weekend was great. On saturday, our drummer Craig stopped by, and we ended up listening to this album after killing a case of beer. It was great to just relax and chat about music other than our own.

Sunday we got back to working on the new Champion Heartache record. I'm finally getting excited, and have a good feeling that it's going to sound like I hoped it would. It's a much more upbeat record with only one slower tune on it. We now have 2 songs completely mixed, and shall continue to work away on the remaining tracks. Within the next month or so we'll be working on some new promo stuff like photos, artwork and a new website.

Here's a taste of that Spoon album: http://www.sendspace.com/file/g5kiwp

Other Spoon related stuff:

Tonight!Spoon on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on NBC at 11:35 p.m. ESTWednesday, Jan. 20

Spoon on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, streaming live beginning at 11:15 a.m. PST / 2:15 p.m.

ESTThursday, Jan. 21Spoon plays live at the Mercury Lounge in NYC.Saturday, Jan. 23Britt Daniel solo at Sound Fix in Brooklyn at 7 p.m. ESTMonday,

Jan. 25Spoon on KGSR 93.3 FM in Austin at 12 p.m. CST Spoon performance at Waterloo Records in Austin at 4 p.m. CST

First Post In 3 Years?

Yes, it's true. For some strange reason, I've neglected this blog horribly, but stumbled across it in my "favorites" and I've been reading it at work for like, an hour now. God, I feel so old now. The majority of these posts seem so optimistic, and full of love towards people I hardly even know anymore. How time flies, and friends change.

I'm still playing music, and The Champion Heartache is currently mixing our second album which might see a release by early spring. At one point we were ready to press it on vinyl. Now we'll be lucky if it's available on casette. Times are tough financially, but our good friend Billy Blasko (who appears far too many times in previous postson this blog) is at the wheel once again, helping to mix and finish this record at a really great price.

There's nothing else really huge to talk about right now. Since my last post however, I've married Karlie, we bought a house, I have a home recording setup, and she owns a horse. Too funny. Last night was my first night back in a bar hosting an open stage at The Bittmore in Courtice. It was an awesome turnout and great to see so many familiar faces again. I haven't been playing much live, nor has the band. That picture up there is the last gig I played, just after Christmas. It was at Jay and Kerri King's garage, and featured Sunbear, Jonas Bonetta, and a surprise appearance from Blue Rodeo's Greg Kellor. Favorite show of the year, no joke.

Ok, I'm done for now. Just random typing and not much to say other than I hope everyone is doing well, and having a Happy New Year so far.

Dates to mention:

March 29 - SPOON with Deerhunter @ The Sound Academy

June 19 - Pavement, Broken Social Scene and Band of Horses @ Olympic Island

xo