In this new series, Live Tracks, I’d like to share with you some of my favourite live performances.

When I first heard of John K. Sampson it was as a member of the Canadian punk ensemble Propagandhi—a Winnipeg-based, liberal-minded, politically-charged group of young musicians looking to express their angst while making a difference in the world. To put it lightly. As a kid of, I guess, fourteen themes were largely lost on me but I loved the fast-paced, high-energy sound that the band managed and despite not really grasping what they were singing about a song that sounded like someone reading a textbook at an extremely rapid rate was nothing short of awesome.

Sampson ended up leaving Propagandhi, mellowing out, and putting together The Weakerthans— a Winnipeg-based, liberal-minded, poetically-poignant group of slightly older musicians looking to make good music and tell interesting stories. Occasionally, in concert, Sampson will revisit some of his old Propagandhi material and make it sound great. In this case, Sampson takes a high-tempo song and makes it sound awesome as a simple guitar and voice combination. In its stripped-down form, its the simplistic melody and the lyrics that really stand out. It’s Sampson’s overwhelming talent as a musician, I think, that really shows. Check it out, and enjoy.

Gifts

Shad is a Toronto-based, Kenyan-born rapper who I have become absolutely obsessed with. Why? Because he is absolutely dripping in talent, and positivity. His lyrics are insightful, intelligent, and awesome.

His latest single, which samples from the Lynn Anderson song Rose Garden, is nothing short of incredible and I applaud the raw wisdom that he seems unashamed of sharing in his music. And, he’s hilarious as evidenced by some of his earlier material (which you should also have a look at).

Is that not enough for you? Should be.

PS: I’m buying a pair of those shoes, Maria!

I like a good prank, or dupe, and this one is up there. Website Funny or Die hired singer Jewel, dressed her up with a wig, a fake nose, and “business” clothes and sent her with a group of other business persons to a karaoke bar. Disguised as “Karen,” a mild-manner and ostensibly shy employee of a frozen meat company she blows the bar away with her stunning renditions of Jewel songs.

It’s a great gag, and worth the watch.

1995 was a pretty good year. Still reeling from the death of Kurt Cobain we found some sweet solace in the likes of Hayden, a Canadian musician who hasn’t only survived the 90’s but did pretty well then too. With his debut album, Hayden introduced us to his super-slowed-down folk style and his super-low-down voice. We liked it, and continue to. Since then Hayden has gone on to record a whole bunch of really good music; his song-writing has steadily improved. I especially like his the story-telling style of his music and the fact that, as demonstrated on his famous live album, he can really do a lot with just a guitar and his voice.

Bad as it Seems (1995)

So I grew up in the 90’s, I couldn’t help it. In this new series I’d like to explore some great music from the 90’s. It does exist, of this I’m sure. Somewhere in my parent’s basement exists a CD titled “Absolute 90’s” and while the bands on that album, acts like Elastica and White Zombie, are exactly the kind of talent that I have in mind there was some good music to be had amongst all the, well, other stuff.

I Mother Earth, remember them? Remember the think metallic-beaded necklaces and the spiky, bleached blond hair? That certain way of holding the microphone that Fred Durst later made popular. These were the 90’s and it was all fair game. But I Mother Earth did some things right. Hailing straight out of the grunge movement, and trying to look the part, they mixed in just a touch bit of World Music and interesting percussion into their compositions to make them stand out. Not necessarily their singles, but certainly their b-sides, were often very cleverly composed and interesting-sounded pieces full of heavy toms and light bongo drums and if you can get past the machismo vocals they’re not so bad to listen to.

And so I present to you, readers, I Mother Earth. Love children of the 1990’s, born of the grunge movement and firmly planted in the memories of adults just about my age all over this great country. They’re not so bad.

Used to be Alright (1996)

I don’t know a lot about The Jayhawks but I do know a few things. First of all, they seem to have just arrived, to the present, from the past. Seriously. Their music, their sound and their appearance is that of a band somewhere in the early 70’s, don’t you think? Their vocal styling, the way they’re recorded and captured lived, and even their harmonies are reminiscent of something much farther back in musical history. But this track is from 2006. It’s hard to believe.

The other thing I know about The Jayhawks is that this song is killer. On top of all the aged beauty of The Jayhawks style it’s simply a really good song. It’s simple and yet interesting. It lulls and soars and seems to be exactly the right length. Those harmonies do sound so good and the guitars, especially in this live version, are so crisp and clean and give the entire song a twangy kind of feel that I really dig.

Finally, I know that this song is perfect for a rainy, stormy day like today.

Save it for a Rainy Day

Yes, I like Fatboy Slim. He was pretty much all I listened to that one summer when I worked at Costco. Remember that summer? It was the last time the World Cup was on, in Germany. What a summer that was!

Besides being a fun, well-written and catchy song the video, like many Fatboy Slim videos, is really interesting. Oh, and I absolutely love the juxtaposition between the vocal acrobatics and the physical acrobatics on screen. Wonderful. Just you go ahead and try not to dance.

That Pair of Old Jeans