Download Central!

Here's your chance to download interviews and moments from the show. All files are .mp3, but some are pretty long so will make for big downloads, so please be patient. Hopefully we all know how to download stuff, but in case you don't, choose which file you want, right click on it, select "Save File As," pick where you want it to go on your computer and then wait for the magic of TTBTGH to arrive the magical, digital way.

If you don't want to save these files to your computer, you can open them in your favourite media player. When I listen to podcasts, all I do is right click on a link, hold the button down, and drag it into my winamp or windows media player library, and I can listen to streaming audio without waiting for a download. This can be a bit slow or frustrating if your connection isn't high speed or whatever, but give it a try, it may work for you too!

Oh, and ENJOY!

Questions? Comments? Files don't work? Want to be on my mailing list to find out about new updates to this site and about upcoming guests and events on the show? Email me!

The TTBTGH Time Machine - aka Podcasts

That's right folks, Tell the Band to Go Home has FINALLY joined the digital age by hosting podcasts of the show. For the uninformed or unaware (both of which I was until recently), you do NOT need an ipod to enjoy these (that only seems like a clever marketing ploy), and you do NOT need any fancy hardware or software. All a podcast is is an .mp3 version of the show, posted online. Now, if you have to miss a show for whatever reason, it'll be right here for you whenever you can tune in. Heck, even Art Thomas can finally listen in! It's a good thing, and I hope you enjoy it. I'll try to post each show, and as time permits (which means it could be a while), I'll dig through the archives and pull up some golden oldies to put up here.

NEW! EXCITING! EASY! CONVENIENT! Now.... now.... Tell the Band to Go Home is also available as an official podcast that you can subscribe to through the iTunes music store! For those who aren't aware, iTunes is a music library software that has been somewhat of a revolution, for me especially. Now, I'm able to organize my music and sort and search for things to use on the show. If you have an ipod, you have iTunes, but it is good for anyone on any computer. It's really great, so give it a try if you haven't already. Just head to http://www.apple.com/itunes/overview/ for your free download. It's really easy and really useful. You can organize your own music, or buy stuff through the world's largest online music retailer, iTunes. Best of all, you can subscribe to hundreds of great radio podcasts like Tell the Band to Go Home for absolutely free! If you subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, every time you open the program it will let you know if there is a new episode available to download, and all you have to do is click one button and the show is delivered to your itunes library for you to listen to or transfer to your ipod or whatever! It's really easy, and absolutely free! Now, of course, I'd love for you to continue to check out the website and the many older shows up there, but I think this new vehicle is going to make it even easier for folks to enjoy the great music we play on the show, so tell all your friends! The direct link to the itunes podcast is: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=261247396 (you have to have itunes installed to access that) or just go into the itunes store and search for Tell the Band to Go Home or Jeff Robson, and there you go.

A Note About Podcasts: I don't spend a whole lot of time editing these shows for you. They're here, warts and all, just as they were on air. You may occasionally notice a bit of overlap between segments; the way shows are recorded at UMFM is in one hour blocks, with a bit of overlap at the top of the hour. It's very time consuming to try and cut that out, so at the beginning of the hour you may hear a bit of repeat, but rest assured, those moments will surely be so good that you'll want to hear them again anyway! The final hour may cut off, because sometimes I go overtime (oops!) and it's very time consuming to pull up that extra hour just for a minute or two.

August 17, 2008

Next week TTBTGH will be pre-recorded because I'm taking part in the MS Society's bike tour, where I'll be riding my bike from Stonewall to Gimli and back again to raise money for the thousands of Manitobans living with Multiple Sclerosis, and their friends and family members like me. The MS Society does great work to help, educate, and fund research into this terrible disease, and I'm committed to doing whatever I can to help them out. To that end, I brought in a box of CDs, DVDs, books, etc. and had my very first radio auction where listeners called in "bids" for the items. All money bid is donated directly to the MS Society, so you're doing a good deed and getting some good stuff at the same time. We played an hour of music from some of the items up for bids, and an hour of great new music.

There's still time to support my ride: https://msofs.mssociety.ca/2008Bike/Sponsor.aspx?PID=1060132&L=2&GC=ORS
And still lots of items up for auction: http://www.tellthebandtogohome.com/MSBike2008.htm

playlist

part 1

part 2

August 10, 2008

Pre-recorded again this week as I'm off to Ear Falls, Ont for the Trout Forest Music Festival. For those of you stuck at home (or listening later on), some new music and some old classics, mixed in with some news and upcoming shows.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

August 3, 2008

Marc Guiguere, who is normally on the air before me, wasn't coming in today, and Jared, knowing what a sucker I am, mentioned that I could come in early if I wanted to. I'm on holidays and haven't been in the studio much lately, so why not? Marc's show is a mix of blues and old rock stuff, so I tried to stick with that by hosting my own hour of blues and an hour of bluesy rock. It was a fun experiment, but I think I'll stick with the singer/songwriter stuff.

And there was no shortage of good singer/songwriter stuff to play. I just got back from a trip to Hillside in Guelph, with stops in Toronto and Minneapolis, so you know that I have a ton of stories to tell and new discs to play. You throw in some info on upcoming shows and you've got a pretty solid show, I'd say.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

July 27, 2008

Prerecorded this week as I'm off enjoying the Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ontario. To start off the show an overview of some of the great acts I'm seeing this weekend. Although you likely won't make it to Hillside, you can still check out Trout Forest in early August, so a few songs to tempt you out there.
And, lots of great new, notable, and rediscovered music.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

July 20, 2008

Prerecorded, but all new. A look back at another great Winnipeg Folk Festival, a look forward to some great upcoming shows at Candor, and a listen to a few special songs for a very special person.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

July 6, 2008

This is it, this year's artist-by-artist look at who not to miss at the 35th Winnipeg Folk Festival happening next weekend. There's lots to see, and the folks we played today are the ones that I most recommend.

playlist

part 1

part 2

June 29, 2008

It's part 2 of our official Winnipeg Folk Festival preview as our old pal JP Hoe drops by the studio for the first time in a long time to play us some new tunes and debut his long awaited full length CD.

Also on the show some exciting new releases and a look ahead at the jam packed concert schedule for Canada Day, featuring the first local appearance by the Drive-By Truckers and the return of one of my favourite live bands Sunparlour Players.

playlist

part 1

part 2

June 22, 2008 - Winnipeg Folk Festival preview part 1

Our favourite time of year is almost here, it's almost time for the Winnipeg Folk Festival! This is the first of our official Folk Fest previews, and the first of two special podcasts we're doing in conjunction with the Winnipeg Folk Festival website. This week, one of the most exciting performers coming to the festival for the very first time, all the way from Austin Texas, the legendary Eliza Gilkyson. We caught up with her on the telephone before she heads to town to find out all about her new album and her amazing career up to this point.

playlist

part 1

part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - June 19, 2008

featuring a live in-studio visit by Ayla Brook, leader of AA Sound System, who just released a great new solo album and dropped by to talk and play us some tunes. Also, a look ahead at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival and more.

playlist

part 1

part 2

June 15, 2008

On today's show we heard some eagerly awaited new music from folks like Shannon Lyon, Brock Zeman, Jackie Greene, the new Skydiggers! and much more.

Also, today marks father's day, and although that day's never meant a whole lot to me, that's about to change, so we looked at some songs for dads and some famous dads & their offspring.

playlist

yup, podcast machine was broken AGAIN, so another episode that you'll never get to hear again, sadly

June 8, 2008

I hate to strip away the magic, but the truth is that sometimes I show up to the station somewhat uninspired, with no real vision or idea what to play. Luckily, in those cases, the listeners often come to the rescue, and thankfully that was the case today. Loyal listeners Rob & Laura started us off by asking for some songs that might help them plant the flowers in the garden, and it was off and running from there. We slipped in a few for Allie and even one for our neighbour Julianne.
 

playlist

part 1

part 2

June 1, 2008

The new NQ Arbuckle is here! The new NQ Arbuckle is here! Couldn't wait even a moment to play this one. Get it June 10.

Last night our beloved West End Cultural Centre said goodbye to the old hall and looked forward to the new with a stellar all-star recreation of the classic concert film, The Band's Last Waltz. So many things came to mind, great memories, the amazing local music community, and how damn good The Band was. We paid tribute to The Band & friends for a good long while on the show.

And, at long last, June is here. Some songs celebrating the calendar's turn for the better.

playlist

part 1

part 2

May 25, 2008

One just for fun today. My family and I went to the Teddy Bear Picnic (always a good time for the kids) and then headed down to UMFM. So, you get to hear me goof around with the always entertaining and talented Carter & Elysha, who provided some great jokes & riddles for the listeners to answer.

playlist

part 1

part 2

May 18, 2008

We started off with a look back at last night's amazing Romi Mayes/Dustin Bentall show, and ended off with a look forward to Thursday's Scott Nolan/C.R. Avery show. In between, we took a listen to some classics that haven't been heard on the show for a while, but are worthy of a listen every once in a while.

playlist

part 1

part 2
 

May 11, 2008

It's Mom's day and we've got a lot to celebrate as always. For Jaine, Lucy, and all of the mothers out there, we just had to play a few songs in their honour. Hour two was full of songs dedicated to moms and some that mom should love.

Hour 1 was devoted to nostalgia (with the announcement of an upcoming Mike Plume Band show!), and some fabulous new music from the likes of Langhorne Slim, Eliza Gilkyson, and Elliott BROOD!

playlist

part 1

part 2

May 4, 2008 - Under the Covers II

Just when you think winter is long gone, you wake up and it's grey and snowy outside. It's been a long week for me, and that was just enough to make me want to stay in bed. So, this week, we go back Under the Covers for some of our favourite cover songs. This week was almost all covers, some new, some neat, some downright weird.

playlist

part 1

part 2

April 27, 2008

Not much in the theme department this week other than a couple of upcoming concerts and Elysha's upcoming birthday. Otherwise, it was all great music, all the time, and we covered a whole lot of it this week. Listener Claire called this a "perfect show," and who are we to argue with a dedicated listener like Claire?

playlist

part 1

part 2

April 20, 2008

It's Earth Day this week, and any good folk show has to play some hippie earth songs, so we played a few earth & earthy numbers. What better place to get your fill of tree huggin' songs than at a folk festival, and we looked ahead to a couple of good ones to consider trekking to this summer. And, some fabulous new music. A jam packed show once again.

playlist

part 1

part 2

April 13, 2008

A bit of everything on this one, requests, dedications, upcoming concerts, new music, old classics, and more! Featuring music from Mike Plume Band, Gram Parsons, Steve Dawson, Whiskeytown, and more. You can't go wrong with a lineup like that!

playlist

part 1

part 2

April 6, 2008

NO SHOW - Bought a house instead! Hate to miss a show, but if you're upset, you're welcome to come and check out one of the house concerts I hope to host once we move in this summer!
 

Steel Belted Radio - April 3, 2008

Last week we were joined by a legend who's just about done it all, and this week, it's a newcomer with a very bright future. Ridley Bent stopped by to chat and play us some of his heart breaking country songs and even one of his great "hick hop" numbers. This guy is great, so check this one out.

playlist

part 1 (Ridley Bent)

part 2

March 30, 2008

A busy show indeed. Some requests & dedications (including a very special set sent out to a very unexpected on-air caller), some new music, and a look at this week's slate of upcoming shows (which is pretty great and action packed yet again!)

playlist

part 1

part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - March 27, 2008 - Paul Kelly!

We've been lucky on this show and we've had more than our fair share of great guests live in-studio, but this week, we topped them all. We were joined live by perhaps one of the greatest songwriters on the planet, all the way from Australia, Mr. Paul Kelly. He and nephew Dan Kelly were in town to promote Paul's great new album Stolen Apples with a show at the Royal Albert, but they were gracious enough to stop by the studio first to chat and play a couple of songs.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3 (Paul Kelly)

March 23, 2008

Some new music to start us off. Music Month in Manitoba continues with a busy week of shows, and we'll tell you about the ones you need to see, including Paul Kelly on Thursday!

playlist

part 1

part 2

March 16, 2008

Another classic lost forever as the station's digital logger wasn't working again. One of these days I'll get in the habit of checking that before the show. In the meantime, this is yet another reminder to listen in live if you can, just in case.

Just one important show this week as Music Month continues, but it's a good 'un, featuring The Weakerthans, Dala, and Danny Michel, so we had to play some tunes from them. This weekend the news I wait for all year started to arrive as The Winnipeg Folk Festival released a preliminary lineup, and there are some highlights on there for sure, so we heard from a few of the folks I'm most looking forward to. Then, some of the great new releases I have been meaning to get on for a while, and a few old classics. (and a couple of funny jokes from Carter too!)

playlist

March 9, 2008

This episode might make you a bit dizzy with all of the looking back and forward, but it's worth the whiplash. We looked back at Stephen Fearing's great show, Jeff Healey's great career, and at one of the greatest Canadian bands of all, The Lowest of the Low.

We also looked forward to some new/upcoming releases from some old favourites. Lastly, we looked forward to Monday's Steve Earle/Allison Moorer concert by looking ahead at Allison's great new album, which looks back on some old classics, and we looked back at some of the great work Steve Earle has done with others

playlist

part 1

part 2

March 2, 2008

Music Month in Manitoba continues with one of the most solid weeks of shows we've seen in a very long time. It kicks off this afternoon with Hayes Carll playing live at Candor. Can't miss that one, so this show is pre-recorded. Hayes takes the stage again tonight opening for Corb Lund. Then, Brock Zeman & Dan Walsh are back, a stellar Townes Van Zandt tribute show on Friday, then Saturday, it's Stephen Fearing & Oh Susanna for goodness sake! How could we possibly think of anything but shows on a week like that?

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

February 24, 2008

Some requests & dedications started us off on the right track. Then, it's Oscar night tonight and a couple of movies with great soundtracks are up for some big awards, so we heard some great movie music. Following that, we look ahead to March, which is music month with an outstanding lineup of shows, kicking off with John Wort Hannam & Twilight Hotel on Friday (which is technically February, but who's counting), then Josh Ritter and Two Hours Traffic on Saturday. And that's only the beginning!

playlist

part 1

part 2

February 17, 2008 - one for Willie P.

A show I wish I never had to do. Yesterday, one of the true guiding lights of this show went out, as Canada's greatest songwriter of all time, Willie P Bennett died. His songs and spirit will live on forever, but it's sad to think that we'll never see him or hear from him again. In memory of him, two hours of memories and music from the man, including Willie originals, Willie covers, a song about Willie, songs featuring Willie, and Willie live. We heard from friends like Stephen Fearing, Scott Nolan, Colin Linden, and Willie's longtime boss, bandmate, and friend, Fred Eaglesmith.

Push on, you weary soul...

playlist

part 1

part 2

February 10, 2008

Even though it's February and it's miserable outside, we're in a bit of a celebratory mood this week. Long time listener Allison is celebrating a birthday, the greatest little store in town, Candor is celebrating the first anniversary of their amazing grand opening show, and The King of Fundrive, CKUW's Stu Reid, is putting togther the posters and the prize packs for his annual plea to keep the station on air, and this year, he's invited me down to be a Phone Troll! All this, and, it's Valentine's Day coming up and for once I've actually got something to celebrate on that silly day.

playlist

part 1

part 2

February 3, 2008

Some new music, a trip into the TTBTGH mail bag for some recent CD submissions, and a whole lot of great music in this super-sized episode, as Bluegrass Guy couldn't make it in so we kept on going until we started to run out of steam after 2.5 hours!

playlist

part 1

part 2

January 27, 2008

Pretaped this week as I'm off on vacation in Florida. In honour of that, a few songs related to that journey.

There are a couple of great shows coming up this week, starting off with a lovely lady named Kim Barlow who hails from the Yukon but is visiting us on Tuesday, January 29 at the West End. We checked out some of her great material.

Then after that, on Thursday, January 31, one of my favourite live performers and one of the most powerful and passionate singer/songwriters alive today, Martyn Joseph returns to Winnipeg. I've interviewed Martyn a number of times but it was shocking to learn that it's been almost 4 years since I talked to him last in February of 2004. I can't be here to interview him live this week, so we listened back to that interview.

playlist
part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4 (Martyn Joseph interview)

January 20, 2008

If you've become reliant upon the podcasts to listen to the show, this week is a reminder that listening live is always best if you can manage. The fancy-pants machine that records our broadcasts for the CRTC and which I use to make my podcasts wasn't working (don't tell the CRTC that), so this great episode lives on only in our memory...

Another show with no real rhyme or reason, just solid music. We started off looking ahead to the upcoming Blue Rodeo/Luke Doucet show, talked a bit about my upcoming trip, but other than that, it was just whatever good songs were requested or I could think of!

playlist

January 13, 2008

Sometimes you show up without a real plan and let things roll, and if you're really lucky, like I think I was today, you get into it and end up with a pretty solid show. Talking about Robbie Fulks' son got us off to a rockin' start, so we ran with it and ended up rocking a bit more than we sometimes do, but with a playlist like this, perhaps we should more often! 2 hours of rockin' goodness!

playlist

part 1

part 2

January 6, 2008

Just when you think you've settled on your Best of the year list, you spend some more time with a few late-comers and rethink the whole darn thing, as a few overlooked 2007 contenders proved off the top of the show.

Then, a brief sappy interlude.

With all of the Best of the year preparations and whatnot, a lot of new music gets sadly overlooked, but now that things are calm again, it's time to dig into the TTBTGH mailbag for a look at a few fine discs that have been sent our way as of late.

Then, a live, in-studio visit by one of Winnipeg's best, and the artist responsible for one of the best discs of 2007, Mr. Scott Nolan, who dropped by to chat and play some amazing new songs. Somehow, he just gets better, and he was damn good to start out with!

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3 (Scott Nolan)

December 30, 2007

A Super-sized year end spectacular as we took over the airwaves for 3.5 hours of goodness.

First up, some holiday celebration songs in honour of the new year.

Then, January 1 is the anniversary of the deaths of two of the greatest songwriters of all time, Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt, and any good singer/songwriter show host worth his salt knows that its his duty to pay tribute.

Next up, a good friend of Townes Van Zandt was a guy named Blaze Foley. He is one of the most underrated songwriters of all time, but I've been into him in a big way lately, and so a few songs in hopes that we can get him just a little more well known.

One of the best albums of 2008 is sure to be Luke Doucet's new one, which I got my hands on recently. It features Luke's best work to date in his already impressive career, but it also brings to mind yet another new genre of music, songs about Rick Danko, so we looked at some of those and some of Danko's greatest songs.

As a new year causes us to look forward, I also tend to look back, so I took a trip down musical memory lane with a bunch of songs from my glory days of musical discovery.

playlist
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4

Steel Belted Radio - December 27, 2007

Our 4 hour year-end marathon where we laugh and listen and send out the old year and ring in the new one. We listened to some of our favourite music of the year (and some old classics). Of course, it was also a chance to dig through the mail bag and check out some of the terrible music that gets sent in every year and encourage some of those people to maybe consider other career options.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

December 23, 2007 - Merry Christmas from the Family!

For me and my family this is our Christmas eve, so Carter and I came down to the studio to play some of our favourite Christmas songs and celebrate.

playlist

part 1

part 2

December 16, 2007

Some of the Best of 2007, as we look at some of the most recent arrivals and a few that didn't quite make the official "Best of" list.
 

playlist

part 1

part 2

December 9, 2007

Another wild ride as we cross some pretty diverse musical terrain. We threw in a few festive songs to kick things off. Then, everyone's been talking about the big Led Zeppelin reunion concert, and just because we're a folk show doesn't mean we don't know the significance of this, so a brief Zep tribute. Then a tribute to John Lennon in commemoration of the anniversary of his death. Lastly, we continue looking at the year that was 2007 with some of the local highlights and a listen to a couple of the best in-studio moments from the year.

playlist
part 1
part 2

December 2, 2007

A little bit o' everything on this here show, with some seasonal music, some requests, some dedications, some new stuff, a brief look at the best of 2007 with a look back at some of the best of 2006, and even a celebration of Tom Waits' birthday! Action packed radio at its finest!

playlist
part 1
part 2

November 25, 2007

Here at TTBTGH, we take pride in the fact that we don't really give a hoot about sports, but this weekend, Winnipeg is buzzing with the news that our Blue Bombers are back in the Grey Cup, and although things don't look good, we have to do our best to cheer on the boys in Blue & Gold. Today's show was devoted to Blue & Gold songs aimed at sending some positive vibes to our team. We'll go back to not giving a hoot next week.

playlist

part 1

part 2

November 18, 2007

It's the beginning of our long, cold winter in Winnipeg as the first real snowfall arrived, so a few "snow" songs to lift our spirits.

It's always a pleasure to welcome Murray Evans, leader of The Dust Poets who are doing a live recording at WECC this week. He called us from the snowy prairies to discuss all that's been going on. We played some songs from that talented band as well as their fabulous opener, Dustin Bentall.

Lastly, a small set of "cat" songs for KK who lost her mind and proved that she's a cat person by welcoming "Neko" into her home. What can I say; I'm a dog person)

playlist
part 1
part 2

November 11, 2007

Too many themes to fit into two hours, we super-sized the show today and took over for Bluegrass Guy who took the holiday off, pushing the show to three hours, and I still ran out of time!

First up, it would be inappropriate not to recognize Remembrance Day by playing some songs about soldiers & war, but more importantly, we played some songs about peace.

Coming up next weekend some Winnipeg all-stars pay tribute to an under-appreciated Canadian songwriter/musician legend, David Essig. Essig will be in town to play alongside The D. Rangers, Romi Mayes, and more as they launch the homegrown Essig tribute record, Beverley Street on Saturday. So, a brief lesson in all things Essig with some songs he's played on, produced, and written.

November 12 is Neil Young's birthday, and our friends at the High & Lonesome Club have been celebrating in style with a weekend of amazing Neil Young music in Neilfest, and we relived some of it with our own set of Neil classics and covers.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

November 4, 2007

An interesting mix of mini-themes this week, as we explored similarly named songs, a couple of my favourites, and then we kept it in the family with a look at the Wainwright (Loudon, Martha, Rufus) and Rogers (Stan and Garnet) families

playlist

part 1

part 2

October 28, 2007

The past few shows have been made up of specific events & themes, so there hasn't been much time for new music or stuff I just felt like playing, so today was a chance to catch up on some of the music that I've picked up or had sent in as of late.
 

playlist

part 1

part 2

October 21, 2007

A busy week for upcoming shows that's for sure, and we took the time to run down the list and convince you to go to each of them. We're never too busy, however, to play some of the great new music that's fallen into my shopping cart as of late, so we ended off with some of the best that I've picked up lately.

playlist
part 1
part 2
part 3

October 14, 2007

First up, one of our favourite groups, The Wailin' Jennys play in Winnipeg with a new member tonight, and that's reason enough to celebrate and play some songs.

But an even better reason to celebrate, an important anniversary is right around the corner. In October of 1987, the Winnipeg music community changed forever when our beloved West End Cultural Centre opened its doors and enriched our lives. Over the past 15 years, I've seen some truly amazing shows under that roof (and a few real stinkers), and today's show celebrates 20 years, a lot of great memories, and a lot of love for the WECC. And, because Bluegrass Guy was a bit late, we got to go a bit longer, so 20 extra minutes to celebrate those 20 great years!

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

October 7, 2007

Thanksgiving, and thanks for allowing me to take the week off. I'm headed off for a much needed break for a couple of days, but in the meantime, some great music that you will hopefully be thankful for.

This month is a great one for shows, and up soon are Kelly Joe Phelps at WECC on Tuesday, and our old friends the Wailin' Jennys next Sunday, so some songs to get you ready for those.

I'm off to Minneapolis this weekend (I think), so a few songs in honour of that place.

Later on, a trip back in time to April 23, 2006 when Todd Hunter and Jeff Derksen from the Todd Hunter Band stopped by to tell us about their then new album, Life is Good. Todd will be part of a great fundraiser at the West End on Friday, October 12, and hopefully this classic live set will have you eager to attend.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4 (Todd Hunter & Jeff Derksen)

September 30, 2007

Celebrating the 5th anniversary of Tell the Band to Go Home with some of the best & worst of what's come so far. Featuring classic moments that I'd rather forget from my very first on-air hosting opportunity in 2001, and some moments from this show's predecessor, The Songwriters' Circle, including my interview with the now rock star John Mayer from 2002. We also heard how the show kicked off, Sept. 29, 2002 with a performance by Kris Demeanor and Chantel Vitalis live in the studio.

And, thanks to KK, we have some very interesting stats which tell us who the most played artists, songs, and albums over the past 5 years have been.

playlist

part 1

part 2

September 23, 2007

Featuring an interview with one of the members of a very promising young duo named Dala. Their fine new album got me to thinking about the wealth of great new material by female singer/songwriters this year.

Also, a few love songs in honour of those of us who have found out that occasionally they’re true, and especially for a couple of our favourite listeners who are celebrating their 17th anniversary.

playlist
part 1
part 2

SBFRR September 20, 2007

I couldn't make it into the studio this week, but I couldn't take the risk that one you might accidentally miss out on the great shows going on this weekend, so I put together a 90 minute infomercial designed to help you avoid certain embarrassment in case you missed out.

In the first part of the show we take a listen to an interview I did with the legendary Steve Forbert a couple of years ago before he played the Folk Festival. He's coming back to town on Saturday for what is sure to be a great show.

In the second part of the show we travel back in time again to 2004 when Winnipeg's own Scott Nolan dropped by to chat and play some songs that were new then and just now seeing the light of day on his brand new record which will be released on Friday at the WECC. As if that weren't exciting enough, he's bringing along his producer and friend, the legendary Gurf Morlix!

Don't miss these shows.

playlist

part 1 (Steve Forbert interview)

part 2 (Scott Nolan interview & performances)

September 16, 2007

What we like to do best on this show is tell you about new music you just have to hear, and upcoming shows you just have to attend, and today we had the best of both worlds, with new music from the likes of Dala, Shuyler Jansen, Steve Earle, and the fabulous Catherine MacLellan, and some amazing upcoming shows next weekend featuring Scott Nolan/Gurf Morlix and Steve Forbert!

playlist

part 1

part 2

September 9, 2007

First up, some stellar new music from a lady who, after just one listen, was guaranteed to be on my top 10 list for this year. Then, a look at one of those songwriters who I've heard of plenty, but never actually heard.

For the last hour, some pleasures that you don't have to feel guilty about. I went to see Crowded House in concert, and for a brief while, I thought maybe I should feel guilty about that. HA! The audience was a who's who of music in this town, and I knew right then that not all 80s pop music is bad. So, for an hour or so, we heard some pop music (and interesting covers of pop music) that you don't have to feel guilty about liking.

playlist

part 1 (new & notable)

part 2 (not so guilty pleasures)

September 2, 2007

Back for another live visit are the always impressive Brock Zeman & Dan Walsh, who stopped by to chat and play for us before their set at Candor. We've known that Dan Walsh was one of the best guitar players (and nicest guys) out there for quite some time, but Zeman is quickly impressing me more and more with his great songs. These guys are welcome back any time, because somehow, they just get better & better.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and this weekend marks Labour Day, the official end of my best summer ever. It's back to work next week (insert fake sympathy here), so a bunch of songs about work and working ended off the show nicely.

playlist

part 1

part 2 (Brock Zeman & Dan Walsh)

part 3 (Labour Day)

August 26, 2007

Summer must be coming to an end because the new releases are starting to roll out and there have been some good ones recently. It's been a banner week for new music for me, and today's show highlights the best discs that have come to me this week, as well as some old favourites from some artists with new discs, and a look at Busted Flat Records.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

TTBTGH - August 19, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

SBFRR - August 16, 2007

Featuring the lowdown on the 2007 Regina Folk Festival from T-Bar, and the lowdown on the 2007 Trout Forest Music Fest from JR. Plus, a few songs for "The King" on the 30th anniversary of his (supposed) death.

playlist

part 1

part 2

August 12, 2007 - Ladies' Day

pretaped. By special request by one of our devoted listeners, a show full of fabulous female singer/songwriters, featuring some women covering songs by male songwriters and some rare little gems you might have missed, and just a few great ladies we haven't heard from in a while or often enough!

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

SBFRR August 9, 2007

Featuring a live interview & performances by Kris Demeanor & Chantel Vitalis

playlist

part 1

part 2 (Kris Demeanor & Chantel Vitalis)

August 5, 2007 - NO SHOW!?!

It's coming up on our 5th anniversary of TTBTGH this fall, and I can't remember another time when I was too sick to come in and didn't have something lined up for you, but that's exactly what happened this week. Sorry!

July 29, 2007

This week, a special guest host, as my good friend Elysha Durupt takes to the airwaves for the first time.

playlist
part 1
part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - July 26, 2007 - The Journey Home

This week I've been away on a bit of a road trip, and if all goes well, I'll either be home or well on my way by the time this show airs, so this one's a bunch of songs about home and coming home. It's nice to get away, but it's always good to come back home, as these songs remind us.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

July 22, 2007

This week the show is pre-recorded as I'm off on my summer road trip down to the U.S. for a few days. In honour of that, we'll hear some great travellin' songs this week.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

July 15, 2007

First up, a tribute to the legendary Royal Albert Arms, Winnipeg's dingiest and scariest, but perhaps most important music venue. The music community was stunned recently by the announcement that The Albert is being turned into condos for hipster yuppies. Sad. Very, very sad.

Next up, a chat with a guy who has played the Albert a few times, Devin Latimer of one of Winnipeg's finest bands, Nathan. He's got a new gig now as Artistic Director of the Trout Forest Music Festival in August, and he's assembled a stellar lineup of TTBTGH faves, so we had to have him on to brag and let us know how cool this festival is going to be.

Then, a look ahead at this year's only local concert by one of Winnipeg's finest, Greg Macpherson. Also, a look back at this year's Folk Festival.

And, as if that weren't enough, some great new music!

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - July 12, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

July 8, 2007

I'm off enjoying myself at Folk Fest, and you should be too. I know how much the regulars just hate to have to choose between Folk Fest and TTBTGH, so I'll make the choice easy for you. This week we're going to take a trip back in the ttbtgh time machine and listen to an episode first broadcast way back on April 9, 2006.

at the time, I had this to say about the show:
A bit of a mixed bag as usual. Some new releases and plenty of excitement about the release of the lineup for the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Then, a compilation of compilations, as I pulled a bunch of great compilation discs off the shelf and dug up some gems.

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

 

July 1, 2007

It's Canada Day, up Canada Way once again, and you know how much we love to celebrate great Canadian music. It's also a celebration of 6 years of hosting shows on UMFM for me (my first real hosting gig was a Canada Day celebration show on July 2,2001). There's much going on as far as live music this weekend, including some great local acts playing, and then a special day-after-Canada-Day show featuring a great American, Hayes Carll tomorrow!

playlist
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4

June 24, 2007

Your official guide to the music nerds' event of the year, The Winnipeg Folk Festival, as we look at where to go and what to see this year.

Also featuring a conversation with Winnipeg Folk Festival Artistic Director, Chris Frayer.

playlist
part 1

part 2

June 17, 2007

Some sad & some glad today. First off, we celebrate the sad passing of a true Canadian legend, keyboardist Richard Bell. Bell has appeared on so many amazing albums, and it's our duty to pay tribute to him and look back at his amazing career.

Then, on a happier note, tonight marks the Winnipeg debut of the great Lucinda Williams. Williams may not be all that prolific at putting out albums of her own, but she has appeared as a guest on so many tributes and other people's records that it would be very easy to fill hours and hours with her lovely voice. We'll fit in what we can.

playlist
part 1
part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - June 14, 2007

Featuring a special visit live in-studio by a couple of fantastic singer/songwriters right up our Steel Belted alley, Romi Mayes and Dustin Bentall.
 

playlist

part 1

part 2 (Romi Mayes & Dustin Bentall)

June 10, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

June 3, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

May 27, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

May 20, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - May 17, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - May 10, 2007

today an unbelievable treat as we were joined live, in-studio by the amazing Oh Susanna

playlist

part 1

part 2 (Oh Susanna interview & live performances)

part 3

May 6, 2007

First up, some eagerly awaited new music from Jimmy Lafave and Robbie Fulks. Then a few songs for anyone having a hard time and looking for better days. And lastly a look ahead to a couple more amazing upcoming shows, this week featuring Danny Michel and Oh Susanna.
 

playlist

part 1

part 2

April 22, 2007

A few songs in honour of our long, long awaited spring, a few favourite classics, and a bunch of songs looking ahead to upcoming shows featuring a couple of favourites, Kathleen Edwards and The Weakerthans!
 

playlist

part 1

part 2

part 3

March 25, 2007

Today we were treated to an in-studio visit by a great singer/songwriter by the name of John Wort Hannam. He came in 3 years ago and blew us away immediately, and this year was no different. With a pile of new songs and a great new album about to be released, this was indeed a pleasure.

And, some great new music, including a fantastic tribute album to one of my favourite all time bands, whom I'll be in Toronto next weekend to see, Rheostatics.

playlist
part 1
part 2 (John Wort Hannam interview/performances)
part 3

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - March 25, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

March 18, 2007

The Four Horsemen Are Coming! The Four Horsemen Are Coming!

Today's show was pretty much devoted to one of the most amazing non-folk fest gatherings of songwriters this city has ever seen. The so-called "Four Horsemen" tour brings together four of the greatest of all time, and four of our favourites, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, and Lyle Lovett, and we couldn't possibly be more excited and couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to play some of their best.

Oh, and some new Can-con, cuz we have to and cuz it's good stuff.

playlist
part 1
part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - March 15, 2007

playlist

part 1

part 2

March 11, 2007

Episode #201

playlist

part 1

part 2

Steel Belted Free Range Radio - March 8, 2007

Featuring a special visit by some very talented guests, singer/songwriter Brock Zeman and awesome guitarist/all around good guy Dan Walsh, who dropped by to chat and sing some amazing songs.

playlist

part 1

part 2 (Brock Zeman & Dan Walsh)

February 25, 2007

Episode #199

The most anticipated news of the year has arrived: the lineup for the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and there were some pleasant surprises, so we played some songs from some of the notable names on the list. Then, some hotly anticipated upcoming shows.

Also, a special celebration of the life & music of one of the greatest singer/songwriters of them all on the eve of what would have been his birthday. The Man in Black, Johnny Cash would have been 75 on February 26, and as the host of a singer/songwriter show, it's in my contract to honour Johnny whenever possible.

Lastly, a brief tip o' the hat to our old pal Mike Plume who dropped me a line this week and got me thinking about how darn great he really is.

playlist

segment 1

segment 2

segment 3

February 18, 2007

Episode #198

Another in our infrequent series of Tell the Band to Go Ho