Last night I had the supreme pleasure of attending an evening billed as “In Coversation With Daniel Lanois” the the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Any time I get a chance to hear a great artist, an icon, talk about their work, I jump at the opportunity. Continue reading
For many people, music attains its greatest emotive power when accompanying a moving image. Whether your thing is comedy or experimental art-house, it’s hard to imagine our favourite films without their respective scores. Here are three films that I saw at this year’s TIFF in which music played a pivotal role. Continue reading
Ten years ago today, my beautiful wife Alexa Speagle and I had our first date. In honour of the best thing that ever happened to me, here are ten songs that represent the soundtrack of our love. Continue reading
In his interview with the CBC’s Jian Gomeshi, Neil Young starts off by saying that he wishes that he’d done the “Honor The Treaties” tour years ago. He speaks in low, deliberate tones. I know that underneath this typical reserve, he’s seething. The anger and pain is tangible, and miles away from the quirky wit he normally employs in interviews. He’s putting his values as a Canadian up for debate, and I applaud him for it. We need more of this, especially in Canada where our artists tend not to take strong political positions, either due to fear or ignorance. Continue reading
To me, Neil Young is the greatest musician who will ever live. He chases down ghosts and makes them sing. He wrenches beauty from brutality. He connects delicate fragments like a wise old spider. He’s a touchstone of authenticity in this false, confusing world. He’s the prairie wind, blowin’ through our heads. He’s just the coolest, most fearless artist of our time.
He’s given us so much over the years that it is difficult to appreciate the scope of his musical output. To prove that point, here’s 68 songs from his staggeringly varied and enormous catalogue, in celebration of his 68th birthday. Continue reading
“Eldorado” by Neil Young, only released in Japan and Australia.
In 1989, Neil Young released “Eldorado”, a weird five-song EP that was only released overseas. Continue reading
“Sound City” is Dave Grohl’s offering to the Gods of Rock. It’s a beautiful, life-affirming film that honours both rock and roll itself, and one of its greatest temples. Continue reading
On his new album, Neil Young is looking back at over 40 years of making music, and he isn’t sure how he feels about it. Continue reading
As Audio Reckoning celebrates its one-year anniversary, I decided to post a list of songs that have repeatedly bounced around in my soul for the last year. Continue reading
Neil Young has reunited the greatest garage band in the world for this latest weird masterpiece. Continue reading
Audio Reckoning 