A Beginner's Guide to Keane

Hello Friends,

I had the pleasure of seeing Keane in concert last night at The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto. They were here as part of a festival called 'Disco Lemonade' and were the headliners of the night. I'd seen Keane a handful of times before including once on the main stage at T in the Park, Scotland's answer to Glastonbury, but this was them at their finest.

Last night was the best performance I'd seen from them as they owned that crowd. The sad thing was that the Amphitheatre was 1/2 empty. Perhaps a smaller venue would have made sense - but regardless Tom Chaplin gave it everything and performed like it was the main stage of Glastonbury.

They really are a great band and have amazing story. Keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley, for example, was asked to join a little band named Coldplay but declined as he didn't want to leave his band The Lotus Eaters (now Keane). Lead singer Tom Chaplin battled a cocaine addiction and went public about this in 2006 before entering a rehab clinic. The band were forced to cancel their North American tour at the time.

My favourite story is from their DVD 'Strangers'. The band spoke of the early days as they performed alongside Coldplay in a local pub. A relative was video taping this and recorded over the Coldplay performance to make sure there was enough space on the tape for Keane. #fail

Without further ado - here's a few must hear Keane tracks to get you started.

• Spiralling
• You Haven't Told Me Anything
• Is It Any Wonder?
• Stop for a minute featuring K'naan
• We Might as well be Strangers (DJ Shadow Remix)
• Bedshaped
• With or Without You (U2 Cover)

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg Stewart

Stop for a minute. Take a minute. Wave that flag.

Hello Friends,

February 24th 2009 saw the release of one of Canada's most important albums ever released - K'naan's amazing 'Troubadour'. I enjoyed the first single as it sampled + featured a familiar voice from 90's hip hop star Chubb Rock. It was great but I'm not sure anyone had an idea of the impact this album would have in the year and a half to would follow.

It was far greater than an excellent sample and collaboration. It is beautiful, impactful and important.

Somalian born and raise and then to NYC and Toronto for his teen years this man was on a path and journey from day 1. K'naan is a true musician that will indeed stand the test of time. That's the beauty of true musicians - their music is timeless. I can guarantee you will agree once you simply click the links below and give him a listen.

• ABC's featuring Chubb Rock used a beauty sample from here Chubb Rock's original :)
• Young Artists for Haiti *Canada came together
• Stop for a Minute *this one is on Keane's album
• Take a Minute *listen to these lyrics. God sent.
• Wavin Flag *Live acoustic World Cup version

K'naan deserves the world and the world deserves K'naan. It was a magical year for him as he travelled the globe performing the World Cup's official song 'Wavin' Flag' - but lets not forget that back in February of this year he got Canada's finest together to raise money for a broken Haiti. He really is a Troubadour that needs to be heard. Buy this one.

Thanks for reading/listening,

Gregg Stewart

If It's Not Scottish...It's Crap.

Hello Friends,

In lieu of Scotland not being part of this World Cup, and in anticipation of their appearance in 4 years time (optimism) I have set my sites on Scottish bands. Some might not spring to mind - but there are some really amazing bands that have come from this damp green country over the years. I have fallin' in love with many of them and would like to share a few with you.

I grew-up in a family of Scottish descent and came to learn that the people are very much like Canadians. They have an amazing sense of humour and are not afraid to take the piss out of themselves. They have a great tradition of music in their past and it is a big part of the culture today.

The bands I've had the pleasure of meeting, that hail from this land, have been nothing short of amazing. They are willing to play just about any venue and travel to any location on this globe to have their music heard. It's a working class country with a deep seeded tradition and sense of pride. All you need to do is watch Braveheart to get a glimpse (Mel Gibson's not actually Scottish). Bad example - check out Trainspotting instead.

The music of so many of their bands have done wonders for me over the years. They've given me so much joy and so here's a quick list of some solid tracks to get you started.

• Belle and Sebastien - 'If She Wants Me' *one of my fav all time indie pop tunes
• Fratellis - 'Whistle for the Choir' *angelic anthems
• We Were Promised Jetpacks - 'It's Thunder and It's Lightening' *gritty complex ed rock
• Snow Patrol - 'Golden Floors' *sonic genius' (2/5 of the band are Scottish)
• Biffy Clyro -'Bubbles' *what a tune :)
• Travis - 'Turn' *great video concept (you'll like the accents)
• Primal Scream - 'Rocks' *legends
• Big Country - 'In a Big Country' *a classic

It's not all trainspotting, haggis eating, kilt wearing and sheep shagging - Scottish artists are amazing and know how to create some fantastic music too.

This is by far the toughest list of recommends I've ever given. These bands are all dear to me and they have such deep catalogues of goodness. I strongly recommend that you type in Snow Patrol to Grooveshark and stick the headphones on for a few hours. Then try it with Travis . I've actually done the work for you - just click it's good to go:)

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg Stewart