00:00:00:14 [Music]
00:00:18:15 Welcome to a brand new season of Explore Music TV.
00:00:22:08 We have a new set.
00:00:24:01 We have new series of shows.
00:00:25:28 We are on a brand new channel,
00:00:27:29 and I hope you can join us every week,
00:00:29:14 as we get together with some music heavyweights
00:00:30:29 to talk about the music issues of the week.
00:00:33:14 We have a great panel to start the season.
00:00:35:19 We will begin with Jake Gold.
00:00:36:21 He is manager of a whole bunch of bands,
00:00:38:27 through the management trusts.
00:00:40:03 He used to manage the Tragically Hip
00:00:41:28 currently manages The Quakes, Kinley Music
00:00:45:04 and of course you have seen one Canadian Idol.
00:00:47:29 Next we have Dara Kartz who is a young artist manager
00:00:51:13 and you have a bunch of cool people on your label like...
00:00:54:26 I manage Woodhands, Winter Gloves, Slim Twig and the RIA,
00:00:58:01 whole bunch lot of up-comers
00:00:59:02 that you will be hearing a lot about
00:01:00:13 And to my right we have Shauna De Cartier, Indie label queen,
00:01:05:16 who is president of 62 records and who do you represent?
00:01:10:05 I manage Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet, Justin Rutledge
00:01:13:24 and whole squad of others.
00:01:15:05 Okay. One of the things I want to talk about,
00:01:18:28 way up the top is young hot indie bands
00:01:22:09 specifically what we saw with
00:01:24:05 the Polaris Music Prize back in September.
00:01:26:28 Ladies and gentlemen, here is your Polaris Prize Short list
00:01:31:27 for 2009.
00:01:35:03 Elliot Brood, Fucked Up, The Great Lake Swimmers,
00:01:39:03 Hey Rosetta!
00:01:40:18 K'naan, Malajube and Metric, Joel Plaskett, Chad Vangaalen,
00:01:46:11 Patrick Watson.
00:01:49:23 For those of you who aren't really sure what
00:01:51:08 the Polaris Music Prize is,
00:01:52:18 it's a cash prize given out to a band,
00:01:56:13 an artist that is determined by a jury to have
00:02:01:20 the best Canadian Album of the year,
00:02:04:20 regardless of genre, regardless of commercial success.
00:02:07:13 And there has been a substantial amount of controversy about
00:02:10:18 the winners this year, because,
00:02:14:16 well you and I were talking about that,
00:02:16:08 what do you think about the result of F ED Up
00:02:21:09 winning for the Chemistry of Common Life.
00:02:22:13 Well, I think it's less about the fact that they won and more
00:02:26:28 about the idea of prizes, for me, because, Steve Jordon who
00:02:34:18 came up with the idea of the Polaris Music Prize which you
00:02:37:13 know was taken from the Mercury Prize, and what's the one they
00:02:40:00 call in LA, what's the California...what's the US one
00:02:42:17 ...they have their own name
00:02:44:23 Same kind of thing, and basically it's sort of like well
00:02:46:28 everyone has got the Brit awards, we have the Grammies, we
00:02:49:14 have the Junos, but we need our award for our underground bands
00:02:52:26 and we will have an award for those kind of bands that maybe
00:02:55:28 don't necessarily get the same recognition, although
00:02:59:05 Patrick Waston won a Polaris, and he also won a Juno.
00:03:01:18 So there is a lot of crossover.
00:03:04:18 I don't think that they are setup to be necessarily
00:03:05:28 celebrating underground bands, but that is the nature of...
00:03:08:27 But where it's gone, but I think that's part of it and then
00:03:14:04 the idea of the prize is that I think a lot of the people that
00:03:18:27 vote for these things,
00:03:19:28 are really trying to get a point across
00:03:23:11 of like we are different.
00:03:24:18 We are not going to be like everybody else.
00:03:26:18 We are journalists.
00:03:27:28 We take things for artistic merit.
00:03:29:23 We don't really care about sales and in fact in some cases
00:03:33:05 if you are successful, it would work against you,
00:03:35:26 even if you made a great record,
00:03:37:27 the idea that commerce and artistic integrity can't miss.
00:03:41:23 We should point out here how this works.
00:03:43:29 There are almost 200 music journalists that put together
00:03:48:04 a super long list, and then that long list is broken into
00:03:51:26 shortlist down to 40 and then down to 10.
00:03:53:18 The long list is 40.
00:03:54:27 The long list is 40, the shortlist is 10
00:03:56:27 and then a jury of 11 people, chosen from that pool of 200,
00:04:01:07 vote to see who gets the $20,000 prize.
00:04:04:08 As opposed to like the public voting or the industry as a
00:04:08:21 whole like the Grammies or the Junos, the organizations.
00:04:12:26 Shauna had Elliott Brood which is someone who signed her label
00:04:15:18 as one of the ten. Right?
00:04:19:28 There were a lots of quality records and not just say that,
00:04:22:23 can we say Fucked Up or we have to say F ED Up.
00:04:25:08 There is an argument that says there are people that voted for
00:04:28:22 Fucked Up because it's a shock and it... like let's
00:04:34:03 give it to the man, it's like that idea.
00:04:37:18 I mean the Chemistry of Common Life is a good record.
00:04:39:28 No doubt about it.
00:04:40:29 Is it the best Canadian Record over the last 12 months?
00:04:44:02 I don't know, but let me... But it's subjective anyways.
00:04:47:09 Well it is, but see here is my point.
00:04:49:09 The Polaris Music Prize is subjective and it's elitist
00:04:54:13 by design.
00:04:56:12 That's the way it's supposed to be because
00:04:59:28 it is supposed to be art above all.
00:05:01:17 Art should trump commerce, and that's...
00:05:03:18 -That's the idea. -That's the idea.
00:05:07:03 But I would say that is more a fashion trumps art.
00:05:11:19 I think it's more of the fashionable band of the day.
00:05:15:28 It's going to be more likely to win than, the most artful band,
00:05:20:23 Well let me just throw in one,
00:05:22:28 but it's also subjective that's
00:05:24:08 the problem with whole prizes to begin with
00:05:27:23 and a sample of how many journalists vote out of the 10,
00:05:31:23 which the jury in...
00:05:32:28 Including the final, the grand jury it's 11.
00:05:34:08 11 so 11 people make this decision.
00:05:38:17 If anybody who is a researcher,
00:05:40:17 would know that's a terrible sample.
00:05:43:18 That's a very small sample to make that decision.
00:05:46:03 But here is point I want to make,
00:05:47:13 just to be a devil's advocate in this one.
00:05:49:13 Anytime, anybody does somebody, that gets other people talking
00:05:53:23 debeating and screaming out of each other about music,
00:05:56:23 isn't that a good thing?
00:05:57:24 Yes, I think it's for a good thing.
00:05:58:26 and also the prizes really regardless of the outcome.
00:06:01:28 Especially if your clients are getting the money.
00:06:04:08 Is there a second and third place?
00:06:06:26 In fact I am going to start my own prize.
00:06:09:08 Yeah we should just start a prize.
00:06:10:13 I think it's very hard for your consumers to find new music.
00:06:14:13 It's overwhelming. There is so much out there.
00:06:17:03 How do you know even where to begin and things like
00:06:19:11 Polaris Prize give people a starting point.
00:06:22:05 I agree, but let's be honest, because here is the thing for me
00:06:26:23 with a lot of stuff, even the Juno awards.
00:06:28:14 You watched Soundscan, the week after the Junos.
00:06:31:24 How many bands or artists that win Junos
00:06:34:13 actually even see a sales hike.
00:06:36:13 Does it really matter? Does it sink in?
00:06:38:04 More often than not, I would say 90% of the time,
00:06:41:13 95% of the time, it doesn't.
00:06:43:18 So you can say it's going to give more exposure,
00:06:45:22 but that's like saying,
00:06:47:10 well a great review is going to sell records
00:06:48:27 and we all know that's not the case.
00:06:50:25 We are going to go on to the other end of the spectrum
00:06:53:19 in just a few minutes, I want to talk about the most successful,
00:06:56:21 the most popular and the most defining band
00:07:02:00 of the last decade, who is it?
00:07:04:23 We will talk about that right after this.
00:07:07:01 [Music]


00:00:00:14 [Music]
00:00:18:09 We are less than 12 weeks away
00:00:20:24 from the end of the first decade of the 21st Century
00:00:23:03 and we have maybe yet to determine
00:00:27:10 which bands has defined this century in terms of music.
00:00:31:29 The 60s were all about The Beatles.
00:00:33:17 The 70s I guess Rolling Stones
00:00:34:29 -Led Zeppelin -Led Zeppelin
00:00:36:08 -the 80s were -All those disposable pop bands.
00:00:40:20 90s of course, we had Grunge, Pro-jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana.
00:00:44:14 So this first decade which bands will or
00:00:48:09 this decade will be remembered the music of which band?
00:00:53:16 Dara.
00:00:54:19 Yeah, well I think that the most interesting thing
00:00:56:21 about that question is that there wasn't one
00:00:58:23 that kind of stuck out in my head
00:01:00:14 to immediately go to with that
00:01:02:19 and I spent most of this decade actually working in New York
00:01:05:18 in hip hop, always just being a fan of
00:01:08:04 Indie rock my self though.
00:01:09:17 So I think the most interesting stuff that I saw
00:01:12:15 in the past decade was just the changes
00:01:15:27 and the huge super stars that we saw come out of hip hop
00:01:19:08 and I worked on that first 50 Cent record and
00:01:22:04 that would be sort of the main artist that stands out to me and
00:01:25:29 that will stand out to me.
00:01:27:17 So when somebody says the knoties,
00:01:29:15 this is what the British called the first decade.
00:01:31:08 Yeah I liked it.
00:01:32:23 So for the knots for you and you are enfold in gray,
00:01:36:15 you are going to think that was the decade of [inaudible]
00:01:38:27 Yeah I am going to remember that track.
00:01:40:08 I am going to remember that single, In da Club like forever
00:01:42:16 and I will hear it and it will always be amazing
00:01:45:07 and that's the song that I will certainly remember.
00:01:48:01 -Shauna. -I am with Dara.
00:01:50:10 I don't have a definitive.
00:01:52:02 I am so steeped
00:01:53:12 in the independent music scene in Canada.
00:01:55:26 I don't know.
00:01:57:11 This is a tougher question and this is why I am asking it,
00:02:01:13 because we are going to have to start doing the decade records
00:02:04:29 I mean for me it's still all about Neil Young.
00:02:07:25 The original Indie music guy.
00:02:11:03 The Mynah Birds were signed to Motown in like 60s.
00:02:15:27 Okay, Jake who?
00:02:17:28 I think there is only one, Coldplay.
00:02:20:07 It's the biggest band in the world.
00:02:22:08 They sell more tickets than anybody.
00:02:24:27 They sell more records around the world.
00:02:28:05 They basically are a band of this past decade.
00:02:31:11 Radiohead, I guess, too, they really started in 90s.
00:02:33:16 Radiohead too but I think, Radiohead may define it
00:02:36:18 from an artistic integrity,
00:02:39:11 but in terms of the most popular which is what the question was
00:02:42:27 and I think between the two I think the Radiohead sort of
00:02:47:14 is the art side of Coldplay
00:02:48:16 and Coldplay is the much more commercial side
00:02:50:21 I don't even own a Coldplay record.
00:02:52:06 I am not an anti-Coldplay fan.
00:02:54:21 It's so funny you said that because
00:02:56:28 But I don't have any of their records.
00:02:58:02 We were discussing it before and Allan said to me, he said,
00:03:03:08 you know what's funny, because people either like Coldplay or
00:03:05:13 they are kind of indifferent, but no one really hates Coldplay
00:03:08:12 which is I think a very interesting comment
00:03:10:15 and set for probably the people of Polaris,
00:03:13:25 as in goods...
00:03:18:00 and we had the same experience
00:03:20:04 even when we were discussing before is that
00:03:22:01 I didn't own a Coldplay record, my wife owns Coldplay record.
00:03:25:03 She loves Coldplay,
00:03:26:06 and I went and saw Coldplay a year ago with her,
00:03:29:16 when they sold out two nights at the Air Canada Center
00:03:32:10 in the drop of a hat and I went to the show, sat in a seat,
00:03:38:00 it wasn't sort of the backstage thing or anything like that,
00:03:40:09 which I could have done if I wanted to and I went wow!
00:03:45:08 This is a really good band, these guys can play,
00:03:48:00 they can sing, they are engaging.
00:03:50:07 Chris Martin has this self deprecating vibe about himself
00:03:55:02 that he is so likeable and then I went back again and
00:04:00:28 saw them when the sold out at the Roger Centre, 45,000 tickets
00:04:04:15 again drop of a hat and the show was as good,
00:04:08:09 in a much bigger room and they managed to make it feel,
00:04:11:23 intimate and interesting.
00:04:13:20 Let me throw three more bands at you.
00:04:16:10 But Radiohead was a good one, because Radiohead maybe
00:04:18:29 definite about the sound.
00:04:21:02 Well Radiohead was really starting in the 90s though.
00:04:23:09 Well okay computer 97, okay fine
00:04:26:03 but let me throw a couple of other things at you, okay.
00:04:28:07 The biggest selling rock artist in America,
00:04:32:03 -in America -in America
00:04:33:19 this decade has been Linkin Park.
00:04:36:11 Would anybody want to define a decade
00:04:38:26 with the music of Linkin Park.
00:04:40:10 I think that's the same thing with Coldplay too,
00:04:42:00 I don't think there is anything about those bands
00:04:43:12 that any one is going to remember.
00:04:44:25 This is just innocuous for Coldplay.
00:04:47:06 32 million records sold this decade, Eminem.
00:04:50:04 Well that has going to a little bit more meat,
00:04:53:02 a bit more of a hook to them anyway.
00:04:55:16 I think I mean you are talking about someone
00:04:56:28 that completely a genre as well,
00:04:58:23 that's 90s I think of Eminem in the 90s.
00:05:01:23 But why would you say he changed the genre,
00:05:03:28 just out of curiosity, because he was a white guy doing rap,
00:05:06:26 because there were a lot of white guys doing rap before him.
00:05:08:26 Yeah I think what he accomplished though at that time
00:05:11:15 The Beastie Boys and he also had Drey as his producer,
00:05:18:10 so basically it was just his voice on top what was already.
00:05:22:19 You had all those people co-signing [inaudible]
00:05:24:01 Yeah, like I don't buy that as Eminem was great,
00:05:27:13 don't get me wrong.
00:05:28:16 The other problem too is he has been a wall for the last,
00:05:31:24 up until earlier this year he was a wall
00:05:33:12 And then his record is like
00:05:35:28 Let me give you one more.
00:05:37:17 Okay, but the time we reach the end of this month,
00:05:40:29 the biggest selling band in America,
00:05:44:02 the biggest selling band in America this decade be...
00:05:48:11 -Nickelback. -Wrong.
00:05:52:29 Would be The Beatles, yes.
00:05:55:26 See my Neil Young wasn't so far.
00:05:58:06 And they went ahead and sold somewhere between
00:06:00:23 32 and 35 million albums in America, in North America
00:06:05:00 I guess, by the end of 2009,
00:06:07:24 does that qualify them as the band of the decade.
00:06:10:27 Well no, because I think we are talking about reissues.
00:06:14:07 We are not talking about new music either.
00:06:16:00 That's like saying look, look you want to say that
00:06:19:19 then every decade was defined since
00:06:21:26 Bob Marley's Legends came out,
00:06:23:24 because it's still the biggest selling record
00:06:26:05 and we can't talk about it all the time.
00:06:27:09 And we can't talk about Abba and their 375 million.
00:06:29:26 Yeah, if we want to talk about a new band that came in
00:06:32:13 into its prominence in this decade
00:06:34:21 If you define the decade, yeah I think we can.
00:06:37:01 I do want to pick up on the Beatles thing in just a second.
00:06:39:10 Yeah I get it.
00:06:40:10 Because they have done something rather interesting
00:06:42:17 in the last couple of weeks that we haven't seen before
00:06:45:09 and it maybe that the compact discs last to raw,
00:06:49:20 so we will talk about that in just a second, hold on!
00:06:51:29 [Music]


00:00:00:14 [Music]
00:00:38:28 Well The Beatles have sold well over 30 million albums
00:00:43:13 this decade and they have sold an awful lot of copies of
00:00:47:02 Beatles rock band, has anybody played it yet?
00:00:50:03 Has anybody...
00:00:51:18 I have played rock bands, but not the Beatles.
00:00:52:25 Not The Beatles one.
00:00:54:19 It's pretty astounding stuff.
00:00:56:23 I thought the commercial was kind of creepy,
00:01:01:22 where they had the old footage of the Beatles
00:01:04:23 interacting with people today on the street
00:01:09:04 and then they cut to the I guess the avatars of them,
00:01:12:11 that was kind of creepy.
00:01:14:16 Has anybody bought the reissued CDs?
00:01:16:12 No, not me.
00:01:18:02 You haven't.
00:01:19:03 I haven't either, no.
00:01:20:08 -Are you a Beatle fan? -I am a Beatle fan.
00:01:25:03 And how long you have been in the business?
00:01:26:20 Six years.
00:01:29:01 So you are a newbie to the business,
00:01:31:12 I have been doing it for 30 years,
00:01:32:28 but I am just talking about our age difference
00:01:35:02 and yet we are all Beatles' fans.
00:01:38:13 I have the stereo box set, it's amazingly good.
00:01:42:04 Now a friend of mine,
00:01:43:28 Bob Lefsetz wrote about how great the monobox is.
00:01:46:27 But you can't find the mono box set anywhere
00:01:48:27 because they are all sold out.
00:01:50:13 I can get you one.
00:01:51:23 Can you, because I have been...
00:01:53:16 My very, very close friend is the CEO of Apple Corps.
00:01:59:16 Well then we will talk after the show.
00:02:01:18 He is the guy that got the job that while all these stuff was
00:02:05:21 happening is because of my friend is named Jeff Jones.
00:02:08:05 Let's talk, this is a segue.
00:02:11:09 Oasis brokeup over the summer, does anybody care?
00:02:13:24 I don't care.
00:02:16:00 Apparently, I saw this YouTube clip
00:02:17:22 and eight of them that really cares.
00:02:26:17 It's the same clip over and over again.
00:02:28:09 No, but it's the same clip because some other band
00:02:29:29 like Michael Jackson died, they used the same clip.
00:02:32:07 You just Google Hitler, Oasis and the video is
00:02:37:12 one of the funniest things you will ever see.
00:02:39:18 It's really good.
00:02:41:20 Okay, so nobody cares about that other than the fact
00:02:43:11 that they made a good Hitler video, try and do that.
00:02:45:29 One of the biggest trends that seems to be occurring these days
00:02:48:17 is the side project, Jack White of the White Strips
00:02:51:18 has a billion of them.
00:02:53:14 Dave Grohl can't seem to take anytime off.
00:02:56:22 Guys like Alexisonfire are all doing their own things.
00:02:59:11 Chad Vangaalen has a couple of things of his own,
00:03:01:29 Broken Social Scene.
00:03:04:08 Well that is just one big side of it anyways.
00:03:06:18 Well it is, there is really no center there, isn't there?
00:03:11:18 You guys all manage bands, the idea of a member of a band
00:03:17:12 branching off from the mothership of good idea?
00:03:21:13 It's an interesting thing.
00:03:22:18 I have contemplated that for a long time to be honest with you,
00:03:27:17 because I think if you look at some of the biggest bands,
00:03:30:03 the enduring bands in the world,
00:03:33:08 very few of them did side projects
00:03:35:05 when those bands were in their heyday
00:03:37:23 and maybe Mick Jagger did a solo record
00:03:41:17 or Keith Richards did a solo record,
00:03:43:26 but U2, have they ever done?
00:03:47:07 Now they have done small things individually.
00:03:49:20 Individually, but not like full on projects where they have
00:03:51:29 gone out and toured or did anything else.
00:03:53:22 It's popular in the hip hop world.
00:03:56:06 It's popular,
00:03:59:16 is it diluted, I don't know in the case of Jack White...
00:04:02:06 Well Jack White kind of defines himself by doing
00:04:06:16 different projects and he specifically said that
00:04:08:15 none of those are side projects of anything
00:04:11:01 and that they are all their own individual things that
00:04:14:01 he is working out, whether or not people actually think that.
00:04:16:08 Which is the band.
00:04:19:04 So is Jack White from the recon tours...
00:04:21:27 His side projects make up this full persona that is Jack White.
00:04:24:26 I agree and I don't think there are side projects I actually...
00:04:27:29 No I agree but like those are all part of his
00:04:30:11 own personal branding.
00:04:31:20 Right I agree.
00:04:32:29 I heard something just as a matter of fact.
00:04:35:14 The Dexter Romweber duo,
00:04:39:08 and it's from Dexter Flat duo, Dex and his older sister Sarah,
00:04:42:18 and Jack White plays guitar on this seven inch
00:04:45:28 that I found in the UK,
00:04:47:24 and it is, I mean
00:04:49:08 and you have to give to Slim Twig because
00:04:51:19 it's that kind of weird psycho hillbilly sort of stuff,
00:04:56:24 that sounds like,
00:04:59:14 it would be perfect on Halloween, that's amazing.
00:05:01:19 The Dexter Romweber duo, find it if you can.
00:05:05:23 Okay, we are done, and when we come back here we are going to
00:05:08:00 talk about what you guys are listening to this week,
00:05:09:23 need some recommendations, music recommendation
00:05:11:10 for people to go out and buy.
00:05:12:26 Okay, we will be back in a second.
00:05:14:06 [Music]


00:00:00:14 [Music]
00:00:05:27 Alright, this is the portion of the program
00:00:07:09 where we go around the panel,
00:00:08:09 we find out what everybody is listening to.
00:00:09:22 It's music recommendation, and we are going to begin with Dara.
00:00:12:07 Okay, this week I have been spending a lot of time listening
00:00:15:20 to some demos that I am getting from Woodhands.
00:00:18:13 We are working on their next album, called Remorsecapade.
00:00:21:18 Right now, I am listening to a lot studio stuff.
00:00:23:12 I am also gearing up for Pop Montreal which is next week,
00:00:26:04 and listening to a lot of Lee Fields,
00:00:29:15 who is going to be playing as the part of the festival,
00:00:31:29 next week and also Clues, this great Montreal band.
00:00:34:11 Okay Shauna.
00:00:36:16 I am with you, I listen to all my own stuff.
00:00:38:06 I have got a number of projects in development,
00:00:40:00 Hawsley Workman, like you said Justin Rutledge.
00:00:42:09 I have new records coming out next year
00:00:44:10 and they are all in production right now
00:00:45:28 and we just released a record by an artists from
00:00:49:00 Newfoundland, Amelia Curran.
00:00:51:08 Newfoundland has finally started to get a little bit of respect
00:00:53:27 in terms of...
00:00:55:02 I don't know when the respect ever stopped I mean.
00:00:56:29 Well you certainly see more bands like [inaudible]
00:00:59:10 and everything coming out of Newfoundland.
00:01:00:22 -Hey Rosetta! -Yeah, Hey Rosetta!
00:01:01:28 Great band, great band.
00:01:03:16 Okay. Jake.
00:01:05:04 Well, in keeping with theme I am listening to only my own stuff
00:01:09:09 because I don't even have time to listen to other stuff.
00:01:11:19 I don't even have time to listen to Beatles anymore.
00:01:13:13 I actually yesterday got delivered Lily Frost's
00:01:16:26 new record which is unbelievable
00:01:20:23 and it probably won't out for a while
00:01:22:26 and Crash Karma which is another band I work with,
00:01:26:15 which I am not going to tell you who is in it,
00:01:28:04 but it's... I have been listening to that,
00:01:30:24 because they are another one of my band.
00:01:31:28 Why are you not telling us who is in it, Jake?
00:01:33:03 Because it's very secretive.
00:01:34:24 -Are you in it? -No I am not in it.
00:01:37:03 I gave that up a long time ago
00:01:38:27 and Sas Jordan's new record came out last week,
00:01:43:03 and she made this unbelievably great bluesy rock record
00:01:48:04 that's really cool and so I have been listening to her record
00:01:51:22 because I really like her and I manage her too.
00:01:55:11 Well thank you all for being here.
00:01:56:24 I really appreciate, first show of this new season done.
00:02:00:17 Thanks for having me.
00:02:02:05 We will have you back, all of you.
00:02:04:09 Oh that will be great.
00:02:05:23 And with a car service too.
00:02:08:28 We are into the... but look at the set, it's a good set.
00:02:11:02 It's a beautiful channel Allan.
00:02:12:23 The chairs are great can I take it with me.
00:02:14:15 Check us out on the radio Explore Music Radio,
00:02:16:11 check us out online exploremusic.com
00:02:18:01 and we will see you back next week thanks. Bye.
00:02:20:24 [Music]