rabble.ca - Web and Life

Constructing Change: Celebrating the Day of Pink

The Activist Toolkit — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:17:24 +0000

This Wednesday was the International Day of Pink, a day of action created to fight homophobia, transphobia and bullying. Jer's Vision celebrated with hundreds of youth activists, community leaders, queer allies and celebrities at their seventh annual gala. Jack Layton and Rick Mercer were recognized for their work against queer bullying with youth role model awards.

Jer's Vision does amazing anti-queerphobia workshops with youth in schools all over Canada and are in desperate need of funding! See their website for how to donate and help them continue to create inclusive, safe spaces in schools.

Constructing Change: Challenging racism

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:32:54 +0000

Ottawa celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Racism this past weekend with a march around the city to expose and oppose racism. More than fifty protesters walked in solidarity along with folks representing Moe Harkat, Students Against Israeli Apartheid, POWER, Independent Jewish Voices and OPRIG Ottawa.

I spoke with protesters throughout the march and found that although they support different causes, racism affects all struggles. Look for tools on the toolkit to help challenge racism!

Intro song: "The Revolution will not be Televised" by Gill-Scott Heron

"Hahahahaha jk" by Das Racist

Constructing Change: Occupy spring

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:52:41 +0000

Spring has sprung, the grass is green, where has Occupy Ottawa been? According to activist Obert Madondo, working harder than ever. From managing multiple working groups to community collaborations, the activists have their work cut out for them.

I spoke to him about their new website and if the warmer weather means another Occupation is in the works. Plus how to turn your street art green with guerrilla gardening and sustainable recipes. Help rabble.ca Occupy spring!

Intro song: "The Revolution will not be Televised" by Gill-Scott Heron

"Summertime" by Pocketbooks

Constructing Change: Radicalizing consent

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:21:11 +0000

Consent is often mentioned retroactively, as a response to violence. But when radical consent is exercised from the start along with a sex positive dialogue, it can really make a difference. The Consensuality Collective held a consent cabaret in Ottawa.

I caught up with poet, activist and playwright Luna Allison about her performance, consent and how sexual abuse can be misconstrued in activist communities. Her one-woman show "Falling Open" just finished at the Great Canadian Theatre Company.

Intro song: "The Revolution will not be televised" by Gill Scott-Heron

Constructing Change: Ain't I an activist?

The Activist Toolkit — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:32:44 +0000

This show focuses on feminist organizing tools and local efforts in honour of International Women's Day. The Vagina Monologues is happening at Carleton University this weekend, with proceeds going to V-day and the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre. I spoke with co-director Luxey Segaram about why she decided to organize the play.

http://rabble.ca/whatsup/vagina-monologues-2012

Find more ways to celebrate IWD on the Activist Toolkit.

Intro song: "The Revolution will not be televised" by Gill Scott-Heron

"Aint Cha" by Annette Hanshaw

"Let's hear it for me" by Tarnz Blackheart

Comments, questions and suggestions: steff@rabble.ca

Extradition injustice: The case of Hassan Diab

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:36:19 +0000

This week on Constructing Change: Extradition injustice: Hassan Diab was an Ottawa University professor who had his life turned upside down when he was accused of a Paris bombing in 1980, charged and detained. He has maintained his innocence.

Because of unjust extradition laws, the French government was able to request Diab's removal and use weak evidence that would have been thrown out in a Canadian court. The French government's claim of top-secret "intelligece" that was not revealed at the hearing was enough to convinct Diab according to extradition law. He could not challenge it, because he was never told what it was.

Constructing Change: Decolonizing activism

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:19:29 +0000

Stories of personal loss and tragedy at the second annual memorial for missing and murdered aboriginal women on Valentine's Day in Ottawa, by Families of Sisters in Spirit. Plus, the struggle in Attawapiskat to get a real school.

Find more tools for indigenous organizing at www.rabble.ca/toolkit.

Intro song: "The Revolution will not be televised" by Gill Scott-Heron

Song by the Minwaashin Women's Drum Group

And the talented Charlie Angus, singing "Diamonds in the Snow" accompanied by Ottawa school children

Comments, questions and suggestions steff@rabble.ca

Constructing change: Everything you wanted to know about organizing but were afraid to ask

The Activist Toolkit — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:44:56 +0000

This week on Constructing Change: organizing for sex workers, how to build community, know your rights, stop prostitution sweeps and more. Plus an interview from the Ottawa sex workers' union POWER about how police patronize prostitutes with a serial killer on the loose.

Intro theme: "The revolution will not be televised" by Gill Scott-Heron

Superman theme by SoundCloud.

Comments, suggestions, questions: steff@rabble.ca

#72 - And in conclusion, The Ruckus presents some crazy cover songs

Kevin McGowan — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:48:07 +0000

Hi all,

Welcome to the final episode of The Ruckus. I recorded this back in June 2011, and have been very slow posting it. When I put this episode together, I had not yet decided to finish the show...but I like this as the final episode. It puts things full circle for me, as it relies exclusively on old vinyl, which is where my online music adventures began in 2007.

Enjoy this final episode, and thanks for listening. I've loved doing this, and hope to do something like it again when life calms down.

00:00 Intro

01:49 ARC Hit Parade Players - Martian Hop

03:49 The Golden Ring - It's Not Unusual

06:45 The Dick Walker Orchestra - Louie Louie

10:32 The Borden Family - Theme from Star Wars

#71 - The Found Tapes (by popular request, the second-last episode)

Kevin McGowan — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:20:25 +0000

Hi folks,

Yes, it is true... The Ruckus is no more. After 3 years, 70 episodes, and half a million downloads, I am calling it a day.

I created this episode in June 2011 and never posted it (life got in the way). So, I hope you enjoy this... and the final Ruckus episode (#72) which will also be posted today.

Thanks so much to you all for listening, and for supporting this little podcast. And thanks to Meagan and everyone at rabble for making this possible.

In this episode, you'll hear 4 new(ish) tracks by some of Canada's best acts... and in the next episode, you'll hear a bunch of familiar songs re-recorded by people you've never heard of.

#70 - Canada, O Canada (English)

Kevin McGowan — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:38:28 +0000

Happy Canada Day!

www.kevinmcgowan.ca

Twitter - @iamkevinmcgowan

#69 - Canada, O Canada (Francais)

Kevin McGowan — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:31:19 +0000

In honour of Canada Day, en Francais!

www.kevinmcgowan.ca

twitter - @iamkevinmcgowan

#68 - Confederation Stories!

Kevin McGowan — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:20:15 +0000

Hi again folks...here's another little trip down memory lane. Similar to Episode 67, this is another old LP featuring a lot of Canadian history. This album, brought to you by the Ontario Department of Education (circa 1967), will take you on a roller coaster ride of anecdotes.

Again, this is not a musical episode, but I promise to get back to music in a few weeks. I like these old LPs, and think they deserve to be heard. If you disagree, well, don't listen, and we'll see you with new tunes soon.

www.kevinmcgowan.ca

Twitter - @iamkevinmcgowan

#67 - Canadian Adventures!

Kevin McGowan — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:59:21 +0000

Warning! This episode may teach you about Canada.

Hi folks,

In honour of Canada's upcoming birthday (July 1 for you non-Canadians out there), I'm offering up the first of two "found LPs" that were developed by Canadian educational institutions as teaching aids.

This first album (which you will hear in its entirety) is called Canadian Adventures 1867-1967, and was developed in honour of our Centennial by the Ontario Teacher's Federation.

If you're a regular Ruckus listener, and are expecting a bunch of pop music, this may not be the episode for you. But if you are interested in hearing some stories about the country, this just might be the ticket for you.

Enjoy!

#66 - Opera on cylinder

Kevin McGowan — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:33:00 +0000

This one is going way back. Way way back. Lovers of music from another era will get a kick out of this podcast. I gave up with pronunciation, and provide only a quick intro for these 6 arias all recorded in the early part of the 20th century. Enjoy these 100-year-old sounds.

02:10 Edward Johnson - Si fui soldato (Giordano/Andrea Chenier)

05:08 Edward Johnson - Ah Manon mi tradisce (Puccini/Manon Lescaut)

07:20 Marie Louise Edvina - Que te fait (Massenet/Thais)

09:41 Marie Louise Edvina - L'amour est une vertu rare (Massenet/Thais)

11:49 Jeanne Gordon - Amour viens aider (Saint-Saens/Samson et Dalila)

15:26 Jeanne Gordon - Re dell' abisso (Verdi/Ballo in Maschera)

#65 - Muse Mix

Kevin McGowan — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:47:47 +0000

Thanks to Lauren at themusebox.net for providing these great tunes. We love mixtapes, and this is a great one.

00:37 Steven McKay - Slow Down
04:10 Commerce - Certain To Happen
08:20 Royksopp - Foresaken Cowboy
13:41 The Wilderness - Systems
19:37 Querkus - Half Acid Lee
23:57 Kites Overhead - Everything I Thimk About
27:16 Wool on Wolves - Ports of Glass Harbour
30:09 Michael Rault - Lay Right Down and Die
32:51 Allie Hughes - Damaged Nail
35:10 Data Romance - Bones
39:23 Kopecky Family Band - Howlin' At The Moon
42:40 Language Arts - Cavity

#63 -- Live from Beirut: Part 1

Kevin McGowan — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:35:05 +0000

This two-part podcast takes you on an audio tour of underground clubs in Beirut, Lebanon. Shirine Saad (www.shirinesaad.com) is our guide, as she tells us how music and politics mix with the youth culture in this troubled city.

This episode features 2 songs:

01:11 Mashrou3 - Fasateen

07:08 Scrambled Eggs - Silver For Gold

For more info on Shirine, check out www.shirinesaad.com.

And for more about me, check out www.kevinmcgowan.ca

#64 -- Live from Beirut: Part 2

Kevin McGowan — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:08:53 +0000

This episode features 3 songs:

01:06 New Government - Mozambique

07:47 Zeid and the Wings - Hkini

14:38 Rayess Bek - Samm

For more info on Shirine, check out www.shirinesaad.com.

And for more about me, check out www.kevinmcgowan.ca.

#62 - Tribute to the F Word

Kevin McGowan — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:01:29 +0000

Many thanks to the producers of "The F Word", another fine podcast hosted on rabble.ca. They turned me on to some great young hip-hop MCs, and now it's your turn to hear these tracks.

01:36 - Invincible - Sledgehammer

04:23 - Eekwol - Too Sick

09:07 - Eternia ft MoSS - The BBQ

Check out The F Word: www.feminisms.org

And my blog lives at: www.kevinmcgowan.ca

#61 - New York Roars! (ROIR Records Part 3)

Kevin McGowan — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:13:22 +0000

Here you go, folks...the final chapter in our look at New York's ROIR Records. In this episode, we chat with Nick Cooper about two of the youngest bands on the label's roster.

00:43 Univox - Pi

02:57 Chatting with Nick about the youngest bands on the ROIR label

09:22 Bad Cop - Daylight

That's all folks...

Check out ROIR at www.roir-usa.com

And check out my blog at www.kevinmcgowan.ca

#60 - New York roars (ROIR Records Part 2)

Kevin McGowan — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:18:55 +0000

Hey, and welcome to Part 2 of our 3-part series with New York's ROIR Records.

In this episode, you'll hear more of my chat with Nick Cooper about the label, its history, and 2 of its most recent releases. You'll even get to hear songs from the reissued Stimulators album (it's a freakin' classic!) and a track from Darryl Jennifer's new CD.

If you're looking for some Canadian content on this one, consider that while Darryl Jennifer is the bassist for the legendary Bad Brains, he's also one hell of a producer, having worked with Canada's Bedouin Soundclash and others.

00:00 Intro

01:00 Nick Cooper talks about ROIR, and The Stimulators

03:43 The Stimulators - Loud Fast Rules (live)

#59 - New York Roars! (ROIR Records part 1)

Kevin McGowan — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:02:49 +0000

Hiya folks,

There isn't much Canadian content in this three-part series, but that's ok with me. ROIR Records (www.roir-usa.com) has been my favourite record label since I was about 14 and discovered their famous New York Thrash compilation.

ROIR has always been under the radar in the American music scene, in spite of having one of the most incredible artist rosters going. Bad Brains. Suicide. Flipper. Legendary Pink Dots. The list goes on and on. Buckle up and have a listen in this episode as Nick Cooper tell us about the beginnings of ROIR, and we hear some archival ROIR music from New York Dolls and Suicide.

00:00 Intro

01:22 New York Dolls - Pills

#58 - Coast to Coast to Coast

Kevin McGowan — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:24:05 +0000

00:37 Yukon Blonde - Streets

04:22 Rebekah Higgs - Little Voice

08:15 Lions in the Streets - Shangri La

Check 'em out:

http://www.myspace.com/rebekahhiggs

http://www.myspace.com/yukonblondeband

http://www.lionsinthestreet.com/fr_home.cfm

And check me out for details on my "Track of the Day" feature, CBC docs and all things related to the Ruckus:

http://www.kevinmcgowan.ca

#57 - Revisiting Ottawa

Kevin McGowan — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 19:43:09 +0000

In keeping with the new tradition of shorter episodes, here's three tracks from some of Ottawa's finest.

00:58 The Polymorphines - Main Street Jimmy

03:38 The Joynt - Go Blaow

08:02 The Woodrunners - Shallow Roots

Check 'em out here:

The Polymorphines - http://www.thepolymorphines.com/

The Joynt - http://thejoynt.ca/Site/

The Woodrunners - http://www.rocket57.com/home.html

And check me out at www.kevinmcgowan.ca. And watch for my new "Track of the Day" feature. Very cool stuff.

#56 - Tim Hus, the Canadian Cowboy

Kevin McGowan — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:38:33 +0000

Welcome to my excellent chat with Tim Hus. you like country music? If not, you will now. If you already do...well, enjoy some classic-styled storytelling country from one of Canada's best.

00:00 Intro

02:00 Tim Hus - Rumrunners

07:15 Tim Hus - Hockeytown

13:40 Tim Hus - Hotel and Saloon (segment)

For more on Tim, check out www.timhus.ca

And for more about The Ruckus, and Kevin's "Track of the Day," go to www.kevinmcgowan.ca

#55 - Spooky, sinister

Kevin McGowan — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:39:17 +0000

Hey folks,

Here's a triple shot from one of my personal favourites: Toronto's Troy Sinister. He just released a new album with a new band, the Legendary O'Lantern Brothers...and I'm proud to let you be some of the first to hear these songs (outside of Troy's regular appearances in Toronto's club circuit).

00:55 - The Legendary O'Lantern Brothers - Salem Mass

03:13 - Troy Sinister - Hollyweird Vampires

06:42 - The Legendary O'Lantern Brothers - Wolfman Blues

For more Troy Sinister than you could know what to do with:

http://www.myspace.com/troysinister

#54 - Psych!

Kevin McGowan — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:09:08 +0000

Welcome to this episode! Here are three very cool Canadian acts doing their best to keep the spirit of garage rock and psychedelia alive.

01:07 - The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey - No Man's Island

04:14 - Quest For Fire - Psychic Seasons

10:28 - The Liquid Vapours - Crackhouse

Me: www.kevinmcgowan.ca

Gerry: www.myspace.com/thegerryalvarezodyssey

Quest for Fire: www.myspace.com/questforfireband

Liquid Vapours: www.myspace.com/theliquidvapours

#53 - The Laura Borealis Experience

Kevin McGowan — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:37:35 +0000

Welcome!

In this fine episode, you'll hear me chat with Laura Borealis. She's a singer/songwriter, video director, and all around fine artist and loving mother of three from Montreal.

You'll hear a track from her 2008 "The Laura LP" and also a track from her new act, Le Look.

00:00 Intro
01:02 Laura Borealis - California (from 2008, The Laura LP)
05:35 Chatting with Laura about her music, and Le Look.
09:38 Le Look - Sang Sur La Glace (from 2010, Je T'aime)

Find all the Laura Borealis info you can handle here:

http://www.lauraborealis.com/

http://www.myspace.com/thelauraborealis

#52 - From the Back of the Film: A Look Back at Thrush Hermit (part 3)

Kevin McGowan — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:20:33 +0000

Hey folks...this is episode #52...finally, we have enough of these so if you're a new listener, you can hear a new show every week for a year. SWEET.

This is the third part of our 3-part series about Thrush Hermit. In this show, you'll hear the band tell us all about the infamous neon Rock and Roll sign, their final album (and critically acclaimed fan favourite) Clayton Park. You'll hear Chris Murphy chime in one more time, and you'll hear the band chatting with me in an Ottawa coffee shop.

Thanks to everyone for listening. Check out the Thrush hermit box set here, and pick it up!

http://www.maplemusic.com/product.asp?dept_id=6877&pf_id=6875-20

Your host: www.kevinmcgowan.ca

#51 - From The Back of the Film: A look back at Thrush Hermit (Part 2)

Kevin McGowan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:02:09 +0000

Hey folks...episode 51 continues The Ruckus' wandering through Canada's rock and roll past, with the second of a three-part series on Thrush Hermit. They were one of the finest bands to erupt from the mid-90s Halifax alt-rock scene. For those of you who aren't quite sure who they were, you may know their most famous member, Canadian folk-rock-poet Joel Plaskett.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Joel, Ian McGettigan, and Rob Benvie at a tea shop in Ottawa before they did their soundcheck during their quickie reunion tour in March 2010.

In this episode, you'll hear all about how they signed with Elektra Records for their Sweet Homewrecker album, and you'll also hear all about their infamous Steve Miller set.

Enjoy!