My friend, Roch Parisien has been doing this a long time.

By this, I mean writing and talking about music. He’s one of the top music journalists in Canada, and in the 20 or so years I’ve known and worked with him, he’s interviewed just about everybody who’s anybody in music. I’ve been fortunate to have been along with him on some of those rides, as his producer for the cable TV show “Soundtrack”, which ran for 27 years on Skyline Cable/RogersTV Channel 22 here in Ottawa. Not only was I able to meet some of the most amazing people in music (Richard Thompson, Barenaked Ladies, and Charlie Sexton were some of my personal highlights), I was able to witness Roch doing what he loves – talking music with the people who create it. Roch’s at the top of the game as a music journalist – he’s one of the best interviewers I know and his knowledge of the business and of artists is virtually unsurpassed.

As a communications professional and journalist with many years in the game, Roch is taking this whole social media thing quite seriously. He’s seen the opportunities this new medium offers to people in his field, and has successfully moved his brand into the online space, through sites like LinkedIN and Facebook, and with his contributions to our site over at Ottawa Tonite. But most of all, it’s his clever use of Facebook that has particularly piqued my interest.

A couple of months back, Roch set up a Facebook Page, Rocon Communications, where he shares news, reviews, and interviews with musical artists of all kinds. He also uses it to promote his work as programmer for the Galaxie Folk/Roots Channel. He provides a diverse and relevant range of music news and information on his page, and I highly recommend you check it out.

But here’s where it gets really interesting.

Roch has taken his passion for music and his amazing interviewing skills and combined them with the most social aspect of Facebook – the comments – and created “The Facebook Interviews”, a series of interactive chat sessions with musicians, facilitated by Roch and open to group members.  The interviews generally start with a post and possibly a YouTube video of the artist performing, and some backgrounder by Roch. Then the artist hops on the comments, and a Q and A session commences between Roch and the artist. Others are invited to post questions in advance or join in the session real time. The whole thing takes place in the Facebook comments, creating a real time archive of the session, so should you happen to miss it live, you can go back later and read the posts.

Why is this clever? First, it brings the artists to the people directly. So far, Roch has interviewed, biographer Paul Myers and others on Long John Baldry, Javier Escovedo on his new album “City Lights” and Jim Bonfanti of Choir/Raspberries/Boxer. It’s done in real time, so people in the group have the chance to interact and ask questions of the performers. Second, it provides an amazing transcript of a conversation that is created “on the fly”. It’s piles of fun to read through the interviews after they’re over. And last, but most definitely not least, it provides a way for music lovers to connect with each other. Even after the interview portion is done, people can continue the conversation.

This is how I want to see more people using social media – coming up with creative ways to use the tools to tell stories. I’m really looking forward to more in this series of the Facebook Inteviews. Roch is archiving all of the interviews in the Notes section of the Rocon Communications page, so you can see the full conversations there if you miss it live.

Tonight marks the fourth installment of The Facebook Interviews, and I urge you to check it out. Here’s the info from Roch himself:

Tuesday evening beginning 7pm Eastern, “The Facebook Interviews” continue on my Rocon Communications page with Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Dave Gunning, whose album “We’re All Leaving” was #1 on the Galaxie FolkRoots Channel’s Canadian chart for January. Post some questions in advance on the Rocon Communications page, and/or join us at 7pm E for the interactive chat session!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roch-Parisiens-Rocon-Communications/208757673971?ref=ts

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I’ve always been a big fan of classical music, and my all time favourite composer is Mozart. It’s not just about the style of his music, it’s about the character he was – outgoing and passionate, Mozart loved life, but he didn’t take it too seriously, even though he was in what was considered to be a very serious profession. To say he was brilliant is an understatement – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in my opinion, is one of the most remarkable people that has ever lived.

I think he would have gotten a real kick out of this Internet stuff. Mozart was a sociable guy, and had a great sense of humour. He was also wildly intelligent – my bet is, he would have picked up on the technology part pretty quickly – and I’m sure he’d have sprung to Internet Rockstar status in no time flat.

When it comes to the great artists and composers, I often wonder what they would think if they knew that over the years their art and music had seen such longevity. What would Mozart’s reaction be if he knew that hundreds of years later his work is loved and honoured around the world?

I was thinking this the other night as I sat in Blogger’s Row watching Mozart’s Final Piano Concerto: Beyond the Score, at the National Arts Centre. This unique perspective was brought to life with the talents of the NAC Orchestra, pianist Katherine Chi, soprano Donna Brown, actor Pierre Brault, and narrator Bill Richardson. I was fortunate to be among several local bloggers invited to attend the performance.

The show was a performance of Mozart’s final Concerto – composed not long before his death at the age of 35 – interwoven between fascinating stories that captured the essence of living in Mozart’s day. A large projection screen showed many paintings and lithographs and really helped to create a striking mood.

The result was spectacular, engaging, educational and thought provoking.

The 2nd half of the show was a performance of the entire Concerto from beginning to end. Having heard the breakdown of each part in the first act, it gave me a whole new appreciation for what Mozart was trying to convey through his music.

After the show, the bloggers were invited backstage to take a look around, and have a little visit with Pierre Brault, who highlighted his appreciation for new media’s approach to promoting the arts.

My brother Mike (@aliendaddy), my good friend and creator of the soon-to-be-launched OttawaTonite.com Cheryl (@fendergurl) and I put together this video that captures the essence of the evening. (Well, Mike did most of the shooting and editing work.)

Many, many thanks to Jen Covert (@jcovert) and everyone from the NAC for making us geeks feel special!

Enjoy…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L45qyjZi7c

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UPDATE: Congrats to Crystal, who won the tickets to the show! See you there!

On Wednesday night I’m very excited to be attending Mozart’s Final Piano Concerto – Beyond the Score at the National Arts Centre here in Ottawa.

In the past, the NAC has had a bit of a reputation for being a rather stuffy venue, where the mucky mucks hang out sipping Perrier and lime before donning their opera glasses for the 2nd act. Well, I’m here to tell you that has ALL changed, my friends!

Over the past several years, The National Arts Centre has become one of the most dynamic, interesting, engaging arts venues in our city, if not the country. They continue to surprise me with their line up of remarkable theatre, music and dance. Just have a look at their list of upcoming performances and I’m sure you’ll find something that interests you.

I’m particularly excited about this Wednesday’s performance because it starts none other than Ottawa thespian extraordinaire, Pierre Brault. Pierre and I have a bit of a history together, in that we worked on the Cable 22 show “Way Cool” for many years. He was a bright spot in my Sunday mornings back then, and I’m overjoyed at the success he’s having.

Now, for the fun part. Myself, my brother Mike, and my good friend Cheryl have been invited to cover the event on Wednesday night. We’ll be bringing a video camera and will have some great behind the scenes footage to show you as well as some scenes from the show. So stay tuned to this blog for all that great fun!

In the meantime – if you are in Ottawa on Wednesday night and would like a chance to attend the performance of Mozart’s Final Piano Concerto – Beyond the Score yourself, then I have a pair of tickets to give away! So just leave a comment saying “I wanna go to the NAC, Suze!” and you’ll be entered into the draw. I’ll draw for the tickets tomorrow (Tuesday September 29 evening at 8pm). Be sure to leave your email address so I can get back to you!

Thanks and hope to see you on Wednesday!

Incidentally – since my blog cross-posts over on Facebook, I’m also accepting entries in the comments over there. :)

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Gimmicks get a bad rap. Often they are associated with snake oil, paying too much for cheap goods, and smarmy salesmen who just want to take your money and give you little in return.

It’s true, there’s a lot of gimmicky stuff out there that ain’t worth the package it comes in. But gimmicky doesn’t automatically have to be a negative. In fact, when executed properly, it can be one of the best ways to draw a crowd – and a paying one at that.

Rock and roll music has been around since the 1950s, we all know that. Guitars, drums, bass. Sometimes a keyboard or organ thrown in for good measure. Men and women, grooving, bopping and moving us with their beats and lyrics. There was a point in the late 60s where rock and roll music had become so commonplace that new bands were cropping up every other week, it seemed. Rock and roll, though still extremely popular, started to feel like a pair of old shoes….comfortable and worn, but maybe a bit tired.

Then, in the early 1970s, four young guys from New York City changed all that.

It’s not that their music was so much different. It was still rock and roll, and even though it was the hard stuff – the screaming electric kind of music our parents cringe at – it didn’t have a hugely unique sound compared to the other heavy rock bands of the day.

What was different about these boys? It was how they looked, and how they performed. They were dramatic and scary, with their black and white and silver painted faces, their huge black hair, and their giant platform boots. They towered over the crowd on a stage flooded with lights and smoke and exploding stuff. They broke their guitars and launched rockets. They spit (gasp) blood!

KISS was all about the gimmick.

Think about it. If these guys had come onto the scene as your run of the mill rock band, in a time when the world was inundated with rock machines like The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath, how hard do you think they would have had to climb to reach the top?

Now I’m not saying that KISS couldn’t have done it on their own merits. They are tight as heck, have powerful vocals and great stage energy. All the elements of a great rock band. But perhaps they sensed that rock fans were ready for something more. So they donned wild costumes, and took stage show performance to a whole new level. They found a gimmick, and they took it to the extreme – making it mysterious, a little frightening, and definitely fun.

KISS has sold over 85 million albums in the past 35+ years (source: Wikipedia). They must be doing something right. I think part of their secret is they don’t take themselves too seriously. Just check out this video of Gene Simmons on the Mike Douglas show in 1974 and that is pretty clear.

Gimmickry is an art. And like any art, that means that when it’s executed well, it is brilliant. When executed poorly, it’s laughable.

So how can a gimmick work? Let’s use “KISS” principles:

Be really really good. KISS is not just a gimmick trying to be a really good rock band. They are a really good rock band, with a gimmick. They work hard at being good at what they do as musicians. Then they put the gimmick on top of that, and make it something extraordinary.

Don’t sell the gimmick, sell the product. People aren’t buying the KISS Army. They aren’t buying the makeup, the weird hair, or the platform boots. They are buying the experience that those things create. The gimmick is what gets their attention. The experience is what keeps them around. For 35 years. (Now THAT’S sticky!)

Be over the top, but be practical about it. Ace Freely did an interview once where he said he can’t go on his knees anymore when rockets shoot out of his guitar, because his doctor told him he was wrecking his knees. He said “I’m sorry to my fans for not being able to do this, but I want to be able to walk.” The rocket-guitar-knees thing was a trademark. But practicality (and safety) had to overrule. Make your gimmick something nobody has ever seen before. Be 100% unique, but be 150% practical. Don’t let the gimmick get in the way of health, sanity or profits.

Gimmicks. They aren’t so bad after all. As media makers, marketers and storytellers, sometimes a little gimmick is all we need to get the kind of attention we seek. But over the top doesn’t have to mean giving up value. Provide value first, and use gimmick as a tool. And who knows, before long, you may just be ready to rock and roll all night (and party every day).

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Here’s the thing about Canada. We have great music. You can’t deny it! Someone mentioned to me the other day that there must be something in the water here, that allows us to produce so many great musical artists. I thought I’d put together an All-Canadian playlist for iTunes, of some of my favourite (with a “u”!) Canadian artists. Some you’ll probably know well, even if you are from other countries. Some may be new to you, even if you are Canadian. But what they all have in common is they are just simply great tunes. I’ve provided links and background on each artist/song, because I think that knowing a bit about the artists really enhances the appreciation of the music.

Here’s the link to the iMix in iTunes, so you can go and download. I’ve included 15 songs, so if you buy them all it’ll only cost as much as a CD.

Enjoy!

1. Fly By Night – Rush
Now what would an all-Canadian playlist be without a little Rush? Undoubtedly one of the most world-famous Canadian bands of all time, Rush continues to rock hard. What I love about Rush is how just 3 guys can make so much noise (and good-sounding noise at that). And deep down, I’ve always wished I could sing like Geddy Lee.

2. Tango Shoes – Bif Naked
Oh, how I enjoy a good Bif Naked song! Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Bif is one tattooed rockin’ chick with a great voice. She’s hugely fun to see live, and well, I just like her. I think you will too.

3. Tournament of Hearts – The Weakerthans
If there’s truly something in the water that makes Canada have such great musical talent, then there must be a lot of it in Winnipeg’s water. The Weakerthans are probably my favourite Canadian band in the past few years. I love their genuinely Canadian songs about beer, cold weather and this one, which is about our other winter pastime – curling. If you’ve never hung out at a curling arena on a Sunday afternoon, this song will put you right in the moment. Love these guys. They are coming to Ottawa March 28th and I’m sad because I’ll be in Indiana and have to miss them.

4. Forever - Bran Van 3000
I have a confession to make – I’m a closet electronica fan. BV3 is awesome – they are from Montreal and although I don’t know much about what they are up to these days, I can tell you that this is the music I like to dance around the house to.

5. Feel for the Driver - Ron Sexsmith
Ron is Canada’s quintessential singer-songwriter. I mean, the guy just oozes talent. You know that feeling you get at a live show when it’s like the whole world fades away and it’s just you and the performer in the room? Well, you get that just listening to Ron’s albums. This is the kind of music where you go and sit in a dark room with the headphones on and just exist with it. Brilliant.

6. Sleepy Maggie - Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac is our resident strange guy. He’s kind of a weirdo, but his talent on the fiddle is unmatched. This is an old AMac song from I think, his first album. I love songs in Gaelic, and this one has such a great backbeat I just had to include it.

7. Watching Planes Come In -  Hippie Campfire
How can you not love a band whose name is Hippie Campfire? I had to include one local Ottawa band on this list. These guys aren’t too well known outside the bar scene in this town, but they have a big sound and their lead linger “Filthy” Rich Rankin has an amazing voice. They are piles of fun and this song, Watching Planes Come In, will stick in your head for weeks, I promise.

8. Excursion around the Bay  - Great Big Sea
Well, geez, b’ys – ya knew I had to include a Newfoundland band in this list! Great Big Sea is undoubtedly Newfoundland’s biggest export. Aside from being so cute you could eat ‘em up, they are exceptional vocalists and musicians. I think they’ve won just about every Canadian music award you can imagine, and for great reason. This is my all-time favourite GBS tune, and again, it’ll stick in your head for weeks!

9. A Case of You - Joni Mitchell
Of course, we all know Joni. Not too much to say about her that hasn’t already been said. This is my favourite Joni tune, what’s yours?

10. Democracy  -  Leonard Cohen
A man ahead of his time. A master. A genius. I thought this tune from Leonard Cohen was particularly fitting to add to the list, in light of recent Presidential events in the U.S. Can’t say too much more about Leonard that he hasn’t already been saying in the 40+ years we’ve had the privilege of hearing his music.

11. Innocent -  Our Lady Peace
I am all about Our Lady Peace.This is my favourite tune, Innocent. But they have so many more. Take a plow through their web site and see what you can find online of their music. If you aren’t already a fan, I bet you’ll become one!

12. Brandy Alexander -  Feist
Nothing I like better than a good pint of draught beer and a few Feist songs on a Sunday afternoon. Though I admit to being a little tired of “1,2,3,4″, I do love this song, Brandy Alexander. It’s just wispy enough to put me in a great mood.

13. What a Good Boy - Barenaked Ladies
Much like I couldn’t not include Rush, I most definitely couldn’t NOT include a little BNL on this list. I’ve been a fan of these guys since BEFORE the beginning – when they were a struggling Toronto band doing the small club circuit and looking for their big break. What a Good Boy is definitely my all time favourite tune of theirs. Mostly because it’s the only time I’ve ever heard the word “hairshirt” used in a song.

14. The Rest of My Life -  Sloan
Stop the presses. These guys ARE the best band in Canada, in my opinion. They just crank it out, great song after great song. The Rest of My Life is an oldie but a goodie, and you’ll be a fan, I’m sure.

15. Weighty Ghost - Wintersleep
Rounding out the list, a great song to end off on. Weighty Ghost is kind of haunting, with an awesome beat, and you won’t be able to help but tap your feet. Or play the air drums. Or both.

So there you have it – All Canadian music to spice up your music library. I’d love to hear from you – do you have any Canadian artists that you really love? Who have I missed? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

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