Some of Canada's Finest Musicians Re-Record K'Naan's Wavin' Flag for Haiti

During the Olympic Games some of Canada's finest recording artists gathered in secret to record K'Naan's Wavin' Flag (also the theme song for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa) to raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief.

The result, under the title Young Artists for Haiti is available on iTunes for just $1.29.

If you feel like kicking in more than 1.29 you can also Donate here.

All funds raised will be divided between Free the Children, War Child Canada and World Vision Canada.

Young Artists for Haiti are Knaan, Serena Ryder, Emily Haines (Metric), James Shaw (Metric), Nelly Furtado, Broken Social Scene, Arkells, Matt Mays, Hawksley Workman, Torquil Campbell (Stars), Corb Lund, Kathleen Edwards, Jim Cuddy, Sam Roberts, Avril Lavigne, Pierre Bouvier (Simple Plan), Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman), Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Josh Ramsay (Marianas Trench), Jay Malinowski (Bedouin Soundclash), Chin Injeti, Jacob Hoggard (Hedley), Red 1, Lights, Derek Whibley (Sum 41), Drake, Ima, Elisapie, Pierre Lapointe, Esthero, Fefe Dobson, Jim Creegan (Barenaked Ladies), Tom Cochrane, Kevin Parent, Lamar Ashe, Colin James, Nikki Yanofsky, Suzie McNeil, Stephan Moccio, Aoin Clarke, Shiloh, Stacey McKitrick, Jessie Farrell, Colin MacDonald, Justin Nozuka, Hayley Sales, City & Colour, Pat Kordyback (Stereos), Dave Faber, Brandon Lehti, The Canadian Tenors and Justin Bieber

Live Video: Hawksley Workman - Devastating (QTV)

Hillside Inside Review (guest post from Carly Lewis)

The following is a guest post by Carly Lewis

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As the sky turned from blue to gray and the air from cold to freezing, music lovers called back the summer at the 3rd annual Hillside Inside music festival last weekend. Swapping winter gloves for plastic Hillside mugs, fans gathered at Guelph's Sleeman Centre to take in performances from Owen Pallett, Hawksley Workman and Ani Di Franco, who gave her only Ontario performance on Saturday night. Winter's answer to summer's best music festival, Hillside Inside presented as usual, an eclectic array of musicians and helped us escape the cold for a little while. Going back and forth between two stages a short stroll away from each other, Hillsiders enjoyed a mix of folky-fiddles and synthy-beats, and remembered just why they love Hillside so much in the first place.

Winter blues were danced away as Basia Bulat kicked things off with an energy that lingered until the very end. Nearly nine hours of music later, Hillsiders exited in an orderly fashion without leaving the day's garbage behind them - the very essence of Hillside being its friendly charm and devotion to keeping things friendly for the environment. What was once classified as a folk festival has now evolved into a more and more liberal collective of musicians each year, as the genre of "folk" itself continues to outgrow the kind of linguistic boundaries that previously would have kept Woodhands and Owen Pallett from playing at the same concert.

Hillsiders welcomed the increasingly familiar Rural Alberta Advantage, who played an acoustic cover of "Eye of The Tiger" which was cozy and endearing, if not a little funny as visions of Sylvester Stallone in Rocky III inevitably crept into the minds of those who watched. Not exactly the comedic type, the RAA paid homage to the prairies as they so often do, stirring up mixed feelings for their hometown with a refreshing brand of folk. "It's kind of depressing but I hope you like it anyway", said lead singer Nils Edenloff before launching into Frank, AB, a song about Alberta's Frank Slide disaster.

Later, fans moved to the Main Stage with a magnetic pace at the sound of Owen Pallett's introductory plucking on 'Keep The Dog Quiet'. Given the outpour of applause for his recent Heartland LP, a later set time would have been well deserved, albeit unnecessary, as fans of Toronto's indie-golden child basked in the kind of concert that make even the audience experience catharsis. "This Is The Dream Of Win And Regine" from his debut effort Has A Good Home brought with it an air of poignancy, a rare occasion given the hockey arena it took place in. Pallett, who has a soft spot in the hearts of Hillsiders everywhere, closed the set with "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt", the same song that made Hillside magic last summer after defying demands from stage crews to cut his performance short due to a lightning storm.

And while not every set brought Hillsiders to tears, most brought them to their feet. Montreal act Socalled (aka Josh Dolgi) jammed on a keytar like a mad scientist concocting a formula of hip hop and klezmar, and Woodhands turned the Sleeman Centre into a rave before sending attendees into the night, proving once again that Hillside isn't just for folksters anymore. "We're always the odd one out at Hillside, which is exciting for us because it's all these awesome folk bands, and then us, so I think people get excited. We had a really good time last time", says Dan Werb, one half of the indietronica team. Reminiscing about last July's Hillside festival, drummer Paul Banwatt praised the crowd. "People were definitely ready to party and that made it pretty special. That show was really special just because of how excited the crowd was." And who was Banwatt most excited to see after he pulled double duty with both Woodhands and the Rural Alberta Advantage? "Owen Pallett. "He's just so good."

West coast electro-acoustic fiddle playing hip hoppers Delhi 2 Dublin turned Hillside Inside into a sweaty dance party before it was even dark outside with their energetic fusion of Bhangri and Celtic music. Says Tarun Nayar of D2D, "Last summer we played Hillside on the Sunday night in the pouring rain. We were in a tent so people just packed in to see us, probably more for the shelter than for the music. Hundreds of people crammed into a tent with thunder crashing outside and we just gave 'er". Hard to forget, Delhi 2 Dublin has discarded the outdated notions of musical categories to create a sound all their own, and kudos to them for that.

Hawksley Workman thanked the crowd for keeping him in business, and offered fans a Cheap Trick cover in return. Never the silent type, stories of drunken Tokyo bike rides and cigarettes in the bathtub were told before finishing up with "Dirty and True", from 2001's (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves.

Musical multi-tasker Afie Jurvanen, who performs as Bahamas, readied Hillsiders for Ani Di Franco's set, playing songs from his recent solo debut Pink Strat. Says Jurvanen of Hillside's unique atmosphere: "Everyone is feeling good, especially when the sun is shining. Even when its not, everyone is just so fucking pumped for you to be there. Maybe its cliché or something, but as a performer, when you can sense that people are really excited and when they're anticipating you, you're communicating. The audience is saying something to you and you're singing to them and they're responding and they're clapping and singing along. That's my favourite type of environment."

Moments after Bahamas' finished up, Ani Di Franco made her much anticipated return to Ontario and delivered a set that was both inspiring and fierce. "Thank you for being an example of a possibility" she said with regards to the legalization of gay marriage in Canada, something that the feminist icon has rallied in support of for years. Digging back into a high-caliber catalogue, Di Franco made it clear she's still queen of her own compost heap as she performed numbers such as "32 Flavors", "Imagine That" and "Splinter", satisfying the thirst of even the most longtime fan.

And while spirits were high and feelings were positive, the declining economical climate of Guelph, coupled with an understandable dislike of the cold, attendance dropped drastically compared to last year's wintertime jamboree, causing organizers to rethink what the future holds for Hillside Inside. Says Afie Jurvanen, "Some of that spirit from the summertime in the cold of February can be a nice reminder, like 'oh yeah, life here is pretty wicked. In the summer'." Certainly a reason to pile on your snowsuit and visit Guelph every February, Hillside Inside is, at the very least, the h'or d'oeuvre to the delicious musical feast that is Hillside.

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originally written for The Cord Weekly

Toronto: Hawksley Workman, the Great Lake Simmers and the Meligrove band playing free in Feb.

Edit: The Hawksley Workman and Great Lake Swimmers shows are on the same day - sad for us, sadder for the artists because people will have to choose.

Two in-stores and a free show at the Horseshoe are coming up in Toronto in early February - So if finances have been holding you back this is your chance to check out some great stuff for free. If cold weather has been holding you back - suck it up. You live in Canada and Toronto has gotten a pass on winter so far (there is no snow at all in my yard.)

First up February 5th at 6:30: The Great Lake Swimmers are playing a free instore at Sonic Boom (512 Bloor Street West) as far as I know there is no new release or anything that they are pushing but it's the Great Lake Swimmers and it's free - you should go. Details on Facebook.



Next, on February 6 5th at 6:00 Hawksley Workman is playing a free instore at Criminal Records (493 Queen St. West) - you may not have heard much for awhile, but Hawksley is back with a new album out (Meat) and another coming out in 2010 (Milk) catch him on the 6th for free and be out in plenty of time to hit New York Subway for dinner (it's great and cheap if you haven't been.) - Facebook.



Then on February 9 at 9 the Meligrove Band are playing a free show at the Horseshoe Tavern:

"We played a free show in December and a lot of people couldn't get in, including our own friends! So we're doing it again, playing at 9:10 PM sharp on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010. Songs from our forthcoming new LP (which we just finished), as well as some old favourites! See you soon!

http://facebook.com/meligroveband

Three other great bands are on the show as well. Those Darlins from Tennessee, Hacienda from Texas and Toronto's Invasions."

Facebook thingy here.

New Video: Hawksley Workman - We Dance to Yesterday

From the new Hawksley Workman digital releases Milk!

Q TV / Guitar Lesson by Hawksley Workman on Q TV

Free Holiday Sampler from Zunior

We shone our spotlight on this year's Zunior Christmas Album for the Daily Bread food bank last week, now Zunior has posted their bi-weeklyish Free Sampler with music from this year's Christmas album and Christmas albums past including tunes from the Kelele Brothers, Ben Gunning, the Violet Archers, Dan Bryk, Dave Clark, the American Dollar, Hawksley Workman, the Great Lake Swimmers, Baby Eagle and Raising the Fawn.

Go get it for free at http://www.zunior.com/product_info.php?products_id=2766

Hawksley Workman's "For Him and the Girls" Available in the US - 10 Years Later

Ten years after it's initial release Hawksley Workman's "For Him and the Girls" is finally available in the US (which just might put him in the running for the Grammy's best new artist.) Please let your friends in the states know, they have some catching up to do and need to get started.

Grab a copy of this in case they need convincing: Sweet Hallelujah (mp3)