Song of the Week: Bonus Track - Greg Brown

Greg Brown - The Poet Game
Album: The Poet Game

After posting a fantastic new folk song from Greg Trooper this past Friday with the Song of the Week, I found it only fitting to add another classic folk song for the weekend.

Singer-songwriter Greg Brown, from Fairfield, Iowa, has also had a long and distinguished career in music including over two dozen albums.  Back in 1994, his album The Poet Game won him his second Indie award from NAIRD (National Association for Independent Record Distributors) and he has won a slew of independent music awards since. His latest album, Freak Flag, was released earlier this year.

Song of the Week - Greg Trooper

Greg Trooper - They Call Me Hank
Album: Upside-Down Town

After a long and busy week, nothing is more relaxing soft guitar and soothing lyrics. Earlier this year, folk lovers were treated to New Jersey native Greg Trooper releasing his tenth album, Upside-Down Town. Trooper has found himself living living in Texas, Kansas, New York, and Nashville since leaving high school, and one can feel the long road of travelling in his voice. Inspired by legends Bob Dylan and Hank Williams, Trooper has that same storytelling power in his lyrics, making one stop in their tracks and really listen.

Song of the Week - Coconut Records

Coconut Records - Microphone
Album: Davy

I want to be Jason Schwartzman's best friend. The man is beyond hilarious, beyond talented. Anyone debating his sense of humour need look no further than his New Yorker promo for the iPad. His success in film is solidified merely by being a staple actor in almost every Wes Anderson movie, and he has found a new niche on televsion starring in the HBO show Bored to Death, now entering its 2nd season and also featuring Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis.

Acting clearly isn't Schwartzman's only forte. His solo musical project, in the form of Coconut Records, already has two full length albums. His first album, Nighttiming, found several of his songs in major motion pictures such as Spider-Man 3, Funny People, and Cloverfield. His songs have appeared in numurous television shows, and Schwartzmen even produced the theme song for his aforementioned HBO show Bored to Death. If you just find him doing anything, odds are you will be more than impressed. Go buy his CDs, go watch his movies. If I talk him up enough, maybe he'll become my friend.


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The EdgeWalk: A Thrill for Some, Too Much for Others

Starting this August, Toronto’s CN Tower, once proud owner of the title “World’s Tallest Freestanding Building”, will be adding a new feature to the tower: the EdgeWalk. Quite simply, it is a 20-30 minute hands-free walk around of the tower at 356 metres above the city. These walkers will find themselves just above the restaurant at the top, strapped into the building while wearing a special outfit harnessing them to the building. From there, they are free to lean forward and look down at the city below, all without any glass or screen blocking their view. In other words, it’s terrifying. 

When I first told a friend of mine about the EdgeWalk, she replied quite simply: “That sounds like a bad idea.” Surely safety must be at the primary concern of most people, but the safety standards have apparently surpassed expectations according to the official website. Others might determine that the $175 price tag is a bit too much for the thrill. I would argue that what good is money if not for a grand and unforgettable experience.