After a career mentoring emerging Canadian artists, our first guest is now ready to restart his very own successful musical career. Russ Kelley, former Canada Council music chief returns to the music scene with the launch of his album, Crazy Shades of Blue.  He will be in person in studio with us and then taking to the NAC Fourth Stage on Wednesday, June 19.

We’ll also be chatting with David Bowie-approved band, In-Flight Safety. Yes, apparently, they received a nod from the almighty himself. With an upcoming new album set for release this summer, these East Coast favorites are in town to entertain you at Zaphod’s tonight.

Also cued up for spins:
Faraway Neighbours who are playing at the Blacksheep Inn tomorrow with the Sunparlour Players.
Wintersleep who are in at Maverick's tonight.

We'll squeeze in as much music as we can. Tune in at 5 pm every Friday in Ottawa at 89.1 fm or on-line from anywhere at www.chuo.fm.

It's looking a library-rock kinda of a show today. Get your uber-cool on, slip into your favorite sandals and grab a cup of organic herbal tea. It's going to be a wild ride!  All kidding aside, I am very pleased to present two amazing Canadian west-coast bands on HTF today.

AIDAN KNIGHT: Victoria, BC songwriter Aidan Knight has a new EP, Telecommunicate. It is based on the true story of Robin Van Helsum. Nicknamed “Forest Boy” by international media, Van Helsum was a troubled runaway who
convinced the world that he lived alone in the woods for 5 years. It turned out to be a hoax. Aidan Knight is coming to the Blacksheep Inn on Thursday, May 23. (That is not a hoax!) 

MORLOVE: Vancouver Island-based songwriters Emily Millard (Miss Emily Brown) and Corwin Fox are Morlove.  The ambitious song-writing process behind their new concept album was inspired and guided by natural and man-made patterns so the making-of is as interesting as the finished result. Hear all about it first-hand and then catch them at The Gallery Recording Studios later tonight.

It's a long weekend - let me help you get it off to a great start! Tune in at 89.1 FM in Ottawa or on-line at CHUO.fm from 5 to 6 pm.

Did you know that the advent of the transistor radio back in the '50s is responsible for the popularization of Rock and Roll itself? Suddenly, portable radios were available to teenagers in North America, Europe and other parts of the world, who by then had enough disposable income to afford the devices. Things have evolved dramatically since then and today we have so many options for listening to the wide array of musical genres that beg for our attention. This is where college/community radio plays an important niche role.  These grass-roots, volunteer-based stations, expose listening audiences to the DIY scene and targeted content. 

Clearly, you already appreciate the value of CHUO if you are reading this. But CHUO cannot provide quality content without some form of financial funding.  So yep - this is the time of year when I come knocking on your virtual door or ear drums and ask you to drop a few coins in our hats.  Hop The Fence will be celebrating 10 years on air in a few months.  10 years! That's 520 Fridays of programming! Just for you - For your listening pleasure!  Please help keep independent music and radio alive and well by making a pledge! 

Speaking of transistor radios, this week's special guest has a deep appreciation for what the magical device has bestowed upon our modern world.  With his latest disc entitled 6 Volts (the size of battery required to power portable radios of days gone by), Fred Eaglesmith blends country, blues, folk and rock and roll. Tune in at 5 pm to hear all about this exceptional Canadian storytelling troubadour. He will be appearing at the Blacksheep Inn on Saturday.

Details on how to donate to CHUO:
As a token of our appreciation, for any $25 donation or more we will give you a "Friends of CHUO" card that offers discounts at many of your favorite local businesses here in Ottawa. And of course, I have loads CDs to give away in return for your donation. 

Here's how you can reach me:
By email:  to hopthefence@hotmail.com and let me know how much you'd like to pledge. Include your mailing address and phone no. We will send you an invoice.  
By phone: Call me today during the show from 5 to 6 p.m. (EDT) at 613-562-5968. Credit cards also accepted.
In person: You are always welcome to drop by the studio in person, take a tour, pay your pledge and pick-up your prize. 

Thank you for supporting your community radio. 
.......
Decade-ant volunteer dj anne-marie
Host/Producer, Hop The Fence
Fridays @ 5
CHUO 89.1 Ottawa

It's the coldest time of year up here in Canada. But fearless as we are, and always open to any excuse to party, we have concocted a music festival called In The Dead of Winter. It takes place in Halifax, N.S. in January and also in the heart of Wakefield, Quebec, this weekend, Feb. 7-9. Now in its second year, you can come warm your toes and ears in the coziest venue in the land, The Blacksheep Inn.

On tonight's program, I will be speaking with Sarah MacDougall who will be taking the stage on Saturday night. A rising star on Canada's folk scene, Sarah's gentle songs are sure to warm your heart and your frozen extremities. Her new album, The Greatest Ones Alive, features 10 touching songs that showcase her talent as an emerging artist.

Join us at 5 pm on 89.1 FM in Ottawa or online at CHUO.fm

This Sunday, performing a the Irving Greenberg Theatre, are a couple who met through their mutual love of music. They are Don Ross, who recently released his 14th solo album and Brooke Miller who has released her fifth album entitled Familiar, a collection of acoustic ballads. Don is a highly respected guitarist who won the U.S. National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship twice, while Brooke started out as a singer in a punk band in P.E.I. when she was 12. She has since developed a reputation as a songwriter and guitarist, winning the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals' 2007 Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award. They are now married and living in Montreal.  Brooke will be coming to the studio today to delight us with a live performance.

There's lots going on in town this weekend. Apparently our awesome Canadian musicians are impervious to the Ottawa Valley's glacial temperatures. I'll be spinning tunes by Rae Spoon (NAC on Saturday), The Acorn (tonight at the Blacksheep), Jack Pine and the Fire (tonight at Irene's), Lindi Ortega and Dustin Bentall (Sunday at the Blacksheep), and more if we have time.

All the fun starts at 5 pm today on 89.1 fm in Ottawa or on-line at CHUO.FM.

(Irving Greenberg Theatre is at 1233 Wellington St. West. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and are available online at www.blackboxseries.ca or by calling 613-236-5196.)
.......
anne-marie
Host/Producer, Hop The Fence
Fridays @ 5
CHUO 89.1 Ottawa

It doesn't get much more Canadian than this: four seasons. Love 'em or hate 'em, we can consider ourselves fortunate to have four very distinct seasons in our Canadian climate. Another typical Canadian trait is that we have an amazing DIY music scene here and we're all so darned nice to each other!

Shannon Rose & the Thorns exemplify the Canadian spirit with their "Seasons" CD. It is a compilation of four EPs, one for each season in which they were written and recorded. In order to pull them all together in the form of a full-length double CD, the band reached out to friends and fans in, what turned out to be, a highly successful crowd-funding campaign. Creative. Innovative. Introspective. Delightful. Hot/ Cold/ Warm/ Cool.

We are pleased to welcome (once again) Shannon Rose to the CHUO studio today at 5 p.m. The band performs at the Blacksheep Inn Sunday afternoon at 4 pm.

As if that wasn't enough, Ottawa will be graced by the presence of 3 past Polaris Prize nominees (F*cked Up, Yamantaka/Sonic Titan and A Tribe Called Red). I'll be sure to spin some of their tunes and much more. 

Kick start your weekend with me on CHUO 89.1 FM in Ottawa or on-line at www.CHUO.FM

.......
anne-marie
Host/Producer, Hop The Fence
Fridays @ 5
CHUO 89.1 Ottawa

Tonight we'll be steeped in the heat of southern roots blues country. We have plans to chat with Toronto based musician, Pete Lambert who will be in town this weekend as part of The Haggard playing with Samantha Martin at The Blacksheep Inn.

Pete drums for The Haggard is also part of The Kensington Hillbillys, a band whose repertoire consists mainly of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard cover songs. The band recently played The Fuji Rocks festival in Japan. In 2010, one their original tracks was featured in Canadian film production, Trigger, directed by noted Bruce McDonald.

Pete has lots of stories to tell us about adventures on the road around the world.

Tune in at 5 pm today in Ottawa on 89.1 FM or on-line at CHUO.fm

Happy 2013 to you !

After almost 10 years of Hop The Fence, I am surprised that today's guest has never appeared on our fine program. Better late, than never!

Craig Cardiff has been busy songwriting and performing for well over 15 years. Highly involved with the local community, he has played over 500 house concerts and alternate venues. His latest disc, called Floods and Fires, earned him a Juno nomination. He will be taking the stage at The Blacksheep Inn this weekend - both on Saturday and Sunday. But first he's coming to the CHUO studio to meet us and you are invited to eavesdrop!

Tune in at 5 p.m. today on 89.1 FM or on-line at CHUO.FM  We'll have lots of great tunes on deck to help you get your weekend started right.

I'm very pleased to let you in on a conversation I’ll be having this evening with one of Canada’s great song writers, Jason Collett. We have witnessed Jason grow from indie-rocker with Broken Social Scene to mentor of younger bands like Zeus.

Mixing artistry with politics, Jason has released a new disc called, “Reckon”.  Recorded at Revolution Recording Studios in Toronto, the album was produced by Howie Beck and includes guest appearances by Afie Jurvanen (Bahamas), Basia Bulat, Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) and  Zeus.

Jason will be performing at the Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield Saturday, October 6th.

Don't miss it. Tune in to 89.1 FM in Ottawa or on-line at www.chuo.fm on Friday October 5 at 5 p.m.

With a line-up of accomplished musicians, it's not hard to consider The Bills as a super group of sorts. The core group Marc Atkinson, Chris Frye, Adrian Dolan and Richard Moody plus Joey Smith, Joby Baker and Oliver Swain are all interconnected with the best in the industry having worked or shared stages with the Chieftain's, the Wailin' Jennys, Barney Bentall, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Cleao Laine, etc etc. the list goes on.

Their new album, Yes Please, is filled with humour and imagination featuring the extraordinary sounds of fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, viola, accordion, piano and more !  Have a listen tonight on Hop The Fence on CHUO 89.1 FM in Ottawa and then go see them at the Blacksheep Inn on September 13 !

Happy long weekend to everyone!!!