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

Not too many musicians can claim to have excelled in SKA, funk, jump-jive, R&B and toured world stages in various guises to finally settle in as respected Jazz artist. And I haven’t even mentioned the Tom Waits connection yet.  Well if variety is the spice of life, my guest on today’s program, has enjoyed a zesty career over the past few decades.

Ottawa native singer, trombonist, composer, producer and arranger Steve Berndt is now a fixture on the Ottawa jazz scene.  With a new full-length disc called Déjà Vu in hand, The Steve Berndt Trio are performing this evening at the Brookstreet Hotel. 

Treat your ears to some tasty nuggets today beginning at 5 pm on 89.1 FM in Ottawa or on-line: www.CHUO.fm
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Jazzy-jive dj, anne-marie
Host/Producer, Hop The Fence
Fridays @ 5
CHUO 89.1 Ottawa

www.hopthefence.ca
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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

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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 !