How music changed my life..

Apres Les Breastfeeders, originally uploaded by Cody La Bière.

This is long.. but frankly, I haven't been a fan of music for that long, usually we like music at a fairly young age. However for me, I didn't start to like music until around 1998, at the age of 13. I never had been a fan of music prior to that mainly because we only had farmervision and my parents didn't really ever listen to the radio.

The first band I ever became a fan of was Sloan, their hit Money City Maniacs was dominating the charts in Canada. I loved how it sounded, starting off with that alarm. Who knew this song would be one of many that changed my life.

Fast forward a year to 1999, Lenny Kravitz has a mega-success (and a grammy) with his cover of American Woman, this song would change my life. I didn't realize that this song by Mr Kravitz was actually originally a song by a group from Winnipeg! I became a big fan of the Guess Who almost immediately. I even watched the Guess Who's first concert in almost 20 years live on TV while they were playing at the Pan Am Games closing ceremonies.

The Guess Who changed my life. I was able to branch out my musical tastes, from there I became a fan of Neil Young, Big Sugar, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Trooper, and from there.. it exploded.

At this time, I was a numismatist.. an expert on coin collecting, and no I will not buy that penny off of you for a dollar. I still more than you ever will about it. I even published SEVERAL articles, and even won awards for it.. but when I started to discover music.. I had no more time for numismatics.

Over time I became bigger fan of music, I saw the Guess Who, Alice Cooper, and a few other bands over time.. but since I lived at the farm.. I couldn't really go to concerts. When I finally got to university, I was going on regular trips to Winnipeg just so I could see a live show!

I discovered a website called CBC Radio 3 back in June 2003, I found out the site thanks through Macromedia (now Adobe) profiling the site as their site of the month. I was a fan of their combination of stories plus with untapped Canadian music. That's where I first heard the Weakerthans. How would I have known that this site would have changed my life alot?

Well this site CBC Radio 3 started podcasting a weekly music program once a week back in spring of 2005, I listened since the same week it first came out.. although I'm many many many months behind as it is. Thanks to CBC Radio 3, I was able to branch out my tastes even more. From there I discovered bands such as Novillero, The New Pornographers, Weakerthans (as I said before) and Stars.

In 2006 I took a "French Music" course in university, we learned the music of Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg (featuring Bridgette Bardot for many songs), and Quebec legend Robert Charlebois, we were expected to know what the songs were about, the theme, etc. This is where I developed an interest in French music, and honestly.. I like to think I'm an expert at some of it. I became a HUGE fan of the Quebec scene.

I went to Quebec City for the first time in 2006, they have a concert festival there every year called the Festival d'été (Summer Festival), the fest features big name acts to local up and coming acts. One of the bands on the list was called "Les Dales Hawerchuk", I nearly peed myself laughing when I saw that. However only weeks later I discovered bande à part. I became a huge fan of not only that band, but also Les Trois Accords, Les Breastfeeders, and many others.

I've written many reviews, blogged alot, taken alot of photos, met many bands, been interviewed through CBC and through other mediums about music. I've been told that I need to get into the music industry. Maybe one day.. maybe one day.

Music is in my soul, its in my blood, I have made more friends though music than I ever have through politics clubs or though university courses. I've even met people randomly at concerts (such as Le B!)

I am so greatful that music has influenced my life, it's that one thing that has always been there. Whether I'm homesick in Quebec City to facing a breakup to being bored driving down the Trans Canada heading back to Pipestone.

I'm thankful for the friends I have met thanks to music, some of them are musicians themselves. I have made alot of connections, I have gotten alot of great opportunities thanks to music. One day I hope to meet Mr Grant Lawrence and Mr R3-30 in person, as I've heard their voices on the interweb, on CBC Radio 2, and through podcasts for many many years, they seem like a member of the family to me, since I hear them so often.

I heart music, whether it's music in joual to music in three different languages (ala We Are Wolves/Nous Sommes Loups). Vive la musique!