Heck Of A Guy

The Friday Finale Of CBC Week At Heck Of A Guy

While collecting information about the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in preparation for publishing Leonard Cohen On CBC – Tuning In From The US earlier this week, I happened onto Concerts on Demand, an eclectic, easy to access library of data streamed performances available to listeners¹ without charge on the web site of CBC Radio Two.²

One can search the huge (916 entries this morning) archive by artist, genre (musical genres represented include Pop, Blues, Classical, Jazz, World, Folk, R&B, Soul, and Bluegrass), date, key word, or event. Concert notes routinely offer descriptions of the performers and tracks, links to related sites, photos, and, frequently, information about the venues.

I spotted k.d. lang and Holly Cole, two of my favorite female vocalists, on the Concerts On Demand listing to present as examples.

k.d. lang at the Courthouse

The February 21, 2008 k.d. lang concert at the Courthouse in Toronto featured songs from her self-produced Watershed album. As the Concerts On Demand web site points out,

It is also k.d. lang’s first album of newly-written material since 2000’s “Invincible Summer,” and her first studio album since 2004’s acclaimed Canadian songbook “Hymns of the 49th Parallel.”

While the tracks include some of her most popular, such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Jane Siberry’s “Valley,” and Neil Young’s “Hopeless,” I’ve chosen a less well known but delightful song to feature:

Smoke Rings – k.d. lang

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Track Listing:

1. Upstream – k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
2. Helpless – Neil Young (composer)
3. Thread – k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
4. Western Stars – Chris Isaak (composer)
5. I Dream Of Spring -k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
6. Coming Home -k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
7. Once In A While – k d Lang (composer)
8. Wash Me Clean – k d Lang (composer)
9. Sunday – Teddy Borowiecki (composer), k d Lang (composer)
10. Smoke Rings – Eugene Gifford (composer), Ned Washington (composer)
11. Valley – Jane Siberry (composer)
12. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (composer)
13. Flame Of The Uninspired – k d Lang (composer), Ben Mink (composer)
14. Constant Craving – k d Lang (compsoer), Ben Mink (composer)
15. Close Your Eyes – Teddy Borowiecki (composer), k d Lang (composer), Greg Leisz (composer), David Piltch (composer)

The k.d. lang concert information and streaming audio can be found at Concerts On Demand: k.d. lang

The February 21, 2008 k.d. lang concert at the Courthouse in Toronto featured songs from her self-produced Watershed album. As the Concerts On Demand web site points out,

It is also k.d. lang’s first album of newly-written material since 2000’s “Invincible Summer,” and her first studio album since 2004’s acclaimed Canadian songbook “Hymns of the 49th Parallel.”

While the tracks include some of her most popular, such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Jane Siberry’s “Valley,” and Neil Young’s “Hopeless,” I’ve chosen a less well known but delightful song to feature:

Smoke Rings – k.d. lang

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Track Listing:

1. Upstream – k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
2. Helpless – Neil Young (composer)
3. Thread – k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
4. Western Stars – Chris Isaak (composer)
5. I Dream Of Spring -k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
6. Coming Home -k d Lang (composer), David Piltch (composer)
7. Once In A While – k d Lang (composer)
8. Wash Me Clean – k d Lang (composer)
9. Sunday – Teddy Borowiecki (composer), k d Lang (composer)
10. Smoke Rings – Eugene Gifford (composer), Ned Washington (composer)
11. Valley – Jane Siberry (composer)
12. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (composer)
13. Flame Of The Uninspired – k d Lang (composer), Ben Mink (composer)
14. Constant Craving – k d Lang (compsoer), Ben Mink (composer)
15. Close Your Eyes – Teddy Borowiecki (composer), k d Lang (composer), Greg Leisz (composer), David Piltch (composer)

The k.d. lang concert information and streaming audio can be found at Concerts On Demand: k.d. lang

Holly Cole at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre

Holly Cole’s October 13, 2007 performance at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre, a vintage venue in Winnipeg where Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers once played, is a mix of some of the strongest pieces from her repertoire. Among those are two songs by Tom Waits, one of which, “Invitation to the Blues,” has always resonated with me.

Invitation To The Blues – Holly Cole

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Track Listing:

1. [applause + welcome]
2. Charade – Henry Mancini
3. Invitation to the Blues – Tom Waits
4. On the Sunny Side of the Street – Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields
5. Shiver Me Timbers – Tom Waits
6. Larger Than Life – Holly Cole
7. That Old Black Magic – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
8. Get Out Of Town – Cole Porter
9. Someone to Watch Over Me – George and Ira Gershwin
10. The House is Haunted – Basil Adlam, Billy Rose
11. I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
12. You’ve Got A Secret – Holly Cole

The Holly Cole concert information and streaming audio can be found at
Concerts On Demand: Holly Cole

Concerts On Demand

The home page for Concerts On Demand, from which all the offerings can be accessed, is CBC Radio Two Concerts on Demand

Credit Due Department
All photos of performers are from the Concerts On Demand web site.

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1. While it’s not explicitly stated, Concerts On Demand is clearly designed as an offering to the U.S. Have you ever met a Canadian impolite enough to demand anything? [↩]
2. As Wikipedia notes, CBC Radio 2 is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Previously concentrating on classical music and jazz, during 2007 and 2008 the network transitioned towards a new “adult music” format with a variety of genres, with the previously-dominant classical genre generally restricted to midday hours on weekdays. The description of CBC Radio Two from its web site follows: On September 2, Canadians woke up to the sound of an all new Canadian adult music network as CBC Radio 2 launched a revitalized schedule, including four new programs and four new genre-specific online music channels. The new Radio 2 brings listeners what they won’t hear anywhere else on Canadian airwaves – a unique range of commercial-free Canadian and international music, from roots to urban, jazz to classical. CBC Radio 2 also launched four new online music channels, dedicated to classical, jazz, Canadian songwriters and Canadian composers. Each delivers a steady stream of quality programmed music. These streams enhance CBC Radio 2′s comprehensive and music offerings that includes blogs, music podcasts, concerts on demand, and live streaming of concerts and special events [↩]