Finland Archives | Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things

We have a winner in the 2021 World Heavy Metal Knitting Championship. (Spoiler: The Canadian entry didn’t win.)

Forget Euro soccer. Screw the Olympics. This is the competition that really matters this summer. Despite the pandemic, those crazy

Oh, those Finns. After spending so much of the year in darkness, summer brings long days and interesting ways of

It’s just like it sounds: competitors engaged in competitive knitting to the sounds of metal music. Sadly, COVID is forcing

The World Air Guitar Championships, the annual event in Oulu, Finland, is one today. Once again–for the 24th time–the best

The speaking tour continues. Tonight I’m in Kamloops. If you’re in the area, come on out. Details here. Give it

Oh, those Finns. After emerging from yet another dark, cold winter, they’re determined to have as much summer fun as

All hail Antton Puonti, who won Finland’s Got Talent (Talent Suomi in local parlance) by besting the competition with his fart sounds.

Last Sunday, I was in Halifax. Now I’m heading to Hong Kong today. I’m going so far west that I’ll

Here’s what I want to see: a battle to the death between the Teletubbies and Hevisaurus. My money is on

There’s a whole international process involved in approving emojis that is far, far more complicated that you might realize. But once

Every August, men and women who specialize in playing non-existent guitars descend on Oulu, Finland, to see which among them

Being your Authentic Self – Richard Crouse in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 035 July 2, 2021
You would be given a free pass if you forgot that before the rise of the social media influencer there were already pundits and personalities on TV, radio and print. There’s just been that much exponential change in the media business over the last 15 years. Yet today, those who were formerly the audience are […]
Mark Silver
The Business of Radio – Elliott Hurst in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 034 June 21, 2021
The commercialization of streaming audio is not a new phenomenon. Going back 100 years, it was simply known by another name, broadcasting. With the launch, rise and now transition to digital and apps, the business models of audio-preneurs have generally been the same, mostly because of the challenge of measurement, a problem audio’s cousin television […]
Mark Silver
The Custodian of Toronto Sports – Richard Peddie in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 033 May 27, 2021
Over a 20+ year span, as the Toronto pro sports scene evolved from older venues and stands filled with blue and white (Leafs, Blue Jays, Argonauts) to a more intense red (Raptors, TFC), and grand coliseums that define the city’s skyline, there is one sports executive in particular who ownership looked to. We’re of course […]
Mark Silver