Spirit of the West Archives - Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things

The Ongoing History of New Music, encore presentation: Musicians with disabilities

The human body can be both very strong and very fragile. Given its complexity, it generally works pretty well. But

About a decade ago, I sat in vineyard amphitheatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake watching an acoustic performance by Jim Cuddy, Tom Cochrane,

John Mann, the frontman for Spirit of the West, continues to battle early-onset Alzheimer’s. He was diagnosed at 51 and

John Mann was the face of Spirit of the West, the band behind this iconic Canadian party song. John has

Canada is the sixth-largest music market in the world. Only the US, Japan, the UK, Germany and France are bigger.

As John Mann, the singer for Spirit of the West, continues to live with early-onset dementia, his friends have come

While Canada exports a ton of music to the world, there are some songs and acts that for whatever reason,

My brother and sisters throughout Corus Radio were asked to compile a list of 50 legendary Canadian songs and then

One of the most poignant music stories of the past couple of years has been that of John Mann, the

Happy 9th birthday, iPhone! And now, the music news. Iggy Pop has some interesting advice for the advertising industry. Seriously,

If you know of anyone who has been beset by dementia and Alzheimer’s, you’ll know how tragic it can be.

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