A Mod Invasion on the Roots Rock Rebel show

When you want to listen to music on the radio that stays clear from the commercial crap that spews from the public airways these days, you have to dig deep. In the last few years, I've turned to some of the best free podcasts the web has to offer. Shows like Dave Smith's Soul and Reggae Show out of the UK, Mr. Suave's Mod Mod World out of the USA, Bonjour Mr Phelps direct from France and the UK based The Modcast are all worth a listen.

I certainly don't see myself returning to the days when I walked my dog Jedi, two times a day, without my indispensable iPod. I can live without a lot of things, but not without my iPod. But when it comes to the trusty FM radio, the Roots Rock Rebel show on CKUT 90.3 FM has a lot to offer. Host Aaron Lakoff will have you hooked on a well balanced diet of Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Soul and good old fashion Punk Rock. I always admire people who give the local alternative scene a platform and a place to shine without neglecting the classics. I believe we both have that in common.

So it was quite a pleasure for me to be asked to join him on his Wednesday night rumba. I got to spend half an hour spreading the word of Mod and spinning a few 45s. Of course it's hard to span three generations of Modernism in 30 minutes and you are doomed to only scratch the surface but I had a great time.

Like on any live show, you are bound to make a couple of dumb mistakes. First, when I played my 7" reissue of The High Numbers , I forgot that it's actually played at 33rpm. It's a good thing I caught my mistake in the first few seconds or the listeners would have heard a sped up version of Zuit Suit. No harm, no foul. Plus, the way the decks were set up, they weren't close to the microphones. So when I attempted to bring one closer so I could chat between tracks, it broke off the stand. I was left holding the mic the rest of the set. You have to love live radio!

Regardless of the goofy mishaps and the fact that I'm not as comfortable speaking in English as I am in French, I hope to be invited again some time soon. I was very grateful for the opportunity I was given to introduce the blog to the airwaves.

If you want to hear the show, it's available for download here. I was on the March 30th show.

Root Rock Rebel archives

Make sure to tune in live to Roots Rock Rebel on CKUT 90.3 FM every Wednesday night from 10:30 to midnight. You can also stream the show on the web. http://www.ckut.ca/ For the latest news, gossip and info, check out the CKUT's Roots Rock Rebel Facebook group.