Out for the season

The Great Banana Hoax has gone the way of Erie Otters forward Michael Liambas - we're out for the season. The picture above is the aftermath of a hit that Liambas threw on Kitchener Rangers' Ben Fanelli (who is about 30 pounds lighter than Liambas). Things have been getting busier and busier, and between band commitments, work and just life in general, I'm not able to dedicate as much time to the GBH as I'd like to.

In the interim, please take time to check out some other great radio programs on the mighty CJSR FM 88.5 in Edmonton.

25 to Life - 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Hilariously pretentious rap commentary.

Frustration Rock - 7 p.m. on Tuesdays. Mike Deane plays obscure Canadian garage rock and obscure Canadian weirdness.

Bass Culture - 8 p.m. on Mondays. Mick Sleeper spins reggae, roots and dub. Soon come.

Also, check out my band KRANG.

It's been a slice.

Yeesh

The winds of tyme have carried us back - hark! The Great Banana Hoax has returned after a summer hiatus. Between camping, road trips, parties, gigs and sleeps (oh, sleep), it was a busy and fun-filled off-season. Well, the NHL pre-season has started, the NFL is underway and the MLB and CFL are on the march to the post-season. Things are once again happening in the world of sports, which means your adventerous co-hosts will be there to bring you unique, college-radio-oriented opinions and musings on what's happening on the ice, on the pitch, on the diamond and everywhere in between.

And of course slathered in between are tunes of the psychedelic, punk and garage genre that you will only hear on the mighty CJSR FM 88.5 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The man in the picture above is Oilers head coach Pat Quinn, during his playing days with the Atlanta Flames. The Goilers have gone 3-2 so far this pre-season, most recently dropping a game to the Islanders of New York - honourary St. Paul, Min. cop Dwayne Roloson's new team. Pre-pubescent draft star John Tavares got his first NHL point. I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty more from the kid this season.

I like what I'm seeing so far from the Oilers. Their back-end looks sturdy (as it should be), and there is some stiff competition to fill the forward roster spots. Regardless of what happens, the Oilers should be in good shape come opening day, and just as noteworthy is that their farm team, the Falcons of Springfield, will be chalk-full of potential call-ups and AHL pluggers. If the Oilers want to have any success rebuilding this team, they'll need a strong farm team.

Most (if not all) of the Oilers pre-season games are being streamed live on edmontonoilers.com. It's funny - you get the audio from 630 CHED when the plays going on, and when it stops (or there's a commercial break or intermission), you get the sound from the Rexall jumbotron. I've never seen so many smooch cams in my life. As well as the camera panning to a 14-year-old teen with her dad while Warrant's "Sweet Cherry Pie" blares over the loudspeaker. Hmmmm.

After fumbling around with the board, we managed to get roving sports reporter Darnell Jenkins on the air. It was quite some time since we last spoke, and it so happened Darnell was back home somewhere in Canada. Interesting fact: The Toronto Blue Jays give out a free slice of pizza to everyone at the park if the Jays' pitchers record nine strikeouts in a game. Unfortunately for Darnell, the game he went against the Anaheim Angels yielded a measley eight K's. No pizza this time.

In no particular order, here are the songs we spun on the last show.

1. Blue Cheer - "Parchment Farm" - Vincebus Eruptum
2. Comets on Fire - "The Unicorn Ice Age" - Blue Cathedral (bonus disc)
3. Sleepy Sun - Side A - White Dove 7''
4. *Brave Belt - "Crazy Arms, Crazy Eyes" - Brave Belt
5. Yes - "Starship Trooper" - The Yes Album
6. *Simply Saucer - "Illegal Bodies" - Cyborg's Revisited
7. *Myelin Sheaths - "What's Yer Diagnosis? (Pyschosis)" - Myelin Sheaths
8. *The Moby Dicks - "Always Be Around" - The Moby Dicks
9. Loose Endz - "Easy Rider" - An Overdose of Heavy Psych
10. The Move - "Don't Make My Baby Blue" - Heavy Nuggets
11. *Painted Ship - "Little White Lies" - 25 Little White Lies - Canada Psych 1966-1972
12. Dead Meadow - "Dusty Nothing" - Howl From the Hills
13. Dead Moon - "Psychadelic Nightmare" - Echoes of the Past
14. *Deadcity Serpents - "Fight" - The Zombie Threat
15. The Lamps - "Hey Girl" - The Lamps
16. *Feral Children - "Dance Machine" - Currents E.P.


*denotes Canadian artist

September 23 - October 3 is the annual CJSR fundraising campaign, FunDrive. If you are a listener to CJSR, and want to support listener-driven community radio, consider donating. You can call in between the 23rd and 3rd (780-492-2577) or donate online at www.cjsr.com

Jordan and I will be joining Carrie of The Carrie Show on Sunday, September 27 for a special FunDrive broadcast. Tune in, dial your phone and donate!

Until next time, keep fit and have fun!

Mem'ries

Thanks for tuning into another episode of The Great Banana Hoax. The man in the picture is former Toronto's Most Eligible Bachelor and Jays' third baseman Kelly Gruber, one of my boyhood baseball heroes. He was the first Jay to hit for the cycle, and was an important cog in the machine that led to two World Series' pennants in the early 90s.

Since they won back-to-back championships, not one Jays team has qualified for the playoffs. Playing in arguably the toughest division in baseball, the Jays not only have to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees, but now with the upstart Tampa Bay Rays, who after dropping the 'Devil' from their name, are becoming hotter than a Roberto Alomar temper tantrum.

The early 90s were a glorious time for baseball in Canada, based soley on the performance of the Jays. You'd be hard-pressed not to find anyone who doesn't remember Joe Carter hitting that series-winning homerun off Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams. Personally, I'll never understand why Otis Nixon, ol' Leatherface, tried to bunt his way onto first for the final out in the Jays first World Series win. Joe Carter, first baseman at the time, factored in the final out.

I'm talkin' Jays because my co-host Jordan attended a Blue Jays game last week - retro night to be exact. AND, it was a retrospective on the two World Series teams. All the greats were on hand - Carter, Alomar, Molitor and of course...Maldonado!

In other news, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane was arrested for allegeldy punching a cab driver over, like a dollar in change for a fare. What is this Pat, the AJHL? More to come on this, I'm sure...

I was flyin' solo for the show, although I did chat with Jordan on the phone, LIVE on-air. Turns out he caught the Ti-Cats/Eskimos game at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Once again, psychedelic/garage/punk tunes dominated the CJSR airwaves during The Great Banana Hoax. Here's a list of songs played, in no particular order (artist, song, album):

1. Love - "A House is Not A Motel" - Forever Changes
2. Twentieth Century Zoo - "You Don't Remember - An Overdose of Heavy Psych
3. The Vagrants - "Final Hour" - The Great Lost Album (Collection of 7'' singles)
4. Capt. Beefheart and his Magic Band - "Yellow Brick Road" - Safe as Milk
5. Comets on Fire - "Sour Smoke" - Avatar
6. Stevenson Ranch Davidians - "Let It All Go" - from their Myspace
7. *Endangered Ape - "Tales of Survivalist Horror Parts 1, 2 and 3" - from their Myspace
8. *Gold Rush - "Ghost in the Night" - EP
9. Hot Snakes - "Paid in Cigarettes" - Suicide Invoice
10. *The Wicked Awesomes - "SPACE" - from their Myspace
11. *The Plastic Cloud - "Bridge Under the Sky" - The Plastic Cloud
12. *The Guess Who - "Love and a Yellow Rose" - Wheatfield Soul
13. The Byrds - "Natural Harmony" and "Draft Morning" - The Notorious Byrd Brothers
14. The Byrds - "Nothing Was Delivered" - Sweethearts of the Rodeo
15. Soft Black - "The Earth is Black" - The Earth is Black
16. The Black Keys - "Modern Times" - Magic Potion
17. Ten Years After - "I'm Going Home" - Undead
18. Sleepy Sun - Side A - White Dove 7''
19. Dead Meadow - "Everything's Goin' On" - Howls from the Hills
20. Os Mutantes - "A Minha Menina" - Everything is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes

Until next time folks.

Couple'a canned hams

Hey everyone! Thank you for tuning to the latest episode of The Great Banana Hoax. Darnell Jenkins made it to the CJSR studio for the ENTIRE show, after an adventure in Atlantic City, or New Jersey, or...somewhere.

It was a laugh-filled affair as we paid tribute to a number of athletes who recently called it quits. Some, like Av's company man Joe Sakic, retired from the sport; while others, like Steve McNair and Arturo Gatti, retired from life.

The much-anticipated UFC 100 happened a couple days ago. Canadian GSP came out with the decision in a five-round slobberknocker. The other title fight, in the heavyweight division, saw man-beast Brock Lesnar beat the FUCK out of Frank Mir. I especially enjoyed Lesnar's victory speech, rife with allusions to nonexistent beer endorsements, orifice penetration and rough sex with his wife. At least he offered an apology. Thank you to listener Shane for informing us that Lesnar did not even make it to the Olympics. Apparently they test for steroids...Regardless, Lesnar is a freak. A broadsword-tattooed freak.

Other topics we discussed included the recent lackluster performance by the Blue Jays. The all-star break is upon the MLB, and the Jays are in dire need of some time off to give their ruffled feathers a shake. Two words: CANDY MALDONADO.

As I'm updating this entry, and actually proofreading it, the Home Run Derby is on in the background. Prince Fielder placed one 497 feet from the plate. And now, Joe Buck is being interviewed. I've always loved watching the home run derby. Reminds me of my all-time favourite Super Nintendo game.

We also discussed, in greater detail than was necessary, former CFL QB and current TSN analyst Matt Dunigan. Not only did he have a class mullet in his heyday, he hosts his own barbeque-themed reality show!

Once again, here are the songs we played, in no particular order (artist, song, album):

1. Plastic Crimewave Sound - "Shockwave Rider" - from their Myspace
2. *Mount Analogue - "Hospital Life" - from their Myspace
3. Weather Report - "Cucumber Slumber" - Mysterious Traveller
4. The Blues Project - "I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes" - Anthology
5. Fairport Convention - "Come All Ye" - Best Of
6. *Feral Children - "Dance Machine" - Currents E.P.
7. *Pink Mountaintops - "Holiday" - Outside Love
8. Vanilla Fudge - "Ticket to Ride" - Vanilla Fudge
9. *Z Prime - "Dave" - Loaner 4's

*denotes Canadian artist

The next episode of The Great Banana Hoax will air July 26.

July 12, 2009

As originally posted, The Great Banana Hoax was supposed to take a hiatus and return July 26. Recently, Jordan and I learned that roving sports troubador Darnell Jenkins (pictured above, training for the 2010 World Mini-Tramp Championship in Naples, Fla.) will be stopping by the station, live and in person!

Tune in at 2 p.m. on Sunday July 12 to catch the action, live! Who knows what crazy adventures Darnell has been on lately.

In other news, I will be sitting down for a chat with Steve Krakow aka Plastic Crimewave, Chicago-based psychedelic minstrel, musician, historian and overall saviour. His band, Plastic Crimewave Sound, absolutely slays. They've played shows and recorded with a few bands featured on The Great Banana Hoax, including Simply Saucer, Michael Yonkers and Acid Mothers Temple. I will let alllllll of you know when the interview can be heard.

Until Sunday...

Endzone thriller!

Hey there y'all. Thank you once again for tuning into another episode of The Great Banana Hoax on CJSR FM 88.5 in Edmonton.

It's been quite a while since the last show, as I recently returned from a road trip to Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Highlights of the fest include Al Green, Jenny Lewis, Snoop Dogg and Bruce Springsteen doing his version of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town".

After watching the recent NHL Draft, I've found myself completey enamoured with the website of Oilers' first pick Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson.I mean, there are ALREADY pictures of him in an Oilers jersey pointing his stick at the camera looking like he just pooed. All in all, not a bad draft day for the Oil, although it would have been nice to either get Nashville's fourth pick or sign Dany Heatley. The saga continues.

Speaking of continuing sagas, the 2009 CFL season kicked off on Canada Day. Local sports team, the Edmonton Eskimos, won their first game of the season. It was an exciting start to the new season, more specifically the endzone celebration by Argo's slotback Arland Bruce. As Jordan put it: a real 'endzone thriller!'

Here are the songs we played during the last show, in no particular order (artist, song, album):

1. *Endangered Ape - Demos 2008
2. *The Wicked Awesomes - "Time Shit & Crystal Snot" - Myspace
3. Jefferson Airplane - "Embryonic Journey" - Surrealistic Pillow
4. *Bruce Cockburn - "Sunwheel Dance" - Sunwheel Dance
5. Yes - "Clap" - The Yes Album
6. Black Sabbath - "Orchid" - Master of Reality
7. Emerson, Lake and Palmer - "Bitches Crystal" - Tarkus
8. Litter - "Action Woman" - Trash Box - Wild Psychotic Garage Punk
9. Rogues - "Train Kept a Rollin'" - Trash Box - Wild Psychotic Garage Punk
10. Stoics - "Hate" - Trash Box - Wild Psychotic Garage Punk
11. Ornette Coleman - "Face of the Bass" - Change of the Century
12. Alice Coltrane - "There's Something About John Coltrane" - Journey Into Satchidananda
13. King Crimson - "I Talk to the Wind" - In The Court of the Crimson King
14. *Simply Saucer - "Illegal Bodies" - Cyborg's Revisited
15. *Deadcity Serpents - "PFM" - Zombie Threat
16. *Bohemians - "I Need You Baby" - Wyld Canada Vol. 3: Endless Dreams
17. *Inferno 5 Plus 1 - "I Can Take It" - Wyld Canada Vol. 3: Endless Dreams
18. *The Guess Who - "Clock on the Wall" - It's Time

*denotes Canadian artist

Our next episode will air July 26.

Tag team, back again

Thanks again for tuning into the latest episode of The Great Banana Hoax. I am eargerly preparing for my trip through the southern United States, so I'll keep things brief.

I'd be remiss not to mention the hiring of TWO new coaches for the Goil. Pat Quinn and Tom Renney reunite to try and bring some semblance of success back to Rexall.

Peter Zezel passed away a couple weeks ago. Some sort of blood disease. He was a marginal plugger at best, and was utilized mostly as a defensive-minded checker during his time in Toronto under the reign of Pat Burns. I will always remember his hockey cards, and his hair.

Well, the Pens have tied the Stanley Cup Finals at two games apiece. Darnell Jenkins is predicting a Wings victory in six games. Methinks that Sid Croz and Malks are clickin' at just the right time. Shades of Jagr and Lemieux? More like Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty.

Here's a list of the songs we played on the last show (artist, song, album). Once again, no particular order.

1. *Endangered Ape - "White of My Eyes" - Ape Shall Not Kill EP
2. Crystal Antlers - "Painless Sleep" - Tentacles
3. The Doors - Hyacinth House - L.A. Woman
4. *Pink Mountaintops - The Gayest of Sunbeams - Outside Love
5. *Feral Children - "Dance Machine" - Currents EP
6. Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso UFO - "Eleking the Clay" - Lord of the Underground: Vishnu and the Magic Elixer
7. *Tom Northcott Trio - "Just Don't" - Wyld Canada Vol. 2: Shake Yourself Down
8. *Tricky Woo - "Sad-Eyed Woman" - Sometimes I Cry
9. Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett) - "Candy and a Currant Bun" - Shine On
10. Donovan - "Sunny South Kensington" - Psychedelia at Abbey Road
11. Pretty Things - "Children" - Emotions
12. West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - "Smell of Incense" - Breaking Through
13. Television - "Marquee Moon" - Marquee Moon
14. Leafhound - "Stray" - Growers of Mushroom
15. Sleepy Sun - Side A - White Dove 7''
16. Sir Lord Baltimore - "Hell Hound" - Kingdom Come

*denotes Canadian artist

Our next broadcast won't be for a few weeks - June 28. GO PENS!