2024-03-14: alan doyle & the 90s music scene

the other day we went with a couple of friends to see alan doyle (of great big sea), not the first time we've seen him. we saw him at an outdoor music festival in the late 2010s, and then again a couple years after that. my partner saw great big sea a few times in the 90s, before they were huge, when they'd still play the little arenas in small towns like hers.

and he put on a killer show, again. no surprise there. but on the drive home we got to talking about what a moment it was when great big sea had its incredible rise. the radio was saturated with canrock — bands like moist, our lady peace, the tea party, wide mouth mason — while at the same time sharing space with east-coast music like great big sea, natalie mcmaster, ashley mcisaac. what a time, etc. thank the crtc, i suppose, the laws around proportion of canadian content in the media an absolute boon.

cold outside, i guess; -15; vaguely seasonal. at one point, doyle joked, this is balmy. the last stop on their tour, west of here, my hometown, in a cold snap. -41 with the wind. always colder there. always more snow here. take your choice, hey.

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