blog post Grant Lawrence Live: Road Trip Rockin' w/ Sarah "Balls" Ball

Hey! 

I haven't really had many roadtrips! I'm kind of person that doesn't travel that much sad to say and when I do it's only over short distances. Travelling these days (especially across international borders) makes me nervous. I know I should get over it. 

My biggest road trips have been to Squamish for Live@Squamish and multiple trips to Seattle. I need to fix that.

Though, wait, when I was a kid my parents drove down to LA for Disney Land and all that... but I don't think that really counts as a "road trip"

Re road trip speed limits: I wonder if anyone's had an accident because of...

That saying heading to Sackville the last few summers for SappyFest was okay. Although not the trip itself because it has usually been by bus. The bus is just worst way to travel ever. 

You know what I have decided that I like to go to places as long as I don't have to actually travel to them. Somone figure out how I can do this. 

Roadtrip!!  Too bad you missed Regina... you did miss Regina, didn't you Balls?

MikeV: astral projection?

Hello Sarah! 

My road trips cover the same amount of ground as it takes for many of you to get to the local store

Mike, for example, you can visit CBC Toronto ... just like that!

was it the trip east from toronto to nova scotia via montreal? the one where we narrowly escaped being stuck in montreal due to a crack in the underground subway infrastructure that threatened the collapse of the downtown core?

perhaps it was the all-nighter from ottawa to toronto for arcade fire? or the yearly trips through the US to visit family? hours spent in a car either anticipating the reunion of loved ones, listening to great podcasts, or contemplating on what it all meant. 

any way i shake it, the best road trips are the ones where i remember the ride more than the destination; where the journey was what really changed me and brought me closer to the people i shared it with.

Yes people keep skipping us on their road trips or train trips. Anyone else passing through, let us know so we can at least wave at you as pass by. ;-p

I am in awe of Balls and her epic trip.  Coast to coast!  I have never made such an epic trip, but I have made some journeys to:

Edmonton Folk Festival

Regina Folk Festival (2 times so far and hopefully many more)

Minneapolis (just to go)

Does "roadtrip" imply just travelling by car?  Because if train trips are allowed, then I'd have a few more to add.

Chicago to Lollapalooza

New York (3 times and hopefully many more, just to go.  I really love New York)

I've done some long road trips from SW Ontario to South Dakota to Houston, TX, all together and in pieces as well. Fortunately, I've discovered that my fiancee and I make excellent roadtrip buddies!

We've planned an epic road trip from Houston to California, up to Vancouver and across Canada to SW Ontario (and probably back to Houston), but not sure when we are going to do it. It's supposed to take us 3 months, but some of our plans have changed, so it probably won't happen next spring like we had planned!

Great intro!

@loweeda, if we are including highway free journeys then may I include my trip to Toron'o for NxNE last year

<---- we're on our way!

June of '05 - I was hosting a party (as usual back then) and some friends were in the corner of the house scheming - I joined the conversation and it was as follows:

Friend Shenen road tripping from Florida to Arkansas, picks up buddy Kurt in New Orleans, end up at my house, they are throwing out the idea that they are going to road trip to the west coast and then round it back off in Arkansas - I catch wind, say yeah I'll meet you in Sacramento in 3 days - not sure if they thought i was serious or not, but sure enough I jumped stand-by (ended up first class) to Sacramento - gave them a ring when I got down and problems arose - enroute from AR to CO, to Sacramento they blew a tire in Nevada - so I was stuck for a while in Sac - so I did what I do - DRANK - ened up in some like old school part of town with plankroad stuff going on, and had my drinks and ended up under a bridge - as I awoke under bridge, I had the company of some sketchy peeps - anyhow, I quickly got my bearings and headed back to safety (a bar) luckily my friends stormed into town and the trip was back on - we went all along HWY 1 from Sanfran to San Diego (some great storied in between like the moonies safe house that we decided was not safe) and then through Death Valley to Vegas, then back home...shoo Im out of breath.

In honour of Balls homeland, I'll share a tale of an epic adventure to the West coast of Newfoundland. Some friends and I rented a minivan and loaded it with camping gear and provisions... then we hit the dusty trail. Getting there was unadventurous enough but the fun really began when we got to the island (as is the norm when you get to NFLD). Without getting really longwinded, the gist of the story is this: Hiking in Gros Morne National Park, Hanging out with Moose (photo op's), drinking sea water on a dare, partying with the entire town of Saint Anthony at their annual Thanksgiving shindig at one of the local hotels, Just about being blown away in our tents one night, sword fighting at L'anse aux Meadows viking place, getting standed in Port au Basques because of a hurricane which wouldn't let any ferries sail for two days, hanging out in Port Aux Basques with old friends and eating pizza smoking hookah and watching the '72 Summit Series on DVD!!!

I left out a lot of aspects in order to make it more PG but basically, Newfoundland is a most amazing road trip destination! You should go!

Favourite Road Trip:

The next NXNE!

reading these travel stories makes me wonder how left and leaving is doing.  He must be in Africa by now, and I bet he is gathering up some epic stories to tell us when he gets back.

website note: hooray for the "update comments" button at the bottom now!

@loweeda, in that case I will have to stick to the twice I have traveled by car to London (UK) one of which the 540mile round trip was done in about 24hours with a stop to see a Diggnation recording

Road Trips...

- To Calgary with my friend Alicia to visit my fam there. We had to stop like 3 times to get windsheild fluid.

- To Winnipeg with my two best friends last April. We almost got stuck in Manitoba... Not that that would be horrible, but we had to get back for work and other responsibilities. So thankful to the staff at Applebee's in Brandon. (And loweeda for allowing me to commiserate!! <3)

- Alllll around PEI with my cousin in 2007. I've only really been to the main suspects for me: North Rustico, Ch'town, occasionally Summerside. That summer we went from one end to the other and I had a blast. <3 Including getting lost in a sweater.. well.. a place called Cardigan. 

Many trips to Hali from Saint John. Only a 4 hour drive, but there were some adventures for sure... lost cell phones... Walker Road, New Brunswick...

I love the notion of Road Trips, and will often daydream about them, almost daily… But alas when you're a parent with a job, child, mortgage and bills to pay, you don't get to take them near as much as you'd like.

But, that is not to say my wife and I haven't traveled… We waited to have our daughter to make sure we got to enjoy as much of the things we wanted to as a couple. We've been to Disney in Florida, NYC, Vancouver (and Vancoouver Island) 3 separate times, Halifax and Cape Breton, San Francisco to name the memorable, far trips.

I am proud to say I have photos of my wife, daughter and my feet in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans too!

But by far and away my favourite trip is a much shorter road trip down to Wolfe Island for the Musica Festival there. The one where we actually use a car to get to.

This year will be the thrid year we've gone, and we're already (all three of us) getting excited at the planning for it.

What makes it my favourite is the setting, the amazing programming that Virgina does, the people, and most of all seeing my daughter dance to music that her Daddy and Mommy loves.

It's such a highlight of my daughter's young existence that she often brings it up in conversations about summer. In fact the other day she told me she wished it was summer again so we could go camping on Wolfe Island again.

Daddy wishes it was summer too…

Loweeeda reminded me...

Took a 30 hour bus ride from Kigali to Dar es Salaam. That was an epic (and exhausting) road trip.

When we moved to Halifax, we crammed 4 girls and all our possessions we could, plus two keyboards, guitar and fiddle into a ford focus and drove very slowly from Kingston, ON all the way to Halifax via mtl. 

The day before we left Rob Baker from the Tragically Hip was shopping at the store I worked at. I started chatting to him and told him about our imminent journey and he wished me luck and told me to keep an eye out for this particular view coming through the eastern townships. and we did! and it was beautiful! and we had two days of perfect driving conditions and open highway and I believe it was all because our journey was blessed by a Canadian rock God!

-Angela

ps. it is a tradition for us that every roadtrip begins with Sure can Start by Two Hours Traffic, and ends with ZZ Top

Only two weeks ago I finished a mega roadtrip from the northernmost tip of Newfoundland to Regina, a nine-day odyssey through snow storms and every kind of winter weather possible. 

I was just thinking this morning that I would like to take a road trip east this year. I went west to Kimberley, BC  with a friend and my son last summer. If I could time it with NXNE or Home County, that would be awesome.

sarah congrats on your trip!!  that is epic!!

my favourite road trip was Seattle - BC (Whistler) - (Banff,) Alberta road trip in aug-sept 2006, in a mustang convertible.  Being from Ontario, it was a most beautiful experience for me!  another great trip was from san diego down the stretch of baja califonia, mexico.  its pretty shady there. haha.  also we have done lots of hwy 1 driving from SF.  its amazing there.  i recommend it.. going to monterrey etc.

the last trip we did through quebec was a bit brutal. my lover insisted on listening to eckhart tolle podcasts for hours. i couldn't wait to get out of the car.  too much enlightenement going on in one road trip.  ou est la musique??  i just wanted to listen to some tunes!! :)

I have been on many roadtrips in my life, but have to say that my road trip down the coastal highway in California is probably my favorite. We took two weeks driving around, stopping a wineries, eating delicious food, and laying on the beach. It was incredible. I loved every minute of it. Everyone should do it if they can!

at Grant - Yeah, I guess it was a road trip. You got me there.

I realised that my travelling history is kind of sad. I've been all over BC, up and down the coast from Alaska to California, and I've been to Vegas a couple times... but I've only been as far east in Canada as Banff. 

Though I have been to England, Scotland and Norway, but that was when I was about 10. 

I haven't been anywhere signifigant in years... I need a vacation.

Wait a sec, more EPIC was two weeks driving and camping around the South Island of New Zealand.  It's like Canada's landscape condensed into a small island.

@Copernicus76 - Why do Regina??  

yes, like the full Wrath of this original version versus the Kevin Kane only version ..

@Loweeeeda: Well, the memories of the bus trip itself still aren't that great (did I mention it was 30 hours one way? And we did it both ways?). But the time we spent in Zanzibar (a little over a week) was FANTASTIC!

Oh, and in early June we're flying to St. John to explore Newfoundland a bit and then heading over to Nova Scotia to roadtrip around there for a few days. Can't wait!

canadajanes:  yes, I've heard other people say that Zanzibar is just the most gorgeous, amazing place to see in Africa.  it sounds like you agree.

Wow, Fireworks (Trag. Hip) is coming up again! (I think I heard it on Monday.)

@Loeeeaaa - There are many, many places of I haven't seen in Africa, but I did love Zanzibar. Probably mostly because it was a week of beach relaxation after a year of living in a village in Rwanda. As far as gorgeous and amazing? I'd say there were other places that were more of both, but also more exhausting/less relaxing. (like the Rwenzori Mountains in NW Rwanda (home of the mtn gorillas) and the Ssese Islands on Lake Victoria.)

So many road trips to many to count. I have lived away from family [in BC, Alberta and Ontario] for the last 30+ years, lots and lots of trips home by car, train, and plane. Car road trips Alberta to Ontario, Manitoba to Ontario some of the trips were via the Trans Canada others were through the Northern US states.

Short road trips into the USA from Winnipeg to attend concerts in Minneapolis, longer road trips to Texas from Winnipeg several times and from Winnipeg to Florida via Sudbury, Windsor and so on.

My two kids are well practised in the art of road trips, they drove from Winnipeg to Sasquatch a couple of years ago. We taught them well.

Last July road trip from Toronto to the East coast was most recent and it was fantastic with Grant on the car stereo[road trip podcast]

Next week in PCH California with both of the kids!!

Hearing about roadtrips and how they have shaped the lives of people who take them makes me smile. I had a friend who passed away on an epic road trip almost 5 years ago, and she was the most free-spirited, loving person who continues to inspire me to this day. 

I need to get off my ass and do that one of these days. I've loved hearing about Balls's trip so much... yay for #chasingthesunset!

Rebby - For sure! We're going to be staying with our friend Alanna (I think you guys are twitter friends perhaps?) but hopefully we will be able to connect as well.

Mike - Yes! Sadly we won't be able to make it to New Brunswick - I wish we had time to do more!

wait so will radio3.cbc.ca be gone as well?

@hgummo - Dr Na!! haha We haven't actually met yet, but have a friend in common in Calgary and I have heard many stories about her :)

@hgummo Sigh well Newfoundland and Nova Scotia is a lot I suppose. 

I used to go on many, many roadtrips in my twenties. Some of em hitchhiking. Actually, come to think of it, from 16 onwards, my best friend and I would hitchhike every summer out to Long Beach on Vancouver Island. In the days when you could camp out on the beach and it was pretty wild. She's lived in Uculet as a child, with a fisherman father, so that was interesting, too! That was always amazing!

Then later, every summer I'd hitchhike either with her or a sister or other friend out to the Kootenays and Slocan Valley. Those were really fun trips and adventures!

(I can't believe my parents let me hitchhike then, actually! But, I guess it was pretty commonplace in my generation, then.)

I think my best roadtrip/adventure was around 20. First I hitchiked out to the Kootenays for a few days, then I decided to follow up on an invitation from a guy I'd met earlier that summer at a Rainbow Gathering in Montana. So, I hitchhiked to Boulder, Colorado. The Carnival Cafe was there, headquarters for Rainbow Gatherings and people who went to them alot. It was new age central, there! I had mixed feelings about it, that place. Decided to leave and go home, so set out on the road hitchhiking again back up north. However, I missed Colorado, the guy and some of the people I'd met. So, some trucker that I was riding with encouraged me to go back south. But the guy had left Boulder to 'go look for me' up north. Anyways, I ended up on a really fun, hitchhiking adventure with two others I met in Boulder. Sonda and Karen. Oh man, that was a summer!

I'd have to say driving with my family from Ontario to BC as a teen, through the US mostly, including the Badlands of South Dakota and Yellowstone Park and such, was a pretty great roadtrip and adventure soon!

@ Grant and the Web Team -

Yeah, still getting used to the new site.

One thing I really liked about the basement site, is that we had a field for the title of our post, where we could address a blogger, or the show with an @ symbol or whatever... that was super-helpful.

For me personally, it would be great if that came back - but I see that most R3'ers have adapted nicely.

@benoit cbcmusic.ca redirects to music.cbc.ca  so same thing.  yah?

@carlyg And I had to deliver our 22lb cat to my wife 

@Grant

It's ok that you only play this song, because I love it so much! Also, it is really the only Tragically Hip song I know.

FIREWORKS!!!

hahaha Is this really the only Hip song R3 plays? I honestly didn't notice till you mentioned it Grant. That's kind of sad. 

My partner and I drove from Manitoba to Mexico a few years ago (and then back again, a few months later). Left in a blizzard, arrived wearing a t-shirt. I loved seeing the changes up close--weather, landscape, road quality, billboard creepiness level.

re: new site--I posted this on the general "new site" post, but in case that's not still being checked, I'll mention it here: 

I'm really disappointed in how the genre streams compare to the Radio3 genre streams. I feel like it's a huge loss that I can no longer listen to 100% Canadian independent music in those genres. I decided to check out the hip hop stream just now, and it just seems silly that on a Canadian site where I could instantly hear Canadian hip hop 24/7, I was now listening to Lil Wayne.

Is there any reason that the pop, rock, hip hop and electronic streams from the R3 site (which are currenly still active; I'm listening right now) can't be added to CBC Music? It's almost entirely R3 artists that are played on those streams, anyway. I understand the desire to mix those artists with more well-known artists, but why not have separate streams for those of us who've already embraced the Canadian stuff?

I LOVE road trips.

I am lucky to have been on a lot of stunning trips, and thought I might share a few...

The first epic road trip I went on with my now husband, we drove from Edmonton to the east Kootenays in BC to visit my parents, down through Idaho (Moscow is a great town!), across Oregon to Bend (home of the amazing Deschutes Brewery) to visit his uncle and cousins, up to Vancouver to Vancouver Island to visit more family and then back up the beautiful Yellowhead highway to Edmonton. All in a little 1990 Honda Civic hatchback called Rusty. My recommendation from this trip? Idaho is underrated and eastern Oregon is manna from heaven.

This is actually more like a compilation of trips- for the past 10 years I have been lucky to make multiple road trips to the Yukon and Alaska, from Vancouver and Edmonton. I have been up and down the Alaska highway about 6 or 7 times, and it still blows my mind everytime. The drive through the northern Rockies in BC, between Fort Nelson and Liard Hot Springs (the nicest natural hotsprings in BC), is one of the most beautiful and stunning stretches road I have ever been on.

Finally, for my move to Madison, I decided to take the long way to see some sites I have always wanted to. I drove in my packed to the brim car, loaded with my bikes and skis on top, to the kootenays to say bye to the parents, crossed the border into Montana (my profile photo is looking back after they let me in and approved my visa). I cut south to Yellowstone- as a geologist, especially one who studies volcanic ash- I had to finally see this park. I then drove across Wyoming, south Dakota, Minnesota and finally into Wisconsin and Madison. What did I learn? If you like natural beauty and huge empty spaces, Wyoming is the place for you, it completely floored me (only Alaska in my experience has such large untouched areas), and South Dakota is way more interesting than I thought it could be- Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park. Highly recommended.

Can you play some Jay-Zed.

(no, not really I just wanted to call out your Zed Zed Top, Lawrence)

((Can you play some Led Zee-plin, too?))

what a great station to listen to after a Vegas hangover... GO BALLS GO!

Not Canadian... does not compute!?

Ya, I love road trips, too. I used to go often to San Francisco and California in my twenties, too. Not hitchhiking. Either with friends or find a ride, somehow.

We used to go to the Oregon Fair sometimes, as well - a bunch of friends - often in a big, hippie bus. Alot of fun! Loved visiting Oregon. Had the best health food stores.

And then when older, again with friends and our kids we'd have fun adventures going to the Save the Stein Valley Festivals in various beautiful places in BC - lots of great music, camping and swimming and even once seeing a grizzly bear.

I guess the closest I've come to that in recent years would be going to Sasquatch Festival. With strangers, but still fun! The second time wasn't as much fun as the first time. The person I went with was more serious and mostly going there to 'chase' some guy and not so into the music and people and all that.

I didn't know Franz was Canadian. What happened to 100% Canadian Content. NEW WEBSITE. FOREIGN ARTISTS. R3 IS RUINED FOREVER!!!!

(disclaimer to note this was a blatant joke. Franz Ferdinand is awesome.)

I thought this Frans Fer.... go Grant!  WoOOooooOOO

@carlyg I like OHans. I like pints. Oooh and I like people. Count me in. I'll be sure to leave the cat at home though, he's a bit of a lush 

Blue Rodeo reminds me of the wonderful Save the Stein Festivals! They were always there, that I can remember. Barney Bentall and 54/40, too.

at GG77 - that's from an Evaporators album, and it's a cover of a Pointed Sticks song. More info here.

Grant, you made my day!

Ha ha. I get your humour.

(I still don't really know how to 'get' there. I just visited it again, it didn't look too bad. But, couldn't find the blog part. So I'm still here in the 'basement' I guess.)

Immaculate Machine collab with Alex Kapranos?!

That was supposed to read dun aengus - Moniski if you are out there, you should go to the island and rent some bikes and enjoy the island, what awesome pure air - I guess living in BC you guys get that nice ocean air as well. not down here, the air is heavy with humidity and sticks to you like the stinch of Houston - right candajanes... :)

at Grant - I'll be by Friday to collect my shiney loonie, thank you!

yeahh didnt think so

@kirkofdoom is RIGHT! It's a cover of the Pointed Sticks classic (band from Vancouver from 1978 - 1982, then reformed recently). Nardwuar forced FF to cover it for the new Evaporators album.

@124th Street Beat: works fine for me. do you have the same problem in a different browser?

They're actually from Sudbury.  They just pretend to be foreign.

@MusicSoop Sudbury is pretty much foreign. 

wheres my balls?!?!

Phantom Power ... still the greatest Tragically Hip album (IMO).

Who were they covering?! My feed died! 

Re music cbc or cbc music: Still now, my Google WILL offer the right place if you ask for "cbcmusic", BUT NOT if you request "cbc music" with a space.

@Mike - see Kirk's comment at 9:47am; link to the Mint Records  site reveals it was a Pointed Sticks cover song.

Candajanes, if you run into my best bud from home, you need to wave him down...

Balls - your trip name reminds me of 'going to the sun road' in Glacier Park - awesome place - got to stand at the triple divide and as a hydrologist - I was pretty geaked out

I love "The Stand" too Grant.

@Hungarian G thanks for having my back!

recap, for thos who can't see the subject line: WOOO! THE STAND!!!

We all love The Stand, Grant. The only people who hate it are people who hate fun.

When I was in university my friends and I roadtripped to Ottawa once and Montreal before, both via the train. Those were awesome times. Sleeping on a train...sucks! but other than that it was cool. I'm a big touristy nerd and love to visit all the parliamentry building in Ottawa and all of the old building in Montreal and take waaaay too many pictures.

I also drive to Halifax all the time, so I download some radio 3 podcasts and take to the road.

I am pro The Stand as well!

Backwater: Still haven't been to a Texans game, just so expensive!

Hey Balls & C-mac.  Good to hear you! 

Have a good day, all!

Franz Ferdinand opened for Hot Hot Heat?! Wow. Didn't know that.

Now that it's not on high rotation, I can stand 'the Stand'

@Benoit 

Thanks by the way for the itunes listening idea I can crank it up so much more now!

I have always been on your Standwagon as well! Woot!!!

More on Franzvaporators: I saw FF at the Commodore a couple years ago and The Evaporators were opening for them. It was a hilarious mix of people who knew or "got" Nardwuar and his antics, and people who were just thinking "what in the fuck is this?!"

THE STANDWAGON!

Oh ya! I completely forgot about taking trains in Europe and India! The latter being pretty wild and even maybe slightly scarey at times. But quite the adventure! And a pretty interesting roadtrip was once from Turkey into Greece with someone my pal and I had met. In a van. A character from South America. Or even in Greece, we travelled around Crete for a month with some other people and travellers, mostly in a van, too, but living in a little house on a beach for a while, too.

Nice! I came back just in time to miss The Stand. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

@TO to LA

What did Matt Good do last night?  Always been a big fan, but yeah he can be an ass.

No set times yet for Monday at Hotel Cafe for Rose Cousins, but the awesome KCRW sponsored concert series "It's a School Night, a FREE night at Bardot on Mondays, recently added Hey Rosetta for this Monday. Hopefully the two performances won't conflict.  And good news, the two venues are walking distance from each other. You should go to the website and RSVP tomorrow or Friday.

@Benoit from Ottawa: Google indexing for CBC Music is turned off right now. Want to make sure that the site is stable.

This is my favourite song right now

Zeus is amazing. and played an integral part in my recent mix tape- 60's and 70's revival, canadian style.

@musicjoy3 I really just need some things with birds on them

@Alex -- I'm excited for my roadtrip to Sasquatch this year! And Squatch in general. Seeing you guys is icing on the cake :)

Worst Road Trip: 8 hours plus on a bus/minivan taxi from northern Rwanda to Uganda. Featured two bus accidents, almost getting hit by a truck, a bag of vomit, a seat without a back and getting robbed.

CanCon cover of a CanCon song. LOVE IT

And personally, I think going to Sasquatch Festival - it's impossible not to have an adventure! I love the land there. But, it's quite the event, too!

@Christine McAvoy - nice possum touque balls!!

oh my god, i was like: "oooo this is soft" balls: "yah, it's possum" me: o_O

(it still freaks me out)

damn this old website/old computer... that last one was for Noah/on-fiji-time

glad I tuned in time to hear about #ChasingTheSunset !

Balls... did you pick up hitchhikers along the way? How many R3 folks have you met on your epic road trip?

Matt Good, I mean.

@CMAC - patrick! right. i was thinking randy. i have no idea why. but i knew it wasn't right hahah

@EP - I have never been there myself, and I would never make anyone else go through that attrocity haha the best thing I could suggest to plan around is either Folk Fest or George Street Fest. GSF is quite the experience, when done right. And Balls may be back by then... My fave GSF was this years with her. We were ridicuous. haha Mid July the icebergs usually start coming down around cape spear and signal hill. that can be amazing to see as well.

company pond, I'm jealous!

Shonica @ 10:02

Welcome! It does, doesn't it...

@rebbey: cool!  I was looking at trying to plan to be in StJ for the GSF.   Ill contact you if we actually finalize anything...

@CMac - I came over to the light side now that comments are managable. Might as well start getting used to the new world since it's usable for me again.

@EP -- it'll be July 26th - Aug 1 this year!

@Musicsoop

Thank you for the info it sounds great!

@musicjoy3: it's all part of my plan to actually do some travelling as an adult. I've never really been anywhere and I hate it. I will prob. be going alone, which is 80% exciting and 20% intimidating. Hope the folks in Portland are friendly.

@Rebbey: THanks!  I just got my NL Tourism brochures in the mail, but havent had a chance to flip through them yet.  Planning is in the extreme early stage, its not even a solid possibility (yet).

Oh yeah, and by "Free Night" I mean you get in for free but 1 beer is $7.  Plus tip.  Hollywood prices, haha.

Query for Grant: If CBC will be paying artists for their plays on R3, how will this affect getting artists onto rotation/into the system? It seems like it will add another line of complication to the already difficult system of getting artists to be played. Thoughts?

63,000 km!

Google maps gave me 7,321km from St John's to Galliano Island! 

Brood is my next road trip - picture is me on a road trip in Montana - not bad since I was all by my lonesome...

I said SIX THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED, BENOIT!

@McS good idea!

at McS - i saw that show the other day. i am actually somewhat tempted to do that....

Dear Grant, you said "sixty-three thousand". It was hilarious. I was thinking "so the Earth's now 240,000 miles around, eh?"

(Note the comment right before mine, about this, up there...)

(Grant, you can't see it, bekuz MusicSoop posted in the heading of the old, dark site. he wrote "63,000?"

@benoit

I said NO such thing! Betty White called, she wants her hearing aid back!

Road trip Vancouver to Toron'o map

all I need now is a car, the ability to drive and to be in Canada

@Syrah.  The foothill wineries have wine, Jack Russell Brewery has beer.  C'mon down!

@Garry -- you'd be better to go from Kamloops, BC to Calgary, AB, and then north to Edmonton, AB I'd think.  Add an extra day perhaps, but you'd see many more R3'rs!

my husband and i fixed up my parents old chevy conversion van, the same van my family used to take on road trips when i was a kid.  now our little family uses the van for our own road trips and camping.  the van itself is hideous, but it's a dream to drive!  the kids love the velour interiors and the rope lighting...

Funny, for me the old site plays terrible but the new site is flawless! (other than I can't see the current song, but that never worked for me on the old site either).

@mcflyer

What are you rattling on about?

Some friends and I went over the Confederation Bridge just after it opened to watch a show (Tea Party and Econoline Crush) in Moncton and then drive home afterwards (no more boats and waiting!!).  I drove, both ways.  While on the bridge I actually did fall asleep and luckily my shotgun grabbed the wheel and saved us from being the first accident on the bridge.  Heart attack anyone?

@Grant: Yes! rally the R3 troops! let's make this Brood road trip happen!

@Kirk, is there anything happening on that day? i dont have my daybook with me... I want to go back to Seattle!

Balls just met the Sexiest Musician Bucky Award winner...

Yes, I've hit the play button in the R3 rectangle, the big green play button appears on the upper left of the screen, then slows fades out.  The "Stream is Connecting" notice comes then fades from the screen and . . . silence.  Something different from this stream from the old one that won't play on my office computer.  Bummer.

@EricR (10:38), that makes sense, the reason I have Edmonton on there is that I have been talking to someone that lives there for about 13 years but I have never met them in person

at christine - 

I think the next Wachu is that night, with Ali playing. But other than that, I don't have anything listed...

rimshot

Yeah but geo-blocked in the US?

I'm hiding down here too.

...says Grant, posting himself from The Basement!

I called it my black cave

Basementopia forever!

canadajanes: yeah, they don't have copyright to stream international content internationally -- so those streams that have non-Canadian content are indeed off-limits out of Canada.

Grant, BWAHAHAHAHA!, your reconstruction of the past keeps changing!

Im staying in the basement until new R3 displays the song names.

Yes, you said SIXTY MILLION THOUSAND Kilometers, Lawrence.

You need to wipe your transition lenses clean.

hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhaha

Grant was actually talking about his road trip to the moon. 

Eric, Robin_M: tomorrow, or even later today though, you'll have to hit this: http://music.cbc.ca/#/Radio3

The one suggested by Eric will only link to this here show, even when it's done (not the sound, but the comments)

I think she's lived in Calgary for the last 20 years or something?

Thanks, Benoit -- that's a much better link to Robin_M and Grant to follow.

It can't possumly be true!

I skinned that possum myself sarah...

I spent many a summer day on Pasadena Beach!

possums, koalas..... 

Haha

@EP oh man, i've been making possum jokes since I saw it. Totally possum hat.

@canadajanes

Are you going to do Lee Hower's Good Ol' Possum In The Pants trick for the kids?

Come on, Grant, you can't learn the whole new website WHILE hosting a love show?

well that was the best typo ever.

Grant Lawrence's Love Show!

Crikey!

Who's coming to DET for the BROOD next week?

@Grant re: possum in the pants

Um, I don't think Risk Management would find that kosher.

you can actually order this as a t-shirt:

@CMac... thanks for the info on Lana. Guess I might have to go hunting for her content. Eventually. When I am forced upstairs.

Hi BALLS! U should swing by New Jersey on your way back east. Only a slight detour!

BTW... ON the StandWagon

Enjoyin he show as always Grant!

I'm going to stay here.

CDNz1:

Brood +1 maybe +2  (are they sold out?)

Arkells ?

@kirk -- i would totally let Grant set me up. at the very least it would be a hilarious story.

Ah, I see, a common story.  There are lots of Newfoundlanders here.  Good people, on the whole.  Calgary is a city full of people from all over Canada, and there is a lot of going back and forth. 



@Grant [10:59am PST] -- yes, I can see how jotting down some comment numbers for quick reference while on the air would be handy.  Makes sense to me!

Maybe Grant Love Show's first topic can be how keeping your refigerator stocked will get you more women hahahah people are so brutal man

@rebbey I think I'd let him set me up too. The best part about dating is the awful/awkward/hilarious stories you get.

I do like the "upcoming songs" feature of the dark site...

I can't help myself, I have to correct you on this one- South America still has marsupials.

They were very common there, when North America and South America joined forces though, placental mammals migrated south and knocked off a bunch, but there are a fair amount that made it through the invasion.

Just saw a cool talk last week that talked about the plant evolution connections between south America and Australia and that there are may be some fossil evidence that some of Australia's marsupials might hav originated in the Americas.

Christine (11:13), again, thanks for the info. I thought I'd heard that, but had gotten uncertain about it.

haha have you ever used the thumbs down? I'd feel like a dick to click that on any song...

@grub: I found the grand canyon to be surreal. It is so expansive that the other side is like a painting more than real life.

Does Radio3 pay attention to thumbs down? I'm clicking that button like nobody's business.

HAHAHAHAA! good question!

@McS: I have.  Very few songs, mind you... It would have to be so bad that it stops me from working in order to hit the thumbs down.  I may have also hit it by mistake on occasion. (sorry!) 

When I was about 12-ish my family took the same road trip two years in a row and it was epic!

We loaded up the Toyota Dustbuster Van and drove from Vancouver Island through Banff and on to Calgary.  Then we'd travel south through Montana, then east to Idaho, Washington and Oregon.  Once we hit the coast we'd drive north back home.  Round trip took about two weeks.

I loved these trips and they made me really appreciate where I come from and how cool the small geographic differences are with each town and the people that live there are.

My parents would play a two tape cassete - Paul Simon's Concert in the Park.  My three sisters and I knew every word to that two tape set.  They also played a lot of Paul McCartney and the whole family would bellow out the lyrics to Hey Jude! at the top of our lungs.  That singing, combined with some epic mileage, slurpies, the odd fight with my sisters and license plate counting games were some of my fondest memories of road tripping.  I think that's why I love it so much.

been on a 2 month-roadtrip through Wales almost 4 years ago. hitchhiking, camping,...

working a bit now and saving a lot, as soon as I can I'm going on a roadtrip through Canada. Hitchhiking, camping,... :-)

NOT sold out as far as we know.

at Grant - wouldn't it be easier to copy and paste the comments into a notepad or word doc when you know you want to read them, instead of searching and finding on the blog?

Maybe a "people under the stairs" type thing.  peeking out between the steps?

WOOP WOOP!!!

Whenever I hear the term the basement, I think of that Cialis commercial where the dad turns up the music so he can go get laid. THANKS CIALIS.

#basementopia

I fear change, and I will stay in the basement.

:p 

That smell and stain will NEVER come out!

First I'll chime in on the road trip deal.  Our frequent road trips are to visit family in south western MB and in Thunder Bay.  We've also driven to Vancouver Island, a circle tour of Alberta through the various Rocky Mnt national parks, and a couple of years ago an interesting road trip to Michigan to pick up our camper.  We were 'this' close to Kalamzoo.    

lol the basement.  I miss the basement.  I'm makeing myself get used to the new site since I know I'll have to eventually.

@Fresh Ginger -- Grant has admitted to playing down in the basement now, and given a (somewhat reasonable) explanation as to why he does/is.

That said, I don't get HotPatch's comment ... written from The Bright Side!

@Grant - thanks for the shoutout! Pronounced Pill-EE-s Island :)... Tiny little outport community in central NL before rounding the corner onto the northern peninsula. Close to Springdale/ Grand Falls Windsor. Cool spot with awesome iceberg viewpoints nearby!

Some good muscles in Springdale!

I spent some good times in the basement. I am proud to say I was the first blogger to post in there, but times change people. Think of it as like the closing of Maple Leaf Gardens or the Montreal Forum. Although hopefully they don't open a grocery store in the basement. 

@Lee Good, because between the two of us we drank BC out of booze...

musicsoop; mom says that new soffa cost 2 grand, and now the carpet is ruined too!

PRB Represent!

Not that Grant's going to ask ME about roadtrips since I'm here with Balls, but the trips to Sasquatch that I've done (3 now, and 4th is upcoming) have all been great...

Matty sure makes the trips interesting.

Also, going on tour with Treelines last year was pretty sweet. I got to see the parts of Canada that I usually just fly over to get to Ontario...hopefully my camera and I will be back out on the road one day soon.

I will be screaming to this song in my new shirt...YES

@blog um... to you naughty minxes in the basement/old site/darkside - please don't PURPOSEFULLY only post in the subject to create a blank post on the new site. Makes you look like Dim Bulb Debbie!

Okay, only posting in the title bar repeatedly is a LITTLE disrespectful guys... :(

BALLZ FOR PREZ!

Dim Bulb Debbie - classic. Is she still a downer?

If I'm using my phone the title section is the only place I can comment.  That'll be impossible on the new site, right?  Pssh

Basementopia is also known affectionately to some residents as "The Womb"

I've been connecting my laptop up to the tv lately for watching online tv etc.  I introduced my hubby to the new site and we took a look around.  This is when I discovered that my playlists have pictures from all the bands associated with them on the new site.  I sort of rediscovered my old playlists.  I didn't realize how many of my playlists included Stars for example. 

I also spent some time looking at some of the other stations/genre's looking at the videos etc.  Very interesting exploring the site on a big(er) screen.

I don't think that the 'basement' would have been as differant of an experience.  So... the new site is growing on me. 

One thing... all the pictures need re-cropping now.  Lots of them are cut off and look pretty much blank in the new size.  :(

@ conormckinley -- shoot me an email (rebeccarmt@hotmail.com) and i'll make sure to get in touch next time something is happening. Jon is leaving for bc soon so we'll prob have a lil night out at the ship for that! but usually get togethers just randomly happen when we all have tickets to the same shows haha it's only hapened a few times, and there aren't that many of us ... it was 5.. but with balls and jon's gf gone, and him heading out soon too... we need to get our numbers back up! hahaha

@Grant - yes, I'd miss them very much!

Re: subject lines

For what it's worth I kinda DO NOT want subject lines on the new site. It looks really clean and flows really well without them, I think that putting in the subject lines will make it look worse. If need be, we can just make our own defacto ones...

Wasn't the problem with subject lines though that when you tried to post from a phone you could only write in the subject line? It made for those weird posts. Or can that be worked around? 

I agree with you. I use the new site when I listen to my playlists at home because that lists the songs for me. Just the live stream still isnt' working. I am kind of enjoying the Basementtopia silliness though.

@Kirkofdoom

Its weird though that there are so many blank messages.  I'm guessing those are people posting only in the subject line from the old site?

@Grant: I cant use the "White Site" until I get my transition lenses.

@Crissi

In my opinion the lack of title is a feature rather than a flaw.  As I stated earlier, I think subject of posts are redundant 70% of the time and posts should begin with "re: topic" or "@ user" if a topic is needed. 

BTW, woke up humming your latest single this morning.  :D

GRANT: my opinion on the title box

If unavailable, people will start putting what used to be its info into the main box. It's mostly the difference between the two sites that causes problems.

(In the past, some mobile users could only get text into the title box. In that case, it was crucial.)

I've been out and about since 9 am, listening on and off in the car, but definitely wanted to say

Hi Balls! And Cmac!

I'm sticking with the basement until auto-refresh returns. And I vote for a subject title box.

the road trip is getting heavy man

@Garjoh

I suppose maybe it'll make more sense when I finally come out of the basement!

My favourite road trips include mini-ones with some R3ers to Mariposa 2 years in a row. Loved driving with them! More extensive road trip were with my parents to Florida and SC. Those usually included me reading stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul and making my parents cry, and eating loads of junk food. Loved those days!

Road trips for the new trip... hopefully travelling to NYC in the summer, and maybe take a "road trip" to Glasgow in April (I say "road trip" because I'll be going by bus and ferry.. does that count?)

Great to hear your Sarah!

@Balls

do they still have the bus that goes to the Hummingbird on Galiano?

did that once while staying at a B&B on Galiano.  fun.

Great!  Maybe we put "Naughty Minxes" on the back of the shirt, haha.

@Grant, I miss "stand by your van"

get some rubber bong hose to fix that

Does anyone know where I can get Rich Aucoin lyrics?

it will make your  radiator blow up, rubber bong hose won't fix that, trust me i'm from Detroit

Dont trust anyone from Detroit.

Ok, I'm on the new site. I guess it's alright. Visually, I liked the old site better. And I agree with many about the basement comments.

Grant's picture does pop out more, tho, I guess.

Nice Cuff the Duke shirt! Balls is very, very pretty. I mean Sarah. Welcome to the West Coast and good on ya for roadtrippin!

What is the Hummingbird? Is that a restaurant or resort or...?

Gremlins are bad

@Backwater Brewery 

What's the website for your brewery and do you ship to IL?  I'd be giddy to try your beer!



Re: Roadtrip podcasts. Going to add them all to my iPod today. The 2010 one helped me get hooked to R3!!!! <3

The Vapour Locks

Band name?

The Hummingbird is the pub on Galiano Island. I've had many a pub brunch, lunch, and supper there. BELCH.

sorry, not corry.

i have been a horrible typist today...

Is anyone going to partake in a RoadTrip to mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812?  There are supposed to be many events occuring in the Great Lake regions!!  

I've been gone for a bit....from the blog and site. Did anyone ask Sarah yet about music on her roadtrip? I agree with someone's comment before about how much music is a big factor. Sometimes when I remember roadtrips, I actually instantly think of the music mostly listened to during...

Which makes me rememeber! Once went on a roadtrip with a friend and family member and music was a major factor in the trip! To Eastern BC. I had just bought a bunch of new cd's like Buddha Bar, Pete Yorn, Beth Orton, Gorillaz, etc. Awesome! However, my friend and I quarrelled at the end of the trip (opposite attitudes about travelling, so...) and we forgot the cd's in the rental car. When we checked later they were gone. So most of em were replaced, but not all. I think one of em was that beautiful French/Middle Eastern singer. That was at the Folk Fest here a few years ago. Natalie something or other.

@grant -- better than the pub in sydney? ha

"wine guzzling hussies" from Christine: Name for an all-woman band, all in their forties.

I am exhausted from running up the stairs since the website moved out of the basement! I will be glad when all the bugs are gone upstairs.

Oh ya. Now I remember. Sarah, you talked about live music shows you've been to along the way on your trip. You mentioned Elliot Brood, I know that!

@Backwater Brewery 

ahh i see. I was trying to piece that comment together and wasn't sure what you were referring to!

I will be sure to do that!! Looks lovely!

Shonica, that's funny!

It just seems to take pretty long to load the comments. But that's ok.

I do feel more 'exposed' I think, on the white background. It feels less private.

I love Grant

@iamRobSmith: Not when she visited Dallas... or wait, maybe she was. HI-YO!

@Backwater Brewery

All the best with your big plans!  I'd be interested in finding out about beer shipping, if only because I have some aged "brown shugga" I'm thinking of selling.  Can you shoot me an e-mail: 'my username'@gmail.com. 

Balls!

I need Newfoundland advice! I have a friend living in St. John's for a year. It's his birthday today. Can you recommend a gift I could have delivered? I see that Auntie Crae's is gone, but is there somewhere else that delivers wine or gift baskets or sea shanties?

CMac!

I said this the other day, but Christine was very protective of her Balls

DAMMIT CHRISTINE YOU RUIN EVERYTHING

@binsy -- cupcakes from Sugar momma's are a good idea :)

Not enough people named Muriel nowadays.

PAUL FISHER IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Balls! This is so crazy, I met you at Grant's book signing in Calgary way back when Adventures in Solitude came out.  I had no idea who you were, but I just thought your user name was icnredible. We were both standing in line and we just started chatting. What's up! Coming back to Calgary anytime soon?

since it seems like you're all about hooking people up... I'm single. Just sayin'

I know I've mentioned alot of road trips, but I think the train trip from Northern Europe to Southern France was another best.

@fiasco22 re Nardwuar/Jill song

Nardwuar is driving us nuts over here and not loading that song to the Evaporators page so no adding that song yet until I can get him into a headlock.

We ran into Paul's old roomie from R.I.T. at the Rich Aucoin/Canadian Grammy's party.  Small world.  Which reminds me, I still gotta send that dude the photos from that night..

@McS having you met KirkofDoom? He's lovely and S-I-N-G-L-E (big time)

@Rebbey Grant is all talk!

It's funny you should mention cup cakes. He grew up in an Italian family where they called non-Italians "manja cakes," apparently because Italians don't like cake I guess. As a point of pride, he won't touch it.  

Maybe I will send him a candy bouquet. I don't really mind if he thinks I'm coming on to him.

I like that there's no subject line, actually. I used to spend way too much time changing it.

@ffunnyman -- I'll be back by next week!

Wasn't R3 personals one of the suggestions awhile back? Rather than a complicated algorithm to match potential couples, we can just use Grant. 

@Balls: Oh, I'm not leaving... just one of those things that I'll get used to.

@Kirk: That's great! Do you know when?

@company pond:  What do you mean by "use Grant", and do you have his permission for this?

grant you are scaring me

Hungarian @ 12:21

They're very aware, but have said it will take them some time to make one.

@mcs and kirkofdoom... what do two gingers make? an albino? gentleman reg?

Have Grant's hookups lasted. 

BTW, I feel weird talking about Grant while he is here...