Readers Laud ‘Noteworthy’ Profiles

Since childhood, my own background has been intertwined with not only a love of music but of support for (especially) Canadian acts and performers.

For instance, in my previous incarnation as a drive-home host for KICK-FM in Winnipeg, for Canada Day one year my senior producer Spirited Kenny took over the studio chair for an all-Canadian music show, while I went to the party and filed live reports and interviews from the legendary Osborne Village Canada Day Festival in Winnipeg. That day, a sea of close to 125,000 happy people paraded and mingled through a 6 block stretch within view of the Manitoba Legislature and it was magnificent.

A keystone of those annual events was the food, beverage and music at the outdoor beer gardens of the Osborne Village Inn, the legendary “Zoo” operated by the Green family. I had learned how to be a passable DJ, club host, and assistant tech in the late 1990’s while learning the hotel business under their direction. From about 1994-2014, on July 1st every year, the Zoo was THE destination in Winnipeg for rock-and-roll fun and barley-based beverages to celebrate our country (and I even got to work with Dan Ackroyd on the opening ceremonies one year).

As a family that had survived the Holocaust, the Green brothers valued the opportunities Canada had provided their family and promoted a Zoo bar and Ozzy’s lounge format that was heavily invested in Canadian bands, both established and up-and-coming (“Hey Marty, have you heard of Amanda Marshall? Should we book her?”). The publicity photos of groups and performers from the past and present graced the walls of the hotel and bar and reinforced the importance of the musical heritage we promoted there, and I made a point of spinning all sorts of now-forgotten Canadian hits and novelty songs as part of the shows.

So in that spirit of support for Canadian music, once again I’d like to thank David Eisenstadt for the tremendous work he does to put together his Noteworthy profiles of musical artists from all genres and generations for the enjoyment of our readers. A sampling of the kind words he has received for those columns is herein provided, with our appreciation also to those people who have taken the time to write in to David and to TheJ.ca with their words of encouragement.