the shane alexander show: with special guest imran haniff (the holiday crowd)

On this very special edition of the Shane Alexander Show, Shane sits down with leader singer of The Holiday Crowd, Imran Haniff and chat about community radio, song writing, and even breaks some news exclusively on the show regarding the band’s debut single release. Music wise, we take a trip through the 80s and also visit the Brit Pop for some classic records. Be sure to check out The Holiday Crowd performing during the North By North East festival June 16th.

Guess Who’s Back – Jay Z feat Beanie Segal (Inst)
It’s The End of The World – REM
Just Can’t Get Enough – Depeche Mode
Tainted Love – Soft Cell
Do you Really Want to Hurt Me – Culture Club
Don’t You Want Me – Human League
London Calling – The Clash
Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer
Protection – Massive Attack
Common People - Pulp
Loaded – Primal Scream
She Bangs the Drums – Stone Roses
Step On – Happy Mondays
Eye Know – De La Soul
*Never Speak of It Again – The Holiday Crowd

*Denotes Canadian Material


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someone interviewed me about trends..

A longtime reader of mine and a good friend of the blog, shot me some questions a few days ago to help her with a college assignment. She's taking Modern Media and Journalism. Or something of the two. I don't know. I just know we swap a lot of e-mails about blogs, writing, media, radio and TV news. That sorta nerd stuff. We're a special breed. We know. I tell her all the time she's going to be the first female to be in Larry King's spot. Anyway, this time around she asked me about trends. How were they on my blog this year. Has anything changed? Here's what I wrote. And oh yeah. Here's another bunch of questions she sent me before.

What to you is the word "trends"?
Trends is another word that was just made-up in the past few years. Before the innovation of Twitter, the word was just used in board meetings by big white dudes in suits crunching numbers and looking for the right target bracket. They were seeing what their market was doing. Buying, Watching, Listening to. That's what trending is. Now, you get everyone who is on Twitter talking about what's trending at the moment. What's the hottest topic or viral video or song or celebrity at the moment. It's always nice, though that kids are expanding their vocabulary in the modern age.

What was your hottest trending topics this year on your site?
Anything media. CFNY fired one of their hosts from the morning show not too long ago. Since, I've done a couple of articles about him. His name keeps coming up in my daily stats. There's not a lot of blogs out there locally that covers radio news. I think it's just me and this other guy named Mike Boon. All the other sites are more industry focussed and you have be part of the circle to really know about them like Brodcaster and the SOWNY board. Another big one would be the coverage I did for the Haiti relief concert back in January. I get a couple hundred weekly hits on that. People just checking out the highlights from the show. That's cool. But then I still get people wanting to know if Brooke Hogan is going to do Playboy. I posted that article two years ago. When the site was on a different topic stance. It was more about pop culture and racy news. Still, maybe 300 hundred hits within a month about Hogan's daughter going nude. Crazy. Actually I just checked. Get this. Of all time posts on my site, the Jason Barr gone form Edge story posted last August has gotten around 1,700 hits. The Playboy rumor one? 1,487. That one was posted in June 2008.

What has that taught you?
To post more media material? When I was growing up and was wanting to know radio and TV gossip I had a couple of outlets to turn to. One dude in The Sun and another guy in the Star that used to do a radio column in Saturday's paper. We were fed ongoing info about the latest firings, hirings, format flips and sing-offs. Now, a decade later, the regular folk don't have that luxury. Even in this pro-info age. Unless you're hooked up to the media news sites you have to wait till it's common knowledge or your lucky enough to have it be covered in one of the daily's. I think this is why all media related stories I have to cover. It's obvious people want to know why their favorite radio host is not there anymore and why their favorite radio station is sounding different suddenly. It doesn't surprise me at all. I understand that part of my duties. As a blogger, there's many hats I wear. I'm a person who writes about personal daily life stuff. I'm a critic, I'm a fan but also I'm a journalist who needs to spot a vacancy in the blogsphere and attach myself to it. I've been blogging about radio and TV stuff since I started this stuff in 2005. People have come to learn that I get the goods.

What do you see for 2011 trend wise?
I think people will continue to dig this whole social networking explosion. Don't see Mr.Twitter being People's top person next year, though. It will continue to evolve step by step. This year we took in a lot of new gadgets and sites and stuff. I think we're going to still get new stuff like toys and social networking sites but it won't be as powerful and innovative as this year. 2010 will go down in history for sure. This year was huge on music and pop culture. I don't see it being as big in 2011. Fashion will take a step forward, I think. So watch out for that. I don't know. I just know it's working. Twitter, Facebook, LinkdIn. All these sites have helped me with my site and have made me a more popular man on Google. Maybe next year I will be a trending topic. HA. Imagine that. You can say you knew me when.

someone interviewed me..

You know when blogging becomes big when an university student wants to interview you. I've been interviewed before. But mostly about music, and media stuff. This time it was more in depth. It was about social media and about blogging and about how it's going to progress. The nice person who sent me the questions yesterday was the daughter of a regular reader of mine in Jersey. Her daughter is going to NYU. She shot me these questions. I answered. Now you can check some of them below.

Q: What got you started in blogging?
I got started in blogging in 2005 when I wanted to take my writing more seriously. I thought that a blog would be an ideal way to get my stuff seen. I was also bored with the typical views and opinions about pop culture and news stories that I was following. I thought that I needed to be heard. It started off with just my little write-ups about my life and maybe a little tidbit about local media here and there. In the first year, I think I had only 50 posts.

Q: How has your blog evolved?
I think the blog is an extension to the blogger. Therefore, as I grew so did my blog. As my likes grew, it was reflected on my page. As I grew up, I started to like new things. I started to move away from other things. It was all reflected on the site. After five years of doing it, I think I've finally found my spot in the blogasphere. The page I'm doing right now is the happiest I've ever been with it. The concept. The style. The things I'm blogging about. Everything. But then again, as I said before. I continue to grow, so maybe that would change. Tomorrow. In a month. Year. Maybe even later on today. Who knows.


Q: What makes a good blogger?

Anyone can blog. But to be a good blogger? You got to have something to say. Everyone has something to talk about but is it good enough to have someone wanting to visit your page everyday to see what you jotted down? I think the best bloggers are the creative people who are always doing something. Always checking out new things. It's like that friend of yours who always has a new story to tell. Went on a new adventure. These are the people who you look forward to hearing how their day was. It's never `it was alright. Same ol' shit. Different day.' It's a ten minute story. I'm that friend. That ten minute story is found on my blog.

Q: What is Social Media to you?
Social Media to me? It's going to rule the world. If it hasn't already. Do you realize how much of terms we got from Facebook or Myspace or Twitter that we're starting to say in our everyday speech? Before the Book, how many times did you say "status"? Did you ever think that you would meet your first boyfriend or girlfriend from elementary school again. Like 20 years later? But it's more than that. It's going to be the new way to gain a fan base for your business. It's the new way to stay in touch. It's the new way to communicate. It's starting to be more impressive if you get a girls name so you can add her on Facebook or to get her Myspace account rather than her phone number. It's starting to be part of our DNA.

But to answer your question? To me? It's a new way to keep in touch, as I said. But mostly, it's been a new way to network with people you know and new people, too. Before all these sites, we had to use message boards and mass e-mails to keep your Friends and industry people abreast on what's going on. Now, just a quick little status, all your friends know what's up. It's amazing. To me, if used in a positive manner is the next way to be heard and to make money.

Q: Do you think the newspaper is dying form?
Yes. In the way we know it as. We will always want news. No matter form it is, people always love gossip. We want to know what's going on in other people's lives. Be it in Hollywood or in Haiti. The paper form is going to die. Soon. I predict in the next few years. Look at the Ipad. It's going to be the next way to read the morning news. I remember the day Michael Jackson passed. The following morning, I bought the paper. It was the first time I picked up The Toronto Star in years. In that sense, I think people will miss that personal touch that newspapers brought. Sure. You will be able to print up a story or save it on your hard rive, but it won't be the same as taking out a old shriveled up piece of black and white paper reading news from 5, 10, 15 years ago and getting those ink spots on your fingers feeling the same way the day you read the news. I'm a traditionalist like that.

exclusive: don't let d-sisive die

Good friend of the blog, D-Sisive is happy today. No, it's not his birthday but maybe even something better. His debut full length album, Let The Children Die hits stores today. We wanted to join D-Sisive in this spectacular moment in time so we virtually sat down with him yesterday and shot the shit. This is what he had to say.



Shane Fame Alexander: What's the story behind the title of Let The Children Die?

D-Sisive: This may be frustrating to some, but I'm not giving that away. It's up to you to figure it out. Sometimes you have to force your listeners to put on their thinking caps. Leave it open for interpretation. I'm deep like that, holmes!

SFA: What's the story behind the whole album?

D:The story is I wanted to make a classic album. An album with substance. An album with emotions. An album Canada can be proud of. An album I can be proud of. I hope I've accomplished that. We shall see.

Do you think I have?

SFA: From The Book to your Let Your Children Die, your rhymes have become more of a serious nature taking about your life and the passing of your parents. Was this a plan to have these records like this or was it more that you just decided these are the topics wanted to write about?

D: You're not a writer if you don't have anything to write about. It's such a literal statement, but it's true. Too many rappers wasting time. I did it myself. It gets to a point where it's not a challenge anymore. I've been writing punchlines and battle verses since I was 15. Sometimes I'll get the urge to just spit, but for the most part I want to write stories. Tell my story. It's more challenging to me. I want to paint pictures for listeners. Something they can take something from that's not just a laugh. I just want to tell my story. And hopefully have people listen when I tell them.

SFA: Asher Roth is coming to town. Would you want to play your freestyle track for him and see what he says? would you want to work with him?

D: I couldn't care less if he hears it or not. Nothing against dude. I'm just not a huge fan of his work. He can rhyme, his content isn't for me. The beat is brilliant, though. I'd definitely work with the producer.

SFA: You work with some dope artists on the album - espcially Guilty Simpson and Classified. How did you hook that up and what made you want to choose them specifically?

D: My moves are never calculated. I go with what feels right. I don't work with artists for the sake of working with them. The collaborations on the album all started with me writing to the beats first. Then thinking 'You know who would sound amazing on this?' Then I pursue and make it happen.

Guilty was a different story. A story that's as simple as 'I'm a huge fan and I NEED to work with him before I die.' Thankfully he was down and we ended up making one of, if not my best song. That's probably one of my only songs that I can listen to over and over again. Guilty Simpson in a genius. Listening to him reminds me of when I first heard Biggie. Mindblowing shit. He's going to be a legend.

Like This - D-Sisive feat Guilty Simpson


SFA: You're making some of the best punchlines in your whole career. Do you have a set person who want to talk about in a track or does the line just come up while writing the track?

D: Everything just flows. It depends on what I've been reading or watching. I wrote Veronica Vaughn the morning after I watched Mad Max. Hence the last verse. If you haven't seen Mad Max, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm also obsessed with Eastbound And Down. So I had to throw the Kenny Powers reference. I sometimes have a few lines in the vault, but I usually start fresh and whatever comes comes. My brain is an encyclopedia of useless information.


VeronicaVaughn: One Piece Of Ash - D-Sisive (freestyle)




SFA: What were the steps - as a Canadian Indie artist on making the album - from the idea to pitching it to Urbnet to production to the writing of it to the marketing of the album? I know you do a lot of the work yourself. Has it become easier since you first started out?

D: It's all a blur to me now. That was yesterday.

SFA: You have one of the better work ethics in the business..Any plans yet for a follow up album?

D: I'm already two songs into Vaudeville. I never stop writing and recording. Why take a break? Pointless.

SFA: What Canadian Hip Hop track you wish you appeared on?

D: Hmmmm. EZ On The Motion? Father Time? Check The O.R.? The Bartman? The list goes on...

EZ on the Motion - Ghetto Concept


SFA: Any upcoming shows? Anything to plug?

D: Release Party. May 7th at the El Mocambo. DL Incognito, Abdominal & The Obliques, Fundament, DJ Law, DJ Grouch, Dirtyman and myself. It's going to be insanity. Don'cha dare miss it! Billy Red Lyons Styles!