Acts of Volition Radio

This, the 22nd session of Acts of Volition Radio, was recorded the the safe-harbour of my office on a Saturday night. Meanwhile, back at my house (from which I was temporarily banished), my bride-to-be and her friends celebrated the waning days of her life as a single woman. The songs don’t really have anything to … →

Many of you have likely seen the many weblog posts entitled “A Musical Baton” over the last few weeks. The chain-letter-like post asks the author to share a bit about the music they are enjoying, and pass the duty on to five more people. Having been passed the “baton” myself (thanks Garrett), I’ll let this, … →

The 20th session of Acts of Volition Radio is a collection of hard rock and punk songs. This session runs a bit longer and rocks a bit harder than previous sessions. It may rock your ass off. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Twenty (65MB MP3) Music that rocks hard. Recorded Saturday, April 24, 2005 by … →

The nineteenth session of Acts of Volition Radio includes some new songs I’ve discovered recently, and some older material that you might not have heard before. I had a cold when I was recording it, so pardon the nasal tone. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Nineteen (41MB MP3) Newly discovered and recently rediscovered songs. Recorded … →

The eighteenth session of Acts of Volition Radio is a collection of some old songs, some new songs, and an appeal to help me track down the composer of one of the songs. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Eighteen (42MB MP3) A collection of songs old and new. Recorded Thursday, January 13, 2005 by Steven … →

While I’m a confessed scrooge about most things Christmas and I do hate most Christmas music, there is some truly great Christmas music. I share some of it in the seventeenth session of Acts of Volition Radio. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Seventeen (25MB MP3) Christmas music that doesn’t suck. Recorded Saturday, December 11, 2004 … →

This, the sixteenth session of Acts of Volition Radio is a collection of hidden gems. These are great songs that you have likely never heard before (most of them, at least). This session features a super-duper-quadruple-pack of a band you’ve almost certainly never heard of before, Chagall Guevera. Thanks to Dennis for rekindling my love … →

I had already accumulated a great list of songs to share, so session 15 of Acts of Volition Radio comes out hot of the heels of theprevious session. No musical theme this time, but all great songs. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Fifteen (42MB MP3) More good music. Recorded Wednesday, September 29, 2004 by Steven … →

The fourteenth session of Acts of Volition Radio searches the barren wasteland of “adult contemporary” radio music and comes back with a few worthwhile songs by artists that deserve a second listen. The speech recording is a little weak on this one, so I boosted the signal between songs – the songs sound fine, but … →

This, the thirtheenth session of Acts of Volition Radio includes several tracks from the Future Soundtrack for America compilation CD I mentioned last week. There are also a couple of other tracks that warmed my heart in recent weeks. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Thirteen (29MB MP3) Songs for the future of America (and Canada). … →

In the twelveth installement of Acts of Volition Radio, I draw heavily on a mix by my friend Dennis Arsenault. Also, thanks to Timothy Chaisson for permission to include his track. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Twelve (31MB MP3) Songs recommended by my friends. Recorded Sunday, August 22, 2004 by Steven Garrity. Run time: 34min. … →

This session of Acts of Volition Radio is a loose collection of story-songs and miscellany. It is punctuated by my reporting on the amusing musical selection of my sun-bathing and boom-box weilding neighbours. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Eleven (37MB MP3) Story songs and miscellany. Recorded Sunday, June 27, 2004 by Steven Garrity. Run time: … →

Back in February, Matt Haughey kindly referred to me as “a tastemaker for Canadian indie rock”. I blushed, and ever since, I’ve noticed that there has been some pretty heavy Can-Con in my shows. Session ten of Acts of Volition Radio ended up, unintentionally, as another all-Canadian extravaganza. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Ten (43MB … →

After a short hiatus (the beauty of never promising deadlines), Acts of Volition Radio is back. This session is mostly comprised of Canadian indie rock and pop – but some Pedro the Lion got in there too (maybe they’re Canadian in temperment). Acts of Volition Radio: Session Nine (30MB MP3) Canadian content (mostly). Recorded Thursday, … →

After being vocally out of commision for a while due to a bad cold, Acts of Volition Radio is back. This is a special session dedicated to the late Gene Eugene. If you haven’t heard of Gene Eugene, that is why I do this. His songs are among the most important to me of any … →

I was waiting for some CDs to arrive for my next planned Acts of Volition Radio playlist, but great songs just kept coming to mind. So, instead of waiting, I’ve put together another session in the interim. This session was recorded while hunkered down in my little house surround by a lot of snow. Acts … →

Session six of Acts of Volition Radio done. This session doesn’t have a theme as some previous sessions have had. Rather, it’s just ten great songs. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Six (42MB MP3) Ten songs you’ll like. Recorded Sunday, February 8, 2004 by Steven Garrity. Run time: 52min. Session Six Playlist: Metric – Combat … →

Session five of Acts of Volition Radio is all about great guitar rock songs. This is a good one to burn to a CD and play in your car. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Five (41MB MP3) A collection of great guitar rocks songs. Recorded Sunday, February 2, 2004 by Steven Garrity. Run time: 45min. … →

The fourth session of Acts of Volition Radio is here. This session is based on songs and albums that are particularly well recorded, produced, or engineered. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Four (45MB MP3) A collection of particularly well recorded, produced, or engineered tracks. Recorded Wednesday, January 21, 2003 by Steven Garrity. Run time: 49min. … →

A little overdue (if that’s possible when you have no deadlines or schedule), here is the third session of Acts of Volition Radio. This session is based around artists that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting at some point. Acts of Volition Radio: Session Three (37MB MP3) An hour of name dropping – music by … →

The reaction to the first session of Acts of Volition Radio was generally positive. Here, then, is Session Two: Acts of Volition Radio: Session Two (57MB MP3) Nine great live recordings. Recorded during a snow storm on Sunday, December 7, 2003 by Steven Garrity. Run time: 1hour. Session One Playlist: Jellyfish – Ghost at #1 … →

I’ve had the idea of doing a weekly radio show on the web floating around in my head since the Acts of Volition website started over three years ago. I like the idea of assembling a bit of music, talking about who it is and why I like it, and making it available for download. … →