New Music (for me, anyway)

Last night, like many Canadians, I watched the Juno Awards. I'm not normally into watching any type of award show, but I thought I would see which performers I knew and which were new to me.

Lately, my kids have started listening to the radio and tuning to stations that play the pop songs they like. I now understand my parents: I hate the music that my kids like.

When I was in my teens, my brother was just a pre-schooler. But I would crank my tunes and he would love it. He would always ask me to play some Peter Gabriel, U2, Ultravox, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Yes, among others. When he reached his teens, his taste in music was good. He would still listen to the songs I played, but he also branched out into other contemporary artists, like The Stones, and his new music was pretty good (he actually got me into The Cranberries and Coldplay).

I like to think I have a firm hand in guiding his taste in music.

When my kids were starting to appreciate music, I had them craving newer bands that I have discovered over the years (I mean, I didn't discover the artists, I just discovered their music over the airwaves). Artists like Sam Roberts, Hawksley Workman, Metric, Cake, Dave Matthews, and, of course, Sarah Slean.

The girls have been to Bluesfest over the years and have loved hearing many of these artists live. And I thought to myself, my job is done.

So why are they now listening to people like Pitbull, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Marianas Trench? And squealing when these folks come on the radio?

I gave it my best shot.

For more than a year now, I've actually been learning of new artists not by the radio, but by getting free iTunes downloads through Starbucks. I enjoy getting downloads of artists that I've never heard of before and am pleased when I find that I really like the song.

Here's a list of some of my favourite free downloads:

• Half of Something Else, by The Airborne Toxic Event
• Truth, by Alexander
• Live and Die, by The Avett Brothers
• The Roller, by Beady Eye
• Teardrop Windows, by Benjamin Gibbard
• Guttersnipe, by Bhi Bhiman
• Skip the Charades, by Cold War Kids
• Thrones, by The Dears
• My Mistakes, by Eleanor Friedberger
• Hold You, by Elliott Brood
• Hummingbird, by Imaginary Cities
• Beautiful Trash, by Lanu
• Bloodbuzz Ohio, by The National
• Major & Minor, by The Procession
• Wax Museum, by The Red Thread
• Under the Knife, by The Rural Alberta Advantage
• Thin Ocean, by The Soft Province
• We Have Everything, by Young Galaxy

I would have to say that at least 95 percent of the songs that I've blindly downloaded onto my iPhone are still on my device and I continue to enjoy. So I can't say that I live in the past with my music tastes.

I just don't get my girls.