Author Archives: Jesse Conlang

About Jesse Conlang

Jesse Conlang lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he has trained squirrels to operate pens and pencils at his whim. You can probably tell that by the quality of the work.

Remembrance Day

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Jesse Conlang

(a slightly different version of this post appeared on my facebook page last year.) The neighbourhood where I grew up has been a community of German immigrants since the before it was even part of Edmonton, back when the cycling … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Top 10 Albums of 2015

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Jesse Conlang

There’s this weird thing about music appreciation, where, in our cultural reaction to emotional and subjective pieces of art, we sort music into lists. The 100 best guitar players of all time, best albums of 1975, top 5 track 1 … Continue reading →

It’s Not Too Early To Call The Greatest Accordion Album of the Century

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Jesse Conlang

Quick, what music do you remember from 2001? This song broke records that year, and until I started doing research for this article, I had forgotten about it. I find music is harder to forget than it is to remember, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Uncategorized | Tagged accordion, amelie, Classical music, janet jackson, music, music criticism, music theory, pop music, soundtrack, yann tiersen | 2 Comments

Flying Canoe Part 2: Aftermath

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Jesse Conlang

The worst thing about the Flying Canoe is that I’ve basically never been there. Every year I get there before it starts, play for four hours, finish breaking down long after it’s finished, and then I do the same thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Stuff I made | Tagged cold weather solutions, edmonton, festival, flying canoe, folk music, guitar, Guitar pick, métis music, music, tree, tree sap, Winter, Winter city | Leave a comment

Cold Weather, Métis Dancing and Problem Solving

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Jesse Conlang

For the past couple years in February my family and I have had the pleasure of providing music and dance instruction for the Flying Canoe / Canoë Volant Festival. You can see us briefly in this video at the 50 … Continue reading →

Posted in Stuff I made | Tagged canada, cold, edmonton, flying canoe, folk music, guitar, MacGuyver, Métis, music, Winter | 2 Comments

Activity: Fake Christmas Songs

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Jesse Conlang

I’ve been working retail during the most christmassy time of the christmas. Constant Christmas music has rotted my brain. Without using google, guess which of these songs are real and which ones are fake. Takin’ Care of Christmas – Bachman … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Uncategorized | Tagged bands, christmas, christmas music, fake songs, hell, holiday songs, retail, santa | Leave a comment

This is also a music blog now, I guess

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Jesse Conlang

Let’s talk about a funny thing that I hate. That video by the Axis of Awesome is legitimately hilarious deconstruction of I-V-vi-IV, probably the most common chord change in popular music. It’s well done, and I really like the goofy … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Uncategorized | Tagged chord changes, music, music criticism, music theory, pachelbel, pop, the axis of awesome | Leave a comment

Protest Songs of the 2015 Election, Reviewed

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Jesse Conlang

Now that the votes have been counted, the victory champagne and consolation whiskey sipped, and the school gymnasiums returned to their regular functions, it’s time to get some serious analysis on one of the most important issues of the 2015 … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged activism, canada, cancon, criticism, music, Politics, protest songs, review | 1 Comment

Refinishing my ukulele

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Jesse Conlang

Back in 2009, before I rode my bike from Edmonton to Thunder Bay, I went to the now-defunct Gordon Price Music and purchased a $20 ukulele. The idea being that I’d have something to practice on, loosen up my hands … Continue reading →