Are you part of The Tyee's critical 1%?

Thanks for reading The Tyee today — we hope this article added to your day in some way. Our team of independent journalists takes pride in doing in-depth reporting and taking time to get it right.

We're able to focus our attention on publishing impactful journalism in the public interest, and publish it for free for all to read, because we have the support of Tyee Builders. Tyee Builders are readers who contribute a bit of money — at a level and frequency of their choice — to support our editorial budget.

This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

Instead of focusing on what kind of articles will attract the most advertising dollars, we can spend time devoted to researching and writing stories that our readers find most valuable and make the most positive impact in our region.

If you'd like to join thousands of readers who help make independent journalism possible, consider joining Tyee Builders. Thank you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders

Help us un-break journalism in Canada

You made it all the way through the article – I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point – the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders
Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
support us subscribe free
Music Picks
Music

Music Alchemy: Dodos and Girl Talk

What kind of mixing makes audio gold?

Thom Wong 3 Jul 2008TheTyee.ca

Thom Wong is a drone in Her Majesty's Service. He writes regularly about music for The Tyee, and can be found ruminating about the state of menswear at The Sunday Best.
image atom
Dodos' search for bona fide borrowing.

Last Thursday, I watched two young men with guitars and drums, and another young man playing, of all things, a garbage can, make more music than I've heard in a long time. I say music and not noise, but they were definitely loud, far louder than a band mainly featuring an acoustic guitar should be.

Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Meric Long, however, is not only interested in bobbing heads, though many were bobbing that night at The Bourbon on Vancouver's Cordova Street. No, as quaint a notion as this might be in this day of reality-show pop-stars, Long is a bona fide musician, a guitar-playing alchemist, taking disparate sounds from jazz to folk to straight-up rock and mashing them together to form his own audio gold.

And percussionist Logan Kroeber plays like a man possessed by the joy of hitting things.

Girl Talk

Oddly, a recently released album that mirrors The Dodos' approach to music doesn't feature any live instrumentation at all. Even if you've never heard of Girl Talk, a.k.a. Greg Gillis, you've probably heard his songs -- each one is made up of snippets from popular music, rearranged into something new and exciting. For example, "Smash Your Head" from his recent album Night Ripper featured at least 16 samples, samples to which, it should be noted, Gillis has neglected to secure the rights.

Now Gillis has gone Radiohead on us and released his latest album, Feed the Animals, on a pay-what-you-want system. At the Illegal Art page, depending on what you're willing to pay, you can either receive a link to download MP3s, higher-quality FLAC files, or all that and an actual CD. Considering it can be had for free, and that the RIAA may soon shut him down, you have no reason not to get this album. Another reason -- it kicks colossal ass.

If nothing else, Gillis demonstrates what we all already know: that any given pop song has about 10 seconds worth of good music in it. Grab 12 such songs, and hey, you have one good song, only this way you get an entire album.

Girl Talk plays at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom on July 24, 2008.

Related Tyee stories:

[Tyee]

Read more: Music

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Are You Concerned about AI?

Take this week's poll