Side Note: That’s this weekend.

Scully and the Last Calls will be performing as part of this 2 day event that offers the 5 top bands a ton of great prizes, including:

1. Recording Time at: Red Rhino Recording
2. Mastering Sessions
3. Outer and Inner-City Industry Showcases (The Mod Club Theatre and Club Soda)
4. Your press kit shopped and heard by any 5 major or indie labels of your choice through our music lawyer with a guaranteed response!
5. Global distribution through ‘Noisy Planet’ (www.noisyplanet.net)
6. Music sent to a music publicist for review and possible media campaign!
7. and more…

I also really dig a great country duet. There have been a few really good ones in the last few years and there are those that stand out as legendary in music. I started thinking about the voices that have come together – including those that have come from outside of the country music scene – and made some pretty great records.

I’ve also had a crush on the groups who are making great music with strong male and female group members. In the last few years we’ve seen Lady Antebellum lead these new groups on a tear up the charts. The way their voices work together makes me happy.

I asked the Twitterverse for their fav country duets and got some great answers. Some were already on my list and some were overlooked in haste – I’m glad that they came in.

So, here we are with another list – if you love any of the tracks take a couple minutes to enjoy them. If you haven’t heard some of them – here’s your chance, there’s a link and everything!

The Groups:
The Band Perry – If I Die Young
http://youtu.be/7NJqUN9TClM

Thompson Squared – Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not
http://youtu.be/FDUOcHg5ijg

Little Big Town – Bring It On Home
http://youtu.be/8l4AC5rUSUo

Lady Antebellum – Need You Now

Recent:
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood – Remind Me http://youtu.be/7qzhngp7jh8

Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield – It’s Easy
http://youtu.be/cDSCjmxO4T4

Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter – You And Tequila
http://youtu.be/Q8XkLrErSHw

Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester – Give In To Me
http://youtu.be/Nzcd9_rRAGc

Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson – Don’t You Wanna Stay

Recent-ish:
Brad Paisley and Allison Kraus – Whiskey Lullaby
http://youtu.be/0ME8UiA_CxM

Shania Twain and Bryan White – From This Moment On
http://youtu.be/b4aTUaEgH0Q

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – It’s Your Love

Note: I could have picked Like We Never Loved At All or Let’s Make Love or I Need You

Going Down In History:

Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire – If You See Him/ If You See Her
http://youtu.be/j5nvaOD_Lr4

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton – Islands In The Stream
http://youtu.be/lixDK_tMEhE

Jonny Cash and June Carter – Jackson

William Shakespeare: Hamlet
Forever and always my favourite piece of anything that has ever been written

James Redfield: The Celestine Prophecy
The first time I read this book my mind melted. There were so many thoughts about religion and spirituality and life.

Michael Lewis: Moneyball
It’s not your typical baseball book. It’s about business and people and change. Highly recommended from this blogger – even before the movie was made.

Vince Staten: Why Is The Foul Pole Fair?
I love little bits of trivia and useless knowledge and this book is full of them. I know why stadium seats are 18 inches wide… do you?

Max Brooks: World War Z
The best zombie anything I’ve ever read. Do you need to know more?

J.K Rowling: Harry Potter [the entire series]
I may not have been the target market when these books were released, but I have read and own every one of them now. Excellent work by the Brit mum.

Aldus Huxley: Brave New World
I went through a Huxley phase in high school and read Island, The Doors of Perception and Brave New World… I like them all but this one tops the list.

Jean Paré: Company’s Coming Cookies
If for no other reason that the Chocolate Chippers recipe on page 23.

Kevin Smith: My Boring Ass Life
I love the way he tells the story of Jason Mewes and his battle with addiction

John Grisham: Bleachers
Another atypical sports story. A novel from Grisham that isn’t about the law. Surprised the heck out of me.

Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale: Batman The Long Halloween
A Christmas gift that turned out to be a page turning read and a graphic novel that I’ve reread time and time again. A year long tale of the Dark Knight that I highly enjoy and urge you to pick up.

Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons: Watchmen
The quintessential graphic novel. A great story, great characters, great thoughts, ideas and presentation – overall a great read. Believe the hype.

Dr. Seuss: The Lorax
My favourite book by the legendary Dr. Seuss. This story is more than just rhymes and rhythm. There’s an important message about the environment, responsibility and sustainability. Give it to the children and adults in your life.

Kevin Smith: Chasing Amy
I know that Smith already made the list with the blog/diary book. But Chasing Amy is an amazing story even without the visuals and acting of Jason Lee, Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams. I’m glad I have it in print.

John Wyndham: The Chrysalids
We read this book in grade 9 and I’ve never forgotten it. A story about acceptance, prejudice, running, fear and people. While it may have been written and published in the 50′s it still holds water today.

Have you read any of these? Am I off point? Do hate my picks? Love my picks? Are you scratching your head and questioning my ability to make smart choices? Good!

I don’t know why – but I love the streetcars in Toronto.

We all know that the TTC is far from a perfect service. Prices are climbing, equipment is old, service times can be inconsistent and inconvenient.

However, I love the beauty of the streetcar. Maybe I’m the only one. Maybe I romanticize something that is outdated and a perfectly ordinary part of my life. I don’t know.

What I do know is that whenever I see a great photo of a TTC streetcar I stop and look. When I see a painting that depicts the Red Rocket cable car against the backdrop of downtown I wish I had it to hang in my apartment. Those pieces are some of my favourite and to me they always represent Toronto, a city that I love.

There’s a strong chance that I feel this way because I didn’t grow up in the city taking public transit on a regular basis. In fact, the first time I rode a streetcar would have been in 2002 on the 508 Lakeshore from Long Branch to the Humber College South campus. I didn’t see it as art then. I just saw it as a way to get from the train to school… I don’t even know when I started seeing them as beautiful. But somewhere along the line it happened.

I don’t know if streetcars will be part of the long term public transit plan in Toronto. I’m certainly not qualified to come up with such a plan. But I do know that for the rest of my life I will think of streetcars as part of the Toronto I came to love.

However, it has made me think a bunch. And it makes me wonder if I can come up with a list of 30 things about me that I can share with you all.

Some will be new to you, some won’t – that’s just the way the ball bounces.

1. I love Shakespeare’s Hamlet – in fact I own 4 print copies and 2 DVDs
2. 9 out of 10 times I will choose country music when given the choice
3. I totally dig living in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto
4. I really like diet pop
5. I love the Batman and as an adult have started reading and buying comic books
6. I’ve got 1 tattoo and 1 piercing… I’d think about more ink, but no more holes
7. I watched the world premier of High School Musical on the Family Channel
8. I’m a decent cook
9. Every year I ask for baseball or hockey cards for my birthday
10. I love to eat
11. I have self esteem, body image and superstition issues
12. Molson Stock Ale is my #1 choice of beer in a bottle – largely b/c of nostalgia
13. I would have Dave Grohl’s babies
14. I first made money betting on sports (NFL football) in the 7th grade
15. My first car accident was 13 years ago today – I was lucky to walk away
16. As much as I dig the English language and words, I’m bad at Scrabble
17. Dawson’s Creek is my fav TV series of all time
18. The ballpark is my happy place
19. I’ve written the first 30,000 words of a novel that I may never finish
20. I’ve lived in Garden Hill, Port Hope, Welcome, Newcastle, Peterborough, Ottawa and Toronto
21. I own a lot of chick flicks
22. I’ve read and seen all of the Harry Potter series and none of the Twilight franchise
23. 10 Things I Hate About You continues to be one of my fav movies
24. My high school nickname was Murph
25. I was co-Prime Minister of my high school
26. I helped create the #xocoffee hash tag on Twitter along with Dan and Trish
27. Also, I take my coffee black with a little sugar (just in case you wanted to buy me a cup)
28. Seeing the Toronto Blue Jays head offices was one of the biggest highlights of my scholastic career
29. I think the Green Arrow is the most under-rated member of the Justice League
30. I was born February 21, 1982 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

There we go. I did it. A list of 30 things about me. Want to know more? Ask!

Have a great day. Smile big. Be awesome.