Cool by Association – Just Like the Borg

Here’s an entry from my personal blog that I thought I’d share.

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There are still a few minutes left of Sunday morning as I sit here to contemplate the day.  Caught up on all that sleep I donated to Friday’s adventure in Niagara Falls.  I also think daylight savings time might be a contributing factor.  Did we lose or gain an hour here in TO?

In Saskatchewan we don’t have ‘daylight savings time’.  It just doesn’t make sense to us.  The sun is gonna do what the sun is gonna do.  Who are we to dictate its terms?

I’ve been thinking about how I plan to cover the CFL Combines in a couple weeks’ time.  I could go there, interview coaches, GMs, and players, then write a story about the CFL’s draft prospects – just like everyone else covering the event.  I could also make some sort of video out of it too – again, just like everyone else with a camera who’s there.  Instead, I’m feeling a hankering to do something completely different.

I’ve long been interested in reaching out to other ‘scenes’ here in the city through my interactions with the Toronto Argonauts.  It’s a way to let others from outside the tent to know about what we’re doing inside.  I think reaching out to local bands and their fans is a first step.  We can also reach out to uber cool events like Toronto Fringe Festival, Beaches Jazz Festival, SummerWorks, etc and associate their vibe with our dealio.  It may not translate directly into ‘bums in seats’, but a sustained effort such as this will makes us the coolest professional sports franchise in the city – where perception is everything.

As far as music goes, I don’t want just any band.  They can’t be established.  It’s better for them to be ‘up and coming’ – have us be a small part of their journey towards lofty heights.  That’s the exact place where the good will kicks in.  We use our relatively high profile to shed a little light on their scene, then add a little of their ‘cool distinctiveness’ to our own – sort of like the Borg in Star Trek.

To this end, I started out on the CBC music website.  It’s their mission to put a spot light on ‘upcoming bands/artists’.  Tons and tons and tons of metric tonnes of really great music can be found there, and I found the band I wish to use for this video.  I sent their management an email and when I hear back, I’ll mention their name here in this space – even if they decline the invitation.  I figure it’s best not to get ahead of myself before commitments have been made (or not made).

In the meantime, I’ll get on with my Sunday – with a song in my heart and an hour somewhere lost in my step to gain.