Blogs

Hello! Sara Hillis just popping in to say that I hope your holiday season is going well and that I, in defference to that holiday frame of mind, will be taking a break from producing Come by the Hills for this week. Instead, I'll be sharing an encore presentation of the show that changed everything this year, the Saint Patrick's Day episode which launched the show's return to Sundays at 8:00 PM Eastern! So raise a glass and revisit March 17, 2024 with a former audio iteration of me, and, God willing, I'll be with you again live in 2025!

After you've enjoyed Decades in HD with PJ Noce tomorrow afternoon from 02:00 PM to 05:00 PM, don't touch that dial, device, PC, Mac, smart speaker or tablet and join me for The Early Years, where and when you'll hear the best music from the first quarter century of Rock with occasional nods to other decades and genres.

The "Juke In The Back" focuses on the " soul that came before rock n' roll," the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.

After the presents have been opened, the turkey has been eaten (some of it at least), and it's Christmas night when you can hopefully enjoy a bit of well deserved down time. Why not pour a glass of your favourite Christmas cheer and join me for some Christmas traditions, tonight from 09:00 until midnight North American Eastern Time on Mushroom FM.

Well, another fabulous countdown is in the books, and we have you to thank for its fabulousness! You built us an amazing chart with your votes, and we'd like to thank you for that. If you didn't catch the whole countdown, it will be replayed starting at midhtnight Eastern Time on Christmas Day, and if you want to see the full chart, you can do so at https://www.mushroomfm.com/countdown2024.

Deep Dive breaks its usual pattern during the Christmas season. We share Christmas music from a range of artists, mainly Australian. We also share some of the ways Christmas is celebrated in the southern hemisphere, where the cold and snow is replaced by heat, and a quick dip in the swimming pool.

You can expect anything from Santa's sleigh being pulled by kangaroos to the enjoyment of a glass of white wine in the sun.

Are you a Dasher or a Dancer, a Prancer or a Vixen? No, this is not some sort of holiday-themed personality test. These are just the names of our virtual tables here in Portobello Hall for our virtual Christmas party which is taking place in conjunction with the presentation of our annual Holiday Countdown! When you voted, you were issued an invitation and given a seat at one of these four tables. To find out which table you're at, you can go to our Seating Plan page. And, even though voting is now closed, you can still be added to a table.

It's time once again for the Come by the Hills Holiday extravaganza! I've got three hours of festive-themed tunes coming your way, including a really lovely reading of Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales, which was performed as part of a seasonal concert that Loreena McKennitt mounted called Under a Winter's Moon. So, if you're not all Christmased out after the countdown, I hope you can join me for some festive folkish fun!

After you've enjoyed Decades in HD with PJ Noce tomorrow afternoon from 02:00 PM to 05:00 PM, don't touch that dial, device, PC, Mac, smart speaker or tablet and join me for The Early Years, where and when you'll hear the best music from the first quarter century of Rock with occasional nods to other decades and genres.

We'd like to thank everyone who has voted in this year's Mushroom FM Holiday Countdown! All the contributions are officially in and collected, and now that the vote-validation elves have done their work, it's time for them to switch gears. (well, do elves have gears? Maybe hats is better.) Okay, so it's time for the elves to switch hats and get Portobello Hall cleaned up for your impending arrival! The Christmas tree is being brought in and decorated, and there will be lots of wood for the log fire, or if you prefer it, the windows can be opened to let in the summer breeze.