Accordion Noir radio playlist 2023-02-15: Rail Solidarity

Trains are once again the theme of last night’s episode of CFRO’s (about which, see below) weekly hour-long Accordion Noir radio program, for very different reasons from the week before. If your Apple or Android (or plain old RSS) podcast subscriptions (strongly recommended!) haven’t alerted you to the episode’s availability yet, you can enjoy listening to it as digital audio courtesy of the Internet Archive. Here’s its playlist:

This episode features content related to the railroad disasters in Pennsylvania, and others, as revealed in this article:

How Freight Rail Is Courting Catastrophe
Workers are sounding the alarm that drastic cuts in employees and maintenance in order to increase profits are tempting fate.
by Aaron Gordon, @a_w_gordon@mastodon.xyz
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3angy3/freight-rail-train-disaster-avoidable-boeing

Tonight’s Playlist:
* Vancouver Girls Rock Camp – http://girlsrockcampvancouver.ca
* ‟The Many Voices of Accordion Noir, PRA 100.5 FM” – tune “Boyd’s Cove Singles” – The Dardanelles (2009) – Newfoundland, Canada – http://thedardanelles.com/https://thedards.bandcamp.com/releases
* Canailles – ‟Train” – Manger du bois (2012) – Montréal, Québec, Canada – http://canailles.bandcamp.com/
* Dm Lafortune – ‟Safe And Sound” – Beauty And Hard Times  – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – http://www.mamadhorizondancer.ca
* Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird – ‟Man Of Plenty” – The Broken Tongue/Dos Tsebrokhene Loshn (2006) – Detroit-New York, USA / Berlin, Germany  – paintedbird.net
* Selo i Ludy – ‟Poison” – Bunch One (2019) – Ukraine – https://www.facebook.com/seloiludy/
Get merch to support Selo i Ludy: https://selo-i-ludy-store.creator-spring.com
* Ando & the Jolly Barrels – ‟Tick, Tock Avarice” – Who Cares? (2009) – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA – www.myspace.com/andoandthejollybarrels
* Hearse – ‟Trainwreck” – Pot Calling Kettle (2014) – Victoria, BC, Canada – www.HearseMusic.ca
* Maria Dunn – ‟Shareholders’ Reel” – Piece By Piece (2012) – Alberta, Canada  – http://www.mariadunn.com/
* Chango Spasiuk – ‟Poison” – The Charm Of Chamame (2002) – Argentina – http://www.changospasiuk.com
* Adham Shaikh – ‟Water Prayer (Featuring Jornick) (Rastaman Vibration, Rasta Dub Mix)” – Universal Frequencies (2010) – Nelson, British Columbia, Canada – www.sonicturtle.com
* Kroke – ‟Water” – The Sounds Of The Vanishing World (2000) – Poland – http://www.kroke.krakow.pl/html_en/main_en.html
* bonewagon – ‟train”  – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – http://www.bonewagon.com/angeleyes.mp3  Kinda cool little accordion first minute and under the harmonica and stuff.
* Prima Donkey – ‟Crash By River” – Prima Donkey’s Rhythme Exotique (2006) – Belgium [I don’t know where this record is available right now. Anybody?]

An earlier railroad solidarity episode:
Accordion Noir 2022-09-14: Solidarity with Railroad Worker Accordionists
https://accordionuprising.wordpress.com/2022/09/14/accordion-noir-2022-09-14-solidarity-with-railroad-worker-accordionists/

Bonus action for Canadian Listeners to Accordion Noir and other Community Radio programs:
Write to your MP to help each community radio station receive $90.000 / year

[Alt Text: a portable Radio with headphones, text: Advocate on behalf of our station and for the Canadian community broadcasting sector as a whole.]

On this World Radio Day, we are writing to encourage you to advocate on behalf of our station and for the Canadian community radio broadcasting sector as a whole, if you haven’t done so already.

For a number of reasons, we believe we are in one of those unique moments where our requests may find some traction because there will be an election in the next few years. One of the top 3 issues for the current government is the fight against disinformation. Combine that with a political strategy that will involve investing in broadcasters serving underserved communities and we feel like we are in a particularly good position to seek and receive this support.

The federal government is currently working on the budget for April 1, 2023 to March 30, 2024. The Community Radio Fund of Canada alongside the three main community radio associations (The Association des radiodiffuseurs communautaires du Québec (“ARCQ”), l’Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada (“ARCC”), and the National Campus and Community Radio Association/Association nationale des radios étudiantes et communautaires (“NCRA/ANREC”)) are currently doing a lot of work, demonstrating the impacts of the community radio sector and how regular financial support of the sector will have enormous impacts. They have put together a specific pitch and have shared it with key players in the federal government. We are at a critical time in the outreach efforts where our station’s participation is incredibly important.

At this time, we are focusing on two areas of importance that will bring direct funding to campus & community radio stations across Canada:

1) The extension and expansion of the Local Journalism Initiative (we currently have 41 stations with paid journalists on the ground), as the 5-year program is about to enter its final year without a plan after 2024 to renew the program.  We are looking for that program to expand to $20 million a year and make it permanent.

2) Establish a 25 million dollar annual Community Broadcasting Fund to be distributed among all stations.  This fund would support all licensed broadcasters, with core and stable funding of around $90,000.

Our goal is to now have as many community radio station volunteers, members, and listeners as possible contact their local Member of Parliament (MP) so that they are aware of the sector and this pitch for support so that we have a better chance of having this included in the next federal budget.

Below is a templated letter which we ask that you copy, customizes and sends to Minister Rodríguez, Minister Freeland, Minister Leblanc, Minister Fortier, the Prime Minister, and the Executive Director of the CRFC alongside Barry at NCRA.

Every letter counts! If you can, please send your support as soon as possible!
Please let us know if you have any questions, and thank you in advance for your help! Click here to find the name of your MP
TEMPLATE:

To:  Your MP (find them here)
Link: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/search#

 CC:  pablo.rodriguez@parl.gc.ca, chrystia.freeland@parl.gc.ca, dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca,  mona.fortier@parl.gc.ca, justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca, alex@crfc-fcrc.ca, barry@ncra.ca or p.sicard@radiorfa.com or direction@arcq.qc.ca

 Date

  Dear MP [Insert Name]

 I am an active and dedicated [listener/volunteer/member] of Vancouver Co-op Radio, located (or deserving) in your riding.  This station provides critical local news, information and entertainment to me which I cannot access through any other medium.  I am writing to ask that you support this very important station that serves this community and fights against disinformation. You can do so by

 1) Increasing the Local Journalism Initiative to $20 million a year and making it permanent.

 2) Establishing a 25 million dollar annual Community Broadcasting Fund to be distributed among all community radio stations, including this one.

 Without access to my local community radio station, I would not be able to stay connected to the community that I live in and love. 

 Thank you;

 [Your Name, Your Contact Information, Your location]

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on … well, we’re putting our Twitter on the back burner indefinitely in pursuit of sunnier pastures, such as Mastodon at @accordionnoir@zirk.us and @AccordionBruce@mastodon.social, Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle.  Cheers & squeeze on!