Tracks From Abroad

Singapore -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 35

Tracks From Abroad Singapore was a great show with some challenging questions and interesting answers. Genevieve gave was our U of T student rep from Singapore, and her playlist was diverse across the board.
We talked about Gum chewing, economic development, and the future of the island nation.

Kurdistan -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 34

Take a trip to Kurdistan this week on Tracks From Abroad, a disputed region spread between the nations of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. To help us better understand this part of the world we welcomed Milad to the show who put together a great playlist of music.
He says music is essential to the Kurdish culture, and together we talked about Kurdish dances, their fragile governance, and their language.
TFA will return next week with a show for the ages that will change the world. Is anyone even reading these descriptions? asfdfaederfa srgaesfdaedhszz - Jesse

Israel -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 33

This week on Tracks From Abroad is stacked with good interviews!
First U of T student Hagar discusses Israel from her home in Tel Aviv. We talk about the Israeli army, Israel's beaches, and the holy city of Jerusalem.
Next two members of the Toronto band Queen Kong join TFA with intern Quinn Carlisle, and Aaron of Jaffa Road ends the show with a bang. You can hear both band's music in the episode, and their full video interviews are up now on Youtube. See them play in the Toronto Jazz Festival this weekend!
Next week TFA will return to Iran, and maybe hit the Caribbean by mid-July. Keep tuning in to hear music and stories from folks around the world. -Jesse

Egypt -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 32

This week on Tracks From Abroad we visit the 'cradle of civilization' to hear music from Egypt. Our student interview with Karim covers Egyptian beaches, potato chips, and how best to enjoy the pyramids of Giza.
Next week for the start of Toronto's Jazz Fest we'll do a show in Israel featuring local band Jaffa Road. Have any suggestions for the show? Send us a message or email tracksfromabroad@ciut.fm
And rock on! -Jesse

Returning to Brazil -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 31

Every great series has an origin story. For Tracks From Abroad, it all began when two students sat in an echoey lecture hall and talked about Brazil. And Brazil is back baby!
Episode 31--the start of season 4--is here featuring an interview with U of T student Ana. She is the producer for el CafeciTO, the Spanish and Portuguese podcast at U of T, and we talk about Brazilian geography, censorship, and political documentaries.
You'll notice the episode graphic got switched up, but we're still sticking to our guns finding international students to discuss music form around the world. Want to come on the show or suggest a song? DM TFA.radio on Instagram. Track lists are at TracksFromAbroad.com
See you next week!

VERMONT -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 30.5

For 30 episodes we've journeyed across the world, but this week Tracks From Abroad took the chance to visit Jesse's home. He makes this entire show FYI and is writing this paragraph right now.
Vermont is a lovely place to live in the USA, and through a few interviews and well-selected music you can travel there too. Just press play.
Thank you to Kal Traver, Jackson Greenleaf, Ben Roth of WRVU, and Rusty DeWees for speaking about Vermont in this show. See you next week.

Trinidad -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 30

Guys, I'm being serious. This Tracks From Abroad show on Trinidad is a really fun listen!
This week we welcomed two guests: Shameel of Trinidad and Kyn Rose, a Toronto artist with ties to St. Vincent. We play some of Kyn's songs, and get into a great playlist put together by Shameel! It really made me want to visit Trinidad, and since Shameel just returned from Trinidad, we might have to get him back on TFA for an update.
In Shameel's interview we talk about screw de lightbulb pat de dog, the pan, and humming birds. With Kyn Rose the conversation turned to volcanoes, chicken Pelau and jewelry.
30 episodes in and I'm still having fun. Send me some music that you like and let's make something.

Turkey -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 29

Here’s a first! Tracks From Abroad got to hear some Turkish sounds this week thanks to Batuhan. In my interview with Batuhan we talked about Turkish politics, instruments, and folk battle rapping. Also, TFA has been recording some shows with guests in studio, so if you want to come be a part of the process send me a message.
The show goes on, and we’re nearly at episode 30!

Returning to Mexico -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 28

Mexico deserved a second go-round, so Tracks From Abroad returned with the help of two guests. Rebeca and Ana came on the show with a great playlist of Mexican music. At first we talked about the state of Nuevo Leon where they are both from, but soon we were going on about Mexican food, holidays and racism.
It was a fun show to make, and I hope to visit Mexico soon to check it out for myself.

Niger -- Tracks From Abroad Ep. 27

Tracks From Abroad's biggest interview happened this week with renowned Nigerien band Mdou Moctar. This is episode 27 on Niger.
First on the show TFA welcomed Djaouar, a U of T student who grew up in Niger. Djaouar is one of the nicest people I've met in Toronto, and with another CIUT host, Victor Kovaleski of The Third Face, all three of us went to see Mdou Moctar when they came to Toronto. Djaouar and I talk about assimilation, pick-up soccer, and Chick-fil-A in our interview.
Later TFA was blessed to speak with Mdou Moctar himself. Mdou was at the tail end of his North America tour, calling his family every three hours, but still selling out and crushing live shows across the map. With Mdou we talked about the Uranium trade, about Boko Haram, and about the fabulous Celine Dion. This is TFA's biggest interview so far, and it doesn't disappoint.
I hope you enjoy this week's show, and please send me a message telling me your thoughts on Tracks From Abroad. Frankly, I don't know if I've heard a single thing about Niger in my entire life up until this week, so just imagine what the rest of this world has to offer. Why don't we explore it together on TFA?
-Jesse