"Where's the fire, what's the hurry about"?

Fun fact about me: I was born in New York City but grew up in Edmonton, AB Canada. Growing up I always thought how cool it was that NY was so iconic and there were songs and movies made about the city, I used to wonder why Edmonton didn't have the same fan-fare as NYC. Well, it didn't take long for me to figure that one out!

When I started traveling back in 2017, I did it to escape from the real world. I had been single for 8 years then and although I had my fun during that time, there was a desire for a much needed change in my life. I had offers from my boss to "go set up shop" in Calgary and continue working in radio there, however, my mind was set and I was off to Europe to be a tour guide with Busabout. 

Being a tour guide meant that there was 4 months of intensive "at home" study about the history of Europe and the 48 different cities we went to across 17 countries. Once I got to Europe, I spent 60 something odd days on a coach bus with other aspiring tour guides. We'd have to wake up at 5am and didn't go to sleep sometimes till around midnight. During these days, we 'd have to practice speaking on the mic in front of the bus to get us comfortable with speaking in front of passengers. And of course we'd have to run around the various cities to find out all the cool things there were to do there. 

The fun part of training trip was that once it was over, you had this big sense of accomplishment that you could be airdropped anywhere in Europe and you'd not only know where you were going but you'd be able to lead a group around as well!

On those long coach days with the passengers, we would play themed music depending on the destination. The idea was to play a song that had the name of the place we were going to. Here were some of my favourites:

1. The Trammps - Disco Inferno (Saturday Night Fever) 

"I heard somebody say burn, baby burn...". OK, this is a fun play on words! I'd always play this song as we were pulling into Bern, Switzerland and get everyone to imitate John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Bern itself has a quaint old European city vibe. There's a cool clock tower and the main street (Kramgasse - Top Picture) is lined with all sorts of cool shops and basement bars....oh and let's not forget the bear-pit with grizzly bears at the end of town. 

(Bottom Picture: Overlooking the old city of Bern and the River Aare that flows through it. I took this photo back in 2017 and still have it as the main screen on my iPad).

2. Billy Joel - Vienna

This one is a no-brainer. I'll always have good memories of Vienna. To be fair though, for the longest time, I wasn't a huge fan of Vienna. It's expensive, it feels like you're walking in a museum where you're almost afraid to touch anything and if you drive only 1 hour, you can hop over to Bratislava, Slovakia which is half the price to have the same kind of fun. Eventually though, I found my groove so to speak which included consuming copious amounts of alcohol and all sorts of weird shots at my favorite bar in Vienna - The Travel Bar. (See video, below)! 

(Top picture: Eating outside at a restaurant called Centimeter where they serve delicious schnitzel and tubes of beer. Bottom Picture: In the gardens at Schloss Schonbrunn behind the castle.) 

3. George Ezra - Budapest

Interestingly enough, I saw George Ezra perform this song live in Berlin at Lollapalooza. (Scroll down through my earlier posts to see the picture). Budapest is definitely up there for one of my favorite cities in Europe. The city has all sorts of interesting museums, beautiful bridges, cool architecture and ruin bars! (They took old apartment buildings and turned them into a bar). When you do go to Budapest, make sure to take a river cruise down the Danube River while listening to this song. Oh and also, make sure to come to Sizget (Music Festival) I went there a few years back and had the time of my life. I saw Galantis, Flume, Glass Animals and some other bands I can't remember. (You gotta try langos when you're in Hungary, it's like a thick pizza with sour cream and non-melted mozzarella cheese. The bottom picture is me at Fisherman's Bastion overlooking the Parliament Building).

4. Ed Sheeran - Barcelona

Even when I was loving every minutes of my travels in Europe, I always knew that Europe would have an eventual "expiry date" for me. I loved traveling everywhere and the food, culture, people and the music in Europe was such an experience but I never really found any city I wanted to settle down in. That all changed when I go to Barcelona. This city has a beautiful beach (they actually have to constantly import sand because the beach is naturally a rocky beach which they redid for the 1992 Olympics). Aside from hanging out at La Sagrada Familia, going to Parc Guell, and walking down Las Ramblas - I just got a really friendly vibe from the people there and told myself that maybe just maybe one day, I'll have to find a Spanish girl, properly learn the language and ride off in the sunset eating tapas at Mercado De La Boqueria. 

5. The Chainsmokers - Paris

Ok, where do I start with Paris?! It's a big, booming metropolis of anything and everything all happening at the same time. I found the history of Paris to be quite fascinating and every time, we drove into Paris - we'd always do a driving tour to show passengers some of the fun sights like the Louvre, Arc De Triomph, Champ De Elysee and the tip of The Eiffel Tower.....cause it's kinda out of the way and our bus company wasn't allowed to park next to it. The metro system is incredible as it goes absolutely everywhere in the city! That's about it though. I found the city to be expensive and rather dirty sometimes. So dirty there's an unofficial syndrome called "Paris Syndrome" which applies to anyone who gets such a shock that Paris is so different from what it actually looks like in pictures. Can't be too hard on Paris though, I found a lot of nice people there who helped me when I was lost and even spoke to me in English and helped me talk my way out of a ticket for not having the correct bus pass. It does help to say a few words in French and apologize that I don't speak French. In fact, the best words to learn when going to any country is how to say: "Sorry I don't speak _____ language". Locals love it. (Video is of my Greek friend, Christos trying to teach me how to say, "I love you" at Le Mur de Je Taime / Wall of Love in Paris). 

If you ever plan on going to Europe, email me: themarkdshow@gmail.com and I can help you out with different attractions and such in the big cities!

Ciao for now,
Mark D
IG: themarkdshow

New Job - same old me?

So as you may or may have not heard, I recently got a job! (Yay, for me being off the unemployment line). I am now the evening show host at 99.9 Virgin Radio Kelowna. I got pretty lucky I would say because the last time I was in radio was at the end of 2016 at 102.7 The Peak in Vancouver. People kept asking me if I would ever get back into it and I honestly thought that the ship had sailed so to speak but I guess there was a back up proverbial lifeboat waiting for me so here I am - living my best life in The Okanagan.

Moment of vulnerability here for you - when I got the call that I got the gig, I was really pumped but also totally scared. My whole life, I have been bouncing around form place to place, I had never lived in one city for more than 3 years. Personally, I wanted to continue traveling, however my best friend had a long talk with me and we agreed it would be best for me to go get a proper job, settle down in 1 city and try to start dating someone instead of just messing around. I really wanted to live 

the carefree life but it's not a sustainable one so I'm settling down now in Kelowna and making roots here. Heck, I even got a actual contract for my rental place instead of just a month-to-month! 

(From top to bottom: These are some pictures of me and my best friend - Itay throughout the years hanging out at different places around the world. Top - Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2018, Middle - Delmonico, Las Vegas in 2015, Bottom - Zion National Park, Utah - 2019).

 Since I'm working at a Top 40 radio station, here are my current Top 5 songs at the moment. 



1. Post Malone - Circles

When I first heard his song, 'rockstar', I was like meh. I could see hwy it was big but I wasn't a huge fan. I was at a Subway in Edmonton late at night eating alone and thinking about life when this song came on and I was hooked!

2. Camila Cabello - My, Oh My

This song has a dangerous side to it that I can't explain. Maybe it's in the lyrics,"He's only here for one thing...but so am I". The idea here is that there is this mysterious sort of side to both the guy and the girl and neither one just wants to say exactly what's on their mind. Loving the conjecture!

3. Blackbear - Hot Girl Bummer

This song is kinda negative if you think about but it has cool beat to it and a fun song to work out to. Of course the radio edit is completely different than the actual tune. This song is a constant reminder to me not hang out with the wrong people and create a good network of friends. (Easier said than done)

4. Ed Sheeran (feat Camila Cabello) - South of the Border


Fun fact: I actually once met Ed Sheeran! He was opening up for Taylor Swift on her 'Red' tour back in 2012 in Edmonton. I thought when I met him, he would be another 'fly-by-night' artist but boy was I wrong. This guy is just producing banger after banger. I love listening to this song while I cook. Yea, that's right - I cook! It also inspires me to take my next vacation to Central America!

5. Shawn Mendes (feat. Camila Cabello) - Senorita

I could get my sister in trouble by saying this but I know she loves this song. (We come from a religious family, she shouldn't be listening to this music #OhWell). Side note - Even though I work in radio now, ironically I wasn't allowed to listen to radio as a kid. This is one of those songs that I could work out to which is weird because I usually like those angry heavy-metal pump up songs!

So there you have it, I'm slowly opening up to you like an old creaky door in a  post-apocalyptic low-budge horror movie. 

Keep living the dream!
Mark D
IG: themarkdshow

Just have a drink, will ya?

One of my favourite things to do while I was traveling around the globe was to find the hidden bar in every city I went to - otherwise known as speakeasy's. They're called speakeasy's because they date back to Prohibition-Era when you would enter a hidden establishment that served booze, the bartender would give you a drink and say, "sssh, speak easy" in case the cops were close by. Speakeasy's are fun - they're exclusive and have a very "chill lounge" kind of vibe.

One of my all time favourite speakeasies was in Melbourne on Chapel Street called Jungle Boy. The idea is, you walk into this place called Boston Sub and there is a fridge door behind the counter. You open the fridge door and then you're in a hidden cocktail bar!  Also, the music you'll hear, while drinking overpriced custom-made Moscow Mules, at these bars is quite eclectic. 

Here are some of the random songs I've added to my Spotify playlist, courtesy of the music I've heard in hidden bars around the world:

1. Mary Epworth - Me Swimming (Paris)

I heard this song while I was drinking a martini at a hidden bar near the Moulin Rouge in Paris. (I don't remember the name but it had a tropical theme, pretty sure there were live parrots too)! This is honestly the best kind of tune to chill out to or even if you're just trying to nurse a hangover. (Hanging out at The Moulin Rouge with some friends and coworkers, I'm on the right).

2. Lynryd Skynyrd - The Needle and The Spoon (South Lake Tahoe)

Gotta love this band. This song is off their album - Second Helping which was made popular by it's second single - Sweet Home Alabama. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the entire album including this song - The Needle and The Spoon which was also a lot of fun to jam out to while sipping on an old fashioned at a hidden bar in South Lake Tahoe.

 3. Public Service Broadcasting - Spitfire (Berlin)

Back in 2017, I hit up Berlin for the first time. It would be the first of my many subsequent visits to Berlin as this city really drew me in to it's progressive almost "anything-goes" kinda vibe. My good friend Ryan was actually the person who got me into the whole "hidden bar" scene and one night we went out to some hidden bar that was tucked away behind some massage parlour in the trendy neighborhood of Mitte. I knew this was going to be an expensive night once I saw that there were no prices on the menu. I ended up paying 20 euro for one cocktail but I will say, it was a damn good cocktail! oh....I also heard this song which was kinda cool too. (Picture of me and Ryan in Nice, no it's not what it looks like).

4. Michael Kiwanuka - Black Man in a White World (Berlin)

To be fair, I didn't hear this song at a speakeasy. I was in Berlin for Lollapalooza Music Festival and off in the distance I heard this song come on. I was with my friend Holly at the time and we were both pretty intrigued by this tune especially with the never-ending repeating lyrics, "I'm a black man in white world". The song talks about how as a black man he found it surprising that there was a huge white audience at his shows. (This is a random picture with me and Holly in Madrid. I didn't have a picture in the bar). 

5. Sixth Finger, Dew - Patience - Cool Wave Mix (Cartagena)

So this song wasn't at a hidden bar per se but it had a cool theme so I'm throwing it in the mix. The bar is called KGB and has a soviet vibe (no the drinks aren't all the same price). THis song came on right when I walked in and of course I recognized it because I'm a huge Guns n' Roses fan. This cover has a very soothing feel. It also sounded so much better 3 White Russians deep while wearing Soviet Hats. (That's me picture on the left with 2 friends I made in Colombia).

Tell me some of your chill tunes to enjoy a nice drink to!

Enjoy your Monday!
Mark D
IG: themarkdshow

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

By this time, you've probably figured out that I make a blog post every Monday. (That is, if you're paying attention cause I'm sure you have so many other things to do that you set calendar reminders about this blog).

This post is going to be about Australia and my favorite Australian songs. 

At the end of 2017, I decided to get a 1 year working visa for Australia which turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. My 2nd day there, I was in the hostel and saw a sign advertising a free-walking tour in Melbourne CBD (Central Business District, we call it "downtown" here in Canada). A few friends I made at the hostel and I decided to head down there and join the tour. We arrived a few minutes late but managed to join the tour. I got to talking to the tour guide who it turns out was;

a) actively looking for tour guides to help run tours, and
b) worked for the same company I did in Europe - Busabout.

Well as you I'm sure you can put apples and oranges together, I got a job the next day working as a tour guide for Walks 101. 

When you're a tour guide, you need to be on the top of your game every day. It's a performance-driven industry and especially as I was working for tips I like to be hyped up by the time the tour started.

With that being said, here are some of my favourite Aussie tunes to jam out to:

1. Chela - Romanticise - I was actually at some hostel in Europe when a South African guy I was playing cards with showed me this song. I was instantly hooked! It's got that electronic dance vibe which is exactly what you need to wake you up in the morning when you're not a coffee kinda person.

2. Gang of Youths - Let Me Down Easy - Australia is incredible in regards to radio. Never in any other country have I seen such a nationwide dedication to their radio stations. Every year the day after Australia Day, the country celebrates and votes for the top 100 songs of the year. People get pretty religious about this sort of thing. This song came in 2nd a few years back right after Kendrick Lamars - Humble.

3. Cat Empire - Two Shoes - You ever have one of those days where you wake up and decide you need to take  up a swing dancing class? No? Yea neither have I....that is until I heard this tune. It's got a bit of that Sublime feel mixed with a hint of jazz. Good stuff!

4. AC/DC - Money Talks - An absolute barn burner of a song. I had the privelage of seeing AC/DC live in Edmonton back in 2015. I remember buying the ticket the second they were released. 155 bucks well spent.

5. Bag Raiders - Shooting Star - I've been asked many a time what my favourite song is, and you know what, that's a hard question to answer. It's like asking a parent who their favourite kid is or asking a kid on Halloween what his favourite colour M&M is! (It's orange in case you were wondering). That being said, this is one of those tunes that never gets old. It came out back in 2008 but not a lot of people knew about it. It wasn't until a few years later when it became part of a popular online meme that it reached international acclaim.

Here are some pics of me in Australia. 


Share some of your favourite Aussie tunes below.

Best,
Mark D
IG: themarkdshow