25 years, 25 songs: Tune into Weekend AM's definitive N.L. playlist
Liam Ryan, Colleen Power and Ritche Perez are our panel of music experts. They took on the grueling task of digging through 25 years of local Newfoundland and Labrador music, and selected the essential song from each year. (Heather Barrett/CBC)
In the summer of 2024, it occurred to me that we are about one-quarter of the way through the 21st century. Time flies!
Here at Weekend AM, where we play a lot of new music made in Newfoundland and Labrador, that adds up to a lot of original, local tunes.
And 2025 is a milestone year, so it seems like a good time to take stock of it all.
Now, we love a list. A best of or a year-end roundup of music, film, TV — any type of culture — guarantees a lively discussion, and a great way to find some entertainment we may have missed.
So, at Weekend AM, we decided to make a list of 25 essential songs from Newfoundland and Labrador, one song for each year in this century so far.
To build this list, we needed a crack team of experts, and we turned to our local music and arts community.
Colleen Power is a longtime singer-songwriter and local music supporter and collector. Ritche Perez is an independent musician who has played in many bands since the 1990s, and a well-known photographer. Liam Ryan is a musician and music producer, and works at a record store.
A behind the scene look at Weekend AM's N.L. 25 Playlist series. Our crew is Heather Barrett, Maddie Ryan and Melissa Tobin; and audio visual technicians Mark Cumby, Ted Dillon and Mark Strong. (Maddie Ryan/CBC)
Our panellists dug deep to find the right songs, even though some members of our team are too young to remember some of the picks.
As Liam Ryan said, "I was two years old then, so I was probably in a crib."
"Let's change our voices," Ritche Perez suggested, trying to avoid flak from his song choices.
"I miss the emo bands," said Colleen Power.
LISTEN | Remember the year 2000? Listen to the essential N.L. song from that year:
We'll take a walk down musical memory lane, and we'll have a great time doing it.
Throughout 2025, Weekend AM will build its N.L. 25 playlist, one week and one song at a time. Tune in on Saturdays at 8:40 a.m. NT to hear our panel, the musicians behind each song, and the song itself.
You can get in on this discussion, too! State your case for essential local music from the 2000s so far by sending an email to NL25Playlist@cbc.ca.
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