This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
For my money, there’s only one show worth watching regularly on CBC — and no, I’m not talking about Hockey Night In Canada. I’m talking about ZeD, the stylish arts show that airs weeknightly at 11:25 p.m.
If you haven’t tuned in to this unique compendium of short films, live music and dance, arts reporting and just about anything else that strikes the producers’ fancy, by all means check it out. And while you’re at it, check out what their exceptional new companion CD Live Off The Floor. In what one can only hope will be the first in a series of releases, this set collects 17 stellar in-studio performances by a wide-ranging cross-section of predominantly Canadian talent.
You get rising stars like Sam Roberts (This Is How I Live) and Tegan & Sara (Monday Monday Monday); hip-hoppers like BrassMunk (Big) and Buck 65 (The Centaur); rockers like Nasty On (The Ship That Died Of Shame); roots acts like Radiogram (Whiskey In My Bed); and even a wistfully beautiful rendition of Left And Leaving from Winnipeg’s favourite sons The Weakerthans. Toss in a few more underground and indie artists and you have one of the coolest Canadian compilations around — especially considering it’s the soundtrack to a TV series. They shoot, they score!
