#23 Cinnamon Toast Records - Trim Crusts if Desired

Cinnamon Toast, 1995

Genre: Halifax Alternative

This album was gifted to me by the most excellent Shawn Duggan in the fall of 2015, following a summer playing softball together on the Gus's Pub Patties. I didn't bring a lot of skill to the team (and was very memorably struck in the face by a softball as a result), however I did have fun and make friends, which is really the point.

In one of our discussions about music, it came up that Shawn had some extra copies of this record in storage, as he was instrumental in running the label. He brought it by Roger's Drive, where I was living at the time, and it was so awesome! These bands all have that Halifax sound that permeated my formative experiences with the music scene. I was too young to see most of them play shows (I narrowly missed the Cafe Ole years) but I was old enough to hear them played by my older, cooler friends and sibling. I wasn't able to find these records in the shops, so relied on hearing them at friend's places. I briefly volunteered at CKDU and got to hear some there, too, but it wasn't the same as being able to slap it on the stereo myself.

Aside from the nostalgia factor and the plain good music, I also love this record (and this label!) because of how many awesome women I get to listen to. As a young person in the alternative music scene, it meant a lot to me to see women writing songs, playing songs, rocking out, and having their art appreciated. It still means a lot.

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