Hitmakers

September = fall. Are you ready?

Checking out venues for street performance; musings on "entertainment" gigs (vs "art"), social media strategy (yay) and the ECMA.

plus: Beauty, The Beast

This week, we take a look at what we've been avoiding, go to a music festival, go to the beach, and get a surprise visitor: Sir Anthony Hopkins.

This week, we are SPELLING IT OUT The challenges are LEGION And we are BUT ONE fortunately, DEATH ALONE MAY STOP US ☠️

Sickness, stress, poor planning and psychedelia. All in a week's work. 

Well, hello there! It's been a while. How are you? This is the audio from the intro episode of your humble host's new YouTube series "WHY DON'T YOU GET A REAL JOB?" In which we explore the reality of actually making a living as an independent musician on Canada's East Coast. Ryan is giving himself one year to figure it out or.... get a real job. Tune in every Tuesday to see how it's going!

OK, not really a holiday episode, but Dan's new book makes a great "holiday gift." As for the interview, it's real and it's spectacular. DAN OZZI is a New York-raised, LA-based writer. He's got a new book called “Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)". He's written for outlets you've read and interviewed bands you know (Blink 182, anyone?). We talk about his own evolution, cultural trends, and of course, what it means to sell out.

We're (momentarily) back baby!! On this EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE, your regular HOST is the GUEST!! From March, in his other guise as SUNNYSIDE UPPERS on "I Like Your Style", a podcast hosted by Elder Brycen of the GOLDEN PLATES, a band out of San Diego USA. We're releasing it on the eve of the new Uppers single "MARY" (streaming everywhere Fri 13th!!) Topics include the death of rock'n'roll, other people's opinions, happiness, Bob Dylan, Anne of Green Gables, altered-state adventures and much more!!!

Our regular-season finale! Who better to cap things off with than longtime pal Adam Warren? Ryan and Adam first met as drum students in a university jazz program who shared an affinity for '90s skate punk. They formed a mathy punk band, then a mathy post-hardcore band ("GLORY GLORY") which morphed into a "psychedelic dance party." These days, Adam is making pure pop music as WAANTS and producing tracks for others (including your host). He's got a new record out next month. We discuss it and much more.

Josh has followed his unusually keen interest in music from the outskirts of Yarmouth, NS, to a year in music school (where we first met), a slew of East Coast bands, two independent labels, the studio and the open road, to his current gig as an industry guy in Toronto. He actually thought he might quit the kit in favour of the straight job at one point, but it quickly became apparent what an essential part of life music-making is for those of us who need to. We get into it. Great chat. Enjoy.

Matty is a gal of many projects, much like your humble host. Accordingly, we kick off this chat by discovering that we both have ADHD! Well, technically it starts with gear and home recording. We talk about growing up as a small-town outsider, discovering punk rock, local bands, playing in multiple bands, being self-taught vs “schooled” as a musician, embracing her trans identity, the medical system, the pandemic life, the aging process that inexorably leads us all to crave early shows, and much much more.

dewayne is the groove machine behind halifax noise-rock stalwarts BOTFLY. that is, when he’s not ripping pop punk tunes with CROSSED WIRES or bummer punk with FUTURE GIRLS. he hasn’t been able to do any of it for a little while now (thanks, c19) but that just means he’s got a huge backlog of recordings awaiting your earholes. we talk about all of the good stuff: the early days, the scene, practicing in quarantine and current/future projects. an instant classic.

A classic episode!! Dylan is a punk rock brother-in-arms and a true lifer. We mean that literally. He started playing at 2 and doesn’t recall life before the drums. Drumming also got him through a very intense bout with cancer at age 19. It’s a wild tale and you need to hear it directly from him. These days he’s making mathy post-punk with Alright Already and hooky pop-punk with Cluttered. A wide-ranging 2hr+ chat. You don't need to be a drummer to enjoy this one, but if you are, you're in for a treat.

Brohan, uh, rips the tubs (that’s something people say, right??) for Toronto-via-Charlottetown indie-pop rifflords Kiwi Jr. Their sophomore album “Cooler Returns” has been a favourite of 2021. A little something for everyone here - for the drummer, discussion about stick weight; for the indie fan, the time they met Thurston Moore while touring the UK; for hardcore fans of the show, old PEI bands (there’s even a reference to bombing down the Blue Shank Road); and for all of us, the Montreal Canadiens.

rob is a former classmate from his jazz saxophone days, and a fellow traveler in the halifax music scene. his own musical path has led him to nashville, tennessee, where he now drums with country superstars midland (when he's not doing sessions on bass or keys). we sat down for a wide-ranging chat about music, education, pocket, and the unexpected joys of being in the right place at the right time.

michael is one of our favourite singer songers. he’s got two new records out. “harmonize the moon” is gorgeous, meditative piece of work. and one of his many side projects, allstar instrumental combo bell orchestre, just released their first album in a decade, the mesmerizing "house music." both this past friday. and so it goes. we sat down for a wide-ranging chat about creativity, inspiration, his musical path and projects, working with what’s in front of you, and much more.

An AXXION-PACKED EPISODE! OK, that's the only pun we'll make. Emily drums for the Toronto metal band AXXION! She's a lefty! She started playing on a beat up Westbury kit as a 13 year old (respect), took lessons for a couple years, then her teacher kicked her out, saying she knew everything she needed to! From there she started playing in bands, which has taken her across Canada, across the pond, and most recently to 10 acres in Muskoka, Ontario, where she spoke with us from her home studio. Tune in to hear all about it!

Trevor’s been making music on the East coast for years. He's been in bands, runs an independent label, works as a publicist and hosted a radio show championing local music for a decade. He's been making moves on his own recently - he's got a new solo project called “Sluice”!! In fact, he's got a new single coming out this Friday!! In fact, we’re going to play it for you right here on the show!!! Tune in to hear all about it; stay for our thoughts on the current state of independent music-making.

Eric Miko Findlay has been with SoCal alternative/post-hardcore band Seahaven since they formed in high school (he actually started on bass and switched to drums after auditioning for his own band!) They had a great run in the early-mid 2010s, then went dark for 2 years, then made a new record and got ready to hit the road juuuuuust in time for touring to get cancelled. We talk about that, recording in the Costa Rican jungle and more. Great convo. If you're a drummer, make sure you listen to the end to hear how to get the most out of your practice time.