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News Podcast

Ep. #258: Shotgun Jimmie

Shotgun Jimmie is a prolific and talented singer, songwriter, and musician who currently lives in Brandon, Manitoba. Over the past 10 years, Shotgun Jimmie has emerged as one of the most beloved figures in indie-rock and has been touring a bunch in support of his latest record, Field of Trampolines, which is out now via You’ve Changed Records. He’s crossing Canada and Europe over the next few months, including a May 28 Toronto show at the Monarch Tavern and a June 3 Guelph show at the Ebar over the next while. Jimmie and I caught up on the last day of the Lawnya Vawnya festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland a few weeks ago (in a windy spot by the harbour) where we discussed taking photos of me in St. John’s, enjoying Lawnya Vawnya, loving the Ship and its smell, embarrassing stage banter, the one-man band version of Shotgun Jimmie, novelty act concerns, name changes, Steven Lambke, Michael Feuerstack, Bill Callahan, big pun, his unexpected relationship with stand-up comedy, Yuk Yuk’s, Shaun Majumder on the come-up, visible minorities in Newfoundland, some of this traffic-stopping for pedestrians might not be safe, growing up a creative prankster in Ajax, Oshawa and the Baird Brothers, living in Toronto and then Sackville and the band Drummer, Frederick Squire, Shotgun & Jaybird, calling Shotgun, Paul Henderson and Julie Doiron, Eric’s Trip and Moonsocket, Stephen Malkmus and boosting, socializing with heroes, camaraderie, the wind and Signal Hill, how we dress almost exactly the same right down to the brand name and specific clothing item, the end of Shotgun & Jaybird, two rounds of f&c at the Duke of Duckworth, when he became Shotgun Jimmie, the song “Bedhead,” celebrity impressions, Kermit and Yoda, sleeping bags and stagecraft, a beach ball globe, love songs about Eric’s Trip, Constantines, Attack in Black, and Project 9, dorky namechecks, “Unseen Power of the Picket Fence,” Malkmus and calling rock bands out by name, meta cultural commentary, Steve Earle, befriending Steven Lambke and Daniel Romano and repping You’ve Changed Records, YC Video and new releases, Nap Eyes and Partner, optimism and sincerity in the face of hipster indifference, no back-up, studying fine art, no one emails anymore because they text, an artist’s residency in Sackville via Sappyfest, playing Sled Island again, maybe playing Sappyfest, stand-up comedy confidence, prepared banter, the song “Field of Trampolines,” and then the wind picked up.

Related links: shotgunjimmie.net youvechangedrecords.com vishkhanna.com

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Categories
News Podcast

Ep. #257: Piya Chattopadhyay & MINOTAURS’ Nathan Lawr

Piya Chattopadhyay is a respected broadcaster and journalist currently based in Toronto. She has appeared as a guest host on TVO’s The Agenda and has contributed to BBC, PRI, and once served as the Middle East correspondent for Fox News Radio. She is likely best known as a dynamic voice on CBC Radio, where she has guest hosted shows like The Current, The World at Six, q, and Metro Morning. She’s set to host her own new show on CBC Radio called Out in the Open, which debuts at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday May 28. Nathan Lawr holds a Masters degree in History from University of Waterloo and has worked with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association to develop the Canadian Artists for Civil Liberties. He’s also a well-respected multi-instrumentalist who has contributed to key records and live shows by Feist, Jim Guthrie, Royal City, Constantines, FemBots, Sea Snakes, Bry Webb, and many, many more. He has created an excellent body of music on his own, most notably in his politically outspoken and Afrobeat-inspired band MINOTAURS, who celebrated the release of their new album, Weird Waves, in April. Presented by the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thompson Hall, this episode was recorded live before an audience at the Drake Underground in Toronto on Saturday April 9, 2016, where Piya, Nathan, and I discussed information and responsibility, how I am apparently a terrible interviewer, selective facts, media bias and mainstream media, how humans are biased, feeling the Bern, Donald Drumpf’s appeal to the media, a tendency towards sensationalism, no conspiracies, self-interest, working as a reporter for Fox News, how people dying impacts the news, how people in the west relate to the rest of the world, delineating mainstream media from alternative media, how public broadcasting differs from other broadcasters, media outlets and utilizing resources properly, trusting Democracy Now, information is inherently biased, anti-intellectualism, trusting without questioning, the oversaturation of media sources and people’s inability to find time to stay informed, the pervasiveness of music, the saddest podcast in the world, Uncle Natey’s Grump Shack, staving off malaise and complacency with the sentiment behind upbeat music, insights from creative people, Nathan’s hat, moving from love songs to politically-oriented songs, growing up in Saskatoon, visiting India, getting into media, becoming a musician, studying classical music and musical theatre, the rise of satiric news TV shows, we’re too busy to think, people want people to tell them what they think, the MINOTAURS album Weird Waves, which is out now, and the next MINOTAURS album AUM, three children, Piya’s new CBC Radio show Out in the Open, which debuts Saturday May 28 at 3:00 PM, the MINOTAURS song “Weird Waves,” and that was that.

Related links: cbc.ca/radio/outintheopen minotaursband.bandcamp.com vishkhanna.com

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Categories
News Podcast

Ep. #256: Daniel Romano

Daniel Romano is a multi-talented musician, producer, label co-owner, and fashion entrepreneur who lives in Fenwick, Ontario. Over the past 15 years, he’s made a name for himself in bands like Attack in Black and Daniel, Fred, and Julie and as a solo artist exploring the far reaches of folk and country music. His fifth solo album is called Mosey and it may well be his most ambitious record to date. It’s out worldwide via New West Records on May 27 and Romano and his band hit the road hard right around then. Here, Daniel and I discuss living in Fenwick, Ontario on a compound, communalism, Spencer Burton rolls around with pigs, The King of Mosey, boxes, temporality and cultural identity, world war, hopelessness, revolution, cultural orthodoxy, there’s no style, Dan’s promo photos, classic country music fans, being a student in different classes, false futurism and reverence for history, unintentional influences, Lee Majors, The Fall Guy, cinematic influences and instrumentals for an abandoned short film, poems, where the strings come in, the song “Mr. E Me” and its potential autobiography, knowing himself, Slim Twig and David Bowie, how people fear change, grip of the industry, consumers, no one is taking chances outside of hip-hop music, devaluation, becoming a dog person, relating to his audience, Snoop Dogg in a cowboy hat, sartorial iconography and intent, the united states of Americana, good is gone, desperation to sustain something vapid, how actress Rachel McAdams wound up playing a character on the song “Toulouse,” Rachel laughing, earnestness and humour, it’s all gone, how film and television people learned what not to do from the music industry, how we pay for HBO and it always delivers, worse jobs than musician, art is everywhere and it pays nothing, why hip-hop is thriving in an age of self-promotion, a denim storefront in Fenwick called Friday’s Child, stage wear, unsettling individuality, his power-pop project Ancient Shapes and their new record, which is out May 27 via You’ve Changed, the song “Hunger is a Dream You Die In,” how and why Dan tends to play every instrument himself, and then we had to mosey.

Related links: danielromanomusic.com newwestrecords.com vishkhanna.com

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