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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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Categories
News Podcast

Ep. #255: Shehzaad Jiwani of Greys

Shehzaad Jiwani is the lead singer and lyricist in the Toronto punk rock band Greys. Formed in 2011, they’ve released a handful of singles and two LPs, including 2016’s acclaimed Outer Heaven, which is out now via both Buzz Records and Carpark Records ahead of tour dates throughout Canada and U.S. this summer. Back in April, Shehzaad and I went on an adventurous walk around his neighbouhood in Toronto with the new Rotate This location, as our prime destination. On our trek, we discussed the heart of Toronto downtown city, Scarborough and North York, running into Christina and Alanna, a grade 12 trip to Montreal, Mr. Flamingo, Shehzad’s blonde hair in grade four, his memorable face, a mean thing, being single again, singers never know how to use microphones on my show, it’s all downhill or uphill from here, border guard trouble, picking up copies of the physical album, ex-girlfriend stuff, Julian Swift and the Red Light whiskey bar, the Cola Heads, the Balconies, Get Well and North of Brooklyn Pizza, the age of outrage, the Telegramme silkscreen print shop and Matt who works there, Rotate This as neighbours, Buzz Records, Rotate This is closed early, the chorus of “Complaint Rock,” the Sonic Youth song “Swimsuit Issue” from their album Dirty and its influence on “Complaint Rock,” people who opine just to opine on the internet, Greys’ trajectory over the past five years, the FACTOR debate, writing from a socially political standpoint, Vish is sad, weed stores, getting into music as a kid, the song “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones, the album title Voodoo Lounge, Bridges to Babylon and k.d. lang, Rick Froberg and Mick Jagger and being yowl-y, the songs “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “This Mystic Decade,” playing music, a supportive dad, playing drums first, the song “1979” by the Smashing Pumpkins, where Greys came from, a more timid Toronto, CBC Radio 3, how Greys serve and reflect their community in Toronto, glibness, looking for Lisgar, a deeper delving into Outer Heaven and its dynamic musical arrangements, a stray dog, my friend Mick Brambilla and the party at his house, touring, playing punk rock, Justin Small, googling your band name, the song “If it’s All the Same to You,” and then the ramble is over.

Related links: greysband.com buzzrecords.ca carparkrecords.com vishkhanna.com

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