Tag: Nanaimo

Ep. #267: Adrian Teacher

Post author By vish
Post date July 7, 2016

Adrian Teacher is a talented and award-winning musician who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Best known for his work in Apollo Ghosts and COOL TV, Teacher is also an accomplished solo musician who has just released another excellent, contemplative yet upbeat album with his backing band, the Subs. The record is called Terminal City, it’s out now via You’ve Changed Records, and Adrian Teacher and the Subs are touring across Canada in July with Weird Lines and Jon McKiel and then again in August with Julie Doiron and Construction and Destruction. Here, Adrian and I discuss what’s happening in his hot apartment, the most cataclysmic climate change situation of all time and Birkenstocks, writing songs about Vancouver, a city in transition, no hope, the last railroad spike and global connection, the controversy over Vancouver’s real estate situation, Liberal Premier Christy Clark’s call to end real estate’s self-regulation, growing up on Vancouver Island and relating to cities, housing inequity, addressing actual problems like social housing, centrist policies, million dollar shacks, despondence, the inspiring lives of children when you’re a teacher, parents just don’t understand, Nanaimo and Diana Krall, my sweet tooth, a good upbringing, getting into guitar at 10 years old, buying a four-track that once belonged to Alden Penner in 1996, The Wedge and Beck, Sloan at the Saratoga Speedway, Eric’s Trip, finding his voice in Apollo Ghosts and where that band came from, me and Apollo Ghosts at Sappyfest and a cape, why Apollo Ghosts stopped, his next band COOL TV, the Subs and Amanda P. and ‘Beautiful British’ Robbie, Jonathan Richman, Squeeze, Talking Heads, keeping lyrics fun and upbeat, Dan Bejar, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Stephen Malkmus, Ramones, musical ADHD, the outdoors, building a cabin, former Nanaimo mayor Frank Ney, the keyboardist from Trooper, Armageddon, the weirdness of Vancouver Island, special Canadian places, the last day of school teacher jam, touring Canada twice, Jon McKiel, Weird Lines, Julie Doiron, a new EP, making some music that’s more adult, John Collins, the label City Beautiful, Pavement, the song “Called Up,” Television, and that was it.

Related links: adrianteacher.com youvechangedrecords.com vishkhanna.com

Listen, subscribe, rate/review on iTunes.

News Podcast

Ep. #229: Willie Thrasher

Post author By vish
Post date December 8, 2015

Willie Thrasher is a gifted Inuk singer and songwriter who lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia. In 2014, three of Thrasher’s earliest songs, appeared on the wondrous and revelatory Light in the Attic Records compilation, Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985, renewing interest in his and other Aboriginal artists’ work. On October 30, Thrasher’s powerful 1981 debut album. Spirit Child, was reissued by Light in the Attic, and here we discuss eating breakfast in Nanaimo, his 2009 album Asumatak – The Great Land, how life hasn’t changed that much since Willie was featured on the Native North America compilation, becoming known for something you made 40 years ago, as a kid, feeling young, WIllie’s nice voice, screaming and yelling and playing drums in the Cordells, Willie’s aggressive voice, performing not busking with his wife Linda, getting respect as an artist in Canada, the impact of contemporary publicity, Kevin Howes, Willie Mitchell, David Campbell, growing up, the residential school experience, being one of 21 children, discovering country music via a local radio station, A Hard Day’s Night and Ringo Starr, the Cordells, the mysterious man who changed his life by suggesting he get back in touch with his tradition, the song “Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules,” recording Inuit songs at the CBC in Montreal, leaving the Northwest Territories forever in 1970, living all across Canada in the ensuing years, WIllie’s style, how Spirit Child changed things for Willie, following up Spirit Child, firefighting, whaling, the significance of external respect for Aboriginal music, unity, Willie and Linda’s new songs, “Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules,” and that was it.

Related links: lightintheattic.net vishkhanna.com

Listen, subscribe, rate/review on iTunes.

Tags Aboriginal music, Asumatak - The Great Land, “Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules”, David Campbell, Kevin Howes, Light in the Attic Records, Nanaimo, Native North America (Vol. 1) - Aboriginal Folk Rock and Country 1966-1985, residential schools, Ringo Starr, Spirit Child, the Cordells, Willie Mitchell, Willie Thrasher

News Podcast

Ep. #105: Zaki Ibrahim

Post author By vish
Post date June 3, 2014

Zaki Ibrahim is a very creative singer and songwriter who splits her time between Toronto and Johannesburg. Over the past decade, she has established herself as one of the most daring and fascinating R&B/electro-pop artists in North America and her heady, sci-fi-infused debut album, Every Opposite, was shortlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. This Sunday June 8, Ibrahim performs at the Field Trip festival at Fort York in Toronto along with people like Constantines, Fucked Up, Washed Out, Do Make Say Think, Gord Downie and the Sadies, Broken Social Scene and more. A few months ago, Ibrahim and I caught up for a chat just after she played a noon hour concert at the University of Guelph where we discussed microphone checking, our hang-ups about our voices, speaking like someone who’s lived in South Africa and Canada, being mistaken for Jian Ghomeshi on the phone, playing concerts for students at lunch, leading an aerobics class, the sci-fi, African-set narrative of Every Opposite, Nanaimo to Cape Town, the town in British Columbia that has outlawed hand drumming, Diana Krall and Young Galaxy, rumbling tummies, receiving a Polaris Music Prize nomination, getting to Toronto in 2001, living in Johannesburg, deer come, Zaki’s dad was involved with Bush Radio and media education in Cape Town, making radio plays but not necessarily engaging with other media forms, House of Lies with Don Cheadle and Teen Wolf, the internet in South Africa, twitter binges, avoiding categorization musically or otherwise, knowing one’s blackness and being multi-racial or “Canadian,” I subtly quote the Fugazi song “Place Position,” loving pop music by white people, singer and songwriter, being ok with external perceptions of one’s work, performing for old people at lunch, dates, following up on Every Opposite, messing with songwriting and addressing the terms of success, go to wikipedia, proper pronunciation, and that’s it.

Related links: zakiibrahim.co.za fieldtriplife.com vishkhanna.com

Listen, subscribe, rate/review on iTunes.

Podcast: Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS