Past Podcasts & Playlists

Sam Owens is a New York-based singer-songwriter, musician and producer who records under the moniker Sam Evian.

His sophomore album, “You, Forever”, was just released in June.  Recorded in a small house in the woods in Woodstock, New York, the album was inspired by a life-altering road trip across America.

We sat down with Sam Evian to talk about how finding various multi-track recordings of classic Motown albums helped change his approach to production, how his jazz musician parents influenced his early music taste, and his dream of writing and recording a song with Ringo Starr.

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Dr. Chayim Newman is a clinical psychologist that uses various therapeutic methods to treat difficulties with anxiety and stress, mood and depression, relationships, chronic or stress-related medical illness, and other psychological/emotional issues.

With over two decades of experience as a touring performer, event producer, and artist liaison, he has a first-hand understanding of the unique challenges and stresses facing musicians and high-profile individuals.

We sat down with the Dr. Newman to discuss the series of events that led him to counsel musicians, why we tend to listen to depressing music when we're "in our feelings", and what's really going inside Kanye's head.

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When Dudebox co-founders Said Yassin and Ahmad Taib first began throwing parties at their Chinatown loft in 2007, they had no idea that they would grow into a social enterprise.

Over the past decade, they've raised nearly $200,000 for various charities by throwing a series of legendary parties in unconventional Toronto spaces.

We sat down with the dudes to talk about using Google Street View to scout party locations, being introduced to the Afrocentric hip hop of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, and that time when eight-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash snuck a bottle of Hennessy into one of their parties. 

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Music journalist-turned-digital producer, Anupa Mistry has been writing about music and culture for over a decade.

Her work has appeared in Pitchfork, VICE, Rolling Stone, NYMag/Vulture, The Guardian, and The Globe & Mail.  

In part 2 of our interview, we talk to Anupa about the cultural impact of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, recording songs off the radio throughout her adolescence, and when she first fell in love with hip hop (seriously).

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Music journalist-turned-digital producer, Anupa Mistry has been writing about music and culture for over a decade.

Her work has appeared in Pitchfork, VICE, Rolling Stone, NYMag/Vulture, The Guardian, and The Globe & Mail.  

In part 1 of our interview, we talk to Anupa about how she first got into music journalism, the infamous Pitchfork rating system, and going down a never-ending ASMR YouTube spiral.

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Musician Aerin Fogel decided to create Venus Fest after recognizing an inherent need for a safe space where women and non-binary musical artists as well as music fans could thrive in.

Now in its second year, the Toronto music festival and concert series will be held September 20-22 with headliners Moor Mother, Zola Jesus, Bully and Partner.

We sat down with Aerin to talk about navigating through the many pialls of launching and sustaining a music festival, breaking the long history of sexual assault and microaggressions at music festivals, and how Courtney Love and the music of Hole inspired her to pick up the guitar.

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Model/singer-songwriter Kaya Wilkins, aka Okay Kaya, recorded the majority of her debut record in her Brooklyn apartment.

The ethereal, melancholic bedroom-pop album delves into themes of racial identity, sexuality, insecurity, and mental health. 

We talked to Kaya over the phone about the benefits of recording in her own home, playing White Stripes covers with her older brother, and her most favourite and least favorite condiments.

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In celebration of their 1st year anniversary and the 50th milestone episode, Justin and Jeff recount some of their favourite mixtape stories from the interviews over the past year.

In the third volume of our retrospective episodes, we share clips from guests Moon Eyed, CATL, Bodega, Shilpa Ray, Tammy Yiu, Simone Ferkul, Big Norm, Snail Mail, Moscow Apartment, In Vintage We Trust, Maylee Todd, Sugar Brown, Richard Cureton, and Aisha Brown.

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In celebration of their 1st year anniversary and the 50th milestone episode, Justin and Jeff recount some of their favourite mixtape stories from the interviews over the past year.

In the second volume of our retrospective episodes, we share clips from guests Eric Spitznagel, The Gillespie Brothers, Aisha Brown, Wafia, Lauren Pirie, Tanika Charles, Jonas Bonnetta, Shad, Maya Killtron, Big Norm, Snail Mail, and Priya Panda.

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In celebration of their 1st year anniversary and the 50th milestone episode, Justin and Jeff recount some of their favourite mixtape stories from the interviews over the past year.

In the first volume of our retrospective episodes, we share clips from guests Common Holly, David Hayman, Rhiannon Archer, Kip Berman, Kohji Nagata, Blue Sky Miners, Japanese Breakfast, Malin Johnson, Lilla Drömland, and Trevor LaRocque.

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As one of the Executive Producers at Revolver Films, Richard Cureton has produced some of the most innovative works in the world of music video, advertising and digital.  

For the past 25 years, he has worked on over 1,000 videos for artists like Drake, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Feist, Stereolab, DJ Shadow, Spoon, and Belle and Sebastian, to name a few.

We sat down with Richard to talk about creating live visuals Daft Punk in the mid-'90s, tracking down an orange Honda ATV for DMX to crash through a suburban home, and his top five music videos of all time. 

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Simone Ferkul is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary designer who specializes in interior and industrial design.  

In her own words, Simone combines "traditional means of production with modern day processes to create a progressive design approach that is responsive to contemporary culture."

We spoke to Simone about winning Best-in-Show at Umbra's 2017 Compact Living Exhibition for her Sling Planter project, being a superfan of The National, and secretly seeking validation from music snob clerks at local record shops. 

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The buzz for New York art-punk band Bodega began brewing months before their debut album was even announced.

Signed to acclaimed independent punk label What's Yr Rupture?, much of the hype surrounding the band can be attributed to their phenomenal live show.

We sat down with Benji Hozie and Nikki Belfiglio of Bodega to discuss how the debut album explores their love/hate relationship with technology, the hypocrisy of cinephilia, and how Nikki's public masturbation as a child inspired the song "Gyrate". 

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Snail Mail began as a solo project of teenage singer and guitarist Lindsey Jordan.  

Her outstanding debut album, Lush, contains 10 deeply confessional tales anchored by 90s-inspired lo-fi indie riffs.

Joined by guest host Jennifer Buchanan of Indie Shuffle, we talked to Lindsey about finding a "soul-sister" in Liz Phair, reenacting Say Anything's iconic boombox scene, and why Kristen Stewart is her #1 celeb crush.   

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Toronto Neo-Soul/Jazz singer-songwriter Chelsey Bennett is one of the hardest working live performers in the city. 

On any given night, you'll find her playing an intimate set at a cozy bar or music venue.

We sat down with Chelsey to discuss how she eventually rejected her classical/opera teachings to pursue jazz and soul music, regularly performing at the Practice jam sessions, and which music legends she would summon to headline her dream concert.  

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Off the Cuff has been a leader in Toronto's menswear consignment retail space for 25 years. 

Owner Lee Romberg curates the shop's clothing and accessories with the panache of a GQ stylist.

We sat down with Lee to discuss the evolution of Off The Cuff and men's fashion, watching music legends like Roy Orbison and Simon & Garfunkel, and how he was able to rediscover his favourite albums in FLAC format.   

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Ontario singer-songwriter Jonas Bonnetta is best known for his indie folk-pop project, Evening Hymns.

More recently, he released the ambient album All This Here under his own name, which started off as a score to a documentary film about an inn on Newfoundland's Fogo Island

We talked to Jonas about his creative process in making the new album, how Jim O'Rourke's production inspired his own love for ambient music, and how performing songs about his late father led to physical and emotional exhaustion.

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For more than a decade, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Shilpa Ray has been somewhat of a hidden gem of New York's rock scene.

Her soulful, jazzy vocals juxtaposed against garage and punk rock riffs conjures the work of Ella Fitzgerald, Blondie, The Cramps and The New York Dolls, to name a few.

We sat down with Shilpa to discuss her latest record Door Girl, smuggling the CDs of The Velvet Underground and The Doors in-between the pages of library books as a teenager, and the crucial advice she got from Nick Cave.

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Darren Goldstein is a professional photographer who specializes in people, film and television, live music and special events.

Over the past two decades, Darren has photographed some of the biggest names in music including Kanye, Drake, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, and Mariah Carey. 

We sat down with Darren to discuss what makes the perfect live music photograph, the time Lady Gaga asked him if they could photo together, and serendipitously seeing Nirvana as a teenager.

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Montréal-based singer-songwriter Brigitte Naggar, otherwise known as Common Holly, has had a whirlwind year.

Over the past 12 months she has been signed to international indie label Solitaire Recordings, released her critically-acclaimed debut album, and made Stereogum's Best New Bands of 2017 list.

We sat down with Brigitte to discuss how nature inspired her stage alias, how the mixtape she received at a Bar Mitzvah would become her daily lullaby, and her ongoing Twitter poem series that pay homage to inanimate objects.

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