The music of R&B artist Kennedy Rd. sounds like Aaliyah on LSD -- a euphoric haze whirlwind laced with honey-dipped nostalgia.
Her sophomore EP Still Luv exhibits remarkable intentionality and confidence, making it resoundingly clear that 2021 will be her breakout year.
Shelica and I talk to Kennedy about making and releasing new music during the pandemic, the importance of aligning herself with producers over mere beatmakers, and why she is forever indebted to Mary J Blige's Share My World.
Originally hailing from Ottawa, Shelica Miller has been a lifelong music fan.
As the host and producer of the podcast Hi Shelica, she has interviewed dozens of musicians and other creatives.
In this season 5 finale, I talk to Shelica about her foray into podcasting, being exposed to a range of music by her DJ father, and why she was utterly speechless when she met Snoop Dogg.
Read MoreAiza's music seamlessly blends the genres of R&B, Afro-pop, and funk, instilling a sense of unbridled euphoria.
The Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class winner is also an accomplished actress with many film and television credits, including the massively popular comedy series, Workin' Moms.
Guest co-host Chelsey Bennet and I talk to Aiza about growing up listening to her dad's eclectic mixes spanning from Congolese to Classical music; how the pandemic cancelled her Juno Awards performance but led to her developing a new CBC show with her sister; and the power of music during these isolating times.
Read MoreIt's hard to believe that hip-hop/R&B artist Ro Joaquim wasn't always confident about his vocals.
His richly textured voice has a buoyant quality that soars above the atmospheric production of songs like "Touchdown", "Inner Peace", and "Water Fights".
Guest co-host Chelsey Bennett (aka Sey Blu) and I talked to Ro about learning how to pivot during the pandemic, the benefits of shooting a music video during lockdown, and his new protest song about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Read MoreAs DJs and promoters, the Gillespie Brothers have thrown some of the best parties in Toronto for nearly two decades.
But with the pandemic shutting down all parties for the unforeseen future, Dave and Ray have been forced to pivot like many of us.
Together with my former co-host, Jeff Woo, we talk to the Gillespie Brothers about what they've been listening to during COVID, how they organize their vinyl collection, and that infamous night in 2009 when Diplo crashed their house party.
Read MoreSince quietly opening its doors in the spring of 2011, Poetry Jazz Cafe has become a popular live jazz, funk, and soul venue in the heart of Toronto's Kensington Market.
However, like most music venues around the world, Poetry was forced to temporarily close in mid-March to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
And while it was able to resume its indoor service in July, the Ontario government restricted all bars to only patio service shortly after this interview was conducted.
I talked to owner Sean Pascalle about the struggles of running a live jazz venue, the absence of live music as a result of the pandemic, and the evolving sound of the coolest man who ever lived, Mr. Miles Davis.
Read MorePop Music is an independent record store located in the East Chinatown district of Toronto.
Owner Derek Antonio, who was previously the GM of the now-defunct HMV Superstore, offers a less-judgy crate-digging experience compared to some of his competitors.
I talked to Derek about adapting to a new business model during the pandemic, building his music collection through Columbia House as a young child, and Record Store Day 2020.
Read MoreThe women-led Toronto band OKAN seamlessly blend their Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk, and international flavours.
Their music evokes a great deal of passion, so it's rather fitting that their namesake stems from the word for heart in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria.
I talked to band leaders and real-life couple Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne about their upcoming sophomore album Espiral, the political turmoil in Cuba, and the trick to keeping their romantic and professional relationships separate.
Read MoreMinzi Roberta is a woman of many hats, including DJ, promoter, writer, filmmaker, and designer.
As the co-founder of the arts and music collective Kuruza, Minzi has thrown some of the hottest parties in the last two years.
I talk to DJ/filmmaker/artist Minzi Roberta about growing up in Japan as a biracial person, the importance of listening to a playlist in order, and how to be a better ally to the black community.
Read MoreChicago-based singer-songwriter Ezra Furman has spent more than a decade making honest and intelligent punk rock music.
On the heels of soundtracking two seasons of the popular Netflix series Sex Education, she's back with her eighth album entitled Twelve Nudes.
We talk to Ezra about the new album's self-assured lyricism, how she recently came out as transgender, and the enormous impact of discovering Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground at 15.
Read MoreAustralian indie rock singer-songwriter Alex Cameron hails from New York by way of Sydney.
Though some critics have compared his songwriting and music to Bowie and Nick Cave, Alex himself says he's most influenced by Roy Orbison.
We talk to Alex about his third album Miami Memory, his personal and creative relationship with actress Jemima Kirke (Girls), and collaborating with The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers.
Read MorePallas Athene, aka Breanna Johnston, is an ethereal dark pop project that features lo-fi dream vocals and minimalistic beats.
As one-half of indie art-rock duo Lilla Drömland, Pallas Athene explores the theme of man vs machine in an increasingly dystopian world.
We talk to Breanna about her new self-titled EP; meeting her musical hero, Massive Attack's 3D; and being the musical black sheep of her family.
Read MoreAfter archiving hundreds of Toronto concert flyers on Instagram, Daniel Tate teamed up with music professor and historian Rob Bowman to expand the project into a comprehensive book.
Published by Dundurn Press, "The Flyer Vault: 150 Years of Toronto Concert History" is a fascinating exploration of the city's most seminal live music shows.
We talk to Daniel and Rob about some of their most memorable concerts, Toronto's dark history of racist minstrel shows, and convincing Rush's Geddy Lee to write the book's foreword.
Read MoreToronto lo-fi, hip-hop/punk band M.I.N.D. conjures the sounds of early N.E.R.D., Rage Against The Machine, and the Beastie Boys.
Tweens Mazin (vocals), Oscar (drums), and Wolf (keyboard) formed the band four years ago after meeting at an alternative elementary school.
We talk to the boys about their disparate musical influences, their debut EP Fire, and how sometimes parents just don’t understand.
Read MoreAs the executive director of Regent Park School of Music, the man behind experimental pop project Friendly Rich, and the host/producer of Industry Tactics podcast, Richard Marsella wears many hats.
He's set to release his 11th studio album with accompanying music video, which will premiere at Friendly Rich's Indie Arts Festival on November 2nd.
We talk to Richard about RPSM students being sampled on the new Taylor Swift album, his DIY approach to music videos, and the hellish monstrosity of seeing Billy Idol live as a young child.
Read MoreThe Awesome Music Project is a Canadian fundraising initiative designed to further research relating to music's profound impact on mental health.
Through their new book and a series of events, the nonprofit is spreading awareness on how music can reduce stress, ease depression in the youth, improve the quality of life for dementia patients and even help premature babies grow and develop.
We talk to co-founder Rob Carli about AMP's long-term goals, their upcoming book launch, and his work as a film and television composer.
Read MoreDarby Wheeler is an accomplished television producer and filmmaker whose credits include The Strombo Show and Matty Matheson's Dead Set on Life.
His latest project, Hip-Hop Evolution, is an award-winning Netflix docu-series that profiles the history of hip-hop music through in-depth interviews with influential artists.
We talk to Darby about assuming the enormous responsibility of telling the story of hip-hop music, why host Shad got nervous while interviewing Q-Tip and KRS-One, and that time in high school when he and his friends drove to Detroit to see a Public Enemy concert.
Turntablist and producer DJ Cosmo started as a scratch DJ in the early 2000s, winning the Halifax DMC Competition, before moving on to become the first Canadian Redbull3style Champ in 2009.
As the backup Dj / musical coordinator for rapper Azealia Banks, he has performed at major festivals around the world including Coachella, Glastonbury, and Lollapalooza.
Guest co-host Maya Killtron and I talk to DJ Cosmo about his latest EP, what it's like to work with Azealia Banks, and that time he played Karl Lagerfeld's birthday party.
Read MoreToronto singer-songwriter Charlotte Cornfield combines confessional lyrics with a conversational vocal delivery, reminscent of icons like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.
Having studied jazz drumming at Concordia University, she is well-versed in a myriad of other instruments, including piano, guitar and French horn.
Guest co-host Tara Kannagara and I talk to Charlotte about her latest album being longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, collaborating with members of Broken Social Scene, and her favourite Kevin Bacon and Jack Nicholson movies.
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