Arlo Maverick seems to be on a mission to ensure that Edmonton takes its place as a destination to be reckoned with on the hip-hop map.

An award-winning artist, Arlo is a well-loved pillar of the hip-hop community here in Alberta. He's also toured all the way to the other side of the world and back, winning himself global fans and forging a wide network of collaborators. 

More recently, he's achieved renown as a documentary filmmaker and a chronicler of local hip-hop culture and history. Arlo Maverick is truly solidifying himself as an Edmonton hip-hop ambassador to the world. 

Now, a library might seem like a funny place for a hip-hop show, but it makes all the sense in the world. For thing, CKUA's legendary music library is the home to music of all kinds, including a vast trove of music by Alberta artists. Plus, artists don't come much more studied about the history and culture of Alberta music than Arlo Maverick. And, as we hear in this episode, his eureka moment as a hip-hop creator happened in church! So maybe a library isn't too much of a stretch. 

Just ahead of the release of his new album, Blue Collar, Arlo Maverick and his wildly talented six-piece band set up in CKUA's music library for the first in what we hope will be a series of live music events, featuring a small, select audience of CKUA supporters, staffers, and community members. They rocked our library lunch hour with a superb set, and later on, Arlo also shared generously of his own life story in a wide-ranging and insightful interview with CKUA's Grant Stovel. 

The Hidden Track podcast is produced by CKUA Radio and made possible by the generosity of CKUA's donors. 

Host: Grant Stovel | Producer: Scott Zielsdorf | Graphics: Shaun Friesen | Music: Doug Hoyer

Audio engineering for this live studio session was provided by Duke Paetz, with sound assistance from Scott Zielsdorf.