Today I’m joined by Gareth Auden-Hole, better known as Jack Pine. We talked a lot about the history of his band Jack Pine and the Fire, we also discussed his more open songwriting process as a solo artist compared to the approach he brought to “The Fire”. Later on, we talked about his tour through western Ontario & Manitoba and the joy of playing more intimate venues in smaller towns.

Jack Pine will be featured along with Lefty McRighty at CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk at Art House Cafe March 6th. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Visit thearthousecafe.ca or follow this link for tickets.

The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://tr.ee/RweJx2PNii

Today I’m joined by Greg Beaudoin, better known as Lefty McRighty to folks in the Ottawa music scene. We talked a lot about mental health and the importance of therapy, especially for people in the arts community. We also talked about the dynamic between Greg and his wife Tracy, working closely together on their CKCU radio show Feelin’ Alright as well as in their duo Catbird.

Lefty McRighty will be featured along with Jack Pine at CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk at Art House Cafe March 6th. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Visit thearthousecafe.ca or follow this link for tickets.

The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://tr.ee/RweJx2PNii.

I’m joined by John Allaire to discuss the ever shifting triangle between artists, venues and audiences. After an initial run of success at Brews & Blues in Stittsville, attendance started tapering off, leading to a cancellation of John’s Thursday shows (note: The Allaire Show on Saturday afternoons at Quinn’s is still going strong). After recently posting a clip of my podcast where I discussed the “love triangle”, I thought it’d be good timing to get the perspective from a veteran of the Ottawa music scene who’s had a first hand view of the many changes in dynamic between the shifting love triangle between artists, venues and audiences.

Today on Hard Folk, I’m joined by Colin Prentice. We talked about the upcoming single his band Baby Richman will be releasing in March, giving Oasis a second chance, having all of the band’s recordings (on a hard drive) stolen from their car during recording session and most importantly how much Algonquin College’s Music Industry Arts program impacted his career as a musician.

Visit https://ottawamic.com/news/miamatters to sign the petition to keep the MIA program at Algonquin College running!

The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://tr.ee/RweJx2PNii

Today I’m joined by author John Stubbings

to talk about his book The Devil Is In It: A History of the Acoustic Guitar. We chatted about how John’s love for guitars took him from guitar player to collector and eventually an author, chronicling the instrument’s journey from its origins in Europe to its evolution in the USA.

On today’s episode of Hard Folk, Graven (aka Matty McKechnie) and I have a lot in common to the point where I’ve been mistaken for him a few times. We’re both Ottawa based singer songwriters & podcasters, we’re both releasing new albums this year (Graven’s latest is called “Geographics”), we’re both devoted dads and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he’s as big of a baseball nut as I am.

We also discussed how challenging Ottawa’s music scene can be for performers. We zeroed in a couple of factors, but it’s a city whose formula is hard to crack. It’s kind of a teetering triangle between venues, artists and music fans that despite our best efforts can’t always connect.

Be sure to connect with the first single off Graven’s album “Geographics” on Jan. 26th. Visit graven.ca to give it a listen.

Anne Marie Brugger eats, sleeps and breathes folk music. You can hear her as one of the regular rotation hosts on CKCU’s show Canadian Spaces and she also created the Femme Vox concert series which shines a light on (mostly local) female singer-songwriters. Over the years Anne Marie has been a stalwart for community radio, starting at CHUO with her show Hop the Fence, before eventually taking on the role as acting director of CKCU. She’s also been a strong advocate for Ottawa’s underrated music scene working with the Grassroots Festival and as a part of the board of directors with the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition. And on a personal note, she has worked closely with me to help promote the Friday Night Folk Concert Series.

Femme Vox @ GCTC

feat. Amanda Rhéaume, KellyLee Evans, Tara Holloway, Malia Rogers

Sun. Jan. 18th, 7pm

Tickets available at GCTC.ca

On today’s episode of the Hard Folk podcast, I’m joined Jordan Holman aka Kentucky. Kentucky goes where the music takes him. Throughout his musical journey, Jordan has found himself in Toronto, New York and London before coming to the realization that he was going to die soon if he didn’t stop doing drugs. Now on the other side of his addiction, Jordan found himself based in the tiny, picturesque town of Almonte, Ontario where he does the work: writing songs (and a book!), recording and producing in his home studio.

Kentucky will be performing January 9th at CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk at Art House Cafe (555 Somerset St W) w/ Matt Gower & Loch Nisse Monster.

Tickets available for purchase here.

Loch Nisse Monster has a vision. Also known as Nisse Anonby, she has her hand in many different aspects of the Ottawa music scene. She’s organized shows and festivals, worked behind the scenes with Folk Music Ontario conference, co-hosts the Thursday Morning Blend on CKCU, reports regularly on the music scene through her social media pages and most importantly is a prolific singer-songwriter.

U Unlike her Scottish cryptid counterpart, Loch Nisse Monster is anything but elusive, playing shows all around Ottawa. She’ll be performing at the next edition of CKCU Presents Friday Night Folk January 9th at Art House Cafe (555 Somerset St W) w/ Matt Gower & Kentucky.

Tickets available for purchase here.

On today’s episode of Hard Folk, I chat with Brian Tremblay. Taking inspiration from the likes of Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt, Brian has embraced his “outsider status”. It’s more than living far away from larger music hubs in Sault Ste Marie; Brian advocates for fair compensation for fellow musicians, hosts a podcast to amplify the voices of his musical peers and carries this integrity into how he lives his life as an independent artist.