Hidden Track

This week, Leslie Feist talks to Grant Stovel about how a conscious shift in perspective guided the approach to her latest album, Pleasure. She’ll tell us about the “dark nights of the soul” that led her to finding a better work-life balance. Plus, Leslie reflects on her tributes to Leonard Cohen, Gord Downie, and the milestone anniversary of her appearance on Sesame Street.

On our debut episode, Grant Stovel welcomes musician Jeremy Dutcher. The classically trained operatic tenor and composer spent most of his 20's quietly crafting his stunning debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa. The album blends his training in opera, and his contemporary musical sensibility, and features post-classical rearrangements of Wolastoq First Nation traditional music. The work recently took home Canada's top musical honour, the Polaris Music Prize, this past September. 

In this wide-ranging discussion, Jeremy talks about his musical upbringing, discovering the notable absence of classical music that reflects indigeneity, and uncovering the archival recordings that became foundational to his debut album. 

The podcast features three selections from the album: "Mehcinut", "Oqiton", and "Eqpahak".