Inside The Artist's Studio

On this extra special 100th episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Dan Mangan joins Sean to talk about his long and storied career as one of Canada’s best songwriters. They talk about quitting caffeine, They Might Be Giants, foosball, and how to cook the perfect scrambled eggs. Dan also talks about Side Door: a company he founded with Laura Simpson to help touring artists book house shows around the world, in a mission to foster a thriving middle class of songwriters and musicians.

Recorded on August 13th, 2021
Featured Track: “Peaks and Valleys” From - More or Less
Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “Nuthin’ On My Mind“

Cayley Thomas joins Sean a couple days after her performance at Purple City, the most recent edition of the Up+Downtown music festival in Edmonton, AB. They cover Cayley’s upbringing in Edmonton, and talk about how good it feels to be able to attend and perform live music again. Along the way, they chat about Cayley’s songwriting process, musical theatre, and some unfortunate mishaps from Cayley’s foray into gardening during the pandemic.

Recorded on August 9th, 2021
Featured Track: “Two Minds” - How Else Can I Tell You?
Intro/Outro Music: “Nuthin’ On My Mind“ - Laundry Week

Brian Borcherdt talks to Sean from his home in the Maritimes about his new record with Dusted, III. Brian talks about his pandemic year move back to the East-Coast, his work in Holy Fuck, and how he demos and edits new material. In one of the most buck-wild rapid-fire sessions to date on “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Brian reveals his ill-fated career as a clown in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, his lemon-yellow Toyota Corolla, and his teenaged heist of fake plants to furnish said Corolla.

Recorded on July 14th, 2021
Featured Track: Not Offering - III
Intro/Outro Music: Nuthin’ On My Mind - Laundry Week

Songwriter and actor Christo Graham joins Sean on this episode of “Inside the Artists’ Studio” to talk about his impeccable new record, “Turnin’”. They talk about recording on a 4-track reel-to-reel that Christo inherited from his grandmother, and his journey from playing shows in a small town restaurant as a teenager, to living in Toronto, to settling down in his current home in Lansdowne, Ontario. Along the way, they talk church bake sales, opening for magicians, and family bands.

Graham is also announcing some new music in the next week or so as part of a pretty special new project, so if you like the featured track this week, keep an eye out!

Recorded on March 10th, 2021
Featured Track: Lucky Me - “Turnin’”
Intro/Outro Music: Nuthin’ On My Mind - Laundry Week

JS Truchy from Montreal based experimental rock veterans Fly Pan Am joins Sean on this episode of "Inside the Artist’s Studio” to talk about the band’s new record, “Frontera”. They talk about the album’s conception as the score to a contemporary dance piece of the same name (created by Dana Gingras and her dance troupe, ‘Animals of Distinction’), and stop along the way to talk about taking joy in the process of making coffee, what makes music transgressive, and Little Richard’s greatest hits.

Recorded on April 11th, 2021
Featured Track: Grid / Wall - Frontera
Intro/Outro Music: Nuthin’ On My Mind - Laundry Week

VISSIA (aka Alex Vissia) joins Sean on this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio” to talk about her new record “With Pleasure”, which came out on April 30th, 2021. Along the way, they chat about TikTok, Tarot, and what popularity has to do with pop music.

Recorded on April 21st, 2021
Featured Track: My Wom - “With Pleasure”
Intro/Outro Music: Nuthin’ On My Mind - Laundry Week

Canadian country music superstar Corb Lund joins Sean on this episode of Inside the Artist’s Studio. Corb talks about the new deluxe edition of his 2020 LP “Agricultural Tragic”, and Sean and Corb reminisce about the time they both spent in MacEwan University’s music program. They also talk about why Corb has taken a stand against the Alberta Government’s slap-dash changes to coal development policy, which would open up the Eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains to coal mining.

Recorded on March 25th, 2021
Featured Track: “Old Men” - Agricultural Tragic
Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “Nuthin’ On My Mind”

On this episode of Inside the Artist’s Studio, Cadence Weapon joins Sean via Zoom to talk about his new record, Parallel World, which came out on April 30th, 2021. Along the way, they chat about chugging coffee to work the early shift at HMV, drawing inspiration from video game music, and the social responsibility he feels artists have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recorded on April 6th, 2021
Featured Track: “Connect”, from Parallel World
Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “Nuthin’ On My Mind”

Alexa Dirks from Begonia joins Sean via Zoom to talk about the The Fear Tour (Live), a live recording of her 2019 album Fear that was recorded over a 5 day sold out run in Winnipeg in February 2020. Along the way, they talk Jon Brion stories, the enduring appeal of The Legend of Zelda, and the difference between being a solo act and being in a band.

Recorded on February 19th, 2021
Featured Track: Juniper (Live) from The Fear Tour (Live)
Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “Nuthin’ On My Mind”

David Schellenberg from the Winnipeg based hardcore band Tunic joins Sean on Inside the Artist’s Studio this week to talk about the band’s new record Exhaling. Sean asks David about the record’s juxtaposition of brand new songs and songs from previous releases, and David explains what makes the perfect veggie burger. David also talks about some of the thoughtful ways that he’s connected with fans during the pandemic in the absence of the band’s high energy live show.

Recorded on April 1st, 2021
Featured Track: Invalid, from Exhaling (Read our “Pick of the Week review here!)
Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “Nuthin’ On My Mind”