Inside The Artist's Studio

Near the end of 2019, Sean Newton sat down to talk with Clayton Linthicum of Kacy & Clayton on their stop in Edmonton during a particularly heavy snowfall. Kacy Anderson was recovering from a neck injury sustained in Calgary the evening before, so Sean and Clayton sat down in a cramped office at the Starlite Room to talk about the great province of Saskatchewan, accordion jams, and curling.

Recorded December 13th, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Kacy & Clayton.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Sean got the chance to talk to Will, Matt, and Chris from Saskatoon indie-trio Close Talker before their show in Edmonton at the end of November. They met up at The Aviary, and chatted over coffees in the green room about their extraordinary silent, 3D, binaural headphone tour that happened in support of their latest record How Do We Stay Here?. They’re back to just a regular tour now, and the band talked about how it feels to be playing out loud again after working on a show that’s such a departure from a regular concert going experience. In the rapid-fire section, we get the scoop on the band’s past as waste management workers, chicken pickers, and lifelong close friends.

Recorded November 30th, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Close Talker.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Dany Laj has been championing rock n roll for years with incredible power-pop that gets an audience moving. Alongside his band, The Looks, Laj has toured relentlessly across North America and Europe. This rigorous dedicated to the road has given the band opportunities to meet some amazing people which can sometimes lead to future projects. One such occasion led to their latest album being produced by legendary Matt Verta-Ray at his NY Hed Studio in New York. Jeff recently caught up with Dany Laj during a tour stop in Edmonton at The Grizzlar Coffee Shop to discuss how he met Matt Verta-Ray, how the album came together, and how touring has been beneficial to Dany Laj And The Looks.

Recorded November 22nd, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Dany Laj And The Looks.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Chastity’s sophomore album came out this past September, just in time for the Canadian federal election, as the band’s frontman Brandon Williams notes in this interview. It’s a deeply political record and host, Sean Newton gets Williams talking about growing up in the suburbs in Whitby, Ontario, and how that has informed his politics and his songwriting. The rapidfire isn’t so rapid this time around, with diversions into the best pit stops on tour, Fiona Apple’s social media presence, and nationalized music venues. The track played at the end of the episode is called “Sun Poisoning”, and it’s the fourth track on their latest record, Home Made Satan.

Recorded November 9th, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Chastity.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Sean got the chance to sit down with Cups N Cakes favourites Shirley & the Pyramids in Calgary at this year’s Sled Island Festival. Their last album “Pure Pain” was a Pick Of The Week when it came out in June 2018, and we’re excited to debut a new song called “Neverdie” from their forthcoming EP at the end of this episode. The new EP is the first the band has recorded with their live lineup in studio, and frontman Aron Zacharias talks with Sean about how he and his bandmates collaborated to bring the energy of their live shows to the new recordings. Of course, there are diversions aplenty with discussions about the Super Nintendo and favourite Sled Island venues which helped pull them out of their respective Friday morning hangovers.

Recorded June 21st, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Shirley & The Pyramids.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Natural Sympathies is the solo project from Regina’s Amber Goodwyn. Under this name, Goodwyn has been picking up steam across the prairies with her ultra-fun live show that incorporates dancers and projections alongside electro-pop perfection. This past June, Jeff was joined by Goodwyn to discuss Natural Sympathies debut album “Porous”, an accompanying film version of the record, and the music scene in Regina. They also rip through the rapid-fire questions before playing the brand new single “Pretty Impossible”.

Recorded June 26th, 2019.
Track used with full permission from Natural Sympathies.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Motherhood is a self-described “trio of deep thinking rippers” from Fredericton, New Brunswick and in March they released one of 2019’s best albums entitled, “Dear Bongo”. Sean Newton met up with them at Sled Island 2019 to discuss its loose conceptual structure and the ingenious way they recycle and reuse hooks and narrative threads throughout the record. After talking about the release, Sean almost breaks up the band as he pits them against each other in a rapid fire questionnaire where disagreements about Billy Woods, the relative value of cake and pie, and Fredericton pizza joints come to a head.

Recorded June 22nd, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Motherhood.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Jeff sits down to talk with Edmonton’s Jim Cuming who makes music under the name Jom Comyn. Cuming talks about his brand new album “Crawl”, which was produced by Chris Dadge. The two also discuss the studio dynamic Cuming had with Chris Dadge while making the album, the slew of guests on the album, and what it’s like to tour Japan. After all that good stuff, Cuming takes on the rapid-fire and we learn about his pet turtle, and a bad night in Kingston that was saved by The Beatles.

Recorded August 5th, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Jom Comyn.

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Vancouver’s Dumb have been pumping out albums at a break neck speed for the past 4 years. Their latest release, Club Nites, came out on Mint Records this past June, and is an exploration into the ups and downs of the late-night party life. At Sled Island 2019, Jeff met up with the whole band at their hotel to discuss their new record, their relationship with Mint, and their future plans before diving into the rapid-fire questionnaire.

Recorded June 21st, 2019.

Track used with full permission from Dumb.

https://dumbband.bandcamp.com

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com

Jeff tracked down Montreal band LAPS for a conversation at Sled Island 2019. The band consists of Heather, Tate, and Scott who join Jeff to discuss their incredible debut album, “Soon Not Often In It” (a former Pick Of The Week), and how Sled Island actually inspired the bands formation. They also paint a picture of the music scene in Fredericton (which is the city where the band formed), before running through the rapid fire questions.

Recorded June 19th, 2019.

Track used with full permission from LAPS.

https://lapslapslap.bandcamp.com

Background Music:

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble - Undercurrents

Used with permission from Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Marlow Records

http://www.marlowrecords.com