Lyrically Speaking

It’s a double-interview “minishow” of Lyrically Speaking! Today, we check in with two emerging musicians to watch: Pallmer and Jordan Little. From their cozy home in Fredericton, Pallmer talk about their brand new single, “Allude to What,” which was written in Banff, recorded in Montreal, and now released accompanied by a spectacular, dance-based music video filmed in Fredericton. Then Jordan Little calls in from Etobicoke to discuss their debut EP, Late June.

The Lyrically Speaking theme song was composed, recorded, and mixed by JoJo Worthington. Check out her other work on her website & follow her Facebook page.

The show’s artwork was created by Mingjia. You can see her portfolio on her website.

Welcome to the first ever “minishow” of Lyrically Speaking! On this episode, we listen to some new (and some sort of new) songs from amazing friends of the show: Mingjia Chen & Kieran Smythe, JoJo Worthington, and Mike T. Kerr! Then we have a little interview with Toronto’s honest-hearted Shawn William Clarke about his spectacular new EP “Spectral Acoustics Vol 1,” which you can download now.

The Lyrically Speaking theme song was composed, recorded, and mixed by JoJo Worthington (hey, you heard her on this episode!). Check out her other work on her website & follow her Facebook page.

The show’s artwork was created by Mingjia (hey, you heard her on this episode too!). You can see her portfolio on her website.

Avant-folk world builder Mappe Of (AKA Tom Meikle) joins me from his home studio for a very special episode of the show. We take a guided audio tour of The Isle of Ailynn, the fantasy world he crafted as his latest record, released on Paper Bag records last year. Mappe Of just released a companion experience for this record: a virtual reality rendering of the island, which you can experience now—preferably while listening to our conversation through the album! In addition to exploring Ailynn, Tom talks about falling asleep while listening to the black metal of Dimmu Borgir; we nerd out about Zelda, and talk about the influence of a little film called Star Wars; and explore how creating an imaginary world can make us more empathetic towards our real world. I also mispronounce some names—as Tom admits, “this record’s a minefield!”

Head over to Mappe Of’s site to learn more and catch his livestream (presented by the National Arts Centre) on Wednesday, April 29th.

The Lyrically Speaking theme song was composed, recorded, and mixed by JoJo Worthington. Check out her other work on her website & follow her Facebook page.

The show’s artwork was created by Mingjia. You can see her portfolio on her website.

London Folk-Pop harmonizers The Pairs join me in the CFRU studios to talk about a couple of wonderful tracks off their debut LP, Noise! These thoughtful creators discuss that fine line between kindness and paranoia: when worrying about offending people freezes your ability to contribute in a meaningful way. We talk about how to own up to mistakes and the empowering feeling of ignoring genre delineations (“maybe we can do whatever we want!”). Also: what can we learn about personal growth from Woody Guthrie? Check out the Pairs’ Facebook page for details about forthcoming livestreamed performances this week.

The Lyrically Speaking theme song was composed, recorded, and mixed by JoJo Worthington. Check out her other work on her website & follow her Facebook page.

Our artwork was created by Mingjia. You can see her portfolio on her website.

Lunar Bloom are the first guests on the new run of Lyrically Speaking! Bringing hot mugs of tea & coffee to a snowy morning, we talk about two songs on their debut, self-titled EP. We also get into the perils of forgetting your opening harmony at your first concert, talk about why a choir is like a cake, and do a lovely circle of compliments.

Learn more about Lunar Bloom at their website!

This episode is the first to feature an amazing, brand new theme song by JoJo Worthington. Check out her other work on her website & follow her Facebook page.

The beautiful new art for the show was created by another fabulous musician, Mingjia. Visit her website—you won’t regret it.

NOTE: This episode contains discussion around sexual assault. If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual assault, please visit the Draw the Line website for support in Ontario. If you need an emergency mental health support, please call the Mental Health Crisis Line at 1-866-996-0991.

The marvellous alt-country songwriter REBEKAH HAWKER stops by Lyrically Speaking to talk about a couple songs off her debut EP Careful Women (out August 23rd). We talk songwriters from Kathleen Edwards to Carrie Underwood to Feist and get into her process of building shells for songs between music lessons. We also talk about the complicated intersection between feminism and romantic dedication and what it feels like to be confident and secure when people want to see you as damaged. Learn more about Rebekah’s adventures at rebekahhawker.com.

This week, Ottawa-based art-folk bilangue superforce Moonfruits! These must-see performers chat about high school peer Leif Vollebekk encouraging their early songwriting, fostering empathy through characters, and what it means to let an imaginary town speak for itself. We listen to a song from that town (Ste. Quequepart, translated as “Saint Somewhere”), and delve into how this town can help facilitate kitchen table conversations around income inequality and other vital social issues. Alex also gets heated on what could become new podcast, “classically speaking.” Check out Moonfruits’ latest work & upcoming tour dates in Ontario at moonfruits.ca and remember: “there are no wrong notes – it just matters what comes after them.”

This episode, SAFFRON A joins me in the Toronto Apartment to talk two songs off her latest EP, Resilience! Saffron and I chat about the three phases of amusing oneself during a family road trip, trading a pickle for a Pokémon card, and how her best performance this past summer was at a Glenco train platform. We also talk about Saffron’s experience with her song “Resilience,” which has invited survivors of all sorts to open up about their stories of sexual harassment and assault. Listen to the raw & powerful “Resilience” EP now on Bandcamp, and check out where you can catch Saffron A live at her website: saffronamusic.com.

The lovely Gillian Nicola joins me in the Toronto apartment to discuss three tracks off her first full-length record, Dried Flowers! Jillian joyfully takes us through a journey, from belting classic rock covers at 13 to songwriting at the Banff Centre. Tune in to also hear a tale of escaped chickens. Her powerful LP will be out on May 3rd! Listen to the single Half-Way now and catch Gillian on tour this May. All the details can be found at her website: https://www.gilliannicola.com/.

Sam Allen of Run Coyote invites me into his lovely Toronto home to discuss two irresistible tracks off the new record, In Shadowlands! We discuss how we all desire a hero in anxious times, how writing in images works well within the film noir genre, and the peculiar joys of working with your family in a band. Listen to the new Run Coyote record on April 26th (out on So Sorry Records), and check out their tour dates at runcoyotemusic.com.