Myles From Home

Ria Mae has been a force to watch over the last number of years.  She’s jumped from being an independent solo singer songwriter to one of Canada’s most successful pop artists. And it’s been amazing to see. Especially because she has done it without ever compromising who she is. Throughout the journey she has remained honest and humble and it’s super inspiring. And she’s not stopping! Ria just put out a brand new record called “Therapy”. Super glad we got a chance to catch up and grateful for her openness. For all things Ria Mae, check out her instagram at @riaisawake.

Junia T - I was so excited for this conversation. We’d been planning it for a while and it totally lived up to my hopes. Junia is one of my favourite producers making music today. His record “Studio Monk” is one of my top 10 from the last 5 years. It’s an insanely musical and fun record. He’s got a gift of bringing the best out in people he collaborates with and I was so curious to know how he does that. We got into that and a whole lot more. You’ll see right away that Junia is a special guy, who shines light all around him (including being super generous and supportive of my own stuff) rather than taking it for himself. It’s a beautiful quality and I think you’re going love this one. 
Get into Studio Monk right away if you haven’t listened yet.
Junia-T.com for all things Junia T.

Antonio (Tony) Delgado  - Did you know that over 900 kids in New Brunswick get 15 hours of free music lessons a week?! It’s one of the coolest things going on in the province today and it is known as “Sistema”. Antonio Delgado is the music director of Sistema in NB and the conductor of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra. He’s also one of the most energetic, passionate and committed musicians and educators I know. He has an amazing story. I’ve chatted with Tony many times over the last few years and every time I’ve thought to myself “everyone needs to hear this story”.  So, as you can imagine, I’m super thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to chat with Tony at length about his upbringing in Venezuela, his youth in the Sistema programme there, and his life now in New Brunswick. Can’t wait for you to hear this one. Enjoy!  And please visit Sistemnb.ca to learn more.

Mo Kenney - Mo’s one of the coolest people I know. In the original sense of the word. Like James Dean cool. I’ve been lucky to know them for a while now and I always dig our time together. Mostly cause of their honesty. It’s so refreshing and it puts everyone around them at ease, whether on the stage or in a personal conversation. This chat was no different. We talked about their upcoming US tour with the Crash Test Dummies, their wicked new single “With You” and we got into it about sobriety. I appreciated it so much. Big thanks to Mo for the time. Enjoy our conversation and go to mokenney.com for more info.

Julie Doiron - Entering her fourth decade in Canadian Indie Rock, Julie is in the company of very few. Since joining Eric’s Trip in 1990, she has been a creative force putting out records in English, French and Spanish, doing two Tiny Desk Concerts (one with musician Mount Eerie) and winning a Juno for her collaboration with the Wooden Stars. Julie’s down to earth nature and honesty are at the core of both her songwriting and her personality. That’s what makes her so fun to listen to and to hang out with. This conversation was no exception. It was awesome. Big thanks to the Shivering Songs Festival in Fredericton for presenting this chat (which is also available on YouTube).  Go to Julie-Doiron.com to learn more and check out her new brilliant album “I Thought Of You”.

PODCAST EXCLUSIVE - Jonathan Torrens - I was super stoked to chat with Jonathan. I grew up watching him on television (Street Cents, Jonovision, Trailer Park Boys, etc.) and in the few times we’ve hung out in the past, he’s been one of the funniest people I’ve ever encountered.  He’s had a career in entertainment for over 3 decades, and he keeps taking risks and reinventing himself. It’s incredibly inspiring. This chat lived up to my high expectations in every way. It was both hilarious and insightful. Grateful to Jonathan for taking the time to hang out. Hope you enjoy it. Check out his own podcast (with Jeremy Taggart) at www.taggartntorrens.ca.  

PODCAST EXCLUSIVE - Begonia - Begonia has got one of my favourite voices in Canada. She can sing like crazy. I’m lucky to have a radio show on CKUA where I play Canadian music, and I find myself playing Begonia’s music a ton. It’s inventive, fun and performed at a super high level. We didn’t know each other at all before this chat so this was a real treat. She was hilarious, super insightful and had an awesome perspective on where she’s at in terms of making music, and making a home in Winnipeg.
For more info on Begonia, you can go to www.hellobegonia.com. 
Also, check out her latest acoustic video for “Heaven”, it’s insanely good.  

PODCAST EXCLUSIVE - Sarah Harmer - When I finished this interview, I walked into my kitchen and my wife Nina said, “how’s my favourite songwriter doing?”.  I answered “I’m doing great, the interview went really well” to which she responded “I don’t mean you, I mean Sarah Harmer!” Ha!! I should have known. We are giant fans of Sarah Harmer in our house. Have been for years. She’s a Juno winner, a dedicated environmentalist, and a super down to earth, cool person to chat with. I really enjoyed this conversation. We got to talk about her albums, where she lives, our shared deep appreciation of nature and her upcoming tour! She’s going all over the country in 2022. Check www.sarahharmer.com for details. 

PODCAST EXCLUSIVE - Steve Poltz - The only thing you can predict when you’re hanging with Steve Poltz is that it is gonna be a wild ride. He’s one of the most energetic, engaged people I know. And certainly one the best performers I’ve ever seen. We talked about his 40 year career, co-writing one of the biggest songs of the 90s, addiction, having a stroke on stage, and so much more. It was full on and I loved it. He even turned the mic on me, which I didn’t expect. For all things Steve Poltz, check out http://poltz.com. 

PODCAST EXCLUSIVE - Terra Lightfoot - is a musician’s musician; an awesome guitar player, singer and songwriter who has been making consistently great records (Juno nominated) for over a decade. This was the first time I’ve ever chatted with Terra and I loved it! I was really looking forward to it and it went in directions I didn’t expect. We talked about her honky tonk piano playing grandmother, her guitar “Veronica” and meditation.  It was a blast. 
For more on Terra, check out her website at www.terralightfoot.com.