The Essence of Cool

On this final episode of Season 2, we finish our series on Canadian producer, singer/songwriter Tim Thorney by chatting with his long-time song writing partner, former Much Music VJ, Erica Ehm.

Erica talks to us about how Tim's leap of faith helped transform her from a tv host to an award-winning songwriter and producer.

She also describes how, after 10 years of writing together, Tim politely "broke up" with her to write with and produce Canadian music phenom, Alanis Morissette.

On Part 2 of our series celebrating the life and legacy of Canadian producer, singer, songwriter Tim Thorney, we catch up with drummer to the stars Randy Cooke (Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart, Alanis Morissette etc) who discusses his 20-plus year history with Tim, working on jingles, Alanis Morissette songs, albums by other artists, and Tim’s own solo releases.

We also chat with Juno-award winning engineer, producer, songwriter, Hill Kourkoutis who Tim called “the future” of music. 

Tim Thorney isn’t a household name, but perhaps he should be. The late singer/songwriter/producer worked with the likes of Alanis Morrisette, Lisa Dalbello, Burton Cummings, Jimmy Rankin and more. He also wrote some of the most memorable beer and car jingles, the type that got stuck in your heard for days. He won daytime Emmy, Gemini, and Juno awards, but it was his mentorship of and faith in the artists and musicians he worked with that truly defined him.

During her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Tim’s dear friend Alanis Morissette described him as the “ultimate port in the storm”, one of a very few individuals who would simply hold space for you. But he was also a musical genius.

On this first of a 3-part series, we speak to Tim’s younger brother Tom about growing up in Winnipeg and watching him come to prominence as one of the most sought after music producers in the business, and his work with Alanis Morissette. Then we’ll talk to Adam Fair, Tim’s partner in Villa Sound, the studio where Tim would record his final album “Villa Freud”.

On this episode, we catch up with DJ, podcaster, and music journalist, Aaron Badgley.

You might know Aaron from his radio shows The Wayback Music Machine and From Memphis to Merseyside along with my good friend Tony Stuart, or from The Backwards Traveller Radio Show on Perturb Radio and Here Today on CFRU FM . He also contributes album reviews and interviews to Canada’s Spill Magazine.

On this show, he walks us through his Top Ten Cool artists of 2022. Some you know well, and some you may not, from Neil Arthur, Brian Eno, and Men Without Hats, to The Mary Wallopers, Sparks and Soundwalk Collective. He’ll also give us a peek at some artists to watch for in 2023, like the great pop experimentalist Selina Martin.

When journalists write about Selina Martin’s music, they use words like "masterful", "genius" , "profound" , and "superb", and I would agree with every single one, only venturing to add “breathtaking”.

Such is the case for her latest album “Time Spent Swimming”, which explores the art of songwriting and production in ways most artists never imagine.

She’s been compared to David Byrne, St. Vincent, Eno, and Bjork… and, in very David Bowie-esque fashion, she says art is about taking risks.

In this episode, we explore those risks as we take a very deep dive into one of the most remarkable albums I’ve heard in decades. 

Her father is iconic David Bowie/Marc Bolan producer Tony Visconti and her mother is famed Those Were The Days singer Mary Hopkin. But those facts have not given Jessica Lee Morgan a free ride to fame for her own music. In fact, she has found praise for her 5 delicious albums the old fashioned way, through a gruelling concert schedule and endless hard work.

On this episode, Jessica tells us how her music career got started, about working with her dad on the Holy Holy tours, writing and producing a new album for her mother, and we examine her own gorgeous releases from her 2010 debut “I Am Not” through to her latest, the slick and beautifully produced/performed electropop album “Change the Record”. We also delve into her work as a practitioner of the Alexander Technique, and her essence of cool picks The Blow Monkeys and cult icon Robyn Hitchcock.

In the late 80s and early 90s, Leslie Stanwyck was known as a member of Canadian power pop band The Pursuit of Happiness. But in 1992, She and her partner Johnny Sinclair broke out on their own to form Universal Honey, who, 30 years later are on the cusp of releasing their 8th album, "Dandelion".

Their music has been on the charts north and south of the border, been placed in movies and tv shows like Searching For Debra Winger and Degrassi The Next Generation, they've shared the stage with The Eurythmics, Googoo Dolls, and Duran Duran, and branched off into other genres with their projects Tucker Lane and The Bod.

On this episode, we discuss all of that, their work with producer Todd Rundgren, songwriting on the road, and her essence of cool pick, the legend, Keith Records.

Listeners in Canada's Ottawa area will know Doug Hempstead as the CBC Traffic Reporter who also has a long history as a TV and print journalist around the Province of Ontario. But in the world of music, he is better known as the force behind Indie rock project, Area Resident.

Since 2016, he has cranked out 7 albums, including 2022's Polycanard, a collection of unreleased demos dating back to 2003.

In this episode, we discuss the real-life stories behind such Area Resident songs as 'Six Domestic Calls' and 'In Your Pepper', his new deal with Surkeus Records, Doug's longtime friendship and collaborations with Blinker The Star's Jordon Zadorozny, and his Essence of Cool picks: Chrissie Hynde and Wayne Coyne.

On this episode, we catch up with one of the most interesting, smart, and gifted new artists in Canadian music, the uber-talented Vicki Brittle.

Apart from her engaging songwriting, distinctive voice, and massive Spotify numbers, Vicki is a fierce advocate for mental health. We talk about her skyrocketing career, her record deal with Coalition Music, and her collaborations with country star Kelly Prescott, Magic!'s Alex Tannas, and songwriting superstar Haley Gene Penner. As well, we chat about her 'cool' pick, the legendary Paul Simon.

June Millington is co-founder and lead guitarist of the all-female rock band Fanny, about whom David Bowie said “they were extraordinary: They wrote everything, they played like (mofos), they were just colossal and wonderful”.

Millington has been called "a godmother of women's music", She is also the co-founder and artistic director of the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA) in Goshen, Massachusetts.

In this episode, we talk about Fanny’s rise and fall, and rise again, the extraordinary Bobbi Jo Hart documentary “Fanny: The Right to Rock”, and Millington’s latest album “snapshots”, which feature’s the iconic Bowie guitarist Earl Slick.