Indie folk rocker Passenger aka Mike Rosenberg is a member of a very exclusive club. His song "Let Her Go" has surpassed one billion plays on YouTube. But Mike wasn't an overnight sensation. After his band folded in 2009, Mike traveled the world singing for money on sidewalks. He practiced his craft as a solo singer-songwriter, releasing several records himself, until his song "Let Her Go" caught fire and changed his life.

I hung out for a bit with Mike while he was doing a short small venue tour in advance of the release of his latest record Young as the Morning Old as the Sea. We talked about his time on the streets busking, keeping his songs simple but effective, surviving a band breakup to go solo, and more. Listen to our chat.

Tracks played on the radio edit...

1) Passenger, Young as the Morning Old as the Sea (2016) "Somebody's Love"

2) Passenger, Wicked Man's Rest (2007) "Things You've Never Done" (background)

3) Passenger, All the Little Lights (2012) "Let Her Go"

4) Passenger, All the Little Lights (2012) "I Hate (Live From The Borderline, London)"

5) Passenger, Wide Eyes Blind Love (2009) "Underwater Bride"

6) Passenger, Young as the Morning Old as the Sea (2016) "The Long Road"

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Indie folk rocker Passenger aka Mike Rosenberg is a member of a very exclusive club. His song "Let Her Go" has surpassed one billion plays on YouTube. But Mike wasn't an overnight sensation. After his band folded in 2009, Mike traveled the world singing for money on sidewalks. He practiced his craft as a solo singer-songwriter, releasing several records himself, until his song "Let Her Go" caught fire and changed his life.

I hung out for a bit with Mike while he was doing a short small venue tour in advance of the release of his latest record Young as the Morning Old as the Sea. We talked about his time on the streets busking, keeping his songs simple but effective, surviving a band breakup to go solo, and more. Listen to our chat.

Tracks played on the extended version of the show...

1) Passenger, Young as the Morning Old as the Sea (2016) "Somebody's Love"

2) Passenger, Wicked Man's Rest (2007) "Things You've Never Done" (partial/background)

3) Passenger, All the Little Lights (2012) "Let Her Go"

4) Passenger, All the Little Lights (2012) "I Hate (Live From The Borderline, London)"

5) Passenger, Young as the Morning Old as the Sea (2016) "Fool's Gold" (partial/background)

6) Passenger, Wide Eyes Blind Love (2009) "Underwater Bride"

7) Passenger, Young as the Morning Old as the Sea (2016) "The Long Road"

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Montreal's indie pop, electro-orchestral band Groenland started when Jean-Vivier Lévesque (piano/composer) started hanging out in the coffee shop where singer Sabrina Halde worked. The band's unique and whimsical sound is centred around Sabrina's powerful voice, which Jean-Vivier proudly compares to Adele.

I hung out with Sabrina and Jean-Vivier in their hotel room right after they released their first full length record The Chase. We chatted after a long day for the band, so the band's English was failing them.

What risks did the band take while making the debut record, The Chase? Which Spice Girls track do I get Sabrina to sing? When is some ukele too much ukele? Which Groenland song was inspired by the Montreal 2012 student protests? What would Sabrina and Jean-Vivier be doing if they didn't pursue music? You'll have to listen to our chat to find out!

Tracks played on the show...

Groenland, The Chase (2013) "The Things I've Done"

Groenland, The Chase (2013) "Superhero"

Groenland, The Chase (2013) "Criminals"

Groenland, The Chase (2013) "Daydreaming" (background)

Groenland, The Chase (2013) "26 Septembre"

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After two records with legendary rock band Weezer, Matt Sharp quit as Weezer's bassist. He wanted his next project to be less a traditional rock band and more a chance to collaborate with all the musicians he admired, so he formed The Rentals. Even if he couldn't get his collaborators to leave his or her band permanently, Matt could rent them for enough time to make some music together.

As you can imagine, after three full length albums, Matt Sharp has ended up being the only constant in The Rentals project. He assembles a new set of collaborators each time he records an album or goes on tour. Fun fact: actor Maya Rudolph, of Saturday Night Live and Bridesmaids fame, also handled keyboard and backing vocals for the group's first tours in support of the debut album, Return of the Rentals. (Check out The Rentals 1996 video for "Waiting" to see Maya in action.)

I hung out with Matt Sharp one nice afternoon in the alley behind Vancouver's now closed Electric Owl. Matt was in town to promote the newest Rentals record, Lost in Alphaville. The new record includes collaborations with Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, Ryen Slegr of Ozma, and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.

Listen to this episode! You'll discover the answers to all these questions: Which Hollywood film director did Matt nearly get to make a video for The Rentals? How would Matt compare The Rentals with his old band Weezer? Which public figure would Matt want to work with--but he's too scared to send the email? Which Matt Sharp record does one of Matt's friends use to get his kids to sleep? You'll find out all this and more! Press play.

Tracks played on the extended cut edition...

1) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "1000 Seasons"

2) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "Thought of Sound"

3) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "The Future" (background)

4) The Rentals, Seven More Minutes (1999) "The Man With Two Brains"

5) Weezer, Pinkerton Deluxe Edition Disc One (1996) "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" (background)

6) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "It’s Time to Come Home"

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After two records with legendary rock band Weezer, Matt Sharp quit as Weezer's bassist. He wanted his next project to be less a traditional rock band and more a chance to collaborate with all the musicians he admired, so he formed The Rentals. Even if he couldn't get his collaborators to leave his or her band permanently, Matt could rent them for enough time to make some music together.

As you can imagine, after three full length albums, Matt Sharp has ended up being the only constant in The Rentals project. He assembles a new set of collaborators each time he records an album or goes on tour. Fun fact: actor Maya Rudolph, of Saturday Night Live and Bridesmaids fame, also handled keyboard and backing vocals for the group's first tours in support of the debut album, Return of the Rentals. (Check out The Rentals 1996 video for "Waiting" to see Maya in action.)

I hung out with Matt Sharp one nice afternoon in the alley behind Vancouver's now closed Electric Owl. Matt was in town to promote the newest Rentals record, Lost in Alphaville. The new record includes collaborations with Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, Ryen Slegr of Ozma, and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.

Listen to this episode! You'll discover the answers to all these questions: Which Hollywood film director did Matt nearly get to make a video for The Rentals? How would Matt compare The Rentals with his old band Weezer? Which public figure would Matt want to work with--but he's too scared to send the email? Which Matt Sharp record does one of Matt's friends use to get his kids to sleep? You'll find out all this and more! Press play.

Tracks played on the show...

1) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "1000 Seasons" (mp3)

2) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "Thought of Sound"

3) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "The Future" (background)

4) The Rentals, Seven More Minutes (1999) "The Man With Two Brains"

5) The Rentals, Lost in Alphaville (2014) "It’s Time to Come Home" (mp3)

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I met LA rocker Colleen Green when she was on tour with Michigan indie rock band Pity Sex. Her friends were nice enough to loan us their van so we could hang out. Thanks Pity Sex! Even locked in the van, we couldn’t quite escape the craziness of that tour.

Here’s a list of a few of things we chatted about. How Colleen feels about her favorite game show host, Alex Trebek, retiring in 2016. “Do the Pencil”--the song Colleen wrote and performed for her elementary school show and tell class. (This song also has a signature dance.) Her latest attempt to quit smoking marijuana. Working with Jeff the Brotherhood on her new record and how that band inspires her. If you can ever be done growing up.

Listen to our chat and you’ll be able to “do the pencil” too.

Tracks played on the show...

1) Colleen Green, I Want to Grow Up (2015) "TV" (mp3)

2) Colleen Green, I Want to Grow Up (2015) "Pay Attention"

3) Colleen Green, I Want to Grow Up (2015) "I Want to Grow Up"

4) Colleen Green, Sock It to Me (2013) "Heavy Shit"

5) Akon Freedom (2008) “Beautiful” ft Kardinal Offishal & Colby O’Donis (background)

6) Colleen Green, Cujo EP (2011) "Rabid Love" (mp3)

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I met LA rocker Colleen Green when she was on tour with Michigan indie rock band Pity Sex. Her friends were nice enough to loan us their van so we could hang out. Thanks Pity Sex! Even locked in the van, we couldn’t quite escape the craziness of that tour.

Here’s a list of a few of things we chatted about. How Colleen feels about her favorite game show host, Alex Trebek, retiring in 2016. “Do the Pencil”--the song Colleen wrote and performed for her elementary school show and tell class. This song also has a signature dance. Her latest attempt to quit smoking marijuana. Working with Jeff the Brotherhood on her new record and how that band inspires her. If you can ever be done growing up.

Listen to our chat and you’ll be able to “do the pencil” too.

Tracks played on the show...

1) Colleen Green, I Want to Grow Up (2015) "TV" (mp3)

2) Colleen Green, I Want to Grow Up (2015) "Pay Attention"

3) Colleen Green, I Want to Grow Up (2015) "I Want to Grow Up"

4) Colleen Green, Sock It to Me (2013) "Heavy Shit"

5) Akon Freedom (2008) “Beautiful” ft Kardinal Offishal & Colby O’Donis (background)

6) Colleen Green, Cujo EP (2011) "Rabid Love" (mp3)

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Vancouver's Jett Pace aka Old Man Canyon started out as a sort of indie folk artist and he found quick success with his first release the Phantoms & Friends EP. Many songs off that record ended up in poignant montages on several popular television shows (for example MTV's Awkward, Showtime’s Shameless and Bravo's Suits). After a break, Old Man Canyon returned in 2016 with a new record Delerium (his debut full length). This time Jett has added synthesizers to his sound while leaving the folkier stuff behind.

I hung out with Jett before his record release party. While we chatted, his phone kept buzzing. Many family members needed directions to the show. Here's a list of the things we talk about in the van: the jungle psychedelic mushroom trip that helped him refocus his music, how to find the right people to take on the road, moonwalking to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for his mom, feeling trapped by the folk acoustic guitar song format, becoming a vintage synth nerd, urine on the tour van floor, and much more. Listen!

Tracks played on the show...

1) Old Man Canyon, Delirium (2016) “Hollow Tree”

2) Old Man Canyon, Delirium (2016) “Back to the Start”

3) Old Man Canyon, Phantoms & Friends EP (2013) “Phantoms & Friends”

4) Old Man Canyon, Delirium (2016) “I Don’t Wanna Go Out”

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The Growlers call the strange mix of garage, psychedelic, and surf rock that they make "Beach Goth." The term started from a combination of the surf sound on the Growler's 2010 Hot Tropics EP and the dark themes (like poverty, death and addiction) that singer Brooks tends to sing about. But soon for the band, the Beach Goth label grew to become a blanket term for what the band is about: budget recording--the band recorded in a minimal home studio--budget surfing--surfing on a crummy board--and beach living--even thought the band never lived on the beach. Beach Goth eventually became an annual Orange County music festival that the Growlers put on and headline.

I hung out with Brooks and his dog Jonesey at the end of an era for The Growlers. The band used to live together in a camp (which included their recording studio), but tragically the camp had burned down. Sitting in the alley behind Vancouver's Rickshaw Theatre, I got Brooks to open up about bringing girlfriends on the road, the fire that destroyed the band's home, if writing songs for your girlfriend works to keep her happy, how to keep peace in the tour van, the difference between drinking beer vs drinking whiskey onstage, and much more. Listen.

Tracks played on the show...

1) The Growlers, Chinese Fountain (2014) "Going Gets Tuff"

2) The Growlers, Chinese Fountain (2014) "Good Advice"

3) The Growlers, Hung at Heart (2013) "Someday"

4) The Growlers, Gay Thoughts/Feelin' Good single (2011) "Gay Thoughts"

5) The Growlers, Hung at Heart (2013) "Beach Rats"

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Backstage at the Royal Canoe show was a bit of a madhouse as all six members prepared for the show. Those 12 hands become a well-oiled machine onstage to execute this Winnipeg genre-smashing band's weird and wonderful songs, but in the green room six band members plus beer quickly becomes a party.

Lead vocalist Matt Peters and I left the busy backstage area at Fortune Sound Lounge and went for a bit of a walk on a nice summer evening. We ended up at Vancouver landmark Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, which was a perfect place for a chat.

While Matt and I enjoyed the tranquility of the first Chinese or "scholars" garden built outside of China, we did the interview. Here's a few of the things we chatted about. What it's like to describe your musical genre to border guards (and why this can cause trouble). How songwriting is like group therapy. Getting your gear stolen while on tour and finding it in your heart to forgive thieves. Approaching songwriting like hip hop producers. What my favorite Royal Canoe song "Bathtubs" is about--one of the best song origin stories ever! What piece of equipment is The band's secret weapon. Listen!

Tracks played on the show...

1) Royal Canoe, Today We're Believers (2013) "Bathtubs"

2) Royal Canoe, Today We're Believers (2013) "Button Fumbla"

3) Royal Canoe, Today We're Believers (2013) "Today We're Believers"

4) Royal Canoe, Today We're Believers (2013) "Birthday"

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