I was all set to meet Irish singer songwriter James Vincent McMorrow at his soundcheck when word came that his tour van had caught FIRE and he was stranded on the highway somewhere between Vancouver and Seattle. The promoter would need to send someone down to collect JVM, his band and all their gear to try to make the show.

James Vincent McMorrow ended up arriving barely 30 minutes before his set was supposed to start. Always one to meet his commitments, James walked right off stage (after a beautiful performance) and met me in the alley behind the Rio for a chat. (Yeah, I ask him about all those Bon Hiver comparisons.) Listen to the interview!

Tracks played on the show...

1) James Vincent McMorrow, Post Tropical (2014) "Cavalier"

2) James Vincent McMorrow, Early in the Morning (2010) "We Don't Eat"

3) James Vincent McMorrow, "Higher Love" (Steve Winwood cover)

4) James Vincent McMorrow, Post Tropical (2014) "Red Dust"

NO songs CANCON

BadBadNotGood started as three school chums (Matt, Chester and Alex) who decided to post their jazzy interpretations of hip hop tracks online. Fast forward to a few years later and they are releasing a collab record with Ghostface Killah!

I talk to the band about how they write, Steely Dan, and what it’s like to get drunk off moonshine. Listen to our chat!

BadBadNotGood “Can’t Leave the Night” This is my favorite track off BBND‘s third record, III–their first record of original material.

BadBadNotGood “Bastard/Lemonade” This cover/mashup of Tyler the Creator‘s “Bastard” and Gucci Mane‘s “Lemonade” is one of the only older BBND tracks the band still performs live.

Tracks played on the show...

1) BadBadNotGood III (2014) "Can't Leave the Night"

2) BadBadNotGood BBNG2 (2012) "Bastard/Lemonade" (background) (Tyler the Creator cover)**

3) Ghostface Killah & BadBadNotGood Sour Soul (2015) "Six Degrees" (featuring Danny Brown)

4) BadBadNotGood III (2014) "Hedron"

5) BadBadNotGood III (2014) "Confessions" (featuring Leland Whitty)

ALL songs CANCON, except **

Brody Dalle started performing in bands when she was barely a teenager in Australia. Just as she turned 18, she married Tim Armstrong, the frontman of Rancid. (Their divorce inspired many of the songs on Rancid‘s 2003 album Indestructible.) From there, Brody has led several bands, proving music is one of the true loves of her life. She is also currently a parent of two children with her husband Josh Homme, the frontman of Queens of the Stone Age.

I had a chance to sit down with Brody Dalle while she was on tour to promote the release of her current record, Diploid Love. (The first record she has released under her own name.) You have to listen to my chat with this complicated individual.

Tracks played on the show...

1) Brody Dalle Diploid Love (2014) "Meet The Foetus/Oh The Joy"

2) Brody Dalle Diploid Love (2014) "Parties For Prostitutes"

3) The Distillers Coral Fang (2003) "Drain the Blood"

4) Brody Dalle Diploid Love (2014) "Don't Mess With Me"

NO songs CANCON

Viet Cong have rocketed out of to nowhere (truth be told: Calgary) to become one of 2015’s most talked about bands. The band’s self-titled debut has been quickly gathering rave reviews and intensely dedicated fans. A few months ago, I got a sneak preview of the record, huddling in the tour van with Matt Flegel and “Monty” Munro. We talked about everything from making a new tour van “your own” to the night Matt’s previous band Women exploded onstage in a fistfight. Listen to our chat!

Tracks played on the show...

1) Viet Cong, Viet Cong (2015) "Continental Drift"

2) Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane (2008) "Molten Light" (background/partial)

3) Viet Cong, Viet Cong (2015) "Silhouettes"

4) Women, Public Strain (2010) "Eyesore" (background)

5) Viet Cong, Viet Cong (2015) "Newspaper Spoon"

ALL songs CANCON

Calgary-born Lowell moved to Toronto to study music, but dropped out and spend some time working as a stripper. Lowell will be the first person to tell you that “former stripper who makes music” is a great headline, but there is a lot more to this musician than an easy headline. We did the interview in Lowell‘s rental car and she was nice enough to warn me about the dangers inside. What was this startling warning about? You’ll have to listen to the interview.

Tracks played on the show...

1) Lowell We Loved Her Dearly (2014) “The Bells”

2) Lowell We Loved Her Dearly (2014) “LGBT”

3) Lowell We Loved Her Dearly (2014) “I Killed Sara V.”

4) Lowell We Loved Her Dearly (2014) “I Love You Money”

ALL songs CANCON

Rich Aucoin made his latest record Ephemeral to sync up with the the 1979 claymation film version of The Little Prince (or Le Petit Prince if you are francophone). Rich also does a really great job of creating a unique experience during his live shows. He describes his show as “screaming along with your friends to songs you don’t know” or “group karaoke.” Getting Rich Aucoin to talk about any of these interesting things is …challenging. Am I up to the challenge? You’ll have to listen to our chat!

Tracks played on the show...

1) Rich Aucoin, Ephemeral (2014) “Want to Believe”

2) Rich Aucoin, Ephemeral (2014) “Are You Experiencing?”

3) Rich Aucoin, Ephemeral (2014) “Want to Believe” (partial/background)

4) Rich Aucoin, We're All Dying to Live (2011) “Hope For the Flowers”

5) Rich Aucoin, Ephemeral (2014) “Let It Go”

ALL songs CANCON

Most people remember Swedish folk rock singer José González for the amazing covers he did in the mid-2000s. (Remember his incredible cover of “Heartbeats” by The Knife?) Lately José has been making music and touring with two of his high school friends under the name Junip.

When I first met José in his tour van, I was a bit nervous. His answers were very succinct. Would I be able to get this Swede to open up? Of course! I even get José to talk about his days in the Swedish Metal scene. Listen to our chat.

Tracks played on the show...

1) Junip, Junip (2013) “Line of Fire”

2) Jose Gonzalez, Veneer (2003) “Heartbeats” (The Knife cover) (background)

3) Junip, Junip (2013) “Your Life, Your Call”

3) Junip, Fields (2010) “In Every Direction”

4) Junip, Junip (2013) “Walking Lightly”

NO songs CANCON

After the release of “The Wheel” in 2012, London’s SOHN spread like wildfire through the internet and within less than a year he was releasing his debut full length record Tremors on 4AD and reportedly writing songs with Lana Del Rey, BANKS and Rhye.

Christopher Taylor, the man known as SOHN, was as sick as a dog when I met him on his luxurious tour bus. (You can hear him coughing throughout the interview.) Despite both of us being a bit under the weather, we had a marvelous chat. I find out all about the origin of his stage name (and just how to pronounce it), dealing with sudden internet fame, writing songs with BANKS and how the King of Pop was tricky. Listen!

Tracks played on the show...

1) SOHN Tremors (2014) “Artifice”

2) SOHN Tremors (2014) “Lessons”

3) SOHN Tremors (2014) “Bloodflows”

4) SOHN Tremors (2014) “The Wheel”

NO songs CANCON

Mozart’s Sister is one of the most exciting acts to come out of Montreal this year. I met Caila (aka Mozart’s Sister) at soundcheck at the Fortune Sound Lounge last time she was in town. While I waited for her to finish setting up for her show, I ended up chatting with Caila’s mom and we ate mooncakes together. Her mom actually told me a secret about Caila. What was this stunning secret? You’ll have to listen to the interview!

“Mozart’s Sister” is Caila’s signature song. At the time she was feeling inspired by the historical Mozart’s Sister. Amadeus‘ sister was a child prodigy like him, but, because of the strict gender roles of that era, she was never allowed a chance to pursue music like her brother.

Tracks played on the show...

1) Mozart’s Sister, “Mozart’s Sister”

2) Mozart’s Sister, Being (2014) “Don’t Leave It to Me”

3) Mozart’s Sister, Being (2014) “Salty Tear” (partial/background)

4) Mozart’s Sister, Being (2014) “Enjoy”

5) Mozart’s Sister, Being (2014) “Good Thing, Bad Thing”

6) Mozart’s Sister, Being (2014) “A Move”

ALL songs CANCON

Jessy Lanza is a electronic music producer and performer from Hamilton, Ontario. Her debut record Pull My Hair Back was a top 10 finalist for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.

Jessy and I chilled out in her van for a bit and ate candy. I asked her about her time as a piano teacher, her Hello Kitty obsession and working with Jeremy Greenspan from Junior Boys, but my favorite part of our chat is when Jessy goes off about when she gets called a “songstress.” Why? You’ll have to hear it.

Tracks played on the show...

1) Jessy Lanza, Pull My Hair Back (2013) “Kathy Lee”

2) Jessy Lanza, Pull My Hair Back (2013) “Pull My Hair Back”

3) Jessy Lanza, Pull My Hair Back (2013) “Against the Wall”

4) Jessy Lanza, Pull My Hair Back (2013) “Keep Moving”

ALL songs CANCON