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MUSICOLOGY with dj Danny Mott

Musicology is a form of music analysis that emphasizes culture, sociology, and music history. When musicologists study music, they go beyond the notes on a page. Among other things, they track the history of music, the evolution of musical instruments, cultural contexts of various genres, and performance practices associated with certain types of musical ensembles.

About Your Host

DANNY MOTT was born in England and raised in Canada. Danny has been involved in myriad recordings and in various countries, most notably in Jamaica and Cuba.

Danny’s music is released under the moniker, “Mocombo” where he acts as composer, producer, engineer and musician. Mocombo is a versatile band project that shifts effortlessly between world music, traditional blues, Cuban jazz and blues rock.

Danny has a rich academic background in music that includes various diplomas, degrees and certificates. Danny’s studies include; Classical guitar from the Algoma Conservatory of Music; Composition, performance, music history, music business and retailing from Humber College of Applied Arts; North Indian Hindustani classical music at the Academy Of Eastern Fine Arts; Adult teaching techniques for music at Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology; Music education at the University of Victoria; Studio recording from the Institute of Recording and Arts; Music theory at the Royal Conservatory of Music; Music and anthropology at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Dean’s Honour List; Religious traditions of Islam at the University of Waterloo.

Danny’s music performance and work history are also impressive. As a tour promoter, acts like Gordon Lightfoot and Ravi Shankar; as a music teacher at Nelson Music in B.C.; Music Marketing Director and music technician at Saved By Technology in Toronto, with a client list including the Rolling Stones, Rush, Barenaked Ladies, Jane Siberry, and many more; Marketing and Sales Director for On Publications Inc., a national distribution of music print medium company; Marketing Director for Roy Creations International in Montreal, for the Canadian Recording Industry Association.

Danny has orchestrated several projects, including a film in the Cuban language, with the participation of Cuba’s National Dance Company.

Danny’s project, Mocombo, has issued seven outstanding CDs: Odyssey, Zubie Zubie, Dreamscape, Flophouse Daddy, Flophouse Daddy Returns (Boldly Going Nowhere), Global 360 and Mocombo in Habana Project (2 CD set).

Danny Mott

Date:3 January 2026 .

(Editor’s Note: Given an opportunity to interview Mark Gane about his solo release, Garden Music, for a feature segment of the acclaimed NPR program, the Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour, I later asked Mark about Echo Beach, the iconic hit single he penned for his band, Martha & The Muffins. This is that chat.)

Mark Gane, songwriter, musician and artist, makes music with his partner, Martha Johnson of the band, Martha & The Muffins. On their debut album, Metro Music, released in early 1980, they had their song Echo Beach reach first in the U.K., Europe and Australia, and eventually in their home country of Canada. The album, along with the single, went gold before the end of that year, and then winning a 1981 JUNO award for Single of the Year.

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame: cshf.ca/2023-blog-mark-gane-echo-beach
Music: marthaandthemuffins.bandcamp.com/marthology-in-and-outtakes

(Editor’s Note: The following excerpt is from the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame website. For the full transcript visit the link above.)

You had written songs before “Echo Beach” and have written songs since. Did you feel something special about that song when you finished it?
No, I wouldn’t say when I wrote it. I thought the guitar riff was pretty cool. But it was so early on in the history of the band. I had other songs, but it always got a good reaction, even back in the very early days of Queen Street at the Beverley Tavern, that was all full of our art student friends and teachers and artists. But because we never started the band with the idea that it was ever going to go anywhere, and we didn’t really see ourselves as real musicians, we thought, “Well, we’ll do this ‘til it runs out and then we’ll go back to what we thought we were going to do.” And then, the extraordinary series of events that got us signed by Virgin Records UK. We got plucked out of this little scene and thrown into the London music scene, which was quite an eyeopener. So, in context of all the other songs, it certainly got a great reaction, but we were getting good reactions anyway. There was a semi-special feeling that was more unconscious, perhaps.

Why do you think it resonated with people?
I don’t know that I ever really thought about it that hard until my dad and I were having a conversation about it years ago and he said, “Why had that song done so well?” I said, “Well, it’s catchy, I guess.” And he said, “It’s because it’s nostalgic.” And I think he was actually quite right. When I think of some of my favorite songs of all time that have really lasted, like ‘Moon River’ and ‘Over The Rainbow,” they all have a very nostalgic but not cornball approach to the feeling of the song. It’s not cliched, but it has a very heavy feeling of yearning. And, I think, that just resonates.

Plus, I was just thinking about a beach, but I’ve never been a beach bum, so it was just another idea, but it resonated, particularly in places like Australia and Bali, and there’s a hotel in Zanzibar named after it [since closed]. So, all these beach locations have grabbed onto it. And then all these other weird things, like a short science fiction story and an online dystopian game show (laughs).

Described by UK critics as “one of the most innovative of their era” and that “even to this day they sound brave and fresh”. Echo Beach was a top 10 single around the world in 1980 and earned them a Juno for Single of the Year. Since then, the band has released 7 studio albums, 3 of which they co-produced with Daniel Lanois.

Date:2 January 2026 .

S3.E12: HAPPY NEW YEAR

The beginning of a new year often involves looking back and reflecting, then making plans for a fresh way forward. For a great number it’s almost a New Year’s custom, one that Maria, with Fidgal and Arlenta, take time to examine more closely. They paint a different picture with a simple brush where challenges are to be faced with a resolve to take risks. Can any resolution happen if you’re not living in the moment?

THE NEW NORMAL PODCAST – Maria Iuliano with Fidgal

Maria guides a successful business called Fidgal, named after Maria’s guardian angel. They met when Maria was 5 years old.

Maria is a Peace Therapist, graduated with Honours in Peace and Conflict Studies from Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology. With this knowledge, along with her expertise in the afterlife and her ability to see auras, Maria helps others find and create peace in their lives.

Visit: fidgal.com

“We are embracing change and following it.”

Date:30 December 2025 .

By adapting a code of conduct at a young age (the Code of the Trail), Lloyd embarked on a lifelong quest to live out his every dream. He became a pilot, he had a brush with the big time in the NHL, he flew with the Snowbirds, he had remarkable encounters with Pierre Trudeau, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, and found a job that paid him to have fun.

But a sixteen-year search for ancient wisdom, hidden in rock paintings and carvings (pictographs and petroglyphs), an often-dangerous odyssey, brings rewards and consequences unexpected and revelatory. In often very funny, often very moving episodes, Chasing the Muse: Canada, reveals new insights into Canadian history, identity, and landscape.

Lloyd has received more than 35 provincial, national, and international awards, including the Academy of Canadian Cinema, the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, and the World Festival of Tourism Films in Milan, Italy.

As a painter, he has had five solo show of oils and acrylics of scenes from across Canada.

Texas Governor George W. Bush made Lloyd an Honorary Texan.

He was the creative director for a gift from the Province of Ontario to HR Queen Elizabeth II.

While filming, he was twice kissed by a moose and once surrounded by black bears. He has been alone in the middle of a herd of caribou, stared a polar bear in the eye and had tigers jumping over him.

His films have been translated into French, German, Dutch, Japanese, Cree, Ojibway, Ojicree, Inuktitut, and Russian….

Visit: amazon.com/Chasing-Muse-Canada-Llyd-Walton

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.

Date:30 December 2025 .

The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour is broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio)

s3.e7. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – Turtle Island

The story of Turtle Island, a symbol of life and earth, passed down through generations among Indigenous nations, usually acts as a creation story and is home to the North American continent.

Chief Dean Sayers of Batchewana First Nation, Ojibway Anishinabe, interprets the historical understanding of the creation story of Turtle Island, lands now known as North and Central America.
Kathleen Brosemer (Azhede-kwe), an Energy and Environmental Policy Consultant, on her dissertation (in preparation) titled Energy Justice for the Anishnabek.
Dr. Melanie Goodchild, Ojibway, design and innovation strategist, illustrates how the Two Eyed Seeing and Two Row Wampum views dovetail with modern science to tackle complex systems challenges.

Featured Music: Pat Dailey. Tchiya Amet.
Poetry: Owen Neill w/ music by Jeff Neill.
Music Beds: Kevin Closs. M.D. Dunn. Bahweting Singers. LOWFREQUENCYoscillator.
Theme: Ray Bonneville. Rusty McCarthy.

Painting ‘Mshiikenh’ by Mishiikenh Kwe

s3.e7. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour Music Credits

Title – Big Five Water
Artist – Ray Bonneville

Title – Tree Of Life
Album – Black Turtle Island
Artist/ Composer – Tchiya Amet

Title – St. Mary’s River Fantasy
Album – Nocturnes
Artist / Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – In Deep
Album – Sans Voix
Artist/Composer – Kevin Closs

Title – Songs For The Sacred Elements
Artist – Chenoa Egawa & Alex Turtle
Composer – Traditional

Title – The Clouds Were Parted
Album – Sans Voix
Artist – Kevin Closs

Title – Great Lakes Song
Album – Looking Back
Artist/ Composer – Pat Dailey

Title – Dragonfly
Artist/ Composer – M.D. Dunn
Album – The River Lately

Title – The Companion
Artist/ Composer – M.D. Dunn
Album – Solace

Title – Barn Swallow’s Dance
Artist/ Composer – M.D. Dunn
Album – The River Lately

Title – Miracles Happen (And Frequently Go Unnoticed) Even On A Day Like This
Artist/ Composer – M.D. Dunn
Album – Solace

Title – Seasons
Artist/ Composer – M.D. Dunn
Album – Solace

Title – Wolf Cycle
Artist/ Composer – Owen Neill & Jeff Neill
Album – Circles In The Sand

Title – Bahweting Song
Album – Bahweting Singers
Artist – Bahweting Singers
Composer – Traditional

Title – Descendant (Ontario)
Album – Great Lakes
Artist/ Composer – LOWFREQUENCYOscillator

Title – Inter-Tribal 653
Album – Bahweting Singers
Artist – Bahweting Singers
Composer – Traditional

Visit: raybonneville.com

Visit: rustyandmaja.com

Visit: kevincloss.com

Visit: mddunn.com

Visit: linkedin.com/in/kathleen-brosemer

Visit: batchewana.ca/about/chief-and-council

Visit: melaniegoodchild.com

Visit: jabsc.org/index.php/jabsc/article/view/577

Visit: lowfrequencyoscillator.bandcamp.com/album/great-lakes

Visit: tchiya.com

This program produced by GLOW Radio Partners in venture with The Borderline Events Co.

Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Great Lakes Odyssey World is a multi-national effort to strengthen and explore our relationship with the natural wonders known as the Great Lakes.

In this part of the project, we have created a multi-part audio series looking at the way the Great Lakes shape our lives, our livelihoods, our health and our culture.

50 years ago, folks in the media and elsewhere were ready to declare the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie “dead.”

The thought so appalled citizens in Canada and the United States, they forced their national governments to act.

Because, of course, the Great Lakes shape the life of both Canada and the United States. And, of course, the Great Lakes are a single system stretching from Duluth to Ottawa and down the St. Lawrence seaway. What happens to any of the Lakes will soon happen to the others.

So, the politicians of 50 years ago negotiated the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, “for the purpose of restoring, protecting and enhancing the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes basin.”

50 years later, we can see the agreement worked. We see more fish, cleaner water, and less pollution. Unlike the early settlers and colonials, who mostly saw the Lakes as a resource to tap, we now recognize, like the First Nations, the Lakes are part of our identity. They shape our relationships, our songs and celebrations of place, the way we eat, how we play, and what we make, or sell, or harvest.

50 years since the wake-up call of a burning river, Great Lakes Odyssey wants to learn how we live and love, hurt and restore the incredible gift which is the Great Lakes.

We will explore Great Lakes art and artistic expression, and meet the artists, writers, musicians who make it. We will also dip into Great Lakes history and lore – and learn from the people who have been here the longest and know it the best: The People of the Three Fires, the Anishinaabek.

On our Odyssey around the Great Lakes, we will also hear from people working to prevent poisonous algal blooms or stop the spread of invasive species. We will meet visionaries undoing decades of development that hardened shorelines, emptied marshes and wetlands, and destroyed critical spawning grounds. We will talk to people working to ensure all beings have access to pure drinking water.

Because none of us can live without pure drinking water.

In this wondrous place we call the Great Lakes, we know we are blessed by these Sweet Water Seas. We claim them as our H.O.M.E.S. as the emotionally accurate mnemonic says. They are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, and they are our HOMES.

As long as humans have lived in, and of and through the Lakes, people have told stories about them, sung about them, and gloried in this great gift of the long departed Ice Age. Left by glaciers thousands of years ago, they are the World’s storehouse of fresh water. If they are drained… or ruined… or damaged, they can never be replaced.

So, as we travel around the Great Lakes basin, we want to see how we are doing – what we are doing – how we’re feeling and what we’re learning as we try to live as lovers and restorers – and children and family – of the being whom the Anishinaabek call Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin, the five freshwater seas.

We hope to galvanize, inspire, and motivate you to strengthen, support and steward the Great Lakes to a beautiful and healthy future.

So please join us on this magical, dare we say “magical mystery tour” of the Great Lakes basin and Great Lakes culture.

Date:28 December 2025 .

There’s no good way to say this – Toronto has a major homelessness problem, and we need to do something about it.

Singer-songwriter Richard Todd discusses The Forgotten Homeless — a powerful new musical and social initiative uniting Toronto’s artists and community leaders to confront the city’s growing homelessness crisis. The project’s centerpiece song and video have become symbols of empathy and action, with all streaming royalties donated to WoodGreen Community Services’ UNMET Needs Campaign. With Toronto’s homeless population having more than doubled since 2021 to 15,400 people, Richard and his ensemble Artists Against Homelessness are using melody, storytelling, and collaboration to raise awareness and inspire change.

“The Forgotten Homeless” Music and lyrics written by Richard Todd. Stream “The Forgotten Homeless” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/48ktVhh5uc0… Royalties support WoodGreen Community Agency’s UNMET Needs Campaign. Produced by: Chris Birkett 2 Mounties Media [email protected] Performed by Artist Against Homelessness (in order of vocal appearance): Chris Birkett Richard Todd Sarah Siddiqui Signe Miranda Luciana Santaguida David Moses Chatrisse Dolabaille Shari Tallon Esmaeel Abofakher Rahaf Alakbani Michael Vincent Quattro Osaze Dolabaille Anna Goldsmith The Free Spirits

Date:26 December 2025 .

Christmas and children. The ladies revisit their first Christmas as a parent. And here, in talking with three kindergarten age children are reminded of the joys… and patience it sometimes takes.

Date:24 December 2025 .

S3.E15: SOUL CREATION

The world we live in does not have the answers to all of the questions and certainly not to the biggest questions. Or does it? Maria, with Fidgal, explain that this is the learning world and the answers we want come from the questions that are asked in the in-between world. It is in the soul creation dimension where our being chooses a purpose and is given life and becomes a soul. Now, are there any questions?

THE NEW NORMAL PODCAST – Maria Iuliano with Fidgal

Maria guides a successful business called Fidgal, named after Maria’s guardian angel. They met when Maria was 5 years old.

Maria is a Peace Therapist, graduated with Honours in Peace and Conflict Studies from Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology. With this knowledge, along with her expertise in the afterlife and her ability to see auras, Maria helps others find and create peace in their lives.

Visit: fidgal.com

“I and we go into the unknown with open eyes and an open heart.”

Date:23 December 2025 .

John Clement is The Wandering Whisky Whisperer. He developed this persona while living in Scotland and after years of researching, tasting and experiencing whiskies from around the world. As with the art and science of dog and horse whispering, John uses his deep connection to whisky. Then he goes beyond by providing fellow whisky tasters with new insights into life. His books and tasting events both educate and entertain you, whether you are an aficionado or a novice.

“Musings of the Wandering Whisky Whisperer” is Clement’s first book, released in 2016. This book is a unique collection of insights and whimsical truths – “musings” so to speak – gained from “whispering whisky.” It is a mindful and respectful connection to whisky and the folk at whisky tastings.

“Exceptional Experiences of the Wandering Whisky Whisperer” is Clement’s second book, released in 2019, and it features his top 60 whisky picks – one for each of his 60 years on the planet. This delightful and well researched book also includes exquisite food pairings, which will be useful in creating your very own exceptional whisky experiences, or simply serving as a guide for your very own whisky treasure hunt.

“I want to share my knowledge, wisdom, and experience about whisky, and how it has improved my life,” says Clement.

John Clement is an award winning professor, advanced level Toastmaster, author of books, a world traveler and lifelong learner.

Visit: facebook.com/Wandering-Whisky-Whisperer

“People who ‘get’ whisky, get way more than whisky.”

Date:23 December 2025 .

The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour is broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio)

s3.e6. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour – Water At What Price?

Fresh water for drinking, swimming and fishing is at risk when the relationship with the Great Lakes environment is determined by short term strategies, politics, and the profit margins.

State Senator Stephanie Chang is a champion for the Water Affordability Act in Michigan as a long-time community organizer in Detroit with a strong, unwavering voice for access and justice.
James Gordon created the full-length play Emergency Climate Musical to entertain listeners and inform the public of his experience in politics, environmental activism and as a singer/songwriter.
Jane Elder authored Wilderness, Water and Rust: A Journey Towards Great Lakes Resilience pondering the value about life in the region and how caring for its ecosystems help us imagine better futures.

Featured Music: Great Lake Swimmers. Lee Murdoch. Many Eagle Set Sun Dance Song.
Music beds: Andree-Ann Deschenes. The North Shore.
Theme: Ray Bonneville & Rusty McCarthy.
Correspondent Report: Lisa Tucker

Painting ‘The Fisherman’ by John Hornstein

s3.e6. GREAT LAKES ODYSSEY Radio Hour Music Credits

Title – Big Five Water
Artist – Ray Bonneville

Title – The Power Of The Land (Orchestral Version)
Album – Refuge
Artist – Sultans Of String with Duke Redbird and Twin Flames

Title – St. Mary’s River Fantasy
Album – Nocturnes
Artist /Composer – Rusty McCarthy

Title – River’s Edge
Album – Lost Channels
Artist – Great Lake Swimmers

Title – Tanguinho
Album – Wanderings
Artist – Andree-Ann Deschenes

Title – Andan​ç​as I
Album – Wanderings
Artist – Andree-Ann Deschenes

Title – Andan​ç​as II
Album – Wanderings
Artist – Andree-Ann Deschenes

Title – We’re Going To Pump Out Lake Erie
Album – What About The Water
Artist – Lee Murdoch

Title – In The Dying Days Of The Empire Of Oil
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – How?
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – We’re The 99
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – Keep Them Stupid Stupid
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – The Moon Looks Like It’s Crying
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – We’re On The Same Side
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – The System Isn’t Broken It Was Made That Way
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – Water Is Rising
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist/ Composer – James Gordon

Title – Kelvinator
Album – Emergency Climate Musical
Artist / Composer – James Gordon

Title – Huron
Album – Great Lakes
Artist – The North Shore

Title – Ontario
Album – Great Lakes
Artist – The North Shore

Title – Michigan
Album – Great Lakes
Artist – The North Shore

Title – Erie
Album – Great Lakes
Artist – The North Shore

Title – Superior
Album – Great Lakes
Artist – The North Shore

Title – Many Eagle Set Sun Dance Song
Album – Plains Chippewa/Metis Music
Artist – Francis Eagle Heart Cree, Boy Joe Fayant, and Leo J. Wilkie
Keeper Of The Song – Elder Francis Eagle Heart Cree

Visit: raybonneville.com

Visit: rustyandmaja.com

Visit: facebook.com/JoanneRobertsonStudio

Visit: earth.google.com/web/data

Visit: iantamblyn.com

Visit: diannewhelan.com

Visit: donrossonline.com

Visit: greatlakesgreatread.org/the-water-walker-joanne-robertson

This program produced by GLOW Radio Partners in venture with The Borderline Events Co.

Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Great Lakes Odyssey World is a multi-national effort to strengthen and explore our relationship with the natural wonders known as the Great Lakes.

In this part of the project, we have created a multi-part audio series looking at the way the Great Lakes shape our lives, our livelihoods, our health and our culture.

50 years ago, folks in the media and elsewhere were ready to declare the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie “dead.”

The thought so appalled citizens in Canada and the United States, they forced their national governments to act.

Because, of course, the Great Lakes shape the life of both Canada and the United States. And, of course, the Great Lakes are a single system stretching from Duluth to Ottawa and down the St. Lawrence seaway. What happens to any of the Lakes will soon happen to the others.

So, the politicians of 50 years ago negotiated the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, “for the purpose of restoring, protecting and enhancing the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes basin.”

50 years later, we can see the agreement worked. We see more fish, cleaner water, and less pollution. Unlike the early settlers and colonials, who mostly saw the Lakes as a resource to tap, we now recognize, like the First Nations, the Lakes are part of our identity. They shape our relationships, our songs and celebrations of place, the way we eat, how we play, and what we make, or sell, or harvest.

50 years since the wake-up call of a burning river, Great Lakes Odyssey wants to learn how we live and love, hurt and restore the incredible gift which is the Great Lakes.

We will explore Great Lakes art and artistic expression, and meet the artists, writers, musicians who make it. We will also dip into Great Lakes history and lore – and learn from the people who have been here the longest and know it the best: The People of the Three Fires, the Anishinaabek.

On our Odyssey around the Great Lakes, we will also hear from people working to prevent poisonous algal blooms or stop the spread of invasive species. We will meet visionaries undoing decades of development that hardened shorelines, emptied marshes and wetlands, and destroyed critical spawning grounds. We will talk to people working to ensure all beings have access to pure drinking water.

Because none of us can live without pure drinking water.

In this wondrous place we call the Great Lakes, we know we are blessed by these Sweet Water Seas. We claim them as our H.O.M.E.S. as the emotionally accurate mnemonic says. They are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, and they are our HOMES.

As long as humans have lived in, and of and through the Lakes, people have told stories about them, sung about them, and gloried in this great gift of the long departed Ice Age. Left by glaciers thousands of years ago, they are the World’s storehouse of fresh water. If they are drained… or ruined… or damaged, they can never be replaced.

So, as we travel around the Great Lakes basin, we want to see how we are doing – what we are doing – how we’re feeling and what we’re learning as we try to live as lovers and restorers – and children and family – of the being whom the Anishinaabek call Nayaano-nibiimaang Gichigamiin, the five freshwater seas.

We hope to galvanize, inspire, and motivate you to strengthen, support and steward the Great Lakes to a beautiful and healthy future.

So please join us on this magical, dare we say “magical mystery tour” of the Great Lakes basin and Great Lakes culture.

Date:21 December 2025 .