Host Don Amero looks back on his first 20+ episodes of the Through the Fire podcast. Thinking about the "fires" that have been confronted on this show and the tools people have shared as they emerge from difficult times, Don shares some personal updates with the audience ahead of a summer break.

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On this episode, host Don Amero speaks to musician Steve Bell; a songwriter, storyteller, and troubadour for our time. Over the course of a 30-year solo career, he has been sharing messages of love, hope and faith through songs, stories, and writing. He is a mentor to many and an advocate of numerous meaningful causes.

His advocacy work has raised significant support for organizations like World Vision, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Compassion Canada, and the North End Family Centre (Winnipeg). He is the recipient of the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal  awarded to select Canadians who have, “made a significant contribution to their fellow countrymen, their community, or to Canada over the previous sixty years.”

Find out more about Steve Bell HERE.

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Since making her debut with 2016’s multi-award-winning Grace & Grit, Meghan Patrick has embodied the kind of unbridled truth-telling that leaves listeners feeling undeniably seen and understood. A back-to-back CCMA Female Artist of the Year whose accolades also include 18 CMAOntario Awards, the Nashville-based artist doubled down on that soul-baring specificity in the making of her latest project, The Greatest Show On Dirt. Over the course of the EP’s six intimately detailed tracks, the rural-Ontario-born singer/songwriter sets her storytelling to a high-energy but expansive sound that stretches beyond the boundaries of country—a move befitting of a musician whose background includes co-founding an all-girl band at age 13, studying opera and jazz, fronting a 10-piece funk act that once opened for Aretha Franklin, and touring extensively as part of a bluegrass group. Anchored in the powerful vocal work she’s brought to the stage as support for legends like Dwight Yoakam and top artists including Keith Urban, Old Dominion, Kip Moore, Brothers Osborne and more, the result is a body of work that captures the nuances of her emotional experience with equal parts boldness, humor, and wildly colorful originality.

Naming John Prine, Neil Young, and Waylon Jennings among her longtime inspirations, Patrick first started honing her distinct narrative voice as a kid in the small town of Bowmanville, then took up guitar after graduating from high school. During her time at McGill University, she built up her chops by busking in the Montreal subways, eventually dropping out of school to tour with her bluegrass band. Within a year of striking out as a solo artist, Patrick landed a deal with a major label and soon teamed up with the likes of Vince Gill to record the widely acclaimed Grace & Grit. But while the coming years brought a number of triumphs—including scoring her first #1 single with “Walls Come Down” (from her 2018 sophomore LP) and winning a Juno Award for her 2019 EP Wild As Me—Patrick later endured a period of intense upheaval compounded by the chaos of the pandemic.

Now at work on her first full-length since 2021’s Heart on My Glass, Patrick has found that strengthening her creative vision has reaffirmed her sense of purpose as an artist.

Find out more about Meghan Patrick:

https://meghanpatrickmusic.com/

Follow Meghan on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MegPatrickMusic/

Follow Meghan on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/megpatrickmusic/

Follow Meghan on TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@megpatrickmusic

Follow Meghan on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MegPatrickMusic

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In this episode of Through The Fire, Host Don Amero speaks to the man behind his record label, Mike Denney of MDM Recordings. Founded in 2008, MDM Recordings Inc. (MDM) is a multi-award winning full service independent label and management company specializing in country music. Boasting an impressive roster that includes platinum-selling JUNO and CCMA Award winner Jess Moskaluke, multi-JUNO and CCMA Award winner and CCMA Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Major, three-time JUNO Award nominee Don Amero, CCMA Award nominees Tyler Joe Miller and Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion, and newcomers Five Roses and The Redhill Valleys. MDM was the number ONE Independent Country Label in Canada in 2021. Since its inception, MDM has earned multiple distinctions at the CCMA Awards for ‘Record Company of the Year’ and a 2021 win for ‘Management Company of the Year’, and individually, Denney is currently a three-time Record Company Person of the Year Award winner and was named Industry Person of the Year in 2020. MDM boasts more than twenty-five Top 10 songs and over 250M global streams, with additional licensing in Australia and New Zealand via ABC Music Corp and in the UK and European markets via Enki Music, and support in the live tour space from Heliocentric Entertainment in Australia, the UK, and Europe.

Find out more about Mike Denny and MDM Recordings:

https://mdmrecordings.net/about/

Find out more about the Henry Armstrong Award

http://henryarmstrongaward.ca/

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https://www.patreon.com/donamero

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On this episode, Don Amero honours former friend and bandmate Vince Fontaine with his daughter Gabrielle and longtime bandmate Jay Bodner. The three musicians discuss their favourite memories of Vince and the legacy they will carry forward in his honour.

Gabrielle Fontaine is an Anishinaabe singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Winnipeg MB. Gabrielle joined Indian City as a singer-songwriter on the 2017 Here & Now album. She is the daughter of the late band leader, Vince Fontaine. After the sudden passing of her father, Gabrielle was motivated to follow in her father’s footsteps within the band as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Gabrielle performs music and captivates audiences with her lyrics of personal experiences and perspectives of life, often highlighting her view through an Indigenous lens. Her honest melodies and angelic voice are sure to leave a unique and lasting impression. She is poised to follow in the strong tradition of Manitoba's vibrant music community while fostering her talent nationally and internationally.

Jay Bodner has been a singer, guitar player and songwriter with Indian City since joining the band on their 2018 Juno nominated album Here and Now and most recently their 2022 Juno nominated release, Code Red. Prior to Indian City, he held tenure for 25 years with the band Eagle & Hawk along with his musical partner and the founder of Indian City and Eagle & Hawk, Vince Fontaine.  Eagle & Hawk recorded 10 albums in its career, toured internationally and went on to win a Juno Award in 2002 as well as nominations in 2004 and 2006. Both Indian City and Eagle & Hawk were humbled with numerous Indigenous music industry awards and nominations in Canada and the United States over the past few decades. Jay believes that music is medicine and remains committed to Vince Fontaine’s vision of building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Follow along with both Indian City and Eagle and Hawk:

http://www.eagleandhawk.com/

http://www.indiancity.ca/

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Sam Corbett is a founding member and the drummer of the JUNO Award-winning and platinum-selling band The Sheepdogs, and a cancer survivor. He just released his debut solo album NUTANA on April 7 featuring 10 original songs and two captivating covers) he wrote while stepping away from the band to undergo cancer treatment, one month before his first daughter was born. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, the saying goes. In the case of Corbett, the cancer that didn’t kill him made him both stronger and vastly more creative as a songwriter, lyricist, and musician. 

Follow along with Sam's new project Nutana:

https://nutanaband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/NUTANAband

https://www.instagram.com/nutanaband/

https://twitter.com/fakesamcorbett

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If you're a musician struggling to make ends meet during a health scare, please consider reaching out to Unison; a non-profit registered music industry charity that provides counselling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community through times of hardship, illness or economic difficulties.

https://unisonfund.ca/

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast:

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This week, host Don Amero speaks with fellow country musician and cancer survivor, Kalsey Kulyk. Raised in Hudson Bay, SK, Kalsey Kulyk got hooked on singing and playing the guitar at a young age. She took part in hundreds of talent shows and competitions, winning her first songwriting competition at age 13. Everything changed in high school when Kalsey fell ill with cancer, though her journey to recovery created song writing inspiration, and the entire experience solidified Kulyk’s belief in a career in music. With her mind made up, Kalsey’s musical career sped up from there, with the help of Fleetwood Mac producer Richard Dashut, a relocation to Music City, and winning both the Canadian Country Music Association’s Discovery Artist program, and Anthem Entertainment’s (formerly Ole) “On the Spot'' competition in one day in 2017. Kalsey returned to Nashville with a publishing and record deal, and wrote songs with Liz Rose and Phil Barton. Now with an arsenal of songs and a survivor’s determination, Kalsey Kulyk is sharing her passions with the world. In remission for over 10 years, she says “What is life unless you’re doing what you love every single day?” Her most recent release in 2023, “Ain’t Enough Whiskey” can be heard on streaming platforms everywhere.

Kalsey Kulyk's Website

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With a voice like “gravel on silk”, Brampton-born singer-songwriter AHI (pronounced “eye”) has learned to balance his instrument’s power across a colourful landscape of tightly-crafted lyrics, driving rhythms and catchy melodies, propelling him to the forefront of the contemporary Folk/Roots scene.

From charting on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon, to delivering captivating performances on CBS & NPR Tiny Desk and touring internationally with Mandy Moore and Milow for his latest studio release Prospect, AHI has quickly amassed over 60M streams worldwide. NONE of it has been easy, especially at home in Canaada as you'll hear in this conversation. He's very excited to be working on his next project and share some of the lessons learned along the way.

Find out more about AHI: https://ahimusic.com/

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With more than 250M global career streams, Lindsay Ell has become one of country music's most celebrated female voices. Lauded as “one of the most exciting and talented young artists” (Forbes), Lindsay Ell has two Canadian #1 singles ("Criminal" / "wAnt me back"), a US #1 PLATINUM-status single alongside Brantley Gilbert ("What Happens In A Small Town") and has been celebrated for her incredible work hosting Canada’s Got Talent.  

Ell has been nominated for ACM Awards (New Female Vocalist (2019), New Female Vocalist (2020), Music Event of the Year (2020)), CMT Awards (Social Superstar (2015), Collaborative Video of the Year (2019)), CMA Awards (Musical Event of the Year (2019)) JUNO Awards (Country Album of the Year (2021)) and 18 CCMA Awards. Her GOLD single ("wAnt me back") led to the execution of her first Canadian headlining tour and allowed her to share the stage with her childhood idol, Shania Twain, at Canada’s biggest outdoor country festival, Boots & Hearts. 

This spring Lindsay will return as host of Citytv’s Canada’s Got Talent and rejoin Shania Twain, performing in numerous US and Canadian markets on the Queen of Me Tour. 2023 will also see Ell continue her philanthropic work through the Make You Movement and release new music. 

You'll hear Don speak to Lindsay about what lead to the Make You Movement, her struggles around self-worth and her relationship to food and fitness, and more.

Learn more about Lindsay Ell HERE.

Some mental health resources:

Canadian Mental Health Association – https://cmha.ca

Mood Disorders Society of Canada – https://mdsc.ca

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – https://www.camh.ca 

Resources for Victims of Sexual Abuse - https://findahelpline.com/ca/topics/sexual-abuse

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast:

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On this episode of Through the Fire, host Don Amero interviews fellow musician Theo Tams who is rediscovering his identity as an artist. The Canadian singer, songwriter, and performer has been playing since his teens and releasing music for the past 15 years. He has three albums and three EPs to his credit, along with a formidable collection of singles and...oh yeah, that championship run on the sixth season of Canadian Idol in 2008. Tams has put together a body of work that's substantial and diverse. It speaks of an artist whose mission is growth and adventure -- building upon his proverbial laurels, rather than sitting on them. With each step, Tams has made a stride forward, and sometimes even further. That's certainly been true of the past few years, particularly with the series of three-song Trilogy EPs he's embarked on, with the third just arriving and taking him into even more new sonic and lyrical terrain. Tams lives in Toronto with his partner and their 11-year-old daughter explains that to understand where he's going, it's important to know where Tams has been until now. Born and raised in the small town of Coaldale in southern Alberta, Tams was raised in a strict Christian household, learning to sing in church (two services on Sundays), with a family that was steeped in music. He began writing poetry and prose pieces as a teenager, gradually moving towards songwriting influenced by the likes of Jewel, as well as confessional Canadian storytellers such as Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Sarah Harmer, and Sarah Slean. After a series of rock bottom moments, Theo says he took the plunge of "spontaneous sobriety" in 2020, declaring himself finished and embarking on therapy that made a world of difference in his healing, and in Tams' resolve. 

Follow Theo Tams on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theotamsmusic

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Follow Theo Tams on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theotams/

Find out more about Theo Tams on his website: https://theotamsmusic.com/

Find Theo Tams on YouTube

Some mental health resources:

Talk Suicide – https://talksuicide.ca/

Canadian Suicide Crisis Support – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

Canadian Mental Health Association – https://cmha.ca

Mood Disorders Society of Canada – https://mdsc.ca

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – https://www.camh.ca 

Mental health and substance use support for people in Canada and Canadians abroad. Always free and virtual, 24/7:

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA/service/talk

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast:

https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/

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https://www.tiktok.com/@throughthefirepod

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Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM

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