When We Wake with Andrew Shaver

By Andrew Shaver

In-depth and intimate conversations with some of Canada’s finest songwriters, musicians, and other industry adjacent professionals.

Produced, edited and hosted by Andrew Shaver of Clever Hopes.

The ... more

· Society & Culture

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FAQs about When We Wake with Andrew Shaver:

How many episodes does When We Wake with Andrew Shaver have?

The podcast currently has 55 episodes available.

When We Wake with Andrew Shaver episodes:

April 25, 2024 15. When We Wake with Nicolette Hoang of Nicolette and the Nobodies
Nicolette Hoang is a first generation Canadian, born in Guelph, Ontario to Vietnamese parents who fled their homeland during the Vietnam War.

She is also the eponymous Nicolette of Nicolette and the Nobodies.

Nicolette released her latest album, The Long Way - which you’d be forgiven for thinking is her debut, although it isn't, and we get into that in our chat - on April 12, 2024. I specify the year because you’d be doubly forgiven for thinking it was April 12…1968. Nicolette has the voice of all your favourite old time Country and Western sirens rolled into one.

And, boy oh boy, can she write a tune.

While she now calls Hamilton, Ontario home, she met most of her band of Country ringers (that includes Ian James Bain) at a karaoke night in Guelph. They started as a cover band, and then at the prompting of some of her bandmates, Nicolette began writings songs of her own.

The rest is, well, recent history.

www.nicoletteandthenobodies.com

Wanna get in touch with me?
Email me at [email protected]
Or find me on Instagram
@whenwewakeradio & @theandrewshaver

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38min
April 15, 2024 14. When We Wake with JJ Shiplett
JJ Shiplett is a Calgary based singer-songwriter who really staked his claim in the world of Americana music with his debut album the 2017 release Something to Believe In.

Both it and its 2020 follow up, Fingers Crossed, were nominated for Canadian Country Album of the Year at the CCMAs.

JJ just released his new album, the breathtakingly personal, A Way through Time. It finds him looking back at his life and recognizing that, well, it just barrels on, one way or another, and that best way to get through it is to be willing give it all away and live and love recklessly.

In our chat we talk about JJ becoming a dad for the time and how he feels it’s made his songwriting more vital and focussed; we talk about memories he has from his childhood of his father and the music he loved; and, of course, we talk about the latest album, which he recorded with friend, and long-time collaborator, Jeremey Friesan, who was battling stage 4 cancer.

It would prove to be their final collaboration.

A man of his word, JJ gives it all away in this chat, and I can’t thank him enough for it.

You can listen to When We Wake live every Saturday morning from 9:30-11:00 AM Atlantic on 88.7FM on the glorious South Shore of Nova Scotia, or on the world wide web at CoveFM.com.

Wanna get in touch?
Email me at [email protected]
Or find me on Instagram @whenwewakeradio & @theandrewshaver

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35min
April 01, 2024 13. Special Episode: When We Wake Triple Bill with Callum Gaudet, Serena Wu, and Marc Durkee
Triple Bill?! It's true.
Today's episode is a bit of an anomaly for the podcast, mostly because there are 3 guests on the show.
But, also, because this episode is more overtly tied to a specific event than any of my previous chats have been - namely, a concert I am playing in Halifax on April 4, alongside all 3 of my guests today.
I release music as Clever Hopes and I’m really excited to share the stage later this week with Callum Gaudet, Serena Wu, and Marc Durkee of the band All Mother.
Now, if you’re listening to this sometime after April 4, first of all, how’s the future looking? Bleak? Or, have we somehow managed to turn things around? Send an email and let us know. (We still using email?)
And, secondly, the chats on today's episode with Callum (1:48), Serena (24:27), and Marc (44:44) all freely explore interesting terrain entirely unrelated to the concert, so, I’m confident they’ll stand up well as time marches on and the 4th, becomes the 5th. So, go on and give'em a listen.
Finally, if you’re in the Halifax area - and not from the distant future - c’mon down to the Seahorse Tavern on Thursday, April 4 for Music Nova Scotia’s third instalment of New Music Thursday.
And come say hi, lemme know you heard this, and I'll buy you drink. Yeah?
Enjoy the episode.
You can listen to When We Wake live every Saturday morning between 9:30-11:00 AM Atlantic (GM -4) on 88.7FM on the glorious South Shore of Nova Scotia or over on the world wide web at CoveFM.com.
Wanna get in touch? Email [email protected]
Or find me on Instagram @whenwewakeradio or @theandrewshaver
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1h 8min
March 31, 2024 12. When We Wake with Allegra Swanson
Allegra Swanson grew up dreaming of the Broadway stage, which is not at all surprising, given that her parents met onstage in a production of Anne of Green Gables at, of all places, The Charlottetown Festival on Prince Edward Island.
Allegra didn’t end up becoming that musical theatre star, but she did end up in Montreal in the Classical Music program at McGill University, singing a little opera here and there.
At the time, 22 year Allegra Swanson may not have ranked the allure of a career in Arts Administration above that of the trodding the boards bathed in the limelight, but, having grown up in a house of thespians traveling the world from gig to gig, the allure of a steady job held some sway.
In the fall of 2020, Allegra and her family left Toronto and moved to, well, just down the street from me in Dartmouth Nova Scotia when she took over the Executive Director role at Music Nova Scotia.
She was also chair the 2024 Halifax Junos Host committee - for our esteemed listeners outside of Canada, the Junos Awards are our Grammy's and BRIT Awards.
I chatted with Allegra a couple days before the Junos kicked off their celebrations in Halifax, and now on the other side of them, I can tell ya, she did a bang up job.
You can listen to the When We Wake radio broadcast live every Saturday morning between 9:30-11:00 am Atlantic (GM -4) on 88.7FM on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, or on CoveFM.com across the globe.
Wanna get in touch?
Email me at [email protected]
Or try sliding into my DMs on Instagram @whenwewakeradio & @theandrewshaver.
www.theandrewshaver.com
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43min
March 20, 2024 11. When We Wake with Blanche Israël
Originally from Montreal, Blanche Israël has called Dartmouth, Nova Scotia home since 2019.
She grew up in a musical family and when her mom, a folk singer, decided to pick up the fiddle, so did 5 year old Blanche...and all of her sisters.
It wasn’t long after that Blanche discovered the cello.
After a persistent year of pestering mom, Blanche started playing the cello and hasn’t stopped - including a couple years touring the world with the Polaris Prize Award-winning songwriter and musician, Jeremy Dutcher.
That said, Blanche did tell me that she's playing more guitar now than cello, but I think that's because the guitar can be a quieter instrument, and her two year old daughter appreciates that.
In February, Blanche was named the new CEO of the East Coast Music Association, whose mission is "to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian music, its artists and its industry professionals throughout the region and around the world."
I spoke with her the day after the Music PEI Awards were handed out in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, and Blanche was there in her newly minted role as CEO of the ECMA.
Listen to the radio broadcast live every Saturday morning on 88.7 CKVE-FM from 9:30-11:00AM Atlantic (GM -4) on the South Shore of Nova Scotia or, elsewhere, on CoveFM.com.
Wanna get in touch?
Email me at: [email protected]
Or you can always slide into my DMs over on Instagram: @whenwewakeradio or @theandrewshaver
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40min
February 21, 2024 10. When We Wake with Clerel
Born in Cameroon, Clerel moved to North America with his family after high school and, at the time, thought that he was probably going to be a doctor.
Spoiler alert right here off the top: he is not a doctor.
He was, however, a chemist for short spell before deciding to give songwriting a go. And as much as I know a good doctor is not to be overlooked, having Clerel operating in this world as a songwriter is sweet, sweet medicine for us all.
In our chat we talk about Clerel’s childhood in Cameroon, where every high schooler’s final exam results are read out over national radio; about his love of physical chemistry, particularly, the notion that two things can exist in the same space at the same time because on a microscopic level, we’re dealing purely in probability; about a seminal trip to Memphis, specifically to the Stax Museum, that solidified his love of soul music; and so much more.
I recently stood on stage in Toronto singing next to Clerel - this was after I recorded our interview - and, lemme tell you, the man exudes music.
It’s my pleasure to bring you this chat with Clerel.
jeanclerel.com
@clerel
When We Wake broadcasts live every Saturday morning, 9:30-11:00 (GMT -3) on 88.7 CoveFM and CoveFM.com.
[email protected]
@whenwewakeradio
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36min
January 29, 2024 09. When We Wake with Wyatt C. Louis
Wyatt C. Louis is a Métis Cree singer-songwriter from Treaty 6 territory who calls Red Deer, Alberta home. And, man, can they write a tune. I spoke with Wyatt in between their tour dates as he criss crossed North America with Noah Reid.
In our chat, we speak about the importance of taking care of one’s mental health, especially when when one is on the road...criss crossing North America, with or without Noah Reid; how Wyatt uses memories of singing in a choir as a kid to help overcome stage fright as an adult; the importance of their father in his life and their musical career, and so much more.
I enjoyed every second of my chat with Wyatt. He’s open, honest, authentic, vulnerable - you know all the things you’re looking for in an interview guest.
Or, in a friend.
I left this interview thinking, man, I can’t wait to meet my friend Wyatt in real life.
WyattLouis.com
When We Wake with Andrew Shaver broadcasts every Saturday morning, 9:30-11:00 (GMT -4) on 88.7 Cove FM.
Follow When We Wake on Instagram @whenwewakeradio.
*In the recorded intro of the episode, I mistakenly refer to Wyatt as He. I have amended Wyatt’s pronouns in the written introduction above. My apologies to Wyatt for not getting this right in the recording.*
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25min
November 16, 2023 08. When We Wake with Loryn Taggart
My guest on today’s episode, Montreal’s Loryn Taggart, released her debut full length album, the at once tender and beautifully bombastic, Lost Art of Pulling Through at the end of September.
In our chat, we speak about the circuitous route she took recording it, her time spent as David Bowie, couch surfing across the States, and the death of her father.
Loryn has said that she didn’t want the album to sound like the grief she was going through while she was writing and recording it, but, rather, a celebration.
And boy, she’s done just that.
I was so pleased to be able to speak with her about it.
Loryn Taggart
Listen to the When We Wake broadcast every Saturday 9:30-11 AM Atlantic (GM -3) on CKVE-FM, CoveFM.com.
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38min
October 25, 2023 07. When We Wake with Aysanabee
There are just some singers that, as soon as they open their mouth and sing, make you think, my god, this could only be that one person.
And that's the situation with my guest this episode, Aysanabee.
From the moment I heard the songs from his formidable debut album Watin, I was struck by the power of his songwriting and by the incredible shape his voice gives to the songs.
Aysanabee just released his follow up to Watin, a six song EP entitled Here and Now.
We talk about it in our chat today, as well as the origins of his name, the reggae songs he was writing as a twelve year old, and the near death experience that finally got him to commit to being a musician.
Aysanabee.com
Listen live to the full When We Wake radio broadcast every Saturday, 9:30-11:00AM (GM-3) on CKVE-FM or CoveFM.com.
When We Wake theme music is Got You by Noah Reid.
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31min
September 23, 2023 06. When We Wake with Elisapie
Born and raised in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik which is only accessible by plane, Elisapie is an emblematic Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter.
Now based in Montreal, the Juno Award winner recently released her fourth solo record, the incredibly moving Inuktitut.
On this album, she covers ten classic rock and pop songs translated into Inuktitut, her mother tongue. She's stripped them down to their essence and rebuilt them into renditions that, to a song, rival the original recordings.
As you'll hear in our chat, when I asked her how she went about choosing the songs, she said that if it made her cry, then she knew she was on the right track.
Listen live to the full When We Wake broadcast every Saturday, 9:30-11:00 AM (GM -3) on CKVE-FM or CoveFM.com.
www.elisapie.com
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33min

FAQs about When We Wake with Andrew Shaver:

How many episodes does When We Wake with Andrew Shaver have?

The podcast currently has 55 episodes available.