Jeff Jones -- Ocean, Rush, Lawrence Gowan, Infidels, Red Rider, Tom Cochrane, Burton Cummings, The Carpet Frogs and so much more. Jeff is a Juno award winner with a distinguished 50-plus year career that has focused on lead and background vocals, as well as writing, recording and producing numerous albums and videos. As a member of Red Rider and Th…

I had the pleasure of chatting with Sascha Tukatsch and Brian Hogue of C0ndu1t. A drummer for Platinum Blonde and The Blushing Brides, I met Sascha when he was drumming for The Dave Barrett Trio. Now working with singer/songwriter Brian Hogue, they are currently working on a new album to be released this year.…

Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Suzi Kory burst on to the music scene in 2017 with a rock EP, entitled 'Spellcasting'. Mixing her passion for all thing Guns 'n Roses and Axel Rose with her love for country music, Suzi has released seven singles in three years (now eight as of this podcast), carved out a career for herself in the country music…

Doug Varty left home in 1970, at young age of 17, to join a band, and has never looked back. From my home town of London, Ontario, Doug's career path has seen him perform both as a solo act and in many bands, including the one he left home to join.....Sea Dog. A multi-instrumentalist, certified yoga instructor, singer/songwriter and teacher, Doug s…

Gerry Mosby and Sil Simone, friends and collaborators. I was initially introduced to Gerry in 1979 when he was the bassist for the band Rhineghold. I met Sil in 2015 when he was performing in the theatre productions of Oh Canada What A Feeling. Gerry eventually turned his focus to producing, session work and jingle writing over the years. Sil curre…

Ember Swift is a Canadian singer/songwriter who has been residing in Beijing, China for 13 years. I met Ember a few years ago when she was back in Canada performing at Hugh’s Room. Ember wrote her first song at the age of nine and has never stopped. She has toured Europe, North America, Australia and of course Asia. She has just released her 13th a…

Taking a step back to July 14, 2020, I had the opportunity to chat with Toronto artist David Celia and his partner Marla. A highly respected independent guitarist, singer and songwriter. Crisscrossing Canada and Europe since 2005, Celia has built a large fan base across both continents. He was a member of a number of bands before deciding to forge …

Part two with Lighthouse lead vocalist Dan Clancy as we delve deeper into the challenges and issues within the music business.....tip jars, the union and paying musicians a fair wage. Producer/engineer John Jamieson joins us for this discussion. Some great new tunes, advice for young musicians and a few fun questions to wrap things up.…

A synopsis from the Lighthouse website -- Dan Clancy has been the dynamic lead vocalist for the Canadian rock band Lighthouse since 1992. He began singing with the Holy Cross church choir at six years of age and by eleven was fronting his first band. Dan's voice, with its enormous range, is the ideal vehicle to perform the classic Lighthouse hits a…

A familiar and well-known name in Canadian music, Alfie Zappacosta has been singing, songwriting and playing his guitar across Canada for close to 50 years. His first band Surrender was formed in 1978 and went on to sign with Capital records . Zappacosta is a two-time Juno Award winner....his first in 1985 as Most Promising Male Vocalist. He won hi…

Mitchell Field began his music career as the drummer for John Lee Hooker. He formed Canadian rock band Hellfield in 1978 after recruiting Dave Hovey on guitar, Jamie Larsen on bass, Steve Coombs on drums and Rick Lamb on keyboards. Locking themselves in a studio, they emerged two month later with new material and a new demo. Hellfield went through …

Mitchell Field began his music career as the drummer for John Lee Hooker. After approaching CBS as a solo artist, Field was advised to put together a band and try again. That’s exactly what he did. With Dave Hovey on guitar, Jamie Larsen on bass, Steve Coombs on drums and Rick Lamb on keyboards…..Hellfield was born. Locking themselves in a studio, …

Let me see if I can sum up Paul’s extensive career in music in one paragraph. Paul is a Juno award winning performer and has spent almost 55 years as a working musician, touring and recording with artists Domenic Troiano, Kim Mitchell, Lawrence Gowan, David Clayton Thomas, Rik Emmett, Rodger Hodgson and a host of others. He is an author of two book…

Author and podcaster of the Pandemic Interviews, this is my 30th podcast and I'm celebrating! May not seem like many to those who have published hundreds or more, but to this neophyte, it's an amazing feat. From going into this blindly and recording conversations with my cell phone, to now interviewing in a professional recording studio, this journ…

She has been called a Yorkville Legend and a Canadian music icon and is a key part of the story of Toronto’s music history. Multi-talented and multi-faceted, Cathy is a vocalist, songwriter, producer, guitarist, harmonica and kazoo player. She won the Juno in 1974 for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year and was nominated 1975 for Best Female…

Frank Cosentino bleeds the blues. Music, particularly the guitar, has been a central part of his life since the age of five. Frank was taken to a Jimi Hendrix concert at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1969 at the extremely young age of seven. Without realizing it at the time, it was a pivotal moment in Frank’s life, influencing and transforming his approach…

The Peptides are an Ottawa-based, nine-member band…..five vocalists and four instrumentalists, producing a distinctive larger-than-life pop sound. The Peptides are known for their high energy, extravagant and colourful, live performances…..their music an eclectic mix of funk, soul, folk, gospel, Latin and new wave sound. A snapshot of Canadian dive…

The Trews, formed in Antigonish, Nova Scotia by brothers Colin and John-Angus with good friend, bassist Jack Syperek, are now based in Hamilton, Ontario and are the cusp of celebrating 25 years together. I was joined in the studio by John-Angus, who drove into Toronto from Hamilton to chat about the pandemic and future of music, how he and the band…

TOM WILSON is the bestselling author of Beautiful Scars as well as a five-time Juno winning Canadian musician. His band Junkhouse scored eleven top-ten hits in the 90's, and his iconic, Americana-fuelled Blackie and the Rodeo Kings has performed on stages from The Grand Ol Opry to Massey Hall. Tom’s most recent incarnation, Lee Harvey Osmond, has r…

Tom Wilson is a singer/songwriter/bestselling author/story teller/visual artist and 5x Juno award winner, the most recent Juno win was in 2020 for his latest release Mohawk. His bands Junkhouse, Lee Harvey Osmond and Blackie and The Rodeo Kings; the discovery of his Mohawk heritage; writing his autobiography Beautiful Scars; his recognition as an a…

Singer/songwriter Steve York started singing and playing in a blues band in Toronto as a teen. He began songwriting and fronting a grunge rock band in his twenties. At the same time that Nirvana and Pearl Jam were popularizing grunge music in Seattle, Steve and his band SST were pioneering grunge in Toronto. Steve’s band Mercy Flight is his soul ch…

Originally from Guelph, Ontario, Davide Di Renzo is a musician’s musician and has had the good fortune to play with damn near everybody. One of the most versatile and in-demand drummers in Canada, Davide has equally strong profiles in jazz, rock, pop and R&B. An alumnus of U of T’s Jazz Studies program, Davide was nominated as Jazz Drummer of the y…

Today’s podcast conversation is with David Michael Moote, a multifaceted performer originally from my home town of London, ON. I first met David six years ago as cast member in the production Oh Canada, What A Feeling, based on the book, Oh What A Feeling: A Vital History of Canadian Music, by author Martin Melhuish. David studied voice and piano f…

Marco Argiro is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and owns his own label, Outright Rock Records. Originally from Florida, then New York City and now residing Nashville since 2017, Marco is a former member of the NYC power-pop trio Le Mood, is lead singer and guitarist for the transatlantic band The Killing Floor and is a membe…

Gigging in cover bands part-time since 1968 and writing his own songs, one of them called You’re on the Radio was the start of it all. Frank formed the band Zero-One, signed a deal with Anthem Records and recorded one album. The band was nominated for a Juno in 1981 for Best New Group before disbanding in 1982. Frank went on to form Hanover Fist in…

Patricia Silver has combined her passion for music and performance, her sharp entrepreneurial skills, her commitment to community service, and her dedication to her family into a successful career and busy, but happy, lifestyle. She is considered a pioneer and a leader in the music industry. She founded the Sphere Entertainment Agency, is the autho…

Toronto Indie artist Mike Celia was my very first conversation, and very first recording. Mike, an accomplished guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, was gracious enough to inaugurate the series. At that time I didn’t even have a name for it. The recording is extremely rough around the edges so bear with me on this one.....and my apologies to Mike. A…

Eddie Bullen is a pianist, composer, arranger and producer. His deep love and passion for music is apparent every time you see him perform, and he loves nothing better than sharing that passion with his audiences. If there is a piano or keyboard anywhere within 500 paces, Eddie will find it and gravitate towards it like magnet. Since his move to To…

Hamilton, Ontario is the home of gritty, knuckle-baring, driving rock and roll. It is also home of the band April. Don’t let the name fool you. These four guys are full on rock with a punk, in-your-face edge to their music. They are determined to entertain and get you moving. Founded by bassist/songwriter Eric Meloche, April is PJ Reynolds (drums),…

Part of Toronto’s vibrant local Indie scene, Drop Top Alibi (DTA) was formed in June of 2016 by Brandon Gregory and Dylan Wykes. In very short order DTA found themselves recording their debut single “Holding the Gun,” at Metalworks Studios with Gilby Clarke (formerly of Guns n’ Roses) producing. They released their self-titled EP in 2017 and later …

As the late, great Long John Baldry once said, "Cheryl Lescom has one of the best and biggest voices in Canada." A vocal powerhouse, with a voice that has been described as “soulful road weary, yet sweet and sophisticated”. A matter-of-fact, straight shooter, Cheryl Lescom pulls no punches. She can be all rough and tumble on the outside but her hea…

Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, bassist Steve Pelletier has remained a "Hamiltonian". He currently performs with Colin James but his career has seen him perform and record with an eclectic and wide range of musical groups including The Julian Taylor Band, Matt Andersen, Jeff Healey, Sass Jordan, Long John Baldry, Sue Foley, Crystal Shawanda, …

Singer/songwriter/performer Sarah Smith is known as one of the hardest working musicians in the business. Prior to 2020, Sarah performed over 300 shows per year traveling across Canada, Europe and the U.K. Sarah lives and breathes music....it is her calling. A deeply caring and warm person, Sarah’s depth of passion, her incredible personal magnetis…

A no-nonsense hard rock combo from Sydney, Australia, The Lazys formed in 2006, earning a solid reputation both for the quality of their music and their strong work ethic, contradictory to their name. In 2015 they made their first appearance in Toronto with a string of shows during Canadian Music Week. The adventure to Canada proved to be a game-ch…

Singer/songwriter Samantha Martin is a petit powerhouse. Never underestimate the exploding force of her bluesy, soulful, new Orleans smoky bar voice. Samantha released her first EP in 2004. Fast forward to 2014 and Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar were born of a need to put together a performance for Folk Alliance Canada that didn’t include bass and d…

Today’s artist is singer/songwriter Ember Swift. Publicist Jane Harbury reached out to me a few years ago with a recommendation I come and see Ember’s show at Hugh's Room in Toronto. Writing since the age of nine, performing since the age of ten, Ember released her first self-titled album in 1996. Although originally from Toronto, Ember has been a …

A truly gifted singer/songwriter, Julian Taylor is also a born performer, and as a performer, nothing gives him greater joy that being on stage with his band, spreading the music and the happiness. Of West Indian and Mohawk descent, Julian brings a unique perspective to his music. I admire his passion, his depth, his skills at writing both music an…

Shakura S'Aida.....singer, songwriter, mother, actor, play write, world traveler, Maple Blues award winner, Juno nominee, three albums with a fourth in the works, lead singer of the 13-piece world music ensemble Kaleefah, tri-lingual, she is Brooklyn born, raised in Switzerland, but she has chosen to make her home in Canada.…

I chatted with Kirk Reed from Toronto band The Reed Effect on my back deck in June of 2020. We discuss time, creativity, thoughts on live entertainment and how to become a computer geek....plus the new album, 1973. On a sad note, almost four months to the date of our meeting, Kirk’s lost his only brother Chris and the other half of The Reed Effect.…

Quisha grew up in Toronto in a Jamaican/Canadian home listening to Reggae, Motown, Gospel and R&B. Quisha is President of QW Productions Corp and Founder of Canadian Black Entertainment. She is currently in mini-series Self Made: The Story of Madame C.J. Walker (which is currently playing on Netflix) as a choir performer. She is also in the movie T…

Hot Lips is also a trio of incredibly skilled musicians, forged together to form a single powerhouse of electro-grunge rock by founder Karli Forgét. Bassist Alex Black and drummer Keith Heppler complete the trio. I met with them in June 2020 at the Rehearsal Factory in downtown Toronto.By Luvthemusic

Rocker turned country artist, Suzi Kory is relatively new to the music scene. A driven and hard-working person, she's released five singles since 2018, all with accompanying videos. I sat down with Suzi in June of 2020 to talk about how the pandemic is affecting her both personally and professionally and what she thinks is coming for the future.…

A series of conversations with a diversity of musicians -- what they were doing prior to the pandemic, where they expected to be and what they're doing now; how they're coping; their thoughts about what the future holds for live performance for new and existing performers and much more. Over 50 artists interviewed.....each one a separate episode an…