Since the early 2000s, Festival Director and musical curator Cem Zafir has been presenting diverse, exploratory, and engaging concerts via his non-profit organization, Zula Presents. After moving to Hamilton, Ontario in 2012, Cem seized on the opportunity to create an early summer music festival. The Something Else! Festival began in 2014. Now in its 12th year, it brings to Hamilton some of the finest talents in creative, global, and improvised music. In this fun and compact catch up wi...

What, exactly, is mastering? Is it a potion? A spell? A hoax? The truth is, it's a subtle and precise art, and a key element of quality music production. It is music's "x-factor", its "special sauce". Despite often being perceived as some kind of magic, mastering is, in fact, very real, as are the people who do it for a living. Case in point, Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning mastering engineer João Carvalho. João is the founder of João Carvalho Mastering, and co-owner of Revoluti...

Multi-award-winning instrumentalist, singer, recording artist and composer, Anne Lindsay is celebrating many things this year: 60 years as a violinist, 50 years as a professional musician, and the launch of her brand new album, Soloworks 2. Described as "chamber folk music for solo violin and nyckelharpa", Soloworks 2 is dedicated to St Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto where it was recorded in November 2021, during the global pandemic. In June 2024, St. Anne's suffered a devastating fi...

"Whatever I'm painting, I feel like there's music that finds its way in" — Stewart Jones For artist, musician, and educator Stewart Jones, music is an integral part of his visual art practice. He's a self-proclaimed "uber fan" of the bands he loves. Not only are many of his works inspired by songs, but his drawings and paintings have also graced album covers and enhanced videos by some of Canada's most beloved musical artists, such as The Tragically Hip, Sarah Harmer, Cuff the Duke, K-os, Jus...

Musician/composer/improvisors Ronley Teper and Tim Posgate have been making wildly creative music together for 15 years or more. Their partnership is based on trust, understanding, and the endless desire to push the boundaries of song and creativity. This is a colourful conversation with two extremely hard-working, enthusiastic, and unique musical talents. More about Ronley Teper:ronleyteper.comRonley's YouTube (including "So Whatcha Doin?")The Lyceum Gallery ShowMore about Tim Posgate:...

A very special literary romp to round off the year! This "bookish" episode features the well-read, candid, and occasionally irreverent members of "Buckner's Bookies", a ladies-only book club that meets every few weeks around a dinner table, to talk books, culture, food, politics, and—of course—trashy TV. Sex, drugs, rock n' roll, hostages, immigration, crime, New York in the 70s, Saga Boys, opera, and accordions. Mix all that with some southern gothic blues, and you have yourself a rollicking...

After spending over 20 years writing, recording and performing his unique, lush and literate style of alt country Canadiana, Juno award-winning singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge is shifting his focus, every-so-slightly. He’s not moving away from music per se, but rather, walking peacefully alongside, with his young family in tow, and a home in the country to inspire and calm his poetic spirit. Please enjoy this conversation with one of Canada’s most treasured craftsmen of song.More about Just...

Guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Tim Bovaconti knew he wanted to be a musician from a very young age. When he was just a mere lad, a fateful meeting with family friend Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo) lit a spark that fuelled his musical passion. The flame continues to burn brightly today. Bovaconti has travelled the world as a working musician. He’s performed and recorded with artists such as Burton Cummings, Ron Sexsmith, Kim Stockwood, Jerry Leger, Julian Taylor, Andy Kim, Ray Davie...

"...love well, live long, run with it before it's gone..." That line is from the song "Baby's on a Bike", by today's guests, Ontarians. As Craig Smith (the band's co-founder) says, "that kind of sums it up". Ontarians is roots rock from the heart of the Canadian Shield. Their attitude towards making music is joyful, collaborative, and organic. Hailing from Collingwood, ON, and Sault Ste. Marie, ON, co-founders Craig Smith and Frank Deresti started the group in 2018. The band's sophomore...

No Dress Rehearsal is a 4-part documentary about one of Canada's most-loved rock bands - The Tragically Hip. The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept 5, and has been screening at Film Festivals around the country. It is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. The Tragically Hip rose to rock stardom in the late 80s and early 90s. They toured and recorded relentlessly, and by the late 90s, they were practically a household name. To the great deligh...

A continuation of Episode 49 with Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, this is a special live-off-the-floor recording session of Jim's song "Anywhere Else But Home" from his new solo album All The World Fades Away.Recorded by Tim Vesely at Blue Rodeo's Woodshed Studio.The band:Jim Cuddy: acoustic guitar, vocalsAndy Maize: vocalsAnne Lindsay: fiddleJane Gowan: accordionTim Vesely: bassmore info:jimcuddy.combluerodeo.comanne-lindsay.comskydiggers.comthevioletarchers.comA co-production by Music Buddy and Em...

This episode is a special co-production between Music Buddy and the Skydiggers' podcast, Employee of the Myth"Blue Rodeo were at the vanguard of creating a national movement of roots music...that really captured peoples' imaginations in the late 80s early 90s, and continues to this day" — Andy Maize"The thing about community is that there are a lot of opportunities to give...[The] Christmas show from Skydiggers always feels like a gift... like [they're] doing this as an offering...Their band ...

One city, two Cellars, seven decades, and thirty vibrant jazz personalities. Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver is the debut book by author and veteran music journalist Chris Wong (Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, Vancouver Courier). It is an in-depth and rich account of the remarkable life stories of several key protagonists in Vancouver’s jazz and improv scene. From lesser-known icons such as trumpeter John Dawe, to revolutionary shape shifters such as pianist Al Neil...

Is there anything better than listening to your favourite band while sitting outside in the sun with friends, family, and fellow music-lovers? Very few experiences can top the feeling you get from soaking up fresh air and soundwaves simultaneously. So, as summer approaches, we bring you "Festival Season" - a special 3-part series on music festivals.Music festivals appear to pop up out of nowhere - in a city park, in the green space beside a lake, or on a farm next to a river. All of a sudden,...

Is there anything better than listening to your favourite band while sitting outside in the sun with friends, family, and fellow music-lovers? Very few experiences can top the feeling you get from soaking up fresh air and soundwaves simultaneously. So, as summer approaches, we bring you "Festival Season" - a special 3-part series on music festivals. Music festivals appear to pop up out of nowhere - in a city park, in the green space beside a lake, or on a farm next to a river. All of a sudden...

Is there anything better than listening to your favourite band while sitting outside in the sun with friends, family, and fellow music-lovers? Very few experiences can top the feeling you get from soaking up fresh air and soundwaves simultaneously. So, as summer approaches, we bring you "Festival Season" - a special 3-part series on music festivals. Music festivals appear to pop up out of nowhere - in a city park, in the green space beside a lake, or on a farm next to a river. All of a ...

Craig Small is an award-winning visual artist, director, and animator. A co-founder of The Juggernaut Productions, Craig is constantly inventing unique and striking ways to creatively present ideas. His work is highly sought after by A-list corporate clients, broadcasters, and production houses. Nominated for two Emmy Awards for his film title designs, Craig has worked with internationally-renowned design houses, animators, and filmmakers, in addition to bands such as The Sa...

Lucy Rose Cash is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter. Her debut album— Windswept Perfectionist—is a 7-song outpouring of tender emotion and compassionate insight. Produced by José Miguel Contreras (By Divine Right), the songs capture beautifully the rawness of a budding self-awareness and the fragility of relationships. Lucy has been surrounded by creativity from birth. Her father (Andrew Cash) is a musician/songwriter, and her mother (Michelle Shook) is a visual artist. As a result, Lucy has ...

Yvonne Matsell is a celebrated music booker and long-time friend of the Canadian indie music scene. As the live music talent buyer for clubs like Ultrasound, Ted's Wrecking Yard, The Horseshoe Tavern and The Reverb Room, Yvonne gave countless indie bands their first decent gigs, and watched as many of them went on to become success stories and musical household names. Just a few of the bands and artists that flourished as a result of Yvonne's magic touch include: Skydiggers, Lowest of the Low...

Internationally-acclaimed and award-winning singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith first sang and strummed his way into the hearts of music lovers in the early-mid 1990s. At that time, the distorted fuzz and raw angst of grunge bands dominated the airwaves, and most "folk" singers watched from the sidelines, clutching their acoustic guitars and cursing their lack of effects pedals - but not Ron. Amidst the dense and glorious swirl of guitar rock, Sexsmith offered up his self-titled debut album of sim...