In this episode of the Release Day series podcast, Alex is joined by Cinzia, the talented singer/songwriter behind Cinzia and the Eclipse, to celebrate the release of her brand new single, "Back to Being Friends." As we dive into our conversation, you can feel the sheer joy and excitement in Cinzia's voice. After months of hard work, this release brings a breath of fresh air to her musical journey. The conversation delves into the story behind "Back to Being Friends," which is about losing someo...
Oct 05, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 18
In episode 54 of the Release Day podcast, we have a special guest who is sure to captivate your attention from start to finish. Join me as I sit down with the incredibly talented singer, songwriter, mother, and lawyer - Desiree Dorion - for an engaging and thought-provoking conversation that covers everything from her music career to her passion for sustainability, giving us a glimpse into her busy and fulfilling life. Desiree takes us on a journey through her inspiration for songwriting, reveal...
Jul 19, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Hey there, fellow music lovers! In our latest podcast episode, we've got something fresh and exciting just for you. 🎧 In this heart-to-heart chat with singer/songwriter, composer, producer, filmmaker and MusicNL and East Coast Music Award(ECMA) winner Ian Foster , explore the fascinating stories behind his newest project, Close to the Bone (March 29, 2023). Discover how he's journeyed from rocking out with the Ian Foster Band to crafting a deeply introspective solo album, embracing change and p...
Jun 21, 2023•58 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Canadian singer/songwriter Tara MacLean has been an internationally renowned and award winning recording and touring artist for over 25 years, and now she can add BESTSELLING author to her extensive list of accolades. Her debut memoir, Song of the Sparrow , released on March 14th via HarperCollins has been declared a national bestseller. The book is complimented with MacLean's brand new album Sparrow, released Friday, March 31st 2023 (via turtlemusik). Song of the Sparrow is a daring, heartbreak...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Mimi O’Bonsawin is a contemporary roots singer-songwriter from Northeastern Ontario. Through her rhythm and story-driven songs, Mimi embraces the beauty of the land, all the while yielding to her Franco-Ontarian and Abenaki roots. Mimi and Alex discuss her 6th studio album "Willow" that was released on March 3rd, 2023. We discuss her approach to songwriting and what she teaches students of songwriting workshops, what the some of the songs mean to her, the production process with her husband - cr...
Mar 23, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Canadian Country/Folk - Pop artist Jenny Mallard is a celebrated musician and storyteller who is known for her authentic lyrics and impactful storytelling. I absolutely loved Jenny's debut album Into The Deep. She takes you on her journey through love and loss, while giving you glimpse into what it's like for her living with Bi-Polar disorder. Jenny's refreshing honesty in sharing her experiences created an incredibly real relationship as a listener, and her bubbly, authentic personality that yo...
Mar 08, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 13
The first episode of 2023 brings you the last conversation I had in 2022 with this incredible Montreal based Rock N Roll Duo - The Flamingos Pink. Sacha and Julz are here to talk about their Sophomore album, Free Livin. The energy and excitement that comes through their riff-heavy music makes it hard to believe they are solely a two-piece thrill ride - and they have easily been one of my favorite musical discoveries since the release of their 2020 record - Outtacontroller. We talk about how they...
Feb 01, 2023•37 min
2022 Canadian Folk Music Award winning singer-songwriter Alicia Toner joins the show this week to talk about making the most of an album release. Her sophomore album "Joan" (absolutely fantastic) was released on June 25, 2021. Aside from releasing singles and music videos leading up to and following the release of the album, what caught my interest was what she did 1-year later. She celebrated the 1-year anniversary by releasing a new radio-edit from the album as a single, bringing renewed atten...
Oct 26, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 11
David Myles hangs out this week to talk about his new album "It's Only A Little Loneliness" (September 23, 2022). We dive into the album's creation, the risks and fears he had during the songwriting process, how the production of the album differed from previous album recordings, and why he feels the release rollout may be the most successful of all of his albums. We begin the conversation discussing the podcast he started at the beginning of the pandemic "Myles From Home" and what he learned th...
Oct 12, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Asian-Canadian artist Leanna Oki joins the podcast to talk about her brand new single "It was all a lie" (September 30, 2022), as well as her successful approach to connecting with music publications and radio stations. Leanna has been featured across Canada by Toronto Guardian, Canadian Beats, Aesthetic Magazine , Ottawa Life , The Permanent Rain Press, The Wire Megazine , and Cashbox Canada , and was aired by CBC Radio, the QUBE 88.9 FM and KOOP 91.7 FM. Leanna also appeared on CTV Ottawa Morn...
Oct 07, 2022•13 min
After a 3-month Hiatus I am so happy to be back and sharing a great conversation with juno-nominated Singer-Songwriter Matthew Barber following the release of his EP No Singing Or Dancing (July 2022). Matthew and I have a great discussion about the tracks that make up the EP and how they were created, his longevity in the music industry, consistent revenue streams, writing for a theatrical production of The Graduate with Justin Rutledge, his perspective on streaming numbers and with becoming a n...
Sep 29, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Matthew Elliott - better known in the Hip-Hop community as Stephen Hero, is from Saint John New Brunswick. In episode 45, we talk about his Gold Collection EP that he released on May 13, 2022. The EP forms a loose meditation on the self-destructiveness of wage aspirations; the way the poor hold up the rich in the hopes that they might one day join them, therefore maintaining the status quo and enforcing the division. Having a Hip-Hop artist hasn’t been a common occurrence on the podcast so I’m e...
Jun 02, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Episode 44 welcomes Joey and Dave Landreth of the JUNO award-winning duo The Bros. Landreth, to talk about their 3rd album, "Come Morning" (May 13th, 2022). We dive into the record, taking a look at what went into writing and producing their most vulnerable record to date. Topics Covered: Writing Producing Track Sequencing Album Artwork Design Health and Wellness https://www.thebroslandreth.com/ http://www.designbyroberta.com/ https://signalnoisemusicmarketing.com/ https://www.releasedayseries.c...
May 18, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Trials, tribulations, but ultimately - success. Kim Carson and Jillian Comeau of the Alt-Grunge/Sad Pop duo We Should've Been Plumbers stop by to talk about their debut, self-titled EP, and the efforts that went into remotely producing the record with Kim in Nova Scotia, and Jillian in Vermont. We talk about what went right, what went wrong, and why they're ready to do it all over again. https://weshouldvebeenplumbers.bandcamp.com/ "Release Day," an ongoing series where we sit down with Canadian...
May 05, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Toronto based rock and roll group Goodnight Sunrise join the podcast to talk about their new single "Belong" released on April 13, 2022. We talk about the ongoing battle to feed the social media machine and how they've stayed creative when developing content to promote their new music, how they've evolved visually and sonically as a duo over the 10+ years they've been creating music together, and grammar you should leave out of your band name... Topics Covered: Branding / Re-Branding & the I...
Apr 20, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 7
On Episode 41, Alternative Folk artist Shawna Caspi joins us to talk about her 5th album "Hurricane Coming" that was released on August 27, 2021. In addition to the music that’s so beautifully put together - Shawna also created the cover art for the album, as well as 10 original paintings, each inspired by a song on the album. What she did with that artwork and how she collaborated with other artists for her music videos - that’s what really caught my interest... We talk about Topics covered: Be...
Apr 06, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 6
On this episode of the Release Day Series Podcast: B-Side - I am joined by Toronto-Based folk trio "Sleeping Bees" to talk about their latest single - "Rest" - that was released on March 20th, 2022. The song represents an exciting new direction for the band, as it was entirely independently written, recorded, produced, and mixed by the band members themselves. We get into the recording process of the song and why they felt the final product came together as beautifully as it did. Sleeping Bees B...
Mar 27, 2022•12 min
Returning to the show is Electro-Pop duo Mountain Head to talk about their debut EP Backseat - released on March 18th, 2022. Their creativity knows no bounds and they truly know how to embrace their originality. We chat about how their songs for the EP came together, they used crypto-currency to pay for the media rollout behind their Billboard Canada Charting track - Let It Out, how building a community behind your music is way more important than going viral and holding yourself accountable to ...
Mar 23, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Young Canadian Pop artist Tamara Grace joins us on Episode 2 of the Release Day Series Podcast: B-Side to talk about her song "Autumn Tears" - released on February 11, 2022. Tamara teamed up with her dream duo to see “Autumn Tears” through to its final product. The song was produced by Dominique Messier (Céline Dion) and mastered by Marc Thériault who boasts an impressive portfolio of working with top musical talent including Céline Dion, Charlotte Cardin, Sia and Eric Clapton. “Autumn Tears” is...
Mar 11, 2022•10 min
On episode 39, we are joined by Winnipeg based, chamber-folk musician Raine Hamilton to talk about their album Brave Land, released on January 21st, 2022. We discuss the creation of the album, performing a song in latin, creating the album artwork with good friend Sarah Thiessen & Roberta Landreth. We also talk about the creation of the incredible shadow puppet music video for their song Eclipse. We also touch on accessibility in the live music space. Raine is a believer that music is for ev...
Mar 02, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Alex Southey joins me to discuss his latest EP "My Nights on the Island" - released September 17th, 2021. We discuss his experimentation with the Mellotron on the project, his evolution as an artist, and his success with College radio airplay. Release Day "B-Side" is a new addition to the Release Day Podcast Series. Alex Southey Website: https://www.alexsouthey.com/ See Alex Live: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/alex-southey-kalila-badali-band-and-jasper-payne-the-horseshoe-tavern-tickets-2552925057...
Feb 26, 2022•9 min
Joining me today is two-time Maple Blues Award songwriting recipient and two-time Edmonton Music Award recipient Ann Vriend, to talk about her 7th album "Everybody Matters" (February 4th, 2022) and the inspiration her inner city neighborhood played in creating this powerful body of work. Ann Vriend website : https://www.annvriend.com/ Everybody Matters Music Video : https://youtu.be/UoaEGqRB4S8 Video version of the episode : https://youtu.be/MtxqpDNy-Eg Release Day Website : https://www.released...
Feb 16, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Graham's back! We discuss the process of re-branding the visual identity of the Release Day Series podcast. We also get into how Graham - also a lo-fi beats producer known as Bedroom Antics - kick-started his creativity to begin 2022, by challenging himself to create and share 1 beat-per-day for the month of January - which he successfully completed. It was through his beat-per-day project that I discovered what would become the new theme music for the podcast. Bedroom Antics - https://my.bio/be...
Feb 02, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Community is undoubtedly one of the main reasons music is so important to our mental health. When you discover a song where you feel as though the artist is singing to you, or the instrumental is the perfect soundtrack at that very moment - you get this feeling like someone understands you, that you’re not alone. With so many artists focused on being present and relevant on social media and within the algorithm of streaming services, this is an element that gets lost on so many indie artists. Wh...
Jan 19, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Well here we are - the final episode of 2021 and our very first Christmas Special! In this episode I am excited to share two conversations with you. My first is with JUNO Award winning Singer/Songwriter Catherine MacLellan. On November 26th 2021, Catherine released her debut Christmas EP - “Holiday”. Consisting of 3 beautiful renditions of holiday classics and 1 original Christmas song that Catherine wrote during the winter of 2020, we talk about why this was the time to record and release her f...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 4 min
On episode 34, Ben Plotnik from the JUNO Award winning string quartet, The Fretless, joins me to talk about their latest, collaborative album “Open House”, released on October 22nd, 2021. "Open House" is a 10 song album and the first project that sees The Fretless feature vocals on all the tracks and in such a prominent role. Working with artists like Celeigh Cardinal, Nuela Charles, The Bros. Landreth, Dan Mangan and more. We talk about the process of interpreting and re-arranging songs from Br...
Dec 01, 2021•34 min
Hello and welcome to the release day series podcast, I'm your host Alex Huard, joining me today from the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia, is singer songwriter Daniel James McFadyen to talk about his debut album August, I’m Yours that he released on October 8th, 2021. In our conversation we really dig into the inspiration behind the songs on the album, learning more about what they mean to Daniel and the circumstances under which many of the songs were written. We also talk about the process ...
Nov 17, 2021•33 min
On episode 32, joining all the way from northern Ontario in Attawapiskat First Nation on the James Bay, is Adrian Sutherland. The indigenous singer-songwriter, who might be best known as the frontman of the band Midnight Shine, released his debut solo record, When the Magic Hits on September 17th, 2021. We go into detail about how Adrian adapted to the pandemic to get the album recorded and visual identity of the record put together. This includes; building his studio out of a sea container to r...
Nov 03, 2021•49 min
I am so excited to share my conversation with Candace Lacina of the "North" Americana Supergroup The Hello Darlins, to talk about the band’s debut album Go By Feel, released on June 11, 2021. Formed by Candace and her husband Mike Little - both seasoned songwriters and musicians in their own right, the two have been working as session musicians for artists you may have heard of; Shania Twain, the late B.B. King, George Canyon, and The Road Hammers - to name just a few. In our conversation we tal...
Oct 21, 2021•42 min
Well am I excited to say this is episode 30 of the podcast, and joining me are Jesse Read and Ben Gibson - the creators and curators of the online Canadian music publication Dropout Entertainment. The reason these guys are special - aside from doing great things for the Canadian music community, is they’re the reason the release day series started in the first place!What I love the most about Dropout is their focus on truly independent musicians, artists you’ve likely never heard before but are ...
Oct 06, 2021•45 min
