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Witchpolice Radio

Witchpolice Radiowww.witchpolice.com
Acclaimed Manitoba-centric music interview podcast. Hosted by Winnipeg journalist and massive record nerd Sam Thompson. Music talk radio, broadcasting from 2012 'til forever. DIY or die.
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Episodes

WR246: field////

On this episode, experimental/improvisational art collective [field////](https://www.facebook.com/Field-537162849633762/) invited us to the Graffiti Gallery to witness their creation first-hand. While rotating through a pile of instruments -- from horns to found objects to feedback -- field//// works on a timed grid system rather than any traditional songwriting structure.

Aug 30, 201757 minSeason 1Ep. 246

WR245: p o u t

This week, we hang out with Brandon, Brandan and Ariana of experimental 'soft trap' outfit [p o u t](https://www.facebook.com/babydontpout)! The trio recently released the excellent _[Nylon Tears](https://dontpout.bandcamp.com/album/nylon-tears "Link: https://dontpout.bandcamp.com/album/nylon-tears")_ , and we talk about the album, the group's origins, their distinctive DIY visual style and more!

Aug 23, 201748 minSeason 1Ep. 245

WR244: Agapito

They're back! Our friends in Winnipeg supergroup [Agapito](https://agapito.bandcamp.com/releases) have been busy since their last appearance on the show [(Dec. 2016)](https://witchpolice.podiant.co/e/34d1d3f7db8214/). Most notably, they hit the studio and released a three-song, self-titled demo. We talk about all kinds of nonsense, but on-topic, we get into the recording and songwriting processes, the future of the band, and the difficulties that arise with a band made up (mostly) of people who ...

Aug 16, 20171 hr 8 minSeason 1Ep. 244

WR243: Screaming at Traffic

Arising like a phoenix (or whatever stupid analogy you want to use) from the ashes of Greek Riots comes [Screaming at Traffic](https://www.facebook.com/pg/screamingattrafficmusic), a punk band with a unique take on the style. We sat down (outside, in Wolseley) with Paul (bass) and Duncan (one of S.A.T.'s two frontmen/guitarists) to talk about their [new EP](https://screamingattrafficmusic.bandcamp.com/album/s-a-t), their place in the Winnipeg music scene, and a whole bunch of crazy tangents. Cli...

Aug 09, 201758 minSeason 1Ep. 243

WR242: Spacebutt

We talk cats, music videos, impossible-to-define genres and more with local "grunge funk" (perhaps not a real genre, just sayin') weirdos [Spacebutt](https://spacebutt.bandcamp.com/). They're about to[ release their debut album](https://www.facebook.com/events/472831036403827) \-- the amazingly-titled _All The Deer Speak Portuguese -- _on [Last Ditch Records](http://www.lastditchrecords.ca/artists/spacebutt/) Aug. 26 at the Cavern!

Aug 02, 201753 minSeason 1Ep. 242

WR241: Ogimaa

The podcast hasn't been this heavy in quite a while. This week's guests are new-on-the-scene doom trio **[Ogimaa](https://ogimaa.bandcamp.com/)** , who have been generating buzz thanks to their excellent debut EP _[Desolation](https://ogimaa.bandcamp.com/releases)_. The surprisingly (based on their music) soft-spoken band members talk about the origins of the band (and their unique name), the EP, how receptive Winnipeg is to such a punishing style, and more!

Jul 26, 201752 minSeason 1Ep. 241

WR240: The Bloodshots

This week, we're joined by all four members of Selkirk, MB's **[The Bloodshots](https://www.facebook.com/thebloodshots204/)**! They blend elements of punk and blues into a blast of straight-ahead rock n' roll. Coming off a recent nomination at 2017's [Indigenous Music Awards](https://www.indigenousmusicawards.com/nominees/view,profile/211), the Bloodshots have been making a name for themselves as an opening act for high-profile rock acts. Check 'em out July 20 (that's _tomorrow_ ) on a bill with...

Jul 20, 20171 hr 9 minSeason 1Ep. 240

WR239: Disraeli Dreamers

Local indie rock gang **[Disraeli Dreamers](https://disraelidreamers.com/)** are on the show this week. The five-piece band (which rose from the ashes of the on-hiatus **[Tin Can Bandits](https://tincanbandits.bandcamp.com/)** ) performs live, talks about its members' varied musical backgrounds, their debut EP, _ [The Lucid](https://disraelidreamers.bandcamp.com/releases)_ , and more! Catch the Dreamers at the Howl at the Moon Country Music Festival (being presented by friend of the show **[Greg...

Jul 13, 20171 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 239

WR238: Keith Price Double Quartet

This week's guests are jazz guitarist **[Keith Price](http://www.keithprice.ca/)** and pianist **[Jeff Presslaff](http://www.jeffpresslaff.com/)** , both members of the **[Keith Price Double Quartet](https://keithprice1.bandcamp.com/track/riot)** , whose new self-titled album is one of the best local releases of the year so far. Tackling jazz on this show is always interesting, and Keith and Jeff cover a lot of the bases when it comes to improvising with a group of this size, the recording proce...

Jul 06, 20171 hr 22 minSeason 1Ep. 238

WR237: FF1

First off, a disclaimer: this isn't a political show. We've been interviewing local musicians since 2012, and even when we stray from that topic, it's always tied in to the local scene, and this is no exception. This week, our guests are **Omar Kinnarath** and **Ryan Nash** of **[Fascist-Free Treaty 1](https://www.facebook.com/fascistfree1/) ** (or **FF1** ). They're veterans of the local punk/hardcore scene (Ryan is a regular guest on the show with his band **[Union Stockyards](https://unionsto...

Jun 29, 20171 hr 24 minSeason 1Ep. 237

Re-release: Dead Ranch (2014)

On June 8, the Winnipeg music scene lost a friend. Chad Alsop, guitarist/vocalist of sludge/metal/hardcore/whatever-core act Dead Ranch passed a few days after sustaining serious injuries. (You can read more about Chad in this [beautifully-written post on Dead Ranch's Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/deadranch/posts/2046928851999929)). In addition to his contributions as 1/4 of one of Winnipeg's best bands, Chad was also a familiar face in Witchpoliceland. He appeared on the podcast with ...

Jun 22, 20171 hr 32 minSeason 1Ep. 236

WR236: Mmars

This week, we sat down -- in a room festooned with hilarious black light posters -- with Mac and Mark of 90s-influenced noisemaking duo Mmars. They're releasing their debut Fuzzstronaut album July 22 at the Good Will, so we talk about the new tape (which is fantastic, by the way) and a lot more!

Jun 15, 20171 hrSeason 1Ep. 236

WR235: Badpants

Coming off last month's successful release of their second EP, Genre Fluid, Winnipeg punks Badpants are making a name for themselves in the local scene. We talk about their diverse influences (hence the title of the record), the eternal appeal of '90s punk, navigating the world of promoting their music online... and much more!

Jun 08, 20171 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 235

WR233: Black Cloud

One of our favourite local acts, instrumental post-rockers Black Cloud, are back on the show to promote their new record and talk about a number of absolutely ridiculous things. The new disc (on Transistor 66!) Void, drops May 26 with a release show at The Handsome Daughter.

May 25, 20171 hr 16 minSeason 1Ep. 233

WR232: Rick Philip

Ryan takes on main hosting duties this week, alongside his creepy Uncle Tony (from Union Stockyards) as co-host. They sit down with the almighty Rick Philip, Winnipeg punk rock pioneer and frontman of Crown of Thorns. They talk shop about Rick's long history throughout the country and his upcoming show opening for the legendary Cro-Mags! This episode (which was actually recorded a couple of months back) acts as an unofficial preview of a Witchpolice spin-off podcast Ryan and Tony are going to ho...

May 18, 20171 hr 18 minSeason 1Ep. 232

WR231: Fred Penner

I'm still excited about this one. Beloved children's entertainer (and straight-up Canadian music legend) Fred Penner was at the top of my unofficial 'dream' list of potential guests, and I finally got the chance to sit down with him. Fred is currently promoting his (excellent) 13th LP, Hear the Music, and we talked about the record, his remarkable 45+-year career, and more! Stay tuned 'til the end to hear a couple of live performances! Big thanks to UMFM 101.5 (which broadcasts this show) for gi...

May 11, 201736 minSeason 1Ep. 231

WR230: TUSK

This week's episode features an interview and live performances by Winnipeg alt-rock outfit and 'wall of sound' **TUSK**. We talk about their (excellent) new disc, _Headroom_ , plus their roots in rural Manitoba, the origins of their sound and more!

May 04, 20171 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 230

WR229: Elder Abuse

Winnipeg punks Elder Abuse are on the verge of releasing their new LP, Burnt, so Witchpolice sat down with frontman Alex Guidry to talk about the record, crazy Asia tour stories, the continuing appeal of pop-punk, and the logistics of having a band with members in different cities. The Burnt album release show takes place this Friday at The Good Will. If you like this podcast, please support it on Patreon. For as little as $1 a month, you can help us improve all aspects of the show going forward...

Apr 27, 201750 minSeason 1Ep. 229

WR228: Silence Kit

We're always suckers for '90s nostalgia here at Witchpolice Radio, so Winnipeg's Silence Kit -- with their resurrected grunge sound -- were an obvious choice as guests. The band is releasing its excellent debut album, Started As A Whisper, this Friday at The Handsome Daughter. They talked about their origins in two separate projects that joined forces, their high-energy stage shows and a lot more... plus hear an exclusive live acoustic performance and get an advance listen to some tracks from th...

Apr 19, 201753 minSeason 1Ep. 228

WR227: Dead Ranch

If you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, you'll know there are two distinct types of episodes: serious, earnest one-on-one interviews, and chaotic conversations with a large group of people. This episode -- with Winnipeg noise/punk/metal/whatever heroes Dead Ranch -- is definitely the latter. Dead Ranch is about to release its long-awaited Brumation full-length (April 14 at the Good Will with friends of the show Black Cloud and Thronetorcher, plus Endless Chaos). We talk about ...

Apr 12, 20171 hr 29 minSeason 1Ep. 227

WR226: Apollo Suns

Things get psychedelic this week as we talk to Ed Durocher and Dave Guenette of instrumental space warriors Apollo Suns. We talk about their debut EP, Each Day a Different Sun, which is being released April 8 at The Good Will, plus their work on the short film An Impossible Bond. We also go deep into the band's songwriting, arranging for a seven-piece group, and their influences, which include the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Dune.

Apr 05, 20171 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 226

WR225: Stickaround

We didn't forget about this one! Our interview with 3/4 of skate-punk revivalists Stickaround was actually recorded back in February, but kept getting bumped due to more time-sensitive episodes jumping the queue. Here it is, finally, in all its glory: an episode chock-full of punk rock, Winnipeg nostalgia, and way too much smoking indoors!

Mar 29, 20171 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 225

WR224: Hearing Trees

...so for whatever reason, everyone is releasing new albums in April and May. In order to accommodate all of the great local bands who have been getting in touch to talk about their new releases, we've had to do some unconventional interviews, including this one, with Hearing Trees bassist Seamus Hamilton-Pattison. It's a conversation from a coffee shop inside a bookstore. Hearing Trees will be releasing their new three-song EP, Puppets, on April 12 at The Park Theatre. We talk about the EP (rec...

Mar 22, 201747 minSeason 1Ep. 224

WR223: Marisolle Negash

Witchpolice is coming at you once again with a live-performance-heavy episode, this time featuring R&B/soul/jazz singer-songwriter Marisolle Negash. Inspired as much by '90s hip-hop soul as classic R&B (and beyond), Marisolle has one of the most unique voices in the local scene and is gearing up to release her debut single, "Spaceship", March 17 at Forth.

Mar 15, 201752 minSeason 1Ep. 223

WR222: Roger's Arsenal

A guest on the podcast twice before (as a member of Autumn Still), Roger Arsenault sat down with a ukulele to talk about his Roger's Arsenal project -- a longtime side gig that he's finally bringing to the forefront. In a wide-ranging episode, we talk about Roger's upcoming album, transitioning from being part of a group to performing solo, his own (currently dormant) podcast and a lot more. Plus, he performs live, including some never-before-heard material!

Mar 08, 201758 minSeason 1Ep. 222

WR221: Manitobandits

Returning guests Smoky Tiger and JD Ormond sat down to talk about the upcoming three-way Smoky Tiger / Ultra Mega / Blond(e) Goth album release and the Manitobandits supergroup that will be performing songs from all three on Friday at The Good Will. Smoky and JD also gave us some wonderful stripped-down live versions of a few Manitobandits songs.

Mar 01, 20171 hr 9 minSeason 1Ep. 221

WR220: The Big Mix-Up Allstars

On Jan. 29, we took our ongoing series of improvised Big Mix-Up live shows to the logical next step and presented an allstar edition, featuring some of our favourite performers (along with a couple of ringers) from the previous shows. This installment of the Mix-Up featured Jill Alexander, Greg Arcade, Tim Haverluck, Harley James Flett, Kumaran Reddy, Sam Little, Ashley Bieniarz, Jon Askholm, Grant Partridge, Paul Durrant, Darryl Reilly, Aaron Young,Rob Busch and Josh Ayers. As usual with these ...

Feb 22, 20171 hr 25 minSeason 1Ep. 220

WR219: Jesse Matas

Jesse Matas of critically-acclaimed local folk/roots touring machines The Crooked Brothers has a long history with Witchpolice. His first-ever band (circa 1995) featured current Witchpolice Radio host Sam on guitar and past co-host/longtime collaborator Rob Crooks on vocals. He has also released a number of recordings on the site itself and in connection with various pre-Witchpolice attempts at starting record labels. While the Crooked Bros. are on a brief hiatus from their hectic road life, Jes...

Feb 15, 20171 hrSeason 1Ep. 219

WR218: Greg Rekus

Folk-punk troubadour Greg Rekus is one of those guys we've always wanted to have back on the show. His first appearance was at the beginning of 2014, but has a long history with us that pre-dates the podcast. Greg's old bands (Lacking Intelligence, later High Five Drive) played plenty of shows with our shitty bands as far back as the late '90s. Since 2011 or so, Greg has gone the solo acoustic route and he has engaged in non-stop touring. When we arrived at his house to do the interview, he had ...

Feb 08, 20171 hr 3 minSeason 1Ep. 218

WR217: Julie and the Wrong Guys

Before they skipped town to continue on their western Canada tour, we hopped in a van with pan-Canadian supergroup Julie and the Wrong Guys to talk about the logistics of touring with a side project, their new 7" and upcoming full-length, and much more! The group consists of solo artists Julie Doiron (yes, that Julie Doiron) and Eamon McGrath, plus the rhythm section of Toronto heavy-hitters Cancer Bats: Jaye R. Schwarzer and Winnipegger Mike Peters.

Feb 07, 201754 minSeason 1Ep. 217
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