One of Winnipeg's most successful musical exports to the world is celebrating a milestone. On this episode, I talked to Sammy Kohn (drums) and Daniel Greaves (vocals) of The Watchmen about the super-deluxe reissue for the 25th anniversary of their landmark 'Silent Radar' LP. We got into the background of the deluxe edition's 46(!) tracks, the staying power of the band's songs from that era, the CD's pioneering -- for 1998 -- enhanced/online features, and much more. You can (and should, it's grea...
Apr 15, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 784
This episode is my conversation with Clint Chaboyer about live-streaming local punk and metal bands on Red Tie Live , the upcoming ‘90s tribute show in support of MS Canada (May 5 at The Park Theatre), and much more. The songs on this episode are from previous charity tribute events -- this year's is the eighth annual -- and are covers by all-star lineups of Winnipeg musicians, with suitably ridiculous band names like 'Nirvan Down By The River', 'Squirrel Jam', and 'Manther'! This episode brough...
Apr 12, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 783
Caught up with Jude and Wyatt of metalcore maniacs Hopscotchbattlescars to talk about their upcoming record, making music with a confusing beat that’s hard to dance to, ‘wacky’ songs, and much more. You can pre-order the digital album , Sick of You, which comes out May 5, now. Need more Hopscotchbattlescars in your life? Check out episode #617 (Aug. 2021) This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company ! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon ! You can help o...
Apr 08, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 782
Balanced Records has been holding it down for the local electronic scene(s) for more than two decades. Great conversation on this episode with Adam (Kasm) Hannibal about the label’s DIY history in a golden era for Winnipeg music, the community’s growth, musically unique live shows, and much more! Song selections: Kasm - Stargate (Michael Red Remix), Paris to Kyiv - Call (J57 Remix), Silla and Rise - Atausiq (Tomahawk Bang Remix), House of David Gang - Reggae Warrior (Seed Organization Remix). Th...
Apr 05, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 781
Great conversation with Ariane Jean of francophone alternative pop project Sala ! We talked about her roots in the local music scene with groups like Madrigaïa and Chic Gamine, writing in French vs English, the upcoming Sala album and release show , and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company ! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon ! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guit...
Apr 01, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 780
Singer-songwriter Larysa Musick has just released the debut single, ‘ Joan of Arc ’, from her upcoming EP. We sat down to talk about moving from the world of poetry slams into playing folk music, working with women and non-binary collaborators, writing about history, house shows, and so much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon ! You ca...
Mar 28, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 779
I talked to multi-instrumentalist and producer Joel Klaverkamp ( Cookie Delicious ) about the new ‘ Fox in Golden Armour ’ record, the differences between his previous garage rock-inspired solo project ( Beefdonut ) and Cookie Delicious’ freaky dance music, needing to be in three bands at once (see Merin and Robojom )… and more! Need more Joel? You can hear him on episode #083 (2014) as Beefdonut and episode #380 (2019) as a member of Merin. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shir...
Mar 25, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 778
If you were anywhere near a radio in the ‘90s, Winnipeg’s Crash Test Dummies were hard to miss. Decades later, with members spread out across the continent, they’re back on the road with a new single, “ Sacred Alphabet ”. I sat down with frontman Brad Roberts to talk about performing for multi-generational fans, pressure-free touring, being a terrible hockey player, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works!...
Mar 21, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 777
This one definitely qualifies as ‘music-adjacent’: I talked to Shane from 3D Pro Wrestling and wrestler/podcaster/man-about-town Stefan Richard about the upcoming ‘Protect Ya Neck’ event , March 30 at the Pyramid Cabaret! In addition to live indie wrestling, local bands Cheap Heat , xMeans to an Endx , and Murder Capital are performing (and I threw a song by each into the episode too)! Check out this conversation about how wrestling is similar to DIY music, combining heavy music and heavy hittin...
Mar 18, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 776
With the new tape, ‘ The Body Horror ’, Matthew Powers (a/k/a Midnight Review Presents ) adds to his already stellar catalogue of DIY weirdness. We talked about the new album, the ongoing horror motif, collaborating with artists like The Famous Sandhogs , non-standard cassette packaging, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon ! Y...
Mar 15, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 775
Rumours of The Thrashers' demise have been greatly exaggerated. Winnipeg’s favourite skateboardin’, garage-rockin’, Transistor 66 -in’ power trio is back, briefly, with one last record — their first since 2015. Well, technically, it's two records in one : the brand new We Are Literally the Thrashers and This is a Pizza Party With the Thrashers EPs, combined into a single slab o' wax! Here's a conversation about their last hurrah (April 15 at the Park Theatre), their decade and a half as a band, ...
Mar 11, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 774
‘ The Empire is in Decline and Growing Weaker by the Day ’ is the excellent new record by rapper/producer/songwriter Rob Crooks . We sat down to talk about the album, the political context behind it, making angry, anxious music, and a whole lot more! Way back in 2012, Rob was one of the original co-hosts of this podcast, so he's on a lot of past episodes, but if you want to hear more of him (as a guest) in recent years, he's on episodes #657 (with Gruf and Yy, Jan. 2022), bonus episode (with Cam...
Mar 08, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 773
Here's an interview with the members of Winnipeg's Campfire Sigh about psychedelic pop, navigating social media and self-promotion, last fall’s ‘ Different Peninsulas ’ album, prolific songwriting… and more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, including the latest patron, KairuMustDie! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you lik...
Mar 04, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 772
‘ From the Attic ’ is a new video series based out of Argyle Studio , featuring some of Winnipeg’s latest and greatest artists! Here's a quick conversation with the trio behind the project (Cam Loeppky, Mike Requeima and Tom Elvers) about the series’ origins, upcoming episodes, filming b-roll of Winnipeg streets in the dead of winter, and more. The series already has a couple of episodes out, including performances by the Greg Macpherson Band and Fold Paper . I also did a second interview with C...
Mar 01, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 771
Local video gang The Village Idiots were always ahead of the curve when it comes to live-streaming Winnipeg music. After a pandemic-related hiatus, Rylie Saunders, one of the Idiots-in-chief, is back with The Spare Room, a new series of live performances and conversations with local musicians! On this episode, we chat about the new show and much more! Need more Village Idiots? Check out episode #212 (Dec. 2016). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new...
Feb 24, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 770
I inaugurated my new memory card with a great conversation with Veronica Blackhawk of Tinge ! We talked about the upcoming Big Deep Sigh EP on the House of Wonders label, indie folk (but also math rock), the joys of Midwest emo, making music for people who are underrepresented, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon . You can hel...
Feb 21, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 769
Great conversation with contemporary drum kit specialist Ben Reimer ! Really enjoyed this one. We talked about expanding the horizons of the drum kit into forms of classical music, the melodic playing on his Katana of Choice LP, working with composers, using techniques from genres like metal in symphonic settings (classical blastbeats!) and much more. NOTE: As I mention in the intro, my trusty old memory card finally crapped out on me after hundreds of episodes, so this is the backup audio, whic...
Feb 16, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 768
Winnipeg singer-songwriter Cec Lopez is out-of-province working on a Master’s degree, but more of the soulful songs of heartbreak that made 2021’s “ Canola ” EP so memorable are in the works. Here's a conversation about vocals with presence, Manitoba as home and inspiration, learning the business side of being an independent artist, and much more. NOTE: As I mention in the intro, my trusty old memory card finally crapped out on me after hundreds of episodes, so this is the backup audio, which me...
Feb 14, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 767
After a decade of band practice, the members of Satanic Rights are ready to celebrate with an anniversary show March 10 at The Handsome Daughter ! We talked about the milestone, how staff Christmas parties are responsible for the band’s longevity, what they probably *should* have named themselves, working on new music, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who sup...
Feb 10, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 766
Very interesting conversation on this episode with jazz vocalist/composer/educator Adele M Wilding . She’s presenting a three-week vocal workshop on African-American spirituals next month at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts, and we discussed the direct throughway from spirituals to all genres of popular music today, aural and oral traditions, the idea of musical “soul”, and much more. We also got into Adele’s upcoming ‘ jazz vespers ’ event, and the idea of bringing a jazz trio into a...
Feb 06, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 765
Here's a throwback episode -- it's a re-release of one of the "lost" podcasts from 2014 -- an early Witchpolice interview that didn't get added to the current podcast feed. This one was originally released as episode #77 (the show wasn't even into triple-digits yet!) and featured a phone interview with Sammy Kohn, drummer of iconic Winnipeg rockers The Watchmen. I hope you dig it. It's in the show's old format, so if you're new to Witchpolice Radio, you're better off listening to a 2023 episode,...
Feb 02, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 764
This episode features two members of Velvet Blitz talking about releasing music at the height of the pandemic (and the evolution of their songs since they’ve been able to rehearse in person), coming from Winnipeg’s vibrant Filipino music community, blending funk, blues and punk influences with straight-ahead rock n’ roll, and more. (We also talked about the really PURPLE-heavy graphic design on their records ) This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new W...
Jan 31, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 763
Rob Rodgers is the Winnipeg half of interprovincial indie rock duo Yelverton Undertow ! We talked about the two-decades-in-the-making collaboration with a former bandmate in Newfoundland, leaving tapes in the wild, the upcoming Yelverton Undertow EP and its almost-release on vinyl, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon . You can...
Jan 27, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 762
Here's a conversation with members of Fox Lake about releasing an LP during the pandemic, struggling to explain what kind of music they play (is it math rock? Is it Midwest emo? Is it “punk-adjacent”?), remote songwriting with one member living out of province, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon . You can help out for as litt...
Jan 23, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 761
Solo artist Andrew Floyd's latest project, Lifte , is a very personal one. His raw new cover album, ' Disconnected ' — as well as his previous releases of original music — act as an emotional outlet for the experience of being caregiver for his wife, who has primary progressive multiple sclerosis. We talked about creativity as catharsis, responses to the record from friends and family, sleeping on hospital chairs, connecting with other caregivers and loved ones of MS patients, and much more. It’...
Jan 20, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 760
I sat down with two members of long-running local “blues on steroids” outfit D.B. and the Deadbeats for a conversation about the band’s dozen years in the scene, trading their amped-up sound for stripped-down acoustic duo gigs during the pandemic, respecting the blues OGs, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out ...
Jan 16, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 759
Synth experimentalist Patrick Michalishyn is back on the podcast! Great conversation about his new soundtrack-without-a-movie ( Klont ), reviving the Sounds Escaping label, performing live, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Want more Michalishyn? Hear him on episode #298 (July 2019) and Quick Hits II (April 2021) Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can he...
Jan 13, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 758
They call themselves the oldest band that can be thought of as "emerging artists" — I sat down with four members of Car 287 for a wide-ranging conversation about transitioning from being a cover band to playing original music, finding a place in the local music scene, getting creative during the pandemic, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podc...
Jan 09, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 757
I sat down with Twintwa 's David Fort to talk about returning to Winnipeg for a wild show this Sunday (Jan. 8 at Bevvy Teyems Studio), nostalgic feelings for the Winnipeg airport, performing Twintwa's "deep Earth folk" as a solo act on this trip, and much more. There's also a very brief chat partway through with Jo Wolfclan (who was nearby when we did the interview). Jo is performing at Sunday's event alongside Twintwa, Eagle Lake Owls, Velveteen, and Kaiti Rieder Three of the four songs on this...
Jan 06, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 756
On this first episode of the new year, I caught up with local rapper, singer and breakdancer Mooki and talked about the new ‘ City Hunter ’ album (with Ali Wan Kenobi ), contributing to the culture, developing a sound and style he wants to hear, and much more. Need more Mooki? You can also hear him on episode #481 (April 2020). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports ...
Jan 02, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 755
