Music Buddy

Ansley Simpson is a Toronto-based Michi Saagiig Nishnaabe singer, songwriter, and composer. Her enchanting and powerful sophomore album She Fell From the Sky embraces the origin story of Gizhiigokwe (Sky Woman), who embarks upon an emotional and brave journey on earth in an attempt to repair and restore humanity and the planet. Ansley's musical continuation of the story is filled with compassion, humour, mystery, and a healthy blend of dark and light. In this—the finale episode of Season...

Monique Barry is a classically-trained singer, songwriter, composer, and music educator. Her music is unique, ethereal, dreamlike, and emotional, and ranges from techno pop to ambient folk. Monique's latest album—HAAK—is being released one single at a time - a slow drip of elegant melodies and intricate beats. The latest single—"Time"—is a spellbinding exploration of what Tennessee Williams called "the longest distance between two places". Monique possesses a truly independent spirit,...

Tim Vesely is a bassist, guitarist, songwriter, composer, and sound engineer. Best-known as a co-founder of the Canadian art-rock band Rheostatics, Tim also performs with his own band The Violet Archers. When not performing and writing songs, Tim is the house engineer at Blue Rodeo's Woodshed Studio, which he refers to as his "dream job". In that role, he has engineered and mixed albums with artists such as Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy Band, Serena Ryder, The Sadies and Gord Downie, Bobby Dove,...

Laurie Brown is a much-admired Canadian music journalist, writer, TV & radio host, and podcaster. Her remarkable career began in the 1980s at City TV's The New Music, and continued to thrive at Much Music (Pepsi Power Hour), CBC Television (The Journal, The National, and Newsworld's On The Arts), and CBC Radio (The Signal). She is now the creator, writer, producer and host of two independent podcasts: Pondercast and Ground Level. In this conversation, Laurie talks about seeking creative...

It's that time of the year again! Festive bells, sparkly lights, caroling, visiting with friends and family, walking in the snow (or maybe on the beach?), and dreaming of good things to come. For this special episode, we're embracing as much of the season as possible. Let's call it "Solstimas". You’ll hear from a plethora of festive musical guests, who generously offer up their seasonal favourites. GUESTS: (2:56) Andy Maize - The Grinch That Stole Christmas ……………….. (5:14) Lisa...

Julian Taylor is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter with a truly independent success story. He has been honing his special blend of timeless roots rock since the 1990s, steadily growing followers while weaving his way into the fabric of Canada's indie music culture and sound. His 2020 album The Ridge earned him 2 Juno Award nominations (Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year), a Canadian Folk Music Award, five Native American Music Award nominations,...

Simon Paradis is an accomplished roots/rock musician, having played in bands across Canada for over 30 years. One morning in 2008, while working his construction job on the Sunshine Coast in B.C., Simon fell off a scaffold and landed on the pavement below, resulting in massive brain and spinal cord trauma. He and his band The Precious Littles were set to release a new album that weekend at the Vancouver Island Music Festival, one that would hopefully gain them some notoriety and enable Simon...

Music releases dopamine, and dopamine makes us feel good! It’s a scientific fact. We get happy when we listen to music. Who doesn't love going to see their favourite band live, or singing along to a treasured album, or staring out the car window with the perfect road song on the radio. But there's so much more to it than that... In her remarkable debut book Wired for Music: A Search for Health and Joy Through the Science of Sound, author Adriana Barton guides us through her own personal...

Alan Matheson is a much-admired jazz composer, trumpeter, pianist, and educator. He is an expert in jazz history, and leads his own big band, nonet, septet and trio. Alan has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Louis Bellson, and Phil Woods, and has taught at several music programs in the Vancouver area, including Vancouver Community College, and UBC. In this episode, Alan talks about studying with the world-renowned trumpeter and educator Vincent Chicowicz (Chicago Symphony...

Tim Vesely is a bassist, guitarist, songwriter, composer, and sound engineer. Best-known as a co-founder (with Dave Bidini) of the much-revered Canadian art-rock band Rheostatics, Tim has also recorded 2 albums and an EP with his own band The Violet Archers. Tim is the House Engineer at Blue Rodeo's Woodshed Studio in Toronto's Riverdale neighbourhood. Tim and Jane have worked together since 2008, mostly in the context of Jane's band The Real Shade. Their recent work together finds Tim as...

Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner aka "The Hungo Hammer" have been bandmates and rock 'n roll co-conspirators since the 1970s. Their band Anvil had massive success in the 1980s after the release of their now-classic album, "Metal is Metal". Bands such as Anthrax, Slayer, and Metallica all credit Anvil with having influenced their sound. Due to forces beyond their control, Anvil's success didn't stick, and they toiled in obscurity for several years... until 2009, when an old friend and...

Gill Deacon is a much-loved radio broadcaster and host of CBC Radio’s Here and Now. She is also a best-selling author, a hard-working Mom of 3 boys, an advocate for green living, and a dynamic singer and entertainer. A 2-time breast cancer survivor, Gill has bravely spoken and written on the topic of her diagnosis and treatment. In this conversation, Gill talks about the joy of playing in bands (then and now), why she loves radio (and what podcasts she listens to), what music helped her...

Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson are the founders of Toronto’s much-loved roots rock band, Skydiggers. In this conversation, they offer up insight gained over a successful 35+ year career, one fuelled by hard work, passion, creativity, love, and good humour. Andy and Josh discuss the art of songwriting, the secrets to surviving on the road and staying focused on stage, and how recording their upcoming album (with friend and collaborator Joby Baker) often felt like "rock 'n roll fantasy...

Koralee Tonack is a gifted singer and long-time bandmate of Music Buddy host, Jane Gowan. As musical collaborators in the 90s and early 2000s, Koralee and Jane developed a unique but accessible sound, first as the acoustic folk/pop duo Time Waits, then gradually evolving to form Spygirl, a 6-piece power pop group. Enjoy the conversation between two good friends as they talk about the joys and challenges of life in an indie band. You'll also hear a new Music Buddy Band song called...

In this episode, Director and Producer Mike Downie sits down with Jane for an in-depth conversation that will transport you onto a documentary film set, then backstage at a Tragically Hip concert (with alter-ego Buddy Scrotts), then to a Legacy School in Edmonton, then back in time to an epic rock show in the 1970s, before landing you in the alley behind Toronto's Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. An award-winning filmmaker, Mike has worked around the world, creating programs such as The Nature...

Stephen Stanley is a veteran of the Canadian indie rock scene, a stellar singer-songwriter, a prolific storyteller, gifted guitarist, and a radio DJ,. He was a founding member of the alternative rock band Lowest of the Low, with whom he toured extensively for many years, and also released 4 albums, including 1991’s much-loved, Shakespeare My Butt . He now records and performs as The Stephen Stanley Band, and is in the midst of recording a new album. In this episode, Stephen talks about...

Wayne Stewart is a Musician, Actor, Emcee, Stage Manager, and much more. He can work up a crowd like nobody's business, and compose a montuno in minutes. In this episode, Wayne reveals how to get a jazz audience to chill and chuckle, what Wynton Marsalis taught him about mic-ing a band, and how a toxic social climate permeated the lives of so many jazz legends. He also talks about the thrill of working with Tim Burton, and divulges the secret to salsa dancing. Wayne Stewart on the...

Paul is a seasoned sportscaster and play-by-play guy, having called games all over the world. In addition to an illustrious career in radio and TV, he’s also a writer, teacher, voice-over artist and podcaster. His podcast The Walrus Was Paul is a fabulous deep dive in to the music of The Beatles, where various Canadian musical guests unpack their favourite Beatles’ album, track by track. In this episode, Paul and Jane face off for a spirited conversation about sports and music. From Peter...

Andrew Cash is a musician, singer-songwriter, journalist, politician, and lifelong social justice advocate. In this episode, Andrew talks about growing up Catholic in Scarborough, starting a band in the 80s, playing at the infamous Edge Club, singing with his brother Pete Cash, befriending Andy Maize of the Skydiggers, living in Kensington Market, running for office, serving as NDP MP for the riding of Davenport, and how the music business is confusing, even to those in the music...

Author and journalist Tim Falconer loves music with a passion, especially the sound of the human voice, breaking into song. However, Tim is tone deaf, a condition formally known as "amusic". His 2016 book Bad Singer candidly reveals the bold and emotional journey he took to uncover his amusic diagnosis. In this episode, Tim shares personal stories about his relationship to music, why the idea of singing in public is terrifying (and how he did it anyway), and how music will always be...