Release Day Series Podcast

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, heartbreaking and provocative memoir of a life filled with music, told with the same raw, open and elegant poetry that Tara’s fans have come to expect. From her early days in PEI through her teenage years in BC to her meteoric rise in music, Song of the Sparrow reveals Tara’s remarkable strength and shows that a song and a wide open heart are the best weapons for fighting monsters. Recorded on March 24th, 2023. For those that may be affected by or find it a difficult subject, there is discussion of sexual abuse in our conversation. Tara's Website Buy the Book Watch the Episode on YouTube

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 - creating the album with wooden instruments inside their log cabin recording studio, and approaching the release of any of your music with authenticity. It's a wonderful chat full of amazing tidbits - including the type of medicine that comes from the Willow tree. Thank you for listening. Mimi's website Video Version of the Interview

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 you will discover in our conversation will turn you into an instant fan. Jenny and I have a wonderful and honest conversation about the creation of her album, her writing process, funding her project, and collaborating with producer Clint Curtis (Justin Fancy, Jason Benoit) who also mixed, mastered and performed the instruments on the track, Jenny recorded her vocals from home. The single was completed at Sevenview Recording Studios in Springdale, NL. Video Version Jenny's Website

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 got started making music together - Julz details the near parallel lives he and Sacha lived before starting the group, how they weathered the last 2 years in the music industry and fought for their independence, and what the title of the album - Free Livin' - means to them. The Flamingos Pink

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 attention to the song and the project as a whole - brilliant! The song "Tonight" A gripping Folk-Americana song about allowing oneself to let go of reservation and leap into love features long time collaborator and JUNO Award winner Joey Landreth. So often we feel like a project is old or has no life left in it as we move forward to create something new for people to see and hear. Alicia's success in re-visiting the release of her 1-year old album is a perfect reminder that despite the age of our previous work, there is still an audience that has yet to discover it. Watch the video interview https://aliciatoner.ca/

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 through the his conversations with some incredible Canadian musicians, and cap it off with a great story about a show I saw David at while he was on tour with Classified in 2012. Theme music composed by @bedroomanticsmusic Watch the video interview. David Myles' Website Myles from Home Podcast

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 Morning Live for their Morning Jam. She has done an incredible job of taking what she's learned from working with industry professionals over the years to move her music career forward independently. Watch the video interview Leanna Oki's website

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 new dad (I have two young boys myself), we have a little fun discussing the kind of music that’s REALLY been playing around our homes. It’s a wonderful chat and I hope you enjoy it. Theme music composed by: @bedroomanticsmusic Watch the video interview here. https://www.matthewbarber.com/

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 excited to dive into the production of the tracks and dig around inside the mind of Stephen Hero for a better understanding of what this project is all about. Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/EcI6MO77Vjw https://stephenhero.bandcamp.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/stephenhero506 https://www.facebook.com/stephenherointhebooth https://www.instagram.com/stephenhero506/ https://twitter.com/stephen_hero

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.com/ Listen on YouTube with enhanced visuals: https://youtu.be/PKOXv0enels

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/

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: GNSR website: https://www.goodnightsunrise.com/ Video Version: https://youtu.be/kcgWhHONpJk Sign Up for our bi-weekly newsletter: https://www.releasedayseries.com/newsletter-sign-up-page Release Day Website - https://www.releasedayseries.com/

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: Shawna's Website: https://shawnacaspi.com/ Shawna's Music videos: https://shawnacaspi.com/video/ Video version of the episode: https://youtu.be/agREXGIsm7U

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 Bandcamp - https://sleepingbeesband.bandcamp.com/ Video version of the episode - https://youtu.be/XzXQyY6_3Wk Release Day Website - https://www.releasedayseries.com/

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 staying creative on social media in a way that is unique to you as an artist. Mountain Head website: https://www.mountainheadmusic.com/ Video version of the episode: https://youtu.be/0f1YLpx5DtI Release Day Series Podcast: https://www.releasedayseries.com/

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 a musical representation of the advice Tamara wishes she could have told her younger self and an encouraging reminder to learn from the past and persevere. Watch the Vodcast version: https://youtu.be/NhfHfZZvKRU Connect with Tamara Grace: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamaragracemusic Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/5htEPpLG7TqKG3PY8Dzhgw?si=2VGlc6qKRBKsXQCQA6q9ag Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamaragracemusic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/realtamaragrace YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfmrNXENCUmCWPhkSEQRC9Q Release Day Website: https://www.releasedayseries.com/

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 everyone, and that we all have something to share, they offer workshops in songwriting and fiddle-tune writing, and offers concerts with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, to help make live music and the community that comes with it more accessible to the Deaf community. Raine's website: https://www.rainehamilton.com/ Eclipse music video: https://youtu.be/u7ps_kEHwFQ Video Version of the episode: https://youtu.be/UtghgjAoME4 Release Day Website: https://www.releasedayseries.com/

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-255292505757 My Nights on the Island (EP): https://alexsouthey.bandcamp.com/album/my-nights-on-the-island Video Version of the episode: https://youtu.be/-4kdLXcKdGw Release Day Series Website: https://www.releasedayseries.com/

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.releasedayseries.com/

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/bedroomantics Release Day Website - https://www.releasedayseries.com/