Off The Record

Jay Koster, former frontman of BC based pop-punk band The Fallaways, joins me to talk about his new solo project Koster.

If you haven't heard of this band and love nothing more than putting on some great music after a long day's work and sparking up a joint or sipping on your favourite cocktail then look no further. You've found them. Mother Tongues has been on the Toronto music scene for the past 5 years and is made up of: Lukas Cheung, Charise Aragoza, Konrad Karczewski, Nick Kervin , Hannah Bussiere Kim. It was a love of everything from 60s French pop, to break beats, kraut rock shoegaze and film scores that brought these 5 together and it's interesting how all of these seemingly random mix of genres come out in their music. Mother Tongues have toured all across Canada and the US sharing the stage notable artists such as Dilly Dally, Fucked Up and U.S Girls. The band signed with Buzz Records in 2019 and released their debut EP Everything You Ever Wanted in 2020, in the thralls of the COVID 19 pandemic. If you haven't yet, I urge you to give the EP a listen, it is truly out of this world and as guitarist and vocalist Lukas Cheung says the “music transports you” – which is a very accurate way of describing it. To truly get a sense of this statement check out their Live If you haven't heard of this band and love nothing more than putting on some great music after a long day's work and sparking up a joint or sipping on your favourite cocktail then look no further. You've found them. Mother Tongues has been on the Toronto music scene for the past 5 years and is made up of: Lukas Cheung, Charise Aragoza, Konrad Karczewski, Nick Kervin , Hannah Kim – if that last name sounds familiar to you, it should because Hannah is none other than the very popular and talented Luna Li. It was a love of everything from 60s French pop, to break beats, kraut rock shoegaze and film scores that brought these 5 together and it's interesting how all of these seemingly random mix of genres come out in their music. Mother Tongues have toured all across Canada and the US sharing the stage notable artists such as Dilly Dally, Fucked Up and U.S Girls. The band signed with Buzz Records in 2019 and released their debut EP Everything You Ever Wanted in 2020, in the thralls of the COVID 19 pandemic. If you haven't yet, I urge you to give the EP a listen, it is truly out of this world and as guitarist and vocalist Lukas Cheung says the “music transports you” – which is a very accurate way of describing it. To truly get a sense of this statement check out their live performance at the River & Sky Festival on YouTube. I caught up with Lukas and Charise via zoom o chat about the forming of the band, what drives them and how they've navigated putting out their debut EP during a pandemic. Here's my chat with Lukas and Charise of Mother Tongues at the River & Sky Festival on YouTube. I caught up with Lukas and Charise via zoom o chat about the forming of the band, what drives them and how they've navigated putting out their debut EP during a pandemic. MOTHER TONGUES Bandcamp | https://mothertongues.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3j9vHGY Apple Music | https://apple.co/3mF7Lh1 IG | https://www.instagram.com/mothertonguesband

SPRINTS are a four-piece garage-noise band based out of Dublin, Ireland. They are made up of Karla Chubb on vocals, Sam McCann on bass, Colm O'Reilly on guitar and Jack Callan on drums. The band is pretty new, having formed in late 2019. Just in time to get a few shows and songs out before the global pandemic hit. However, what is very interesting about these guys is that in that short time they gained quite a bit of notoriety, getting radio play on the UK's BBC radio 6 and 1 and having write ups in publications such as NME and Hot Press Music. Their music combines guitar-driven hooks, motoric rhythm and emotive lyrics to create a sound that is pretty unique drawing inspiration from the garage, grunge and punk genres. They released their debut EP Manifesto in March of this year and are looking to sign with a label and get a full-length album out as soon as they can. I caught up with vocalist, Karla and bassist, Sam via zoom to talk about the forming of the band, how they have been navigating being a new band during a pandemic and what is coming up next for them. Here's my chat with Karla and Sam of Sprints. SPRINTS Bandcamp | https://sprintsmusic.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2UGSq3V Apple Music | https://apple.co/3rHJmaT IG | https://www.instagram.com/sprintsmusic

If you live in Toronto and frequented music venues like The Horseshoe Tavern, or even just have the local radio station playing in the background at home or your place of work, then you've undoubtedly heard the catchy melodies of the pop-rock quartet: Jane's Party. If you haven't had a chance to see them live, I highly recommend it: they put on a great show and will soon be performing on the stage again. The band is made up of Jeff Giles (keys/guitar/vocals), Tom Ionescu (guitar/vocals), Devon Richardson (bass/vocals), and Zach Sutton (drums). These guys have been hard at work making wonderfully catchy tunes that get stuck in your head since forming the band in 2006. In their 15 year career, they have put out 5 full-length albums, the latest of which is a collection of unplugged versions of songs they performed on The Marshmallow Revue. "What is the Marshmallow Revue?", you might ask. Without giving too much away, because we talk bout it quite a bit in the interview, it is a very well produced film of the guys performing out on docks or in canoes out in cottage country – north of Toronto. The film really gives fans a deeper insight and personal connection to the band, and is all around just a great watch – you can catch it on YouTube. JANE'S PARTY Bandcamp | https://janesparty.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/35MZLRq Apple Music | https://apple.co/3zNYjfc Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/janespartyband/

The Damn Truth is made up of Lee-la Baum (lead vocals/guitar), Tom Shemer (lead guitar/vocals), PY Letellier (bass/vocals) and Dave Traina (drums/vocals). They have been around for the better half of a decade , and Now or Nowhere is their 3 full-length album. Their sound is kind of timeless - if I didn't know about them and heard it on the radio I would think they are one of the great bands of the classic rock era. And their new album just sounds fantastic – and it's no wonder because it was mostly produced by Canadian Music Hall of Fame Inductee: Bob Rock. Bob, if you don't know him, has produced some of rocks greatest albums, working with some of rock's biggest bands like Metallica, Bon Jovi, Motley Crew, Bryan Adams... the list just goes on and on. I got to chat with the entire band, which I don't get to do often and I got some insight on the making of the album, what it was like working with the legend that is Bob Rock, and got some cool background stories of a couple of the songs that made it to the album. I even got to ask Lee-La and Tom's son, Ben, a couple of questions towards the end of the interview: I learnt that the youngster is already an avid vinyl collector and plays the drums – so we'll have to keep tabs on him because something tells me he'll be following in his parents footsteps. Special thank to Selina over at TA2 Sound + Music for doing the mix

Luis Felber has been involved in England's music scene for a long time, playing in tons of bands, in various genres from punk rock, with his band Turbogeist to psych rock with Shuga. He is also one of the founders of Young Turks Records, now known as Young. If the name sounds familiar that's because they have some pretty notable acts on their roster including The XX (and with that Jamie XX) and FKA Twigs. However, since the end of 2019, Luis has been releasing self-produced tracks under the name Attawalpa – this happens to me his Peruvian middle name. Because he has full control, Luis flirts with different genres in the music he makes, but I guess if we wanted to pidgeon hole him, I would say he's somewhere in the alternative indie world. Luis and I caught up via Zoom and had a really long chat – it was just so interesting getting to know him and hear about his journey to becoming Attawalpa. ATTAWALPA Bandcamp | https://attawalpa.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/33NE3vD Apple Music | https://apple.co/3fakqD8 IG | www.instagram.com/attawalpa

Miesha Louie has been making music for over a decade now and as the band name suggests, has always been the main driving force behind it. Miesha and the Spanks, has gone through many lineup changes over the years, but Miesha seems to have found the perfect musical partner in drummer, Sean Hamilton – who's been with her for the past five years. When setting out to make this EP, Miesha and Sean initially wanted to tone back their punky roots and write songs that would be more radio-friendly, which is why they brought the project to Americana legend, Leeroy Stagger to produce it. However, Leeroy decided the best thing to do would be to turn everything up – way up - and we are left with what might be the bands loudest work yet. I caught up with Miesha via zoom, to discuss the new EP, and the making of it, and how her and Sean came to meet and why their musical partnership just works. MIESHA AND THE SPANKS Bancamp | https://mieshathespanks.bandcamp.com/ Spotfiy | https://spoti.fi/2Suf1zf Apple Music | https://apple.co/3eRXR62 IG | https://www.instagram.com/mandthespanks (A special thank you to Selina Fiorini over at TA2 Sound + Music for editing and mixing)

Tunic formed around 2012, after the band's founder David Schellenberg – on vocals and guitar - was fired from another band he was in for not being good enough on bass. This acted as a catalyst for David to start his own project, going for a sound inspired by the likes of Quicksand and Superchunk. In 2016 Tunic released their first EP Disappointment followed by another EP Boss in 2017. Since those releases, Tunic has been touring practically non-stop – playing 111 shows in 2019 alone. The new album “Exhaling” acts as an anthology album of both of those EPs with three new tracks: Exhaling, Fade Out and Invalid. I got to chat with David via Zoom abut the new album, the bands relationship with their new label Artefact Records, and a lot about what he's been doing to keep busy during the pandemic. TUNIC Bancamp | https://tunicband.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3xwMj0E Apple Music | https://apple.co/2R4K4kf IG | https://www.instagram.com/tunicband

Tiger's Jaw have been together for well over a decade now since starting their career in Scranton, Pennsylvania back in 2005. In that time they have put out and handful of Eps and 6 studio albums - the latest one being "I Won't Care How You Remember Me", which dropped on March 5, 2021 on Hopeless Records. I got to chat with the band's frontman Ben Walsh – who has been in the band since the beginning. Ben and I chat about the new album, the relationship with their long-time producer Will Yip, and we get some insight to what Ben has been listening to during this pandemic. TIGER'S JAW Bandcamp | https://tigersjaw.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3dIjgxM Apple Music | https://apple.co/3uooJRh Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tigersjaw

The members of Dead Poet Society went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and when they initially formed in 2012 or 2013, but without their current frontman Jack Underkofler – the band, according to Jack sucked (his words, not mine). Apparently there were even memes going around Berklee about them being the worst band in the school and Jack, who's best friend was the drummer in the band in those early days, convinced his friend to leave the band and then somehow ended up as the bands frontman in 2013. This is when their sound changed dramatically and they discovered the unique guitar sound achieved by playing a home-made fretless guitar thought to have been broken, which was busted out during one of their band practices. Go and listen to one of their early songs “Lo Air” and you'll hear what I mean – it's a killer sound. Jack graciously took my Zoom call while waiting in an airport to board his flight – so disclaimer: you might hear some announcements going on in the background and some awkward pauses while we wait for them to pass – decided to keep them in because it was funny. Jack and I chat about the early days of the band, the making of the album, the ideas behind the cryptic album title and imagery of the album art. DEAD POET SOCIETY Bandcamp | https://deadpoetsocietyofficial.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3rqjVZC Apple Music | https://apple.co/3lSNlyB Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wearedps

LTtheMonk grew up in Beckenham, a small town in Bromley – one of the Boroughs of London in the UK. Music was always a big part of his life, but he fell in love with Hip Hop when we stumbled upon Twista's “Sunshine” music video while channel surfing at the tender age of 7 – something just clicked and he knew right then that he needed to become a rapper. When it came time to apply for colleges, LT knew North America would give him the best chance of making a career in Hip Hop, AND because of Canada's more lenient immigration policies, picked us and bought his plane ticket. He studied music in Hamilton, where he would meet the members of the band that he performs with at his live shows. In the last year, LT landed a record deal with Hamilton-based label and management company Sonic Unyon, becoming their first hip hop artist. He's been working hard on the final touches on his upcoming album “On The Wall” (which is a nod to his inspiration: Michael Jackson's infamous album from the 90's “Off The Wall”). Join me as we learn a little more about LT and his journey in life and hip hop. LTtheMONK Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3lGBl32 Apple Music | https://apple.co/3lO4SaX IG | https://www.instagram.com/ltthemonk/

Yester Daze is made up of three members: Brandon McShad on GTR and lead VOX, Zach Lemay on bass and Matt Ware on the drums. The guys originally got together when Brandon hired Zach and Matt as session musicians for his solo project, but once the spark between these three ignited and the music became heavier and louder, they quickly decided that this new direction the music was going in needed a new band name, and so in 2018 Yester Daze was born. I caught up with the band's drummer, Matt via Zoom to talk about the band's origin story, the making of their debut EP, and some pretty big names they got to work with because of it. Here's my chat with Matt Ware of Yester Daze YESTER DAZE Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3f565cC Apple Music | https://apple.co/392nUp7 IG | https://www.instagram.com/officialyesterdaze/

The Toronto-based powerhouse, Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs have been tearing up stages across North America with the likes of Fidlar, The Dirty Nil, Frank Turner and Billy Joe Armstrong's The Longshot, to name a few. “Real One” is the band's third full length album, and while the first two were already great, this is simply better – the band have all matured as musicians, the sound is fuller, richer and they managed to capture that live energy you get from them at any of their shows. Sam and I talk about all kinds of stuff including band's DnD sessions, which you can catch every Wednesday at 7pm EST on twitch (their handle is @coffeyandlungs). We also talk about the new record, and how they managed to achieve the sound they did and finally because he's from Toronto, we chat about some of his favourite spots in the city. SAM COFFEY AND THE IRON LUNGS Bandcamp | https://samcoffeyandtheironlungs.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3sCBmaB Apple Music | https://apple.co/2ZRlQLA Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/coffeyandlungs/

Chastity is the brain-child of Brandon Williams, the band's frontman and lyricist. Over the last six years, Williams has put out an EP and two full-length albums. So far in 2021, Chastity has released one single, a cover of Third Eye Blinds “Losing a Whole Year” – which is very fitting with COVID 19 essentially cancelling the 2020. I caught up with Brandon over the phone, which is why the audio on this one isn't the best. We talk about all sorts of things, including the making of “Drain The Bloodbath”, and what made him decide to get veteran studio vocalist Makeda Francisco involved. We also talk about when his love affair with music started, and how would eventually fall in love with punk rock when he got into skating culture. I've been a fan of Chastity since their first album Death Lust dropped back in 2018, so this interview really meant a lot and I got to ask a lot of questions as a fan – because really there isn't all too much information on Brandon online – he's a very private person it seems. CHASTITY Bandcamp | https://chastitysongs.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3qgeZqF Apple Music | https://apple.co/3pkEAgx IG | https://www.instagram.com/chastitysongs

Toronto-based Indie Pop duo TandM is made up of lead singer and guitarist Maxine Beck-Sinderby and drummer Thomas Franklin – T for Thomas and M for Maxine – therefore TandM. The two met serendipitously at a music studio in high school and became fast friends, and eventually a couple. They both entered into York university for music, where their songwriting skills would grow and they would put out their first EP Reflections Vol 1 and Reflections Vol 2 in 2019. Then in October of 2020, after having graduated from university with BA's in music and signing with Popguru Sound and Vision, Maxine and Thomas chose their favorite 5 tracks from both EPs and sent them to Howie Beck and João Carvalho to be remixed and remastered and put those tracks out on a new EP called Reflections Remastered. Here's my chat with TandM. TANDM Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3pQCXI8 Apple Music | https://apple.co/3pUfQMR Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/tandm.band/

Bike Thiefs is a Toronto-based post-punk trio made up of bassist Kris Pandierada, drummer Andrew Fasken and guitarist/vocalist Marko Woloshyn. The band have been together for over 5 years and in that time have released three EPs, as well as a full-length album titled "Leaking", which they released this year after signing with Montreal-based label Stomp Records. I caught up with the guys via Zoom to chat about their album, video games and their favourite bars and restaurants in Toronto. BIKE THIEFS Bandcamp | https://bikethiefs.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2KMlwcO Apple Music | https://apple.co/2WDdmGn Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/bikethiefs/

Partner is made up of Josée Caron on guitar and vocals, Lucy Niles on bass and vocals and Simone TB on drums. The band have been active for a number of years now, Josée and Lucy met at university in New Brunswick in 2014, and by 2020 Partner has put out two full-length albums and one EP. They gained notoriety in 2018, when they won the SOCAN Signwriting Prize for their song “Playing The Field”. Their first album In Search Of Lost Time (2017) had a late 90's / early 2000's rock sound to it – one could compare their old stuff to a mix of American Hifi and Wheatus. However, over the years the band have developed a more classical rock sound, taking inspiration from great Canaidan bands like Rush, and you can hear it throughout the latest album Never Give Up (2020). I got to chat with the band while they were taking a break from recording in a studio in BC. We talk about the formation of the band and how Simone eventually got involved – Simone is an extremely accomplished session drummer who also plays in another amazing band U.S. Girls. We also chat a lot about the new album and the even newer material they are currently working on. PARTNER Bandcamp | https://partnerband.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3oOHjPC Apple Music | https://apple.co/3a8XCCH Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/partner_band

Sterling Fox has been in the industry for a long time now and has worked with some top talents, like Madonna, Avicii and Adam Levine to name a few. However, in 2018 Fox decided that it was time to put out his own music, without the limitations of the pop machine and started putting out tracks under his new moniker Baby FuzZ. As diverse as his music is, the lyrics are a singular and hyper self aware narrative with strong political and social undertones. In 2019, Baby Fuzz released his debut album Plastic Paradise independently and embarked on a DIY US Tour and amidst all of this COVID pandemonium, Baby FuzZ has been working hard on the debuts follow up Welcome to the Future – which fans can expect to drop late 2020 or early 2021. So far we've had a taste of 4 singles which are all very different from one another, showing off his wide versatility in music sensibilities. Sterling and I dive into the new music, he tells me about the challenges of how being completely independent can be difficult if you're a perfectionist when trying to finish an album, we also talk about his love for video games and movies as well as the story behind the cool mask he wears in his music video for “Acid Night”. BABY FUZZ Bandcamp | https://babyfuzz.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3obUud9 Apple Music | https://apple.co/39x8WbJ IG | https://www.instagram.com/babyfuzzzz/

Originally, this project started Scott Xylo, a British producer & Songwriter of Jamaican descent befriended Welsh guitarist Adam Martin (ADEEMUS) whilst working together at a coffee shop in Leicester, UK. The duo originally teamed up to work on new Scott Xylo material, but they would eventually add Irish-Nigerian vocalist Demigosh after meeting at a gig in late 2019. Officially being a trio since February of this year, Shadeemus has already put out one 5-track EP called Arakis in June, as well as a couple of singles since that release. I caught up with the Scott Xylo and Adam Martin via Zoom and we talk about what starting new project in the midst of a global pandemic looks like, as well as how not allowing themselves to be put in a defined genre gives the group the freedom to really push the envelope and get weird with whatever they are working on. Here's my chat with Scott and Adam of Shadeemus. SHADEEMUS Bandcamp | https://shadeemus.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3kXVGij Apple Music | https://apple.co/375dfYC Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/shadeemus/

Dayseeker vocalist Rory Rodriguez and drummer Mike Karle announced their new project Hurtwave earlier this summer. For this endeavour, the pair traffic in synths and the output is decidedly different than that of their main band. The band, which is signed to Spinefarm Records, have released three singles so far and plan to release another four to complete their first EP Night Therapy 1. Rory and I chat about how Hurtwave started, as well as dive into the three singles the band has released and the stories behind the songs, which is always interesting. Here's my chat with Rory of Hurtwave. HURTWAVE Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3kAZSUR Apple Music | https://apple.co/2IH8zzQ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/hurtwave

After signing with Fearless Records in 2019, the My Kid Brother released their first EP in September of this year and it's a wonderful collection of half a dozen songs – for their first EP the songs really sound polished and are catchy as hell. I linked up with the entire band, which was pretty cool as I normally just get to speak with one member for these interviews, but this is also why the audio on this one isn't the best – but the content is good – I promise! We talk about the formation of the band, the making of the EP and a couple of fun stories while tripping on acid. MY KID BROTHER Spotify | https://spoti.fi/36qUaju Apple Music | https://apple.co/36zAn1p

Falcon Jane's frontwoman and founder, Sara May, started performing under the moniker almost 9 years ago, and while the band has undergone many line up changes over the years, she found her musical partner, Andrew McArthur in 2014 and eventually a romance would form between the two. Now, in 2020 Falcon Jane is on the cusp of releasing their third full-length album Faith, which will be available everywhere this Friday Nov 13, 2020. Sara and I chat about the formation of the band, the stories behind some of the songs off the new album, making music videos on a small budget, as well as what our favourite Toronto venues are and why. Here's my chat with Sara May of Falcon Jane. FALCON JANE Bandcamp |https://falconjane.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/36ldGxJ Apple Music | https://apple.co/3kfa3hR

TEETH is a project that was birthed out of a necessity to release a lot of pent up anger and it shows in their music, these guys are HEAVY, however my chat with them was not. I got to talk to Blake Prince and Chris LeMasters about the formation of the band, the singles they've put out so far and when we might expect the first album to drop. We also talk about the current music climate and some of their favourite movies. They recommended that I watch the American version of Funny Games, starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt and just as they had promised: It. Was. Weird! Definitely recommend watching it if you're into mindf*** movies. A big shout out and thank you to Jake over at New Damage Records for the introduction and help setting this interview up. TEETH Bandcamp | https://teethnoise.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3oK36IX Apple Music | https://apple.co/3kKxznN

Heart Attack Kids originally started as a two-piece punk band made up of lead singer and guitarist Jared Ellul and drummer Nathan Stock in 2013. This high energy rock music really transferred well to their live performances, and the band would sign their first record deal in 2016 with Undergorund Operations and subsequently release their first full length album "No Future". The band would eventually switch labels and sign to Toronto Independent label New Damage to record and release their second full-length album "Bad Luck Like Gold". Not long after releasing this album Nathan announced that he would be leaving the band - on good terms mind you, he just wanted to dedicate his time to his now fiance and start a career in carpentry - Jared and Nathan are still good friends this day. Jared didn't let this stop him from continuing on the project and he quickly teamed up with bassist Craig Gignac and session drummer Mark Swann and the three of them are currently working on new music. Can't Stop is the first single we've heard with the new line up, but Jared hints that another single will be out before the end of 2020. I spoke with the bands co-founder and frontman, Jared about the history of the band, the new line up and new music he's been getting into. We even chat about the struggles of trying to stay fit during this pandemic. Here's my chat with Jared of Heart Attack Kids. HEART ATTACK KIDS Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3kpppRW Apple Music | https://apple.co/2FMWmsc Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/heartattackkids

The Damned are Britain's greatest surviving punk rock band from the good old days and the Rockfield studios are especially important, because this is where the band would record, what would eventually become their most successful releases: The Black Album and Strawberries. I had the privilege to speak with one of British punk rock's OGs - Captain Sensible about the new EP, and his thoughts on the pandemic - it is apparent the man does NOT like Bill Gates (sorry Bill). He also Shares with me some fun stories from the old days, including a special one about a show in Toronto which had him waking up in the hospital. THE DAMNED Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3lRjZzj Apple Music | https://apple.co/3iZo42F Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/eternally_damned/

Mobina Galore, the Winnipeg punk duo made up of Jenna Priestner on guitar and lead vocals and Marcia Hanson on drums, formed in 2011. Since then the band have released 3 full-length studio albums and a very intimate documentary on the making of their last record Don't Worry. The documentary called Sorry, I'm A Mess was released in April of this year and gives viewers an in depth and personal look into what goes in to making an album, how the duo navigates that fine line between being bandmates and life partners, as well as the ridiculously tight schedule a lot of bands find themselves in when trying to finish an entire album before leaving for months of touring. I speak with Jenna Priestner, the band's guitarist and main vocalist, about life during the pandemic, and how her and Marcia have made the best of it, the origin story of the forming of the band, as well as an in-depth chat about their documentary “Sorry, I'm a mess” Here's my chat with Jenna of Mobina Galore. MOBINA GALORE Bandcamp| https://mobinagalore.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3iT7Isb Apple Music | https://apple.co/371Sj6L Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mobinagalore/

Bootblacks is a post-punk band based out of NYC and have been making music for a decade. The band's founders, vocalist Panther Almqvist and guitarist Ali Gorman are the only two remaining original members and along with Barrett Hiatt on bass and Larry Gorman - a veteran from the hardcore scene on drums, Bootblacks are on the verge of releasing their third full length album “Thin Skies”. This will be their first release with Artoffact Records. I catch up with frontman Panther via Zoom to chat about the new album, the weird and wonderful music videos they have been putting out, as well as what the post-punk goth scene looks like and where things are going. I apologize for the quality of the audio on this one, we had some connectivity issues so Panther's voice kind of fades in and out in some parts - but if you listen careful you'll understand most of what he's saying. Here's my chat with Panther of Bootblacks. BOOTBLACKS Bandcamp | https://bootblacks.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2IaUBpI Apple Music | https://apple.co/3iKfWCK Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/bootblacks/

Rarity is a Post-Hardcore band based out of Hamilton, Ontario and are signed to New Damage Records. They have been active since 2014 and have released one EP and two-full length albums. In today's episode I chat with lead vocalist, Loeden and drummer Evan about life during the pandemic, the two new singles they put out this year and their deep love and respect for Alexisonfire. Here's my chat with Loeden and Evan of Rarity. RARITY Spotify | https://spoti.fi/34iHrOT Apple Music | https://apple.co/33lQIX5 Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/raritytheband/

The Fallaways have been together for a few years now, having released their first EP Skiddish in 2017. They have undergone some line up changes since then, most noticeably frontman Jay put down his guitar to concentrate on singing and fuelling crowds at shows with energy and witty banter. Now, they are a five piece and in late July released their second EP Sunset Ave. Aside from just being a kickass collection of songs, something I love about the EP is that Zach Carper, frontman for Cali Punkers FIDLAR had a helping hand on a few of the tracks. Here's my chat with Vancouver rockers The Fallaways. THE FALLAWAYS Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/thefallaways Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2RW0mcn Apple Music | https://apple.co/330BLtu

Movements formed in 2015 in Rancho Santa Margarita, California and were signed by Fearless Records after playing just one show. Since being signed, the band have put out an EP in 2016, called “Outgrown Things” and one full-length album in 2017 called “Feel Something” which was met with much critical acclaim. Now in September 2020, the group are on the cusp of releasing their second full-length album called “No Good Left To Give”, and having listened to it a few times already I can tell you that while these guys were already really good – they've only gotten better! I got to catch up with the bands frontman, Patrick Miranda, via Zoom to chat about the upcoming album, dive into a few songs in more detail and talk about the music videos they've put out in support of the new album. MOVEMENTS Bandcamp | https://movementsofficial.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/35IxlZK Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/movementsofficial/

Dead Quiet have been around for a while, having formed in 2014 and releasing their debut self-titled album a year later in 2015. Now in 2020 the band is on the cusp of releasing their third full-length album “Truth and Ruin”. I got to chat with the band's frontman and founder, Kevin Keegan via Zoom from his workplace in Vancouver, BC. We chat about the new album, how far everyone in the band has come and how by sticking with their current line up has allowed the guys to really get comfortable playing with each other – and it shows. We also chat about Kevin's day job; the incredibly awesome and fun lyric video for “Partial Darkness” and what music has been getting him through these strange times we find ourselves in. DEAD QUIET Bandcamp | https://deadquiet.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2Fi9CVx Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/deadquietband/

In today's episode I chat with Matt Coward, the Spinster Jones' bassist and learn about how these three guys met, and how their surrounding s influenced their style of music, which they affectionately refer to as "swamp punk". SPINSTER JONES Bandcamp | https://spinsterjones.bandcamp.com/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3hiMOlo Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/spinster.jo...

Florida-based rockers, Fame on Fire, can't really be pigeonholed into a specific genre, which they are fine with - one thing they refuse to be labelled as is a cover band. Why is it that they draw the line there? Probably because what blew the band up was making heavy covers of pop songs covering anyone from Katy Perry, to Justin Bieber to The Weeknd. However, we are hours away from the release of Fame on Fire's first full length album of original music and it's a banger! I got to chat with Bryan, the band's frontman, about the making of the upcoming album, and what songs are his personal favourites. We also chat about TV Shows, Lego and his love for Overwatch. FAME ON FIRE Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/fameonfire Spotify | https://spoti.fi/31SZPxI

Osé is a Nigerian-born; Brampton-based 17 year-old, who has made some pretty major waves in the Toronto scene in a very short amount of time – she started dropping music this year! She is backed by Upn6xt – a Toronto-based organization which helps up-and-coming hip-hop and RnB artists get noticed. We chat about her musical journey; her upcoming EP and her performance at Manifesto's Livestream tomorrow at 2:15pm (RSVP here: https://www.mnfsto.com/) OSÉ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/officialosee/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2G1UgEx

You were just listening to the intro of “Scars and Stripes”, the latest single from Toronto-based punk outfit The Bare Minimum. I got to chat with Cam Gray, who sings and plays guitar for the band, about the new single, as well as how The Bare Minimum truly embrace the DIY nature of the roots of punk rock, from recording their own stuff, to making their own videos. We also learn about the band's love/hate relationship with the Dufferin Mall or Duff Muff, as Torontonians affectionally nicknamed it, which explains the interesting backdrop for some of the official band photos (spoiler, they were taking in a Walmart). THE BARE MINIMUM Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/bareminimumband Spotify | https://spoti.fi/32aCWVp

Seeming's frontman Alex Reed and I chat about the upcoming album, the making of it, and what avant-garde composer Sarah Hennies brought to the table by co-producing it with Alex. Alex is an extremely interesting individual to talk to: he has a PhD and teaches a variety of music related courses in Ithica, NY; He composes music for film, commercials and video games AND he's written two books. So, the guy is smart, and quite accomplished. SEEMING Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seemingmusic/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3g9yAml

For today's episode I decided to reach out to someone, who I had already interviewed before the pandemic, simply because I didn't have a lot of time to chat with him the last time: I'm talking about Justin Benlolo, frontman and founder of BRKN Love, a rock group based out of Toronto. Justin and I talk about the band, his origin story for working in the industry and how scary today's horror video games are. BRKN LOVE Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/brknlovemusic/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3gM5Gtw

With the power of the internet, I was able to do a cross-continental interview with Chachy, lead singer for ex-pat band Round Eye based out of Shanghai, China. We talk about how China has already returned to normalcy – as normal as things can be nowadays anyway; How five white guys from all over the world found each other in a country with a population of over 1.3 billion. And of course, the band's latest album Culture Shock Treatment. *** Please note that the quality on this one isn't the best, Chachy's connection wasn't the greatest so the call kind of cuts out every so often *** Round Eye Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3kcLNht Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/roundeyed/ Bands Chachy likes: Wooze

Today I give you an interview I did with Zakk Abrams, lead vocalist for post-hardcore band Hotknives based out of Hamilton, ON. The band just released a four song EP entitled “One” this past Friday and it sounds awesome, really heavy, really catchy I definitely recommend giving it a listen. Zakk and I also chat about his giant vinyl collection, and why he had to move back to Canada from the States. I hope you enjoy! HOTKNIVES Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/hotknivesband/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/39uOKVQ Bands Zakk listens to: · Black Flag · I Wrestled A Bear Once · Trap Them · Gallows · Dance Gavin Dance · Gulch · And In The Darkness I Was Free · Rancid Bad Religion · Pears · Sydney

Today I chat with Mike Gribben, lead singer for Toronto-based rock band Bad Breed. The band just released their latest album Bad Breed in Ferocious Love today, July 17. Mike and I chat about a lot of things, including the making of the new album, the reformation of Bad Breed after a long hiatus, as well as our shared love for punk rock and more specifically The Stooges. BAD BREED Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/badbreed_band/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/396tXaG What Mike's listening to: IDLES Rapsody Witch Prophet Denzel Curry Anderson .Paak

In today's episode I have a chat with Andrew Zamora, vocalist for pop-punk band Weigh The Anchor based out of Oakville, Ontario. The band just released their 3rd EP called “Right At Home”, this time with a smaller line up of the 3 remaining members: Andrew (Vocals & Bass), Brad (Guitar) and Brendan (Drums). Andrew and I chat about the new EP, what everyone does outside of the band, as well as how he got into punk rock as a youngster. WEIGH THE ANCHOR Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/weightheanchor Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3eF0Ufv What Andrew is listening to: Knuckle Puck Bearings Like Pacific Stand Atlantic Dua Lipa Maren Morris

In this one I chat with Remington Leith Kropp, lead singer of Canadian-American rock band Palaye Royale. Remington started the band with his two siblings Sebastian and Emerson back in 2008. Since then the band has been on the road practically non-stop, initially playing anywhere they could, to touring with the likes of Enter Shikari, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. 2020 had been a pretty busy year for the band, with their latest album The Bastards releasing in May and being nominated for a Juno for Breakthrough Group Of The Year. We chat about the new album, dive a little deeper into some of the songs, and I go over some questions from fans on the r/PalayeRoyal subreddit. PALAYE ROYALE Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/palayeroyale Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3005K1I

In today's episode I chat with Stephen Wells, the mastermind behind Houston's bedroom pop band: Birthday Club. As with most of my episodes, we chat about how the pandemic has affected the band, as Stephan, in particular, had a very optimistic 2020 ahead of him before everything went to shit. However, Stephen has managed to keep himself busy, doing daily livestreams of him playing his own music but also doing all kinds of covers. This is actually how I found him: his stream was the top broadcast under r/RedditSessions when I happened to be on Reddit. Within a week we managed to book this interview. Crazy how the world works these days... BIRTHDAY CLUB Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/birthdayclubband/ Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2ADVjs1

This week I sat down with Toronto-based singer and producer ZForbes. I first met ZForbes when he performed on my other show Sideways (link to the session below) and I've kept tabs on him ever since. ZFORBES Spotify | https://spoti.fi/3dpT3SA Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/zforbesofficial/ ZForbes Sideways Session: https://bit.ly/2YtMQk9 Albums we talked about: Lenny Breau - Mo'Breau (https://spoti.fi/3hZMVnu) Arthur Verocai - Self Titled (https://spoti.fi/37WgB0p) Todd Rundgren - Something / Anything? (https://spoti.fi/31d9K1h) People Under The Stairs - Fun DMC (https://spoti.fi/3hVOpPH)

This episode was especially exciting for me, because I got to interview someone who's music really helped me get through a lot of dark times in my teen years and is a person who now is such an inspiration for anyone struggling with addiction or mental health issues, I'm talking about Justin Furstenfeld, front man of Blue October. Justin and I chat about his documentary Get Back Up, which premiered on Monday, May 25thand is now available at getbackup.tv. We also chat about Blue October's upcoming album This Is What I Live, coming out on September 18th.

In this episode I chat with JB Brubaker, guitarist for August Burns Red. We discuss how he and his family are coping with COVID19, the process of making ABR's latest album Guardians, and our shared love for Blink 182. (I recorded this interview a few weeks ago so some of the content might seem a little dated, I had already but the episode out on YT and decided that I should release it as a podcast as well).

I caught up up with Justin and Tarek of The Blue Stones via Zoom. We spent a lot of time chatting about video games and TV Shows, but also about the new album they're working on.

For the first episode of the OTR podcast, I interview Giacomo Oberti, lead singer of the Italian Indie Rock band The Bankrobber.