The Michael A.M. Radio Show

Elina Filice is a singer/songwriter/music marketer from Hamilton who has lived in Singapore and studied in Dublin. She has over a million plays on Spotify and has developed an app to help indie artist get organized and give their music the chance to have the release it deserves. Includes live acoustic performances of four original songs.  https://www.droprocket.app/ 

The word of the day is "despondent." Leo Dragtoe is in the house talking about his debut album, Alive at Zyla's and the new Fünyboht EP, Church Bells and Little Spells, that he and Michael have been working on in the pod stu since last year... that one's coming out on all streaming platforms October 3rd 2022, but until then you can buy the limited demos package at https://funyboht.com/album/2288841/church-bells-and-little-spells-the-demos

Visual artist Felipe Encina talks in the studio about tedious animation gigs, unravelling the Disney Extended Universe and telling stories through visual art.  After the interview, Felipe and Michael attempted a mixed media jam session which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/zMBEZpm2hrA

Bizness meeting/virtual pod test. Patreon subscribers ONLY!! How do words?

Captain WildChild drummer/producer and fellow Mohawk Music grad, Nigel Stewart, drops in before band practice to discuss new material and opening a trendy new restaurant.

Michael and Erik scroll back in time to recall where they've been these last two years. 

After over a year of pandemic related setbacks, the show returns with the incomparable Nick Zyla. Mythical creature, entrepreneur, bar/restaurant/venue owner, songwriter who has released in the ballpark of 3000 recordings, Zyla joins us to talk about Canadian Idol Auditions, downtown characters who'd walk into his bar and how best to use a BINGO Dabber in a life-or-death altrication. 

The artist known as The Dope Chief is back and answering some "rapid" fire questions about content creation, the importance of time management and why we should stop worrying and embrace the singularity. Topics include the Spanish language, reincarnation, animation, Winnie the Pooh, Marc Rebillet and Twitch streaming. 

Cold coffee, fugue states, bullet chess, the song that goes "nanana hey"

Ball Python breeders/podcasters, Chris and Nick of The Reptile Ward, stop by to drop some knowledge about snakes and verbally abuse Erik. They also share some hot takes on lizards and answer listener submitted questions like "do snakes and mice really get along sometimes?" and "do they like to be pet?"

Our good friend Mikey Molnar stopped by to talk about video games, cats, comedy, the global tie-dye shortage and his two new songs that just came out on streaming platforms. Make sure to stick around til the end for lovely live renditions of his new tunes.

Celebrating 25 episodes of "the Primus of Podcasts" by getting silly with two of our most downloaded guests of 2019: yoga teacher Steve Ferrell and bassist Olivia Brown.

Michael and Erik talk new music releases including Loathe, Pete Maws, Tricot, Jana Teovano and more while constantly referencing a series of obscure Australian TV commercials. Other topics include pizza (obviously), the show's nebulous anniversary date, motivational Instagrammers and Chillton getting adopted. Includes improvised music about going to the bathroom. 

Bob Shields is a highly esteemed guitarist whose mastery of jazz, rock and all the styles in between has taken him all over the world. But as a music educator, he might be even more special. When he was my jazz harmony professor in college, he would always challenge the class to use cutting edge compositional techniques; these days, if I'm stuck in a rut with my musicianship, I'll go to him for insights that keep me inspired and focused for months; in his own journey, Bob has set his sights higher than the mathematics of musical composition or the fine-tuning of musical performances: he has completed his PhD focusing on the correlation between creativity and overall human wellbeing and he is currently writing a book on the same subject.

The F Bass is the bass player's bass player's bass guitar. Today's guest, George Furlanetto, started the company when he built his first electric bass in 1978. He says he shares the "analytical supportive mindset of a bass player," but instead of supporting a band, he supports the bassists themselves. Remaining open to feedback from some of the world's most innovative high-level players has been the catalyst for the incremental improvements that have Made F Bass one of the most respected instrument manufacturers in the world. In this episode, we talk about learning to build through experimentation, growing the company, George's scientific approach to consistent improvement and his reluctant discovery of the secret to running a successful business.

Tim Busa is the co-rhythm guitarist for the band Five Years. He also writes and sings his own acoustic music. Tim tells us why his band only plays one show a year (this year it's Nov 29 at Absinthe) and we reminisce about all the shows we've played together in the past. He also tells us a few things about pool and where to get a good slice of pizza in HamOnt. Make sure to stick around to the end for two original songs you can't hear anywhere else!

Michael and Erik chat about rock climbing, the Thom Yorke show in Toronto that they both went to, Inktober and upcoming shows with Zero Fire, fünyboht, Hotfix and Leo Dragtoe. They also review a street fight video they found particularly interesting and discuss Anthony Fantano and how making a 0/10 album is still sort of an impressive accomplishment. 

Producer, recording engineer and owner/operator of Halo Music Hamilton, Marcone joins the show to talk about some of his most memorable sessions, the shocking secret to getting quality recordings and the attitude towards opportunity and learning that has guided his whole career. His son George also makes an appearance. 

Robyn Lightwalker is a Hamilton, Ontario based painter and graphic novelist. She joins us to talk, among other things, about an interesting life-drawing project she has been working on for the past few months: 100 butts in various mediums which will be on display August 30 - September 1, 2019 at 1422 Main St. E, Hamilton, ON. Other topics include how to stay motivated, anime, art bros and art hoes, the power of pessimism and speculations on why people hate limes.

After comedian Michael Moses left the studio last week, we kept the audio rolling. Starting off with the importance of supporting all ages shows in keeping a music scene thriving in the long run, we move to what we think the global future of music might look like, explain why Lil Nas X deserves that #1 billboard spot and come full-circle fielding a request to talk about "teenage bands who think they're cool." 

Such a pleasure to host our very first comedian on the show. Michael Moses is fresh off a trip to New York City and we compare the differences and similarities of stand-up and music from playing the audience, to creating new material and marketing yourself. We share why we are called Michael, recall our favourite Patrice O'Neal bits and talk about who is making waves in comedy today and how the industry is evolving. 

Shanika Maria is a different breed of songwriter. In this interview, she describes composing by feel and writing on instinct, sometimes only figuring out what her songs are about after they are finished. Her 2019 album, Subtle Uncertainties, is a powerful collection of songs as well as a textural evolution from the sparse arrangements of her debut EP, Childish Games.  This episode ends with 3 original songs. We were short on time near the end and I clearly missed something in the sound-check as the electric guitar turned out irreparably crunchy, but Shanika's voice and performance shine through.

No special guest this week. Michael and Erik just hang out and talk about the show they played this past weekend, bands they like, Neuralink, the MMA league that allows headbutts, tennis, previous episodes, etc.  They also take questions from Facebook, including one request to talk about aliens, which prompts Erik to tell the story of the time he went to Area 51. 

HamOnt guitar legend, Chris Chambers, dropped in to insult my CD collection and give us some pointers on making a killer DIY halloween costume. We also talk about what makes something a "real job" and what it takes to evolve as a musician. Stay tuned to the end for some crooning. 

Alex Whorms is an award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist whose recent singles have been getting thousands of plays on Spotify. She just completed the Artist-Entrepreneur Program at Canada's Music Incubator and was kind enough to play us a few original songs and drop some knowledge about ictus points. 

Bassist, singer-songwriter, bandleader, Olivia Brown, dropped in to play some songs and talk about the music video for her band's self-produced new single, "Who Cares?"  Subjects include: finding new music vs. listening to the same songs over and over again, walking the line between being the leader of your own band and playing the traditional supporting role of a bassist in other people's projects, learning to record and edit by producing your own music and videos.

Kelly Kereliuk is Hamilton, Ontario's resident master of shred. Fresh off his sold-out guitar clinic at Long and McQuade Burlington, he let me pick his brain on topics like his guitar journey, playing with Prismind, Negus, Symphinity and Soundchaser, and how he got his fingers so damn fast... Stick around til the end to hear his one-take rip over a track I prepared featuring drums from Erik Thork from Zero Fire.

Trying to accommodate two guests for the first time proved somewhat challenging. Updating my computer's operating system shortly before showtime did not help as it presented many unexpected problems to the recording software. Regardless, my bandmates and I had a great time and almost even delivered some news about our upcoming album (Second Sun out March 22 2019).  By the end, we sorted out most of the technical difficulties that came with the updated software, scrounged together about eleven minutes of audio and even ordered pizza. 

Steve Ferrell is a yoga teacher and ayurvedic practitioner. Before that he was best known for being a monster drummer, shredding heavy metal, punk rock and jazz fusion. Topics covered in this 2+ hour conversation include the history of yoga, zen philosophy, Steve's personal journey, the use of cannabis in ayurveda, starting a podcast, fatherhood, and how we're both doomed to make inappropriate Napoleon Dynamite and Borat references for the rest of our lives.  and like, rate, share, subscribe, yadda yadda yadda 

My good friend Leo Dragtoe caught me off guard with this one. No show notes or list of questions. Just a good hang with one of the city's most prolific songwriters and best kept secrets. Some original music at the end too!

Singer/songwriter, Jana Teovano is quietly making a name for herself in the Toronto music scene while crafting the perfect debut recording. She is also a Muay Thai instructor. Here, she tells the story of how growing up in Greece after escaping a bombing in her birthplace of Serbia, before finding a home in Toronto, shaped her as a person and an artist. Be sure to stay tuned to the end to catch her performance of four original songs!

Visual artist, Dope Chief, is inviting you into a cartoon world of his own making. We talk about what it means to produce art that withstands the test of time and examine how money factors into artistic integrity. Remember to rate, share and subscribe!

So this one is a bit of a mess from the perspective of a talk-show :/ My guest and I started this conversation about an hour before we actually started recording and we refer back to stuff we said in that first hour throughout the episode. Worse yet, I had put out bowls of sliced pears and fresh blueberries on the table before we started; I had a hell of a time trying to edit out all of the resulting mouth noises while maintaining the flow of the conversation.  HOWEVER! I think I salvaged an honest and enjoyable interview from the wreckage and José's post-interview performance of three original songs is nothing short of amazing. Venezuelan-Canadian singer/songwriter, José Lobo, is the singer/guitarist of the band LOBO. We talk about travel, Radiohead, fear of technology and the process of writing songs. 

Keiko Gutierrez is a bassist, radio show host and scientist from Montréal studying Music Cognition at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I ask Keiko all sorts of questions about music and the human brain. We also geek out about the bass guitar: what it takes to master the instrument and who inspires us most. Remember to rate, share and subscribe!

Composer, educator, filmmaker, guitarist, Nathan Fleet discusses a wide range of topics from starting an annual film festival in our home city of Hamilton, ON, to self-producing a full-length rock album with a score of superseding responsibilities like fatherhood, teaching and meeting deadlines providing music for film and television.  Remember to rate, subscribe and share!

Graham King, singer and riff-slinger in the Canadian metal band, Zero Fire (a band I also happen to play bass in), joins me on a stormy winter day to talk about Space Jam and help me troubleshoot my podcast setup.  Remember to rate, share and subscribe!

Just a brief introductory episode letting you know what you can expect from The Michael A.M. Radio Show.  Please remember to rate, share and subscribe!