Holy Fuck It's a Music Podcast‪!‬ HFIAMP

Today's episode is a great chat with Saskatoon three-piece W3APONS. No. That's not a typo. Yes, if you want to ask Alexa or Siri to play their music, you have to say W - 3 - APONS... and then the name of the song. It's slightly more work but a hell of a lot more fun! (There's actually a fun story about how that name came into existance 

We learned that their tour vehicle is a superb old Chevvy named Jean Claude Van Van, which has its own damn Instgram account!!! Go check it out at @jean_claudevanvan. The boys spent a lot of time in that van as they toured Canada with Theory of a Deadman, a gig they really weren't sure they'd booked because it sounded too good to be true! Theory's fans treated them like royalty though and the tour was a raging success. 

Jordan told us that on receiving his first guitar, he immediately took it apart and had no damn clue how to put it back together! Myk's inspiration to become a rock n roller was the band Billy Talent, coupled with fond memories of playing the Buds open mic stage with the Long & McQuade rock school! Tallus has a really wide taste in music which includes heavier bands like Deftones and Tool as well as Dave Grohl and Daniel Adair of Nickleback (hey, hold your sniggering, the dude can play!!!)

The guys are a tight, collaborative songwriting team, have found an unusual chemistry and bond early on in their life as a band and as their latest single Bye Baby Gone races up the charts, we're hoping for and expecting big things from a really cool set of guys.

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Go follow them immediately on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/W3APONSmusic and 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/w3aponsmusic/

And don't forget to follow Jean Claude Van Van (cos why the hell not!) https://www.instagram.com/jean_claudevanvan/



Check out their three singles to date.

Bye Baby Gone: https://youtu.be/tF6qE2rwxyw

She was the One: https://youtu.be/2K0E22Tug-U

Off the top of my Heart: https://youtu.be/0P_MCYbSg8s



You should also check Jordan's solo EP out, including the greasy rocker Stank Blues: https://youtu.be/fq2Now8l_zU

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If you want to hear where the boys get some of their inspiration, check out: 

G'n'R (but the 87 version of Night Train when they were still really cool)

https://youtu.be/UNCvjcs5qwM



Myk credits Billy Talent with his move into playing guitar, so give Devil in a Midnight Mass (live at Rock am Ring, 2009) a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wXs3OFMAaM



And to get a taste of what floats Tallus's boat, you have to check out Danny Carey of Tool (who plays with the weirdst drum config in rock music). This is a great vid of him playing along to Lateralus and then talking a little afterwards. 

https://youtu.be/EnRBbZ6_kG8

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Today's guest is the king of the low B, Sheldon Dingwall. From humble beginnings in a garage in Saskatoon, Sheldon has built his business into one of the most recognizable and respected names in the world of bass guitar.

We learned that he toured relentlessly for three years (playing around 900 gigs!!!) leading up to moving into the world of guitar repair and manufacture. We also learned that his love of bass strings actually started when he was a boy and would stand at eye level with the family piano bashing away on the bass notes, which sounded so much richer than the higher notes (and would eventually inspire his iconic fanned-fret approach).

He told us a great story about delivering a guitar to Lee Sklar in a studio one day and walking right into the middle of a Willie Nelson recording session, which he was able to witness first hand from behind the glass! (How's that for serendipity!!!)

With "zero training in anything I do", Sheldon's success is down to his drive, relentless creativity, and pursuit of a vision which isn't always within his reach, which he considers essential if you want to reach the top of your field.

We learned about his mentors at HEL in Saskatoon, his love of Jack Semple, and that his favourite thing in his closet right now is.... his skateboard!

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Check out the Dingwall Guitars website and prepare to fall in love: https://dingwallguitars.com/

Check out the Toto concert with Lee Sklar rocking a Dingwall bass here (and really, who doesn't love Rosanna???): https://youtu.be/I6apwAZHzkw

Sheldon told us that he is always blown away by Jack Semple (check out that bass guitar...): https://youtu.be/pqnNaqc98ik

If you want to see someone really putting a Dingwall through its paces, check out Adam "Nolly" Getgood: https://youtu.be/jypYWRmfM9A

or the insanely talented and rapid-fingered Wena Velasco: https://youtu.be/5v54YL5yoFg

Of course, you should listen to that tasty, tasty bass line in Amanda Marshall's monster hit Birmingham: https://youtu.be/eIzMcCNAmp4

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Randy Bailer joins us from Wetaskiwin, Alberta for episode 9! Randy is the energetic front man and songwriter with festival favourites Punch Drunk Cabaret and has had a wildly varied musical career. He's also the artist for all the band's albums and is the main creative force behind their hugely popular, usually outrageous videos!   

We dug into Punch Drunk Cabaret's new album; Vampire Anthems, which you absolutely have to check out. Wealso chatted about the influence David Bowie had on his first band, Screwtape Lewis, especially Bowie's Tin Machine project! We also talked about how artists like Bowie, Queen, or Alice Cooper informed Randy's over-the-top performance-oriented style of live playing. If you haven't seen any of their live videos, check the links. These guys come to entertain and Randy is a bona fide front man in every conceivable way.   

You'll hear how Randy's grand plans to have really high-end bear suits, sourced from Vegas, in one of his videos fell through and learn a little insider bear knowledge you'll find interestnig! We also talked about guitars having "songs in them" and about where creativity comes from. On the Punch Drunk Cabaret Facebook page, Randy sums it up beautifully in the following way: "Songwriting is like tuning an old radio. You point the antennae skyward, twist the tuning dial around arbitrarily and wait patiently for sounds to come crackling to life. The only control the songwriter has is to shape that sound into something appealing."



Check out the Punch Drunk Cabaret website for tons of info, photos, music for sale, etc here: https://punchdrunkcabaret.com/

Go watch the following two videos, which will give you a real taste of how much fun Randy likes to have when creating cinematographic feasts for his songs: 

Bad Crush on Goth Girls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIgk9cKMz60

Don't Die Until You're Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ipDTagyzI

While you're at it, make sure you subscribe to PDC on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMrEVPG6AAXv1-eMZxojsRw

Check out Randy's previous band, Screwtape Lewis, who he describes as being a "fuck you" band! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ltZf0K5vAM&list=OLAK5uy_kwemynEmdRLNpFDjV1qNnNCNL-7Sr30SY



If you've never heard Hello Spaceboy by David Bowie, Randy said that either this one or Heroes would be the song he'd most love to have written: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heal8E-3Hh8

While we're at it, you should check out Heroes of course. The version at Live Aid still gives me chills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFHC6t13hi0

Randy also talked about listening to Alice Cooper's middle era, so we've thrown in Pick up the Bones, from the Brutal Planet album, which you might not be as familiar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH2AroKXlr8

We figured we'd close the episode out with Kevin's favourite song from the Vampire Anthems so check that out too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD5EuRa3y0M


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Today’s guest is a friend of ours who we love to talk music with! Nathan Saggs is fondly remembered from his tenure with good time band Slab Drab and as the bass player for Firing at the Sky. His musical journey has taken him from drums to guitar to bass and from a mouse-infested sleeping bag in Alberta to the heady heights of the Toronto music scene.

We talked about growing up with no overly musical family members and his uncle giving him a stash of records which changed his life and opened his eyes to rock music. Some of the records in that first batch were Kiss: The Originals (a package of their first three albums), Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits, and Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy. Not a big introduction to rock music. Nate fell in love with Kiss and the 80s hair metal seen and says he still loves 80s schlock rock and always will.

Nate hooked up with Saskatoon musical institution, Cam Zoller (of Crackers fame!), joining his Alice Cooper tribute act – caught in a dream. A chance gig at the Adobe Inn when Kris Klyne was in the audience led to a try out with Firing at the Sky and the rest, as they say, is history.

Nate talks passionately about the SK music scene and is genuine in his assertion that we have reams of talent in the province that we just need to expose the world to. So make sure you share this episode to get the word out!!!



Check out Firing at the Sky’s latest single, Stomper, which we feature in the lead out for the episode: https://youtu.be/ssUfEXlyImk

You should also check out the video for The Giant, from the first FATS album: https://youtu.be/z95TM3W7PRk

Nate is still super proud of the BigMoneyBall album that Slab Drab put out and you can catch that one here! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-jwBa5c6jvnb8LW5fKNxWDlkiVsGd4IQ

We have to add a little Kiss for you, so we’ve gone for track that scared the crap out of him, Hotter than Hell! https://youtu.be/EQi0ilHkOMQ

If you’ve never listened to The Darkness, you really ought to. A great tongue-in-cheek, seriously talented outfit: https://youtu.be/tKjZuykKY1I

And to finish off, we’ll give you some greasy LA rock from the greasiest LA band of them all, LA Guns. https://youtu.be/Wbmn1b4WSGE


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Today's guest is the wonderfully talented, insightful, and absolutely hilarious, Mark Kleiner. Mark was known through the late nineties and 2000s, primarily on the West Coast, for his tenure in the bands Sister Lovers and Jungle, who he stunned, along with the entire Vancouver music scene, by heading back to Saskatoon to study theology, before returning to record the exceptional Mark Kleiner Power Trio album, which is essential listening for anyone interested in expertly-written pop/rock music.

We talked about how he took lessons from Sam, the Piano Man, Lomheim (who got his start in music playing 8 hour shifts in saloons!), learning 4 or 5 songs a week from handwritten manuscripts. Mark told us that he really learned how to feel and project the shape of a song during that time. We also learned about his friendship with Canadian raconteur and musician, Nardwuar and how Mark once told him that "Hair metal is the true punk rock!" 

We also chatted about the similarities between performing music on stage and being a minister, which is what Mark is primarily occupied with these days. He told us about an interesting study that compared the body language of stadium rock performers and preachers and how they're very, very similar.

Apart from being an accomplished musician and songwriter, Anglican minister, and father, Mark is also the host of a Monkees podcast which deep dives into his love of the band and all the most obscure and undiscovered parts of their career.



Check out Mark's first (?) release, with Sister Lovers, which was a tribute to Paula Pierce of The Pandoras; Paula Stop Pretending: https://youtu.be/XTp-N4X8vwU

Check out the Mark Kleiner Power Trio on 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkKleinerPowerTrio/

iTunes: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/love-to-night/282987801

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0H0din8iQMcn2PSwDBCoOv





If you're a Monkees fan, you're definitely going to want to check out Mark's podcast, Nesmith, Tork, Goffin, and King. Go find all the places you can play it here: https://nesmithtorkgoffinandking.podbean.com/



During the episode, we talked about a lot of different bands and artists.

Mark says the best concert he ever saw was, of course, The Monkees, in 1989 and there's a very specific reason why it was so good. Check them out live from 1989 with probably their most famous song: https://youtu.be/BYR6yez_ppk

Mark also cheated when we asked him the first quick fire question and rather than pick The Beatles or The Stones went with Wings! https://youtu.be/BEBP7LgBROI

He credits Billy Cowsill with the best piece of advice he ever received and you can check out the Cowsills in this performance: https://youtu.be/Pw1aFsdzoXI

And if you want to know why Slick Toxic disappeared from the face of the planet in 1994, it involves a bass player and an EMI limousine! Check out this quintessential 80s hair band here: https://youtu.be/woGSwLr5mO4


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Our guest in today's episode is national treasure Jay Semko! Jay is obviously best known from his tenure as bass player, singer, and songwriter with the Northern Pikes; one of Canada's most influential bands of late 80s/early 90s. Jay and Randy have worked together lots over the past decade or so and the conversation was relaxed, warm, and very funny. Jay is a natural storyteller, whether on stage or on Zoom, so this was one of the easiest interviews we've done. Give Jay a topic and he can remember dates, places, people, and all manner of details that bring the stories to life! 

Jay related a couple of fun stories about life on the road and starting out as somewhat of a punk rocker, which may surprise fans who only know him from the Pikes or as a solo artist. But he's had some hairy moments on the road, like the Blues Brothers without the chicken wire, and his fair share of great moments too, like recording in some of the most prestigious studios in North America and getting a wink from Joan Baez!

With such a long and varied career, it was impossible to fit everything into one episode, but Jay already agreed to come back and chat some more, so look out for that in Season Two!

The lead out song, Clean, comes from Jay's immaculate album Flora Vista album, which Randy coincidentally co-produced and engineered.



Go check out Jay's website and buy his music at https://www.jaysemko.com/

You can also find his records on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/realjaysemko

To check out The Northern Pikes, check out https://thenorthernpikes.com/



During the episode, we talked about a lot of different tunes. 

The Beatles' Rain is most definitely best listened to in stereo! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK5G8fPmWeA

The best gig Jay ever want to was The Police, in Regina in 1980 on the Zenyatta Mondata tour. We can confirm that this was a band "on the up" and at the peak of their youthful, gung-ho powers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzx9jcN1Amo

Another band that we also love, is Squeeze and Jay talked about how much he enjoyed seeing them live, with Jools Holland on piano. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQciegmLPAov=CN9Zj6OyKRs

Like Ross from an earlier episode, Elvis Costello also features as an influence (which isn't a surprise if you know Jay's writing style) and he's played Pump it Up more than once! It's a song which demands to be listened to live, so here you go. Raw energy!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oi1-S6UPNc


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