Music Buddy Jane Gowan

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 1—Ansley talks about the making of the album, and guides us through the meaning behind each song. 

Ansley also talks about other aspects of life as a working musician, such as : developing her singing voice (with the help of vocal coach Micah Barnes), touring with her sister Leanne Betasamosake Simpson for the [Polaris Short-listed] album Theory of Ice, composing the soundtrack for the Amplify TV series on APTN (watch the making of Ansley's song "Firewater" on Season 1),  and scoring the documentary Spirit to Soar based on Tanya Talaga's book Seven Fallen Feathers.
 
MUSIC BUDDY SESSION: "Without Warning" by Ansley Simpson
Performed by Ansley Simpson, Jane Gowan, and Tim Vesely. Recorded and mixed by Tim Vesely (listen at 1:10:37).

More about Ansley at ansleysimpon.com


Support the showThe show's theme song, "Human Stuff," is written by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely, and performed by Jane and Tim, with additional vocals by Steve Wright and Connie Kostiuk.

Contact the show: jane@musicbuddy.ca
Follow on instagram: @musicbuddypodcast
Follow on facebook: @musicbuddypodcast
Jane's indie pop band: therealshade.com

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, dedicating her passion and skills to every aspect of music-making: from nurturing an initial song idea and creating a demo, to arranging, producing, packaging and promoting a full album. In this conversation, she and Jane discuss the intricacies, joys, and challenges of life in the indie lane: gigs, bands, travel, funding, reviews, airplay, and the inevitable...TikTok. Plus, Monique talks about her most recent adventure - cold water swimming. 
 
Learn more about Monique at moniquebarry.com

MUSIC BUDDY SESSION: "Better Times"
Written by Monique Barry
Performed by Monique Barry, Tim Vesely, and Jane Gowan (listen at 57:41).
SONG SAMPLES IN THIS EPISODE:
"High as a Kite' - Monique Barry, HAAK (2017)"Stranger Strange" - Augie March, Moo Yoo Bloody Choir (2006)"Dance" - Monique Barry, HAAK, (2018)"Gone/Eagles" -  Monique Barry, HAAK, (2019) "Time" - Monique Barry, HAAK, (2022) "Freedom" - Monique Barry, HAAK, (2016) "New Eyes" - Monique Barry, HAAK, (2018)"Real Life (Angel)" - Elbow, The Take Off and Landing of Everything (2014)---------------------
Support the showThe show's theme song, "Human Stuff," is written by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely, and performed by Jane and Tim, with additional vocals by Steve Wright and Connie Kostiuk.

Contact the show: jane@musicbuddy.ca
Follow on instagram: @musicbuddypodcast
Follow on facebook: @musicbuddypodcast
Jane's indie pop band: therealshade.com

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, Kathleen Edwards, Whitehorse, and The Strumbellas.

Tim and Jane pick up from their previous conversation (EP 15: Tim Vesely - The Songwriter). In this session, they turn to the art of recording: techniques methods, and tricks; creating a good studio vibe, and capturing the magic of the sound. In between, Tim talks about some of his favourite songs of all time, why he loves them, and how they influenced him.

MUSIC BUDDY SESSION: "Rearview"
Written by Tim Vesely
Performed by Tim Vesely and Jane Gowan. Listen at 54:50
LINKS:
Tim's "Formative Tracks" playlistMore about Tim at timveselymusic.comLIST OF SONG SAMPLES (in order of appearance):
"I Will Wait for You" - Blue Rodeo, Many a Mile (2021)"Mean to Me" - Chris Houston, Hazards of Glitter (2019)"Introducing Happiness" - Rheostatics, Introducing Happiness (1995)"The Big Country" - Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)"Steppin' Out" - Joe Jackson, Night and Day (1982)"Path of Least" - The Violet Archers, The End of Part One (2007)"Bring It On Home to Me" - Sam Cooke, (Single, 1962)"Little Voice" - Great Aunt Ida, How They Fly (2006)"Gravity of the Situation" - Vic Chesnutt, Is The Actor Happy? (1995)"The Light of Day" - Oliver Schroer, Camino (2006)"Smith and Jones Forever" - Silver Jews, American Water (1998)"Hopeless Romantic" - Bobby Dove, Hopeless Romantic (2021)"Living For the City" - Stevie Wonder, Innervisions (1973)

Support the showThe show's theme song, "Human Stuff," is written by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely, and performed by Jane and Tim, with additional vocals by Steve Wright and Connie Kostiuk.

Contact the show: jane@musicbuddy.ca
Follow on instagram: @musicbuddypodcast
Follow on facebook: @musicbuddypodcast
Jane's indie pop band: therealshade.com

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 satisfaction, being a true artist, and what makes a great interview. She reveals how she encouraged a reluctant Miles Davis to talk about music, and how she made David Byrne LoL. She recalls lovingly her Grandparents' radio show, her Dad's piano talents, and how her family bestowed her with the gift of curiosity.  Laurie also shares her memory of a very special evening at the kitchen table with Gord Downie and Gordon Lightfoot. 
 
MUSIC BUDDY SESSION: "Tabula Rasa"
Words by by Laurie Brown; Music by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely
A special creation for the first episode of 2023.  Performed by Laurie Brown, Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely (Listen at 1:04:05).
Music samples used throughout the body of the interview are from the 2022 album Synthetic: Season 1, by Rich Aucoin. Used with kind permission of the artist.
Learn more about Rich at richaucoin.ca
Stream on Apple Music or Spotify
Download lossless/FLAC on Bandcamp
Support the showThe show's theme song, "Human Stuff," is written by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely, and performed by Jane and Tim, with additional vocals by Steve Wright and Connie Kostiuk.

Contact the show: jane@musicbuddy.ca
Follow on instagram: @musicbuddypodcast
Follow on facebook: @musicbuddypodcast
Jane's indie pop band: therealshade.com

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
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(5:14)  Lisa Sabino - "2,000 Miles" (performed by Skydiggers) / "Same Old Lang Syne" (Dan Folgelberg), "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" (John Lennon & Yoko Ono)
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(8:57) Stephen Stanley - "Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees" (Elvis Presley)
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(15:37) Ethan Deibert - "Run, Run Rudolph" (Chuck Berry)
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(16:45) Koralee Tonack  - "25th of December" (Everything But the Girl)
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(18:34) Alan Matheson - "Silent Night, Lonely Night" (Ron Collier)
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(21:18) Emily Deibert - "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (performed by Zoey Deschanel and Leon Redbone)
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(23:00) Steve Wright - "Fairytale of New York" (The Pogues)
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(24:49) Simon Paradis - "Christmas is Coming" (The Payolas)
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(26:30) Tim Vesely - "Es ist ein ros entsprungen" (performed by Daniel Taylor)
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(29:00) Seth Feldman -"O Holy Night" (performed by David Phelps)
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(31:34) Ryan Myshrall - "Christmas Time" (Salsoul Orchestra)
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(36:58) Josh Finlayson - "If We Make it Through December" (Merle Haggard)
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(38:51) Connie Kostiuk - "Shchedryk" (Performed by Pink Martini)
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(41:37) Richard Wolfe - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (performed by Cat Power)
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(43:44) Tomás Cassanelli - "Cancion de Navidad "(Silvio Rodriguez)
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(45:17) David Kitching - "Song for a Winter's Night" (Gordon Lightfoot)
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(48:23) Julian Taylor - "That Spirit of Christmas" (Ray Charles)
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(50:50) Tim Falconer - "Tournament of Hearts" (The Weakerthans)
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(54:44) Marnie Grey - "Tshekuan Mak Tshetutamak" (Groupe Folklorique Montagne). Marnie also chose "Friday I'm in Love" (The Cure), "Moon and Tree" (Blue Rodeo), "Take Me Home Country Roads" (performed by Mountain Man), and anything by the Killers :)
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(58:24) Mike Downie - "A Penny More" (Skydiggers) / "The Lonely End of the Rink" (The Tragically Hip)
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(1:05:44) Ron Deibert - "Winter" (The Rolling Stones)
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(1:08:15) Michael Deibert - "Linus & Lucy" (Vince Guaraldi Trio)  / "All My Little Words" (The Magnetic Fields)
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(1:08:15) Paul Romanuk - A  Charlie Brown Christmas (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
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COMPANION PLAYLISTS:
Spotify
Apple Music 
Support the showThe show's theme song, "Human Stuff," is written by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely, and performed by Jane and Tim, with additional vocals by Steve Wright and Connie Kostiuk.

Contact the show: jane@musicbuddy.ca
Follow on instagram: @musicbuddypodcast
Follow on facebook: @musicbuddypodcast
Jane's indie pop band: therealshade.com

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, and a Polaris Music Prize nomination. 
In this interview, Julian talks about embracing uncomfortable subjects on his compelling new album Beyond the Reservoir, and why that made him nervous. He shares gritty stories from his adolescence and sweet memories of cherished elders, while emphasizing the importance of family, nature, and speaking truth about history. Julian also tells Jane about working with producer and friend Saam Hashemi, his friendship with the late Jay Bennett (previously of Wilco), and his eclectic collection of 45s. 

All the song segments you hear during the interview are from Beyond the Reservoir.

MUSIC BUDDY SESSION: "It's Not Enough"
Written by Julian Taylor
Performed by Julian Taylor, Tim Vesely, and Jane Gowan. Listen at 57:37


Learn more about Julian at juliantaylormusic.ca



Support the showThe show's theme song, "Human Stuff," is written by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely, and performed by Jane and Tim, with additional vocals by Steve Wright and Connie Kostiuk.

Contact the show: jane@musicbuddy.ca
Follow on instagram: @musicbuddypodcast
Follow on facebook: @musicbuddypodcast
Jane's indie pop band: therealshade.com