Release Day Series Podcast Alex Huard

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