SWOMP

SWOMP

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Music Interviews
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SWOMP’s podcast is your unfiltered backstage pass to the music world. Rooted in Canada and raging worldwide, we bring raw artist interviews, behind-the-scenes chaos, and deep dives into the bands shaping the scene. From legends to rising stars, it’s all about the energy, passion, and stories that make music unforgettable. Plug in and enjoy.

1d ago

DeeDee Austin’s 'Buried Truth' anchors national Truth and Reconciliation education program

Mi’kmaw singer-songwriter DeeDee Austin is the featured artist for this year’s Ancestors Voices: Music and Learning for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with her song “Buried Truth” serving as the centrepiece of free curriculum resources for Kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms across Canada. SWOMP caught up with Austin for an interview at Sommo Festival 2026 in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island on September 11, 2026. Austin, now 20, wrote “Buried Truth” when she was 15 after learning that her late great-grandmother had survived the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in Nova Scotia. The song will anchor the 2026 edition of Ancestors Voices, an initiative of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada that connects contemporary Indigenous music with learning about truth, reconciliation, identity and community. For the first time, Austin will also bring the program directly into at least one Canadian school this fall, giving students an opportunity to meet the artist and hear the story behind the song. “Buried Truth began with something deeply personal: discovering what my late great grandmother endured at the Shubenacadie residential school,” Austin said. “I wrote the song to honour her story, but also to acknowledge the experiences of every child, family and community harmed by the residential school system.” Since its launch in 2024, Ancestors Voices has recorded more than 150,000 student registrations across Canada. The annual program is designed to honour children who never returned home, survivors and all those whose lives have been affected by residential schools. Developed with Indigenous artists and educators, each edition features an Indigenous songwriter and song alongside artist guides, interviews, video content, listening activities and curriculum-linked learning prompts. “DeeDee represents exactly what Ancestors Voices was created to do: place an Indigenous artist’s voice and lived family history at the centre of learning,” said Stacey Sinclair, executive director of the Coalition for Music Education. “Buried Truth gives students an emotional point of entry into history that can otherwise feel distant or abstract.” A sister of the Abegweit First Nation in Prince Edward Island, Austin has emerged as a young performer on the Atlantic Canadian music scene. Her honours include receiving Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer on Canada’s Got Talent, CBC Searchlight’s Outstanding Indigenous Artist recognition and Music Nova Scotia’s Indigenous Artist of the Year honours, along with multiple East Coast Music Award nominations. Austin blends contemporary pop with Indigenous musical traditions, drawing on themes of resilience, hope and purpose in her songwriting. Ancestors Voices launched in 2024 with Julian Taylor and his song “S.E.E.D.S.” The 2025 edition featured Adrian Sutherland and his all-Cree song “Kiyash.” Previous editions remain available to educators, creating a growing national collection of Indigenous music and learning resources. Ancestors Voices is supported by the Mariposa Folk Festival. Follow her at https://deedeeaustin.com/.
3d ago

Melt bring New York energy to Sommo Festival, chat with SWOMP backstage

New York City indie band Melt brought their energetic, genre-blurring sound to Sommo Festival in Cavendish, P.E.I., on Sept. 11, 2026. Formed in 2017, Melt built an audience through relentless touring and the viral success of their single “Sour Candy,” developing a reputation for high-energy live performances that have earned them support slots with artists including My Morning Jacket and Grouplove. The band’s debut album, “If There’s a Heaven,” was released in 2024 and features 11 tracks that move between feel-good pop, classic love songs and soulful rock. Recorded live to tape with producer Sam Evian, the album captures the communal energy that has become central to Melt’s sound. Described by NPR as “one groovy superorganism,” Melt continues to blend danceable hooks with a freewheeling live approach. SWOMP caught up with Melt backstage at Sommo Festival to talk about their music and Cavendish experience. Follow the band at https://www.melttheband.com/.
4d ago

Thunder Queens share new music, discuss ‘Deep Below’ in SWOMP interview

Teen rock trio Thunder Queens are releasing two new songs as they prepare to unveil their sophomore album, Deep Below, on September 24, 2026. The London-based band — Lola Good on vocals and drums, Violet Bruneel on vocals and electric guitar, and Clara Magnan on vocals and bass — shared “Walk With Me” and “Misplaced Heart” Tuesday. The songs bookend a three-song arc on Side A of Deep Below, which is set for release through Victory Pool Records. The two tracks follow the previously released title track, “Deep Below,” a five-and-a-half-minute ballad that sits between the new songs in the sequence. The band says the 11-song album explores change, growing up, friendship, loss and learning to let go. “We wrote every song together, using our old voice memos, saved-up riffs, and lyrics about real feelings we were trying to figure out,” the band said in a release. “It’s the heaviest and most emotional thing we’ve ever made, but it still has the parts of Thunder Queens that feel most like us: big vocal harmonies, loud guitars, heavy drumming, and songs written to be played live.” The trio recorded most of Deep Below at Dream House Studios with Dave Schiffman. The album also includes “Bluebells,” “Wait,” “Teenage Years” and “Birds On A Wire,” with the latter two remastered by Ryan Dahle and co-produced by the band and JUNO-nominated producer Thom D’Arcy. The three-song sequence begins with “Walk With Me,” which addresses what the band describes as society’s tendency to overlook personal and social problems and the difficulty of moving forward without resolving the past. It then moves into “Deep Below,” which follows a relationship stuck in the past before closing with “Misplaced Heart,” a song inspired by feminist rock bands including Bikini Kill, Veruca Salt, Die Spitz and Sleater-Kinney. The release of Deep Below comes during a busy stretch of live dates for Thunder Queens. The band is scheduled to perform in Barrie, Oshawa, London and Windsor. The group will also perform at London’s Punk Rock Flea Fest on Friday, with a Nov. 28 show at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall supporting 54-40. A feature documentary about the band is also set to make its Canadian premiere Oct. 17 at the Forest City Film Festival. Thunder Queens, executive produced by Tegan and Sara, follows the trio’s musical journey and the years leading up to Deep Below. SWOMP caught up with the trio for an interview. Follow the band at https://www.thunderqueens.com/. Photo credit: Natalie Nguyen
5d ago

MARIS talks new EP 'MOSH★PIT' at Sommo Festival 2026

MARIS is a Los Angeles–based, Montana-born singer/songwriter, emerging as “pop music’s next Mega Star” [Los Angeles Times]. A playful DIY ethos animates her songs, social content, and live shows. Blending heartland rock with glam-pop bombast, MARIS crafts arena-sized, sugar-rush choruses built around elastic vocals and diaristic songwriting. Her new EP - 'MOSH★PIT' - arrived on September 18, 2026. SWOMP caught up with MARIS backstage before she closed down the Sandbar Stage at Sommo Festival 2026 on Friday, September 11, 2026 in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Her breakout collaboration with Caroline Kingsbury, “Give Me A Sign,” earned praise from PAPER as “anxious and electric,” landed on Spotify’s Best Pop Songs of 2025, and helped fuel her first sold-out headline show at DC9. FLOODcalls “Body Is On Fire” a “cathartic” kickoff to her “vibrant” new phase. MARIS has performed at Boston Calling alongside Ed Sheeran, Chappell Roan, and Reneé Rapp; placed #4 on Stereogum’s Top Pop Songs of 2025 with “SUPER F★CKING MEGAST★R”; and been included in Spotify’s Fresh Finds Class three times. Elton John featured “Mary + I” on his Rocket Hour radio show, comparing MARIS to both Lady Gaga and Freddie Mercury. Best experienced live, MARIS ensures audiences feel free to be their happiest, truest selves. She told the Los Angeles Times, “At my show, you’re gonna jump. You’re gonna dance. You’re gonna be involved, whether or not you want to.” She has toured nationally with The Wrecks, Maude Latour, A R I Z O N A, Anna of the North, and Caroline Kingsbury. She has also been featured in Rolling Stone, LADYGUNN, Ones to Watch, Under the Radar, and Wonderland. Follow her at https://www.marisofficial.com/.
Sep 21

Edgehill electrify Sandbar Stage at Sommo Fest 2026, chat with SWOMP backstage

Fresh off their energized set on the Sandbar Stage at Sommo Festival 2026, American rockers Edgehill chatted backstage with SWOMP on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Learn more about the band, below: The trio is comprised of Chris Kelly [lead vocals, guitar], Jake Zimmermann [lead guitar, vocals], and Aidan Cunningham [drums]. The band members grew up in markedly distinct areas of the country. Chris originally hailed from Charlottesville, Va., and Jake primarily grew up in Long Island, N.Y. Early iterations of the band formed before the guys welcomed Aidan—who called Westfield, Ind. home—into the fold. Chris and Jake initially connected as students at Vanderbilt University, cementing a fast friendship. Jamming together, they unassumingly established a foundation for what would become Edgehill. While working a shift at a local coffee shop, Chris met Aidan, and the group’s lineup was locked in. Fresh off their sold-out house show tour with 7.5M global career streams and growing, Edgehill is turning heads and turning up the volume as the group gears up for more new music on the horizon. Their new release,“I Can Be Your Dog,” is a high-energy, guitar-driven anthem – a fan favorite at electric house shows. Follow the band, here.
Sep 20

JJ Wilde talks new music ahead of Rock The Runway set in London

JJ Wilde discussed new music she has in the works with SWOMP, ahead of her opening set at Rock The Runway in London, Ontario on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Following her sound check in Harris Park, the Kitchener, Ontario rocker sat down with SWOMP for interview. Follow JJ at https://jjwilde.com/.
Sep 8

Bif Naked on new single 'Lift Me Up' + upcoming Live Loud benefit concert performance

Canadian rock icon Bif Naked is returning with new music while preparing to take the stage at a major Toronto benefit concert this fall. Bif Naked has released “Lift Me Up,” a new single co-written with longtime collaborator Ezra Cipes and produced by Cipes alongside Peter Karroll. The release reunites the pair nearly two decades after the singer and her team gave Cipes and his brother Gabe an early opportunity through her Her Royal Majesty’s Records label. “I love this song so much and I love the words,” Bif said of “Lift Me Up.” “I love the vision and the feeling that I get when I hear it. It makes me dreamy. It makes me hopeful, even weepy.” Bif said the song reflects her desire for connection and her belief in moving toward “love energy and peace.” Cipes said working with Bif again brought their creative relationship full circle. “Bif walks her own singular path of courage and light,” Cipes said. “That’s a huge inspiration to a lot of people.” The new single arrives during a busy period for Bif, who continues to tour following the release of her 2025 studio album, “Champion,” and the success of her documentary, “Bif Naked: A Documentary.” The documentary premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Choice Award, before going on to a series of sold-out Canadian screenings and a streaming debut on Super Channel. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of “Superbeautifulmonster,” Bif’s 2006 album that she has described as her personal favourite. The milestone is being marked with a new vinyl reissue. Bif’s career has included seven studio albums and chart-topping songs including the Billboard Canada No. 1 “Spaceman,” along with “I Love Myself Today,” “Tango Shoes” and “Lucky.” She has also shared stages with artists including Billy Idol, Foo Fighters, the Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day. She will also be among the performers at Live Loud, a national partnership between Matthew Perry House and Make Music Matter focused on using music and storytelling to reduce stigma and support people affected by mental health, trauma and substance-use health. Live Loud returns Sept. 10 at Toronto’s Massey Hall, with Bif joining a lineup that includes The Strumbellas, Aysanabee, Julian Taylor, Tim Hicks, Crown Lands, The Washboard Union, Fefe Dobson and Maestro Fresh Wes. The event will be hosted by actress, comedian and musician Lauren Ash and comedy legend Bruce McCulloch. Other performers and special guests include Michie Mee, Hill Kourkoutis, Aaron Solowoniuk of Billy Talent, Menno Versteeg of Hollerado, Sekou Lumumba of Big Wreck, Todd Morse of The Offspring, and Cone McCaslin and Dave Baksh of Sum 41. Ticket details, here. SWOMP caught up with Bif for an interview. Bif Naked is also one of the featured artists in SWOMP Magazine Issue Two, which was just released at the beginning of September. Buy a copy, here. Photo credit: Peter Karroll
Sep 8

Fefe Dobson chats with SWOMP at CallHome, set to perform at Live Loud at Massey Hall

Canadian singer Fefe Dobson performed on the main stage at the CallHome Music Festival in Brantford, Ontario on Friday, July 24, 2026. Following her performance, Dobson caught up with SWOMP backstage for an interview. Dobson is set to perform on September 10, 2026 at Massey Hall in Toronto as part of Live Loud - a national partnership between Matthew Perry House and Make Music Matter, harnessing the power of music and storytelling to reduce stigma and support those on the path to healing. Ticket details, here. Dobson is also one of the featured artists in SWOMP Magazine Issue Two, which was just released at the beginning of September. Buy a copy, here.

SWOMP’s podcast is your unfiltered backstage pass to the music world. Rooted in Canada and raging worldwide, we bring raw artist interviews, behind-the-scenes chaos, and deep dives into the bands shaping the scene. From legends to rising stars, it’s all about the energy, passion, and stories that make music unforgettable. Plug in and enjoy.

Creator

SWOMP
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

100
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Show Website

SWOMP