House of Crouse

On the Saturday March 28, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we meet singer-songwriter and producer Peter Elkas. He’s toured the world as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with the likes of Neko Case, Joel Plaskett, and Andy Kim, released a string of celebrated solo records produced by Don Kerr and Charlie Sexton, and shared stages with everyone from Feist and Nick Lowe to The Doobie Brothers and Bruce Springsteen. Now, “Lion Lion,” originally released on his 2018 EP Lion, is roaring back into focus thanks to an unexpected new chapter. Elkas recently stepped into the acting world, appearing as Ed—the local record store owner—in the 2026 Netflix original series Finding Her Edge. In a perfectly meta twist, the show also features “Lion Lion” in an episode Elkas appears in, with the song landing on Netflix’s official Finding Her Edge playlist. We talk about the resurgence of the song and more! Then, award-winning Iranian Canadian filmmaker Alireza Khatami. His debut feature, Oblivion Verses (2017), premiered at the Venice Film Festival, earning multiple accolades including the Best Screenplay award in that category, the FIPRESCI Prize, and the Interfilm Award. In 2023, he co-directed Terrestrial Verses, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Today we talk about his latest film The Things You Kill, a psychological thriller exploring family dynamics, toxic masculinity, and personal trauma (drawing heavily from his own experiences). It premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance, where he won the Directing Award, and was selected as Canada's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards and it is now playing in theatres everywhere.

On the Saturday March 21, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Nat Boltt and Miriam Margolyes, the writer director and star of a new, heartwarming dramedy called “Holy Days.” The story, set in 1970s New Zealand and adapted from Joy Cowley's novel, follows a grieving young boy (Elijah Tamati) who joins the nuns on a chaotic journey across the country. They aim to save their convent (or retrieve deeds to it) while dealing with themes of loss, faith, family, and mischief. Nat Boltt is an actress, you may remember from playing Penelope Blossom on the hit show “Riverdale.” She is a writer and director, and “Holy Days” is her first feature. British-Australian acting legend Miriam Margolyes, OBE, is the beloved character actress who's stolen scenes for decades—from Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films and Mrs. Mingott in The Age of Innocence (which earned her a BAFTA) to countless unforgettable turns in Blackadder, Babe and recent projects like the Oscar-nominated short A Friend of Dorothy. Then, we’ll meet David Bouchard, a highly acclaimed Canadian author (of Métis/Ojibway heritage), former teacher and school principal, Order of Canada recipient, and passionate advocate for literacy, Indigenous stories, and cultural understanding. Today we’ll talk about his new book Dreamcatcher: Grandmother's Web.

On the Saturday March 14, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we meet 8 time Juno nominee Ammote. She recently won Best Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year at the Reggae North Music Awards. Her album Water earned her a JUNO Award nomination as well as Grammy Award consideration and she has shared stages with renowned artists such as Michael Bublé, Sean Paul, Ziggy Marley, Chronixx, Arkells, Brandy and Wyclef Jean. Today Ammoye joins me to talk about being nominated for Reggae Recording of the Year at the 2026 JUNOs for the song “More Reggae (Funk It Up),” her collaboration with powerhouse performer Samora. Then, we get to know Sonya Singh. Following the success of her debut, Sonya returns with “The Fake Matchmaker,” a delightful, trope-rich rom-com with real heart. With sharp humour and irresistible chemistry, the novel delivers a smart, modern take on dating, expectations, and the beautiful messiness of falling for someone at the wrong time. Told through a fun, fizzy rom-com lens, Manisha’s story is also steeped in Indian culture, exploring family dynamics and generational expectations with warmth and wit.

On the Saturday March 7, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet hip-hop artist, motivational speaker, author, and community advocate D.O. Gibson. He set a Guinness World Record for the longest freestyle rap. It’s wild. 8 hours and 45 minutes in 2003 at a Toronto car show, he tours internationally, and has sold tens of thousands of CDs independently, hitting #1 on U.S. college hip-hop radio charts. He runs his own label and does youth-focused work like his "Stay Driven" school tours, illustrated children's books (e.g., "The Story of How Young Duane Gibson"). He's also been recognized as a Top Outstanding Black Canadian and received awards for his impact. His latest single "Learned from the Greatest" is streaming everywhere, and the key tagline from his promo is: “I learned from the greatest — now it's my turn to pass it on.” The song leans into themes of legacy, mentorship, influence, and paying it forward—fitting for an artist who's been in the game for decades and now focuses on inspiring the next generation. Then, we get to know writer, actor, and graphic designer Ann McDougall. Her book A Ghost in the Room - provides a very Canadian history of ghosts and the paranormal by combining intriguing stories from individual museums with her own personal research into how believers, practitioners, and charlatans alike all engage with the spirit world today. She made it her mission to explore as many supernatural activities as possible first-hand! She researches Toronto’s Mackenzie House, the site of a well-documented ghost, the hoax that is nevertheless known to this day as “Canada’s most haunted house,” the first Canadian radio broadcast of a séance in 1936 and travels to a Niagara Falls Casino to see a celebrity TV medium who claims to speak to “the other side” live on stage among many other stories.

On the Saturday February 28, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Elyse Aeryn, a roots-rock singer-songwriter from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She spent nearly a decade in the pulp and paper industry—then, in her late 20s, walked away to chase the music that's always burned inside her. Her roots-rock sound fuses Stevie Nicks-inspired soul, with some Alanis, and memorable melodies. Her 2023 debut Joy State of Mind put her on the map with nominations and awards, and now, after overcoming a devastating motorcycle crash in 2025, she's back. Her sophomore album Everybody Loves You... is10 tracks of bold, emotionally resonant rock that features radio-toppers like 'Unstoppable.' Then, Joel Ryan from the indie band School House. After moving in together in 2021, three best friends, Mitchell Jackson, David Campbell and my guest Joel Ryan, discovered their new home was a century-old schoolhouse - inspiring the name of their band School House, and giving them a dedicated space to create. Since then, the group has rapidly gained attention, opening for Canadian music icon Alan Doyle, being named Group of the Year at the 2024 Ottawa Music Awards, and having their debut release awarded Album of the Year by Faces Magazine. The band then secured a coveted spot in the 2024 Mariposa Folk Festival lineup by winning the Artist Showcase - where they were celebrated as “fan favourites” by the festival. In 2025, they further cemented their place as one of Canada’s most exciting acts by winning the Boots and Hearts emerging artist showcase.

On the Saturday February 21, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet artist Michael Townsend. Have you heard about the Netflix movie “Secret Mall Apartment”? It’s the wildly popular story, set in the early two thousands, about a group of eight young artists and friends from Rhode Island who secretly built and lived in a hidden 750-square-foot apartment inside the busy Providence Place Mall in Providence, Rhode Island. They discovered an unused "nowhere space" in the mall's structure, snuck in furniture, tapped into electricity, constructed walls (including smuggling in over 2 tons of cinderblock to build a fortified, lockable entrance), and even furnished it with everyday items like a TV, gaming system, books, and couches—all while filming much of the process themselves. They lived there undetected for four years (until 2007), when they were eventually caught and charged with trespassing. Then, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol of “Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie.” The movie, which blends footage from the 2007–2009 web series of the same name, begins with unemployed musicians Matt and Jay (Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol) hatching a plan to land a gig at the legendary Rivoli on Queen Street West in Toronto. Without contacting the club, writing any songs or practising, they decide to parachute off the CN Tower into the Skydome during a baseball game to announce the show in front of a stunned crowd. What could go wrong? Well, lots. No spoilers here, but when their skydiving stunt doesn’t get them the Rivoli gig, they (along with their camera guy Jared Raab) find themselves accidentally traveling back to the year 2008, and struggling to find a way back to the future.

On the special Valentine’s Day edition of The Richard Crouse Show on Saturday February 14, 2026 we’ll meet Heather Hendrie, the editor of a brand new (hilarious) anthology of non-fiction stories about sex and relationships entitled “Pillow Talk - An Awfully Hilarious Anthology!” Heather is a nature-based therapist and clinical counsellor based in Whistler, British Columbia and she founded the Awfully Hilarious Project to end shame, uplift women’s health and destigmatize mental health. Her two previous Awfully Hilarious anthologies, “Stories We Never Tell” (2023) and “Period Pieces” (2024) were both Canadian Book Club Awards winners. Then we meet Shelley Saywell. As an acclaimed Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker known for tackling tough global issues like human rights, conflict, and women's stories in war zones, her new memoir “If Only Love: A Memoir of Second Chances” marks a deeply personal shift—exploring first love, long separation, a miraculous reunion via email after 30 years, profound joy, devastating grief, and the enduring power of love amid her high-stakes career.

On the Saturday February 7, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll spend some time with JUNO-winning Canadian jazz vocalist, pianist, singer-songwriter, and CBC Music host (Saturday Night Jazz). She is Grammy nominated in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her holiday album “Wintersongs” and joins me today top talk about the album and how the nomination changed her life. Then we’ll meet critically acclaimed Canadian author Lindsay Wong. Her bestselling, award-winning memoir “The Woo-Woo: How I Survived Ice Hockey, Drug Raids, Demons, and My Crazy Chinese Family,” a Canada Reads finalist and Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize winner, established her literary reputation for sharp wit, dark humor, and unflinching exploration of Chinese Canadian identity. Today we’ll talk about her highly anticipated debut adult novel, “Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies,” a wickedly funny, genre-bending blend of horror, dark comedy, and folk magic. Drawing on ancient Chinese traditions like corpse marriage and villain hitting, we’ll explain both of those in the interview, it follows a broke, ambitious young woman haunted by her powerful witch grandmother and an undead sister, delivering a subversive takedown of class struggle, the model minority myth, patriarchy, and the murderous cost of simply trying to survive. Praised as "extraordinarily imaginative and darkly hilarious" and a "chilling masterclass in fiction," this book cements Lindsay as one of the most provocative voices in contemporary literary horror.