Witchpolice Radio

This episode is my conversation with Clint Chaboyer about live-streaming local punk and metal bands on Red Tie Live, the upcoming ‘90s tribute show in support of MS Canada (May 5 at The Park Theatre), and much more. The songs on this episode are from previous charity tribute events -- this year's is the eighth annual -- and are covers by all-star lineups of Winnipeg musicians, with suitably ridiculous band names like 'Nirvan Down By The River', 'Squirrel Jam', and 'Manther'! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company!Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Caught up with Jude and Wyatt of metalcore maniacs Hopscotchbattlescars to talk about their upcoming record, making music with a confusing beat that’s hard to dance to, ‘wacky’ songs, and much more. You can pre-order the digital album, Sick of You, which comes out May 5, now.Need more Hopscotchbattlescars in your life? Check out episode #617 (Aug. 2021) This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company!Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Balanced Records has been holding it down for the local electronic scene(s) for more than two decades.Great conversation on this episode with Adam (Kasm) Hannibal about the label’s DIY history in a golden era for Winnipeg music, the community’s growth, musically unique live shows, and much more! Song selections: Kasm - Stargate (Michael Red Remix), Paris to Kyiv - Call (J57 Remix), Silla and Rise - Atausiq (Tomahawk Bang Remix), House of David Gang - Reggae Warrior (Seed Organization Remix). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company!Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Great conversation with Ariane Jean of francophone alternative pop project Sala!We talked about her roots in the local music scene with groups like Madrigaïa and Chic Gamine, writing in French vs English, the upcoming Sala album and release show, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company!Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Singer-songwriter Larysa Musick has just released the debut single, ‘Joan of Arc’, from her upcoming EP.We sat down to talk about moving from the world of poetry slams into playing folk music, working with women and non-binary collaborators, writing about history, house shows, and so much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that!Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! Big shoutout to the latest patron, Jimmy Shand!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

I talked to multi-instrumentalist and producer Joel Klaverkamp (Cookie Delicious) about the new ‘Fox in Golden Armour’ record, the differences between his previous garage rock-inspired solo project (Beefdonut) and Cookie Delicious’ freaky dance music, needing to be in three bands at once (see Merin and Robojom)… and more!Need more Joel? You can hear him on episode #083 (2014) as Beefdonut and episode #380 (2019) as a member of Merin. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that!Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

If you were anywhere near a radio in the ‘90s, Winnipeg’s Crash Test Dummies were hard to miss. Decades later, with members spread out across the continent, they’re back on the road with a new single, “Sacred Alphabet”.I sat down with frontman Brad Roberts to talk about performing for multi-generational fans, pressure-free touring, being a terrible hockey player, and much more!This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that!Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

This one definitely qualifies as ‘music-adjacent’: I talked to Shane from 3D Pro Wrestling and wrestler/podcaster/man-about-town Stefan Richard about the upcoming ‘Protect Ya Neck’ event, March 30 at the Pyramid Cabaret!In addition to live indie wrestling, local bands Cheap Heat, xMeans to an Endx, and Murder Capital are performing (and I threw a song by each into the episode too)!Check out this conversation about how wrestling is similar to DIY music, combining heavy music and heavy hitting, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

With the new tape, ‘The Body Horror’, Matthew Powers (a/k/a Midnight Review Presents) adds to his already stellar catalogue of DIY weirdness.We talked about the new album, the ongoing horror motif, collaborating with artists like The Famous Sandhogs, non-standard cassette packaging, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Rumours of The Thrashers' demise have been greatly exaggerated.Winnipeg’s favourite skateboardin’, garage-rockin’, Transistor 66-in’ power trio is back, briefly, with one last record — their first since 2015.Well, technically, it's two records in one: the brand new We Are Literally the Thrashers and This is a Pizza Party With the Thrashers EPs, combined into a single slab o' wax!Here's a conversation about their last hurrah (April 15 at the Park Theatre), their decade and a half as a band, and much more… Want more Thrashers? They were on the show waaaay back in February 2015 on episode #114. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, including the latest patron, Matthew Powers! Be like Matt: you can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

‘The Empire is in Decline and Growing Weaker by the Day’ is the excellent new record by rapper/producer/songwriter Rob Crooks.We sat down to talk about the album, the political context behind it, making angry, anxious music, and a whole lot more! Way back in 2012, Rob was one of the original co-hosts of this podcast, so he's on a lot of past episodes, but if you want to hear more of him (as a guest) in recent years, he's on episodes #657 (with Gruf and Yy, Jan. 2022), bonus episode (with Cam Scott, Sept. 2021), and #527 (Oct. 2020). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, including the latest patron, Lindsey Hawkes! Be like Lindsey: you can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Here's an interview with the members of Winnipeg's Campfire Sigh about psychedelic pop, navigating social media and self-promotion, last fall’s ‘Different Peninsulas’ album, prolific songwriting… and more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, including the latest patron, KairuMustDie! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

‘From the Attic’ is a new video series based out of Argyle Studio, featuring some of Winnipeg’s latest and greatest artists!Here's a quick conversation with the trio behind the project (Cam Loeppky, Mike Requeima and Tom Elvers) about the series’ origins, upcoming episodes, filming b-roll of Winnipeg streets in the dead of winter, and more.The series already has a couple of episodes out, including performances by the Greg Macpherson Band and Fold Paper. I also did a second interview with Cam and Mike about From the Attic for my day job, which you can read here: https://globalnews.ca/news/9509867/web-concert-series-winnipeg-music-scene-diversity-energy/ This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Local video gang The Village Idiots were always ahead of the curve when it comes to live-streaming Winnipeg music.After a pandemic-related hiatus, Rylie Saunders, one of the Idiots-in-chief, is back with The Spare Room, a new series of live performances and conversations with local musicians!On this episode, we chat about the new show and much more! Need more Village Idiots? Check out episode #212 (Dec. 2016). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

I inaugurated my new memory card with a great conversation with Veronica Blackhawk of Tinge!We talked about the upcoming Big Deep Sigh EP on the House of Wonders label, indie folk (but also math rock), the joys of Midwest emo, making music for people who are underrepresented, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Great conversation with contemporary drum kit specialist Ben Reimer! Really enjoyed this one.We talked about expanding the horizons of the drum kit into forms of classical music, the melodic playing on his Katana of Choice LP, working with composers, using techniques from genres like metal in symphonic settings (classical blastbeats!) and much more. NOTE: As I mention in the intro, my trusty old memory card finally crapped out on me after hundreds of episodes, so this is the backup audio, which means my side of the conversation sounds a little rougher than usual, but it's absolutely still listenable. (I've since acquired a new card, don't worry). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Winnipeg singer-songwriter Cec Lopez is out-of-province working on a Master’s degree, but more of the soulful songs of heartbreak that made 2021’s “Canola” EP so memorable are in the works. Here's a conversation about vocals with presence, Manitoba as home and inspiration, learning the business side of being an independent artist, and much more. NOTE: As I mention in the intro, my trusty old memory card finally crapped out on me after hundreds of episodes, so this is the backup audio, which means my side of the conversation sounds a little rougher than usual, but it's absolutely still listenable. (I've since acquired a new card, don't worry). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

After a decade of band practice, the members of Satanic Rights are ready to celebrate with an anniversary show March 10 at The Handsome Daughter!We talked about the milestone, how staff Christmas parties are responsible for the band’s longevity, what they probably *should* have named themselves, working on new music, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Very interesting conversation on this episode with jazz vocalist/composer/educator Adele M Wilding.She’s presenting a three-week vocal workshop on African-American spirituals next month at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts, and we discussed the direct throughway from spirituals to all genres of popular music today, aural and oral traditions, the idea of musical “soul”, and much more.We also got into Adele’s upcoming ‘jazz vespers’ event, and the idea of bringing a jazz trio into a religious setting and reach a wider community. This episode also includes music from Adele's various projects. Check out her Bandcamp page for more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! Big shouts to the latest patrons, The Famous Sandhogs and Velvet Blitz! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Here's a throwback episode -- it's a re-release of one of the "lost" podcasts from 2014 -- an early Witchpolice interview that didn't get added to the current podcast feed. This one was originally released as episode #77 (the show wasn't even into triple-digits yet!) and featured a phone interview with Sammy Kohn, drummer of iconic Winnipeg rockers The Watchmen. I hope you dig it. It's in the show's old format, so if you're new to Witchpolice Radio, you're better off listening to a 2023 episode, but if you're looking for a fun throwback, here we are. No apologies for audio quality. Here's what I said about it back in 2014: For this week's podcast episode, we tweak the format for an interview with Sammy Kohn, drummer of platinum-selling Canadian rock band The Watchmen. We talk about the upcoming reissue of the band's 1994 classic "In the Trees" and go over some of their history. This week, the guest selects all of the songs. Back to your regularly-scheduled programming next episode!

This episode features two members of Velvet Blitz talking about releasing music at the height of the pandemic (and the evolution of their songs since they’ve been able to rehearse in person), coming from Winnipeg’s vibrant Filipino music community, blending funk, blues and punk influences with straight-ahead rock n’ roll, and more.(We also talked about the really PURPLE-heavy graphic design on their records) This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Rob Rodgers is the Winnipeg half of interprovincial indie rock duo Yelverton Undertow!We talked about the two-decades-in-the-making collaboration with a former bandmate in Newfoundland, leaving tapes in the wild, the upcoming Yelverton Undertow EP and its almost-release on vinyl, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Here's a conversation with members of Fox Lake about releasing an LP during the pandemic, struggling to explain what kind of music they play (is it math rock? Is it Midwest emo? Is it “punk-adjacent”?), remote songwriting with one member living out of province, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! Big shoutout to the latest patrons, Joel Klaverkamp and Al! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Solo artist Andrew Floyd's latest project, Lifte, is a very personal one.His raw new cover album, 'Disconnected' — as well as his previous releases of original music — act as an emotional outlet for the experience of being caregiver for his wife, who has primary progressive multiple sclerosis.We talked about creativity as catharsis, responses to the record from friends and family, sleeping on hospital chairs, connecting with other caregivers and loved ones of MS patients, and much more.It’s a heavy subject but a really great conversation. Want to hear more from Andrew? He was on episode #345 back in 2018 as a member of the band Boss Logan. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

I sat down with two members of long-running local “blues on steroids” outfit D.B. and the Deadbeats for a conversation about the band’s dozen years in the scene, trading their amped-up sound for stripped-down acoustic duo gigs during the pandemic, respecting the blues OGs, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon.You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Synth experimentalist Patrick Michalishyn is back on the podcast!Great conversation about his new soundtrack-without-a-movie (Klont), reviving the Sounds Escaping label, performing live, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Want more Michalishyn? Hear him on episode #298 (July 2019) and Quick Hits II (April 2021) Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon.You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

They call themselves the oldest band that can be thought of as "emerging artists" — I sat down with four members of Car 287 for a wide-ranging conversation about transitioning from being a cover band to playing original music, finding a place in the local music scene, getting creative during the pandemic, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon.You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

I sat down with Twintwa's David Fort to talk about returning to Winnipeg for a wild show this Sunday (Jan. 8 at Bevvy Teyems Studio), nostalgic feelings for the Winnipeg airport, performing Twintwa's "deep Earth folk" as a solo act on this trip, and much more. There's also a very brief chat partway through with Jo Wolfclan (who was nearby when we did the interview). Jo is performing at Sunday's event alongside Twintwa, Eagle Lake Owls, Velveteen, and Kaiti Rieder Three of the four songs on this episode are from the Bleeding Hearts EP, which is a collaborative project by Twintwa, Forest Her Dress, and Eagle Lake Owls. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon.You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

On this first episode of the new year, I caught up with local rapper, singer and breakdancer Mooki and talked about the new ‘City Hunter’ album (with Ali Wan Kenobi), contributing to the culture, developing a sound and style he wants to hear, and much more. Need more Mooki? You can also hear him on episode #481 (April 2020). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, including the latest patron, Joe Courchene! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Local lo-fi power trio Humous just released a new EP — their first entirely in Tagalog after a series of excellent English-language releases.I sat down with Julius (vocals/bass) and JC (drums) to talk about the EP, their upcoming 10-year anniversary as a band, experimenting with heavier sounds, and much more!Need more Humous? Check out episode #387 (May 2019) and #555 (Jan. 2021)! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

It's (almost) the end of the year, so I decided to turn my annual year-end "favourite local albums" list into a podcast!Here's part two -- the top five of my overall top 15 -- in an overstuffed episode that includes clips from interviews with a number of artists who made the list, and much more. Part one, numbers 6 through 15, can be heard here. Part two includes releases by KEN mode, Christine Fellows, Age of Self, Jacob Brodovsky, and Scott Nolan. As mentioned in the intro, I'm sure I've missed some great stuff, both on this episode and the first one, and there are also a lot of albums I didn't consider for 2022 -- mainly stuff that came out too late this year for me to fully absorb. Records that came out on streaming this year but have physical copies in 2023 count as "2023" releases as well. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears.

It's (almost) the end of the year, so I decided to turn my annual year-end "favourite local albums" list into a podcast!Here's part one -- numbers six through 15 of my overall top 15 -- in an overstuffed episode that includes clips from interviews with a number of artists who made the list, and much more. Part two, my top five, will be out next episode. Part one includes releases by artists like Turn the Gun, Well Sister, Ultra Mega, Jocelyn Gould, The Secret Beach, JayWood, Death Trip, Antonio Mazza, Claire Therese and the Lockdown, and Bicycle Face. As mentioned in the intro, I'm sure I've missed some great stuff, both on this episode and the next, and there are also a lot of albums I didn't consider for 2022 -- mainly stuff that came out too late this year for me to fully absorb. Records that came out on streaming this year but have physical copies in 2023 count as "2023" releases as well. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears.

It was a crowded (virtual) house when I sat down with the members of the excellently-named crossover band Manther!We talked about their new EP, wearing a cat-gimp costume while performing live, the other Manthers (shhhh), D&D-inspired artwork and so much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears.

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra recently released Voices: A Musical Heritage — a collection of pieces by local composers with cultural backgrounds ranging from Nigeria to Ukraine to Brazil and beyond.Here's a conversation with WJO conductor Richard Gillis, about the new disc, bringing international sounds to a big band setting, the orchestra’s long history, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears.

Enjoy this fun conversation with Claire from Claire Thérèse and the Lockdown, who recently released the excellent Villainy! LP.We talked about the “folk-grunge” project’s long-running roots, its changing and expanding lineup of players, self-releasing vinyl and doing things DIY in this digital dystopia, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

Great conversation on this one with Cam Scott, frontman of Age of Self, about hardcore’s ‘complex musical ecology’, sprinting out of the gate as a new band that is already touring, the welcome physicality of playing in a loud band, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

Winnipeg’s Nick Friesen is a busy guy these days.Nick is the artist, animator and songwriter behind cartoon band Olivia Sea, which has expanded to a comic book series, an upcoming graphic novel, and a recent cassette release.He also recently published a collection of short stories and — via his Jaded & Elated and Inservice Records projects — is putting together a tribute album to ‘90s indie rockers Transistor Sound & Lighting Co.We talked about all of this and then some. Check it out! Need more Nick? Hear him on episodes 96 (Oct. 2014) and 154 (Nov. 2015) as a member of Futurekids and on episode 378 (April 2019) as himself. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

I’ve been doing this a while, but I’m not the only long-running music podcaster in this sordid little burg.The hosts of Warped and Creased have been talking about (and reviewing) extreme metal since 2014!We had a conversation about podcasting as a lifeline during the pandemic, the ongoing appeal of physical media in this streaming dystopia, an upcoming show they’re presenting (alongside Eye and Ear Control Records) at the Park Theatre, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

This episode features an interesting interview with ‘new’ — but not new to the culture — local hip-hop artist KNG JMZ! Check out our conversation about navigating the administrative side of music, the way rap has changed, the importance of lyrics, and much more! Note: as I mention in the intro, I had to use the backup audio for this episode because of a file problem, but it's still absolutely listenable. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

Winnipeg’s Hypernashion has been combining electronic beats, blues/rock guitars, dub reggae and punk rock influences and more for many years, and they’re almost ready to release a new album on their own DIY Hyper Recordz label.I sat down with three members of the group for a conversation about the collective’s unique sound, combining live instruments with electronic beats, the band’s Polish roots, and much more. Want more Hypernashion? Hear bandleader Arturo on episode #129 (June 2015) and #163 (Jan. 2016). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, like our newest patron, Michael Dearman (who will get an on-air shoutout next episode). Thanks, Mike! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

On this episode, I get heavy with local metal band Ramskull, who are back with a new album, ‘Parasitic Sapiens’!We talked about the grief of losing a bandmate and the catharsis of performing his songs, about playing on diverse bills, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

Had a good chat on the podcast with Matt Pitre, who you may recognize from metal outfit Book of Ghosts!We talked about new music from that project, as well as his new hip-hop venture as Jerry Can, upcoming group Neighbours... and much more! NOTE: Due to an equipment issue, the first three minutes or so of the interview has fairly crappy sound quality (mostly my end of the conversation), but after that, it's fine. Thanks for your patience. Want more Book of Ghosts? Check out episode #452 (Jan. 2020). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

Acclaimed local graphic novelist GMB Chomichuk is back on the show for the first time in almost a decade!Stay tuned for a conversation about comics, creating, his desire to collaborate with the local music community, the way the word “Witchpolice” has haunted him for years, and much more.It’s a fun one, and local musicians are going to want to hear about his ideas for collaboration. Want more? Hear GMB Chomichuk's first appearance on the podcast way back on episode 54 (Dec. 2013). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee (like Steve, the latest supporter. Thanks, Steve!) As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

It’s been a few years since singer-songwriter Kieran West was on the podcast and a lot has changed.We talked about his upcoming solo record, his new band, Looking Inward — and how fatherhood, sobriety and the pandemic have impacted his songwriting and outlook.There’s also a bunch of conversation about the lasting appeal of Midwest emo! Want more Kieran West? Check out episode #348 (Jan. 2019) This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

It’s the triumphant return of Bicycle Face to the podcast!I hung out with the mostly non-Christmas joy-pop duo and talked about their upcoming space-themed album, returning from the great Unicycle Face schism, Myrrhvana and Xmas EPs, making music videos with cows, and so much more! Note: At a few points there's some weird robot-sounding (thematically appropriate, eh?) feedback on one of the BF members' ends of the conversation, but it certainly doesn't take away from the interview at all. Can't get enough Bicycle Face? Hear them way back on episode 169 (March 2016), and hear the members individually on episodes 500 (Theresa, July 2020) and 533 (Ava, Oct. 2020). This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

You may remember singer-songwriter Matt Foster from such bands as The Crooked Brothers… but have you heard the new solo record, True Needs? (Hint: you really should)I sat down with Matt for a conversation about the new album, tackling 'horrible' topics in a meaningful way, having a DIY punk rock attitude, reconnecting with technology, and so much more! Want more Matt? Check out episode #102 from way back in 2014. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, including latest patrons Meet The Geeks and Joe Proulx. You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

Here's one more throwback (the last one for a while) -- a re-release of one of the "lost" podcasts from 2014 -- an early Witchpolice recording that didn't get added to the current podcast feed. This one was originally released as #80 in June of that year, and features an in-studio interview and performance by local garage rockers The Zags (later to become The Zorgs), as well as a special call-in guest: Neil Osborne of iconic Canadian rockers 54-40! I hope you dig it. It's in the show's old format, so if you're new to Witchpolice Radio, you're better off listening to a 2022 episode, but if you're looking for a fun throwback, here we are. Here's what I said about it back in 2014: This is a full episode! Not only do we have Winnipeg garage-punk weirdos the Zags in-studio for a live performance, but we talk to Neil Osborne —frontman of Canadian rock icons 54-40 — over the phone! 54-40 is currently crowdfunding a brand new record, so we talk to Neil about that and about the band’s 30+ year history. The Zags get animated about this week’s randomly-generated theme word (“hands”), and good times are had by all!Back to your regularly-scheduled programming next episode!

Great chat with the delightful pizza-loving (they made a concept album about it) weirdos in Butterfist Funhouse.We talked about the new record, Illegal Oregano: an Italian Drama, songwriting, cannibalism, nebulous genre labels, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!

Here's another throwback -- a re-release of one of the "lost" podcasts from 2014 -- an early Witchpolice recording that didn't get added to the current podcast feed. This one was originally released as #73, featuring Matt and Patrick of Montreal ska legends The Planet Smashers as our guests. Ignore what I say in the intro: this was ONE of our early attempts at interviewing an artist from out of town, but not the very first. I hope you dig it. It's in the show's old format, so if you're new to Witchpolice Radio, you're better off listening to a 2022 episode, but if you're looking for a fun throwback, here we are. ...and yes, that cover image is an accurate depiction of our recording setup back then. We did everything in the jamspace in then-co-host Jon's basement. The dryer in the background was a prominent feature. Here's what I said about it back in 2014: This week we talk to Matt and Patrick of the legendary Planet Smashers about their new record, their experiences as a ska band with 20 years of history, and this week's randomly-generated theme word: TERROR.Back to your regularly-scheduled programming next episode!

Rap battles in 2022 are a completely different thing than I remember. I had a very enlightening conversation with Pacman, who has been participating in battles here in Winnipeg and across Canada.Check out our chat about battling as comedy/performance art rather than a strictly musical pursuit, using rap as a springboard to stand-up comedy and writing, whether there’s a “line” that shouldn’t be crossed when insulting an opponent, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at Devine Shirt Company, who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon! You can help out for as little as $1 a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! You can also throw a one-time tip via Buymeacoffee. As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening!