Release Day Series Podcast

On episode 34, Ben Plotnik from the JUNO Award winning string quartet, The Fretless, joins me to talk about their latest, collaborative album “Open House”, released on October 22nd, 2021. "Open House" is a 10 song album and the first project that sees The Fretless feature vocals on all the tracks and in such a prominent role. Working with artists like Celeigh Cardinal,  Nuela Charles, Th...

Hello and welcome to the release day series podcast, I'm your host Alex Huard, joining me today from the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia, is singer songwriter Daniel James McFadyen to talk about his debut album August, I’m Yours that he released on October 8th, 2021. In our conversation we really dig into the inspiration behind the songs on the album, learning more about what they mean to...

On episode 32, joining all the way from northern Ontario in Attawapiskat First Nation on the James Bay, is Adrian Sutherland. The indigenous singer-songwriter, who might be best known as the frontman of the band Midnight Shine, released his debut solo record, When the Magic Hits on September 17th, 2021. We go into detail about how Adrian adapted to the pandemic to get the album recorded and visual...

I am so excited to share my conversation with Candace Lacina of the "North" Americana Supergroup  The Hello Darlins, to talk about the band’s debut album Go By Feel, released on June 11, 2021. Formed by Candace and her husband Mike Little - both seasoned songwriters and musicians in their own right, the two have been working as session musicians for artists you may have heard of; Shania...

Well am I excited to say this is episode 30 of the podcast, and joining me are Jesse Read and Ben Gibson - the creators and curators of the online Canadian music publication Dropout Entertainment. The reason these guys are special - aside from doing great things for the Canadian music community, is they’re the reason the release day series started in the first place! What I love the most about Dro...

On episode 29, I am joined by Jacob Tsafatinos of the band Good Kid - who’s latest EP - Good Kid 2 came out on November 6, 2020. This band is one of my favourite musical discoveries of 2020, with a sound reminiscent of The Strokes and Tokyo Police Club, with a little Fallout Boy or Panic at the Disco in vocals for good measure. What I love about the band is the visual and creative identity they ha...

On episode 28 I am joined by Scotty Taylor, the leader of the Canadian outlaw, country rock and roll group F. Scott and the Nighthawks to talk about their debut album, and one of my favourites of 2021 - Hold on to Your Heart, released on August 13, 2021. One of the things I love the most about this album is how the tracks are sequenced, the flow from one song to the next feels absolutely perfect t...

On episode 27 I am joined by Alex Arthur, the drummer for alternative rock band Hideout Legacy to talk about their singles Game Changer, released on February 19th, and Drive Me Wild, released on May 14th. These guys have had a really cool approach to releasing their music that includes creating remixes of their singles to not only give a little more life after the songs initial release, but how it...

On episode 26, I am joined by singer songwriter Tennyson King to talk about all manner of things music, from international touring, to grant writing - but most importantly his latest releases, Sheng Ming De Jin Du and Zi Zai - the first songs he’s ever released in cantonese. In light of May being Asian Heritage Month and the events regarding anti Asian racism in Canada and around the world, Tennys...

My guest for episode 25 is publicist Kari Zalik - founder, owner and operator of Bad Parade PR - a music publicity firm focused on bringing musical talent to every corner of Canada. If you are a musician listening to this episode and you have heard of a publicist but unsure of what they do - this episode is going to lay it all out for you. If you’re a musician and you know about PR, but you’ve bee...

Today we are revisiting a conversation I had for our video series with the award winning Indigenous rock duo Twin Flames. I sat down with Chelsey June and Jaaji on September 21st, 2020 to discuss their timely, and absolutely incredible album ”Omen”, which was released August 28th, 2020. Twin Flames had one of the most engaging, and entertaining ways of taking their fans on a journey behind the mak...

On episode 23, we're joined by Chris Dallan and Jay Carraro - aka the folk-rock duo Electric Gas - based out of Guelph & Kitchener Ontario. On June 4th, 2021 - Chris and Jay released their first full length album “The Scars Stay”. With the majority of the album recorded live off the floor, the record showcases the immense professionalism, musicality, and years of experience the two have w...

On episode 22 we're joined by James Clark of the James Clark Institute to talk about his great power-pop album “The Colour of Happy”, released on May 7th, 2021. James and I talk about his journey to becoming the musician and songwriter he is today, working with producer Moe Berg from the iconic band The Pursuit of Happiness to create his distinctive sound, and how James has surrounded himself...

On this week’s episode we’re joined by folk singer songwriter Ken Tizzard as we dive into the production of his latest album “All Together Now” that was released on May 18th, 2021. The album is a collection of 13 cover songs with Ken’s own personal spin that make it’s an incredibly unique listening experience. The epic project involved some 44 guest musicians contributing parts from all over the c...

Our guest today is the incredible RnB Singer/songwriter Justine Tyrell to talk about her debut EP “While You Were Sleeping” that she released on April 23rd, 2021.Justine’s infectious personality and creative energy is a driving force behind this conversation. We talk about the importance of working with a PR company (Bad Parade) that truly loves your music, what benefits can be had when working wi...

Today on the podcast Alex is joined by singer/songwriter Kristen Martell. On Thursday April 29th, Kristen released her new single “Photograph of Secrets” following up the song’s release with a behind-the-scenes music video on May 13th. The song is a collaborative effort between Martell and award-winning artist Gabrielle Papillon, along with award-winning Producer Dan Ledwell. We talk about the men...

On today’s episode I am joined by JUNO Nominated singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff, who on Friday, May 14th 2021 released his album “All This Time Running” - his first album of new songs in six years, and his debut on the iconic Canadian label, True North Records. Craig and Alex talk about the writing process for the album, the virtual concert he and his team organized for the release of the album t...

On March 26th Queens & Kings - aka Alissa Klug & Brendan Albert released "Going Through Hell", the third single from their forthcoming album. The song not only feels timely in a sense that - thanks to the pandemic, we have all felt like we’re going through hell - but it paints a vivid image of the ups and downs that any kind of relationship may bring with it. Accompanied with the...

On March 26th, 2021, Juno award winning singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge released his 9th studio album Islands (via Outside Music) - a retrospective album where Rutledge not only revisits songs but moreover the process that brought them to life. We talk about what went into selecting the songs for the album and how they were recorded, how his covers of The Tragically Hip songs introduced the icon...

On July 17th 2020, Bad Buddy released their debut, self-titled album, hitting #1 on !earshot distro, and is a collection of songs that has an energy and honesty to it that leads me to believe their live show is absolutely incredible. We have an extremely fun, and lively conversation about how the album came to life, the serious narrative behind the peppy riff-laden surf punk sound, and how their r...

Joining us today on episode 14 is singer/songwriter Alex Southey. On March 31, 2021 Alex released his third album ...And the Country Stirred. Alex utilized email campaigns to connect with his audience during the release process, not only giving them the opportunity to hear his songs first, but asking them to help him determine what his next single should be leading up to the album’s release. We ta...

LambLion is the indie folk/Americana project of husband and wife duo Oliver and Danka Pigott. Over the course of 2020, LambLion released 5 singles that would make up their debut EP - Only The Brave - released in February of 2021. The order of tracks on the E.P. reflects the order they were released throughout the year and depicts their journey through the changing tides of 2020.We talk about produ...

On episode 12, we're joined by Brent Jensen; author, music critic, radio personality & host/creator of his podcast "No Sleep Til Sudbury." Discussing the "music that makes your skin vibrate" Brent's guests have included musicians like Kim Mitchell, Julian Taylor & Kevin Comeau of Crownlands, as well as a handful of original MuchMusic VJs in Erica Ehm, Christop...

On this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jong Lee, the founding member of Peach Luffe, about how he leverages the power of social media to gain loyal followers and dedicated listeners by interacting with anyone who leaves a comment or sends him direct messages. Not only does Jong understand the importance social media plays in connecting with his fan base, but he also recognizes...

On episode 10 of the Release Day Series Podcast, we revisit our conversation with Electro pop duo Mountain Head from April 2020. The brothers caught our attention because of the level of attention and detail they put into each of their releases. From album artwork and music videos to merch, each single release has been treated as if it were an album launch. We talk about the creative process behin...