Artists on Art

I just love Daniel Baylis' poetry collections and so when he began releasing music over the last year, I was overjoyed. His music is like his poetry - insightful, raw, beautiful and very true. I'm delighted that he agreed to join me on the podcast. We talked about the benefits of traveling as artists (and as humans in general), how he loves the challenge of adding music to his poetry, and how taki...

The art that Renee has been making over the past several years is compelling, engaging and tells a story. There's a reason for that! We talked about how she's inspired to paint these days, how she made the move to making art full-time (and how much healthier she is because of it), her oracle deck and readings, and so, so much more. You can find out more about Renee, and see/buy her work, on her we...

What fun to interview a fellow MRHS alumni, Megan Aho - a singer-songwriter, author and children's entertainer using the stage name Molly Whuppie. We talked about so many things, including where her stage name came from, how the concept of "play" goes hand in hand with allowing space for inspiration, her love of the folk music style, and why Prince Edward Island is such a great place for artists t...

If you regularly see live music in PEI, you've likely seen James on the stage. He's a killer guitarist and one of my favorite songwriters. I finally got him out to the house to record a chat about how he got started playing guitar and writing songs, what he loves about performing and being a recording engineer, and how him and music are so intertwined it would be impossible to break them apart. Yo...

Julie Bull is poet/writer, mentor, performer and community-builder based in PEI. We got into why they left behind an academic career to focus on creating full-time and have built a practice and a career out of making art and helping others to do the same. There are some great tips in here for getting started, moving past creative blocks, and how bravery can keep you going. You can find their books...

I met Rozalind years ago when both of us were younger and totally fine with touring on a nothing budget and sleeping on floors. It was great to reconnect because I’ve been noticing all of the super cool ways she’s using her talents and helping people recognize theirs. We talked about how being a kid with asthma led to a life-long affair with playing the flute, why she finds the people of Newfoundl...

Nikkie Gallant does many creative and artistic things, and we only touched on a few of them in this episode. She's one of my favorite people to sing with, and we've added vocal tracks to each other's recordings (as well as a bunch of our friend's albums). She has also been dealing with long-COVID, and it was impressive to hear how she was able to keep the creative juices flowing while dealing with...

I met Matt Epp years ago as he toured through PEI playing shows and I was glad to share the stage with him several times. We've always had great talks about music and life and art and I'm really glad I could get him on the show. He is a singer-songwriter, father, carpenter/handyman and a bit of a nomad. We talked about God and songwriting and Emmylou Harris and touring in Europe and so many other...

Welcome to Season 3! Coincidentally, this episode is #33. Interesting. I’m so happy that I was able to get Catherine MacLellan out to the house for a very nice and long-overdue chat. We talked about growing up with a famous songwriter as a dad, practices for good mental health, and some of our very early, 1980’s musical influences. She’ll be releasing a new record in the future and has some shows...

I had a lot of fun talking to Jeff Eagar. He is a film and TV producer in PEI, and began his film career with his brothers because they wanted to make money to keep traveling the world. He had some great stories of epic travels that he turned into TV series, and we had a nice talk about what makes something art. You can see what he's been up to recently on his website , and see what him and his br...

Songwriter/musician Mark Bragg is very grateful to live in a place like St. John's, Newfoundland. I've been a big fan of his music since I saw him hanging from the rafters at Myron's in Charlottetown while his band ripped it up 20 years ago. We had some good laughs and great talks over Zoom (with just a few technical glitches) about how he got started performing (by "showing up to a party with a g...

JD Hughes is a drummer based in Charlottetown, PEI, and we've played in a few bands together over the years. He has great stories from living and playing music for most of his adult life in New York City, and it was great to find out how he got started playing the drums, the importance of music in his life, and how he wouldn't want to do anything else. Podcast theme song - "If you let it" by Drea...

I got to know Jordan years ago when I joined his band for a time and I knew that I'd want to talk to him on this show. He's another multi-genre artist that seems to have done everything - illustration, paintings, murals, songwriting, long-form writing, pastry arts, tattooing . . . and we didn't even talk about his acting or carpentry skills. We did have some nice talks about how he got started in...

Sara Roach Lewis and I have been moving in similar circles for a while - she's a music lover that I've seen at my shows and we've worked together in the non-profit sector. While she doesn't wear the "artist" hat full-time, she is a published writer as well as a former journalist and photographer (not to mention a business owner, facilitator, consultant and coach). We talked about how art and creat...

It was great to catch up with English songwriter and musician Tim Crabtree, AKA Paper Beat Scissors, virtually from his Berlin studio. He lived in Canada for a number of years and we played some shows together when he came through Charlottetown here and there. We talked about his musical experience as a kid, exploring Canada, the craft of songwriting, and how a song can change depending on what in...

I met Jerry Leger years ago when he began touring through PEI regularly, and have been a fan of his songwriting since then. He's just released another record - "Waves of Desire" - that may be my favorite since 2014's "Early Riser". I caught up to him as he was about to fly back to Europe for a string of shows in October and we had a great talk about the recording of the new album, the toll that to...

When I first heard Sonja's new single, "Goodbye to Mercury", I was an instant fan. And when I saw the music video and read the story behind the lyrics, I was intrigued! It was lovely to have a chat with her (all the way from The Hague, NL) in the lead-up to releasing a new record in 2026. We talked about family, the benefits to learning different types of art, and how our work can help us make sen...

Let's start off season two with a heavy-hitter in the Charlottetown music scene - Adam Gallant. He recorded and produced my first full-band record. He recorded and co-produced my third record. He's probably worked with most of the musicians and songwriters on Prince Edward Island and he can't even remember how many award nominations he's received. We didn't get around to talking about his sound de...

I'm back! While Season 2 will officially kick off on December 25th, here is a little preview of this season. You'll hear some clips from interviews with new guests and the debut of the pod's new theme song. Big thanks to Adam Gallant at The Hill Sound Studio for fitting me in quickly and turning my home demos into something very cool, not to mention playing several instruments (drums are not my fo...

It's the Season 1 finale and I thought I'd use the occasion to have someone interview ME about art. I happen to have a great, old friend who was a reporter (and then held multiple different jobs in the newspaper industry) and is also an artist (musician, writer, and the man can draw) - Sean Kelly. We talked about how I got started playing music, why I started this podcast, and what I've learned fr...

When I was in the planning stages of this podcast, I knew I wanted to talk to Janet MacLellan. I wanted to know how a person could spend a whole (long) life making art a priority alongside having a husband, kids and a nursing career. I've always admired her work and was happy to talk about this, her favorite painters, and so much more. Theme song - "Art" by Tanya Davis Podcast logo/artwork by Bird...

It was great to talk to my old buddy and bandmate, Dennis Ellsworth, recently. He's an award-winning songwriter and musician, producer, dad and more. We had a great talk about the art of play, how his writing goes in cycles, his favorite kinds of shows to play, and making art for ourselves first. You can find out more about his work and upcoming shows on his website . Theme song - "Art" by Tanya D...

I was really glad to talk with Nathan Wiley about the role that art plays in his life. He produced my third album (alongside superstar producer Adam Gallant) and my latest one (2015's "Lucky"), and continues to produce albums out of his studio in Summerside, PEI. He's released a bunch of solo records too and puts on one of the best live shows around. I was surprised to learn that his parents didn'...

I know Ashley from when we were both young (we're still pretty young), watching bands at bars. Little did I know that she's been writing and drawing and generally letting her creative side fly free for years. Lately, she's been writing and sharing her poetry, and she released her first book, "But the heart has its seasons" this year. We had a great chat about the benefits of sharing and performing...

I met Donnalee Downe a few decades ago when she opened a gallery space attached to her home in Charlottetown, and the Peake Street Collective was born. I attended many of the opening parties over the years, and even submitted one of my early paintings for one of them. I knew I wanted to talk to Donnalee about making art because she's always had a unique style and is such a champion and a mentor fo...