Hidden Track

It's a testament to the connection and chemistry this band have built together over more than twenty years that they were able to pull off a unique feat of artistic daring for their latest album, 2023's much-acclaimed One Day . Each band member, on their own, composing and recording an entire album's worth of instrumental parts in a 24-hour span, then passing it down the line to the next band memb...

This year marks the silver anniversary of the barn-storming acoustic country music  juggernaut known as Old Crow Medicine Show . They're a group that traces their roots to  busk ing all across Canada and the United States. Since then, Old Crow Medicine Show has gained commercial success with their  distinctively contemporary spin on old-school traditions. The band's song " Wagon Wheel " became cer...

She's always had a way of finding those human stories that make us feel connected to some of the very big themes and questions that she tackles in her songs. Wendy McNeill 's music often deals with the epic, the mythic, the unknowable, the elemental... but in an artfully narrative, poetically detailed way that draws the listener right into the very human emotions at the heart of it. And with her n...

Considering how much he shares of himself through his frank, tender songs, and how down-to-earth and open he is in live performance and in conversation, Doug Paisley has always seemed to be a bit of an enigma.   For one thing, his music seems so truly timeless. I t's like the Toronto troubadour's lastest album Say What You Like could just as easily have been released in 1973 as in 2023. His unique...

Jose Louis Modabi is the given name of Colgolese -Canadian artist Pierre Kwenders , the exceptionally innovative music-maker behind the Polaris Mus ic Prize-winning album, Jose Louis and the Paradox of Love .   Bridging the gaps between musical worlds, the traditional and the future-leaning, his hometowns of Kinshasa and Montreal, and between the profoundly per sonal and the universally human, Pie...

They've always been musical alchemists -- melding worlds and traditions together, taking on the big questions, and crafting bold musical narratives. On greatly-acclaimed previous albums like Guesthouse and Line of Light , they've created poetic anthems addressing mortality, embracing our shared humanity, and, of course, longing for love. And they've done it while fusing everything from roots-Ameri...

William Prince 's rich baritone voice resonates with amazing warmth, light, and wisdom. Along with the poetic songs and stories that it delivers, his voice just seems to have a way of instantly finding a place in people 's heart s . It's no wonder that William's voice and songs have taken him all the way from the small Manitoba community where he grew up, to great acclaim all across Canada .   In...

Vivek Shraya is a constantly churning force for creativity. She's an author, playwright, filmmaker, a professor of English Literature, a poet, an active champion of BIPOC, women- and femme-identifying artists though initiatives she's launched, and she's a n absolute joy on social media.   Vivek's  new album is Baby, You're Projecting , out now via Mint Records. H er debut  label release offers a b...

"Hey, you! Come and gather round!"   That's one of the lyrics from " Things Are Gonna Change , " Lealani 's collaboration with Kid Koala on his new album, Creatures of the Late Afternoon .   It's a song about coming together, about engaging with one another, sharing a common pursuit, and pushing toward something new and exciting.   For both Kid Koala and Lealani, their work as artists—musical, vis...

H e's currently traversing the continent, along with a band and a production that are so big, they won't all fit on just one tour bus. He's selling out dozens of shows at concert halls that seat thousands of people. And what's he playing? Pretty much exclusively his own original roots, folk, and blues songs; and a handful written by some good friends of his. Matt's whole music career has always be...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode of Hidden Track contains multiple references to childhood trauma and sexual abuse. Although the content does not go into explicit details, some listeners may find these topics of discussion uncomfortable.  "Looking back, I am astonished at times by what I have done in search of love, and just to survive."   Over the course of her astounding life story, Tara MacLean ha...

At times, the protagonist of Andy Shauf 's new album Norm might strike you as a charming, shambling sort of fellow. Norm likes getting high, he watches The Price Is Right , he's been known to lock his keys in his car, he seems excited when Halloween is coming up. Those moments all seem innocuous enough, and it's certainly easy to get lost in just how flat-out gorgeous the songs on this record are....

"What's your name?"    On the stunning debut album by Oji-Cree singer-songwriter Aysanabee , we hear his grandfather pose that question at the end of the song " Nomads ". It is a voice that is woven through the entire album; and so is that fundamental idea of reconnecting with identity and truth.   Aysanabee's much-acclaimed November 2022 release Watin tells the story of his grandfather, Watin Ays...

He is without a doubt the only winner of a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album ever to make their home in the northwestern B.C. town of Smithers, population 5,316. Alex Cuba originally hails from Artemisa, Cuba; but he's called Smithers, BC home for two decades now. He first visited CKUA 20 years ago, back when he was known as Alexis Puentes, one half of the Juno Award-nominated Puntes Brothers...

At home in Canada, Tanika Charles is a multiple nominee for both the Juno Awards and the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. She's also a sensational success in Europe, where she's been building an enthusiastic fan base for many years. Looking at Tanika's successes in the lead-up to her latest album, you might be forgiven for being surprised that this internationally-renowned R&B artist felt the need...

For a dozen years and four albums now, July Talk has been relentlessly working toward a more just, humane, compassionate world, via the medium of their uniquely cathartic brand of groove-laden epic rock'n'roll.   Juno Award-winning band  July Talk is Ian Docherty on guitar, bass player Josh Warburton , and double drummers (double Dani/Dannys, in fact) Danny Miles and Dani Nash .  And at the centre...

CKUA's Hidden Track Podcast returns for Season 4!    Kicking things off in 2023 is (currently) Manitoba-based folk rock duo  Whitehorse ! Composed of husband-and-wife duo  Luke Doucet  and  Melissa McClelland , Whitehorse's sound spans from folk/americana to groove-driven pop rock. Doucet and McClelland have always been talented musicians, and both had successful solo careers before joining forces...

As a child, Kadhja Bonet 's Christmas holiday tradition was to spend the whole festive season taking refuge under her bed, or in her closet. Growing up with Asperger's Syndrome, the continuous Christmas clamour just made her want to shut out the world until December's end. It wasn't until recently (owing largely to a Yuletide-loving partner) that she took it upon herself to try and carve out a spa...

She has that rare ability to draw the listener in.  Abigail Lapell 's songs, voice, and smouldering musical presence can bring a hush to even the loudest of barrooms. She just kind of  makes you want to lean in closer, and get lost in the elemental, otherworldly tales she weaves through song. So get ready to get lost! For this episode of  Hidden Track ,  Abigail joins us in live performance and co...

Newfoundland-based musicians Catherine Allan and Andrew James O'Brien are the couple behind Juno-nominated band Fortunate Ones . The band's latest album, That Was You and Me, released early in June of 2022. Fortunate Ones recently embarked on a tour alongside fellow East Coast artists, The Once and Old Man Luedecke. That tour, dubbed the Anchors Up! Tour finds the band performing shows in Alberta...

Colonialism. Beauty. Hate. Feminism. Privilege. Success. These aren't your average topics for a TV program created in the style of an old-school children's variety show. Of course, Lido Pimienta is anything but an average artist. For her brand-new project, Lido TV , the Polaris Prize-winning musician flexes a whole lot of creative multi-media muscle. Even longtime fans of her music may be surprise...

It's been said that over the past couple of years, we've all caught up, in one way or another, with the kind of dark and dystopian world view that's always been at the core of Preoccupations ' music. Autumn 2022 sees the release of the group's fourth full-length album, as well as their tenth anniversary as a band. Some of these musicians have known each other since they were little kids, and it's...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode of Hidden Track contains references to childhood trauma and abuse. Although the content does not go into explicit details, some listeners may find these topics of discussion uncomfortable.    It all happened quite naturally: Joey and David were born into Winnipeg music royalty, they each separately fell into careers as hotshot sidemen, eventually joined forces as The...

Crystal Shawanda is a gifted, inspiring artist who's been singing her heart out her whole life. She got her start in music as a kid growing up in the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, and as a teenager, she followed her dreams all the way to Music City: Nashville, Tennessee. She quickly scored a house gig at one of Nashville's most storied honky-tonks, really paid her dues,...

Out September 23rd, 2022 via Sonic Records, Adam Baldwin's new album  Concertos & Serenades  is a study of the dark side of East Coast culture. It's a captivating collection of musical short stories and character portraits; a collection which, as Adam tells us in this episode, almost feels like it's halfway between an album and a true-crime podcast.   Adam Baldwin is an acclaimed, award-winning No...