Inside The Artist's Studio

Surprise! Well folks, we made it to 130 episodes, just barely, and there’s no one else I’d rather finish off the run of Inside the Artist’s Studio with than Alberta’s own Mike Plume. Mike is one of Canada’s hardest working musicians, and we chat about the ups and downs of his career, filled with over 3000 live shows and hundreds upon hundreds of songs. Mike is on tour right now, and you can catch...

On episode 119 of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean talks to Edmonton singer-songwriter Sammy Volkov about his new record Be Alright. They talk about working with Harry Gregg at Riverdale Recorders, skin diseased Californian cars, and slinging pizza in Grand Central Station. Recorded on December 6th, 2022 Featured Track: “Replacement” from Be Alright Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “ Nuthin’ On...

On episode 128 of "Inside the Artist's Studio", Sean talks to multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Chris Murphy of the legendary Canadian rock band Sloan. They chat about the Chrysler Dynasty, the recording and release of the band's new record Steady, and about the post-Nirvana goldrush for rock bands in the early 1990's. Recorded on November 11th, 2022 Featured Track: “Nice Work if You Can Get It...

On episode 127 of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean talks to Eliza Niemi about her cozy new record Staying Mellow Blows . They talk about collaborating over long distances to record the album, Eliza’s work with Mauno, and how to incorporate sweet potatoes into a pasta dish. Recorded on October 19th, 2022 Featured Track: “Trust Me” from Staying Mellow Blows Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “ Nuth...

On episode 126 of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean catches up with Daniel Romano before his show at the Starlite Room in Edmonton, AB. In their chat, they talk about the writing and recording of Romano’s new record La Luna , and how to ‘legally’ get free cans of oil as a touring band in Canada. Recorded on October 20th, 2022 Featured Track: La Luna - Part 2 from La Luna Intro/Outro Music: Laundr...

On episode 125 of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean welcomes Olivia Street from King of Foxes back to the show to talk about the band’s new record Twilight of the Empire. They chat about how, for the first time, Olivia co-wrote songs for this record, and they dive deep into her songwriting philosophy and technique. Recorded on October 13th, 2022 Featured Track: “Never Mine” from Twilight of the E...

On this special Purple City edition of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean talks to Edmonton expat Ella Coyes, of Sister Ray. Prepare yourself for a deep dive into Ella’s songwriting practice, hot cribbage tips, and F1 racing. Recorded on August 28th, 2022 Featured Track: “Good News” from Communion Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “ Nuthin’ On My Mind “

For the last episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio” coverage of Sled Island 2022, Sean has Winnipeg quartet Living Hour on the show to talk about their brand new record Someday is Today. They have a lively discussion in the Sled Island artist’s lounge about their collaborative process, how the pandemic proved to be a productive time for the band, and they answer the age old question posed to them...

On episode 122 of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean chats with Vancouver band, housemates, and gas station coffee lovers Winona Forever. They chat about the trials and tribulations of living and touring together, their love hate relationship with the recording process, and why every library has a secret bedbug oven. Recorded on June 24th, 2022 Featured Track: “Never Enuff” Intro/Outro Music: Laun...

On this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean and members of housepanther discuss what they’ve been up to between their last blockbuster Sled Island performance, and the 2022 festival. They chat about the creation of the band’s excellent 2018 debut record Club Soda Lows , working towards releasing new music, and working at the box factory. Recorded on June 24th, 2022 Featured Track: “ 17%...

On this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean and guest Amy Nelson discuss the best Sled Island venues, collaborating on music, and morality in video games. They go in deep on Amy’s fantastic 2019 record Educated Woman, and talk about how and why Amy conceals her dark and morose lyricism behind a jaunty country exterior. Recorded on June 23rd, 2022 Featured Track: “I Hate It” from Sled Isl...

Our second episode of our Sled Island 2022 series features Anishinaabe supergroup and all around swell fellas Adam Sturgeon and Daniel Monkman from OMBIIGIZI. Adam, Daniel, and Sean chat about reflecting on where you grew up, novel bannock recipes, and tokenism, with one very loud fire truck showing up as a featured guest on a sunny Calgary morning in the park. The band also correctly answers the...

On the very first Sled Island 2022 edition of “Inside the Artist’s Studio” perennial Cups N Cakes favorites Motherhood join Sean to talk about the creation and release of their brand new record Winded. They talk about using the pandemic as a means to get caught up on the unforgiving “release-then-tour” cycle, figuring out what’s important, and the band answers an extremely convoluted rapidfire que...

Samantha Savage Smith joins Sean for a chat in the back alley of the Aviary on this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”. She talks about how taking time away from music and learning to have fun writing again led to the creation of her brilliant new record Fake Nice , and also bonds with Sean about their shared childhood memory of eating Good Host iced tea powder by the spoonful. Folks, this on...

On this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean has songwriter Adrian Teacher from Apollo Ghosts on the show to talk about the band’s excellent new record Pink Tiger. They dive deep into the writing and recording of the record, as well as the concept behind the double record’s ‘cleaved-in-two’ nature. Along the way, they talk about Adrian’s career as a teacher, and his excellently named firs...

On this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Winnipeg’s country fusion superstar Boy Golden joins Sean to talk about meditation, drum machines, and Dodge Grand Caravans. They go in-depth on his 2021 record Church of Better Daze , and his childhood hatred of country music, that has come around to a full-on love affair with the genre as an adult. Recorded on April 24th, 2022 Featured Track: “Som...

On this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean interviews Steven Lambke, and premieres the title track from Lambke’s upcoming album “Volcano Volcano”. They go through Lambke’s upbringing in Cambridge, Ontario, his work with the Constantines and You’ve Changed Records, and how he incorporates all elements of his life into his creative practice. Along the way, they talk office temp jobs, Volk...

On this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio” (Winteruption Edition!), Sean talks to Montreal based psych band TEKE::TEKE. They chat about touring and writing music with a 7 person band, the influence of Takeshi Tarauchi on their music, and their relationship with their new label Kill Rock Stars. Along the way, the band touches on the power of decaf coffee, billowing black smoke coming out of th...

On this episode of "Inside the Artist's Studio", Sean interviews Victoria, BC based dance rocker, songwriter, and pomodoro expert Art d'Ecco. They talk about the sanctity and magic of demos, a new and as of yet unnamed LP that’s coming up, and about stepping away from his costumed on-stage presentation. Art d’Ecco is also playing at Big Winter Classic at midnight on April 2nd/3rd at the basement o...

Canada’s best kept secret and all around great person Charlotte Cornfield joins Sean on this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”. They talk about their shared childhood love of “Weird Al” Yankovic, meeting Jeff Tweedy, and coffee making technique. They go in depth on Charlotte’s writing and demoing process, and talk about her fantastic 2021 record “Highs in the Minuses”. Recorded on February 1...

On this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio”, Sean talks to Janette King about her 2021 LP What We Lost , and the release of her brand new music video for “Ooh Yeah” (also the featured track on this episode). Along the way, they talk about songwriting technique, music education, and growing up in Vancouver. Recorded on February 15th Featured Track: “Ooh Yeah” from What We Lost Intro/Outro Music...

On episode 109 of “Inside the Artist’s Studio” Sean talks to Saskatoon based singer-songwriter Ellen Froese about COVID-19, “The Artist’s Way”, and about some new music she’s been working on with produced Sam Corbett. Along the way, they touch on her childhood obsession with Elvis Presley, their shared prairie Mennonite roots, and the hot fancy moms of Instagram. Recorded on December 13th, 2021 Fe...

Sean talks to Bria Salmena and Duncan Hay Jennings about Cuntry Covers Vol 1 . The duo talk about how the project started as just a way to have fun making music, the appeal of nostalgia, and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on their work on tour and in the studio. Bria and Duncan are also both members of The FRIGS and Orville Peck’s touring band, and they talk about what is next for those projects,...

JEEN (aka Jeen O’Brien) joins Sean on this episode of “Inside the Artist’s Studio” to discuss her brand new album, Dog Bite. Her 2020 self-titled record was featured on the Cups N Cakes “Best Albums of 2020” list, and Sean talks to her about starting to put together the follow-up during pandemic times. Along the way, they take a deep dive into JEEN’s songwriting technique, her collaborations with...

Sean talks to to tenured Calgary duo Dragon Fli Empire about their 20 years as an Alberta based hip-hop act. They touch on COVID era livestreams, tasting beer for the first time, and their shared love of local and global travel. Recorded on November 2nd, 2021 Featured Track: “Inspiration ft. Gassam” from To Be Continued/Inspiration Intro/Outro Music: Laundry Week - “ Nuthin’ On My Mind “