Kingston Live Podcast

On this episode, hosts Johnny and Riley examine Kingston's music scene through the lens of local hip-hop artists 92Rare (Justin Lamoreaux of Thunder Bolt Labs ) and Dupel (Jean Jacques Dupel). Their conversation explores the opportunities and adversities faced by Kingston hip-hop artists, including thoughts on how City officials, promoters and festival organizers can help break barriers, stig...

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada, and fittingly, this episode explores the vision—and visionaries—behind Kingston's non-auditioned, mixed-voice, 2SLGBTQ+ and allied choir, Spectrum Voices . Hosts Johnny and Ange are joined by choir director Ren Challacombe, and Filipino-Canadian, multi-instrumental singer-songwrtier and choir member, Ari Bautista, who also writes, records and perfo...

It's been four years since Kingston's Rae Corcoran and Ciara Roberts proclaimed their musical act, Tiny Horse , on the Kingston Live podcast ( episode 22 ). In this episode, the pair return to reflect on the band's growth and early success, its uniqueness and appeal, and what it's like being a queer band seemingly beloved by a mostly straight fan base. They also share music and...

Five years in the making, the RKY Camp Summer Album aims to help more kids experience the transformative "magic" of the annual youth retreats on Eagle Lake, north of Kingston. On this episode, host Rob Howard is joined by alt-folk singer-songwriter Savannah Shea , and recording engineer and producer Aaron Holmberg , who share their RKY Camp memories and discuss the making of the benefit...

In anticipation of the release of their new full-length album, Strangers I Used to Love (April 12, independent), hosts Johnny and Riley engage Kingston's Jonas Lewis-Anthony and Nick Lennox of The Wilderness in a spirited and emotive discourse that veers from experiences overseas to our city's local music strategy, and from Frank Turner to Taylor Swift. And, of course, about the making o...

In recent years, Kingston drag shows and performers have enjoyed renewed popularity. While many may be new to drag, hosts Johnny and Ange discover the art form has a deeper and richer history in Kingston than one might think. In this episode, Kingston's preeminent drag entertainers and hosts of the What's the Maple Tea?! podcast, Tyffanie Morgan and Rowena Whey , drive the discussion fro...

The vitality of Kingston's music economy is owed, in part, to the city's numerous live music venues . A stand-out among them is The Spire : a multi-purpose event venue operating in the nearly 200-year-old, heritage-designated Sydenham Street United Church in downtown Kingston. In this episode, hosts Ange and Johnny tour this sacred structure with The Spire's General Manager, Sam Mac...

For more than a decade, The Celtic Kitchen Party has been raising pints and Kingstonian's spirits with their boisterous blend of Celtic-infused contemporary and traditional music. On this episode, Pete and Riley sit down with Andrew Vanhorn of the band to talk about their love for the holidays and the making of their new album, One Celtic Christmas . Hosts Pete Sanfilippo pete@kingstonlive.ca...

From broadcast host at "The Nation's Music Station" to local TV anchor and music fan, Bill Welychka's storied career has not only brought him to many places, but also face-to-face with some of the world's most celebrated music acts. On this episode, hosts Ange Stever and Johnny San chat with Bill about his new autobiography, A Happy Has-Been , and how his life experiences...

Following a year-and-a-half process of writing and recording, Kingston's Oakridge Ave. finally released their new full-length album, Wind Up/Let Go, on September 15, 2023. Produced by the JUNO Award-winning Hawksley Workman , the new record was both a triumph and something transformative for everyone involved. Our hope for episode 59 (the previous episode) was to simultaneously interview  Oak...

While the COVID-19 pandemic saw the hiatus (or demise) of many music acts, some, like Oakridge Ave., channeled their time and energy into new projects. The Kingston four-piece turned to JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hawksley Workman, who led the band on a year-and-a-half transformational journey. On this episode, Johnny and Rob meet with Sean and Harrison of Oakrid...

The challenges facing younger musicians are considerable. On this episode, Rob meets with local bandmates Ryleigh Stringer and Nathan Graham to learn how their student-led Musician's Guild has been creating new opportunities and buzz for youth acts in Kingston. Host: Rob Howard rob@kingstonlive.ca Music featured in this episode: Man on the Moon (Live) by Sons of Rick Links: St. Lawrence Colle...

Conceived and organized by a committee of youth, the Cloud 9 Electronic Music & Eco-Art Festival is “immersive and multi-sensory celebration” of EDM and sustainability. Ahead of the festival's second edition, set to take place September 8 to 10, 2023 at No.9 Gardens, host Rob Howard meets with committee members Reily Morrison and Rupert Davies to learn how they've expanded and enhanc...

Despite the global popularity of hip-hop culture, Kingston's many hip-hop artists remain overlooked and, arguably, under-appreciated. For over a decade, Keaton Ryan has been working to elevate Kingston's hip-hop talent both here at home and abroad. Following the release of his new full-length album, If Strangers Think I'm Cool , Keaton sits with hosts Riley and Pete to discuss the c...

What started as a summer weekend in the wilderness north of Kingston, Ontario, between friends,  has become a unique cultural and musical microcosm active year-round. In early August 2023, the annual Blue Skies Music Festival will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, which is significant for a festival—or “a community of communities”—that is completely non-commercial, self-organized and volunteer-r...

Hosts Riley and Pete meet up with Nate and Danny of Master Nate & The Reprobates for a chat that traverses topics ranging from Kingston's ever-evolving punk scene and the band's love of ska music, to their adventures in Australia and Costa Rica, and their latest project, The Diem Series, an epic 8-album undertaking, recorded in part at The Tragically Hip's The Bathouse Studio ....

Just below the surface of Kingston's music scene lies a deep bedrock of musicians who make and perform a diversity of musical styles, from jazz and blues to hip hop and funk. On this episode, hosts Pete and Riley are joined by Jordan Bulhoes and Helena Hannibal of local funk collective Nice On to discuss the band's sizeable and talented lineup, and their debut album, set to release on Ap...

In June of 2022, a handful of Kingston recording artists were paired with local filmmakers to create videos for their songs. In this episode, host Johnny San talks to three of those filmmakers—Céline Klein of Jamstone Productions , Brent Nurse of bNice Films , and Jay Middaugh of Happy Kid Productions —about each of their video productions ahead of their premiere screenings during the Slaight Musi...

The City of Kingston is currently developing a music strategy that will identify opportunities to unlock the cultural and economic potential of music in Kingston, and map out a prosperous future for Kingston's music economy. Kingston Live co-founder and host, Rob Howard, talks with Kristian Roberts , Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Nordicity , the Toronto firm who's collaborating with Kin...

What started as a COVID-19 pandemic project for then 15 year-old Kingston high schooler, Liv Whitfield, blossomed into a creative partnership with her father, Kingston music producer and North of Princess Studio founder, Zane Whitfield. The two Whitfield's join host Ange Stever and Johnny San to discuss the result of their collaboration: Luna, an impressive 7-song debut EP released under the...

Buffalo, New York journalist and author, Amber Healy , shares our fascination with Kingston's music scene. So much so, she's decided to write a book about it. In her quest for the story behind Kingston's musical richness, she visited the Kingston Live podcast studio and flipped the interview on hosts Johnny San, Ange Stever and Rob Howard. Hosts (interviewees): Johnny San john@kings...

Ahead of their second full-length record release, The Astros sit down with host Riley to discuss the evolution of their sound, the maturity of their band, and share music from their stellar new album, Sci-Fi Radio, out November 25, 2022. Music: Sci-Fi Radio by The Astros (from the 2022 LP, Sci-Fi Radio) Hosts: Riley Jabour riley@kingstonlive.ca Links: The Astros https://www.kingstonlive.ca/listing...

Early in 2021, we met with Kingston recording and performing musicians Ricky Brant ( KaKaow ) and Ted Evans ( Shook Planet , The Meringues ) to learn how they were adapting their artistic output under the new rules of pandemic life. In this episode, hosts Johnny and Riley reunite with Ricky and Ted to hear their latest material, and to understand how their experiences over the past year-and-a-half...

Host Ange Stever sits down with friend and 2022 JUNO Award-nominee Emily Fennell ( Miss Emily ) for a candid catch-up on her personal and professional highs and lows through the COVID-19 pandemic, and discuss the making and release of her highly anticipated new album, Defined By Love. Host: Ange Stever Links: Miss Emily https://www.kingstonlive.ca/listing/miss-emily/ Kingston Live music listings,...

Kingston singer-songwriter, Lauren Carson , shares a song from her new EP, and how she finds songwriting inspiration in the remarkable ordinariness of everyday occurrences and observations. Host: Rob Howard rob@kingstonlive.ca Links: Lauren Carson http://laurencarsonmusic.com Kingston Live music listings, news and more http://kingstonlive.ca Soundwise https://soundwise.audio/ Your suggestions, ide...