Musical Connections with Zach Snow

Greetings! If you are listening to this, welcome to the Musical Connections Podcast! This program will help you discover more about the music of Newfoundland & Labrador! I'm Zach Snow and I will be your guide into the ins and outs of the Newfoundland and Labrador music sector! From highlighting the best new releases of each week to the conversations with the personalities that make our music s...

On this episode of the Musical Connections podcast, we head over to Corner Brook to speak to the members of electronic/ambient duo, Wite Rino, Aaron Rex & Joe Fowler! The duo recently released their fifth studio album, Dream Tower on May 2 with Milltown Records! They talk about the making of the record, how the group came together, the music scene on the west coast of Newfoundland and a whole...

My guest on Episode 124 of the Musical Connections Podcast is violinist, composer, and music educator, Gina Burgess! Gina and I connect at the East Coast Music Awards in St. John’s to talk about her projects she was a part of like the Jerry Cans and the Lost & Found! Plus, we talk about how the whole music journey started, what drew her to Newfoundland and Labrador, and her upcoming plans for...

My guest on Musical Connections is singer-songwriter and music arranger, Evan Watts Smith! Evan’s debut album comes out this Friday with a release show at the Majestic Theatre to boot! We talk about the making of the album, some of the major theatre projects he has worked on, and why he decided to put an album out now! Timestamps: Ben's Ekman Spiral: 2:03 Evan Watts Smith: 6:23 Logan Bolt: 9:35 Ru...

It’s the last Musical Connections podcast before the 2025 ECMAs! I welcome singer-songwriter, music producer, and audio engineer, Jim “Wildfinger” Mercer! I connect with Jim about his new song which demo amassed more than 100,000 views on Facebook, “Don’t Tell Me What To Do”. Plus we talk about some memories from Wildfinger Productions which include working on John White’s last album and having th...

On this bonus episode of the Musical Connections podcast, we continue the road to the 2025 East Coast Music Awards as Zach Snow reconnects with Con O’Brien of the Irish Descendants. He comes on to talk about the 35th Anniversary of the group, their tour which continues into June, and the upcoming 2025 East Coast Music Awards. On May 8, the band will be playing “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” as...

I welcome one of the province’s fastest rising francophone duos, Port-Aux-Poutines! I speak with Axel Belgrade and Jenna Maloney on the release of their new album, “Oui, B’y” and their upcoming plans for the summer! Plus, we talk about the formation of the group, the ECMAs, and a whole lot more! Timestamps: Big Jib: 1:56 Port-Aux-Poutines: 5:21 Quote the Raven: 8:45 Rachel Cousins: 12:16 The Irish...

On this week’s program, I welcome one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier Folk-Pop duo and two of my favourite people in the music industry! My guests are Jordan Coaker & Kirsten Rodden-Clarke of Quote the Raven! We talk about their fourth studio album, Map The Dark, as well as the East Coast Music Awards! They are up for three this year in St. John’s, one which includes a nomination for al...

My guest this week on the show is one of the nominees for Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year at the upcoming East Coast Music Awards, Andrew Rodgers! Andrew comes on the show to talk about his first nomination as a solo artist and the making of his debut solo effort, Let it Out! Plus, we talk about how he started playing music in Hant’s Harbour, his influences, and the many bands he has opened f...

I am so excited to have Matthew Byrne as my guest! He is considered to be one of the finest musicians and storytellers the province has ever produced and he has put together his first album of all new music in seven and a half years! Matt talks about recording “Stealing Time”, a project which sees him working with UK folk giant, Martin Simpson as his producer along with England's finest folk perfo...

The Road to the 2025 East Coast Music Awards continues as I connect with one of the nominees for Global Music Release of the Year, Ana Luisa Ramos. Ana comes on the show to talk about her first ECMA nomination as a solo artist, the making of the album, Solaris, her recent trip with Eric to Folk Alliance in Montreal, and a whole lot more! Timestamps: New Found Releases: Albert Dalton: 2:14 Heather...

On this bonus episode of the Musical Connections podcast, we paid tribute to Newfoundland! Zach Snow connects with the performers that took part in the Ryan's Fancy & Sons of Erin tribute concert in support of the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador! Throughout the next few weeks, they will talk about how Ryan's Fancy & Sons of Erin impacted their careers and the overall music sect...

My special guest this week is musician and drummer, Michael Dinn! We talk about his 2025 RPM Challenge submissions, Smoke Spectre and Grog Bit and reflect on his interesting career. From playing drums with Baytown, Cartridge Family, and the Daisy Cutters to opening up for Canadian Rock juggernauts in The Northern Pikes and the Trews, we cover all that and more! Timestamps: New Found Releases: Alex...

On this bonus episode of the Musical Connections podcast, we continue the road to the 2025 East Coast Music Awards as Zach Snow connects with one of the nominees for Children’s Entertainer of the Year, Heather White Luckow or Heather Feather! Heather talks about her East Coast Music Award nomination for Children’s Release of the Year for “Ants In My Pants” and her upcoming album, “Together”! Plus,...

My two guests were lost and found the Musical Connections podcast to talk about their new southern gothic band, The Lost and Found! I connect with two of the founding members of the band, Pat Sloan and Ben Chapman Smith about how the band came together and their latest release for the RPM challenge called “Lies and Bad Intentions”! Plus, we talk about their future plans, some of the sounds that in...

The road to the East Coast Music Awards begins with one of the nominees for Electronic Release of the Year. I connect with Montreal-based and Newfoundland born classical guitarist, Ben Diamond! I connect with Ben about his new album which came out back in October, Voyage, where the first track, “Something Sawed” is up for Electronic Release of the Year. Plus, I speak to Ben about his upbringing, h...

The 2025 East Coast Music Awards are coming back to St. John’s May 7th to the 11th and it is going to be a time as we celebrate the best music in Atlantic Canada! Fifty-four nominations came from Newfoundland and Labrador, and I catch up with people who were at the press conference for the announcement of the nominees and more! I catch up with Jordan Coaker and Kirsten Rodden-Clarke of Quote The R...

If you are familiar with names like Kelly McMichael, Rube & Rake, and Jenina MacGillivray, then I am going to introduce you to the man who helped produce and engineer their records. I welcome singer-songwriter and music engineer Jake Nicoll to the Musical Connections podcast! Jake comes on to talk about his process for producing hit records for some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s finest talent...

My guests this week are two gentlemen who are part of the most consistent traditional folk band of the new millennium, Shanneyganock’s Chris Andrews and Mark Hiscock! They come on Musical Connections to talk about their 30 Year Anniversary and their latest album, Life In The Harbour! Plus, they talk about the bands formation, favourite places they have played, and a whole lot more! They also plug...

On this week's episode of the Musical Connections podcast, I welcome one of the major names from this province making noise in the K-Pop and J-Pop music world, songwriter and audio engineer, Jacob Critch! He comes by the studio to talk about his success in the market through his publishing deal with MeloGram, working with the label behind such acts like BTS, and how the music journey all started f...

January is coming to a close and this week on the Musical Connections podcast, we highlight an initiative for musicians and creators that takes place during the month of February, the RPM Challenge. I speak with the operator of the RPM Challenge, Elling Lien of Unpossible NL! We talk about the origins of the RPM Challenge in 2006 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to its first Newfoundland and Labrador...

My special guest on this week's Musical Connections podcast is musician and hip-hop producer, Liam Ryan! He is a steady name in the hardcore and hip-hop music community of Newfoundland and Labrador and I bring him on the show to talk about his work in the music scene. Some of his work includes the band Swimming, his hip-hop pseudonym, Cat Cafe, and his label, Barely There Records. Plus, he talks a...

My special guest on the Musical Connections podcast this week is country singer-songwriter, Gregg Bolger! Gregg talks about his new album, “The Singles”, a compilation of all the singles he has released to country radio from 2013 to now. Plus, he talks about living in Alberta, growing up in Torbay, influences, and a whole lot more! Timestamps: New Found Releases – MAK11 & Chron Lennon: 2:11 Ne...

It’s the start of a new year for the Musical Connections podcast and we kick off 2025 in style! Zach Snow welcomes two members of the Salt Beef Junkies, Luke Mercer & Ty Simms! They come on the show to talk about their 2024 which include a MusicNL award nomination and the release of their debut album, Somewhere In Between! Plus, they talk about how the group came together, their influences, pl...

It’s the final Musical Connections of 2024 and we wrap it up celebrating an Erin’s Pub Christmas! I welcome two of the members of Military Road to this week’s show in Andrew LeDrew & Kalem Mahoney! They talk about creating Military Road’s new Christmas tune, An Erin’s Pub Christmas and how they initially wrote it as a tribute to the original owner of Erin’s, the legendary Ralph O’Brien. We als...