Witchpolice Radio

Here's a throwback episode -- it's a re-release of one of the "lost" podcasts from 2014 -- an early Witchpolice interview that didn't get added to the current podcast feed. This one was originally released as episode #77 (the show wasn't even into triple-digits yet!) and featured a phone interview with Sammy Kohn, drummer of iconic Winnipeg rockers The Watchmen. I hope you dig it. It's in the show...

This episode features two members of Velvet Blitz talking about releasing music at the height of the pandemic (and the evolution of their songs since they’ve been able to rehearse in person), coming from Winnipeg’s vibrant Filipino music community, blending funk, blues and punk influences with straight-ahead rock n’ roll, and more. (We also talked about the really PURPLE-heavy graphic design on th...

Rob Rodgers is the Winnipeg half of interprovincial indie rock duo Yelverton Undertow ! We talked about the two-decades-in-the-making collaboration with a former bandmate in Newfoundland, leaving tapes in the wild, the upcoming Yelverton Undertow EP and its almost-release on vinyl, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merc...

Here's a conversation with members of Fox Lake about releasing an LP during the pandemic, struggling to explain what kind of music they play (is it math rock? Is it Midwest emo? Is it “punk-adjacent”?), remote songwriting with one member living out of province, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch...

Solo artist Andrew Floyd's latest project, Lifte , is a very personal one. His raw new cover album, ' Disconnected ' — as well as his previous releases of original music — act as an emotional outlet for the experience of being caregiver for his wife, who has primary progressive multiple sclerosis. We talked about creativity as catharsis, responses to the record from friends and family, sleeping on...

I sat down with two members of long-running local “blues on steroids” outfit D.B. and the Deadbeats for a conversation about the band’s dozen years in the scene, trading their amped-up sound for stripped-down acoustic duo gigs during the pandemic, respecting the blues OGs, and much more.   This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in th...

Synth experimentalist Patrick Michalishyn is back on the podcast! Great conversation about his new soundtrack-without-a-movie ( Klont ), reviving the Sounds Escaping  label, performing live, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that!   Want more Michalishyn? Hear him on episode #298 (July 2019...

They call themselves the oldest band that can be thought of as "emerging artists" — I sat down with four members of Car 287  for a wide-ranging conversation about transitioning from being a cover band to playing original music, finding a place in the local music scene, getting creative during the pandemic, and much more.   This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have...

I sat down with Twintwa 's David Fort to talk about returning to Winnipeg for a wild show this Sunday  (Jan. 8 at Bevvy Teyems Studio), nostalgic feelings for the Winnipeg airport, performing Twintwa's "deep Earth folk" as a solo act on this trip, and much more. There's also a very brief chat partway through with Jo Wolfclan (who was nearby when we did the interview). Jo is performing at Sunday's...

On this first episode of the new year, I caught up with local rapper, singer and breakdancer Mooki  and talked about the new ‘ City Hunter ’ album (with Ali Wan Kenobi ), contributing to the culture, developing a sound and style he wants to hear, and much more. Need more Mooki? You can also hear him on episode #481 (April 2020).  This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , w...

Local lo-fi power trio Humous just released a new EP — their first entirely in Tagalog after a series of excellent English-language releases. I sat down with Julius (vocals/bass) and JC (drums) to talk about the EP, their upcoming 10-year anniversary as a band, experimenting with heavier sounds, and much more! Need more Humous? Check out episode #387 (May 2019) and #555 (Jan. 2021)!   This episode...

It's (almost) the end of the year, so I decided to turn my annual year-end "favourite local albums" list into a podcast! Here's part two -- the top five of my overall top 15 -- in an overstuffed episode that includes clips from interviews with a number of artists who made the list, and much more. Part one, numbers 6 through 15, can be heard here . Part two includes releases by KEN mode , Christine...

It's (almost) the end of the year, so I decided to turn my annual year-end "favourite local albums" list into a podcast! Here's part one -- numbers six through 15 of my overall top 15 -- in an overstuffed episode that includes clips from interviews with a number of artists who made the list, and much more. Part two, my top five, will be out next episode. Part one includes releases by artists like...

It was a crowded (virtual) house when I sat down with the members of the excellently-named crossover band Manther ! We talked about their new EP, wearing a cat-gimp costume while performing live, the other Manthers (shhhh), D&D-inspired artwork and so much more.   This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for tha...

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra recently released Voices: A Musical Heritage — a collection of pieces by local composers with cultural backgrounds ranging from Nigeria to Ukraine to Brazil and beyond. Here's a conversation with WJO conductor Richard Gillis, about the new disc, bringing international sounds to a big band setting, the orchestra’s long history, and much more! This episode brought to you...

Enjoy this fun conversation with Claire from Claire Thérèse and the Lockdown , who recently released the excellent Villainy! LP . We talked about the “folk-grunge” project’s long-running roots, its changing and expanding lineup of players, self-releasing vinyl and doing things DIY in this digital dystopia, and much more.   This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have...

Great conversation on this one with Cam Scott, frontman of Age of Self , about hardcore’s ‘complex musical ecology’, sprinting out of the gate as a new band that is already touring, the welcome physicality of playing in a loud band, and much more.   This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks to e...

Winnipeg’s Nick Friesen  is a busy guy these days. Nick is the artist, animator and songwriter behind cartoon band Olivia Sea , which has expanded to a comic book series, an upcoming graphic novel, and a recent cassette release. He also recently published a collection of short stories and — via his Jaded & Elated  and Inservice Records  projects — is putting together a tribute album to ‘90s in...

I’ve been doing this a while, but I’m not the only long-running music podcaster in this sordid little burg. The hosts of Warped and Creased have been talking about (and reviewing) extreme metal since 2014! We had a conversation about podcasting as a lifeline during the pandemic, the ongoing appeal of physical media in this streaming dystopia, an upcoming show they’re presenting (alongside Eye and...

This episode features an interesting interview with ‘new’ — but not new to the culture — local hip-hop artist KNG JMZ !   Check out our conversation about navigating the administrative side of music, the way rap has changed, the importance of lyrics, and much more!   Note: as I mention in the intro, I had to use the backup audio for this episode because of a file problem, but it's still absolutely...

  Winnipeg’s Hypernashion has been combining electronic beats, blues/rock guitars, dub reggae and punk rock influences and more for many years, and they’re almost ready to release a new album on their own DIY Hyper Recordz label. I sat down with three members of the group for a conversation about the collective’s unique sound, combining live instruments with electronic beats, the band’s Polish roo...

On this episode, I get heavy with local metal band Ramskull , who are back with a new album, ‘ Parasitic Sapiens ’! We talked about the grief of losing a bandmate and the catharsis of performing his songs, about playing on diverse bills, and much more. This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company , who have brand new Witchpolice merch in the works! Watch for that! Huge thanks t...

Had a good chat on the podcast with Matt Pitre, who you may recognize from metal outfit Book of Ghosts ! We talked about new music from that project, as well as his new hip-hop venture as Jerry Can , upcoming group Neighbours... and much more! NOTE: Due to an equipment issue, the first three minutes or so of the interview has fairly crappy sound quality (mostly my end of the conversation), but aft...

Acclaimed local graphic novelist GMB Chomichuk is back on the show for the first time in almost a decade! Stay tuned for a conversation about comics, creating, his desire to collaborate with the local music community, the way the word “Witchpolice” has haunted him for years, and much more. It’s a fun one, and local musicians are going to want to hear about his ideas for collaboration. Want more? H...

It’s been a few years since singer-songwriter  Kieran West was on the podcast and a lot has changed. We talked about his upcoming solo record, his new band, Looking Inward — and how fatherhood, sobriety and the pandemic have impacted his songwriting and outlook. There’s also a bunch of conversation about the lasting appeal of Midwest emo!   Want more Kieran West? Check out episode #348 (Jan. 2019)...