Witchpolice Radio

On this episode, the guest host spot is taken over by the illustrious Stiff Wiggle  -- synthesizer enthusiast, art rock experimentalist, and now podcaster! Stiff sat down with two members of pop-indebted rock n' roll outfit  VVonder , to talk about their unique sound, upcoming music, weird experiences at local record stores, and much more! (Speaking of weirdness: for some reason five minutes of th...

Shattered Brain Orchestrations is a local label centred around Adam Lavoie’s various solo projects, including Varkt, Töt Bête Lögn, Don Calfa, and many more — covering everything from black metal to hardcore to powerviolence to electronic experiments. Here's our conversation about the compulsion to create, starting out as a piano player, getting music heard without performing live, and much more!...

The USA’s number one Winnipeg-music-appreciator, Greg Soden (of  Unscripted Moments: A Podcast About Propagandhi ), is back in the guest-host chair after a successful appearance on episode #910 ! On this episode, he sat down with acclaimed local producer/musician/engineer/multi-hyphenate John Paul Peters . Tune in for a chat about JP's extensive career at Private Ear Recording , his early musical...

I caught up with songwriter/producer Micah Erenberg to talk about his upcoming record as The Secret Beach , “ We Were Born Here, What’s Your Excuse? ”, and about fully embracing the Manitoba-ness of it all. We also got into the differences between the records as The Secret Beach and the early LPs under his own name, recording — music by himself and others — at the eponymous studio, Bob Dylan’s ‘ P...

…so, uh… what’s happening here? It’s an episode GUEST-HOSTED by the USA’s number one Winnipeg-music-appreciator, Greg Soden (of Unscripted Moments: A Podcast About Propagandhi ), and featuring local punk Dylan James of Clipwing and Storyteller ! The sheer quantity of episodes I produce for this show is getting a little overwhelming, so to avoid burnout (because I still love doing it), I’ll occasio...

Legendary Winnipeg bluesman Big Dave McLean is still grinding away -- playing, touring and recording into his 70s. I talked to the local icon over the phone* about his new record, ‘ This Old Life ’, learning the blues as a young man from some all-time masters, his lengthy career, the challenges of being an artist during the pandemic, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devin...

I had a great conversation with singer-songwriter Milt Homely whose new album ‘Dirty Pain’ takes a noisy, grimy approach to country music. Tune in for a chat about blurring the lines between a humorous persona and true-to-life emotion, drawing from both rural Oklahoma and rural Manitoba, and much more. Note: as my robot friend mentions in the intro, there's a brief part at the beginning of the int...

As many of you know by now, I don't only release two episodes of the podcast a week -- I also have a Patreon page chock full of bonus content for supporters of the show. Throughout 2022 and into 2023, I asked local artists for their recommendations of albums (or if they couldn't think of albums, just artists) with Manitoba connections, past and present. This episode is a compilation of just some o...

Beatboxing! Jazz collaborations! Slovenia! Circular breathing! Here's my conversation with vocalist/producer Beatox  about his new LP, upcoming Jazz Fest gig at the Cube (June 22), collaborations between his self-taught vocals and technically adept jazz instrumentalists, and much more! This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company . Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podca...

Great chat on this one with up-and-coming artist Jace Bodner about his imminent new EP (out June 15!), getting into the funk/soul groove, creativity during the pandemiic, limbo guitar solos, and more! This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company . Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on  Patreon ! You can help out for as little as a couple bucks a month if you like...

You may recognize Trevor Tuminski from a time when his former band, Jet Set Satellite, was on MuchMusic and rock radio (seemingly) every 30 seconds… but he’s back with a new project here in Winnipeg, Omens ! Here's a conversation about the debut Omens record , about (refreshingly) starting from scratch as an independent artist after going through the corporate music machine, and much more. This ep...

Sat down with a couple of members of indie rock outfit Witch Hazel  for this episode. Too many ‘witch’-prefixes in one place! Here's our conversation about their new EP,  Casa Rosso , leaning into heavier sounds, epic bass face, and much more… This episode brought to you by our pals at  Devine Shirt Company . Huge thanks to everyone who supports the podcast on  Patreon ! You can help out for as li...

When he was last on the show in 2020, author Nigel Webber's Gritty City project — an oral history of Winnipeg’s hip-hop scene — was still in the earliest stages. Fast forward four years and hundreds of interviews later, and Gritty City is on the verge of completion! Here's our conversation about the book, which drops this summer, the importance of documenting local history — no matter how niche, w...

This one's a little different. It's part of a series of episodes I'm doing in collaboration with local rapper  Ezoman 's  Creative Side Entertainment  for this year's 'Future of M"you"sic' competition, which is a six-month long showcase of up-and-coming local artists at the Limelight. Here's the third episode, which is similar to my old Quick Hits format (remember that?), and it features a clip of...

Yes, my show is about local music, but I make exceptions for people who are ‘music-scene adjacent’, which absolutely fits longtime stand-up comedian Jared Story . Jared has a brand-new comedy album, ‘ Good Ideas ’, recorded live at the Park Theatre! Check out our conversation about Winnipeg’s comedy scene, the actual mechanics of recording a comedy album, and much more! Oh, and by the way, this is...

  It’s been a while — a dozen years or so — but once upon a time, Sean Allum (of Duotang ) and Aaron Young (JFK & the Conspirators) were the hottest DJs in town, packing the club each week (with lineups down the block) as the hosts of Mod Club Winnipeg . Did you miss ‘em? They’re bringing Mod Club back for a one-off party next month (June 14 at ANAF Club 60). We sat down for a chat about the o...

Singer-songwriter Violet Vopni is back on the podcast, alongside producer Nick Rees ( PhatFat Studios ) to talk about their collaboration and upcoming record! We get into Violet’s experience performing at open mics in Dubai, the future of playing shows as a solo artist without a band, underground pop music, and more! Need more Violet in your life? Check out episode #461 (Feb. 2020), #505 (as a mem...

Andy Cole of indie rockers Great Wealth is on the show! We sat down for a chat about the band’s just-released ' Runaways ' EP, having fun onstage, honing the lineup and navigating being a new band during the pandemic, being the old guy at shows, and much more. Need more from Andy? He appeared on episode #184 (June 2016) as a member of À La Mode, and was on an even earlier one, episode #075, May 20...

Good hang on this episode with three-fifths of long-running crossover thrash outfit Solanum ! Stay tuned for a conversation about the new ‘Mad Racket’ EP, lineup changes, the importance of great cover art, a dearth of thrash bands in Winnipeg… and I get my ‘Zombie Survival Guide’ theory confirmed about the band name. Need more Solanum in your life? Check out episode #476 (April 2020) This episode...

Whalehammer is more than just a ridiculous (but kinda great) band name! Here's a conversation with the local trio about marrying heavy music with layers of synths, translating technically dense songwriting to a live setting, that bonkers drum kit (you need to see it to believe it), and much more! Plus, you get to hear a couple of new demos on this episode. Hot damn! This episode brought to you by...

Touching has a fantastic new record, ‘I Can Be Two People at Once ’, that has been getting a lot of spins around these parts. Here's my conversation with Michael Falk (ex- Les Jupes , Head in the Sand Records , etc.) about the freedom and challenges that came with stepping out of his comfort zone and making a weird, ‘jazz-adjacent’ experiment... and much more! Want to hear more Mike? Check out epi...

...so this one ended up with very serendipitous timing. I actually recorded it near the beginning of April, but it got bumped by a few time-sensitive episodes. By complete coincidence, its eventual release date -- today, April 30 -- is the 25th anniversary of CKUW 95.9 FM on the public airwaves! Tune in for a chat with CKUW’s program director, Scott Price, about the auspicious anniversary (and the...

This one's a little different. It's part of a series of episodes I'm doing in collaboration with local rapper  Ezoman 's  Creative Side Entertainment  for this year's 'Future of M"you"sic' competition, which is a six-month long showcase of up-and-coming local artists at the Limelight. Here's the second episode, which is similar to my old Quick Hits format (remember that?), and it features a clip o...

Jared McKetiak is the longtime big wheel down at Winnipeg's mighty campus/community radio staple UMFM 101.5. We sat down for a conversation about falling in love with alternative radio, how the station navigated the pandemic, and the way UMFM stays afloat thanks to the generosity of its passionate listeners. Did you know that UMFM is one of the many places you can hear Witchpolice Radio? Tune in a...

I had a delightful conversation with singer-songwriter Keri Latimer about the new Leaf Rapids LP, which -- if you're listening right when this podcast comes out -- was just released today ! Here's our chat about the record and subsequent tour (kicking off tonight, April 19, at Times Change[d]!), Americana/Canadiana, dreamlike songs, terrifying clown paintings, and more… (...and yes, this episode j...