April 2020 | Folk Roots Radio

Folk Roots Radio Episode 509: feat. Connie Kaldor… In Conversation – Everyday Moments

Apr 30 2020

One of Canada’s finest songwriters, Connie Kaldor joins us on Episode 509 of Folk Roots Radio for an in-depth interview about her career in music. A three time Juno award winner, and a member of the Order of Canada, Connie Kaldor has forged a great career that, alongside some great albums, has also included CD books for children, musicals and music for both film and web-series – and all achieved while remaining proudly independent. Her latest album, her sixteenth, “Everyday Moments” was released in the fall of 2019, however the Covid-19 pandemic has severely limited her ability to tour in support of the new recording. Connie Kaldor joined us from her home in Montreal where she is staying safe with the rest of her family, in what she likes to call the isolation station. A fabulous performer with a very engaging live show, we’re pleased to be able to bring you Connie Kaldor… In Conversation on Folk Roots Radio. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 508: We're All About The Music! (Together & Apart)

Apr 27 2020

We’re holding back the interviews on Episode 508 of Folk Roots Radio as we bring you another hour of great new releases. We may all be continuing to self-isolate in the midst of the on-going Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, but artists are still producing fabulous music. So settle down and enjoy songs from Parkland, Heather Styka, Andrea Ramolo, Jesse Cook, Stuart Markus, Grae J Wall, Michael Logen, Tara Thompson, Rachael Sage, Sara Thomsen, Lara Herscovitch, Deborah Holland, Julian Taylor, Alex Lauzière and Erik Balkey. Stay safe and well everyone. We will get through this… together and apart. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 507: feat. Tomorrow Bird & More New Releases

Apr 23 2020

Jen Bird and Simon Driscoll make music together as acoustic folk duo, Tomorrow Bird. They specialize in heartfelt songs that reflect on the human experience – and sing of hope, love, loss, courage and empowerment. Jen and Simon were due to be Canada this spring but because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic they’ve had change their plans and are now keeping themselves safe at home. Because they can’t be with us this year, we’re pleased to bring an interview we recorded with them last year to Episode 507 of Folk Roots Radio. We also check out more of the great new music that’s come into the studio, and this time around we hear from Raina Krangle, Forest Sun, Brent Mason, Raye Zaragoza, Ewen Henderson, Jeffery Straker, Mattie Leon and Ayla Brook & The Sound Men. Stay safe and well everyone! We’ll get through this… together and apart. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 506: We're All About The Music! (Covid-19 edition)

Apr 17 2020

We’re all about the music on Episode 506 of Folk Roots Radio as we bring you an all music Covid-19 isolation edition of the show. We’re in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and we’re all social distancing, but artists are still making great music. Join us for new songs written especially for these strange times from Julia Appleton, Tara MacLean & Catherine MacLellan, Shawn Erker and Mark Perry, alongside some great new releases we just had to share from Valerie Smith, David Foley & Jack Smedley, Deborah Holland, Tomo, David Madras and Midnight Vesta. We also include a special four song tribute to the late great John Prine, who sadly passed away after contracting the coronavirus. Stay safe and well everyone! We’ll get through this together… and apart. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 505: feat. The Fontaines... In Conversation

Apr 14 2020

Sara & Ryan Fontaine, who make music together as The Fontaines, join us on Episode 505 of Folk Roots Radio to chat about their music and self-titled debut album. Sara and Ryan met while pursuing separate musical careers; Sara in theatre and vocal performance, and Ryan as an upright bass player. With a sound that they describe as ‘folk with a modern twist’, they affectionately call every gig ‘date night’. We’re in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency and so we caught up with Sara & Ryan over Zoom, rather than live in the studio. Stay safe and well everyone – and settle down and enjoy The Fontaines… In Conversation, on Folk Roots Radio. Check out the full playlist below.

Jack Pine - Folk Roots Radio at FMO (The Follow Up)

Apr 13 2020

Jack Pine is the stage persona of Gareth Auden Hole, an Ottawa based singer-songwriter, engineer and producer. Jack is an incredible live performer with a wonderful energy, and a very engaging style on both guitar and mandolin; however he self-deprecatingly describes himself as an anything goes singer-songwriter with a heavy-handed string band. His 2017 album band with his band The Fire “Left To Our Own Devices” picked up a 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for New/Emerging Artist of the Year and a 2019 Juno nomination for best art work. Jack Pine sat down with Jan Hall from Folk Roots Radio at the 2017 Folk Music Ontario conference to chat about his music. In 2019, we had a follow up conversation at FMO, and this time around he played some songs live for us. Check out the video for the song “You’ll Find Me Waiting” Jack mentions in the interview here. For more information about the music of Jack Pine visit jackpinefire.com. Music: Jack Pine “You’ll Find Me Waiting” (Live), “Rich In Time” (Live) and Jack Pine & The Fire “Desert Island” from “Left To Our Own Devices” (2017, Self). Bonus: Jack Pine “Cabin Fever” (Live).

Folk Roots Radio Episode 504: feat. Harrow Fair & More New Releases

Apr 11 2020

Miranda Mulholland and Andrew Penner make music together as Harrow Fair, a fabulous Americana roots duo with a huge sound and an exhilarating live show. They join us on Episode 504 of Folk Roots Radio, direct from their Covid-19 emergency self-isolation, for a fun chat about their music and their wonderful sophomore release “Sins We Made”. It’s an excellent interview which reaches far beyond the album, to talk about what it feels like to put everything on hold and stay home while you are supposed to be out touring a great new album. We wrap up the rest of the episode with more great new music from David Shurr, Rob Murphy, David Keenan, David Foley & Jack Smedley and The Rough & Tumble. Stay safe and well everyone! Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 503: feat. Plumhall In Conversation - The Ghost Of Noise

Apr 08 2020

Michelle Plum and Nick Hall are from Bradford in England and make music together as Plumhall. They join us on Episode 503 of Folk Roots Radio for an in-depth conversation about their second album, “The Ghost Of Noise”, a wonderful Americana / Folk recording that also includes a little electronica and some found sounds. It’s a great album, and the follow up to the very well received “Thundercloud” from 2014 – one of our favourite albums of that year. Michelle and Nick are always a great interview, so kick back and enjoy Plumhall in conversation on Folk Roots Radio. Check out the full playlist below.

Folk Roots Radio Episode 502: feat. Jane Eamon & More New Releases

Apr 02 2020

We have a very special coronavirus isolation edition of Folk Roots Radio to bring you on Episode 502. We’re featuring a great interview we taped a few weeks ago with Kelowna BC based Kerrville Folk finalist Jane Eamon. Jane is a fantastic songwriter, but one who had almost fallen out of love with the music business. That all changed when her husband had a stroke and then was diagnosed with cancer, and her father died suddenly. That would be enough to break many people – but all this family turmoil pushed Jane back into songwriting and led to her fabulous 2019 album “Pieces of Me”. We’re obviously biased but it’s a truly wonderful and inspirational interview, and perhaps a bit of an antidote for all of us who are struggling in the strange social distancing times we’re now living in. We’re continuing the Covid-19 emergency theme on the rest of the show as we include brand spanking new songs about social distancing from John & Sheila Ludgate and Jesse Parent, a song about unheralded essential workers from Dale Boyle, a wonderful comic creation from Heather Pierson alongside some great new music from both The Lonesome Ace Stringband and Ken Yates. We will get through this… together and apart. Check out the full playlist below.

Worth Repeating: Tall Tales on Royal City Rag - April Fool's Day 2009

Apr 01 2020

Before there was Folk Roots Radio there was Royal City Rag, a mixed music and spoken word magazine style show focusing on Guelph community issues, music and the arts that went out on CFRU 93.3fm Guelph’s campus & community radio station from 2005-2011. On April Fool’s Day 2009, Sya Van Guest and Brad Woods, and singer-songwriter Sam Turton joined us on the show for a very special Tall Tales themed show apparently being broadcast live from an undisclosed and, at the time, quite controversial Guelph location. We’re not going to let you know where the show was supposed to be coming from – you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out. Let’s just say that a lot of our Guelph activist friends we’re quite shocked that we would be broadcasting from there. This was certainly one of our favourite Royal City Rag episodes. Enjoy!