Live! MUSICA Stories
Fruteland Jackson tells the blues: Spreading the history and gospel of Americana
Fruteland Jackson is practically unstoppable, and that’s a good thing. Because not only is he a font of wisdom regarding the depth and history of the American Blues, he also writes and plays a pretty good ragtime riff, too. …
The Canadian Ska Orchestra: Musical professionals in a newly playful creation
Johnathon May brings me my Cafe Mocha and raisin bran muffin while I set up the recording device for our interview in the National Music Centre coffeeshop. Not only does it seem like an appropriate place for such interviews (having been used to talk to Rielle most recently, amongst others …
The girls of summer Pt. 2: Cats and drunks and Taiwan punks
After being thoroughly delighted/blown away by BB Bomb at this year’s Sled Island closing pig roast, MUSICAlive! contacted the band from Taiwan to arrange an interview. As that country is 14 hours ahead of Calgary, and as the lead Singer/songwriter/guitarist felt more comfortable with her written English …
The girls of summer Pt. 1: The Truth Untold has some personal things to say, with a distortion pedal!
After Rose and MUSICAlive! get through the naming of guitars and cats and other home furnishings (Shakespearean & Marvel Universe, to be exact), we finally settle down to actually talking about MUSIC (sometimes our conversations have to be reined in like a running mare who’s escaped from the pen). The good news is, to maintain the metaphor, this isn’t the songwriter’s first rodeo! …
Laura Hickli’s ‘dark secrets’ are universal: Personal pop explorations
MUSICAlive! starts our conversation with Laura Hickli with the 2 of us giggling like idiots, which is rather strange given the somber topics she is addressing in the dark secrets EP: near death occurrences, questioning relevance and purpose. You know, lighthearted stuff! …
‘I really felt the emotions going through my fingers’: nobuka’s Interior Monologues
when first we spoke with the artist nobuka about his latest release, Monologues Int´rieur, we asked him if we should use his pseudonym for our interview. He confirmed that different musical agendas were released under that name and his own, Michel van COLLENBURG, so we might as well go with “Michel”. …
Esther Honens strikes again: No pianoless community is safe!
Early on in our conversation with Catherine McLelland & Amanda Smith of the Honens International Piano Competition (Director of Artistic Planning, and President and CEO respectively) about how the competitors progress from auditions to the Finale, I pause to …