Hard Folk with Matt Gower

Today I interview Ottawa singer-songwriter Malia Rogers. We talked about her East Coast roots, how she developed her songwriting tools, how she deals her audience a “heavy dose of vulnerability” at live shows, the kindness and generosity that community brings when touring, how loss and grieving have played important roles in her songwriting and leaving folks with a sense of wonder and curiosity.Malia Rogers will be playing CKCU Presents: Friday Night Folk alongside Woods of Light and myself Sept. 4th at Art House Cafe. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://pods.link/hardfolk.

Today I’m joined by Don Pyle. Don has a new book out called Rough Description: love letters and ghost stories from a life in music but if you’re like me, you know him as the drummer for Shadowy Men on a Shadowy planet. We discussed the art of a good setlist, navigating a music career without a safety net, Don’s experience going to hairdressing school and how Shadowy Men may have played a role in Jiffy Pop reducing their packaging so that it wouldn’t perfectly hold a 7” record…The Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://pods.link/hardfolk.

Today, I’m joined by Elizabeth Royall. We talk about the balancing the administrative and entrepreneurial aspects of the music industry with the creative side of things. We also delve into Elizabeth’s love of 70s & 90s music, especially Fleetwood Mac and how she shook off trying to emulate Billie Eilish and discovered her own voice in the process. CKCU Presents Friday Night Folkwith Elizabeth Royall and GravenFriday, July 10, 8:30pmArt House Cafe (555 Somerset st W)Tickets are available now $15 advance /$20 door

Sean Sisk was dead. His heart stopped for 30 minutes. A case of Invasive Group A Strep had sent Sean to the hospital for 4 months, where his heart stopped 4 times and he needed multiple blood transfusions. Jeff Larocque had donated blood 86 times before being diagnosed with prostate cancer. His goal was to donate blood at least 100 times, but unfortunately the cancer diagnosis prevented him from being able to donate. After sitting down to breakfast they came up with the idea to organize a blood drive and have a little party afterwards. On June 17th, after you donate blood (visit blood.ca to schedule an appointment), Sean & Jeff are hosting a party at the Prescott featuring live local bands, prizes and more!

Today’s episode of Hard Folk is a special one: I invited my friend and fellow singer-songwriter James Leclaire to interview me. We talked about my songwriting process, how I recorded Vacated Shapes, navigating social media, performing solo vs with a band, plus we took a bit of a dive into my family and how that affects my life as a songwriter. Vacated Shapes is out now both streaming and on CD. Click here for tickets to CKCU Presents: Matt Gower - Vacated Shapes Album Release ShowArt House Cafe 555 Somerset st W 8:30pm, Sat. June 20thThe Hard Folk podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon etc. or visit https://tr.ee/RweJx2PNii.