Witchpolice Radio

Great chat with award-winning singer-songwriter Stephanie Westdal, all about balancing bold, vulnerable lyrics about serious issues with danceable pop songs, the upcoming Goddess Series of events celebrating creative women, and much more! This one is jumping the queue because it’s a little time sensitive and I’m working around the big 1,000th episode coming soon...  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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!  As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening. 

This isn't a regular episode of Witchpolice Radio. It's an abridged audio version of a two-hour(!) conversation I had with the host of video podcast Peg City Soundoff on his show.  We talked all about podcasting (including my upcoming 1,000th episode and his one-year anniversary), local music -- of course -- and all sorts of other stuff.  You can find the full video chat on Peg City Soundoff's Facebook or YouTube. Always very nice to see other people getting into this podcast thing. DIY or die. 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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!  As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening. 

Fun conversation on this one with Jayda of Portage la Prairie punks (or as the band describes itself, “queercore meets riot grrrl meets unhinged bitch-fit fury”) Ticked Off!Listen up a chat about Ticked Off’s new EP, 'Act Your Rage', plus ‘lead bass’, the importance of songs with a message, punk in Portage, 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 little as a couple bucks a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!  ...and don't forget, we're closing in on 1,000 episodes, so please get your questions in to witchpolice1000@gmail.com. More details here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Iz8TPM5gGt0 As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Even though Paul Hodgert has been involved with various Witchpolice things over the last little while, I had never personally sat down and interviewed him — until now. Here's our conversation about the vinyl release of his excellent ‘Paul is Dead’ album, his new grief-informed single, his fixation with a particular series of classic wrestling matches, and much more.  Need to hear more from Paul? He was on episode #920 -- incidentally one year to the day from this episode's release -- with guest host Greg Soden, and he recorded a live session in my dining room for #960 (Dec. 2024). 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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!  ...and don't forget, we're closing in on 1,000 episodes, so please get your questions in to witchpolice1000@gmail.com. More details here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Iz8TPM5gGt0 As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Making his fourth appearance on the podcast, rapper/producer Kitz Willman sat down to talk about his new tape, ‘A Moon on the Verge of Everything That You Wanted’!  Check out our chat about sonic experiments, defining ‘prairie rap’, future projects, and much more! Need more Kitz Willman? Tune in to episodes #574 (March 2021), #811 (July 2023), and #853 (with Rob Crooks, Dec. 2023). 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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!  ...and don't forget, we're closing in on 1,000 episodes, so please get your questions in to witchpolice1000@gmail.com. More details here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Iz8TPM5gGt0 As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.  

If you’re familiar with Project: Constellation at all, it’s likely as a North Dakota-based husband-and-wife folk duo with Winnipeg connections.They’re still all of those things, of course, but they have this interesting side gig performing Scandinavian songs — from traditional stuff to Swedish and Norwegian pop hits — at libraries and cultural events all over their region of the U.S.They were in town a few weeks back and played some stuff at my house... which now exists in live session form! I had originally intended on doing one of these a month, but so far this is only the third. Gotta pick up the pace! Need more Project: Constellation? Hear 'em in regular interview form on episodes #292 (June 2018) and #356 (Feb. 2019). 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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!  ...and don't forget, we're closing in on 1,000 episodes, so please get your questions in to witchpolice1000@gmail.com. More details here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Iz8TPM5gGt0 As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Anyone involved in the local music scene (and beyond) in Winnipeg is probably aware of the tragic accident on Canada Day that led to the death of Royal Canoe bassist Brendan Berg and his partner Olivia Michalczuk. Brendan (along with Royal Canoe drummer Derek Allard) was on a very early episode of Witchpolice Radio back in fall 2014, so this is a reissued version of that episode for those who want to remember him. I've had a lot of good feedback from people who have listened to previous 'in memoriam' episodes, saying they appreciate the opportunity to hear the person being remembered's voice again... but I hate that I ever have to do these at all. I knew Brendan a little bit. Great guy, incredible musician. And Olivia, who I didn't know super well, was involved in our local podcasting community early on as the co-host of Paper Cut Podcast. Big loss for the local arts community on both fronts. Royal Canoe announced this week that a celebration of life for Brendan and Olivia is taking place Tuesday, July 15 at the Burton Cummings Theatre, with a traditional funeral happening Monday at Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Cathedral.  Positive vibes to Brendan and Olivia’s family and friends, and to everyone connected to Royal Canoe. This is a big loss and I can’t even imagine what you’re dealing with right now. Love to all of you. Here's what we originally said about the Royal Canoe episode back in fall 2014:  Coming off a 2014 Juno nomination for their critically-acclaimed Today We’re Believers record and a jam-packed, festival-heavy summer of touring, Winnipeg’s Royal Canoe are headed back out on the road before hunkering down and working on a follow-up.  The group’s rhythm section — our pals Brendan Berg and Derek Allard — stopped by the basement to reminisce about old times, share road stories, and get passionate about their hometown. R.I.P.

Here's an interview all about the soul, sound and signature of R&B-tinged Afrobeats artist Olisae!It's a fun conversation about his forthcoming new single, perceptions on Winnipeg crowds, focusing on musical energy, 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 little as a couple bucks a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

A fun conversation on this one with the duo behind electronic project Peacocking!We talk about their upcoming EP (which drops July 18), the science of ‘beat week’, expanding beyond drum and bass, glockenspiel, 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 little as a couple bucks a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

This isn't a regular episode of Witchpolice Radio -- it's a bit of a throwback from the ol' vault. Here's the audio from a backyard show at my house in June of 2018, featuring performances by Anne-Marie Williot, Roger's Arsenal, Gerrit Delaquis, and Project: Constellation.  This has never been released before in audio podcast form, although it is available in video form (individual song videos) on the LSD25RECORDS YouTube channel, thanks to local musician Kumaran Reddy, who attended a lot of the early house shows we did.  There are a few songs by each artist here, aside from Anne-Marie, whose one performance that got recorded is not even through the PA -- she just performed on the grass in the yard with her accordion! Need more from these artists? Check out Anne-Marie on episode #479 (April 2020), Roger on episodes #222 (March 2017) and #429 (Oct. 2019), Gerrit on episode #272 (Feb. 2018), and Project: Constellation on episodes #292 (June 2018) and #356 (Feb. 2019). 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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case! As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Local punks Shit Happens, who recently put out a brand new full-length, sit down for an interview on this episode!Tune in to our conversation about the record (‘Slam Poetry to Junk Music’), being in a band with — shock! Horror! — the word ‘shit’ in its name, their unique approach to songwriting, the search for a new guitarist, 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 little as a couple bucks a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Honourary Winnipegger Greg Soden has been obsessing over Propagandhi for much of his life, as evidenced by the years of deep-dives on his Unscripted Moments: A Podcast About Propagandhi… but he’s taking things a step further with the upcoming release of a book of interviews with the band and a companion CD compilation.Tune in for our chat about the project, Propagandhi’s latest LP, an outsider’s view of Winnipeg, and much more! Plus hear some of the Propagandhi covers that will be featured on the double-CD, 'How to Take a Couple O' Victory Laps'.Need more from Greg? Hear him on episode #620 (Sept. 2021) as an interviewee, and on episodes #910 (June 2024), #912 (July 2024), #920 (Aug. 2024), and #922 (Aug. 2024) as a guest host. 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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Very interesting chat on this one with Ashley Au, artistic director of Cluster: New Music + Integrated Arts Festival!Check out our conversation about this year’s festival (June 3-10), explaining new music and sound art, ‘frog opera’, a kids’ workshop, and much more!There are some clips in here as well of work by a few of the unique artists participating in the 16th annual festival, including Architek Percussion, SlowPitchSound, Laraaji, and Jami Reimer -- just a few examples I found while digging into this year's lineup.  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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.

Live and direct from the teeming metropolis of Morden, Man., it’s alt-rockers DITCH!Here's our conversation about music from outside the Perimeter, their new record (Right Now), and so 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 little as a couple bucks a month if you like the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening. Chapters (00:00:02) - Winnipeg Police Merch Made locally(00:01:05) - Band Introduces themselves to Which Place? Radio(00:02:09) - Ditch(00:03:28) - Morden on the Music Scene(00:05:47) - Morton's Music(00:12:07) - Winnipeg band Try to Get Their Music Out There(00:13:41) - How Do The Songs Feel On '(00:16:03) - How The Dillons Became The Band(00:22:46) - The Mat(00:25:31) - Toby Gadson on His Top Three Listeners(00:26:47) - Morden on Starting a Band(00:33:00) - Free CD Giveaway

Recorded an interview with local punx Jus D'Orange!Tune in for our conversation about French food labels, musical simplicity, band families, and much more... Check 'em out live May 17 at Sidestage (Rock for Pride with Gladly and Nagi) and May 22 and the Osborne Taphouse (with Mouth Feel and Lost Planet Airmen). (As always, when I'm talking to a big group of people who are all in the same room, the audio quality can sometimes suffer, but it certainly doesn't take away from the quality of the conversation). 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 the show and want to throw some change in the guitar case!As always, if you like the podcast, please tell a friend or 20! Rate and review on your podcast player of choice! Word of mouth is still the main way Witchpolice Radio reaches new ears. Thanks for listening.