In the rather unique microcosm of the Atlantic Canadian Bubble, artists and performers are returning to work. Rather than the season-long tours they’d usually be performing, they’ve made the best of these uncertain times by finding new audiences and new successes through the medium of podcasting.
Four such podcasts out of Atlantic Canada have very quickly found their stride: James Mullinger’s Mullinger Meets Canadians, the East Coast Music Association’s Radio ECMA hosted by Chris Batstone, critically acclaimed PEI songwriter Dylan Menzie’s Lost in Dreams, and Indie NL – The Podcast for the Unsigned Artist from Fairgale’s Stephen Green and Justin Fancy of Canadian Idol fame.
Somewhere between necessity being the mother of invention and idle hands being the devil’s tools, a perfect storm has formed over the last six. Performers, deprived of live and in-person audiences, have sought out a means of re-inventing the wheel. Audiences, similarly, have sought out these performers wherever performers are performing… or at least a sanitary and government-sanctioned approximation of that.
Quarantine may have allowed for both the free time for these podcasts to be produced and for audiences to consume them, but some have been a long time coming. They’re filling in the niches of Atlantic Canadian life, from glimpses into what you don’t know, to providing insight into what you should.
Mullinger Meets Canadians
Comedian, journalist and the man likely to have shaken the most hands across the country without running for office, James Mullinger says that ever since launching The Maritime Edit in 2017, he and his team have been regularly approached with the perennial request to produce a podcast.
“It was always something we had wanted to do but never had the time with my touring schedule, speaking commitments and production of the magazine,” says Mullinger. “During lockdown and with all of my shows cancelled we suddenly had time to do it.
“We wanted Mullinger Meets Canadians to be an extension of the magazine with me interviewing Atlantic Canadians doing great things on the world stage. The first few episodes featured Great Big Sea’s Sean McCann, comedians Travis Lindsay and Jason John Whitehead and globally renowned superstars chef Matty Matheson.
“My whole approach to this show is to not be James Mullinger the comedian but the journalist. I’m not interrupting guests, trying to prove how funny I am, bantering. I want to hear their stories and bring their incredible lives to the forefront.”
Mullinger Meets Canadians is produced by a Halifax-based company Podstarter (also the brains behind the popular podcast Canadian Politics Is Boring). Podstarter is run by Jon Burns, a renowned creative in Halifax and Rhys Waters who, like Mullinger, left the UK for a better quality of life in Atlantic Canada three years ago.
“We didn’t know each other in the UK but we both worked with a lot of the same comedians including Welsh stand up Rhod Gilbert. It is very funny to us that we now both find ourselves living in the Maritimes and working together,” says Mullinger.
The podcast has seen considerable success since it’s launch, leaving Mullinger “absolutely gobsmacked” when Apple featured them in the New & Noteworthy section of Apple Podcasts, and hit the #14 spot on the Apple Podcast Comedy Charts.
“To see our little Atlantic Canadian podcast alongside the heavyweights on global podcasting such as Marc Maron, Joe Rogen and Bill Burr was a combination of exciting and terrifying!”
Radio ECMA
The East Coast Music Association, in their role as promoters of all things musical in the world of Atlantic Canadian music, has created the new Radio ECMA.
Chris Batstone, 30-year veteran of radio from Grand Falls/Windsor, NL, and member of ECMA nominated bands Drive, The Punters, and Kelly Russell & The Planks, hosts the show from St. John’s, NL, learning the stories behind the songs and something new about the fantastic artists we have based on the East Coast of Canada.
Lost in Dreams
It might not suprise you to learn that Canadian artists are capable of dreaming, or that said dreams are capable of influencing their their work. Prince Edward Island’s singer-songwriter extraordinaire Dylan Menzie explores this very concept with his newly launched Lost in Dreams Podcast.
“The Lost in Dreams podcast is, at its heart, about Canadian artists, their craft, and their process,” explains Dylan. “I believe that using the topic of dreams (both had while sleeping or more literal life goals) as a jumping-off point sparks extremely interesting and meaningful conversations that give listeners a deeper appreciation and understanding for the artists themselves, as well as their creative work.”
The first three episodes are already available, featuring comedian Jonathan Torrens (Street Cents, Jonovision, Trailer Park Boys), Emmy and Gemini Award Winner Cheryl Wagner (Fraggle Rock, Mr. Dressup, The Big Comfy Couch), and photographer Patricia Bourque (Behind The Regalia).
Indie NL – The Podcast for the Unsigned Artist
Making it work in the music industry is tough. Remembering all the lyrics and chords is hard enough without having to get into the nitty-gritty of touring, public relations, and grant writing. It’s not impossible though, if you’ve got a head start.
Stephen Green and Justin Fancy have launched Indie NL – The Podcast for the Unsigned Artist, a podcast dedicated the tips and tricks and what has worked for them.
“Stephen Green and I had been chatting daily about the music industry, what we’ve been doing to get ahead, how we’ve been able to create a brand online, radio trackers, etc. and we had a come to Jesus moment where we both basically said, ‘Man! Wouldn’t it be cool if we could capture all this for up and coming artists?” says Justin Fancy.
“I mean, the biggest downfall for any up and coming artists is the lack of understanding or information around marketing yourself and your music.”
Those conversations continued and were joined by MusicNL, along with the announcement of their COVID-19 relief project called Press-On who were able to provide funding to produce the show.
“We talk about everything from building your brand, radio tracking, producing and modern music in all genres, royalty revenue generation, streaming, how to get your song on Spotify for playlist consideration, basically trying to cover everything a musician needs to know if they think they have what it takes.”
In the first five episodes, Fancy and Green have already interviewed people from Lauren Tutty (Lauren Tutty Promotions), Robert Buck (Atlantic Disc & DVD), Tim Hardy (Sound of Pop, formerly SOCAN) and producer Clint Curtis, all while featuring NL artists on every podcast.