Bandwidth
with Amanda Putz

• Morlove's Miss Emily Brown and Corwin Fox join me on the line from a lively farm on tour in B.C. The band has a new album stitched together on the theme of patterns, and it's as cozy to your ears as the quilt your aunt made you.
• Thunder Bay's Andrew Laviolette thinks fast in a 90 Second Egg.
• Ottawa's (via Sudbury) Sarah Bradley's soaring vocals lead Fevers in a sweet Bandwidth Stripped-Down Session.

Perhaps the best order is to watch the video, then listen to my interview with Toronto rapper Abdominal and his Mom, Sharon Singer, about their collaboration on "Courage." She rode that bike on the back of a flatbed truck!

 

 

 

She had three freak accidents that left her dependent on pain killers, broke, and depressed. Eventually Laura Smith pulled out of the abyss that kept her from the studio for 15 years. She's released her first album since 1997's It's a Personal Thing.

 

Everything Is Moving reveals the folk singer is not only back, but better than ever. Everything is moving again, indeed.

 

 

 

New Country Rehab are on tour throughout Ontario to peddle their old-school meets new-folk-rock sound. We sat around the table at their label's world headquarters in Ottawa to talk about Ghost of Your Charms and the art of writing a good song.

 

Great Lake Swimmers' last album New Wild Everywhere is nominated for a 2013 Juno Award. Hear them play tunes from it live from Glenn Gould Studio, on Bandwidth.

 

Hamilton jazz-folk septet Ophelia Syndrome blurt what they really think (contrary to their band name) in a 90 Second Egg speed-interview.

Leif Vollebekk speculates that his new album North Americana's cover shot, of himself looking like he could be his own father circa 1971, may be the reason Dad's not so fond of the CD's package. Nonethess, Dad can't complain about the lovely folk songs within. We chat about lyrics, instruments, and a ringing in Leif's ears.

Danielle Duval's music came to my attention a couple of years ago when a colleague from the Toronto TV newsroom sent an email. He said he works with Danielle on The National and she'd just put out a record.

 

I was smitten on first listen.

 

Danielle's an exercise in duality: thoughtful, introspective lyrics couched in mostly upbeat, toe-tapping melodies. She's an Anglophone Montreal native whose Lebanese grandparents spoke French to her. Her rookie full-lenth album Of the Valley has all kinds of cameos from established Canadian indie musicians; The Golden Dogs and Zeus among them.

 

I sat down to figure out exactly who this diminutive folk-pop player is.

Danielle started off by adjusting her own microphone in the studio, like she does for Peter Mansbridge every night that she's not on tour.