False Starts

Today we're joined by Silver Reeds.Silver Reeds is the dreamy, eclectic indie alt-folk solo project of singer-songwriter Sandy Zelazny. Emotive, melodically concise, and poetic, the songs easily capture the attention and the heart of the listener, with a refreshingly honest edge of rawness, wit and strangeness. Zelazny grew up on the East Coast of Canada, classically training in piano and voice, and learning guitar by ear. Since moving to Toronto a decade ago, Zelazny has taken on various roles in bands, from songwriting to vocals, rhythm guitar, and drums. Silver Reeds’ debut album, What to Leave Behind, was released in 2023. It is the culmination of Zelazny’s songwriting up until the album was recorded, distilled into focus with the help and skills of producer James Bunton (Donovan Woods, Celeigh Cardinal) and recorded at Union Sound Company (Studio B).Silver Reeds’ upcoming EP, Quiet Place, will be released on November 14, 2025. It is a collection of four songs recorded and produced by James Bunton at Slow Go Sound, and mastered by Heather Kirby at Dreamlands Mastering.

Today we're joined by Anna Justen! Anna Justen blends the intensity of the east coast with the haunting beauty of the pacific northwest. An indie musician, singer-songwriter, and producer living between Seattle and Montreal, Anna's music unifies the two scenes through cascading rhythms.I hope you enjoy this episode and the amazing tunes Anna shared as their False Starts.

Welcome to False Starts - the series where we explore musician's abandoned tracks and gems. Today we're joined by Sam Boer of Samson Wrote. As Samson Wrote, avant-folk songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Boer considers many of life’s uncertainties on his new album In Season. Across nine experimental folk songs, the album asks: “What does it mean to live a good life?”Samson Wrote takes a warmly wry and thoughtful approach to finding answers. The Bear River, Nova Scotia-based musician doesn’t get lost in the unknown because he uses everyday moments and familiar objects as vessels to explore his feelings. From detailing the contents of his cupboards, to describing the euphoria of watching goldfinches feed one another, to exploring the ephemeral joy of building a snowman, Boer’s clarion voice rings out urging you to pay attention to the seemingly inconsequential things that define our lives.Produced by musical polymath JoJo Worthington, In Season sound is warm and adventurous. Melodies playfully swing; sounds of recorders, bowed vibraphone, and reed organ are nestled throughout; and, unexpected flourishes of three-part vocal harmony dazzle. recorded at storied studios across Canada (Guelph’s The cottaGe with JUNO Award-winning producer-engineer Scott Merritt, Montreal’s Hotel2Tango), the album’s sound was made possible by its intergenerational & inter-genre band, including Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Bird (Cowboy Junkies), punk drummer Zach Cockburn (Sham Family), and triple-harmonies by Liv Cazzola, Anita Cazzola (The Lifers) and ethereal folk songwriter Annie Sumi.While singing about the challenges of navigating the world and pondering big questions, Samson Wrote’s lastest ends in a declaration: “I want to see you in season.” In Season glows with hope that things will be better, that community will flourish, and that we can bloom alongside one another.

Today we're joined by Karim Lakhdar of Boutique Feelings. Boutique Feelings explores themes of cultural and personal identity through vivid offbeat storytelling and catchy distortion- mangled hooks. Dusted with elements of psychedelia à la Funkadelic, compounded by ethereal sonic landscapes and catapulted by melodic rhyme schemes, Boutique Feelings invites reflection on socio-political norms.

Today we're joined by Aidan Belo of His His. His His began in the fall of 2020. It is inspired by nostalgia and analog recording techniques. During the COVID-19 pandemic Belo constructed a makeshift studio in the empty space of an old wooden barn located on his family’s farm. Everything is tracked onto 1/4 inch tape and cassette to help achieve a warm, saturated sound.

On this episode we're joined by Luke Wallace. Luke Wallace is a dynamic force in the world of folk music, using his talent as a songwriter, speaker, and choral arranger to champion environmental causes and inspire positive change. Hailing from the Coast Salish Territory known as Vancouver, Canada, Luke has been on a decade-long journey of touring, recording, and organizing for the betterment of people and the planet.

Today we're joined by Kylie Fox! Kylie Fox is a Canadian singer songwriter, fusing folk storytelling with vintage elements of jazz and alternative rock. With influences like Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell, her music is lush and real. Her releases BalconyEP (2017) and Green (2020) led her to tour coast to coast, support artists like Bahamas, Matt Minglewood, The Strumbellas and Joel Plaskett and showcase at events such as Come Together, Canadian Music Week, the East Coast Music Awards, Folk Alliance International, Folk Music Ontario and Harvest Music Festival. She has participated in the Banff Centre for the Arts International Songwriting Residency, the Canadian Song Challenge and the SOCAN Equity X Music Production course. Recently Fox was awarded “Innovator of the Year” at the 2023 PrixNB Awards.  This year, Kylie released her sophomore record Sequoia, an eleven track album supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and produced by six-time ECMA-winning producer, Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones). Sequoia is deeply rooted in folk-Canadiana elements that have characterized Fox’s career, while also exploring folk-rock and jazz-pop fusion.“The eleven branches of Sequoia are reflections on gratitude in relation to the women in my life, my environment, my relationships, and myself.” says Fox of the forthcoming album. Amplify Magazine says, “Her charisma is invigorating, creating a warm, safe listening place, even when the topics at hand have heft and weight”. Find Your Sounds says “Just about everybody in the industry is sitting up and taking notice.” Kylie is currently touring Sequoia throughout Ontario and the East Coast. 

Today we're joined by Sean Cronin! Sean Cronin is best known as an internationally touring upright Jazz bassist who plays with some of New York’s finest traditional Jazz players. But where his passion lies is in pulling apart how music works, creating musical experiences for himself and his audience, and learning how people think and communicate about music.Sean Cronin’s career as a performer began at age 4 with classical piano and recorder lessons. By age 12, he was gigging on bass with his father as well as his own bands. In high school he composed scores for local theater productions. He studied Jazz performance for double bass at both Capilano University in Vancouver BC and at The University of North Texas in Denton TX. By 2005, Sean found himself one of Canada's busiest bassists, playing and touring worldwide with the country's finest in Jazz, Improv, Rock, Bluegrass, and Theatre. Between 2004 - 2012, Sean led many of his own bands, including flash mob community band Too Big To Care Marching Band, Jazz group ShhEnsemble, and his 8-piece art-rock band, Very Good. He attended the Banff Centre Jazz and Creative Music Workshops in 2007, directed by Dave Douglas, and in 2009, returned to the Banff Centre for the TD Fellowship Artist Residency. In 2012, Sean made the move to New York, and was welcomed into its vibrant traditional Jazz community, as well as improv rock and performance art circles. Sean also became involved with New York theatre, writing musical scores for Potion and Kill Me Like You Mean It. In 2016, Sean acted and performed music with Chelsea Hotel: Songs of Leonard Cohen. Recently, he has toured internationally with Dennis Lichtman and Bria Skonberg, worked extensively with dance company Konverjdans, and scored a sleep app by Audible. Sean has been the recipient of the Galaxie Rising Star Award, The Grand Prix du Jazz at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and the Fraser Macpherson Memorial Scholarship, and his score for Kill Me Like You Mean It was nominated for a Drama Desk Award in 2015.