Tell Me Stories Podcast With Paula Allen

Billy Moon sits down backstage with me at Riverfest.  Now, Billy is a tall person. Like, comically tall compared to me. I met him backstage while I was up on a riser so I didn't notice this until he came into the PodTrailer for the interview and almost didn't fit. He had to duck (okay, crouch and crawl) to get in and get seated. It's strange but when you see someone on stage, even walking around backstage you don't get a good sense of them until they are knee to knee with you, in a tiny podcast trailer, backstage. Moreover, what you definitely don't get a sense of is who they are or what stories they hold, until you are in a space so small and intimate there's little room for bravado, falsehood or ego.  On stage: Billy has a personality that matches his height. His performances are command, deftly woven musical stories performed with a larger-than-life personality. He's SUPER entertaining ya'll. Crowds love him. Backstage, he has a hundred friends, he's funny, he's warm and engaging. He has a 'star quality' t

Gab Godon and Emma Beko are HeartStreets, and they are a game changer if I've ever been humbled enough to see such a thing live. Hailing from Montreal, where just so much great Canadian music rolls out of, these two make me proud to be a female in the music world.  SOCAN invited them to camp. This is a thing. It's a pretty exclusive songwriters camps we've been hearing about for a while now but I have yet to meet anyone who's been lucky enough to go. This place is the stuff of legends ya'll, a huge group of writers, some of the top producers in this country, all gathered and isolated deep in the Canuck woods for a solid week of sequestered writing and performance. Oh to be a fly on those tent walls. Or maybe cabins, yeah, probably cabins cause SOCAN can roll like that :) These two women are unassuming, down to earth, you wouldn't know walking through a crowd as they approached the stage they were about to literally blow the minds of everyone there. It's just them and a laptop. That's it. What they have create

Not sure what this guy isn't up to these days but playing live shows again can be added to the incredible mix of managing bands like The National (you read that right). It was such an incredible night of solid Cuff the Duke fans revelling in their sudden return and new fans forged in the foggy, heady goodness of Koop Stage, Riverfest.  Then Wayne stepped into my trailer and told me what deems to be his favourite story. One all his friends know but one never shared publically before now. Feeling a little honoured here... no big deal. It's about Hayden, coincidentally the first live show I ever saw was Hayden, It was in St. Catharines in the 90's and yes, he did make everyone sit down for his shows then. 14-year-old Paula did so and loved, LOVED the talent that guy brought. So did Wayne. Years later they would work together closely and become friends, then Steve Buscemi became their friend. Kinda a big deal.  Hilarity and honestly some good parenting tips came outta this interview.  Find Cuff the Duke Find The

Katrin Sawatzky, Jordan Gabriel and now AJ Johnson are Royal Castles. They sit down with me after their main stage show at Riverfest and get into stories, such great stories you guys. Tattoos in Majorca level good. It's a new level I'm coining here in honour of their storytelling abilities on this very episode.  Their new album JUST came out, its called Play It Loud, an instructional term because while this band has folk roots it also has major punk and indie rock influence mixed in and I gotta say, the result is a damned good time.  Find them on Bandcamp, and FB and of course, Instagram  

Flashback to a Hollerado show where Clara Legault bought an auctioned off guitar from the renowned and beloved band (who also played Riverfest!) and going to the AMT alone at night didn't seem like a healthy choice - so Clara asked another woman to go with her. This was Emily. Along the way, they chatted about music and both had similar interests in the genre and playing live. They decided to do a show together. A short while later Clara was headed into the karaoke bar she had been working at (as a bartender) and met Maya, her bartending replacement. Clara was there to pick up her last paycheque, Maya had just started work and noticed Clara's ukelele. The two struck up a conversation about it and Clara thought Maya would be a good third for the band.  She was. The band Motel Raphael, named after the infamous derelict motel of the same name in downtown Montreal's seedy underbelly, was born shortly thereafter and we are all thankful for the kismet and foresight of these incredibly talented women. They have buil

From their website www.msthofficial.com My Son the Hurricane is a brass infused funk beast. No dance floor is safe. Hailing from Niagara/Toronto, the perennial festival closers and dance floor inciters mix New Orleans style grooves with funk, jazz and hip hop.  Bolstered by a giant horn section and the well-oiled rhythm players, charismatic emcee Jacob Bergsma and charmingly sassy vocalist Sylvie Kindree drive the show, creating a spectacle of sound, and challenging the crowd to keep up to their collective energy.  My Son the Hurricane has “stood out like a sore, yet extremely talented thumb at every show they’ve played” (Pulse Niagara), and become revered for their live performances.        Riding the success of their sophomore release “Cashing a Deadman’s Cheque” (feat. U.S.S. frontman Ash Buchholtz and three-time Juno/Polaris nominee D-Sisive), the Hurricane was featured on the CBC and Much More Music.  Their blending of styles, penchant for inciting dance parties, and penning of introspective ballads (Pus

Raina Douris of CBC Music's Mornings joins me in studio (ahem, trailer. But like a decked-out mother of a trailer backstage at a music festival, so ya know, a studio) for a one-on-one chat about, well, everything. She's a music buff and major fan of Canadian music so we had quite a bit to talk about and she tells great stories. Listen in to our convo and thank you again Raina, it was a pleasure.   

Laurel Sprengelmeyer lives in Montreal, she's a visual artist, producer and musician and when she's making music, she's Little Scream.  We tell each other ghost stories. For real. It's also the theme of her podcast (soon to be released) and she's going to kill it, like she kills at EVERY DAMN THING SHE DOES because she's amazing.  Every little girl needs to be introduced to Laurel. I didn't have a lot of heros growing up and I've talked about it in my show before, there was no woman out there doing what I wanted (read: There WERE, there SUPER FREAKING WERE but there was no way for me to see/hear/experience their incredible talent and see firsthand how I was going to be able to pursue my creative passions to their fulfillment, there was no internet, there was little to no media coverage of women doing anything but starring in tampon ads and hawking mom jeans) and she is living proof not giving a hot damn what people think is an excellent fuel for creativity.  She has worked with The National (part of Riverfest

You cannot see Shred Kelly live and not fall a little bit in love with them. So really, I had little choice in delving into it with this group after their set at Riverfest and the results are clear and glorious, they my new fav. Tim Newton, Sage McBride, Jordan Vlasschaert, Ty West and of course Eddie Annett are Shred Kelly, hailing from Fernie BC. Where? Oh yeah, it's that small but their sound is pretty huge.  I play Archipelago at the end of the episode, their new single and you are going to love it. Check out their tour dates this summer and go see them, you will not regret it.  NO CORN www.shredkelly.com @shredkelly on Twitter Thanks again you guys, loved it. xo Paula

Podcasting, for me, has always been a saving grace. It is the thing that's pulled me from the depths in so many ways, I know I would be lost, in many ways, without it. When I sit knee to knee, in my little podcast trailer, lovingly crafted with my husband and painstakingly placed at festivals dotting the province by my dad or husband and me, it all falls into place. The anxiety I feel as a near constant, melts. The fear ebbs. The lights balance and I get to just ask artists about their story. That's all I've ever really wanted in a creative pursuit. What I've gained from the incredibly simple "tell me a story" format with these individuals is beyond measure. It is, quite simply, saving grace.  Ashley Buchholz and Jason "the Human Kebab" Parsons are the duo of USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker, aptly named having now met Ashley) and they've been touring non stop for MONTHS and working their butts off for YEARS to get where they are and they aren't stopping for a breath.  In this interview you will hear stories, j

Backstage, Riverfest: Ryan and Jasmin from what is quickly becomingone of Canada's biggest bands join me, knee to yoga toned knee to chat about humble beginnings, the best almond milk on the market, what it takes to make your parents proud and of course, yoga. LIttle known Paula fact, I am a yoga teacher in my spare time (of which I have none so this is a misnomer at best). Check out their 5th and latest album NO CULTURE here and see them live if you get the chance.  xo Paula

I sit down knee to knee with what have become two of my all time fav people, Wes and Jason who are The Darcys. We chat character life versus real life, staying in the moment, banning water bottles and Centrefold.  www.thedarcys.ca    

Legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff and the incredible Scratch Bastid joined me in my mobile podcast studio to eat jelly beans. This is the result. xo

On this season of Tell me Stories podcast we have: DJ Jazzy Jeff Scratch Bastid Darcy's Mother Mother Motel Raphael Raina Douris from CBC Little Scream Sundae Jones Shred Kelly AND MORE!!!!! You name it, we've got it. If you what you named is good musicians and specifically the ones I've interviewed. Join me won't you?  

In this episode I sit down backstage with Oh Susanna to talk Boyfriends.

Sometimes you stumble upon a perfect combo and feel slapped upside the head by the obviousness of it. Chocolate and peanut butter; brie and apples; bacon and well, anything. Imagine a singer-songwriter, more specifically - please take a moment to envision JF Robitaille and let's pair him right up with one of the purest, most gently arresting voices I've had to pleasure of falling upon in ages: Lail Arad and you have what happened to me backstage at Waterstock. They shared a story, they laughed, they made me feel at once thrown into a beautiful 1950's era Spanish romance movie (neither are Spanish, btw, its really about the 'air' of a person, it was like she laughed in slow motion) and exceedingly envious of finding a combination that makes music touching and real anew.  We've Got it Coming is the latest release from this duo, each backed with their own musical history and ample talent. You will hear it at the top of the show, followed by their hilarious and frightening story of being stuck in the mountains wi

Blue Rodeo is synonymous with Canadian music, they helped put us on the map. They laid the groundwork for hundreds of Canadian bands to rise up in international waters so thick with America's take on rock people simply didn't know what hit them when Blue Rodeo hit the stage.  Jim Cuddy formed Blue Rodeo and has lead them through worldwide tours in the ensuing decades since. He also formed the Jim Cuddy band with other musical genius' that hold a special place in my heart like Kathleen Edwards, Sarah Harmer (formerly of Weeping Tile and if i get the distinct pleasure of introducing you to this brilliant band's work I want full credit please, put me in the liner notes of your fan fiction, Weeping Tile is THAT good) and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. Oh yes, that Wilco. Basically anyone who is anyone in Canadian music or Canada itself knows and loves Jim Cuddy. His management is SERIOUS and his gatekeepers are professional as FUCK. Yeah, that sentence just happened. But Jim, oh Jim. At 61 years old this guy was better loo

Enjoy Warpaint in anticipation of their upcoming 2017 album release for which I CANNOT WAIT, except I have to, so I am semi patiently. This is a band I wanna see main stage this summer and I hope there's a festival hosting them at that level because they would be on the cutting edge of what's happening on the indie circuit.  Lead Singer Luke Roes, Bassist Chris Levesque, and Drummer Thomas Perquin make up Ivory Hours, listen in as I sit down with Luke. https://ivoryhours.bandcamp.com/ www.facebook.com/IvoryHours