This Night Will Change Your Life

Kenneth T. Williams saw the realities of a broken system first-hand. He is a playwright whose new play, In Care, deals with a mother trying to get her children out of foster care and finding herself trapped within that system. We talk about Child & Family Services, his career as a journalist, the origins of the domesticated hamster, his breakthrough with the play Thunderstick, and the craft of writing (or what Williams considers to be "professional daydreaming"). And then he brings in a ringer (Krystle Pederson) to duet with him.  In care runs October 20th-30th at 7 PM at GTNT.  In Care: http://www.gtnt.ca/our-season/ Tickets: http://www.gtnt.ca/tickets/ Ken's Twitter: https://twitter.com/feralplaywright  

Neil Bergen is my boss, as he's the station manager at CFCR - Saskatoon's community radio station. He's been in broadcasting for a long time. We get into that along with his (possibly hipppie) style choices, early concerts, aspirations for the station, his appreciation of Neil Young, the coming "reckoning" and the magic of radio.  This episode also features the debut performance of the CFCR Tabernacle Choir.  Pledge to CFCR's annual funding drive!  Head to http://cfcr.ca/donate or FMphasis.ca!

Andrei Feheregyazi is a prolific and talented animator, filmmaker, illustrator, painter, and whirlwind brain of all kinds. He's got an upcoming art show for his Master's degree and it takes place October 24th through November 4th at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery on campus at the U of S. Our talk covers adventures in preschool, the subtle awfulness of Inspector Gadget, his work everywhere from Hell on Hooves to HitRECORD to a Library Voices music video, Grade 3 fistfights, and the science of art (and steampunk).  Andrei's portfolio: http://www.andreif.com/ Andrei's Twitter: https://twitter.com/fajigajiga Andrei's Vine: https://vine.co/u/937816436661964800  

I had the opportunity to chat with Ashley Clouthier and Tara Kooy right after this year's edition of Take Back The Night, a march against gendered violence. Ashley is the co-ordinator of the USSU Women's Centre and Tara works with the Saskatoon Women's Community Coalition - co-organizers of the event. We talk about the importance of community organizing, their early concert-going experiences, and preview the upcoming Concert for Consent (as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Week at the U of s). It's not very often that this show tackles subjects of importance, so I'm very appreciative of everyone from Take Back The Night whose presence and karaoke skills made the evening a highlight of this show's run thus far.  SWCC: https://www.facebook.com/SaskatoonWomensCommunityCoalition/ USSU Women's Centre: https://www.facebook.com/ussuwomenscentre/  

Danielle Altrogge was on the path to take over the family pharmacy, when her first love - namely, writing - called to her. Now, she's a spoken word poet who has toured nationally and she is currently the Executive Director of Tonight It's Poetry in Saskatoon. We chat about the slam poetry community, the hottest charting prescription drugs, ignoring iambic pentameter, the high cost of higher education, her Dad's not-so-secret "rated R" shelf, and a whole bunch more.    Twitter: https://twitter.com/troggled Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/SlamStick Tonight It's Poetry: https://www.facebook.com/TonightItsPoetry/

Stephanie C. Kuse is an artist, illustrator and graphic designer whose work is very prevalent in the Saskatoon music scene. From album covers to poster designs, to the Silence 'zine, you've probably bumped into something of Kuse's if you've been around in the last couple of years. We have a talk about the power of minimalism and simplicity, the benefits of art school, Kuse's paper .gifs, and her secret suburban origins (cat's out of the bag!). I pretend to be able to talk about art. It's fun!   Portfolio: http://sckuse.net/ Silence: https://www.facebook.com/silencezine/   This episode also features another instalment of the smash success Pod & Order. It's a train wreck. 

Eric Anderson is an energetic and interesting fellow who recently transitioned from working as a journalist for CBC Radio to managing communications at the Sherbrooke Community Centre. We chat about his path through teaching to journalism, his recent disappointing experience at Lollapalooza, and his ardent Roughrider fandom - among other things. There are also many shout outs. And then, shouting (between Eric and a very nice member of the audience). 

The show has made it to a milestone of sorts, with this: the 25th episode. Celebrate with me as I chat with my own Dad, Dennis Flaherty. He's been a teacher, a cassette deck DJ, a ferret tracker, and a darn good Dad. We talk about his teaching philosophy, early dates with my Mother, graveyard picnics, and much more. Suffer the Dad jokes! Enjoy the adorableness!

Donald B. Campbell is a playwright (and all-around theatre dynamo) whose latest effort, The Narrow Path, will be at this year's Saskatoon Fringe. His Fringe Festival pedigree goes back to the first Fringe in North America, circa Edmonton in the '80's. We chat about his journey through language and theatre, from teaching English in Japan to offering up a Winter striptease for a roomful of drycleaners. There is also some fun audience participation from David Creelman, who just so happens to be the director of The Narrow Path.    More information on Campbell & Company and The Narrow Path: http://campbellandcompanyreturns.blogspot.ca/ Go and see it if you get the chance. 

Kirby Wirchenko used to play club shows in Saskatoon's nascent 90's club scene. Flash forward to 2016 and he's the Executive and Artistic Director of the community-owned Broadway Theatre. We chat about what led him to be a venue director and concert promoter, and the dynamic of promoting live performances in an increasingly digital music landscape. You can catch Kirby MC'ing at August's Regina Folk Festival and keep an eye out on the 2nd Annual Winterruption, which the Broadway co-produces with RFF, in January.     

Troy Gronsdahl is a visual artist and Associate Curator of live programs for the Remai Modern in Saskatoon. He also raps, though a bit more sporadically these days, creating music under the moniker soso. We touch on the psychological distance between Saskatoon and Clavet, early attempts at hip-hoppery, magic in objects, and wrestling with multidisciplinary art practice - the balance of doing visual art and music and living your life. This is a gooder.    http://troygronsdahl.com/ http://remaimodern.org/        

Rachel Elizabeth is a Saskatoon-based musician who spent the last few years playing as "Fern". After tangential topics, including the dubious magic of "magic eye" patterns, the mysteries of sibling relationships, and the concept of "Christian yuppies" we get into the nuts and bolts of her particular journey through music and the circumstances that led her to change her "nom de tune". We also touch on the issue of ensuring that the spaces in which music is performed are safe and accessible for all involved, and the importance of prioritizing that.  Website: http://www.rachelelizabethmusic.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelelizabethmusic Bandcamp: https://rachelelizabethmusic.bandcamp.com/

Jenny Ryan & Marley Duckett are Sakatoon-based improvisers and the founders of Lady Bits, an improv company with a focus on fostering a more egalitarian community. We talk about their improv roots, the power of failing well, and the intersection of their art and activism. And then they did karaoke songs and it was relatively ridiculous.

Berkley Staite is a lot of things: he's a game designer, an acro yoga enthusiast, the longtime host of "Sex +" on CFCR, and a karaoke superstar. We sort of scratch the surface on these and other pursuits, all while a mystery friend of ours loads us with multiple rounds of Burt Reynolds shooters. You can hear me get drunker. Listen for it. You can also hear "Sex +" on iTunes (and everywhere that you get podcasts) and follow Berkley on Twitter as @berv_ . 

It's another epic podcasting crossover! This time, I sit down with Cara Warner and Rebecca Zakreski, creators and hosts of Broad Games - a board gaming podcast. From the trials and tribulations of getting radio reception at work, to the joys of capitalism-based childhood games, to ruminations on the nature of time itself, this one manages to cover lots of ground while remaining relatively narrow in focus (that one's on me). Enjoy! And subscribe to this show AND that show!

The Wonder Years is a show on CFCR that is almost as wildly popular as this podcast! I sat down with the host of said program, Kevin Arnold and his Uncle Reg, to chat about their relationship, pocket wings, Paul Simon on the road, bedbug symbiosis and so much more. This is really and truly one for the ages. 

Aralia Maxwell is a visual artist who grew up on a farm near Maidstone, SK. She channels her interest in the social construct of femininity into thought-provoking paintings and collages that evoke a bygone era of domesticity that's still all-too familiar. We chat about her art practice, Paul Simon, jellied salads and the group show she's curated at BAM, Women's World (which runs until March 20th). araliamaxwell.com

Dakota Hebert is an actor and comedian whose own Twitter bio describes her as "a Nehiyaw-speaking Dene with a Lakota spirit name raised by a Cowboy", and she's got the barrels of personality to match. From rippin' jumps in Meadow Lake, to fixing chipped windshields, to citing powwow as her experience to fellow kids in an audition, we cover enough ground to establish just how sit-com-worthy her experience is. Give this person a TV show! You can see Hebert next in Salt Baby, as part of the Live Five season, a show she is also producing. And right here we've also got the premiere episode of the next new podcast hit you'll all be talking about, POD & ORDER. You're welcome. 

Ryan Meili didn't get into medical school at first. So, he packed his bags and traveled to South America to get perspective, eventually filling a re-purposed bus with prosthetic limbs and driving to Nicaragua. And that's just the tip of the tale. Since becoming a physician, Meili has also worked with SWITCH and the Westside Community Clinic, run twice for Saskatchewan NDP leadership, written a book, and founded on-the-rise NGO Upstream. He also does a mean Sinéad O'Connor.

Stephanie McKay has seen the media landscape change over her years on the arts beat for the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. We chat about nearly a decade of newspaper reporting, McKay's experience on the Polaris Music Prize grand jury, boy band love, and bagels - all without throwing anybody under the bus! I also sound particularly drunk on this one, which is weird because I wasn't (I swear).