Episodes

The topic of this week’s show is NAVIGATING THE MODERN MUSIC INDUSTRY and joining me on the show is a man who’s done it all! He's a musician, entertainment lawyer, author, and even spent some time as an MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film here in British Columbia – Mr. Bob D'Eith. We had a great conversation about the 3rd edition of his book A Career in Music: 10 Steps to Success and discussed the constantly changing music landscape and how and how artists define success today v...

The topic of this week’s show is THE COURAGE TO CHOOSE JOY and joining me on the show is Edmonton singer-songwriter and visual artist Garett Gunderson. We had a great conversation about processing grief – and about choosing joy, resilience, and connection in the face of adversity. And we also discuss how his forthcoming album Anywhere Anytime (which is out on August 21) began with grief when he lost a good friend to cancer but somehow is still rooted in joy, gratitude, love, and resilience. ...

The topic of this week’s show is THE SOUND OF RESISTANCE and joining me on the show is Mike Bell and Elyse Jacobson from Vancouver symphonic funk collective, The Living Orchestra. We had a great conversation about their debut album, Last Generation – an ambitious climate crisis rock opera produced by JUNO Award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated producer Garth Richardson. And we discussed the difference between creating art that inspires action versus preaching to an audience, climate fatigue and e...

The topic of this week’s show is KEEPING THE MUSIC ALIVE and joining me on the show is Dan Cervantes who is a multi-hyphenate musician, singer-songwriter, producer, record label owner (he runs Blind Owl Records), and solo recording artist. AND, for the purposes of this conversation, he is also the guitarist and co-founder of Chest Fever, the Official Revival of The Band. Dan and I had a great conversation about why the music of The Band continues to resonate all these decades later, the role tr...

The topic of this week’s show is BUILDING BUZZ IN 2026 and joining me on the show is Mavis Harris who runs Nice Marmot PR, a Canadian based music publicity company based in British Columbia - like me! Mavis and I had a great conversation about how much the music industry has changed since we both started AND how hard it is for artists to get attention in an increasingly crowded market, the relationship between publicity, social media, and content creation, the role of storytelling in music mark...

The topic of this week’s show is CREATIVE CROSS POLLINATION and joining me on the show is the the artist behind Montreal indie rock project Hey Gorgeous - and that is multidisciplinary artist and musician Peet Massé. Peet and I had a great conversation about his journey through visual art and music, and how working across disciplines fuels creativity, emotional expression, and personal growth. We also discuss how multidisciplinary work enhances inspiration and prevents burnout, and the import...

The topic of this week’s show is BUILDING A BETTER MUSIC INDUSTRY and joining me on the show is the Executive Director of Women In Music Canada, Robyn Stewart. Robyn is someone who is actively trying to build a better and more equitable music industry through Women In Music Canada, and we had a great discussion about how the organization not only fosters gender equality in the music industry, but it’s also there to connect and create community, AND provide support, resources and advocacy for ...

The topic of this week’s show is FINDING YOUR NICHE, and joining me on the show are Bricks Latour and Justin Camarena from the self-proclaimed #1 Band In Golf - MAJORS. I figured these guys were the perfect people to talk to about this subject because they are a pop-punk band that only writes songs about golf – now that’s definitely what I call finding your niche. We had a great discussion about how the idea for the band started as a bit and then became a reality, how they’re leading the char...

For our Season 6 premiere, we’ve got a really fun one for ya! The topic of this week’s show is MUSIC IS A DRAG and joining me on the show is none other than Vancouver Musician, Drag Queen, and Award Winning Event Producer (with their company Sleepy Queers Productions) – Dust Cwaine! Dust and I had a great chat about what it’s like to balance creativity and project management, while living a multi-hyphenate creative life and wearing many different hats. We also talk about the work that goes in...

Hello! Just popping in to let you know that after a very accidental two-year hiatus… The FM Podcast is officially back for Season 6! 🎉 New episodes start next Tuesday, June 2nd, and I can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve been working on. I’ve missed y’all, so make sure you tune in + join us for a brand new season! And tell yer friends!

The topic of this week’s show is THE EVOLUTION OF ARTIST DEVELOPMENT and joining me on the show is Elise Roller - the founder and CEO of Misfit Music, an artist development and management company based in Winnipeg. Elise and I had a great chat about the role of a manager in artist development, what artist development looks like in 2024, and she tells us about Misfit Music’s Artist Evolution services and how they are helping with the careers of independent artists in Canada. Oh and just a q...

The topic of this week’s show is HOW TO RETURN TO MUSIC AFTER A HIATUS and joining me on the show is Winnipeg blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Romi Mayes. Romi just released a new single on May 17th, after not releasing any new music for 9 years and she also has a new album coming out at the end of June! We had a great conversation about what led to her extended break from her music career and how she made the decision to come back. It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it! ...

The topic of this week’s show is CHOOSING A CREATIVE LIFE and joining me on the show is Vancouver musician Etienne Siew. Etienne and I had a great conversation about how he made the decision to quit his 9-5 job to become a full-time musician. And we discuss what it actually means to live a creative life. It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it! FRESH CONTENT LINKS Etienne Recommends: Chris Stapleton - Devil Always Made Me Think Twice Jen recommends: Bon Jovi documentary - Thank Y...

The topic of this week’s show is MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR FILM + TV and joining me on the show is Film Composer, Singer and Vocal Coach - Red Janes. We had a great discussion about how she went from musician to film composer, how AI is affecting the film composition world, and how one becomes a composer for film and TV. It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it! Content Warning: Just an FYI that there are more F-bombs that usual in this episode, so be careful where you're listening to...

The topic of this week’s show is MUSIC PRODUCTION + SONGWRITING TIPS and joining me on the show is British electronic musician, producer and podcaster Marc Matthews. This was a really fun conversation because I was a guest on Marc’s podcast - Inside The Mix - last month discussing music promotion and social media, which is a great ep by the way, and it was great to switch things up to interview him on my podcast. We had a great discussion about the basics of music production and writing songs,...

The topic of this week’s show is TOURING AS AN INDIE BAND and joining me on the show is Vancouver Island-based musicians Andrew Baskin and Lucas Antoni from the indie-rock band Vogue Villains. When we had this conversation, the guys had just finished a tour supporting their new album Built on Bones so they definitely had a lot to say about life on the road. We had a great discussion about the pros and cons of touring as an indie band in 2024, what kind of challenges they’ve faced, as well as so...

The topic of this week’s show is SPEAKING UP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE and joining me on the show is Victoria-based indie-pop musician, Alexandria Maillot, who is an artist that isn’t afraid to speak up about social injustice or political issues, particularly on her social media. We had a great discussion about the importance of musicians speaking up for social change and how many artists don’t understand the power they have and how they can actually use their platform to fight for social justice. I...

The topic of this week’s show is DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS FOR MUSICIANS and joining me on the show is Peter Carruthers, who is the former Marketing and Digital Manager at Arts & Crafts where he worked for 7 years, so has quite a bit of experience to share with us! We had a great discussion about the current trends in digital marketing and what musicians should be thinking about when it comes to their digital marketing plans when releasing new music this year. It was a really great chat and I...

The topic of this week’s show is GENRE FLUIDITY IN MUSIC and joining me on the show is Yukon-based singer-songwriter, storyteller, and contemporary guzheng player Erica Dee Mah. Erica and I had a great talk about how more musicians are creating music outside of the traditional genre norms, what her experience has been like making music that is “outside the box," and how audiences are embracing new (and sometimes unexpected!) music genres a lot more these days. It was a really great chat and ...

Welcome to Season 5 of the podcast! I’m so happy to be back! I really missed you guys! For our Season 5 premiere, we have our very first return guest to the podcast! This week, I’m talking to Tyler Bancroft who is a guy that wears many hats in the music industry - he’s the lead singer of Vancouver indie rock band Said The Whale and he’s also a music industry professional who runs a record label and manages artists, among many other things. And we’re going to talk about where we think the indu...

Hello! Just a quick check-in to let you know that we're back baby! Season 5 of The FM Podcast will premiere next week - on Tuesday, March 12th. I've really missed y'all, so make sure you tune in + join us!

The topic of this week’s show is CARVING OUT YOUR OWN SPACE and joining me on the show is Toronto musician Sandra Bouza. Sandra and I had a great chat about how it can be hard to find your place in the music industry when you don’t fit into one specific genre. And how she decided to carve out her own space by SPOILER ALERT: just being herself. I really felt a connection with Sandra on a lot of her experiences, you know just by being a woman in the music industry, so it's a great conversation...

The topic of this week’s show is THE ROLE OF MUSIC LAWYERS and joining me on the show is musician and entertainment lawyer - Kurt Dahl. Kurt and I had a great talk about what exactly it is that a music lawyer does, when is the right time to hire a music lawyer, and how being a musician shapes his work as a lawyer. (ICYDK, Kurt is also the drummer in Canadian rock band One Bad Son.) It was a really great chat and I hope you enjoy it! FRESH CONTENT LINKS Kurt recommends: Joni Mitchell at New...

The topic of this week’s show is KEEPING A POSITIVE MINDSET and joining me on the show is Vancouver musician and all around positive person - Beau Wheeler. Beau and I had a great conversation about how hard it can be to stay positive as an artist in the music industry and how music helped them to overcome struggles in their life! It was a really great talk and I hope you enjoy it! FRESH CONTENT LINKS Beau recommends: Charlotte Cornfield - Cut and Dry / New Boygenius album Jen recommends: Li...