Hidden Track

Twas the season of giving at fair CKUA So we gathered some artists, for a Hidden Track Holiday! In the music library they played, bringing songs of good cheer To help us close the sixth season, another great year! They shared festive tall tales and holiday fables As well as what they love most on their Christmas turntables So keep a glow in your heart when it's coldest and darkest, As we're treated to music from these beloved artists: With Lydia Persaud and Christine Bougie beside her, You'll soon be serenaded by Serena Ryder! The Good Lovelies will bring you a joyful noise As will Jake Vaadeland and his Sturgeon River Boys. Here they come wassailing in our quaint Christmas corner! And making CKUA's holidays yet warmer Is knowing that all of our programming, diverse and assorted Is thanks to our donors; we are donor supported! So in this season of giving, we say thanks to you, The CKUA supporter, for all that you do. Please accept this offering, and tell Whoever you think would enjoy it, as well! To the whole wide world, this merry-making is free! There's plenty of room 'neath the CKUA tree. So on podcast platforms and CKUA's YouTube, Share the holiday cheer, and some serious Yule grooves. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producers: Scott Zielsdorf & Bronson Kashino Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Theme Music: Doug Hoyer Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams and Nick Adkisson! Additional music for this episode provided via commercial license from De Wolfe Music. The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

In this episode of the Hidden Track podcast, we meet Canadian rapper Shadrach Kabango, better known as Shad. He has a new album, Start Anew, which hooks you in with songs exploring important and universal questions surrounding social, environmental, and cultural sustainability; passing the world along to the next generation. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Theme Music: Doug Hoyer Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams! The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

Musician, singer, and producer, Yves Jarvis remains connected to the music community in Calgary. In this Story episode of the Hidden Track podcast, you'll learn all about his connections to his old home province. All you need to do is listen to the title track from his album All Cylinders, which describes a road trip through Southern Alberta's beautiful foothills. He's an interesting case of a unique individual artist, shaped and inspired by a vast community. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Theme Music: Doug Hoyer Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams! The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

Before arriving on the global stage, Peter Dreimanis - also known as Peter Dreams - grew up here in Alberta, falling in love with the arts in the vibrant Edmonton indie scene, becoming passionately involved at an early age in both music and film. After more than a dozen years co-fronting the platinum-selling, multi-JUNO winning rock band July Talk, he put out his own debut album in 2025, a much-lauded record entitled Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR. Just ahead of some Alberta shows – both with July Talk and with Peter Dreams and MOONRIIVR – Peter shared from the heart about a season of debuts for him. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Theme Music: Doug Hoyer Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams! The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

In 2007, Canadian-born country & soul singer/songwriter Tami Neilson moved to New Zealand to marry the love of her life. In this Hidden Track Story, she shares that journey and her dreams of joining the galaxy of true country stars. Neilson's new album, Neon Cowgirl, is inspired by experiences touring North America over recent years — including the title track, which pays tribute to a genuine giant neon landmark in Nashville, an iconic and richly symbolic figure which "lights up the sky", as Tami sings. Tami Neilson shares the journey of her non-overnight success. She's lived the highest of highs and lowest of lows. She traveled across North America with her parents, and many years later with her kids. She has stories to share about the Opry, Willie, and feeling like Dorothy in Oz, and of course, always striving to light up the night. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Theme Music: Doug Hoyer Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams! The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

For six seasons we at CKUA have had the opportunity to connect with a wide range of inspired artists, from Albertan expat sensation Feist, to folk/punk firebrand Frank Turner, multi-JUNO Award winning rock band July Talk and homegrown hip-hop great Cadence Weapon, to name a few! For episode 100 of Hidden Track, we cycle back to the guest who joined us for episode one — two albums later, multiple Juno Awards and Polaris Music Prizes later - and for us 99 episodes later — we're thrilled to be able catch up with the true Hidden Track original, and an original in so many ways, Jeremy Dutcher. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Theme Music: Doug Hoyer Cover Photo: Kirk Lisaj Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams! The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

Amy Millan is a Montreal-based artist who has been working at a full-on sprint pace with her main band Stars for more than two decades. She's also kept herself busy as a prolific contributor to Broken Social Scene. He musical life includes numerous collaborations. But this spring, at long last, Amy Millan released her first solo album in fifteen years, I Went to Find You. In this Hidden Track Story, find out how friends and collaborators have helped this talented artist find harmony and use her voice in new ways. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Theme Music: Doug Hoyer Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams! The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

Looking back on 30 years of Captain Tractor's hugely successful, beloved classic album East of Edson, practically everything about it seems unlikely. They came together as a bunch of theatre and music school kids, and became known all over Canada. With the release of that record, the band also hit upon a signature song that remains a buzz track to this day. Enjoy their chat with CKUA's Grant Stovel in this episode of the Hidden Track Podcast. Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams, and Brendan Cross for recording this conversation. The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support!

Canadian icon Alan Doyle shares his fascinating musical journey in this episode of the Hidden Track podcast. From his humble beginnings in Petty Harbour to performing on global stages, Doyle's narrative is filled with heartfelt reflections and vibrant storytelling. He discusses his evolution with Great Big Sea, his solo career, and his ventures into theatre and writing. He talks about his educational background, influences such as Ron Hynes, and his new introspective album, Welcome Home. Listen for an engaging tale of music, humility, and gratitude, and enjoy a bonus acoustic performance of "Hard Old Hands," live in CKUA's Studio A. CREDITS Host: Grant Stovel Associate Producer: Scott Zielsdorf Executive Producer: Arianne Smith-Piquette Senior Producer: Jasmine Vickaryous Special thanks to the CKUA Events & Marketing Teams! The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Learn more about Hidden Track at ckua.com/hiddentrack.

MOONRIIVR is a band known for creating lush, cinematic, and atmospheric music inspired by timeless classics, yet uniquely personal in style. Comprised of seasoned musicians Gavin Gardiner and "Champagne" James Robertson, the duo brings a wealth of experience from the Southern Ontario music scene, blending indie rock, folk, jazz, and country influences. Their debut album, Vol. 1, and its follow-up, The Tascam Sessions, showcase their musical alchemy and innovative expression. We're treated to a sample of that magic in this Hidden Track Story, as the duo shares a bonus pair of live performances with us as part of this episode! The Hidden Track podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support! Subscribe to the Hidden Track podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. Host: Grant Stovel | Producer: Scott Zielsdorf | Graphics: Craig Taffs | Music: Doug Hoyer

We've got a live one here! This is a live session with the celebrated Canadian artist Tony D, who for decades has been known as an electrifying guitar talent, equally expressive in styles ranging from blues to swing to acid rock to flamenco! Tony has travelled the world playing music, and has a trophy case worth of awards; but somehow his new record Electric Delta is the first proper new Tony D solo offering of original material in a couple of decades! And the album release party for this long-awaited new record is what we hear in this highly celebratory live CKUA Hidden Track Session. Between his solo projects, the celebrated Canadian band MonkeyJunk, and plenty of other musical activities, he's toured everywhere from Memphis to Italy, and all across Canada! He's even performed in the northernmost continuously inhabited place in the world — Alert, Nunavut. Alberta has long been a kind of second home to Tony D; and these days he's actually a part-time resident of this part of the world, when he isn't on the road, as his partner and family live in the province. In this final episode of Hidden Track Season 5, we hear the electrifying Tony D performing in front of a rapt audience at CKUA's Live Performance Space in Edmonton, joined by his longtime bass player Joe Hawkins, as well as two superb Edmonton-based musicians: keyboardist Rooster Davis and drummer Jamie Cooper. The sparks really fly between these four musicians and the audience, as they perform a diverse set of original material — a Tony D classic called "Argentinian Surf Tango", plus two standouts from the new album, "Highway 7" and the rousing opening salvo: a dynamic instrumental workout entitled "NAS". Host: Grant Stovel | Producer: Scott Zielsdorf | Graphics: Craig Taffs | Music: Doug Hoyer Recording/Mastering for this session provided by Brendan Cross. The Hidden Track podcast is a CKUA production, made possible by the generosity of our donors. Thank you for your support!

Joel Plaskett first came to fame in the beloved rock band Thrush Hermit, a group who came together as teenagers in Halifax and barnstormed across Canada and beyond throughout the '90s with a dynamic stage show, plus an actual neon sign reading "Rock and Roll". In fact, last time Joel visited CKUA's Edmonton studios was five years ago during a Thrush Hermit reunion tour, and he told us about keeping that "Rock and Roll" sign in storage for many years. For his autumn 2024 tour, he certainly wasn't in need of the iconic "Rock and Roll" sign. It was just himself and his guitars (plus a reclining armchair and photo projector) for an album launch tour to celebrate his stunningly intimate acoustic album One Real Reveal. He's an artist who's been known to challenge himself to ever-greater thematic journeys in his solo work. There's his well-loved 2009 release Three— his third solo outing - a triple album which was largely made up of songs with triple-barrelled titles. Then there was 44, released the day before he turned 45, consisting of four albums of eleven songs each. He's come up with maybe an even more daunting creative challenge this time, scaling the process all the way down to the number one — a record made with a single microphone, created almost entirely by Joel alone. Except for one very notable exception, which he'll reveal to us in this conversation. An unparallelled storyteller and an artist of remarkable candour and curiosity, Joel Plaskett shared very generously with us about the serendipitous musical moment that sparked this whole album, how it represents a return to his roots in somewhat surprising ways, how spoken word suddenly introduced itself as part of his artistry, and the importance of embracing the presence, spontaneity, transience, and cyclical nature of music, art, and life. This is a Hidden Track Story: Joel Plaskett | Four Tracks and the Truth. Host: Grant Stovel | Producer: Scott Zielsdorf | Graphics: Craig Taffs | Music: Doug Hoyer The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donour community. Thank you for your support!

She's a musician whose artistic vision and songwriting are every bit as distinctive and expressive as that spectacular voice of hers. Frazey Ford's trademark tremulous croon first became well-known as part of the vocal blend for globally-renowned Vancouver folk music mainstays The Be Good Tanyas. While that band's aesthetic leaned toward the folky and jazzy, Frazey's own instincts have always been strongly inclined toward a classic soul music feel. Her 2010 debut album Obadiah began to chart her own unique artistic course, which she further developed with 2014's Indian Ocean, and 2020's U Kin B the Sun. In this free-wheeling conversation, we'll learn about the rather stunning experiments in creativity that led to her beautiful latest release; as well as the nearly stranger-than-fiction story behind Indian Ocean, which turned 10 years old in October of 2024. Those sessions took place in Memphis, in the studio where many of her all-time favourite soul songs were recorded in the 1970s – with the very musicians who helped to craft them. And as a special bonus treat (and a meta experience of sorts) – we conclude this episode of Hidden Track with an actual hidden track! One that appears at the end of the streaming version of Indian Ocean. This is a Hidden Track Story from a dressing room at the Arden Theatre with the wonderful Frazey Ford. Host: Grant Stovel | Producer: Scott Zielsdorf | Graphics: Craig Taffs | Music: Doug Hoyer The Hidden Track Podcast is a CKUA production made possible by the generosity of our donor community. Thank you for your support!