Get to know them below as we chat career highlights, inspo, and the technology they’re planning to use to get them to the top.
Aaron Paris
A Toronto music producer with a passion for bringing the sounds of classical music into a modernized context, Aaron Paris was recently featured as Apple Music’s Up Next artist for December 2024. It’s not the only accolade he’s gotten recently – in addition to having some of his work featured on records by artists like Ariana Grande, Kali Uchis, DJ Khaled and Roddy Ricch, he is also the recent recipient of the Breakthrough Songwriter Award, presented by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame with Amazon Music. His latest venture is Strings From Paris, a string ensemble racking up TikTok views.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
My name’s Aaron Paris. I’m a composer, record producer, and creative from Toronto, Canada.
What does your daily routine look like these days?
It’s kind of everywhere right now. It really depends on what I have going on at the moment. I may be working on a film score, or making arrangements with Strings From Paris, or composing my own material, or working with an artist, or cooking up samples/beats with the homies. Lately I’ve been liking the mornings, getting up and going straight to the studio. I like feeling more awake and having less things in my brain.
What’s one thing that you’re most proud of in your music career so far?
I’m really proud of what we’ve built together as Strings From Paris. By creating a space where string players can learn about recording, producing, and the modern music industry, we’ve not only changed each other’s lives, but we’re also seeing the effects in people that are listening and coming to shows. Being able to bring classical music into the modern era is one of our main missions, so being able to provide experiences that frame classical music as something relatable feels amazing.
What’s something that you do to keep your mental health in check?
I meditate and go to therapy which helps a lot. I also try to just be conscious and honest with myself of how much energy I have to do things. I also try to have a “do nothing” day once a week. Where there’s no plan or obligations, and I can allow myself to just be a person.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
I’d love to write a symphony with Playboi Carti. He’s really a voice of this generation. Making some crazy classical composition with him doing his thing on it would go insane.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
One saying I’ve been thinking about more recently is the classic “network across.” Having done music for a while now, I’m really starting to see how true it is. A lot of the people I enjoy working with the most are just friends I’ve known for a while. I still work with people I’ve known from high school! I’ve always just tried to build with people around me and it’s crazy to see some of the places we’re all at now. Soon we’ll be in positions where we can inspire the next generation and hopefully create a better industry for them.
What is one thing that everyone needs to shut up about?
I’m so tired of grind culture in the music industry. “I’m always working. I don’t sleep.” It’s so boring and played out and a lot of the time the people preaching it aren’t even working in an effective or efficient manner. If y’all are so obsessed with productivity, you’d probably have higher quality and quantity if you slept well and felt good! Sometimes it is time to grind but there’s definitely an over-emphasis on it. I’m trying to bring back chill guy culture. I’m trying to be the dog with his hands in his pockets 2025.
Diamond Cafe
Hailing from Victoria, BC, but with enough funk-pop prowess to attract the ears of leading figures in the genre like Anderson .Paak and even personal hero El DeBarge, Diamond Café’s music sounds just as sparkly and elegant as his on-stage moniker. Often accompanying his blazing synths and infectious basslines with some truly fabulous on-stage outfits, Diamond Café is taking the sounds of the past and adapting them for the future.
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
When I was 13. Every Saturday night my dad and I would watch archival footage of Midnight Special, Soul Train, and anything like that. After witnessing the magic that those musicians would exude off the screen, I’ve always wanted to give the world that same feeling it gave me.
What does your daily routine look like?
I get up, shower, dress like I’m playing a show, make a latte with three shots of espresso.. then hit the studio. Every day. 24/7.
What’s the one thing you’re most proud of in your music career so far?
My proudest moment to date was when El Debarge came to my show in LA and jumped on stage to perform with me. I’ve looked up to him since I was a kid.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
Anybody who has their craft honed in. As long as they can deliver something positive that speaks to my heart, I’d love to collab!
What’s something you’re especially looking forward to in 2025?
I’m really looking forward to playing this upcoming tour. I’m so excited to get the opportunity to play music from all of my projects. I finally get to give the fans what they’ve been waiting for.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
Don’t ever stop. Just keep growing and experimenting.. and don’t get put into a box.
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
All of the gear I use is vintage. I don’t really own anything that was made after 1989. I love starting with a groove. Once I make the beat, the idea just comes. Also, if a song doesn’t come easy, I move on. If it flows naturally.. I’ll take it.
Gloin
Certainly taking the award for the most evocative album title on our list, Toronto noise-rock band Gloin are four long-time friends and are set to release their sophomore album, All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry). Self-describing their upcoming output as “dancey, but scary,” the band will be getting back out onto the road for more of their renowned live shows known for their on-stage improvisations.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
We are John, Richard, Vic, and Simon, and we are a band named Gloin from Toronto, Canada.
When did you realize you wanted to be musicians?
V: Since I started playing guitar when I was 11.
J: I think when I saw other friends doing it, but I was too scared to start until I was in my early 20s.
R: I’ll be quite frank, seeing Zack Mooneyham in School of Rock. Seeing a kid my age just shredding really made me want to give it a shot.
S: I didn’t care about music until I heard “The Lemon Song” by Led Zeppelin in grade 5. Didn’t think about being in a band until I watched the music video for “Watch the Corners” by Dinosaur Jr. in 2012.
What’s one thing you’re most proud of in your music career so far?
V: Playing the Danforth Music Hall with Amyl and the Sniffers in Toronto.
J: I think how hard we’ve all worked to make this a consistent thing on our own income, and that it’s still going, and each year gives us more opportunities. I think the music is probably getting better as well. We did a tour with our friend Snapped Ankles in 2022 which was great fun. It’s seeming like we’ll be heading out into other parts of the world sooner than we thought!
S: Writing dope tracks with my dope friends and travelling whenever we could because of it.
Do you have a New Year’s Resolution?
S: Stay weird.
R: Less Razzle, More Dazzle.
J: Keep developing methods of eliminating negative thoughts. Simon and I have been doing Muay Thai and running a lot which I think has brought a lot of joy to our lives.
V: The only thing I care about doing this year is touring, and we’re doing that. On a personal level I have plateaued and accepted that.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
S: Dream collab would be taking Gloin to a studio in another country and writing a record there. So Mexico/Gloin Collab? I’m into it.
J: Yeah I want to write a record in the basement of this resort in Cabo called Hotel El Ganzo.
R: Shoot big right? Gotta be Aphex Twin.
V: I’d like to do a song with a band from the west coast called Neighbourly. My friend Lauren is in that band and we used to play together in high school and university and now she’s far away. Her band feels like Gloin on happy pills to me and I think it would be funny to combine the two even though it would be insane.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a friend?
S: Who cares, give me criticism, tell me I’m wack.
J: You don’t have to think about that right now.
V: Focus on dynamics when writing and mixing!
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
S: No bad ideas, someone brings a riff or I write a beat and work off that. Studio is expensive, so by the time we are recording it’s mostly written.
J: We’ve been jamming a lot lately and picking pieces out of that. We usually use our voice recorders on our cellphones to capture ideas then pick from that. I feel like on this record there isn’t so much recording of demos and we’ve just practiced playing them live all the way up to the recording process. A lot of the gear has remained the same except for the implementation of pads and drum machine which will be its own new beast to figure out in a live setting, but it’s sounding great. We’ve also been using a noise box from the company Industrial Hazard, it’s evil.
R: We start with a small riff and build on it. Try out several different arrangements until we find something that works. Creating new sounds often makes my life harder to be honest.
V: When I’m at home I use a loop pedal and a shit guitar and shit bass for writing. My pedals and gear haven’t changed in years. Rat, boss chorus, sometimes boss delay and that’s it. I guess the simplicity of my pedals makes my life easier while performing because it allows me to not be stuck in one place on stage for long.
Naya Ali
Returning with a full-length project for the first time since 2021’s Godspeed: Elevated, this Montreal rapper has joined the impressive roster at Bonsound Records to unleash We Did The Damn Thing.
Known to flit between raspy-voiced bars and more melodic tracks while making a point to expand her genre boundaries and tackle a wide variety of instrumentals, many of Ali’s tracks address confidence, perseverance and positive vibes.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
Hey fam, I’m Naya Ali, an Ethiopian-born rapper from Montreal with a love for 808 bass. I see myself as a musical painter, using hip-hop to bring more light into the world. My music reflects the diverse facets of the human experience – cutthroat, introspective, and vulnerable.
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
The moment I decided to live for myself. I’d invested heavily in others’ dreams, including my parents’, but felt deeply unfulfilled. Becoming a musician was about taking ownership of my life and pursuing my own dreams.
What’s one thing that you’re most proud of in your music career so far?
Myself. I’ve learned to appreciate my growth and the incredible people I’ve collaborated with. In this industry, it’s easy to get caught up in ambition. I’m proud that I’ve ‘done the damn thing’ and will continue to do so for myself and for us.
What is your favourite song that you’ve released so far?
That’s like choosing your favourite kid haha.. but I’d say “Turning Tables” from We Did The Damn Thing. This anthem for the underdogs celebrates standing your ground, challenging conformity, and staying true to yourself in a world that often breaks the rules. It’s about reclaiming your power and rewriting your own story.
What’s something that you do to keep your mental health in check?
That’s so pivotal! I try to simply live: spending time with loved ones, playing with my dog, and embarking on spontaneous adventures.
What is something you’re especially looking forward to in 2025?
The release of my album We Did The Damn Thing! Sharing it with the world, telling my story, our stories – how the sweat that trickled down from our braids for generations allowed me to be where I am today. Excited to share.
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
My creative process begins with a blank canvas. I don’t come to the studio with pre-written lyrics. My producers and I brainstorm moods, ideas, and inspirations. We then draft an instrumental skeleton, and I freestyle melodies and flows. This becomes our demo, which we refine through multiple iterations (rinse cycle) until we’re satisfied. The tech we use includes all the incredible gear and plugins my producers and engineers have access to.
Fionn
It’s widely known that some of the best – or at least, some of the most uniquely beautiful – music comes from the artistic union of twin siblings. Blending their Celtic background with upbeat pop melodies, Brianne and Alanna Finn-Morris hail from Vancouver and are turning their observations on situationships and snakes into shiny hooks that will get stuck in your head. Busking since age 12 and now gearing up to release their fourth album later this year, the duo just get bigger with every release and are ready to hit the stratosphere.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
Hey we’re Fionn! Identical twin sisters who have been singing together since straight out the womb!
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
Since our dad started telling us stories about his touring adventures playing in an Irish showband! The copious amounts of Hannah Montana we watched growing up may also have something to do with it…
What does your daily routine look like these days?
After our daily battle with the snooze button we start off with breakfast and a workout, followed by taking out the two laptops and beginning the back and forth narrative of “Oh sh*t we forgot to…” as we try to make our way through a list. We then plan content and practice for shows, and maybe hit up a studio session as we work to finish our next album. Bedtime rolls around and if we can manage to avoid the dreaded doom scroll we pick up our books. I am currently working on The Fellowship Of The Ring and Alanna Rouge by fellow Canadian Mona Awad. The bedtime goal is always 11 but turns to 1am almost every time.
What’s one thing that you’re most proud of in your music career so far?
I am mostly proud of our work ethic and the fact that we’ve stuck with it! The music industry is not for the faint of heart and putting yourself out there everyday is scary. It’s a crazy mind game and a never ending battle with the ego. I’m also really proud of the tour we went on with JJ Wilde last year and all of the songs coming out on the next record. We can’t wait to share them!
Do you have any New Years’ resolutions?
I am trying to develop a more intentional gym routine and Alanna wants to run a half marathon.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
Definitely Chappell Roan. We’ve been following her since 2020 when she popped up on our artist radio (eeep). We’re so happy for her success!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
Don’t read your own press! Also keep your expectations level, never let yourself get too high when things are great or too low when things are bad. This was specifically regarding how tumultuous a career in music can be, but I think it can be applied to anything!
Charlie Houston
Already with a collaboration with ODESZA and an opening slot on Charlotte Cardin’s tour under her belt, Toronto’s Charlie Houston is ready to unleash her debut album on the world. Inspired primarily by a tough breakup and finding her analyzing themes of codependency and growth, Houston’s songs exist in-between acoustic folk and dreamy, hazy indie-pop. In a post-Chappell Roan world, it feels like Houston has the same combination of total authenticity and playful pop approach to connect with whoever stumbles across her music.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
I’m a 24-year-old songwriter, producer, and artist from Toronto. I’m ginger, I have asthma, and I like puns and beer.
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
My dad bought me an acoustic guitar when I was around eight years old. That was the beginning, but I got frustrated because my hands were too small for bar chords. I think I really started getting into it in high school when I learned what production was. It just felt like this limitless space for creativity.
What is your favourite song that you’ve released so far?
Probably “Slut for Excel.” I think the songwriting is really great, and it’s funny because we initially wrote/recorded it as a slow, acoustic, folky ballad. But then as a joke I said “What if we just made it into a Talking Heads song?” But then it actually ended up working perfectly and it feels like the most unique song I’ve ever made.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
King Krule has always been a huge inspiration of mine. However, touring with bands like Wet Leg or The Last Dinner Party would be the dream.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
Trust your gut. It’s so basic, but I think it’s more important than ever. Everyone has an opinion on everything, and it can be easy to believe that someone knows better than you do, that’s something I’ve really struggled with. So, believing that my opinion is valuable and trusting it is definitely the best advice I’ve gotten.
What is one thing that everyone needs to shut up about?
Maybe themselves. I feel like nobody ever asks questions anymore. Like in conversations people just want to talk about what they think and things that have happened to them (I do it too). But I think people would learn so much more if we started asking more questions during conversations.
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
I’ve started doing this thing most mornings called object writing, which is where you pick a word and then write about it from all 5 senses for 10 minutes. It’s a really fun, low-pressure songwriting exercise that almost always generates a few savable ideas. On this album, my producer and co-writer Duncan started using a Yamaha CS synthesizer on a lot of the songs. I loved this instrument so much because you couldn’t save any sounds you made. It made each sound feel so much more special because it couldn’t be re-created after recording.
Maddie Jay
Originally from northern British Columbia, producer and multi-instrumentalist Maddie Jay’s connections to artists like Lorde, Remi Wolfe, and Summer Walker (all three of whom she’s performed alongside in their live bands) have seen her gain enough attention to head to Hollywood. Self-described as an “unreliable narrator,” she’s mentioned that many of her songs are based in truth but present a raw, unfiltered version of herself that is often born from some of her darkest thoughts. With a pristine, indie-pop sheen, Jay tackles some tough topics and we’re here for it.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
Hi I’m Maddie. I am a musician and artist from British Columbia, Canada, but I live in LA now.
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
Music has always been at the center of my life. Even when I was like four years old I was seriously involved in the local music community via my parents, but I remember having the thought of wanting to make film scores as a career when I was 15 or so.
What’s one thing that you’re most proud of in your music career so far?
I am so proud of all the places I’ve seen. I’ve travelled and seen so so so many places in the world and it is the thing that will never fade from my mind as an amazing accomplishment. I’m very proud of all my albums. Each one has taken multiple years of focused work and I only put out music that I am very very proud of.
What’s something that you do to keep your mental health in check?
Literally so much. I have years of strategies and techniques I’ve developed to keep myself on track. I’ve struggled a lot over the years and I have to be constantly exercising, going to therapy and making art in order to not feel incredibly anxious and depressed. Also putting time in to develop healthy, functioning, adult relationships has been crucial for me.
Do you have any New Years’ resolutions?
I want to have a clean room all year.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
“What if you are doing everything right and it just takes time?”
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
I like working with analogue instruments. I don’t use that many samples or plugins. I like when I can physically turn a knob, and I love when a synthesizer has really iconic presets and built in sounds. I really like making full songs/instrumentals and then sampling those tracks as if I were sampling a record. I also like weird instruments that make me think outside the box and get out of my patterns or ideas of how music should be made. As for making my life easier, I like to use midi because I am kind of a mediocre keys player – I can edit and quantize my playing before sending it out to an analogue instrument.
Gavin McLeod
The latest signing to Dine Alone Records, Milton, Ontario native Gavin McLeod is a 22-year-old indie-rocker ready to release his debut album after amassing over 18 million views on YouTube in his early career. Starting out known as a blues prodigy, booking professional gigs by age 11 and attracting attention at talent shows and blues festivals, McLeod is taking the guitar mastery he brought to those events and applying it to Neil Young and Sam Fender-inspired folk, classic rock and singer-songwriter material.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
My name is Gavin McLeod, I am a guitar player and songwriter. I play with my band and we all live in Milton, a small town outside of Toronto.
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
I believe it was around 7 or 8 years old and my dad had bought this Rock Band videogame for the Xbox. I was obsessed with the soundtrack and drumming and it was all I wanted to do every day after school. I think I was playing the drums along to “Tom Sawyer” on Expert when he dusted off his old set of massive red Ludwigs from highschool and threw me behind them. I was hooked from that point onward, I owe it all to him.
What’s one thing that you’re most proud of in your music career so far?
Signing a record deal with Dine Alone this year was really cool. I grew up listening to so many great bands on that label, so that was a real honour. I was obsessed with City and Colour as a kid; I think the first album I ever downloaded on my first shitty MP3 player in 2008 was a City and Colour album. The band and I are all proud of this new album as well, but there is so much more new music to make and shows to play, I don’t want to feel overly proud of anything just yet.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
Sam Fender. I have been trying to spread the gospel to everyone I know here in Canada for so long now. I love his albums and writing so much, it feels so connected to all the great old stuff I love like Neil and Joni and Dylan. It’s continuing in their spirit without really biting them at all. It’s just coming from the right place I think. I would love the opportunity to write with him or open for that band somehow.
What is something you’re especially looking forward to in 2025?
This might be a very stock-standard answer, but I’m really looking forward to playing more shows with my band. Travelling and playing with those boys is truly my favourite thing in the world. I am really hoping we get to do a lot more of that next year. Also, Oasis.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
I remember someone telling me that “music is never finished, it just gets released.” That really stuck with me. I just searched it up and it turns out it’s a botched version of a Da Vinci quote or something, but it really resonates as a musician. Enjoying the journey and the process is so important, and accepting that no record we make will ever be perfect. All of this sounds super cliche, but I do try to remind myself of that a lot. You only get one chance to have a go at this music thing in your 20s, and I’m already halfway through it. If you’re not taking in the process, what’s the point?
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
Recording music has become so easy these days. It’s obviously nice to have access to so many great tools, and it works wonders for more talented musicians than myself, but I have been trying my best to strip back the process. I love writing alone with an acoustic guitar or with my band in a room, nothing too fancy, just a few guitars and a few beers. The simpler the better as far as I’m concerned. Once the song idea is finished, I try to get a scrappy demo of it recorded on Logic as soon as possible then lock it away and move on to the next idea. I personally like the demo to feel as raw and as close to the original idea as possible. As far as tech to make my life easier, a lot of bands are making the switch to digital amp modelers, but I’ll be lugging around heavy tube amps until the day I physically can’t anymore.
Young Friend
The Vancouver indie pop-rocker is preparing to release his debut full-length album after building a dedicated fanbase with a couple EPs released in 2022 and 2023. Originally starting out as a dancer before jumping over to music after finding inspiration through a group of musician friends, young friend’s music thrives on the strength of his off-the-cuff and relatable lyricism and a classic singer-songwriter approach. As he continues to dive deeper into music, his genre ambitions have only been expanding.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
My name is Drew and I release under the name young friend. I’m a musician from Vancouver B.C.
What is your favourite song that you’ve released so far?
Probably “the real deal.” It’s definitely the most ambitious song I’ve written and I feel like it takes a step outside of what my “sound” has been in recent years. I listened to a lot of indie folk music when I was a teenager and I think 14 year old me would love this song.
What’s something that you do to keep your mental health in check?
I go swimming quite a bit. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious I call my best friend Gabe and make him swim with me. He’s even come with me when it’s snowing.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
There’s too many to count! To name a few; Adrienne Lenker, Alex G, Andy Shauf, Chanel Beads, Porches, Ally Evenson, and Dijon.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
Best piece of advice I’ve ever received was from my co-writer and producer David. He’s always asking me if I think something is “brave enough” and I think about it every time I write a song. Maybe that’s not advice but it’s made me a better songwriter.
What is one thing that everyone needs to shut up about?
I think people need to quit with the ‘industry plant’ stuff. It’s annoying.
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
Of course! To be honest there aren’t too many fancy bells and whistles in my process. It usually starts with chords and I try to write the song as analog as possible. It’s usually just guitar and vocals at the start. David and I did run a bunch of stuff on the record through his Roland 404 though and I love the effect it had. Another thing to note is that we made most of this record at a little cabin in BC where we had minimal gear, no fancy mics, and a whole lot of room noise. We even got creative and used seasoning from the kitchen as percussion.
Christian Sean
An experimentalist with a passion for the “transformative power of pop music,” Montreal artist Christian Sean has years of experience and an eclectic global and musical background that are finally coalescing into a hard-earned debut album. Playing in indie bands around Montreal since his teenage years, joining backing bands on major arena pop tours and having lived in places like Brazil and Switzerland, Sean’s upcoming music is avant-garde, but with a strong melodic core ready for live-show singalongs.
For anyone who is yet to meet you, who are you?
I am a music maker from Montreal. I spend my time writing songs, producing records, and touring. I’m putting out my first solo LP early this year. I’m a double Gemini with a Capricorn moon. I’m always looking for all kinds of artists to work with, so if you’re interested, you know where to find me.
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
Probably as soon as I gained consciousness. Or whenever I first heard the Beatles, which is really the same thing.
What’s something that you do to keep your mental health in check?
I’ve been a Vipassana meditator for 10 years now, and I’ll spend the rest of my life recommending the technique to anyone and everyone. Sitting at the piano, alone in nature, away from my phone for long periods of time tends to do the trick for me as well.
Who would be your dream collab? Someone you’d like to write, record or tour with.
I’d like to get in the studio and mess around with Mica Levi, FKA Twigs, Backxwash, Adrienne Lenker, or record with engineers like Shawn Everett, BJ Burton or Justin Raisen. I’m also fascinated by instances in music history where the biggest arena acts on the planet brought more obscure and unlikely artists on the road with them as openers. Like U2 with Rage Against the Machine, Harry Styles with Blood Orange, Neil Young with Sonic Youth, Alanis Morissette with Radiohead. The list goes on. I wouldn’t mind an arena tour. Bono, if you’re reading this, DM me.
What is something you’re especially looking forward to in 2025?
Ceasefire.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a peer?
When I was 13 years old, I attended a rock and roll summer camp at McGill University called Garage Band Camp. They taught us to always be extra nice to the sound person. When you pull up to the venue, always introduce yourself to them first and make them feel valued. Don’t be a jerk. A bit of good karma goes a long way.
Can you please share a bit about your creative process and the tech you use while songwriting and recording? What kind of tech are you using to create your sound and how do you use it to make your life easier?
There are countless ways of starting a song. Its germination could come from a groove, a chord progression, a lyric. I’ve even recorded melodies I’ve heard in dreams. I try not to have a fixed method because then I end up boring myself. But once a song arises I’ll usually flesh it out on piano or guitar to bring it to its essential, most basic form to make sure it can walk on its own two feet. Then I take it apart, turn it on its head and rearrange it in Ableton. These days I’ve been experimenting with designing my own drum sounds from scratch using nothing but hardware synths. No splice samples allowed! I use a Moog Sub37, mostly for kicks and toms, and a Sequential Prophet 6 for hi-hats, snares and shakers.
