When We Wake with Andrew Shaver

Andrew Shaver

Candid conversations with some of Canada’s finest songwriters, musicians, and other industry professionals in the performing arts. When We Wake is produced, edited and hosted by Andrew Shaver. The full When We Wake program broadcasts every Saturday morning on CKVE FM & CoveFM.com, from the South Shore of Nova Scotia, and showcases new Canadian indie music. read less
ArtsArts

Episodes

21. When We Wake with Matthew Barber
Jul 16 2024
21. When We Wake with Matthew Barber
With 10 albums under his belt, including an album entirely written for a stage musical, another in collaboration with his sister Jill Barber, a couple Juno nominations, a handful of Canadian Folk Music Award nominations, and multiple songs placed in TV shows and films, Matthew Barber is one of Canada's most respected contemporary songwriters. I have known Matt for so many years now that I have spent more time in my life knowing him than I have spent not knowing him. He's in a rarified class of people in my life. Outside of my family, he's the guy who has known me the longest, and I like it that way. He is, hands down, one of my favourite people in the whole world - universe even, because, look, if we're talking in hyperbole, let's go all the way with it. He has been one of my favourite songwriters since I started listening to his songs. Matt has a way with melody, harmony, and song structure that just gets me in all the right places. He has produced both of the Clever Hopes albums, and there was never a question that it would be any other way. In our chat we talk about his early dreams of playing goal in the NHL; the thrill and disappointment related to signing a major label deal in the early 2000's; his approach to producing records; the importance of leaving space for others in the creative process, and much more. matthewbarber.com When We Wake theme song is Got You by Noah Reid, produced by...Matthew Barber. Listen to the When We Wake broadcast Playlist, updated a couple times a month. Wanna get in touch? Email whenwewakeradio@gmail.com Instagram @whenwewakeradio & @theandrewshaver
13. Special Episode: When We Wake Triple Bill with Callum Gaudet, Serena Wu, and Marc Durkee
Apr 1 2024
13. Special Episode: When We Wake Triple Bill with Callum Gaudet, Serena Wu, and Marc Durkee
Triple Bill?! It's true. Today's episode is a bit of an anomaly for the podcast, mostly because there are 3 guests on the show. But, also, because this episode is more overtly tied to a specific event than any of my previous chats have been - namely, a concert I am playing in Halifax on April 4, alongside all 3 of my guests today. I release music as Clever Hopes and I’m really excited to share the stage later this week with Callum Gaudet, Serena Wu, and Marc Durkee of the band All Mother. Now, if you’re listening to this sometime after April 4, first of all, how’s the future looking? Bleak? Or, have we somehow managed to turn things around? Send an email and let us know. (We still using email?) And, secondly, the chats on today's episode with Callum (1:48), Serena (24:27), and Marc (44:44) all freely explore interesting terrain entirely unrelated to the concert, so, I’m confident they’ll stand up well as time marches on and the 4th, becomes the 5th. So, go on and give'em a listen. Finally, if you’re in the Halifax area - and not from the distant future - c’mon down to the Seahorse Tavern on Thursday, April 4 for Music Nova Scotia’s third instalment of New Music Thursday. And come say hi, lemme know you heard this, and I'll buy you drink. Yeah? Enjoy the episode. You can listen to When We Wake live every Saturday morning between 9:30-11:00 AM Atlantic (GM -4) on 88.7FM on the glorious South Shore of Nova Scotia or over on the world wide web at CoveFM.com. Wanna get in touch? Email whenwewakeradio@gmail.com Or find me on Instagram @whenwewakeradio or @theandrewshaver
12. When We Wake with Allegra Swanson
Mar 31 2024
12. When We Wake with Allegra Swanson
Allegra Swanson grew up dreaming of the Broadway stage, which is not at all surprising, given that her parents met onstage in a production of Anne of Green Gables at, of all places, The Charlottetown Festival on Prince Edward Island. Allegra didn’t end up becoming that musical theatre star, but she did end up in Montreal in the Classical Music program at McGill University, singing a little opera here and there. At the time, 22 year Allegra Swanson may not have ranked the allure of a career in Arts Administration above that of the trodding the boards bathed in the limelight, but, having grown up in a house of thespians traveling the world from gig to gig, the allure of a steady job held some sway. In the fall of 2020, Allegra and her family left Toronto and moved to, well, just down the street from me in Dartmouth Nova Scotia when she took over the Executive Director role at Music Nova Scotia. She was also chair the 2024 Halifax Junos Host committee - for our esteemed listeners outside of Canada, the Junos Awards are our Grammy's and BRIT Awards. I chatted with Allegra a couple days before the Junos kicked off their celebrations in Halifax, and now on the other side of them, I can tell ya, she did a bang up job.  You can listen to the When We Wake radio broadcast live every Saturday morning between 9:30-11:00 am Atlantic (GM -4) on 88.7FM on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, or on CoveFM.com across the globe. Wanna get in touch? Email me at whenwewakeradio@gmail.com Or try sliding into my DMs on Instagram @whenwewakeradio & @theandrewshaver. www.theandrewshaver.com
11. When We Wake with Blanche Israël
Mar 20 2024
11. When We Wake with Blanche Israël
Originally from Montreal, Blanche Israël has called Dartmouth, Nova Scotia home since 2019. She grew up in a musical family and when her mom, a folk singer, decided to pick up the fiddle, so did 5 year old Blanche...and all of her sisters. It wasn’t long after that Blanche discovered the cello. After a persistent year of pestering mom, Blanche started playing the cello and hasn’t stopped - including a couple years touring the world with the Polaris Prize Award-winning songwriter and musician, Jeremy Dutcher. That said, Blanche did tell me that she's playing more guitar now than cello, but I think that's because the guitar can be a quieter instrument, and her two year old daughter appreciates that. In February, Blanche was named the new CEO of the East Coast Music Association, whose mission is "to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian music, its artists and its industry professionals throughout the region and around the world." I spoke with her the day after the Music PEI Awards were handed out in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, and Blanche was there in her newly minted role as CEO of the ECMA.  Listen to the radio broadcast live every Saturday morning on 88.7 CKVE-FM from 9:30-11:00AM Atlantic (GM -4) on the South Shore of Nova Scotia or, elsewhere, on CoveFM.com. Wanna get in touch? Email me at: whenwewakeradio@gmail.com Or you can always slide into my DMs over on Instagram: @whenwewakeradio or @theandrewshaver