James Clayton (aka Clay Pigeon) is a terrific songwriter, living in Montreal these days. He’s originally from Peterborough, Ontario, he went to a jazz school out in Nelson BC, and he cut his teeth at open mic nights in Berlin.

Early in the Pandemic, he and his now wife Tosca, decided they wanted to come back to Canada. James had seen a documentary on the Montreal music scene and thought, uh, yeah, that seems like the place to be, let’s go to Montreal.

So they did.

It didn’t take long for James to fall in with the right crowd. He was approached by legendary Montreal engineer and record producer Howard Billerman of the renowned Hotel 2 Tango studio - previous recording home to the likes of Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Sam Roberts Band and, oh, so many more - with an offer to collaborate. James wasn't ready. He said not now, Howard, but hopefully soon. Man, not an easy thing to say.

Thankfully, the two did up working together at Hotel and the results are splendid. This past July, James released his debut album as Clay Pigeon, the achingly beautiful, The Aching Taste of Blue.

I'd say the wait was worth it.

Clay Pigeon

@james_clayton

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Gatineau, Quebec's Mia Kelly is an exciting recent addition to the Folk and Americana scene in Canada.

Two albums in, she’s shared the stage with the likes of Jeremie Albino, Julian Taylor, The Franklin Electric, and, previous When We Wake guest, Aysanabee.

She’s also taken home two pieces of hardware at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and, between you and me, I suspect there’s a few more coming.

Her latest release, her second full length album, is entitled To Be Clear. And to be clear, it’s a beautiful collection of songs wise beyond their years.

Mia writes with a striking vulnerability and clear perspective, whether she’s telling her own story or those of people she’s encountered along the way.

Produced by one of my favourite Canadian songwriters, Jim Bryson, the album’s arrangement is simple and at times sparse, allowing the songwriting and Mia’s powerful voice to shine.

And, fair warning, there's some talk in this chat about Mia's smoke detector sitting there without a battery. If you'd like to encourage her to get a nine volt, you can reach out using the links below. I'd encourage you to.

xA

miakellymusic.com

@miakkelly

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On today's episode, I chat with the Big Turnip himself, Dylan Jewers.

Born and raised in Dartmouth Nova Scotia, young Dylan was sure of two things: his love of Micheal Jordan, and the fact that, under no circumstances, would adult Dylan have a job working for anyone else.

To his credit, and the edification of other likeminded youngens, with the exception of the odd job slinging beers at music venues, Dylan has made good on his young self's promise, and worked for (and in a lot of ways by) himself. Which is in no way meant to suggest he isn't intimately involved in his community, hell no, not at all. If you’ve seen a live music show in Dartmouth in the past few years, chances are Dylan’s had his hand in it.

In 2017, he founded the Folk and Country music focussed label and production company Big Turnip, which houses artists such as Benji Rowland, The McMillan Camp Boys, and Art Bouman, among others.

And, in 2023, he co-founded the Nowadays Festival in Dartmouth. Its 2nd annual edition runs Oct 10-12, 2024, and features an incredible slate including the likes of Jennifer Castle, P’tit Belliveau, Wolf Castle, Alexander Gallant, Dog Day and U.S Girls.

Big Turnip Records

@bigturnips

@nowadays_fest

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