Kingston Live is a monthly podcast that offers up behind-the-scenes insight into the Kingston music scene. If you’re looking to learn more about the city’s emerging artists and where to see them play live, you’ll find it here! If you’re a resident music lover or visitor looking for the inside scoop on Kingston’s local music scene, it’s a perfect fit for you, too.
Riley and Johnny chat with Claire Bouvier, Katie Littlejohn and Aaron Holmberg in the studio about the new YGK Emerging Musician Competition happening on September 20th at the Isabel Bader Theatre.
The competition offers Kingston musicians an opportunity to showcase their talent in front of established artists. They discuss how they chose the jury members, the finalists, and what the audience can expect at the Isabel on September 20th when they perform.
The jury members are Jonas Lewis Anthony, John Burge, Moira Demorest, Emily Fennell, Cyndy Gibson, Ange Stever, and Zane Whitfield. The finalists are Sadaf Amini, Julia Finnegan, Michelle Kasaboski, Alex Mundy, Savannah and Michael and Abby Stewart.
Want tickets? Go to queensu.ca/theisabel. Or go in person to the box office Monday–Friday, 12–4:30 pm or call 613-533-2424.
Mid-show, Johnny and Riley follow the tradition of listing every show worth attending in the Kingston area from now through October.
Next, they take a trip out to the annual Back to the Farm Beer and Music Festival at the Mackinnon Brothers brewery to chat with local singer/songwriter, Megan Hamilton, The Wilderness and Chris Koster of The Glorious Sons.
They start with Megan Hamilton, post-performance, chatting about the difference between attending the last few years and performing for the first time. She touches on her favourite performances to watch and why she loves the festival.
“It bends all of the rules in a very positive way,” says Megan.
After their performance, a few of the guys from The Wilderness discuss how they’ve seen the festival evolve since the last time they performed in 2017.
“It feels like a big party with all of the best people. I could see a sea of people, 99 percent of who I know and love,” shared Jonas. They let us in on the story behind the band’s matching Adidas tracksuits.
Listeners are treated to a live performance of I Found Out by the Chris Koster followed by an interview with Chris Koster, talking about his journey as an artist, and the Kingston music scene.
“For the size of the city, there’s an amazing arts community,” he says.
Chris shares his favourite places to play, life on the road with the Sons, and how it felt to play Back to the Farm for the first time. He also drops some bleak advice to aspiring musicians: “If there’s a possibility that you won’t do it, then just don’t do it.”
Following the release of the Glorious Sons’ upcoming record A War on Everything on September 13th, Chris and the band take to the stage at Richardson Stadium in Kingston on September 21st.
Look out for new podcasts every month to stay up to date on the Kingston music scene! The Kingston Live podcast is syndicated to all major podcast platforms. Find them wherever you get your podcasts and make sure to subscribe: Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, TuneIn and Stitcher. They also air on Wolfe Island Radio on Tuesday and Thursdays! You can also follow them on Instagram.
