Backstage Pass

DAVE GUNNING - Field Notes

This week, DAVE GUNNING - Field Notes ‘Field Notes’ is one of those rare, memorable albums that comes along once every generation reflecting not only the urgency of the times, but reveals an artist in full force and flight, sharing the craft, precision and imaginative power beneath the song writing With his Ontario tour continuing, Dave Gunning joins Backstage Pass in a wide-ranging conversation about his phenomenal new album and writing songs in a modern turbulent world. With over two decades on the road and fifteen albums to his credit, Nova Scotia’s Dave Gunning has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s most engaging and respected folk singer-songwriters. A multiple East Coast Music Award and Canadian Folk Music Award winner, Gunning is celebrated for his warm stage presence, razor-sharp wit, and songs that honour everyday heroes while tackling hard truths. His music has long reflected his deep roots in Pictou County, where stories of working people, small-town struggles, and local pride shape his songwriting. Whether he’s shining a light on unsung community champions or confronting social and environmental issues close to home, Gunning brings an honesty and empathy to his work that have become his trademark. Over the years, Gunning has shared the stage with many folk greats, yet he continues to carve his own path, grounded in the values of community and craftsmanship. In June 2025, Gunning travelled to Point Lonsdale, Australia, to record his fifteenth studio album, Field Notes. Stripped-back and emotionally rich, the new collection returns to the heart of what he does best: telling stories that remind us who we are, where we come from, and what matters most. https://www.davegunning.com [https://www.davegunning.com] LISTEN TO THE MUSIC: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw] This podcast is hosted by Canoe FM. https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/ [https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/]

KAELEY JADE - ‘The Great Unknown’

This week, KAELEY JADE - ‘The Great Unknown’ Alternative-folk singer-songwriter Kaeley Jade crafts full-hearted songs that dig deep. Growing up on the outskirts of North America’s most northern metropolis, the Edmonton-based Métis artist has been sculpted by icy winter winds and sweeping prairie skies. Whether through gently textured acoustic ballads or rip-roaring full-band cuts, Canadian Folk Music Award-winner Kaeley Jade’s powerful voice captures life’s most challenging moments with sincerity and precision. Her cinematic forthcoming album, The Great Unknown, invites listeners to release what no longer serves them and celebrate the beauty found within the ever-shifting tides of experience. https://kaeleyjade.com [https://kaeleyjade.com] YouTube | Kaeley Jade | Includes live performance videos and official music videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/KaeleyJade [https://www.youtube.com/c/KaeleyJade] Facebook | @kaeleyjademusic https://www.facebook.com/kaeleyjademusic [https://www.facebook.com/kaeleyjademusic] Instagram | @kaeley_jade https://www.instagram.com/kaeley_jade/ [https://www.instagram.com/kaeley_jade/] TikTok | @kaeley_jade https://www.tiktok.com/@kaeley_jade?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc [https://www.tiktok.com/@kaeley_jade?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc] Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uHvg2Vc2T0NrCvSkbSb2t [https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uHvg2Vc2T0NrCvSkbSb2t] Bandcamp https://kaeleyjade.bandcamp.com/ [https://kaeleyjade.bandcamp.com/] LISTEN TO THE MUSIC: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw] This podcast is hosted by Canoe FM. https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/ [https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/]

JENN GRANT - Queen of the Strait

This week, JENN GRANT - Queen of the Strait Her 2026 album, Queen of the Strait (2026), is her most personal work yet. Co-produced with Joshua Van Tassel and longtime collaborator Daniel Ledwell, it is a modern-day classic of country and Americana, elevated by Jenn’s unmistakable pop-infused charm. The title draws its name from the MV Abegweit passenger ferry - Abegweit being an anglicized version of the Mi’kmaw word Epekwitk, meaning “cradled by the waves” - which carried Jenn and her brother as children between two parents after a tumultuous separation. That crossing becomes both a literal and metaphorical passage in her work, weaving together the Canadian landscapes of her childhood and universal stories into a profound reflection of the human condition; exploring life’s deepest thresholds: childhood wonder, love, abuse, aging, childbearing, loss, survival, and resilience. To celebrate the album, Grant has created a groundbreaking live tour ‘Cradled by the Waves’ - The Live Experience, which will take place across Canada, beginning in Charlottetown, PEI, on March 5th. This tour will transform the album into a stunning multimedia performance blending music, film, theatre, and dance. With Queen of the Strait, Grant affirms her place as one of Canada’s most compelling storytellers - an artist whose songs feel both timeless and urgently present, carrying us across waters both real and imagined. https://www.jenngrant.com/ [https://www.jenngrant.com/] LISTEN TO THE MUSIC: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw] This podcast is hosted by Canoe FM. https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/ [https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/]

THE BURRITO BROTHERS / The Magic Time Machine of Love

This week, THE BURRITO BROTHERS / The Magic Time Machine of Love “The idea will keep going. It’s not like it’s dead. Whether I do it or anybody else does, it’s got to keep going.” Gram Parsons 1972 Chis P James in converstation about the new album from The Burrito Brothers,The Magic Time Machine of Love, which was released in November through Think Like a Key Music. How can music that sounds so completely new and inventive sound so familiar at the same time? Well… it does. That’s The Burrito Brothers for you! The legacy and experiences that inform the wonderful music of today’s BBs is so rich, so fertile, and so far-reaching that it sounds like an old friend even as your ears are treated to something quite unlike anything you’ve heard before. It’s an amazing alchemy. But being amazing is standard practice for The Burrito Brothers. Ever since two Byrds left the “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” mothership nearly 60 years ago, The Burrito Brothers have been ever evolving and putting out wonderful albums. The musicians in today’s group, Chris P James, Tony Paoletta, Peter Young and Steve Allen, have performed and recorded numerous notable previous works of their own and with countless other artists. This is a fully realized, forward-looking group of masterful musicians and vocalists. Essentially, this current lineup of Burritos has been carrying the ball, Gram’s baby, for more than a decade now. This cool album not only features the current lineup but has wonderful guest appearances from Gram Parsons himself, as well as Al Perkins, Ian Dunlop, Jon Corneal, Michael Curtis, Bob Hatter and others. The circle is complete. https://www.theburritobrothers.net/ [https://www.theburritobrothers.net/] LISTEN TO THE MUSIC: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw] This podcast is hosted by Canoe FM. https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/ [https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/]

GRAVEN - Geographics

GRAVEN - Geographics Releasing two singles a week throughout February 2026 on Bandcamp, Graven has finally released his newest stellar album. Thoughtful and inventive, as always, Graven captures the mood of the times with this exception set of songs. ‘Geographics’ was sonically birthed in 6 days in Halifax, NS at Ocean Floor Recording with Matty McKechnie (Graven), Melissa Payne, Charles Austin, Jamie Kronick, Jordan Murphy and Franc Lopes. The album has a real travel theme to it, and spans across many real geographic locations, but it's also sort of a statement on the world at large today and a bit of a map of Matty's sometimes chaotic mind. It was an album that congealed quickly but it took a ton of time to form the cinematic shape and colour of these songs in the editing room. I've never had another vocalist on any Graven material so to see Melissa step up to the plate and hit melodic homers almost every time was a beautiful thing. She added so much to this record and I'm forever grateful. GRAVEN (Matty McKechnie) is an independent folk-rock singer-songwriter from Ottawa, Canada. An innovative Nepean-born songmaker with a key focus on cultivating joy and wonder in Canadian geography, Matty (Graven) is a wiley wordsmith whose passion is to create a highly accepting and inclusive community of music lovers. FIND GRAVEN ON BANCAMP. https://www.graven.ca [https://www.graven.ca] https://graven.bandcamp.com/album/geographics [https://graven.bandcamp.com/album/geographics] https://www.facebook.com/gravencanada [https://www.facebook.com/gravencanada] LISTEN TO THE MUSIC: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw] This podcast is hosted by Canoe FM. https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/ [https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/]