The Guest List
Thursday May 28th, 2020 with Joe Reilly
Interviews with Slo' Tom Stewart and Mika Posen who records as Merganzer
Today we check in with two local musicians to see how they are working through the COVID pandemic - Slo' Tom Stewart and Mika Posen who records and performs under the name Merganzer.
First off we talk to Tom Stewart about how he is doing as a local musician and as a co-owner of the independent music store Spaceman Music. Tom tells us how the employees (all local musicians) are doing and how the store is opening up and the practices they are following to keep employees and customers safe. Tom also tells us that he is missing his bandmates and rehearsals with them. Check out the store's website and Tom's bandcamp site for some of his great music.
https://www.spacemanmusic.com/
https://slotomandthehandsomedevils.bandcamp.com/
Next we talk to Mika Posen, an Ottawa-based violinist/violist who has released two albums to date - the most recent being the beautiful ambient/neo-classical album Montage, which is one of my personal favourites from 2019. Initially I thought I would be talking to her about the challenges she is facing during the pandemic, but our conversation mostly centred on how Mika is doing in 2020 as a brand new Mom. She had a little girl in January and decided to take the year off from music - although she is working on some string projects for other artists to augment their own recordings. We also talk about her approach to making the album Montage and what new directions she might follow in the future. Finally we talk about the children's music program Orkidstra which Mika has been a part of, and she is very passionate about the importance of music in the lives of children.
http://mikaposen.com/merganzer
https://merganzer.bandcamp.com/
https://orkidstra.ca/
Visit the bandcamp sites and think about buying music from Slo' Tom or Merganzer or any indie artists you like. Stay safe and thanks for listening.
Down In A Government Town Slo' Tom and the Handsome Devils - down in a Government Town - Indie (available on Bandcamp) |
One Way Street Slo' Tom and the Handsome Devils - down in a Government Town - Indie (available on Bandcamp) |
Cloud Cover Merganzer - Montage - So Sorry Records |
By The Millimitre Merganzer - Montage - So Sorry Records |
Ganz Grosses Kino Merganzer - Montage - So Sorry Records |