To date, Egg Zeppelin has produced 24 x 60-minute live music and comedy shows for appreciative audiences from Montreal, to Toronto, to Hamilton, Ontario. Our musical guests have been a who’s who of the Toronto indie music scene, as well as a few with even higher prominence in the international music scene. They include:
Tyler Stewart
… is the drummer for Canadian supergroup The Barenaked Ladies but before that, cowpunk/rockabilly band Pogo Rodeo and later 3 Day Bender in the late 1980s. But when he met Steven Page, Ed Robertson and Jim Creeggan at a buskers festival in the summer of 1990, he soon took a seat behind the drum kit, becoming the last of the original Barenaked Ladies to join the band. Besides amazing percussion skills, Tyler can also be heard adding melodic harmonies and piano. And at OUR show… he sang, accompanied by Toronto band Thrillharmonic members David Grimes and Jordie Small.
Spookey Ruben
The King of Canada’s lo-fi pop, musician and experimental film-maker SpookeyRuben has received international acclaim for his solo debut album Modes of Transportation Vol. 1, hailed as the ‘Pet Sounds’ of the 90s’. His adventurous songwriting and eccentric production techniques contrast high vs. low vocals, analogue keyboards, found sounds, sampled beats and strings. With seven full-length solo albums under his belt, Spookey‘s diverse body of work ranges from directing music videos to working as a pop producer, songwriter, remixer and film composer. http://www.spookeyruben.net/
Maylee Todd
A two-time Egg Zeppelin guest, Maylee is a dynamic, multi-faceted artist, based in Toronto. Her music combines elements of boogie, bossa, space funk, psychedelia and soul. In 2010, Maylee released her debut album Choose Your Own Adventure. The album received glowing reviews; and she’s share the stage with the likes of Janelle Monae, Lee Fields, Aloe Blacc, Little Dragon, and The Budos Band. In concert, Maylee delivers a diverse repertoire of soulful tunes with an infectiously charismatic and joyful stage presence, full of warm humour and a performance art aesthetic. http://www.mayleetodd.com/
Andrew Penner
Andrew is the leader of Sunparlour Players who, 4 years after their formation, have released Us Little Devils (Outside Music), their third album, and without a doubt their most diverse and strongest effort to date. Dusty landscapes, rural backdrops and desolate times: themes that wouldn’t be out of place in a Cormac McCarthy novel are matched with the fervour and joy of a gospel revival, usually all within one song. The band also has a strange and unique partnership in Canadian music, a sponsorship with Bernardin Home Canning to help support their line of homemade mustards and jellies, “Sunparlour Preserves”. http://sunparlourplayers.com/
Bob Wiseman
A two-time guest on our show, Bob is a Juno winning composer, filmmaker, singer-songwriter, and actor. While simultaneously helming his stellar solo career, he’s made time to discover or produce many artists including Ron Sexsmith, Bob Snider and others. A lifetime achievement award winner from CBC Radio 3, he’s played with Blue Rodeo, Feist, Edie Brickell, The Hidden Cameras and a list of artists that read like a who’s who of international music. Because it is. http://www.bobwiseman.ca/
Raoul Bhaneja
… is the frontman for the Maple Blues Award winning band Raoul & The Bigtime. He’s worked in film and television, appearing on shows as diverse as Rookie Blue, The Ron James Show, Republic of Doyle, Flashpoint, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Train 48, Ararat and many more. His critically acclaimed Hamlet (solo) has toured and won awards internationally. And he can sing and play a mean blues harp. Basically, we think he’s a big freakin’ deal and so will you! http://www.raoulbhaneja.com/
Kristen Cudmore
A few years ago, the Wolfville, NS native was on her way to music grad school in Hawaii, with a connecting flight to Vancouver. When her visa paperwork fell through, she stayed in Vancouver and formed musical collective “Language Arts”. Their sophomore album, Where Were You In The Wild uniquely blends jazzy drumming and smart arrangements with Cudmore’s classical guitar virtuosity. With Toronto home for now, her verbose lyrics and singing style are influenced by sources as diverse as Beck & Stereolab, full of beckoning choruses, bright hooks and subtle nuances. We love her, and you will too! http://www.language-arts.net/press-biography
Laura Barrett
A member of Toronto indie bands The Hidden Cameras, The Adorables and all-female Weezer tribute Sheezer, Barrett calls herself “a classically-trained pianist and self-taught everything else-ist.” With influences ranging from Harry Nilsson to Kate Bush to Claude Debussey, Barrett is a winner of CBC Radio 3’s Bucky Award for ‘Canada’s Sexiest Musician’. We know that’s true because, as she says, while performing, she tends to look audiences ‘in the eye.’ http://www.laurabarrett.net/
Arlene Bishop
Bishop has gained a loyal following and high praise from fans and critics alike. In 1996, Bishop released an EP, Pinky, which was followed up by Snarky Girlpop in 2001. Her music is listened to across North America on public radio stations and has been mentioned alongside Canadian rock stalwarts such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Bishop brings a dark and witty style to her music, with quirky between-song banter often a highlight. http://www.arlenebishop.com/
Drew Smith
Drew holds the record for most appearances on Egg Zeppelin (3 times!) Dr. Ew is the new musical persona of Drew Smith, regular guest of Toronto pop bands The Elwins and former frontman of The Bicycles. The “dark pop” of Dr Ew’s debut record ‘Gadzooks’ has an ambitious, orchestral aura about it… comparisons to Brian Wilson and Elliot Smith have been made. His endearing, gentle cheeriness will win you over. http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Doctor-Ew
Collette Savard
Collette Savard is a multi-instrumentalist whose songs effortlessly blend traditional folk-music instrumentation with a modern pop sensibility. She is a prolific songwriter whose lyrics are equal parts wry observation and emotional honesty, creating a world that draws in everyone from the discerning folk-music enthusiast to the hippest indie-pop devotee. The ingenuity and complexity of her songs are reason enough to see her but add to this her witty and stage presence and you’ll wonder where she’s been all your life. www.collettesavard.com
The Dirty Dishes
Imagine The Andrews Sisters and The Stanley Brothers have triplets. The result would be none other than this Toronto-based Country/Blurgrass/Gospel band. Lisa Olafson, Suzie McKenney and Alison Porter are sharp-witted ladies with a 1950’s Nashville sound and killer charm. They combine an amazing three part harmony to sing old time songs and own compositions. The Dirty Dishes are breaking hearts and soothing souls at clubs, fairs, festivals and events throughout Canada. http://www.dirty-dishes.ca/
Fast & Dirty
In addition to countless live shows, Fast & Dirty (Robert Hawke and Gord Oxley) are a musical comedy duo with an amazing list of accomplishments: past recipients of the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award; local and national television and radio including CBC-TV’s “SketchCom,” for which they garnered a Canadian Screen Award (Gemini) comedy writing nomination. Their critically-acclaimed CD, “Live From Our Pants” has been featured on “Dr. Demento” and Dutch National Radio. http://fastanddirty.ca/
Charlotte Cornfield
Montreal-based songwriter Charlotte Cornfield has frequently featured on nationally broadcast CBC radio shows and her 3 albums to date have seen chart success across Canada. A wicked multi-instrumentalist, Her solo guitar/voice performance is deeply captivating, and she never fails to bring the house down with her fleshed-out rock and roll act. http://www.myspace.com/charlottecornfield/
Peter Wildman
This 2-time guest is best known as a founding member of The Frantics, one of Canada’s funniest comedy troupes, Peter is to this day a familiar voice on Toronto radio and face on Canadian television. Peter is out and about playing in his one-man-show “One Funny Song After Another”. It’s a hilarious evening of songs culled from the Frantics songbook. Peter and his songs have been a popular draw at The Tranzac, Hugh’s Room, Mitzi’s Sister, Holy Joe’s, The Now Lounge, The Moonshine Café and The Winnipeg Comedy Festival. http://www.peterwildman.com/
Jory Nash
Jory Nash is a Toronto-based, independent singer-songwriter. His music blends elements of folk, jazz, pop, country, soul & blues. Jory has crisscrossed North America several times, playing folk festivals, folk clubs, concert series and house concerts. Unusual things tend to happen to Jory on the road, and when not legally bound to silence he will incorporate these events into his onstage storytelling. Jory has a lot of stories. http://www.jorynash.com/
Sean Jordan aka ‘Wordburglar’
A regular contributor to CBC-Radio, Halifax native Wordburglar is influenced heavily by Hip-hop’s golden era of MCs and his unique approach is a combination of classic Boom-Bap rap, slam poetry and stand-up comedy. After pressing his self-titled debut album in 2003, he was nominated for Canadian Music Week’s Indie Awards in the category of Favourite Urban Artist/Group or Duo. http://www.wordburglar.com/
Jay McCarrol
An awesome improvisor, actor and comedian, Jay is the resident musical director with Toronto’s Second City National Touring Company. Jay has fused his love of music and comedy with the internet sensation Nirvana the Band the show, just released on DVD. In his off time he plays bass with The Golden Dogs. Jay does a great impersonation of Jerry Seinfeld, but don’t ask him to do it. HE HATES THAT. http://www.nirvanathebandtheshow.com/
Allie Hughes
Prior to the release of her EP, Allie had in 2008 spent time as a top 10 finalist on CBC’s hit summer reality show “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria”. Since then, Toronto’s freshest weirdo pop princess has created a perfect hybrid between genre-bending alt-pop and the most engaging elements of a budding musical theatre career. “You could call her a counterculture Katy Perry or a literate Lady Gaga, but she’s even more impressive than that. And her band rocks.” (Toronto Star). http://www.alliehughes.com/