Episode 100!!
Saturday, March 21 at 6:00 PM
The New Pornographers – Pure Sticker Shock
John Craigie – Edna Strange
Labi Siffre – Far Away
CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
Bob Lind – Feel My Heart (That Other World)
Baby Nova – Aint It Such a Bitch
Twisted Teens – Circus Clown
Cameron Whitcomb – Quitter
Jill Scott – Be Great [ft. Trombone Shorty]
Noeline Hofmann – Dublin Blues
Future Star Artist or Group of the Year (Junos 2026)
Cameron Whitcomb Atlantic*Warner
Goldie Boutilier Independent
Jade LeMac Warner
Jutes Position Music
MICO Wasted Years/Columbia*Sony
Noeline Hofmann La Honda*The Orchard
Sacha Sony
Saya Gray Dirty Hit*Virgin
Sofia Camara 21 Entertainment*Universal
yung kai BMG*Universal
John Craigie – Edna Strange
heard on CBC Late Night
A little about John Craigie and his newest album. Another long playing artist that I know nothing about.
After listening to John Craigie and his widespread discography, I can certainly say this is an artist to keep your eyes on this year.
Born and raised in California, this folk-rock n’ roots singer has a talent for using humor as a tool in his writing; he allows human emotion to surface without weighing the songs down, leaving you feeling light.
Craigie’s upcoming album, I Swam Here, set for release on February 6th, was recorded in New Orleans, and draws from the city’s rich musical culture.
The project is characterized by jazzy undertones and intimate instrumentals, creating an immersive listening experience. Most of the tracks on the album feature Craigie’s close friend and female vocalist Anna Moss. However, “Edna Strange,” his latest single, departs from this formula and instead, features a steel-string acoustic and a trio of male background vocalists – a nod to the classic storytelling style of Marty Robbins.
and a bit from his website – love the idea of the riverboat tours
Craigie’s music continues to resonate far beyond the studio. He has packed out solo and band tours across the U.S., Europe and Australia, performed at Newport Folk Festivals, Pickathon, Edmonton Folk Festival, and High Sierra, and shared the stage with Langhorne Slim, Brett Dennen, Sierra Hull, Gregory Alan Isakov, Mason Jennings, Bella White, and Jack Johnson. His annual #KeepItWarm Tour donates $1 from every ticket sold to regional nonprofits fighting food insecurity, while his beloved John Craigie On the River trips on the Tuolumne (CA) or Rogue (OR) rivers have become a one-of-a-kind gathering for fans and friends alike.
John Craigie’s been around. Next month’s I Swam Here will be the Portland-based singer-songwriter’s 10th full-length album. That means those of us popping in now are catching him in seasoned form. I hear echoes of fellow travelers like M. Ward and the late Justin Townes Earle in Craigie’s folk-rock, and the man himself makes the Dylan connection in this press statement:
The majority of these songs were recorded on a nylon string guitar, which is a first for me. Similar to Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, there were two separate recording sessions in two separate locations with different musicians. This is because after New Orleans, three of the ten songs did not meet my vision, and it was not realistic to get back to New Orleans to re-record based on everyone’s schedule. The intention in the mixing is to not have the listener able to tell which ones were recorded where, but it’s possible some attentive ears will be able to.
Baby Nova – Aint It Such a Bitch
A former circus performer who worked as a contortionist and acrobatic dancer, she’s always seen the world at a slant. That tilted perspective runs through her music, revealing a fragile, ragged truth that’s both haunted and haunting.
Facebook??
Ain’t it Such a Bitch, Baby Nova
Baby Nova is back with a new single, only two months after the release of her debut album Shhugar. Ain’t it Such a Bitch was co-written with Lowell and Gus van Go, two of the architects album, and seems like it could be an extra song from the Shhugar sessions that didn’t make it on the final cut. Thematically, it’s right in line within the narrative of Shhugar — a girl finding herself and getting her revenge after betrayal and heartbreak — but it’s a tad more upbeat and rock-leaning than the 12 songs that round out that album. On Ain’t it Such a Bitch, Baby Nova is flipping the script as she realizes she’s doing better than an ex who used to belittle her from his “high horse.” Moving out of a position of submission into one of control, she ponders: “And now I’m on top, so I guess I’m a switch/ Like a dominatrix, I said ‘Boy, sit down.’” The melody is led by gentle guitar and piano, but there’s a touch of distortion that adds Baby Nova’s signature grittiness. Unpolished in her emotions, and unashamed to be so, she’s gleefully petty as she relishes in her retribution. — Kelsey Adams
CBC 5 more songs you need to hear this week March 16 2026
With only six tracks in her discography, Baby Nova has already created the foundation for pop stardom. Born Kayleigh O’Connor, the Nova Scotia-born singer-songwriter has earned praise for her nostalgic sounds and dramatic vocals. Baby Nova’s hypnotic (and sometimes raunchy) tracks have garnered notable buzz, with her third single, “Too Pretty for Buffalo,” surpassing one million streams. With a shoutout on Elton John’s Rocket Hour and an opening stint for last year’s Woman of the Year Charlotte Cardin, Baby Nova is on her way up.
Cameron Whitcomb – Quitter
Nominee BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Cameron Whitcomb of Nanaimo, B.C., makes his Junos debut this year, with five nominations (just behind Tate McRae and Justin Bieber) and a performance of songs from his nominated album The Hard Way.
Whitcomb got his start after competing on American Idol in 2022, and has since grown a fan base who relate to his revealing, vulnerable take on country. “I got clean because my best friend got clean. He nearly OD’ed and went into treatment,” he told Rolling Stone in an interview.
“I got clean, and I started writing about it. I was writing songs that were for me, and not necessarily what I thought other people wanted to hear…. It was crazy the reaction that I got,” he said.
Sarah McLachlan, Allison Russell and Cameron Whitcomb to perform at the 2026 Juno Awards (CBC Music)
Very quickly a star
Cameron Donald Whitcomb is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Nanaimo, British Columbia.[1] He competed on season 20 of reality television show American Idol.[2] He is currently signed to Atlantic Records.[2] Whitcomb has charted internationally with the singles “Quitter“, “Medusa“, “Hundred Mile High“, and “Options“. His debut album The Hard Way was released on September 26, 2025.[3]
Whitcomb released his debut album The Hard Way on September 26, 2025.[25] He is set to support Hardy‘s “Country! Country! Tour” in North America in early 2026.[26] In May 2026, Whitcomb will head to Australia and New Zealand for his headlining “The Hard Way Tour”.[27] He is nominated for five awards at the Juno Awards of 2026, including for Album of the Year and Juno Fan Choice.[28]
CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
On 25 March 2025, CMAT announced her third studio album Euro-Country, in which she also released the album’s lead single “Running/Planning”.[2][3] She describes the album as the “type of loss, pain and lack of community that she feels that are suffering from under modern capital isolation” and the “best thing she has ever made”.[3][4]
On 7 May 2025, the album’s second single “Take a Sexy Picture of Me” was released.[5] Its video received over 1 million views in less than one month.[6] On 19 June, CMAT released “The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station”.[7][8]
On 22 July 2025, the single “Euro-Country” was released. On its first playing on BBC Radio 1, the opening of the song, which features just over 40 seconds in the Irish language, was edited from the play. CMAT confirmed on social media that she was not aware that the song would be edited.[9] The BBC later denied editing the song saying they had broadcast a radio edit that had been supplied to them by the record company.[10]
The album cover features an image of CMAT emerging from a fountain in the middle of a shopping center near her hometown of Dunboyne.[11] The image is based on Jean-Leon Gerome‘s 1896 painting “Truth Coming Out of Her Well“.[11]
Noeline Hofmann – Dublin Blues
Noeline Hofmann is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Bow Island, Alberta. She gained popularity for writing the song “Purple Gas” and collaborating with Zach Bryan to record it in 2024.[1] She is currently signed to La Honda Records.[2]
Nominee – BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
from her Instagram account
noelinehofmann My cover of Guy Clark’s ‘Dublin Blues’ is out now exclusively on @amazonmusic 🍀 ✨ 🎻
I’ve been drawn like a moth to flame to this song from the get go. It’s been wrapped up in my fate and been a most daring companion leading me down paths I never imagined walking, some of the most meaningful experiences of my life. It has haunted me, taught me, lit me up, lifted me up, written me a chapter.
I brought this song to the setlist in June, the band & I were about to play the biggest shows of our career in Dublin, Ireland on tour with Zach. It has become my favourite song to sing this year, and has ended up staying in the set long past its initial lifespan plan of 3 nights in Dublin. It’s a magic song.
Both Noeline Hofmann and Cameron Whitcomb are both from out West (Alberta and BC). Hofmann was nominated for Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year and Alternative Country Album of the Year at the 2025 Canadian Country Music Association Awards. In September 2025, Whitcomb performed at the 2025 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, where he tied for the most nominations with six in total, and won Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year and the Fans’ Choice Award.
The New Pornographers- “Pure Sticker Shock”
Canadian favourites The New Pornographers’ have a fairly new song out that Pitchfork kinda likes. It will be on a new album due later this month.
Labi Siffre – “Far Away” – Unfinished Business
Labi Siffre is an 80-year-old British singer, songwriter and poet. The only thing I knew previous about Siffre is that Madness had a fairly big hit with his song “it Must Be Love” in 1982.
Siffre now has released his first record in almost 30 years.
This Pitchfork article includes a pretty cool excerpts from a contemporary concert at the BBC.
Bob Lind – “Feel My Heart (That Other World)” – It Oughta Be Easy
Bob Lind is an American playwright, novelist, and singer-songwriter. I had never heard of him, but he had a worldwide top 5 hit in 1966 with the song, “Elusive Butterfly”. I took a listen and instantly recalled it.
The song was covered by dozens of artists.
Similarly, the flip side of the single was “Cheryl’s Going Home”. I was familiar with this song via versions by The Blues Project.
and John Ottway.
Another octogenarian on today’s podcast, Lind has released 7 albums since 1966 but 3 have been in the last 10 years.
This is a pretty cool song from 84-year-old.
Twisted Teens – “Circus Clown” – Blame the Clown
This punk duo comes out of New Orleans where they channel American country, punk and folk music. To quote, “the duo’s second album is full of tonal psychosis, whip-smart melodies, chatty pedal steel, and nifty, out-of-pocket lyrical assertions. It’s rare to find a band this good this early.”
Case in point:
Jill Scott – “Be Great” [ft. Trombone Shorty] – To Whom This May Concern
Jill Heather Scott is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She made her debut in 2000 with the album, Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1. This went platinum as did her next two releases. Once again, I plucked this number from Pitchfork Magazine’s “15 songs you should hear this week” list. It doesn’t disappoint.
This is taken from her 6th album and the first since 2015.
Whole-Hearted 
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