Employee of the Myth

"Always having an open door to the success of other people - that's what Andy and Josh do in Canada...it's so beautiful". — Noel Webb

The longest serving drummer of Skydiggers, Noel Webb is celebrating 20 years with the band, and now considers them "family". He says playing with the band is like "having dinner together". 

Born in Birmingham, England, Noel's attraction to the drums started ...

"With Andy and Josh, it was - 'you're part of the band'. I still remember one of the early shows, Andy said at the end of the show on the microphone - 'we are all Skydiggers'. That resonated with me. So, [they were not only] very welcoming, but they gave us a lot of latitude—everyone—to do what they needed to do". — Derrick Brady

A mainstay of the Skydiggers sound for 12 or so years now, Derrick Br...

"It's lovely to think of being able to walk into a situation with 20 years of hindsight now...I really felt a part of it...I was able to bring my own ideas, right from the start" — Michael Johnston

20 years ago, keyboardist/songwriter Michael Johnston was—like so many of us—a Skydiggers fan. However, being a sideman in one of his favourite bands hadn't occured to him, since—at that point—he was performing his own...

"In Skydiggers, I can really be myself...there's a lot of trust" — Aaron Comeau

Guitarist Aaron Comeau can't really pinpoint a time when he was officially in the band, but one day he got up to guest at the annual Christmas show, and—as he puts it—he "never left the stage". 

A multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and producer in his own right, Comeau comes by his musical talents honestly: his mother i...

"I'm so lucky. It's like a fever dream sometimes." — Jessy Bell Smith 

Singer-songwriter Jessy Bell Smith is ever grateful, and continually in awe of being a Skydigger. In this interview, Jessy's love and respect for her bandmates, her gratitude for the music, and her deep dedication to the songs comes shining through. 

For almost 20 years, Jessy has been gracing the Skydiggers lineup, adding feminine warmth,...

In this special episode, you'll hear from all the current members of this beloved Canadian roots rock ensemble. In order of appearance, Andy Maize, Jessy Bell Smith, Noel Webb, Josh Finlayson, Derrick Brady, Aaron Comeau and Michael Johnston offer thoughts, highlights, and fond remembrances of the annual Skydiggers Christmas Show - a much-celebrated seasonal highlight in Toronto, Ontario.

The tradition continues! - t...

A continuation of Episode 18 with Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, this is a special live-off-the-floor recording session of Jim's song "Anywhere Else But Home" from his new solo album All The World Fades Away.

Recorded by Tim Vesely at Blue Rodeo's Woodshed Studio.

The band:
Jim Cuddy: acoustic guitar, vocals
Andy Maize: vocals
Anne Lindsay: fiddle
Jane Gowan: accordion
Tim Vesely:...

"Blue Rodeo...were at the vanguard of creating a national movement of roots music...that really captured peoples' imaginations in the late 80s early 90s, and continues to this day" — Andy Maize

"The thing about community is that there are a lot of opportunities to give...[The] Christmas show from Skydiggers always feels like a gift... like [they're] doing this as an offering...Their band has never ...

"At the end of the day, that's all there is. It's friends and community, or else you're on a desert island all by yourself" — Ron Macey

"Ronny came down [to The Spadina Hotel] to check us out. We did our set, and after, I said to Josh, "I don't give a sh•t how he plays, he looks so fantastic, he's in the band". — Andy Maize

In the days of classified ads and land li...

Whether it's creating Skydiggers classics with his long-time musical compadre Andy Maize, co-writing songs with heavy-hitters in Nashville, or composing music for television, Josh Finlayson places a high value on being a  collaborator. In Josh's words, "...no one has the best ideas always. Anyone can have the best idea at any given moment, and to recognize [that] is what being a good collaborator is all about..."...

Before becoming a co-founder of Skydiggers, guitarist/singer/songwriter Josh Finlayson developed a deep love of folk, country and roots music. While listening with admiration to Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia Tyson and others on his Dad's record player (or in the family station wagon),  his connection with the music bloomed. With the positive musical influences of his two older brothers, plus the hel...

"… that is my story - incomplete, but mostly the truth. About 5 guys in a Honda, making music, making memories, with nothing to lose" — Andy Maize ("The Situation")

With his new EP Goldslinger, Skydiggers co-founder Andy Maize is once again marking a milestone birthday with a triumphant solo release, and we find him hitting his groove, shaking his booty, and baring his soul.  With these 4 modern classic...

Since the early days of the band, Skydiggers have placed a high value on friends, fans, and collaborators. What started over 30 years ago as a few songs on a Monday night at Toronto's Spadina Hotel gradually bloomed, to become a vibrant and joyful community, rich with stories and songs, still thriving and growing today. 

In Season 3 of Employee of the Myth, we highlight a few key musical relationships that have devel...

"This is  a celebration of the two of us making music together...for over 35 years".
—Andy Maize

"I'm very grateful that people will come and see us and that we've made a connection in the lives of an audience - what a gift that is".
—Josh Finlayson

Un peu française, un peu optimiste, the final track on Bide Your Time is a joyous Django Reinhart-meets-Mills Brothers number - t...

"... it's about the cult of celebrity that we find ourselves in...people who are famous for being famous... one of those people was elected President of the United States." — Andy Maize

"Whatever the Cost"—the 5th track on Bide Your Time—reveals a perspective partially ripped from the headlines, but also gleaned from a more panoramic look at society and fame.

From stream of consciousness ...

"When you release [a song] it's no longer yours, so you put it out into the world, and it finds its own path..." —Andy Maize

Private thoughts, public work: a contrast that many artists and performers encounter, and Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson are no exception. Their ability to step back from their own personal challenges and present an all-embracing picture of the world may be one of their superpowers, but...

"...every time you get up on stage, you try to represent what you're doing, to the best of your abilities. You can have a sh*tty song or a sh*tty set, and then you can turn it around. That's one song at a time...night after night" —Andy Maize

In this episode, Andy and Josh explain how they stay positive when things get challenging, and how the band can be a safe haven when times are tough. They also tal...

At once current and timeless, "Just Another Lucky Day" calls out the behaviour of certain people in power and delves into the challenges faced by a divided society, while maintaining a deep warmth and strong melodic foundation.

In this episode, Andy and Josh talk pandemic times, working with producer Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie), and creating another "classic Skydiggers" track.

In additio...

Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson discuss the first track from their new EP, Bide Your Time. They talk about their approaches to 30 years of singing harmonies together, and how they arrived at a "kitchen-party-bluegrass-jam" style for this track. They also reflect on a long-ago tour in the Netherlands with a stungun-toting promoter named "Rudolph", and the time when Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip quoted their son...