Employee of the Myth

“We never set out to reinvent the wheel, but maybe to be another spoke in the wheel” —Andy Maize

“Everything’s a bluegrass tune to me” —Josh Finlayson

Music can make friends.  And that's how this friendship started.

In the shadow of the Hi Fi's, Handsome Ned and Cowboy Junkies, at a time when traditional country music was the soundtrack of Toronto's Queen Street West, a musical partnershi...

From the Skydiggers universe comes a new project.

Inspired by their setting on Prince Edward Island and inspired by the world events of the day,  Andy Maize and Skydiggers guitarist Aaron Comeau have created a new collection of songs that is both ambitious and contemplative.  Songs that rouse the spirit and house moments of melancholy and peace.

They are Captains of Everything. The album is Avast and Belay!

Even with its' fi...

"There's a certain level where Josh and I are the bosses, but musically, we're all equal." - Andy Maize

Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson are two of the founding members of Skydiggers.

Some 35 years into their musical journey, and on the eve of the release of the band's 20th studio offering, the 14-song Dreams and Second Chances, Josh and Andy offer a rare glimpse into their always-evolving creative process, the role of their ban...

"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 at a very early age, when he would...

"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 Brady was offered t...

"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 performi...

"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 is a pia...

"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, spirit, ...

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! - the next...

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: bass

more info:
ji...

"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 really let me down. I...

"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 lines, a young and dashing Ron Macey put a c...

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..."

Aside ...

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 classics, M...

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 develop...

"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 - the perfect chanson ...

"... 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 to the Sant...

"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 ...they're...