The Vocal Lab

On today’s episode of the show, I welcome back Rob Hamilton guitarist, co-founder of Side One, and as his email signature will tell you: CEO of Rocking, for this 3rd episode in our 4-episode mini series.

We talk about the process of franchising Side One into other cities, a concept that is not often seen in the world of cover bands. Not only do we talk about the process of establishing the band in new cities, we also talk about ...

Meet Rob Hamilton, guitarist, bandleader, and entrepreneur. Rob and I have known each other for nearly 30 years, and we had such a great conversation that it couldn’t be contained into 2 episodes. So we have an extra special 4 episode arc with Rob!

Rob’s journey has taken him from full scholarship at Berklee College of Music, to Capilano College Jazz Studies, to touring with Lee Aaron, Soul Decision, and Vince Vaccaro, and becom...

Meet Rob Hamilton, guitarist, bandleader, and entrepreneur. Rob and I have known each other for nearly 30 years, and we had such a great conversation that it couldn’t be contained into 2 episodes. So we have an extra special 4 episode arc with Rob!

Rob’s journey has taken him from full scholarship at Berklee College of Music, to Capilano College Jazz Studies, to touring with Lee Aaron, Soul Decision, and Vince Vaccaro, and becom...

I am back today with part two of my interview with Michelle Markwart Deveaux, business strategist, personal development and mindset coach, author, speaker, and CEO of FaithCultureKiss Studios, LLC., and founder of The Speakeasy Cooperative. She teaches singers, actors, podcasters, and influencers to use their voice - physically and metaphorically. Michelle revels in the nitty-gritty of entrepreneurship, business shenanigans, and pe...

Today, I am so excited to have Michelle Markwart Deveaux on the show! Michelle is a business strategist, personal development and mindset coach, author, speaker, and CEO of FaithCultureKiss Studios, LLC. She is the founder of The Speakeasy Cooperative. She teaches singers, actors, podcasters, and influencers to use their voice - physically and metaphorically. Michelle revels in the nitty-gritty of entrepreneurship, business shenani...

I’m back today with part two of my interview with Jeff Neill. Jeff has so much gold to share!

We talk about the collaborative process, the songwriting process, the relationship between hard work and inspiration, and the necessity to let things go. Did you know that they looked at 300 songs before settling on the final 9 for the Thriller record? Using that as an example, we talk about the need to write, write, and write some more...

On today’s episode, I am honoured to have Canadian guitar legend, Jeff Neill of Streetheart and Jimmy Barnes fame. Jeff sits down with me and talks generously and honestly about the industry - the ups and the downs. We talk about his double duty, as he took over the business affairs of Streetheart in 2007. 

We talk about passion vs. formal education in music, the relationships that have helped Jeff throughout his career, an...

On today’s episode, we have part 2 of my interview with Emma Higgins, Juno-winning director, and honestly just one of the greatest humans.

Emma gives us the lowdown on what video budgets really look like, and what you can expect to get for each level of budget - from a videographer, to a trailer fully stocked with Grey Goose for you and your whole posse. We talk about how best to prepare for a successful video, how to get into d...

On today’s episode, I am thrilled to sit down with director Emma Higgins. Emma won a Juno award in 2021 for directing the Best Video of The Year ("No One's in the Room" - Jessie Reyez), and has been nominated again this year ("Fraud" - Jessie Reyez).

On top of chatting about the important relationships that have taken her on her career journey, what she’d do differently, what she’d do over again, and learning her craft, Emma is ...

On Today’s show, I’m back with Kelly Brock for part 2 of our interview. We get into important relationships in her career, and she has a great story about a surprising mentorship relationship with Richard Branson you have to hear! 

What it takes to have a career with longevity, the ins and outs of having a house gig, and then the journey of navigating out of said house gig into band-for-hire territory, and the cross-pollina...

On today’s episode, I have Kelly Brock, founder and director of VanHattan Entertainment Group. Kelly sings with the iconic Vancouver Party Band, Dr Strangelove, and is also a veteran on the Canadian Country music scene as a recording artist. Kelly has released four independent CD’s over the course of her recording career and also won The BCCMA's Lifetime Achievement Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2017. 

Kelly and I talk ...

In part two of my interview with Danny Craig, we get into the elements that have gone into his favourite projects. Danny explains how he structures his rates, and exactly what can be expected in the process. 

We talk in detail about the different stages, roles, and what they encompass: pre-production, recording, mixing, and mastering. We talk about why it’s worth recording different things in different rooms, and how it aff...

On today’s show, we have Danny Craig, a drummer, songwriter and Producer/Mixer based outside of Vancouver, Canada. Danny is also a founding member of the multi platinum rock group Default. As a writer, Danny plays an integral role in the co-creation of the ongoing Default catalogue. Additionally he co-writes with many of the artists he produces, and has seen success on rock radio with bands like One Bad Son and Bonds of Mara. In 20...

Today we have the second part of my interview with Craig Northey. Craig was so generous with his thoughts and knowledge gleaned from many years as a joyfully pro musician.

We talk about the realities of life on the road, and the importance of taking care of yourself and your instrument, in order to achieve what you’re setting out to achieve. Craig gives us the inside look at the extensive plan the band undertook in the early day...

Today on the show, we have Craig Northey, founding member of renowned Canadian rock band "Odds". Formed in1987 they crossed over into radio success, platinum awards and Juno nominations during the mid 1990s and have maintained their vitality to this day. Craig is also known for his work as a film and TV composer (Kids in the Hall, Corner Gas, Hiccups, Young Drunk Punk, This Blows). 

Craig and I talk about his music roots as...

Today we have part two of my episode with Saffron Henderson, professional voice talent. (And I do mean talent!) Saffron has spent a lifetime in the arts, and works as both a singer and voice over actress.

Saf and I talk about how to create community and celebrate with friends while also potentially being in competition with them for the same work, and the delicate balance of holding both things simultaneously.

Saf explains th...

Today, I’m thrilled to welcome one of my dearest friends, Saffron Henderson. Saffron and I have worked together in a lot of different capacities for a lot of years, starting with singing on a SunRype jingle as kids, and recently having a party band together for a number of years called The Ticket.

Saf has had a varied career, depending on her creativity, and largely relying on her voice as her main creative tool. In addition to ...

On the show today, we have part two of my interview with Mike Fraser, legendary rock and roll mix engineer. 

Mike and I talk about the importance of leaving the egos at the door, elements of his favourite projects, as well as difficult projects he’s worked on. Mike lays out the way he structures his rates, and emphasizes the importance of clarity around how much you’re spending and exactly what you get for that money, so th...

Today, I’m joined by world class mix engineer, Mike Fraser. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Mike since I was literally in utero, so there’s a long, long history to draw upon. 

Mike tells us his unique story of growing up in the industry, from starting out as a janitor at Little Mountain Sound, to living in the loading bay and assisting Bob Rock on sessions at night, right up through to his own career mixing ACDC, Aerosmith...