On today’s show:

• It’s International Strange Music Day, so I present to you New Brunswick’s own SIRR, with the delightful tune Sasquatch. Keep it weird!
• It’s time for a poetic smack down! The Fredericton Slam! is being hosted on The Cap Patio at 7pm tonight. While the ticket is free, they need you to purchase your free ticket in advance in order to facilitate social distancing. Tickets at: https://thecaplive.com/tickets/poetry-slam-august-24th . See the Facebook event for more details.
• Keith Hallett will be playing live on The Cap Patio on Wednesday night at 7pm!
• This Saturday is Record Store Day! So, visit your Friendly Local Record Store to pick up some awesome exclusives, cherished classics and local superstars. And once it’s all over, relax at 6pm on The Cap Patio the Heat $heets Record Story Day Drop Afterparty.
• I’ve loved many wonderful and weird theatre experiences right here in this city, and felt like celebrating a different kind of strange music with words! I looked back on 2019 when I spoke to Corinski and Nate about Theatre St Thomas’ #SWIPERS and UNB’s Alex Pannier and Devin Rockwell about The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble.

News updates:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported one new case of COVID-19 on Sunday to bring the province’s total number of active cases to nine.
• Provincial party leaders are back on the campaign trail this week.
• Police in Saint John are warning the public about a new employment scam making the rounds.
• Police say a 21-year-old Dipper Harbour man is dead after a two-vehicle collision just west of Saint John.
• Despite a global pandemic, the organizers from the Freddy Beach Ribfest had a successful weekend.
• Residents are asked to avoid certain brands of California peaches after a salmonella outbreak in the United States.
• A study by the Canadian Red Cross shows vulnerable seniors require more support during a pandemic and beyond.
• And after three ballots and several hours of delays, the Federal Conservatives have their new leader.

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On the show:

• It was the International Day of Medical Transporters, so make sure to get a card ready for the ambulance driver. It was also World Mosquito Day, so make sure to SQUASH THE BUGGERS.
• Earlier this year, we lost one of the longest-term members of CHSR, and the entire community lost a writer, poet, publisher and every-ready, on-the-ground, got-the-rig-and-gloves supporter of many theatre, music and art productions: Joe Blades. One of the things he was passionate about was unions, and I found this 2015 interview I did with him just before the STUSAU gained its first collective agreement.
• And also five years ago, I had a chance to talk with Maddy Macnab of Passages Canada about the country-wide story collection project, the results of which you can find on their website.

News updates:

• For the third day in a row, New Brunswick Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 yesterday.
• The People’s Alliance is calling for a three-year motor vehicle registration in New Brunswick.
• Green Party Leader David Coon says he has a plan that will save public transit in the province’s three major cities.
• With all jurors sworn in, the fitness hearing for Matthew Raymond is officially underway.
• Codiac RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing woman in Moncton.
• A tractor-trailer pulling a tanker has overturned on the Trans-Canada Highway this morning.
• It’s going to cost you a little extra to fill your gas tank after the Energy and Utilities board reset its pricing last night.
• And the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has released its 51-game pre-season schedule.

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On the show:

• It was Potato Day. How is this not a provincial celebration? I mean, maybe not this year…
• I really enjoyed the recent production of A Fifth Wall: A social distancing project by Herbert the Cow Productions and Nasty Shadows Theatre, and realized that I had spoken to Scott Shannon in 2019 about his ongoing character with the production of that year’s A Story Jones.
• And back in 2015, I spoke to Len Falkenstein about his original play Lac Athabasca, which reflected metaphysically on the tragic train accident in Quebec. Actors Alex Donovan and Jean-Michel Cliche join us to talk about the fake story about real events.

News updates:

• New Brunswick reported no new cases of COVID-19 yesterday afternoon.
• Blaine Higgs says he plans to change the way wellness checks are performed in New Brunswick.
• The jury selection for Matthew Raymond’s fitness trial will go into a third day today.
• A 28-year-old Fredericton woman is dead after an ATV crash over the weekend.
• Ten digit dialling for local calls within New Brunswick has been delayed for another two years.
• Fredericton transit users will soon be able to purchase monthly passes and single rides from the palm of their hand.  
• The University of New Brunswick says a new rose garden outside the Harriet Irving Library will be complete by this fall.
• And Chrystia Freeland is Canada’s new finance minister after Bill Morneau resigned Monday night.

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On today’s show:

• Today is both Men’s Grooming Day and Poet’s Day, so I’m thinking about an epic poem about my beard. Or a mediocre poet about my epic beard.
• The Food at the Ex is closed this weekend, but the good news is that Ribfest is back! It’s a drive-thru this year, opening at 11am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Fredericton Exhibition Grounds. The entrance is on Saunders Street.
• Weather may threaten some of the outdoor events this weekend, but you can be safe inside your car for the Delta Drive-in presentation of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark at 7:30pm tonight.
• Lots of music this weekend!
  • Homegrown will be playing on the stage at Dolan’s Pub on Friday and Saturday of this week at 10pm.
  • Morgan Davis LIVE & IN PERSON at The Tipsy Muse Cafe on Friday 7pm.
    See the Facebook event for more details.
  • A Night at the Movies Cabaret [THEATRE/MUSIC] streaming online from the Branch Out Productions page at 7pm.
    See the Facebook event for more details.
  • Weak Size Fish LIVE & IN PERSON at The Cap Patio on Saturday at 6pm.
    Tickets >>> https://thecaplive.com/tickets/weak-size-fish-august-22-on-the-cap-patio
    See the Facebook event for more details.
  • Frantically Atlantic LIVE & IN PERSON at The Tipsy Muse Cafe on Saturday at 7pm
    See the Facebook event for more details.
  • GIN & JAZZ with music by Bridge on Saturday starting at 7pm at the Southside Shake @ Hilton Garden Inn, 620 Queen St. Rain or shine!
    
• And maybe you want to get out for some fun? You can be Dragged Out Of Isolation at Klub Khrome on Saturday at 8pm.
  Do you love drag queens and kings? Are you looking to have a great time but also conscious of social distancing? Look no further! Klub Khrome welcomes you to our Inclusion Lounge where you can get fabulous cocktails and enjoy live entertainment! The space has been arranged to help maintain social distancing so you and your bubble can enjoy a night out safely. On August 22nd, some of the local drag scene are crawling out of Isolation to put on a show you won’t want to miss! Starring: Sasha Stratus; Porcelain Barbie; Ménage à Troy; Roxie Champagne; Nova Gyna; and Amour Love. Tickets will be sold in groupings of 4 or 6, $15 per person. Call 506-206-5582 to reserve your table over the phone, or come on down during Thursday Karaoke to reserve in person. Tickets are limited in the efforts of maintaining social distancing, so be sure to get your gang together and we hope to see you at the show! 

  * Tickets will NOT be sold at the door. Please call to reserve your table. *

• As we head back to an unusual term at the universities, food will an issue in a way that it never has before. Back in 2017 I spoke with some of the volunteers from UNB’s Nursing program who are part of a regular support group called It’s Not About Food.
• And a milestone was celebrated in 2018 with Motherhood on the 5th anniversary of Diamonds & Gold.

News updates:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 for the fourth day in a row yesterday.
• But the department of health did declare a small Salmonella outbreak in the north and eastern parts of the province.
• As public schools reopen in less than a month, COVID-19 tests will be available for asymptomatic teachers and other school staff.
• A Fredericton jury ruled yesterday Matthew Raymond is mentally fit to stand trial on four counts of first-degree murder.
• A group of supporters gathered in front of the legislature yesterday to call for an inquiry into three indigenous deaths.
• Police in Nova Scotia are asking for the public’s help to locate a missing Indigenous girl from Eskasoni.
• Downtown Fredericton’s sidewalk cafe season is being extended after numerous requests from local restaurant owners.
• And Ottawa is extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit by another four weeks.

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On the show:

• It was Bad Poetry Day, so I hope you managed to rhyme something with orange. It was also Mail Order Day, which sounds really quaint until you click “Order” on Amazon.
• Back in 2015, I spoke with Alex and Dylan about Theatre UNB’s production of Enron, a very weird play about a few, very important and terrible moments in history.
• And looking back even further in history, I spoke to Robin Whittaker and Bella of Theatre St. Thomas about their 2019 production of A Life of Galileo.

News updates:

• • New Brunswickers will be heading to the polls on Sept. 14.
  • New Brunswick reported no new cases of COVID-19 yesterday afternoon.
  • With yesterday’s election call, chief electoral officer Kim Poffenroth says returning offices will open gradually.
  • One hundred potential jurors lined up outside the Fredericton Convention Centre yesterday morning for Matthew Raymond’s fitness hearing.
  • As of yesterday, the provincial RCMP will publish monthly crime statistics on its website.
  • The City of Fredericton plans to reduce its energy consumption with financial support from the provincial environmental trust fund.
  • For the first time in over six decades, there won’t be any Canadian football this year.
  • And Canada’s Finance Minister, Bill Morneau, has stepped down.

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On the show:

• It was Black Cat Appreciation Day. If they carry anything special, it’s a magic that enthralls your heart.
• I’ve been curious about New Brunswick history — of which I know very little — so back in the fall of last year I spoke to Leanna Thomas on her work in Comparative History.
• And artistic expression is for people of any age, as my guests Diane, Jacqueline, Patricia and Margeret of Les B’Old Hags demonstrated when they came to the studio in 2018.

News updates:

• New Brunswick experienced a small spike of COVID-19 over the weekend with Public Health officials reporting six new cases.
• Lawyers for Jean-Robert Ngola say they plan to sue the provincial government and the Vitalite Health Network.
• The jury selection begins today for the fitness hearing of Matthew Vincent Raymond.
• The Red Cross says at least eight people were forced out of an apartment building by a fire last night on Moncton’s Noel Street.
• Perth-Andover RCMP are asking for the public’s help with its investigation into several break and enters at seasonal homes.
• Fredericton police are looking for the public’s help with identifying a person of interest on a Canada-wide warrant.
• A new poll shows most Atlantic Canadians haven’t left their home province since the travel bubble was announced in early July.
• And you’ll have to wait a while to access the Canada Revenue Agency website for government benefits.

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On the show:

• It was pretty simple on Thursday (for once): it was just Filet Mignon Day. (And probably something else for vegetarians.)
• Lainie B from Monday Night’s B Street has another instalment of  Positive Songs For Pandemics with The Arkells and Frank Turner’s song Hand Me Down.
• While we do hear The Grey by Kill Chicago, I mistakenly identified the interview. It was with Carter Chase, a sculptor who was in the Barracks as an Artist-in-Residence in 2016.
• And the short film The Beautifully Drowned by Jon Dewar won several awards, but before it was even done, I caught up with him in 2016 to talk about what was going into it.

News updates:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported one new case of COVID-19 yesterday afternoon.
• A proposal by Premier Blaine Higgs to avoid a potential snap election will be front and center again today in Fredericton.
• Education Minister Dominic Cardy begins his return to school briefings today.
• You’ll be paying a bit more to fill your gas tank after the weekly setting by Energy and Utilities Board.
• A man is facing charges after robbing a convenience store in Shippagan earlier this month.
• Woodstock RCMP are looking for the public’s help to locate a missing man from Piercemont.
• New Brunswick will hold Canada’s first jury selection and trial since the onset of COVID-19.
• And the national RCMP wants to hear from the voices of youth across the country.

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On the show:

• I hope you wrote something really nice for World Calligraphy Day. Seriously, you’re handwriting could use some work..
• I caught up with musician, composer, cellist, and experimental music creator Emily Kennedy this week. She’s listening to nature and turning that into music manipulated by a computer for her artist-in-residence this year at Odell Park.
• And I decided I was fed up with the heat, so I pull out my 2015 interview with John McIntyre about his book about chillier times, Deep Freeze.

News Update:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported one new case of COVID-19 in the Fredericton region yesterday afternoon.
• With COVID-19 making online presence more important than ever, two companies are teaming up to give Atlantic businesses a helping hand.
• A family of four has been forced from their home after an overnight fire east of Fredericton.
• The City of Fredericton is requesting design proposals from local artists for a new sculpture in Odell Park.
• A 25-year-old Sackville man has been arrested in connection with a drugs and firearms seizure in Lake George.
• Codiac RCMP are looking for the public’s help to locate a missing man in Moncton.
• Horizon Health has removed a COVID-19 test site because of a reduced demand to test for the virus.
• And a group of world-class sculptors will have to race against time and tides in a new reality show filmed in the Bay of Fundy.

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On the show:

• Time to treat yourself: it’s both Creamsicle Day and Tattoo Removal Day.
• And remember that this weekend is National Acadian Day! Bonne fête!
• Lots to do this weekend:
  • The New Brunswick Summer Music Festival has gone online this year, and has it’s last performance on Saturday night at 7:30pm: Potpourri!: A selection of musical tidbits from festivals and Gala concerts past- a variety of artists you will love to see again.
  • Enjoy GIN & JAZZ with music by Bridge at the Southside Shake in side the Hilton Garden Inn downtown from 7pm to 9pm on Saturday night.
  • There’s a special screening at the Delta Drive-in this Sunday night at 9pm called Repaving The Long Road Home.This Drive-In screening hosted by the Adoption Council of Canada showcases stories from filmmakers aged 13 – 29, exploring their experiences in foster care, with birth families, customary care, kinship care, adoption and/or aging out of care.

    Following the screening will be a panel discussion recorded by Youth Speak Out members aimed at educating legislators, policymakers, social workers, family court lawyers and judges, potential adoptive families, and other decision-makers what it’s like to be in foster care and why they need families who will stick with them long after they turn 16, 18, and 21.

    Limited to 50 cars, reserve your space today: https://bit.ly/2DvZJ5L

  • The first of the new Northside Creators Market at Picaroons Round House is set to open on Saturday at 8am, staying open until 2pm. If you’ve been missing your favourite creatives from the market that closed earlier this year, this is the place! 15 vendors are set to be there on opening day. Since it is indoors, masks will be required.
  • The Fifth Wall (a Social Distancing Project) has one more performance on Saturday night at 6:30pm at the Vanier Hall Parking lot at STU. You are asked to please bring your own chair. Space is limited to 50 audience members per night so RSVP is recommended! RSVP/send E-Transfer to: nastyshadows@gmail.com
  • And The Living Roots Festival 4.5 continues this weekend with the (sold out) show on Saturday at 3pm with Wicked Vices // Colourful Language // Atlas at The Cap; Saturday night at 7pm at The Tipsy Muse with Kristen Martell // Christian Howse; The Walking Contradictions at Grimross Brewing at 8pm; and Sunday features the Roots & Soul Showcase from 11am-3pm at The Cap.
• Since we’re on the verge of welcoming students back to campus (and they should be arriving around now), I thought I’d remind folks of some of the clubs on campus. I spoke with folks from the Pre-Law Society and The Debate Society in 2018.

News update:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
• Talks are expected to continue today between Premier Blaine Higgs and the province’s three opposition parties.
• Talks about the upcoming school year are bringing some changes to bussing and a new essential item.
• Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Indigenous peoples and leadership should be credited for limiting the spread of COVID-19.
• A Sackville man has received a total of eight charges after police searched a home in the region on Tuesday.
• A Fredericton man was sentenced to almost two years of jail time after a brutal attack that shattered his girlfriend’s face.
• Approximately 60 homes in Hanwell are under a boil water order after officials conducted a routine sample to find coliform bacteria.
• And a prominent name in the global theatre community is becoming the hero everyone needs.

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On the show:

• I don’t think I got the chance to mention that it was Play In The Sand Day, but if I know you, I’m sure you got it anyway. (If I don’t know you, I may be wrong.)
• Since it’s Water Quality Month, I felt it was a good idea to revisit my chat with Jared Durelle from last summer, when he spent time with the Nova Scotia Grandmother Waterkeepers. He shares his first-hand experience of the tension and fight to keep water protected from resource exploitation.
  • During the discussion, Jared requested a moment of silence for contemplation and respect. Unfortunately, on the replay, I needed to have some sound there, so I substituted a little natural sound:
  • • “Bird Song” recording from Fresound.org made by user johnaudiotech, and used under the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Licence
• I also pulled out a phone interview with Jenny Mitchell from 2017, when she was touring the country with a portable music venue on “The Golden Bus Tour”.

News updates:

• New Brunswick Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 yesterday afternoon.
• Wolastoqey chiefs say they’re disappointed Premier Higgs is ignoring calls to establish a public inquiry into the deaths of two Indigenous people.
• A 32-year-old Oromocto man is dead after a head-on collision southwest of Fredericton yesterday morning.
• Premier Blaine Higgs is asking provincial party leaders to sign an agreement to avoid an election before 2022 or until the pandemic is over.
• A Sussex man has been charged with possession of child pornography after an investigation by the Mounties’ internet child exploitation unit.
• Sussex RCMP are looking for the public’s help after a dog was shot and killed in Waterford earlier this month.
• The City of Fredericton has received $90,000 from the province’s environmental trust to help fund three different studies.
• And U.S. President Donald Trump was evacuated from the white house briefing room yesterday after shots were fired outside the building.

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