Graventown
Graven
A kindness, positivity, mental health and music-magic-based informal conversational town hall created, authored, and produced by award winning Canadian singer songwriter and ex-journalist Matty McKechnie (known musically as Graven). Whether he has acclaimed or interesting pals, comedians, musicians or artists to interview - or even if it's just a solo-yolo convo that he "sends into the universe", Matty would always want you to know that you - whoever and wherever you are - are ALWAYS welcome in Graventown.
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Top 10 Graventown Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Graventown episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Graventown for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Graventown episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Episode 15 - Interview w/ Danny Michel
Graventown
01/28/22 • 43 min
Episode 15! Holy mother of pearl; who'd ever thunk it? Thank you for being a part of this fun, zany, welcoming little vibrant community called Graventown. As a very special guest for this monumental episode, I was very lucky to connect with Danny Michel. The only good thing about not shopping in record stores anymore is you won’t have to figure out what genre to look for Danny under. If that were the case, you could try looking under, rock, pop, folk, world or even classical. His own self-described musical A.D.D. has kept his music fresh for decades. Maybe it has something to do with being born next to a candy factory, or his ambidextrous brain, but his thoughtful lyrics & charming performances have earned a devoted fan base, multiple nominations for Junos, The Polaris Prize, CBC’s "Heart Of Gold", and most recently winning the CFMA's "Producer of the year" and "Oliver Schroder Pushing the Boundaries" Awards. But Danny considers his career highlights to be the unique real life moments like performing for Jane Goodall’s 85th birthday party, touring with Stuart Mclean and working with charities close to his heart. We had a nice long chat about music, covid, spotify, genre-hopping, his own self made super intricate tyco car track in house called #danlandiagardensspeedway and recording songs on a Russian icebreaker with astronaut Chris Hadfield. Follow Danny's musical adventures at his website. Follow me on SM under @gravencanada! I do a live music show every Thursday at 9 PM EST on Instagram Live called Graventown - come hang. Check my new U2 cover video here. New album "Simple Complex" coming out FEB 25!!! #simplecomplexgraven #newalbum #gravencanada #singersongwriter #gravenandthenewband
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
1 Listener
09/07/23 • 27 min
Ballers. What's the shot? Here's another Carcast on one of my 78 trips to Toronto in 2023. Just kidding - but I bet I went to that lovely city about 7/8 times this year. It's like muscle memory for my Civic, now. I just punch in the coordinates and take a nap. But in all seriousness, this was before playing a showcase show at Great Lakes Brewery for the Four Winds Festival that happened on July 14-16. Great Lakes is a beautiful beer making machine filled with lovely folks and I had a splendid time getting connected with their crew. My main man Russ Boden met me down there and we shared a few pretzels. Anyways - enjoy the pod, you filthy animals. Love you.
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
02/28/23 • 48 min
My golden goose of a wild creative energy guru guest today in Graventown almost needs no introduction, but he's gonna get one anyway. We talked about music, art, creative forces, manifestation and the modern age of content creation and it was a real lovely chat. Stephen Paul Taylor is a Neo-Synthpop-Punk, genre-hopping artist who graced hundreds of stages all over Europe, went viral (10 million views across all platforms) and had his music featured in a commercial for Spotify. His shows are electrifying, energetic and colourful and he has attracted attention from the likes of Dieter Bohlen (Modern Talking) and Dick Valentine (Electric Six). After playing with the duo Trike (Taylor and Xania Keane) for five years, Taylor decided to strike out on his own in 2013. Armed with his keyboard and a handful of songs he began playing in the streets of Berlin, Stephen immediately began booking shows. In November 2014, he was filmed briefly playing his song EKSF and went viral. This virality led to him getting booked all over Europe (touring 23 countries - Russia four times), playing on Das Supertalent and being interviewed from Arte, RTL2, RBB, Joiz.de TV and many more. He’s released a few albums, including 2020’s “Synthpop is Dead” (produced by Marco Haas aka T Raumschmiere) which garnered plenty of positive reviews. Stephen is currently working on a new album which features the talented Preston Heyman (Kate Bush, Terence Trent D’Arby) and Derrick McIntyre (Jamiroquai). His shows are known for being extremely energetic and lively, involving glitter, face paint, very catchy pop songs and a lot of love for his craft. He’s definitely quite a phenomenon. As Dick Valentine (Electric Six lead singer) stated “(SPT is) a firecracker!" I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Follow Stephen's wild creative journeys on his youtube channel and on insta here.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
MAR 3 - JETHROS (PETERBOROUGH, ON) - TICKETS
MAR 4 - THE ACOUSTIC GRILL (PICTON, ON)
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
Episode 8 - Interview with Eamon McGrath
Graventown
12/14/21 • 47 min
Fun to be back in the Graventown Podcast command centre - and I was lucky enough to catch up with a singer songwriter who is literally always on the international road; Eamon McGrath. Eamon McGrath is a Canadian musician and writer from Edmonton, Alberta and is currently based in Toronto, Ontario. On his own, his raw live performances are most often folk-oriented, where McGrath plays songs from his deep catalogue on acoustic instruments, but with a band the live show takes on a much more high-energy, punk rock influenced vein. Having just seen him open for his pals July Talk a few weeks back, Eamon was very open and candid with me about some hard times he's been through recently and we got very deep about songwriting. Have a listen and do your best to stay kind at all times.
Help me fund my next album by clicking here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gravencanada/simple-complex-a-porthole-into-gravens-15th-major-release #graventown #gravencanada
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
Episode 17 - Back In The Saddle
Graventown
03/08/22 • 37 min
Graventowners: It's been a minute since I've been in it. How are you? I have recovered from a sickness and I have a new album out in the ether called "Simple Complex" and I hope you go give it a listen. It's making some nice small waves! This was a just a re-entry podcast for me to warm up the pipes and fire up the mics and get out some words that have felt pent up for a while - and to catch up with both the universal goings-on and to find the good amidst all the bad right now. Please go download and support the album and come see me live either at March 18th at Irene's Pub or on March 26th at the Dominion Tavern! Links below. Yer loved:
NEW ALBUM "SIMPLE COMPLEX"
MARCH 18TH @ IRENE'S TICKETS (w Still Winter Hills)
MARCH 26TH @ DOMINION TAVERN TICKETS (w Eamon McGrath)
#graventown #gravencanada #simplecomplexgraven
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
Episode 30 - Interview w/ Tom Thompson
Graventown
12/05/22 • 52 min
Graventowners and Bright Eyes Turn-Arounders - what's the ham hock? This weeks brand new season 2 episode is all about someone who has become a big chef in the country kitchen mess hall of Camp Graven; Mister Tom Thompson. Being born in Toronto and never really fitting in in high school, Tom had his consciousness blown wide open when he went with his sister to see U2 at Maple Leaf Gardens on the Unforgettable Fire tour. Having similar experiences at shows ever since, the once mod and metal-obsessed Tom has morphed into a sonic mainstay in the Ottawa music scene and has probably played on an album that your friend released. Having made magical sounds with epic acts like Toque, That's The Spirit, Orienteers, Still Winter Hills, Jim Bryson, Kathleen Edwards and of course yours truly (Graven), Tom has had the chance to open for and share stages with The Flaming Lips, 54/40. Kim Mitchell, The Grapes of Wrath and just recently Stephen Stanley and Ron Hawkins from Lowest of the Low and Chris Brown from Bourbon Tabernacle Choir. Tom is also a podcast producer for Library Archives of Canada and now runs his own deep dive music podcast called TNT's Hit Songs from Mars. It was a pleasure to chat with this lovely human today.
And you can catch Tom and I on tour this weekend, as the gritty Graven duo:
DEC 9: Linsmore Tavern - Toronto, ON
opening for Stephen Stanley
DEC 10: Hotel Wolfe Island - Wolfe Island, ON
opening for Stephen Stanley
Info, tickets and times here.
#graventownpodcast
#TomThompsonTheToneAdmiral
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
Episode 51: Interview w/ Jenn Grant
Graventown
10/24/23 • 34 min
Podpals. Thanks for following the good ship Graventown into the night. After a short hiatus, we are back in the saddle with episode 51 (can ya believe it?!) featuring the fierce fiery phenon music maker Jenn Grant. Jenn Grant’s music is deeply empathetic and generous of heart, so of course one day she would invite the whole country to make it with her. Champagne Problems, her eighth album and first in the producer’s chair alongside partner Daniel Ledwell, gathers 13 musicians from coast to territory to coast in a series of collaborative Canadian magic tricks spun into classic country, lost disco hits, and ruminative folk fables. Featuring folks like Kim Harris, Aquaculture, Basia Bulat, Afie Jurvanen aka Bahamas, Dan Mangan, Hannah Georgas, Kevin Drew, Amy Millan AND more, Champagne Problems is now in the world on platform of your choosing. We had a real deep and honest chat and I hope you listen in.
Hope to see ya for my final full band shows of 2023!
Oct. 28 - House of Targ - 9 PM - w Reverb Syndicate and Tin Constellations - $15
Nov 11 - Super Special Secret Show w Secret Guest! Stay Tuned!
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
Episode 68: Interview w/ Byron Bertram
Graventown
10/08/24 • 29 min
Friends - welcome back to the G-town get-down yet again. Musicians and comedians often feel like we are distant relatives; there's a correlation but we can't exactly put our finger on that common throughline. But also, with any performer, there's something beautiful about being out of the spotlight and just laughing. My guest today is one of the funniest people I follow online and he keeps getting funnier by the day; Byron Bertram. Like a bird flu on an international flight, Byron Bertram travels well. His innate talent for voices and accents and confident vulnerability have taken him worldwide and established him internationally as one of the world's top Canadian comics. He has worked on stage with the likes of Zach Galifianakis, Flight of the Concords, and Eddie Izzard; was a hit with the judges on Brits Got Talent, has been seen on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, Dirks Gently, Riverdale, and heard regularly on SiriusXM. His new comedy special "Live At The Biltmore" (released under the massive comedy label 800 Pound Gorilla) will air on YouTube on November 10th.
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
Episode 34: Interview w/ Jill Barber
Graventown
01/26/23 • 34 min
Gadzooks - this is one gold nugget of a special Graventown episode as my guest is a songmaker who, in my mind, makes music that is not of this world. Having spent the last 20 years playing nearly every folk and jazz festival in Canada and captivating audiences across the globe in Japan, Europe, Australia, Mexico, South America, the USA and the Middle East, JUNO and ECMA award winning Jill Barber, with her new album "Homemaker", delivers ten quietly profound songs about the complexities of motherhood, marriage, and the struggle to feel at home in one’s own identity. Homemaker is a return to Jill’s folk roots. Whereas her most recent albums have been bathed in lush string arrangements, Homemaker sees emotions laid bare, with a stripped-down production style reminiscent of her acclaimed debut Oh Heart and double Juno Award nominated follow-up For All Time and it drops on February 10th. We had a real deep and all-encompassing convo and I hope you enjoyed listening as much as I did. Much love, pals.
UPCOMING GRAVEN SHOWS:
FEB 4: 27 Club (Supporting The Killjoys + Pkew Pkew Pkew) | Ottawa, ON | TICKETS
FEB 17: The Rod and Gun (Songwriter Series) | Toronto, ON
FEB 18: Free Times Cafe (Music City North Showcase) | Toronto, ON | TICKETS
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
07/05/23 • 33 min
Fishes of the pod pond; I have not been casting my pod-reel and for that, I apologize - but I've been extremely busy (like a buzzing pollenating bee in a hive of wild music/dad life activity) - so I hope you've been alright with the unannounced hiatus, but just like that - Graventown is back bbz. Today on the podcast, I was very lucky to snag a few golden minutes from a jewel of a human who is always shining and glimmering in many different musical directions; Craig Smith. Craig is a Collingwood, Ontario songwriter in the great folk rock band called Ontarians but he is also a sound engineer, producer, multi instrumentalist, father, renaissance man and just an all around swell fella. He and I became fast pals when he was the entertainment coordinator of a magical spot in Collingwood called Crow Bar and Variety. He had me back quite a few times to take that lovely stage with my band, and a friendship sparked. He and his partner Ariana Dalie are the main lynchpins and curators for a brand new festival called Four Winds Music Festival (in Durham, Ontario on the lovely Riverstone Eco Retreat grounds) and it's all happening July 14-16. I am playing at the festival with my full five alarm band along with some amazing superstar and up and comer acts like Sarah Harmer, Danny Michel, Elliott Brood, Julian Taylor, Queen M, Mountain Head, Jolie Smith, Alysha Brilla and so many more. We had one heck of a lovely chat. For more info about Four Winds, head to the website for tickets and showtimes and I truly am "stoke-level-zebra" to see any and all Graventowners there.
Catch me in a town near you (as I head out on tour soon with Stephen Stanley from The Lowest of the Low and The Stephen Stanley Band) by visting my website to see where I'm playing. If people can hate for no reason, I can love for no reason - and I love you. Thanks for stopping by Graventown. Yer always welcome here. As a full time independent artist, you can support me by joining my SUPER RAD subscription service at https://ko-fi.com/gravencanada
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FAQ
How many episodes does Graventown have?
Graventown currently has 69 episodes available.
What topics does Graventown cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Graventown?
The episode title 'Episode 15 - Interview w/ Danny Michel' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Graventown?
The average episode length on Graventown is 42 minutes.
How often are episodes of Graventown released?
Episodes of Graventown are typically released every 7 days, 22 hours.
When was the first episode of Graventown?
The first episode of Graventown was released on Sep 29, 2021.
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