200 EPISODES! NINE YEARS! WHAT A RIDE!

What started as two music-loving buds bonding over record collections, The Stampeders, and a shared obsession with rock 'n' roll has turned into something bigger than we ever imagined.

For our 200th episode, we're taking a trip down memory lane, looking back at how Strange Grooves began, the incredible people we've met, the bands we've discovered, and the adventures we've had along the way.

From hosting live bands in our apartment to travelling the world, making lifelong friendships, and navigating some of life's toughest moments, music has been the thread connecting it all.

We're talking about what Strange Grooves has meant to us over the past nine years, why community and connection matter more than ever, and what's next for this wonderfully weird little thing we've built together.

And speaking of what's next... we've got some BIG news! New events, new merch, and Strange Grooves is officially hitting the airwaves with Strange Grooves on Air on Saint John's 107.3 Campus Radio!

To everyone who's listened, shared an episode, come to a show, introduced us to a band, or joined us for the ride, THANK YOU. You're the reason we're still here, and we're just getting started.

Here's to 200 episodes, nine years of friendship, and many more strange adventures ahead.

KEEP IT STRANGE!

Cait & Cherise

For Episode 199, we’re crossing the streams with Jai, host of Radical Fabulatorium on Local 107.3 FM, for a special collaboration all about music, creativity and the communities that keep both alive.

We chat about Jai’s journey from playing bass and promoting local shows to interviewing artists on the radio, and swap notes on what makes a great interview. How much research is too much? How do you get out of your own way creatively? And at what point do you stop overthinking and just make the damn thing?

We also get into the bigger role music plays in our lives and communities, from creating connection and combating isolation to the incredible sense of pride surrounding New Brunswick’s Francophone and Acadian music scenes.

Plus, it wouldn’t be Strange Grooves without some music recommendations. Jai throws Rolo Tomasi into the mix, we talk Turnstile, and there are a few more discoveries worth adding to your listening queue.

Two Local 107.3 shows, one shared love of music, and just over 30 minutes of geeking out about why we keep making, listening and showing up.

PS: Stay tuned for more strange things we have in the works with Local 107.3! 👀

Fresh off an unforgettable weekend at SOMMO Festival 2026, Dee Dee Austin joins Strange Grooves to talk about taking the stage, soaking up some massive performances, and leaving PEI with an even bigger vision for where her music could go next.

Dee Dee takes us inside her SOMMO experience, from connecting with fellow artists and exploring a potential collaboration with Down With Webster’s drummer, to seeing the sheer scale and production of Twenty One Pilots up close. Sometimes seeing what’s possible is enough to move the goalposts, and SOMMO gave Dee Dee plenty to dream about.

We also get into her journey as an Indigenous pop artist, building a career organically and staying focused on authenticity rather than awards or competition. She shares how artists like P!nk, The Beaches, and Goldie Boutilier have influenced her, not only musically, but through the way they’ve encouraged women to take up space and own their place in the industry.

Through it all, Dee Dee remains deeply connected to Abegweit First Nation and the communities she represents. As her ambitions grow, so does the map, with hopes of taking her music further across Canada and eventually to audiences in places like Australia and Germany.

It’s a conversation about representation, authenticity, dreaming bigger, and realizing just how far music can take you, especially after one hell of a festival weekend.

Turn it up and get to know Dee Dee Austin on Strange Grooves!

Until next time…Keep it strange!

For Volume 197 of Strange Grooves, we’re back LIVE at SOMMO Festival 2026 with Nick Earle & The Reckless Hearts!

After seven years of making music together, Nick and the band sit down with us during their Maritime run to talk about the journey so far, the music that shaped them, and what’s coming next as they prepare to head back into the studio.

Naturally, we spend some time digging through their musical DNA. From Iron Maiden, Queen and KISS to Dream Theater, John Mayer, Foo Fighters, The Beatles, The Tragically Hip, Hayley Williams, R.E.M., Megadeth and plenty more, the conversation becomes a trip through the artists, albums and live performances that helped turn four music fans into the musicians they are today.

We also put the band through a little “Solitary Sounds” scenario, forcing them to choose the records they’d want by their side if their listening options suddenly became very, very limited. The answers go everywhere; exactly how we like it.

Then we look ahead. After wrapping up festival season and heading home to Newfoundland, Nick Earle & The Reckless Hearts are turning their attention to new music, with pre-production on the horizon and plans to head to Kingston to work with The Glorious Sons team on their next studio release.

Influences, desert-island records, festival miles and new music on the way — another round of Strange Grooves, captured LIVE at SOMMO Festival 2026.

This one’s short, sweet, and straight from SOMMO.

For Volume 196 of Strange Grooves, we caught up with Nashville indie rockers Edgehill LIVE at SOMMO Festival 2026. Our time with them was brief; festival schedules wait for no podcast, but we made the most of every minute.

The guys give us a glimpse into Nashville’s thriving indie scene, where everything from hardcore to stripped-down indie rock is finding a home. We also hear about their first taste of Atlantic Canadian festival life — and, spoiler alert, we apparently made a pretty good impression.

Edgehill talks about the hospitality they experienced at SOMMO, the difference between festival crowds north and south of the border, and how much it meant to see people showing up early and sticking around for the opening acts. Safe to say, they’d be more than happy to make their way back to our corner of the world.

And because this is Strange Grooves, we couldn’t let them escape without getting a couple of unexpected music picks. That leads us to Lynyrd Skynyrd for those summer vibes and Aiden dropping perhaps one of the most wholesome Strange Grooves recommendations yet: “Rainbow Connection” by the Muppets.

It’s a quick one — but a good one. Nashville, Atlantic Canada, festival crowds, unexpected tunes, and a few Strange Grooves squeezed in before the clock ran out.

Strange Grooves is back in the middle of the action at SOMMO Festival 2026, and this time we’re hanging out with Altered By Mom — JUNO-winning songwriters Gina Kennedy (Bass/Vox) and Devon Lougheed (Guitar/Vox), joined by Max Trefler (Drums)!

Fresh off their SOMMO performance, Gina, Devon, and Max sit down with us to talk songwriting, touring, building a career as independent musicians, and the balancing act that happens when your creative life and business life become one and the same. Turns out, when music is both your passion and your livelihood, “turning off work mode” isn’t always so easy.

We dig into the world of co-writing and the sometimes tricky decision of figuring out which songs belong to Altered By Mom — and which ones are destined for somebody else. The band talks about why writing with and for other artists has become such an important part of building community, making connections, and creating a musical legacy along the way.

We also hit the road with Altered By Mom, talking about the places their music has taken them — from shows across Canada and the U.S. to an unexpected connection with audiences in Japan, where “Okay, Okay” proved that sometimes the right song doesn’t need a translation.

It’s a conversation with the whole band about songs, collaboration, life on the road, the business behind the music, and keeping that creative spark alive through all of it.

Strange Grooves is LIVE from SOMMO Festival 2026, and for Volume 194 we’re hanging out with Nova Scotia-born, Toronto-based rocker Loviet!

Fresh off the SOMMO stage, Loviet joins us to talk about the road from growing up in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, to playing massive festivals like Lollapalooza and Riot Fest and what it feels like bringing it all back east for a big festival set in PEI.

We dig into the sound that makes Loviet tick: a collision of ‘90s alternative and indie rock, 2000s attitude, and some perhaps unexpected pop DNA courtesy of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Loviet also gets into the strange boxes female artists still get put into, why rock music could use a little less gatekeeping, and why “alternative” might just be the perfect place for genres to get weird together.

There’s plenty of talk about keeping music pure, authentic and unwatered-down, including how Loviet and her drummer approached making the latest record as a tight creative unit. Plus, we look ahead to Debutant Deluxe, arriving September 18, featuring one final track that got its live debut right there at SOMMO.

Rock ‘n’ roll, pop production, creative integrity, genre lines that were made to be crossed, and a conversation captured right in the middle of festival season.

Turn it up. Volume 194 of Strange Grooves with Loviet — LIVE from SOMMO Festival 2026!

BEN MURPHY IS BACK! 🎶🔥

Strange Crew, one of our favourite festival people is back on the pod! We caught up with Ben Murphy of Whitecap Entertainment between Cavendish Beach Music Festival and Sommo to talk all things Sommo 2026.

We get into what’s new at the festival this year — new stages, more vendors, incredible food, more seating, and all the different ways you can experience the weekend. Whether you’re living in the pit, wandering between stages, eating your way across the festival grounds, or looking for a more laid-back festival experience, Sommo has a little something for everyone.

And, of course, we HAD to talk about sombr. 👀

After seeing him literally arrive ON STAGE IN A CAR at other festivals, there’s only one question left:

What the hell is sombr going to do at Sommo?!

Beyond the lineup, food and festival logistics, this conversation is really about what makes Sommo special: music, community and bringing people together. Ben and the Whitecap Entertainment crew genuinely love what they do, and you can feel that energy throughout the entire festival.

It’s Maritime hospitality. It’s good food. It’s great music. It’s a damn good time.

That’s Sommo.

🎟️ Grab your Sommo tickets at sommofest.com and come meet us there!

KEEP IT STRANGE 🤘
— Cait & Cherise