
Send us Fan Mail Sled Island Festival Series: Discovery, Community & The AB Scene - A 2026 Recap What Happened When We Lived It (and Why The Sonic Collective Is Changing) Darren Scott recaps The Sonic Collective’s first on-location coverage at Calgary’s Sled Island festival, describing four days of interviews, discoveries, and constant schedule changes alongside photographer Kelly Shaw. Starting with JJL at Central United Church, Darren highlights shows by Brock Geiger, Sun Glacier...
Sep 8
1 hr 42 min

Send us Fan Mail Arlo Maverick | The Sonic Collective Sled Island Festival Series and Introducing The AB Scene The Sonic Collective’s Sled Island series comes to a close with an interview with Edmonton hip-hop artist Arlo Maverick—and with this episode, we open the door to something new: The Sonic Collective: The AB Scene. A four-time WCMA nominee, Arlo has built a reputation for thoughtful, relatable hip-hop that blends sharp wit and wordplay with elements of Afrobeat, gospel, soul and EDM....
Aug 28
56 min

Send us Fan Mail The Sonic Collective: Sled Island Festival Series Kelly Shaw on Experiencing Sled Island 2026 Darren Scott sits down with his good friend and fellow music lover Kelly Shaw to talk about experiencing Sled Island 2026 together. Kelly joined Darren for four days of shows, helping gather audio, photos and video while discovering artists, venues and sounds from across Calgary. They talk about the highlights, surprises and unexpected discoveries of the festival, from ambient music ...
Aug 22
33 min

Send us Fan Mail The Sonic Collective: Sled Island Festival Series Ben & Basil Leon on Sled Island, Music & Community Darren Scott talks with Dandy Brewing’s Ben Leon and his teenager Basil about their experiences at Sled Island 2026. Ben brings a unique perspective as a musician who played at the very first Sled Island, while Basil shares what it’s like experiencing the festival as a young music fan limited to all-ages shows. But the highlight of the conversation comes when Basil tel...
Aug 21
47 min

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Sonic Collective, we take a deeper look at an artist we all knew by reputation but had never fully explored as we review Chris Stapleton’s 2015 debut album, Traveller. We praise Stapleton’s powerful, emotionally expressive voice, songwriting background, and ability to blend traditional country with blues, rock, and soul, with particular attention to the album’s storytelling, authenticity, and Stapleton’s musical partnership with his wife, Morgane. We al...
Aug 18
37 min

Send us Fan Mail Sonic Collective Album Pick (June 2026): David Byrne & Brian Eno — My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981) The Sonic Collective hosts Alain, Scott Gregory, Darren, and Scott Coates discuss Scott Coates June 2026 album pick, David Byrne and Brian Eno’s 1981 collaboration My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, chosen after Scott got tickets for a David Byrne concert and wanted to explore beyond Talking Heads hits. They frame the record as an early blueprint for modern sampling and lo...
Jul 7
38 min

Send us Fan Mail Sled Island: The Festival That Changed Calgary Music | The Sonic Collective Darren Scott of The Sonic Collective introduces a solo Sled Island 2026 segment. He frames Sled Island in Calgary as an affordable, volunteer-driven, multi-venue “festival of discovery” that prioritizes community, diversity, and intimate live experiences over headliners, algorithms, and phone-first “Instagram moments.” The episode traces Sled’s origins in 2007 under Zak Pashak, its evolution beyond i...
Jun 30
1 hr 20 min

Send us Fan Mail Conrad Montana (Les Gigantiques) on Sled Island, Calgary’s Music Scene & a 20-Year-Old Album Finally Released Darren Scott of The Sonic Collective continues the Sled Island series with a conversation featuring Conrad Sawatzky (Conrad Montana of Les Gigantiques), a longtime Calgary musician who has been active in bands including Anxious Poets, the Shinolas, Cripple Creek Fairies, and The Deadly Skulls. Conrad shares his musical beginnings, his role in local preservation e...
Jun 16
33 min

Send us Fan Mail K-Riz on Sled Island 2026, Calgary Hip Hop, and One Way Ticket to Heaven | The Sonic Collective In this Sonic Collective Sled Island series episode, host Darren Scott interviews Western Canadian artist K-Riz ahead of Sled Island 2026, discussing his journey from Edmonton and Toronto, his genre-blending sound (hip hop, R&B, pop, jazz, reggae), and his reputation for powerful live shows with K-Riz and the Family. K-Riz shares how he first connected with Calgary’s scene, hi...
Jun 16
24 min

Send us Fan Mail Brock Geiger on Sled Island 2026, Calgary’s Music Community & His Debut Album “Some Nights” | The Sonic Collective In this Sonic Collective Sled Island series episode, host Darren Scott interviews Calgary-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and audio engineer Brock Geiger ahead of Sled Island 2026. Brock shares how he started playing music in Calgary, learned touring and studio life through bands like The Dudes and Reuben and the Dark, and built his produc...
Jun 16
30 min
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