In The Country With Dave Woods

Quebec's Justine Blanchet drops by the podcast to share hew new single with us! While Justine divides her time between her native city of Montreal and Nashville, “Hard to Love” represents a lot of notable Nashville firsts for her. It’s her first collaboration with hitmaking Nashville producer Danick Dupelle (Emerson Drive, Tebey, Tyler Joe Miller, Matt Lang), her first single to be produced in Music City, and the upcoming music video was also filmed there. This single is also the first release from her debut EP that will drop in 2023. She’ll be returning to Nashville in the fall to finish it. Written by a trio of noted songwriters - Courtney Cole, Derrick Southerland, and Kelly Archer – “Hard to Love” offers an inviting country flavour crossed with modern pop in its examination of love that’s just out of reach. “Hard to Love” follows eight past single releases for Justine – including 2019’s “Strong” (over 175K streams on Spotify) and 2021’s “Get Out of the Mud” (#4 on CBC Country/Sirius XM) – and live sho

Kitchener, Ontario's Angeleica Appelman recently released her third single "U-Turn". The song was written by Angelica along with David Madras. “I love the story we’re telling with ‘U-Turn’ because it feels like such a relatable topic that we hear so often with the current dating landscape. I think this song reminds us to keep hope because it just takes that one person to change your perspective,” says Angelica. “We wrote U-Turn last fall and it was after a summer I spent with someone who treated me so well and had really transformed my mindset on romantic relationships," explains Angelica. "I wanted to write a song with a more positive outlook about being in the dating scene because I think it is a time where you can really grow by being open to new experiences and new people.” The new single is the follow up to Angelica's two previous releases "Happy Place" & "Guilt Trip". Tune in to hear my chat with Angelica about her music career, songwriting and latest release.

Multiple award-winning Alberta-based country band Nice Horse recently received a Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) award nomination for Video of the Year for their music video for "High School". In addition to being nominated as a band, the members of Nice Horse were also all individually nominated for CCMA Awards. Brandi Sidoryk (vocals/bass) was nominated for Bass Player of the Year, Tara McLeod (electric guitar) was nominated for Guitar Player of the Year, Katie Rox (vocals/banjo/acoustic guitar) was nominated for Specialty Instrument Player of the Year, and Krista Wodelet (vocals/drums) made history as the first-ever nominee for Drummer of the Year.  “We are beyond thrilled, and honoured to have received these nominations. As a band, it truly means a lot to be recognized for our musicianship. We love playing together and we love that other artists give us a chance to play for them too. We feel it is incredibly unique that we each got a nod for doing what we love to do, and really cool that Krist

Ontario's Shaylyn is here to chat about her music career, her love of traditional country music as well as her new single "Favourite Hello, Hardest Goodbye". It's the follow up release to her popular single "The Drink". Shaylyn released her first album in 2017 titled Lovin’ The Legends which included her very first penned original "Nana’s Little Girl" as a tribute to her supportive Nana. The great thing about Shaylyn's shows is she is keeping country music's past alive in the classic songs she covers. A modern girl with a traditional sound.  

Growing up in Merlin, Ontario, a small Canadian farming community near Chatham, Michelle Wright heard the rhythm & blues and Motown hits coming out of Detroit, just forty-five minutes away. But especially, she heard the strains of country music since her parents were both country performers. "My earliest memories of music are singing in the car or spending the weekend with my father after my parents separated and watching him put on a rhinestone-studded suit to perform in." As a young girl, she tagged along to countless shows. "We were never a family band, but I got a lot of inspiration and encouragement from my mother. That's where my love of country music really began." In 1992, Arista released  Now & Then whichproduced a total of six singles included, including "One Time Around," "Guitar Talk," "He Would Be Sixteen," and the song that changed everything,"Take It Like A Man." . One of the tracks on Michelle's new project - the lead single - is "Small Town,"  Michelle says: "It's a song that I co-w

Singing has been Raquel Cole's first love for as long as she can remember. She got her first guitar at the age of nine and started to write songs not long after that. She was inspired by hit songs she heard on the radio from artists like Shania Twain and Bryan Adams, but also from jamming with her dad, a drummer, in the basement learning how to play 70’s rock and roll.  After graduating high school, Raquel had planned to go on to study jazz guitar, but not being able to deny her desire to be in Nashville writing songs, she respectfully declined her acceptance to Capilano University in North Vancouver and instead made the move to Nashville. Her debut album "Personal Truth" was released in 2018. Raquel has also found success writing for other artists and claims her first Billboard Top 10 Country charting song recorded by superstar Marie Osmond. In 2020, Raquel became a semi- finalist for the Sirius XM ‘Top of the Country’ nationwide contest in Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Associatio

Signed to MDM Recordings Inc. in 2019, British Columbia’s Tyler Joe Miller quickly began to make a name for himself in Canadian country music and continues his meteoric rise with the release of his latest single ‘Wild As Her’. After releasing his gold-certified debut single, ‘Pillow Talkin’’ at the end of 2019, the catchy tune quickly earned him the title of iHeartRadio Future Star and became his first #1 single at Canadian country radio. What followed was an unprecedented and record-breaking climb with follow-up single ‘I Would Be Over Me Too’, which steadily rose on the charts and earned Miller the distinction as the first independent Canadian country artist to reach #1 at radio with their first two singles. Tyler Joe's debut EP Sometimes I Don’t, But Sometimes I Do has amassed over 20 million combined streams to date, with sophomore single ‘Fighting’ hitting the Top 10 and title-track ‘Sometimes I Do’ reaching the Top 5 respectively. Most recently, Miller was named SiriusXM’s 2021 Top of the Country winne

ANIKA's new seven-track EP Stand Still: Side A is a departure from her previous work and takes listeners on a journey of love's ups and downs through the her eyes. The project will be broken down into two EPs and one deluxe album, delivering a total of 14 songs that ANNIKA co-wrote, most of them with her JUNO award-winning husband Spencer Cheyne who also produced the project.  ANNIKApairs soulful melodies with heartfelt lyrics to create music that always leaves a lasting impression, as displayed in tracks such as "It Still Hurts," “Blind Love” and “Love Looks Like You”. Her sophomore single, "Encore” (a duet with Bett Kissel) debuted in the Top 10 on the iTunes country store and at No.48 on the iTunes All Genre Chart, accumulating over 150,000 overall streams in its first month of release.  The EP’s title track “Stand Still” was recorded as an acoustic song with only piano and vocals, highlighting the beauty of remaining quiet and content in a world that is in a constant state of motion.  ANNIKA also finds

Manitoba country artist Emma Peterson has just released her debut album Just For The Record available for streaming everywhere.. "I am so thrilled to release my debut album Just For The Record. This album encompasses my story and the first songs I have been able to share with the world," says Emma. "Just For The Record is about finding inspiration in goodbye, and in this case it is a fun song! Whether it be driving down backroads, or experiencing your first heartbreak - I hope this album will connect with others in the way that music has always connected with me. Songs like Maybe Tonight and Backroad Dreams are true stories of growing up in my hometown. I couldn't be more excited to share this part of me!" With little professional training outside of the YouTube tutorials she watched to teach herself how to play her $50 Walmart guitar, Emma's rise began in 2016 when she earned a top spot in CMT’s Chevy Tailgate Contest. Becoming one of the Top 4 finalists in the country, her original song was featured on

Saskatchewan's Shantaia is riding a big wave of success these days wth her top 40 Country single "Broke To Brand New", her recent tour as a show opener for The Washboard Union and her place as a semi-fnalist in the CCMA's SiriusXM Top Of The Country competition. In 2019, she was named the Saskatchewan Country Music Association's Emerging Artist of the Year. She has shared the stage with the likes of Kane Brown, Chris Lane, Ryan Hurd, Emerson Drive, and Charlie Major, and has performed on some of the top stages such as Nashville's Whiskey Jam, The Listening Room Cafe, Americana Fest, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, and Dauphin's Countryfest. Earning multiple Saskatchewan Music Award nominations, along with the SCMA  Award for Emerging Artist of the Year, Shantaia continued her climb to success with her most recent single "Had A Good Weekend" which landed placement on CMT, and became her highest charting single to date, hitting #354 on BDS Billboard and #52 on Mediabase. Tune in to learn all about Shantaia's

Alberta's Mandy McMillan visits the podcast to chat about her new single "Dream Catcher", the power of co-writing, life in Nashville & much more! A BIT ABOUT MANDY: Mandy was born in Edmonton, grew up in Stony Plain, and quit her job to move to Nashville for a music career after winning a CMT Canada contest over a decade ago. Since then, she’s made a number of music memories like opening for the likes of Trisha Yearwood and Blake Shelton and showcased at the 2018 Diamonds in the Rough series during Canadian Country Music Week, made the Top 10 of ole’s “Play for Publisher” for her 2018 single “Chasin’ the Ace”, played in a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, and showcased at Whiskey Jam.

Ontario's Elyse Saunders is here to chat about her summer anthem single "Free", her upcoming album, new music video & much more!

Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia's Todd Richard is here to chat about his new single "Take Your Own Advice", his time on 2008's CMT Canada Karaoke Star, influences, songwriting & more!

Steven Lee Olsen's latest single Can't Not is moving closer to the top 20 on Canadian Country Radio. It's the follow up to Hello Country which was the most added song at Canadian Country Radio when it was released. Steven recently married Canadian media personality Shannon Ella. Since moving to Nashville in 2004, Steven has worked tirelessly, honing his craft as an artist and songwriter, and all the hard work has paid off impressively. He co-wrote Keith Urban’s double-platinum hit “Blue Ain’t Your Color” – which in 2017 was named the NSAI Song of the Year and crowned “Single of the Year” at the CMA Awards, in addition to being nominated for “Best Country Song” and “Best Country Solo Performance” at the 59th Grammy Awards, and “Song of the Year” at the ACM Awards. He also co-wrote Kip Moore’s #1 hit “More Girls Like You” and co-wrote Dallas Smith’s Platinum #1 hit “Drop” as well as numerous cuts for other stars including Garth Brooks, Billy Currington, Rascal Flatts, The Judds, Emerson Drive and more.

Alberta's Duane Steele is here to chat about his new single Bonfires & Guitars - written with Tim Taylor - which is the title track from his recently released album. Duane also talks about some of his influences, his George Jones tribute show, shares advice on songwriting and takes us back to the late 1990s with a great ballad of his called "The Trouble With Love".

Alberta's Nice Horse consists of members Krista Wodelet, Brandi Sidoryk, Katie Rox & Tara McLeod. Krista joins me on the show to chat about the band's latest news & music. Their new single is "Cowgirl" written by Tara, Brandi and fellow country artist Jason Blaine. Krista also chats with me about what being a Cowgirl means, working with producer Jeff Dalziel, tells us the story behind the band's name & much more!

Ontario's Greg Williams is here to chat about his current album The Mistakes I've Made produced by Mike Little featuring the current single "The Right Side Of Goodbye". Greg won The Next Country Music Star talent competition in 2017 which led to a featured performance on the Havelock Country Jamboree stage. Among his influences is Sturgill Simpson. Greg leans towards that style and sound - not chasing the top of the charts but rather he's focused on making great authentic music. And you may hear him cover Prince's classic "Purple Rain" if you're lucky. Learning the fiddle at age 7, Greg has always stayed true to the roots of music and leaves it all on stage as if each performance is the last one. Greg had the chance to write a song on the album with solo artist & Road Hammer member Clayton Bellamy.

Victoria Banks - artist & hit songwriter - is here to share songs from her new album Uncovered featuring the lead single "Want". She recently appeared on NBC's Songland to 'pitch' a song of hers to Florida Georgia Line. Victoria has been nominated for 11 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards and was named CCMA Female Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year in 2010. Victoria wrote Sara Evans' Top 20 single "Saints & Angels" released in 2001. In 2009, Victoria - along with Johnny Reid and Tia Sellers - wrote Johnny's hugely successful single "Dance With Me". In addition, she has had cuts by over 100 artists including Carly Pearce, Lauren Alaina, Terri Clark & Cassadee Pope, Victoria chats with me about her Songland experience, about her hook book, which artist she'd love to have record one of her songs, what inspired her to write songs in the first place & much more!

Surrey, British Columbia's Tyler Joe Miller - signed to MDM Recordings Inc. in 2019 - just celebrated his #1 debut single "Pillow Talkin'". In October 2019, Tyler Joe was awarded the Ray McAuley Horizon award at the BCCMAs. It's an award that is presented to a new artist who has shown achievements in recorded and or live performances and celebrates their contributions to country music in British Columbia. Tyler Joe is here to share the story of how his #1 single almost fell short of the top spot, He'll also tell us which song is his all time favourite - and much more! And, of course, he'll share his brand new single "I Would Be Over Me Too" that is sure to have him climbing the country charts again,

Ottawa's Chris Labelle is here to share & chat about his new song Frontliners which is his thank you to all of those on the front lines of the Covid crisis. Plus, he'll chat about his influences, songwriting and will share two other songs including a duet with Genevieve Fisher.