My guest today is one of Nova Scotia’s finest songwriters, and one-time touring bass player for Stompin Tom Connors, Pictou County’s Dave Gunning.

His new album Field Notes wasn’t recorded in a traditional studio at all. It was captured outdoors in Australia, under a gumtree, with one microphone on Dave and two more pointed at the birds (kookaburras?). No isolation booths. No endless second-guessing. Just voice, guitar, and whatever the day decided to offer.

On one track, Angels' Share, a bird chirps perfectly in key during the instrumental and stops as Dave starts to sing again. The kind of magic you can't recreate in a studio.

We talk about the decision to record this way and the leap of faith he took by travelling to the other side of the world to do so with producer Mark Lang. We talk about co-writing Vincent Coleman with his dear friend, the late Bruce Guthro. And we get into the time Stompin’ Tom Connors hired him after what might be the most unconventional audition in Canadian music history.

Wanna get in touch?

Send an email to ⁠⁠whenwewakeradio@gmail.com⁠⁠

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⁠@whenwewakeradio ⁠& ⁠@theandrewshaver⁠

⁠When We Wake with Andrew Shaver⁠ is written, hosted, edited, and produced by ⁠⁠Andrew Shaver⁠ of ⁠Clever Hopes⁠⁠. The weekly radio broadcast is syndicated across Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia.

Theme song Got You by ⁠Noah Reid⁠

51. When We Wake with Dave Gunning