The RIFF Toronto
Welcome to The Riff, Toronto’s creative culture podcast brought to you by my-toronto.ca, where two internationally acclaimed artists (painter and animator Gary O'Brien and jazz fusion guitarist Jeremy Green) dig into Toronto’s entertainment scene. They’ll be hanging out with all sorts of creative minds...from music, comedy, sports, theatre and everything that lurks in between.
Episodes
16 episodes
How Publicists Turn Unknown Artists Into Stars (And Why Most Skip This Step)
The RIFF S2 - ep5 -Dawn Dwyer PappasShe kept Christina Aguilera fed during a breakdown, watched NSYNC turn into Beatlemania overnight in Toronto, and survived the hyper-corporate world of WWE. On this episode of The Riff Toronto, vetera...
From Uncle Trent's garage to iHeart's Top 40 Rock Charts
Johnny Ross - The RIFF S2 ep3Johnny Ross, frontman of Canadian rock band Learhaven, joins Gary and Jeremy on The Riff Toronto for one of our most honest and entertaining conversations yet. Johnny breaks down the wild chaos of tou...
Why 99% of Content Creators Fail (And How He Didn't)
Dontoverthinkitchip - The RIFF S2 ep2He quit a 6-figure insurance job with only $500/month coming in — and went $75K into debt chasing a dream. Three years later, he's landing brand deals with PlayStation, Nissan, the Toronto Bl...
Electronic artist’s guide to playing big lineups
Andrew Stasiw - The RIFF S2 ep1Toronto's underground EDM scene has a new king — and he built it from a laptop during lockdown.Andrew Stasiw of King and Queen Events joins Gary and Jeremy on The Riff to pull back the curtain on ho...
200M Streams. No Label. No Rules.
EMM - The Riff ep 12She climbed into a coffin full of biting worms — and kept singing. 🎵🐛In this episode of The Riff, Gary and Jeremy sit down with EMM — a classically trained, award-winning artist from Traverse City, Michi...
From Hitchhiker to Juno Winner: The Crown Lands Story
Kevin Comeau - The RIFF ep 11What happens when a kid hears Rush for the first time and his entire life changes? We found out.Kevin Comeau of Juno Award-winning prog duo Crown Lands sits down with The Riff to talk about the moment...
The World's Youngest Cheese Master Reveals What Most Food Lovers Get Wrong
Afrim Pristine - RIFF S1 ep10🎙️ What does it take to become one of the most respected names in the food world?In this episode of The RIFF, we sit down with Afrim Pristine, internationally recognized cheese master, entrepreneur, te...
Canada's Fishing Legend Reveals All
Pete Bowman - The RIFF -S1 ep.9Pete Bowman — Canadian fishing legend, TV host of Fishin' Canada (3.5M viewers), and Hall of Famer — sits down with The Riff for one of the most entertaining fishing conversations you'll ever hear.
The Hidden World of Private Chefs: What Clients Never See
Maddy Goldberg - The RIFF S1 ep8What happens when a Michelin-trained chef shows up to a food bank with no set menu and two hours to feed 100 people? Pure magic.This week on The Riff, hosts Gary O'Brien and Jeremy sit down with To...
Own a Piece of Your Favorite Song — And Get Paid Every Month
Tim Gallagher - The RIFF - S1 ep7What if your favorite song could pay you every month — forever?Most people have no idea that music royalties exist as an investable asset class. In this episode of The Riff, hosts Gary O'Bri...
Nervousness Is Just Excitement in Disguise — and Other Lessons from a Theater Lifer
Donna Garner - The RIFF - S1 ep6🎭🎵 She learned accordion in 8 days and booked a Broadway national tour. No big deal.In this episode of The Riff, hosts Gary O'Brien and Jeremy Green sit down with the extraordinary ...
Animation Producer Who Worked on SpongeBob, Van Halen & Netflix Reveals His Creative Secrets
Darin Bristow - The RIFF -S1 ep.5 What do SpongeBob SquarePants, Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen, and Kim Mitchell all have in common? Darin Bristow. In this episode of The Riff, Gary O'Brien and Jeremy Green sit down with one of Cana...
How a Guitarist Survived 800 Cruise Ship Shows, Broadway Pits & an AC/DC Tribute
Gino Del Sole - The RIFF S1 ep.4What does it take to play 800 live shows on a Norwegian cruise ship, hold down a pit chair for Mirvish's biggest Broadway productions, and dress as Angus Young for a living? Guitarist Gino Del Sole has do...
Why Canada's Best Bassist Refused to Leave
Rich Brown - The RIFF S1 ep3What happens when one of Canada's most accomplished jazz bassists sits down with his oldest musical friends and just gets real? This. Rich Brown — Juno Award winner, educator, bandleader, and one of Toronto's...
What It Really Takes to Stay a Working Musician
Staying a working musician for 30-plus years is harder than most people think — and Rick Menary has lived every part of it. In this episode of The Riff, we sit down with Rick, singer, guitarist, and co-founder of the Toronto blues rock band The...
She Speaks 6 Languages and Shreds Guitar. Now She's a DJ.
SamIAM - The Riff S1 ep.1What do classical guitar, extreme metal, six languages, and Toronto's underground DJ scene have in common? Meet Sam Green — known on stage as Samiam — and this episode will completely change how you think about ...
