ckuwho who? ?
Listen to: Sunnyroad Fridays 10am-11am KEELEY BRAUNSTEIN-BLACK Stylus: What is Sunnyroad? Joan: It’s mainly a music program. I like to play a lot of local and Canadian music and focus on folk, roots, and crossover genres such as blues, country, jazz and pop and even some rock. I take the motto of Louis Armstrong who said “There are two kinds of music, the good and the bad. I play the good kind.” That being said, I confess a fondness for banjos and mandolins and ukuleles. I also like to play some older music even as old as the 1930s on occasion. Once in a while I have a guest and they bring in some of their favourite tunes or something based on a theme. I like to read a poem or share something from a book I am reading. I see Sunnyroad as a calm port in the storm of life, and I hope listeners feel that way too. I want to promote artists, introduce new work and celebrate the old. I enjoy the process of putting the show together and though I do not always state a theme, I suppose each show has its underlying vibe reflecting where I am coming from as I put the show together. S: What three words or phrases you would use to describe Sunnyroad? J: Authentic, roots-based, handmade. S: What inspired the name Sunnyroad? J: The song by Icelandic singer/songwriter Emiliana Torrini is where I got the name from. I thought it would make a good intro song for the show. It’s a morning show and it’s a positive song and conveys the kind of atmosphere I wanted to create. S: How did you get into radio? J: I was always interested in it, but it wasn’t till about 11 years ago when I saw Stu Reid emcee a folk fest stage and talk about CKUW and his show that I considered it. I told a friend of mine, and she was an old friend of Stu’s, and we met for coffee and he told me all about CKUW. I started volunteering and sitting in on some shows, like Stu’s show Twang Trust, Kent Davies’ Friday afternoon show highlighting local music, and Robin Erickson’s old time music show Hit the Big Wide Strum. All those people mentored me and helped train me. Six or Seven months later I was offered a time slot of Friday morning at 10 am. I’ve kept that time and it will be 10 years next month since I started Sunnyroad. It’s been a great pleasure for me. S: Currently who are your favourite musical artists?
04 Stylus Magazine August / September 2020
J: Well, let’s face it. There is so much music out there. And just not enough time. Christine Fellows and William Prince are two perennial favourites and of course John K Samson. I love Pharis and Jason Romero. The latest offerings by Alex Cuba, Charlotte Cornfield, waxahatchee, Joel Plaskett, David Myles, Phoebe Bridgers, Trampled by Turtles are all wonderful. Oh yeah, Gillian Welch. And I am looking forward to the new Kathleen Edwards. Songs of Our Native Daughters is a gorgeous album that will introduce you to musicians who all have their own solo works as well. I know I’ve left lots
out. Recently I’ve loved Miniscule from Ontario and Erica Mah from the Northwest Territories. Hey, send me your music if you think I’d like it. The Small Glories, Taylor Janzen, Big Dave Maclean, Sean Burns, Red Moon Road are all amazing local artists. Also The Bros. Landreth, Kaia Kater... Ok, see what I mean? Listen to Sunnyroad every Friday at 10:00 am on CKUW 95.9 FM PHOTO PROVIDED BY JOAN OF SUNNYROAD
