Sharon Shorty and I first met back in 2005 when I worked at the Yukon College Library with her awesome husband, Derek Yap. Sharon was born and raised in Whitehorse and is a member of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation. She is a storyteller, beader, regalia maker, wife, playwright, mom, and actor. But what I …
Howard Chymyshyn (aka Chymy) was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta in 1946 (my mom was born in the very same town 10 years later). His parents were both in the Army, and when Howard was young, the family moved to rural Manitoba. At that time, everyone was afraid of the atom bomb so they kept …
We decided to go back to where it all began. The first jam night that Peggy Hanifan ever hosted was at the Kopper King and that is where we found ourselves on none other than a good old “Thirsty Thursday”. Barry “Jack” Jenkins moved from Newfoundland to Whitehorse 16 years ago to live with his …
If you haven’t met Saxophone Freddie up in Dawson City, you should. He is, after all, the first face you see when you fly into Whitehorse — if you enter through the new side of the airport. There is a huge photo of him playing… you’ve got it, the saxophone. When Fred was in Grade …
I’m almost at the Tagish Bridge when 106.7 CFET kicks in and the truck is flooded with Estonian pop music. I’m on my way to interview the fellow that makes this happen. I spent some time growing up in Tagish, and it’s there that “Radio Rob” Hopkins continues to be a close neighbour to my …
As a shout out to Gary Bob Joe Bremner’s love of specialty cocktails, I conducted our interview at Whitehorse’s newest, not-yet-open, cocktail-andwine bar, Woodcutter’s Blanket, on Strickland and 2nd (known to most as the two-moose building). The pews were just being set up when we arrived, but our place at the bar was ready for …
It’s Christmas Eve and Vince Fedoroff and I are drinking happy hour beers at the Gold Rush. The place is packed. We chat for a bit before we begin the interview. Crystal Ball by Styx plays on the satellite radio and I admit to Vince that Styx is one of my favourite bands. He cites …
Walking into Meshell Melvin’s house I am instantly at home. There are pet greeters, delicious smells, and my jacket falls naturally on the couch. With the lovely addition of artful fish hanging from the ceiling, I have the sense of entering a menagerie and I love it. The woodstove is going strong and it’s very …
