Podcast conjures musical appreciation

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This article was published 24/08/2020 (2110 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you follow Winnipeg’s music scene, chances are you’re familiar with Sam Thompson.

The 37-year-old St. James resident volunteers his time producing and hosting Witchpolice Radio, a podcast featuring interviews with local musicians.

Thompson marked a special milestone last month when he released the 500th episode.

It’s a labour of love for the CJOB web journalist and married father of two, who is a musician himself.

“When I first had kids, it meant that my time playing in bands came to an end. I didn’t have time to go out and practise,” Thompson says. “Doing the podcast became an opportunity for me to keep one foot in the music scene.”

Thompson started the podcast in 2012 with his friends, Jon Askholm and Rob Crooks.

Taking its name from a song that Thompson and Crooks wrote and recorded called We Are the Witch Police, the podcast initially consisted of the three hosts talking about their favourite music.

It slowly evolved into its current format, which features 30- to 60-minute interviews with a different guest each episode.

Co-hosts have come and gone, but Thompson has been a constant.

“It fills in that gap that playing in a band used to fill,” he says. “I’m getting out and I’m creating something.”

In addition to featuring Manitoba bands like Propagandhi and Royal Canoe, who are known beyond the province’s borders, Witchpolice Radio has featured hundreds of acts who aren’t as well-known.

“There’s no limit to how many people I can interview, because Winnipeg’s music scene is so huge,” Thompson says.

“One of the coolest things about doing the podcast is that, over the eight years or so of doing this, it has broadened my horizons in terms of what kind of music I’m into,” he adds. “I’ve definitely been introduced to some stuff that I didn’t think I would be remotely interested in.”

Thompson enjoys exploring a recurring question: What is Winnipeg’s sound?

“Whether it’s a rapper or a country singer or a death metal band, I do think there’s something uniquely ‘Winnipeggian’ about what they are doing,” he says. “I can’t put my finger on what it is, and I don’t know if there’s an answer to it, but I like pursuing it. I like picking people’s brains about what makes this scene so special.”

Witchpolice Radio receives thousands of downloads each month and is regularly voted by readers of the Uniter, the University of Winnipeg’s student newspaper, as one of the best local podcasts.

Radio personality Ace Burpee named Thompson one of the 100 most fascinating Manitobans of 2017, and Witchpolice Radio was nominated for a 2019 Canadian Podcast Award.

“I think I would be doing it even if I didn’t have listeners,” Thompson says. “It marries a lot of my interests and I love doing it.”

In addition to producing two episodes of Witchpolice Radio every week, Thompson is currently busy volunteering on the organizing committee for next month’s Manitoba Podcast Festival.

The third annual event, which aims to connect local podcasters with one another and grow the local podcasting scene, will take place virtually Sept. 26-27.

“It’s really cool to see that people are as passionate about podcasting as I am,” Thompson says.

Find Witchpolice Radio at witchpolice.com and learn more about the podcast festival at Facebook.com/mbpodfest.

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.