Rod has studied with renowned musicians like Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth) and Greg Howe (Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson), and has degrees from IG&T and Claretiano University. Since 1997, he has been teaching music in Brazil, Canada, and Europe, sharing his expertise with students worldwide.

As a solo artist, Rod released his first EP, The First Step: Introduction, in 2010 which gained recognition in several music publications like Guitar Player, Cover Guitarra, and Guitarload. In 2019, he released the single T.A.G, followed by the concept EP Tales of a Changing Life Part 1 in 2022, featuring Marco Sfogli (James LaBrie, Premiata Forneria Marconi) in “Woodbine Sunset” Rod’s work on Tales of a Changing Life Part 1 earned him recognition as one of the Top 20 Guitar Players of 2022, as voted by the readers of Brazil’s Roadie Crew magazine.

In October 2024, Rod released his latest album, Tales of a Changing Life Part 2, featuring guest guitarists Angel Vivaldi, Roy Ziv, and Hugo Mariutti (Shaman, Andre Matos), along with drummer John Macaluso (Yngwie Malmsteen, ARK, TNT, Symphony X).

Name:

Rod Rodrigues

Genre:

Progressive Rock

Founded:

Working full-time as a musician and music teacher since 1997, as a solo artist, since 2005

# of Albums:

2 EPs, 1 full album as solo artist and a few singles.

Latest Album:

Tales Of A Changing Life Part 2

Latest Single:

Mom’s Lullaby

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Yngwie Malmsteen

Favourite musician now:

Greg Howe

Guilty pleasure song:

Frozen by Madonna. I’m not guilty at all actually, I’m very eclectic, I listen to almost any kind of music.

Live show ritual:

30-minute warm-up before going on the stage

Favourite local musician:

Alex Lifeson

EP or LP?

LP to listen to, EP to make.

Early bird or night owl?

Night Owl

Road or studio?

Studio

Any shows or albums coming up?

I’ve been promoting my new album “Tales Of A Changing Life Part 2” that came out a couple of months ago. I’m having a few shows and guitar clinics coming very soon.

Where can we follow you?

Website | Youtube | Guitar Academy | Instagram | Facebook

***

Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

The Old Spaghetti Factory

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

Queen Street East with Woodbine Ave. It’s my neighbourhood. I love the beaches.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

Woodbine Park. I have even a song I wrote inspired by a sunset I saw there once. The song is called “Woodbine Sunset”, it’s on my previous album “Tales Of A Changing Life Part”

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

History

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Cosmo Music

The post Five Minutes With: Toronto Guitarist Rod Rodrigues appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Name:

Jordan Wav

Genre:

Rock, Fusion Rock, Art Rock

Founded:

2017

Latest Single:

“Drift” Released Jan 22, 2024

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Prince (impressed upon me by my mom playing his albums in the car on repeat)

Favourite musician now:

Van Halen

Guilty pleasure song:

Fireball – Pitbull

Live show ritual:

Once everything is set up for soundcheck, I get my band to hit one powerful E chord in unison and let it ring out

Favourite local musician:

Accolades

EP or LP?

LP

Early bird or night owl?

Night Owl

Road or studio?

Studio

Any shows or albums coming up?

Me and a fellow local artist/friend Justus Hajas are putting together our second annual “Shredfest” on July 21 at Supermarket Bar. We are bringing in some awesome shred-guitar-oriented bands and have arranged a few exciting giveaways with our sponsors!

Where can we follow you?

TikTok | Instagram | Youtube

***

Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

Homemade Ramen on Spadina (best hand-pulled noodles in the city)

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

Geary Ave – It may not be the most picturesque spot in the city, but between the rehearsal spaces and restaurants, I find myself spending lots of time there.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

Christie Pitts – Christie Pitts film festival in the summer!

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

The recently defunct Cube Studio at 1 Sumach

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Pauls Boutique

The post Five Minutes With: Toronto Guitarist Jordan Wav appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Ross has spent years navigating the Canadian music scene as the singer/ guitarist for heavy psych rockers Quest for Fire (Teepee), solo acoustic as Nordic Nomadic (Blue Fog, Teepee), and a member of legendary garage rock band The Deadly Snakes (In the Red) and a touring member of Vancouver’s Pink Mountaintops. Get your hands on his newest project which branches off from these influences and shows his maturing songcraft into the psych-folk territory. “Skull Creator” is available as an LP co-release on Atlanta’s Echodelick Records, Canada’s Noise Agony Mayhem and Australia’s Ramble Records. Available digitally on Party Product Records.

Name:

C. Ross

Genre:

Psych-folk-rock

Founded: 

2021

# of Albums:

3 solo albums under ‘Nordic Nomadic’, First album solo under C.ROSS

Latest Album:

Skull Creator

Latest Single:

Wrong Side of the Sky

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Jimmy Page

Favourite musician now:

The late great Clarence White

Guilty pleasure song:

AC/DC – Heatseeker

Live show ritual:

Light beer and dad weed

Favourite local musician:

The late great Dallas Good

EP or LP?:

LP

Early bird or night owl? :

Up at the crack of dawn

Road or studio?

Studio

Any shows or albums coming up? 

The Record ‘Skull Creator’ is available on Echodelick Records (u.s.), Noise Agony Mayhem (Canada) and Ramble Records (Australia)

Where can we follow you?

Twitter | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify

***

Rapid Fire Toronto Qs

Favourite local restaurant:

The late great La Hacienda

Favourite street in your city:

Dunn Ave. in Parkdale. I lived on this street for a big chunk of my time in Toronto. Lots of fuzzy and foggy memories of my party days, and it’s where my amazing wife and I first lived together. Also best Roti proximity.

Favourite park in your city: 

Etienne Brule Park. It’s a lovely trail along the Humber River in Baby Point. One of the best places to stroll in the city, when you want to forget that you live in the city.

Favourite music venue in your city:

It’s always the Horseshoe.

Favourite music store in your city:

Guitars: Paul’s Boutique. Records: Pandemonium in The Junction for the folk and country section. Rotate This for everything else.

The post “Five Minutes With” Canadian singer/guitarist, Chad Ross appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

With songs about life, love, death and depression, the premise is bleak. But when imbued with Busheikin’s sardonic humour and wry self-awareness, the music is playful and inviting, tracing the whimsical desperation of someone trying to eke out a drip of optimism.

No Frills’ forthcoming debut LP Downward Dog (out April 2022) is a “pandemic record.” When Toronto shut down, Busheikin channelled his newly-acquired free time into writing songs and recording them piecemeal. Drums and bass were tracked to tape at Gavin Gardiner’s (The Wooden Sky) garage-turned-studio, and the rest in Busheikin’s basement where, in lieu of a proper engineer or high-end gear, Busheikin was creatively DIY. To get his ideal vocal tones, for example, he sang through a KN95 mask with a toilet paper tube around the microphone.

The result is a memorable collection of lo-fi pop, ranging from angular indie rock to intimate ballads, woven together by warm analog production reminiscent of 50s crooners and early 60s pop.
No Frills has supported acclaimed US indie acts Chris Cohen and Jerry Paper, as well as local favourites like Kiwi Jr., Nyssa, and Ice Cream. They showcased at Pop Montreal 2019 and were slated to perform at (the cancelled) Sled Island 2020.

Name:

No Frills — members: Matt Buckberrough (guitar), Jon Pappo (drums), Daniel Busheikin (guitar, vocals), Maddy Wilde (vocals, synth)

Genre:

Indie-Rock, Bummer Pop

Founded:

2016

# of Albums:

1

Latest Album:

Downward Dog – Out April 1, 2022

Latest Single:

“Darkhorse” – Out March 2, 2022

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

I pretended I liked Led Zeppelin but didn’t really like them, and I wish someone would have just told me, it’s OK not to like Led Zeppelin

Favourite musician now:

Been listening to a lot of R.D. Burman instrumentals lately and that’s been great

Guilty pleasure song:

“This is What It Feels Like” by Armin van Buuren and Trevor Gutherie of soulDecision, whose song “Faded” would be my second choice

Live show ritual:

One time I went to the chiropractor first but nothing really

Favourite local musician:

Slash Need or Lee Paradise

EP or LP?

I have absolutely no opinion on this, but we have an LP coming, so… LP?

Early bird or night owl?

Early, gotta get my oats asap

Road or studio?

Studio

Where can we follow you?

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud | Bandcamp

***

Rapid Fire Toronto Qs

Favourite local restaurant:

House of Indian Roti, which slings a delectable mango lassi. It’s very close to my house.

Favourite street in your city:

Palmerston, the part with all the nice street lamps. It’s magical!

Favourite park in your city:

Bellevue Square Park because I have lots of nostalgia.

Favourite music venue in your city:

Baby G because there’s a little backstage nook to hide in when you’re feeling overwhelmed

Favourite music store in your city:

Sonic Boom

The post “Five MInutes with” Daniel Busheikin, Guitarist and vocals of No Frills appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Being so musically diverse has led Jeff Eager through a career of varied and exceptional experiences. As a guitarist, Jeff’s years of work with recording artist Elise LeGrow (S-Curve/BMG) has taken him across the continent from Hollywood to Halifax. Elise and her band performed at the 2018 International TED convention in Vancouver and did a European tour opening for pop legend Rick Astley.

Jeff Eager has performed on stage with rock icon Lenny Kravitz, accompanied The Voice France winner Yoann Freejay on tour, and worked with Canadian stars Gary Beals, Arkells, Shakura S’Aida and John Orpheus.

In 2014, Jeff Eager independently released his first album, Bonavista, and performed original shows at the TD Jazz Festival, Burlington Sound of Music Festival, Trius Jazz Festival, and as a guest star at Sean Jones’ Soul in the City at Casa Loma, Toronto.

Today Jeff Eager is hard at work on his second full-length studio album. With seven years of life and career experience between his works, Jeff is bringing a very different perspective to his art this time around. Chasing no trends now and leaning strongly into the timeless artists that influenced him, this album is a wealth of classic song-writing: strong melodies over moving chord progressions, with lyrics that tell a story, rich instrumentation, arrangements, and plenty of hooks! Jeff is leaving a contribution to the golden age of analog music (despite the inability to time travel!) with an album that sits comfortably in a record collection next to Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, Elton John, Chicago, Supertramp, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel and Hall & Oates.

Name:

Jeff Eager

Genre:

Pop, Rock, Funk, Retro

Founded:

Let’s say 2007, as it was the last year that I held another job. It’s been “musician” ever since.

# of Albums:

One down, one in the works (2022)

Latest Album:

Bonavista (2016)

Latest Single:

“I Don’t Dance Anymore”

“For Your Love”

Favourite musician growing up:

The first artist to capture my imagination was Michael Jackson. (as the second line in “I Don’t Dance Anymore” alludes to …) When I started to play guitar around 13 years old, Led Zeppelin quickly became my favourite band throughout my teenage years.

Favourite musician now:

It hasn’t changed – the greatest is Michael Jackson. Even after spending my youth pouring over Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Lenny Kravitz riffs, I came back to MJ in my gigging career, now performing songs live that 8-year-old Jeff would lip-sync to in his bedroom.

Guilty pleasure song:

There’s a lot of Disney music in my house (being a father of girls) and you know the songwriting is just top notch! Personal favourites: Love Is An Open Door (Frozen), Reflection (Mulan), How Far I’ll Go (Moana)

Live show ritual:

I don’t have any specific rituals. I do try to remember what my friend Shawn Brady (Toronto-based singer) told me, that the stage is a sacred place. And “the stage” can be an arena for thousands or the corner of a pub where they moved a table for the musician. It doesn’t matter, you still approach the stage with gratitude, ready to perform and entertain.

Favourite local musician:

There are so many fantastic musicians in the GTA. If you ever get a chance to watch Chris Rouse do his thing, you’ll see a person who has spent decades living in the music of Prince, Sly Stone, and Stevie Wonder. I’ll add Wado Brown as a favourite of mine, too. You can catch Wado backing up many different artists, but when he takes centre stage and leads a band … wow!

EP or LP?

For me right now, it’s LP (coming out summer 2022)

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl. Even after gradually moving from ‘single life in the city’ to ‘husband/father in the suburbs’, I still can’t go to bed early.

Road or studio?

I’ve always been a live player, that’s what I enjoy most. Road over studio.

Any shows or albums coming up?

Check the two new singles! Which is more your style? Let me know. As I spend the winter months finishing up the full album, you can still find me gigging around the GTA. Go to jeffeagermusic.com for dates.

Where can we follow you? 

Instagram | YouTube | Facebook

Rapid Fire Toronto Qs

Favourite local restaurant:

Shout-out to Naomi and Studebaker in Burlington. We discovered the food doing take-out during the pandemic lockdown, and later discovered they host live music.

Favourite street in your city:

I love the peaceful drive up Guelph Line north of Dundas. Travelling to Guelph and Kitchener/Waterloo for gigs or sessions or to visit friends. I always enjoy that route, the greenery, windows-down, fresh air.

Favourite park in your city:

Bronte Creek Park – the trail along the ravine is a beautiful place to run.

Favourite music venue in your city:

I’ve performed in the Burlington Performing Arts Centre a fair amount over the years – great theatre, great staff and sound crew.

Favourite music store in your city:

I’m not sure what we have here in Burlington, I’m sorry to say. If anyone knows a good record store here, shoot me a message!

The post “Five Minutes With” guitarist, singer-songwriter, Jeff Eager appeared first on Toronto Guardian.