Josh Finlayson of heralded roots-rock outfit Skydiggers joins us to chat about the group’s latest album, Let’s Get Friendship Right. What started as a project based on the five stages of grief blossomed into something far more expansive and diverse. Finlayson tells us about how the album came to be, the significance of recording at The Tragically Hip’s Bathouse Studio, how his creative partnership with bandmate Andy Maize has stayed so strong over the years, and more.

Plus, Mike sat down with Kintaro Akiyama of Toronto’s Birds of Bellwoods to discuss how songwriting works in a very democratic group and the evolution of their sound from straightforward folk-rock to incorporating more electronic elements, as evidenced by their new single “Easy.” They also talk about the unique Rock the Rink tour, which finds Birds of Bellwoods sharing an audience with Olympic figure skaters like Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, and Patrick Chan.