Show 60 - The Antidote - Future of Forestry

The Antidote had a guest this week as Alec Malcolmson joined Dave and Abram in the studio at Trent Radio. We featured the diverse instrumentation found in the ambient alt rock music from Future of Forestry and spent time speaking with lead vocalist and Eric Owyoung. Listen in to this excellent band and found out what the hype surrounding Future of Forestry is all about.

Listen to or download Future of Forestry

Find all of The Antidote broadcasts at iTunes

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here

On the next episode of The Antidote we join one of the most unusual bands to be found in the realm of Christian music, the incredibly talented White Collar Sideshow. Listen in as we spend time in conversation with T.D. and Veronica Benton of White Collar Sideshow and discuss their ministry, message and music.

Show 58 - The Antidote - The Christmas Show That Almost Didn't Happen

Check out "The Christmas Show That Almost Didn't Happen". Only hours before heading to Trent Radio, I received a phone call that the station server was down: there would be no live programming that night. I admit that I was disappointed. As a Christian programmer, I wanted to offer an evening of old and new Christmas seasonal favourites. The show you'll hear was pieced together on the computer. We didn't want you to miss celebrating Christ's birth with The Antidote!


Listen to or download The Christmas Show That Almost Didn't Happen broadcast from The Antidote

Find all of The Antidote broadcasts at iTunes

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.


The Antidote and the rest of the programmers at Trent Radio are taking a break over the holidays. The Antidote will return January 9, 2013. We will be sending some scratchiness over the airwaves as we play some old vinyl on the twin turntables at Trent Radio. It may not be as polished a show as you are used to, but it will be a lot of fun.

The Antidote - Show 56 - Photoside Cafe

The Antidote is joined by Naph Marshall and Matt Gadeken of Photoside Cafe. We talk about their string driven alternative rock, their upcoming album, and the relevancy of contemporary Christian music.


Listen to or download The Antidote with Photoside Cafe

Find all of The Antidote broadcasts at iTunes

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.


The  December 12th broadcast of The Antidote will take on a whole new flair. My normally silent co-host, Abram, will joining me in conversation as we discuss  the approaching apocalypse. Trent Radio is celebrating the end of the world (according to interpretations of the ancient Mayan calendar) and The Antidote will be joining in. Check out the show as we present both Christian and secular perspectives on the final days.

The Antidote - Show 55 - Metanoia, International artists

The Antidote searched the planet for some exceptional international bands to air on this week's show. Benjamin Lopez of the skate punk band, Metanoia from Temuco, Chile joined The Antidote.

We had a great conversation, discussing both their music, their ministry, and the state of punk music.


Listen to or download The Antidote with Metanoia

Collect any or all of The Antidote broadcasts at iTunes

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.

Join The Antidote December 5th as we chat with Naph Marshall and Matt Gadeken of Photoside Cafe. We talk about their alt rock, string driven music and the relevancy of contemporary Christian music.

The Antidote - Show 52 - Showbread feature (part 2)

Showbread 2012 from www.showbread.net

The Antidote returned on Halloween with the conclusion of the feature on the raw rock band Showbread. Listen in to more of the conversation The Antidote had with headman and lead vocalist, Josh Dies and Showbread's music.

A special Halloween song was added at the very end of the show. Send an email to christianrockfiles@gmail.com with the name of the artist and the song title.

Next Wednesday The Antidote is preempted for special programming on Trent Radio. Tune in on the following Wednesday, November 14th, as The Antidote returns.

Listen to or download The Antidote with Josh Dies and Showbread (part 2)

Collect any or all of The Antidote broadcasts at iTunes

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.

The Antidote - Show 50 - Mixed bag of music

Abram joined me, once again, in the studio of Trent Radio for this weeks installment of The Antidote. We offered up another night of eclectic music.

Fathers were made to disappoint their children.  Listen in as Abram recounts how he missed a great concert experience in Toronto. We also aired one of the longest tracks in my music collection with the 14 minute song "Cleanse Me" from O'Brother. The variety of styles and bands will definitely hold your interest.

Showbread headman and lead vocalist Josh Dies joins The Antidote next week with an insightful  interview and you'll  have the opportunity to listen to their outstanding music. We'll be running through some of Showbread's discography which illustrates their tremendous lyrical and musical style.

Listen to or download The Antidote and a mixed bag of music.

Collect any or all of The Antidote broadcasts at iTunes

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.

The Antidote - Show 49 - Ravenhill

This past summer I had the chance to see Ravenhill on stage at the Cornerstone festival. Joshua Clifton, lead vocalist and founder of Ravenhill, spent some time with The Antidote discussing the band and their music.

Listen in to the band Ravenhill on the recording of this week's broadcast and their unique and passionate blend of soul, rock, and gospel. An unusual sound and an extraordinary band.

Next week, Abram will be joining me in the studio as we offer up another night of eclectic music. You'll also be hearing one of the longest songs in my music collection.

Listen to or download The Antidote featuring Ravenhill

Collect any or all of The Antidote broadcasts at iTunes

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.

The Antidote - Show 48 - August Burns Red

I was delighted to be able to see August Burns Red during their concert date in London, Ontario a couple of weeks ago.  Even better was having the opportunity to sit down with Jacob Luhrs, lead vocalist.for this amazing band. This week The Antidote shares some of the discography of August Burns Red interspersed with segments of the conversation with Jacob Luhrs. For metal fans this will be a treat, for non-metal fans this is your chance to hear why ABR is considered one of the top metal band's in the world.

Next week on The Antidote, listen in to the band Ravenhill with their unique and passionate blend of soul, rock, and gospel. An unusual sound and an extraordinary band.

Listen to or download The Antidote featuring August Burns Red

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.

The Antidote - Show 47 - The La De les

This past July I attended the Cornerstone Festival in Illinois where I saw the highlight of the summer. I happened to chance upon a performance by The La De Les. It was simply incredible. This ambient, shoe gaze, experimental band sounds like no other. Teh La De Les offer up a musical style that is uniquely their own.

We spend an hour with The La De Les in both music and conversation as we discover the details of this amazing band.

Listen to or download The Antidote featuring The La De Les

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.

The Antidote - Show 46 - Year 2 !

The Antidote has had a birthday! Yes, this the second year of The Antidote where we play "Christian music that doesn't suck", dispelling the myth that Christian music is second-rate. The Antidote endeavours to display the artistry of Christian musicians. Followers of this blog are well aware that I spent most of my free time and holidays this summer attending Christian music festivals such as Cornerstone and Soulfest. I was also able to visit a number of clubs where Christian bands performed.

The first show of the fall season is a celebration of the diversity of Christian rock. Once again we cover the breadth of styles that The Antidote is noted for airing. Punk, hardcore, ambient rock, alternative rock, and shoegaze are all included. Listen up and enjoy the mix!


Listen to or download The Antidote featuring yet another eclectic blend of music as we celebrate our first anniversary.

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10 EST here.

The Antidote - Show 45 - Project 86

At the Soulfest music festival I was delighted to spend some time with Andrew Schwab of Project 86. He spoke with The Antidote about the new album, Wait For The Siren, and the new band members that make up P86. You can hear the interview with Andrew on this broadcast of The Antidote.

I've been a long time fan of Project 86. The band had it's start as a rap/rock band back in 1996, progressing into their dedicated hard rock sound by the time they recorded their third album, Truthless Heroes on Atlantic Records. Wait For The Siren is the latest release for P86 and it holds some surprises for their fans. A new Celtic influence pervades the album as Schwab explores his ancestral roots.

You can read my review of Wait For The Siren here.

This recording of The Antidote covers much of the discography of Project 86 and features a number of songs from Wait For The Siren and many older favorites.

Listen to or download The Antidote featuring Andrew Schwab and Project 86

The Antidote is going on hiatus for a couple of weeks while the fall season and schedule at Trent Radio is being geared up. Be sure to check back to Christian Rock Files to find out when The Antidote will be broadcasting this fall.

Thanks to all the dedicated listeners (and downloaders) of The Antidote who have made this first year of broadcasting so worthwhile. If you have any suggestions or requests email The Antidote.

The Antidote - Show 44 - Soulfest Memories

My wife, nephew, and I headed off to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for the Soulfest music festival just over a week ago. This was the second music festival I'd attended in the past 6 weeks. It was another long drive to see some great bands and artists.

The highlight of this festival was having both the reunited O. C. Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy perform back to back on Saturday night. To those who are unaware of these ska bands, it may be hard to understand the extreme nature of their fan base. I meet a couple of guys who had driven two days, non-stop, just to see Five Iron Frenzy perform.

This show features a number of bands that I was able to see perform at the annual Soulfest music festival.

Check out Soulfest Memories on The Antidote

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 43 - The Kings Kids / Thumper Punk Records

At the Cornerstone Festival I was able to meet up with The Kings Kids, a classic style punk band from Salinas, California. After a four day drive from California to Illinois, The Kings Kids arrived only an hour before they had to hit the stage. After a great, but wearying performance in the heat, the band took some time to spend with The Antidote and speak about their band and their music. The Kings Kids are on the roster of Thumper Punk Records, which delivers some awesome punk music. On this episode you'll be hearing a huge number of punk tracks (remember punk songs are short).  All of the artists you'll be hearing can be found on the Thumper Punk Records label.

Check out The Kings Kids and Thumper Punk Records show heard on The Antidote

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 42 - Newworldson

A few weeks back I met up with Newworldson. This Niagara region based band offers up an eclectic mix of styles, using a blend of soul, pop, reggae, gospel and jazz, but the particular emphasis of Newworldson's music is soul. Joel Parisien, keyboardist and lead vocalist of Newworldson, spent some time with The Antidote to share his thoughts on the effectiveness of Christian music in today's culture.  Check out this episode of The Antidote.

Listen to or download The Antidote featuring Newworldson


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 40 - Retro Show

This was my first few days back from the Cornerstone Festival in Illinois. I had roughed out this show prior to leaving for the festival. I knew I would have a very limited amount of time to prepare before going on air Wednesday night. The intention of this installment of The Antidote is to illustrate the role early Christian rock artists took to make their music heard to both the Christian and non-Christian masses.

Portions of interviews with some of the pioneers of rock included in this broadcast are Randy Stonehill, Daniel Band, and Steve Taylor. Please excuse the audio quality of the Daniel Band interview. I had recorded my conversation with Dan McCabe, intending only to transcribe it for a proposed magazine article.

Listen to or download some truly great music by excellent artists from the early days of Christian rock.


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 39 - Cornerstone

I was off into the burning heat of Southern Illinois last week, but I couldn't let down the regular listeners to The Antidote.  I'd prepared a prerecorded show that was aired as I was off listening to a huge number of somewhat underground Christian bands.  When I mentioned about the heat, it was no joke. 40 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit)  with a humidex reaching the low 50"s (120 Fahrenheit) each and every day. Even some highway pavement buckled. It was worth the trials I encountered!

This prerecorded show includes many of the artists I saw at Cornerstone. Hopefully this will make it up to those music fans who were unable to attend what was to be the very last Cornerstone festival.

Listen to or download this week's show, Cornerstone- The Soundtrack

Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 37 - Mellow Road Trip

Summer is officially here and the heat and humidity were in the studio this past Wednesday. No air conditioning (because of the noise) makes Trent Radio a sweltering spot.  Summer road trips was the topic for the evening. Listen in to Mellow Road Trip music on this week's show.


Listen to or download this week's show Mellow Road Trip


Next week I'll  again be discussing what makes a road trip great and what is the greatest music to play when you're travelling.  This week included mellow tracks, next week turn the volume up so that your speakers explode with some edgy and LOUD songs.


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 35 - Facedown Records

I had a difficult time deciding what to play on show 35 of The Antidote. I had too many ideas floating around, but the final decision was reached, a feature on the Facedown Record label. I've always been impressed with Facedown for a number of reasons. The overt stance of most bands to their faith in Christ is clearly evident on most songs. The key ingredient of  Facedown Records is that the breadth of talent found on the label is enormous.  

For those poor souls who don't care for metal, this show may not be for you. For the rest of us, who love hearing a great breakdown, you're going to really enjoy episode.

Listen to or download this weeks show featuring Facedown Records

Follow this link to check out Facedown Records.


On June 13th, The Antidote will host a short interview with Lauren Mann And The Fairly Odd Folk as they explain why they decided to to do an indie folk cover of the metalcore song "Redemption" by August Burns Red. Plus, we will have a multitude of new songs by bands from many different genres. Tune in, it will be great!


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 34 - Eclectic Mix

This episode of The Antidote was prerecorded. There were too many concerts happening in Toronto on my typical night at the radio station. I had to make the difficult decision of going to see Creed or to check out Thrice performing along with O'Brother. Thrice was the winner. They are on their farewell tour as the band is going on hiatus for an indefinite time frame.


I included an number of awesome new songs by various artist. Listen in, this show is definitely worth checking out!

Listen to or download this weeks show with an Eclectic Mix


I haven't come to firm decision for next weeks version of The Antidote.  Dial in Trent Radio 92.7 Peterborough or stream online to be surprised!


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.

The Antidote - Show 33 - The Brothers Martin

The Brothers Martin were the center of attention on this show.  Josiah joined me in the studio to play music by Ronnie and Jason Martin. These two underplayed but very talented musicians have/or do front a number of extraordinary bands. The two brothers joined together for a single album, aptly titled, The Brothers Martin.  Individually they have also created a number of  truly original and musically creative bands over the years.  Starflyer 59, Joy Electric, Dance House Children, and Bon Voyage are just a few of the bands that are found on this show.



Listen to or download this weeks show featuring The Brothers Martin


The Antidote is on an eclectic music bent next week.  A broad range of genres, from indie to metalcore are on the playlist, including a number of brand new songs. Listen live with the link below or download a recorded copy of The Antidote later next week.


Live stream The Antidote Wednesday's from 9 - 10  EST here.