Tag Archives: talk

Music, podcast

Parvaaz – India’s most exciting band

Rolling Stone magazine have hailed my next guest as “India’s most exciting band.”

After a successful Canadian tour in 2017 they came back to Toronto for another go around. Please welcome to the show:

Lead singer and guitarist Khalid Ahmed
Guitarist – Kashif Iqbal
Drummer – Sachin Banandur
Bass guitarist – Fidel D’Souza

Parvaaz.

This is Episode #174 of the Welcome! podcast.

Music courtesy of Parvaaz.

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podcast

Rama Rau

Documentaries are stories – hopefully important stories. Documentary films are some of the most popular films on networks such as Netflix and Canada’s CBC.

In late April, in Toronto, the world of documentary films comes together as part of the Hot Docs Festival.

My next guest is showcasing one of these important stories: The Daughter Tree. It is a film that explores the aftermath of a cultural preference for baby boys in the interior of India. The film is seen through the eyes of two people: of a midwife who advocates for baby girls as well as a man who lives in the Village of Men where a girl as not been born in over 20 years.

Please welcome to the show: writer, producer, and director Rama Rau.

This is Episode #173 of the Welcome! podcast.

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Image courtesy of The Globe and Mail.

Music, podcast

SATE

SATE (meaning): satisfy a desire to the full.

MusicForLunch.com said her music leaves you exhausted but leaves a fire burning in your soil that wasn’t there before. NOW magazine calls her a tornado of a stage presence.

When I saw her earlier this year headlining the Horseshoe Tavern she blew the roof off the historic venue.

I am thrilled to welcome to the show, SATE.

This is Episode #172 of the Welcome! podcast.

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Justice Hafeez Amarshi

My next guest is currently a Judge at the Ontario Court of Justice primarily residing over criminal law cases.

His journey resembles that of many immigrants.

He was the first in his family to attend post-secondary education. He has spent countless hours volunteering his time to help those less fortunate. And he continues to excel in his profession.

Please welcome to the show Justice Hafeez Amarshi.

This is Episode #171 of the Welcome! podcast.

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podcast

Chris Overholt

My next guest has worked with many of North America’s premier sports brands:

  • the Toronto Raptors
  • Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment
  • the Florida Panthers
  • the Miami Dolphins
  • and the Canadian Olympic Committee

Today, my guest is leading Toronto’s first professional eSports team: the Toronto Defiant of the OverWatch League as part part of the new ownership group: OverActive Media.

Please welcome to the show, Chris Overholt.

This is Episode #170 of the Welcome! podcast.

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Music, podcast

Farley Flex

My next guest was an early manager of Canadian hip hop legend, Maestro Fresh Wes.

He also spent a dozen years convincing the CRTC to give him and his partners a licence for Canada’s first urban radio station, FLOW 93.5.

He spent 6 seasons as a judge with Canadian Idol alongside one of my favourite rock voices, Sass Jordan.

Today he spends a lot of his time executing intercultural conflict management workshops and seminars as well as programs focused on community capacity building as well as youth and community engagement.

Please welcome to the show, Farley Flex.

This is Episode #169 of the Welcome! podcast.

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Mohamad Fakih

Mohamad Fakih is a Lebanese-Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He started Paramount Fine Foods after arriving in Canada as an immigrant. In May 2018, Fakih was awarded an honourary doctorate from Ryerson University.

This is Episode #155 of the Welcome! podcast.

Here are some of the things that Mohamad Fakih and I talked about:

  • Born and raised in Beruit, Lebanon
  • Mohamad was trained as a gemologist
  • Immigrated to Canada in 1999
  • Prior to founding Paramount Fine Foods, Mohamad Fakih worked for Tim Hortons, La Swiss and Swatch
  • The many reasons for Mohamad’s success as a business person
  • The importance of having the name Paramount on the former Hershey Centre in Mississauga
  • His role in helping the Rohingya refugees as part of the UNHCR
  • Mohamad’s suit against Kevin Johnston of Freedom Report
  • The many philanthropic endeavours that Mohamad is involved in and why
  • Whether Mohamad has been asked to be on Dragon’s Den
  • If Mohamad has any political ambitions

Listen below:

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TalkShoe
You can also subscribe to the podcast via RSS Feed if you so desire.

This episode was taped at Girth Radio studios inside the Pacific Junction Hotel bar in Toronto.

Music featured in this podcast  episode is by my cousin, Afraaz Mulji. 

podcast

Tim Micallef from Tim and Sid show

Tim Micallef is co-host of the wildly popular Sportsnet TV program, Tim and Sid.

An honorary resident of Scarborough (he’s actually from Don Mills but proudly beats his chest to the beat of Scarborough), Tim Micallef joined me in studio where we discussed his career, sports and why Sid Seixeiro never seems to wear a tie to work.

This is episode #132  of the Welcome! podcast.

Here are some of the things we talked about:

  • I always thought he was from Scarborough. However, Tim Micallef called Don Mills home.
  • His Malta roots.
  • Playing basketball in high school was much different that playing varsity sports.
  • How his sports career never took off at Carleton University.
  • How he started at The Score as an intern.
  • Where Tim Micallef’s love of the UNLV Running Rebels came from.
  • Tim Micallef shares his thoughts on if NCAA athletes should be paid. Or not.
  • The chemistry he has with Sid Seixeiro on their popular show, Tim and Sid.
  • Tim Micallef’s relationship with Bob McCown.
  • The legacy of Jose Bautista.
  • What does Tim Micallef think of Alex Ovechkin’s first Stanley Cup? And where did all the Ovechkin haters go?
  • Is LeBron James the greatest basketball player of all time? And is Michael Jordan even in the conversation (Sid Seixeiro seems to think Jordan played against much inferior talent)?
  • What is up with Vince McMahon’s XFL?
  • The legacy of Duane Casey and his time with the Toronto Raptors.

Listen below:

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Recorded live at Girth Radio.

Intro music by Famous.

If you liked this episode you will also like the following conversations with current/former Sportsnet personalities:

Music, podcast

Bif Naked: Canada’s queen of punk rock

Bif Naked joined Karim Kanji inside the studio to chat about her music, her life, why she’s always so positive, if it’s true that she moved to Toronto to be close to Drake, and so much more!

This is Episode #129.

Here are some of the things we discussed:

  • Bif Naked was born to a Canadian teenage mom in India.
  • She was adopted by American parents who were in India doing Christian missionary work.
  • As a young adult, Bif Naked visited her mom (who was then living in Barrie, Ontario) and discovered that many of the character traits she had came from her birth mom!
  • Bif Naked’s real name is Beth Torbert. She explains how she got the name Bif and what she thinks of it.
  • Bif Naked is the most positive person I’ve ever met. She is most likely the most positive person you’ve ever met. She explains how she got this way.
  • Her battle with cancer and why she enjoyed it so much!
  • How a hole in Bif Naked’s heart most likely saved her life but gave her kidney failure.
  • How her dad’s dentistry profession and time in med school piqued her interest in all things health and medicine.
  • Why she doesn’t drink anymore.
  • Why a lot of punk rockers are also “straight-edge’d”.
  • Why she believes in God.
  • Why Bif Naked got into music and why she enjoys touring more than recording new material and putting out albums.
  • The circumstances that forced her to start her own record label and own her own music since the beginning.

Listen below:

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Recorded live at Girth Radio.

Music by Afraaz Mulji and Bif Naked. 

If you liked this episode you will also like:

Episode #100: Maestro Fresh Wes

Episode #51: Barenaked Ladies’ Jim Creeggan