Seven years ago my mum passed away from terminal cancer. She spent the final week of her life in a hospice not far from where we lived. On the day of her departure, she came and sat on my bed and surprised me with a short sermon on the power of love, all the more remarkable considering the heavy dose of morphine she was now taking. This piece of music is a celebration of these words and of the love she gave. It also borrows lines from two of her poems, one that charts her separation from my dad some years before, and another that describes her experience of motherhood. Like the swell of the sea, it fills the traces of the love she gave with the sound of the love I carry within me.

Written, composed and produced by Xander Simmons, mixed by Zachary Scholes and mastered by Guy Hébert. 

Starring Gabrielle Audet, accompanied by Xander Simmons on piano and synths. 

This podcast is made possible with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. 

We’ve come to the end of this short series of stories in music and sound. If you enjoyed what you heard, I’d really appreciate a short review on Apple Podcasts, it will help bring more people here and hopefully allow me to create more content like this in the future. Until next time. 

This is an episode about fetishism and BDSM. But it’s just one take on it. You can have a fetish for just about anything and it can come from pretty much anywhere. Not necessarily from trauma, not necessarily from abuse. But when it does come from these darker places, can the safe integration of a fetish into your sex life be the answer to transcending your past wounds? The main character of this next story is on a journey to find out. This story won’t be for everyone, however, as there are scenes of sexual violence that some might find disturbing.

Written, composed and produced by Xander Simmons, mixed by Zachary Scholes and mastered by Guy Hébert. 

Starring Dina Renon as the passenger, Sebree Laurie as the driver and Xander Simmons as the narrator. 

Also featuring beautiful vocals from Kate Markle. 

This podcast is made possible with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. 

Please do take the time to like and subscribe if you enjoyed what you heard, it goes a long way. 

Meiosis is a special type of cell division that allows egg and sperm cells to reduce their chromosomes by half so they can recombine in the creation of a new human being. This piece is a stream-of-consciousness snapshot from a woman’s life. Her relationship is in crisis: the best times confined to a mythical past that her partner consoles her with less and less convincingly. This is not a traditional story with a clear direction in mind; it’s a musical representation of what it’s like to be in someone else’s head, with thoughts that break apart and recombine with fears, hopes and dreams, searching for a way forward.

Written, composed and produced by Xander Simmons, mixed by Zach Scholes and mastered by Guy Hébert. 

Starring Gabrielle Audet as the unnamed woman and Oshen Aoun as her partner. 

Piano and saxophone performed by Xander Simmons. 

This podcast is made possible with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. Please do take the time to like and subscribe if you enjoyed what you heard, it goes a long way.