Music Blogger & Podcaster, Vancouver, BC

Moderator & Panelist

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Independent music blogger and podcaster, Alex is the co-founder of Vancouver-based dark alternative website I Die: You Die. Since its inception in 2011, the site has produced thousands of reviews, podcasts and interviews, with a focus on new and emerging acts in the darkwave and industrial scene, in Canada and around the globe.  

Publicist & Writer, Calgary, AB

Panelist

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Jess Arcand is an experienced and innovative publicist who has committed her professional career to helping musicians, festivals, and organizations in the non-profit sector benefit by increasing their brand profile through impactful campaigns and community connection.

Before joining Take Aim Media as a Senior National Publicist, she focused her skills on music journalism, and marketing. Inspired by her city and the artists within it, she gained media experience working and collaborating with arts & culture organizations and outlets including Sled Island, Femme Wave Music and Arts Festival, Freq Magazine, Beatroute, Calgary International Film Festival, and more. She is also an elected board member for both CJSW 90.9 FM and Music Calgary.

Writer, Editor & Social Media Strategist, Calgary, AB

Panelist

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Kenn Enns is a writer, editor and social media strategist. They have worked with Reverie, BeatRoute and the Polaris Music Prize. 

Writer & Musician, Vancouver, BC

Panelist

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Jesse Locke (he/him) is a writer and musician based in the traditional, unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, also known as Vancouver. He has contributed to outlets such as Pitchfork, The Wire, Spin, Stereogum, Bandcamp Daily, CBC Music, Xtra Magazine, and Aquarium Drunkard. In 2020, Jesse teamed up with cult post-punk musician Chandra Oppenheim to become the co-founders of the We Are Time record label, releasing albums from artists such as Motorists, Tough Age, and Energy Slime. Born and raised in Calgary, he currently plays drums with various bands in the Vancouver DIY scene. 

Since quitting social media, you can follow Jesse's writing and other activities at the QSLJMP email newsletter: https://qsljmp.ghost.io/

Radio Host & Musician, Edmonton, AB

Panelist

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Bill LeBlanc, better known as RELLIK in the entertainment world, is an accomplished recording artist, performer, and radio host hailing from Edmonton. With a career spanning 2 decades and decorated with 11 awards and 35 nominations, Rellik has solidified his presence in the industry.

Boasting nearly 1000 performances and five albums, RELLIK, a proud Métis, stands as a prominent figure in the Indigenous music scene.

Renowned for his ability to blend genres and create distinctive musical landscapes, he is not only an integral part of the Windspeaker Radio Network but also the charismatic host of "The Tribe Drive" on 89.3 The Raven in Edmonton.  

Beyond his musical endeavours and radio commitments, RELLIK actively contributes to his community, embodying a true family man and a man of traditional ceremony and values when he's not on stage or in the studio. Time spent with his wife and kids is a testament to his unwavering dedication to both his art and his loved ones.

Journalist, Photographer, Cartoonist, Videographer & Music Writer Edmonton, AB

Panelist

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One of the last-standing salaried entertainment print reporters in western Canada, Fish Griwkowsky has won several international Society of Features Journalism awards. Starting out as a cartoonist and photographer and becoming the longest-serving volunteer ever at the University of Alberta’s Gateway newspaper, he accidentally landed a freelance gig as the country music writer at the Edmonton Sun by picking a fax fight with the gossip columnist.

After covering music, travel and, hilariously, “the internet” there for over a decade, he hopped over to the Journal as a dedicated art and film reporter, ever expanding his subject base as various other reporters ascended to Valhalla. During this time he also did cartoons, reviewed albums and wrote hissy political opinion columns in the sadly departed See and Vue weeklies. Also in the midst of this chaos, he’s made a number of music videos for bands like Corb Lund, The Wet Secrets and The Lad Mags, illustrated a book of monsters, had and curated gallery shows at AGA, SNAP, Latitude 53 and others, and co-wrote several screenplays with Trevor Anderson, including for the feature film Before I Change My Mind, which premiered at the strangely Italian-feeling Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.

He’s especially proud of the serial, text-based public art project he and Dara Humniski made with iterations around the world, which follows the theme of THE END because of, you know, “reasons.”