In-depth and intimate conversations with some of Canada’s finest songwriters, musicians, and other industry adjacent professionals.
Produced, edited and hosted by Andrew Shaver of Clever Hopes.
The full When We Wake weekly broadcast is syndicated across Canada. Each week, the show offers a thoughtfully curated mix of emerging and essential voices, weaving together the threads between melody and meaning. Alongside standout tracks, When We Wake features in-depth conversations with the artists themselves—uncovering the stories, questions, and creative sparks behind the songs.
My guest today is award-winning singer-songwriter Mimi O’Bonsawin (https://mimiobonsawin.bandcamp.com/), whose new album, Evoke (https://mimiobonsawin.bandcamp.com/album/evoke-digital-only), is rooted in the natural world and alive with the lessons it has to offer.
It’s a world shaped by growing up, as she puts it, a wild child running through the woods just outside of Sudbury Ontario, now by her life in the Ottawa Valley, and by the 28 garden beds she tends at home. For her recent sold-out album-release show in Ottawa, she even filled the venue with flowers from those gardens.
We talk about songwriting as both medicine and offering, about self-worth, finding your way back to the land, and why some songs need to wait until an audience is ready to receive them. We also get into touring with her husband Ryan, learning from artists like Julian Taylor (https://juliantaylor.bandcamp.com/track/drive) and William Prince (https://williamprince.bandcamp.com/track/change), and the quiet power of holding a room.
mimi.ca (https://www.mimi.ca/)
Wanna get in touch?
Send an email to whenwewakeradio@gmail.com (mailto:whenwewakeradio@gmail.com)
Or find me on Instagram @theandrewshaver (https://www.instagram.com/theandrewshaver)
When We Wake with Andrew Shaver (https://linktr.ee/whenwewake) is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Shaver (https://theandrewshaver.com/) of Clever Hopes (https://linktr.ee/Clever.Hopes). The weekly radio broadcast is syndicated across Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
Theme song Got You by Noah Reid (https://www.instagram.com/olreid/?hl=en)
20 Jun 2026
55. When We Wake with Lucy Clearwater
My guest today is singer-songwriter Lucy Clearwater (https://lucyclearwater.bandcamp.com/), whose debut full-length album is called People Not Possessions. It's a title that tells you quite a bit about who she is before you even hear a note.
Lucy started playing violin at the age of 4 and by the time she was 12 she was teaching the instrument. Then she started writing songs on guitar, and she hasn't looked back.
Lucy grew up in the Bay Area, moved to LA, and spent some time in Berlin. She even learned enough German to write and record an entire album in the language.
At the heart of this new record is something simple: a belief in community, connection, and the people who shape our lives.
In our chat, we get into the long road to making a debut full-length; recording live to tape with producer Tyler Chester; writing songs about friendship, grief, and love, including one specifically about the perils of the intersection of friendship and love; and how a casual song-sharing night in her living room grew into an international network of musicians gathering in cities around the world.
It's a record about relationships, and a conversation that keeps circling back to the same idea: that our lives are shaped far more by people than possessions.
www.lucyclearwater.com (https://www.lucyclearwater.com/)
Wanna get in touch?
Send an email to whenwewakeradio@gmail.com (mailto:whenwewakeradio@gmail.com)
Or find me on Instagram @theandrewshaver (https://www.instagram.com/theandrewshaver)
When We Wake with Andrew Shaver (https://linktr.ee/whenwewake) is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Shaver (https://theandrewshaver.com/) of Clever Hopes (https://linktr.ee/Clever.Hopes). The weekly radio broadcast is syndicated across Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
Theme song Got You by Noah Reid (https://www.instagram.com/olreid/?hl=en)
5 Jun 2026
54. When We Wake with Tyson Ray Borsboom
Tyson Ray Borsboom (https://tysonrayborsboom.com/) is one of those songwriters who seems decidedly less interested in polishing the edges than he is in just telling the truth.
Born in Winnipeg, shaped by Alberta - Lethbridge then Calgary - he’s now living out on the West Coast in Vancouver (at last, for the time being). His thoughtful blend of country, folk, and Americana feels built for long drives, which he’s done his fair share of driving trucks, and late-night reflection, which, quite frankly, with a couple kids at home, I’m rather partial to.
We talked about everything from getting inspired to write songs watching Canadian Idol as a teenager, to falling in love and proposing to his fiancée Charlotte along Vancouver’s seawall at sunset, where, rudely, no-one seemed to care...except for Charlotte, thankfully. He tells us the story.
We also get into his complicated relationship with co-writing and the way collaborative songwriting can feel a little bit like therapy, even while part of him wonders if asking for help is somehow cheating.
His new album These Days (https://tysonrayborsboom.bandcamp.com/album/these-days) came out June 5th in the midst of a 30-day Canadian tour in support of it.
@tysonrayborsboom (https://www.instagram.com/tysonrayborsboom/)
Wanna get in touch?
Send an email to whenwewakeradio@gmail.com (mailto:whenwewakeradio@gmail.com)
Or find me on Instagram @theandrewshaver (https://www.instagram.com/theandrewshaver)
When We Wake with Andrew Shaver (https://linktr.ee/whenwewake) is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Shaver (https://theandrewshaver.com/) of Clever Hopes (https://linktr.ee/Clever.Hopes). The weekly radio broadcast is syndicated across Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
Theme song Got You by Noah Reid (https://www.instagram.com/olreid/?hl=en)
Who has been a guest on When We Wake with Andrew Shaver
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Alexander Gallant
Mo Kenney
Dan Mangan
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
39
Social presence
94
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
Contact When We Wake with Andrew Shaver
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
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Questions about When We Wake with Andrew Shaver
Who hosts When We Wake with Andrew Shaver?
Andrew Shaver host the show. Published by Andrew Shaver.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does When We Wake with Andrew Shaver take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
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