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The key to success in the new year is breathing, forgiveness and time.
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STORY BY BEN KAPLAN, PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF OTHERSHIP & THRIVE
Thomas Argueta is a 39-year-old child of El Salvadorean refugees and the founder of Thrive is a soulful, down-to-earth human being. At the KIND Winter Fair last month in Ottawa, Argueta sat outside with his cold tubs and sauna, and he helped those of us lucky enough to cross paths with him re-centre ourselves, and remember how lucky we are to be alive. “I invite everyone to find whatever’s holding them back and discover new ways of moving forward,” said Argueta, who hosts free sunrise dips all winter long in Lake Ontario, spotlighting his services for members of his community who he says the wellness movement too often ignores. “Human connection and exercise is a way to promote self-awareness, and self-awareness is an important first step towards reaching good health.”
Good health must be near the top of everyone’s resolutions as we head into a new year and look to start things off again on the right path. Argueta, who calls himself a lover of humanity, uses exercise and breathwork, cold plunge and sauna not as part of a weightloss regime but as a means of connecting back into his feelings. The rat race, he says, which promotes a scarcity mentality and keeps us in a state of anxiety and fear, can be assuaged with intentional behaviour and thought patterns. Thrive isn’t only about bringing a community together to get the heart pumping in the Canadian cold, but for a bigger picture, long-term change. “It’s my hope that everyone can live up to their greatness,” said Argueta, who walked around the Fair with a smile on his face for the entire two days. “This year, I’d like the theme for readers of KIND to be, Find a way.”
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When Argueta says “find a way,” he means to find a way to be joyful; find a way to be healthy; find a way to be free. Whether it’s through cannabis use in moderation, changes in diet, exercise or sleep, there’s no time like the new year to assess where you’ve gone these last twelve months, and how you’d like your future to be. Myles Farmer, a founder of Othership, a health and wellness spa in New York and Toronto, says that his own self-discovery process helps inform the changes he wants to make in the new year. “It’s impossible to do everything all at once, so look at what’s working and what isn’t, and then develop small meaningful tweaks that can lead to lasting, sustainable change,” says Farmer, also a restaurateur and Canadian pioneer in the health and wellness trend. “It’s about taking realistic steps and seeing change compound—not trying to make major change occur overnight—the only thing that really lasts is when change comes from within.” 2025 obviously saw strife on a global scale, with prices going up, wars overseas and the climate crises continuing to worsen. Moving into a new season brings about a natural moment to take stock, pause and practice self-care. Both Argueta and Farmer find rejuvenation through sauna and cold plunge, and for healing and momentum, I’d add journalling, mediation and exercise to the list as inexpensive (if not free) ways to feel good. “All of us, together, are on this journey of self-discovery, wellness and compassion,” Argueta said in his portable sauna back in Ottawa in November. “It’s never too late to start again.”
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wellness new products
Daily CBD Isolate Salmon Oil
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coming soon
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Chef Michael Hunter Continues Beating the Drum for Canadian Cuisine
H
unter Chef in the Wild: Game, Fish, and Fowl Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Outdoors is Chef Michael Hunter’s second book of Canadian recipes for Canadian food. The proprietor of the excellent Toronto restaurant Antler, Hunter’s put his stamp on Canadian cooking, using game, vegetables and forage sourced locally to create a culinary brand all his own.
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STORY BY BEN KAPLAN, PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MICHAEL HUNTER
The recipes that follow are exclusively shared by Mr. Hunter with KIND for our December holiday issue and he doles them out with this warning: when preparing a holiday dish, give yourself time before your guests arrive and don’t serve loved ones your virgin cuisine. “All the recipes in this book require practice. I don’t think cooking comes naturally to anyone,” Mr. Hunter says, “and you can’t rush, especially when cooking over a fire. Remember, good things take time.”
“Going to Chef school, there was a huge emphasis on Spanish cuisine, Italian cuisine, French cuisine, but almost nothing about Canadian food,” says Hunter, whose new book not only features seafood and meats designed for cooking outdoors on an open flame, but also dessert and drink recipes best prepared and enjoyed bundled-up outside. “My exploration of Canadian cuisine led me to wild food, hunting and foraging and using what’s available and grown in Canada,” Mr. Hunter says. “I don’t want to fly in seabream from the Mediterranean. I want to work with the salmon, perch and arctic char that’s available here.” The new book—which includes a step-by-step instruction on how to roast an entire pig and make ragu from bear—features food photography from Jody Shapiro and Chef’s plainspoken ardour on his love of the outdoors. “I get a lot from knowing where my food comes from and knowing that my hands are the only human hands that touch the food I’m eating,” says Mr. Hunter, adding that popular organic diets of today have a natural ascendancy to his complete culinary immersion of ingredients from the natural world. “Lots of people have a desire to eat healthier and stay away from processed food and growth hormones and my recipes stem from a healthy obsession to eat more naturally.”
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Brisket can be overwhelming to think about. There are
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so many recipes and methods available and everyone has their own opinions on “barbecue.” Brisket is easy to cook, and I am going to teach you my foolproof technique for you to cook for your family and friends at your next cookout. Bison brisket is a little smaller and thinner than a beef brisket, but the technique and doneness temperature are the same. I think the bison version tastes superior and has a bit of an earthier taste than beef, but that’s just me. I have cooked hundreds of briskets and I find the best way is to smoke with a dry rub. I have done many side-by-side comparisons with wet brine, and the dry rub always comes out juicier. When it comes to wood, there are so many types to choose from and it really comes down to your taste. There are fruitwoods, which are milder and sweeter, while oak, mesquite, maple, and hickory are more pronounced and have more depth of flavour. The woods to avoid are softwoods with a lot of resin, such as pine and cedar. That said, if I am pit-smoking, I will sometimes use a little bit of cedar for a flavour accent when finishing, but inside an offset smoker it would definitely be too harsh.
Using your hands, rub the
(Wrapping the brisket
salt and pepper into the
helps keep it juicy, and
meat. Let sit, uncovered, in
after 6 to 8 hours it has
the the fridge for at least 4
enough smoke flavour.)
hours or ideally overnight.
Check the brisket 2 hours after wrapping. The brisket
Prepare your smoker
usually takes another 3 to 4
at 200° to 225°F (93°
hours after wrapping, but
to 110°C). I like to put a
it depends on the meat and
small pan with water in
your smoker.
my smoker to create a
BISON BRISKET Serves 10-12 People
INGREDIENTS 1 whole bison brisket (10 to 12 pounds/4.5 to 5.4 kg) ½ cup (125 mL) Diamond Crystal kosher salt ½ cup (125 mL) black pepper SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Butcher paper or foil
bit of steam to help keep
If you like a firmer brisket
the meat juicier, but it
that’s great for thinly
is optional.
slicing for sandwiches, you might want to finish cooking around 195°F
Smoke the brisket directly
(90°C), but if you want
on the grill until the
meat that’s almost pull-
internal temperature
apart tender, I recommend
reaches 165°F (75°C) on a
finishing at 205°F (96°C).
probe thermometer, 6 to
Once the brisket is done to
8 hours. Once the brisket
your liking, remove it from
hits 165°F (75°C), the
the smoker and let rest for
internal temperature will
30 minutes before slicing.
“stall” and stop increasing,
You can rest it in an empty
sometimes for several
cooler still in the wrapping
hours. At this stage, wrap
to keep it warm.
the brisket in butcher paper or foil and increase
Unwrap and slice to
the smoker temperature
desired thickness.
to 275°F (135°C).
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BARBECUED PHEASANT WITH ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE B E
White sauce is an underdog in the BBQ game, and it really is a shame. The vinegar in the marinade tenderizes and brines the meat, producing an incredible juicy bird. Horseradish and vinegar give this sauce a zip, while the mayonnaise provides a rich, creamy depth. It’s quite delicious and worthy of a spot in your BBQ repertoire.
BARBECUED PHEASANT 1½ cups (375 mL) mayonnaise ½ cup (125 mL) white wine vinegar 3 tablespoons (45 mL) hot prepared horseradish 1 tablespoon (15 mL) ballpark mustard Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon (5 mL) kosher salt Pinch of
Serves 2 People
black pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper or garlic powder 1 whole pheasant, gutted and plucked
Prepare the White Sauce and the Pheasant
While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the bacon in a large skillet over high heat to render the
In a large bowl, whisk together the
fat, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium
mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, horseradish,
and continue cooking until the bacon is golden
8 ounces (225 g) baby potatoes
mustard, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and
brown and crispy.
4 ounces (115 g) bacon, chopped
cayenne pepper. Pour about half of the white
¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
sauce into a container fitted with a lid and
¼ cup (60 mL) apple cider vinegar
reserve in the fridge until ready to use (you’ll
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Dijon mustard Salt
toss the grilled bird in it).
POTATO SALAD
Transfer the bacon to paper towel to drain. Strain the warm fat and transfer ¼ cup (60 mL) to a medium bowl. Add the olive oil, cider
and pepper 1 small shallot, minced
To spatchcock the pheasant, cut out the
vinegar, and mustard. Season with salt and
1 green onion, thinly sliced
backbone, then turn the bird over and
pepper. Whisk to combine.
1 tablespoon (15 mL) chopped fresh flat-
press down on the breastbone to flatten
leaf parsley
the bird. Add the pheasant to the bowl with
Cut the drained potatoes in half or quarters if
the remaining sauce and toss or brush to
large. Add the potatoes to the warm dressing
thoroughly coat both sides. Cover with plastic
and toss to combine. Set aside.
wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least 3 to
BROCCOLI SALAD 1 bunch broccoli
4 hours or overnight.
Make the Broccoli Salad
Make the Potato Salad
Cut the broccoli florets off the stem. Cut the florets into bite-size pieces. Cut off and discard
½ cup (125 mL) olive oil ¼ cup (60 mL) red wine vinegar
Place the baby potatoes in a large pot, cover
the tough outer green skin of the stem. Chop
1 shallot, minced
with water, and boil over high heat until
the inner white part into bite-size pieces.
2 tablespoons (30 mL) pumpkin seeds
tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
2 tablespoons (30 mL) dried cranberries
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SMOKED DUCK WINGS WITH MAPLE HOT SAUCE
This is one of my favourite recipes to enjoy with friends, whether for a special football game or just a fun night together, because it’s such a crowd-pleaser. Chicken wings are no comparison to these meaty smoked duck wings. Farmed duck wings tend to be larger than wild duck wings but similar to wild goose wings. Both farmed and wild are much tougher than chicken wings and must be smoked for a lengthy period to break down, but it is worth it, I promise.
Serves 4-6 People
SMOKED DUCK WINGS ½ cup (125 mL) sweet paprika ¼ cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons (30 mL) Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 tablespoon (15 mL) garlic powder 1 tablespoon (15 mL) onion powder 1 teaspoon (5 mL) black pepper 1 teaspoon (5 mL) cayenne pepper (or 2 teaspoons/10 mL for spicy, or 1 tablespoon/15 mL for hot) 4 pounds (1.8 kg) duck wings, separated into drumettes and flats
MAPLE HOT SAUCE ½ cup (125 mL) vegetable oil, divided 1 cup (250 mL) chopped Anaheim chilies (if you like heat, leave the seeds in, or for less heat, slice the chilies in half and remove the seeds) 4 cloves garlic 2 bay leaves 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 teaspoon (5 mL) kosher salt 1 cup (250 mL) pure maple syrup
Prepare the Duck Wings
and purée until smooth. Season with the salt, then add the maple syrup and stir. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a container.
In a large bowl, stir together the paprika, brown sugar, salt, garlic
Reserve if you are using right away or store in an airtight container in the
powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add the duck
fridge for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.
wings and mix to completely coat in the dry rub. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Smoke the Duck Wings
Make the Maple Hot Sauce
Remove the wings from the fridge.
Heat a medium saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the
Prepare your smoker at 225°F (110°C). Place the wings directly on the
vegetable oil, the chilies, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Sauté until the
grill of the smoker and smoke for 1½ hours. Transfer the wings to a
chilies are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetable oil, reduce
baking sheet and wrap the tray tightly with foil. Return to the smoker
the heat to low, and gently cook the chilies and garlic, without letting
and smoke for another 1 to 1½ hours, until the wings are tender and can
them simmer in the oil, until very soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from
be pulled apart. (Avoid cooking until the wings fall apart or they will be
the heat. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
difficult to handle and eat.)
Purée the sauce with a hand blender or transfer the sauce to a blender
Toss the wings in the maple hot sauce and serve.
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C H A R COA L - CO O K E D
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Cooking in a cast-iron Dutch oven with live charcoal is incredible fun and super easy. The only mistake I encountered when I first started cooking this way was using too many coals. Cast iron holds heat very well, so you need a lot fewer live coals than you think. A great tool is a digital laser temperature gun, readily available at kitchen stores or online. This dessert is perfect for the summertime when cherries are in season—buy fresh local cherries because they always taste better. A cherry-pitting tool is inexpensive and timesaving, but you can also use a paring knife to halve and pit the cherries. Herbs are a great way to play with this recipe. I love earthy notes with stone fruit, especially thyme, but tarragon also goes wonderfully with cherries.
FILLING
CRUMBLE
1½ pounds (675 g) fresh sweet red
¼ cup (60 mL) cold unsalted butter,
cherries, pitted
cut into small cubes
1/3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar 2
1 cup (250 mL) steel-cut oats
teaspoons (10 mL) cornstarch Pinch
1/3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour
of salt
1/3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
Pinch of fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Pinch of salt
Vanilla ice cream, for serving Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Shovel or poker, if needed
For easier cleanup, set a foil pie plate inside the Dutch oven. Prepare a charcoal or wood fire in an outdoor grill or firepit and let the flames die down with red embers visible. Set a grate over the fire. Alternatively, you can use a wood pizza oven at 400°F (200°C).
Make the Crumble In a medium bowl, combine the butter, oats, flour, sugar, and salt. Work the dry ingredients into the butter with your fingers or a pastry blender. The flour and oats will come together and the mixture will appear crumbly. Do not overwork or the crumble will be tough.
Prepare the Filling, Assemble, and Bake Place the cherries in a medium bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and thyme (if using) and toss to combine. Scrape the cherry filling into a cast-iron Dutch oven. Evenly sprinkle the crumble over the filling. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and place directly on top of a few live coals (or in a pizza oven). If you have a fire going, use a shovel or poker to push some logs to the side. Place the Dutch oven where the fire was, then arrange a few coals on top. Check the crumble after 15 minutes. The cherries should be bubbling around the edges and the crumble topping should be golden brown. Depending on the heat, it will take 15 to 30 minutes. Serve hot, topped with vanilla ice cream. Garnish with the mint.
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GOOD TA ST E The hunt for Canadian cuisine continues as we know our national food story is more than maple syrup and poutine. At Martine’s Wine Bar—a tiny underground somewhatsecret westside Toronto hot spot owned by Grant Van Gamerin and run by Darya Mzadeh—the farm-to-table cooking is fresh, multi-cultural (Darya’s family is from Iran), innovative and sublime. Mzadeh, who enjoys cooking stuffed turkey and ghotab pastries for her family over the holidays, recently told KIND what she loves most about food. “I like being hands-on and creativity in any form, and I think food is great because you get to see people react, it’s a closed-circuit relationship,” says Mzadeh, 25-years-old and speaking to my daughter and I from the open kitchen of her restaurant on a chilly late November afternoon. Mzadeh is friendly and approachable and her hopes for the holiday
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Darya Mzadeh and the Changing Taste of Canadian Cuisine STORY BY BEN KAPLAN
are centred around her relationship with food: it’s best when it comes from the heart. “Everyone wants to feel included and surrounded by comfort,” she says, a big smile on her face as she preps for service that night. “I love doing something from scratch and finding a different way to manipulate dishes and menus in a way that people hadn’t imagined before.” Mzadeh’s imagination takes flight at Martine’s in the details, like naming an eggplant topping of red pepper, jalapeño and garlic “the Esme,” after learning it’s my eldest child’s name. She’s innovative, given free-reign by her esteemed restaurant owner—Chef Grant has been behind some of Toronto’s biggest openings in the last twenty years—and encouraged to find her way in the kitchen, putting her imprint on the
restaurant’s culture and food. She says being a woman in high-pressure kitchens has gotten somewhat better since the days of Gordon Ramsay and “screamcooking culture.” However, like with many industries (for instance, weed), it’s still challenging to be young, opinionated, strong, female and be heard. “I’ve worked in plenty of places where if you’re young and female, you’re not quite taken seriously, you tell people ‘No,’ and they’re not hearing it,” says Mzadeh, a ten-year industry veteran who can describe cooking lima beans in chicken broth and make it sound like the most lavish dish in the world. Her partner owns the buzz seafood restaurant Seahorse, and she says she dreams of owning her own tiny, perfect place some day.
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During our visit, she speaks directly to my daughter. “In the kitchen, the most important thing is for women to speak up for themselves,” she says. “The longer you hold onto something the more you get down on yourself and no one knows what’s going on, which lends itself to this insane notion that women are emotional, so things are getting better today for women in the kitchen, but you still really have to speak up for yourself, unfortunately.” The menu at Martine’s is constantly changing to keep up with the local Ontario produce that’s in season. While she loves mangoes, Mzadeh says she can’t fathom using them when there’s so much grown near her restaurant, like endives, mushrooms and cabbage. Taking care of the environment is just as important to chef as taking care of her family and friends. Entertaining this season, she says, doesn’t require fancy ingredients,
lavish preparations or spending tons of money. It’s the little attention to details—like the Esme topping on her roasted eggplant— that will make your guests feel cared for and warm. At the holidays, a little love is mostly what we come for at the table. “I just love having a cozy space where when
you’re eating you almost feel wrapped in a blanket,” she says, with a laugh. “I started cooking from a young age and today it’s the same thing I’m looking for in the kitchen as I did back then—I want everyone to feel included and surrounded with comfort and food.”
Warm up with Darya Mzadeh this winter at Martine’s, 293 Palmerston Avenue, Toronto.
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LAURENT DAGENAIS FIRES ONE UP IN THE KITCHEN F O R T H E K I N D A N N U A L F O O D, J O Y & D R I N K S G U I D E W T E2R0 2 24 0 2 5 F AI N L L
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The buzziest chef in Canada is Laurent Dagenais, a restaurateur, influencer and weed-smoker who makes addictive culinary how-to videos and represents food with the love and flare of the Montreal maniac the world knows and loves. Building upon his success at Limousine, easily one of the biggest restaurant openings to date on Saint-Lambert in Quebec, Dagenais approaches food with a joint and a smile and wants his guests—whether they’re diners in his restaurant or friends at one of his legendary house parties—to feel welcomed and warm. “I love little touches, the ones that people might not notice, but show that you care,” says Dagenais, home in Montreal for a brief spell before heading back out to Costa Rica, Miami’s Art Basel and hosting a pop-up in New York. “Don’t fuck with the dishes if you have guests—if you’re the host, stay in the party: it’s the feeling of the night, even more than the food, that will remain in people’s memories long after the hangover is cleared.”
our readers to welcome guests into their homes and to celebrate with family and friends, spreading good cheer and, above everything, vibes. Dagenais, perhaps more than any Canadian at the moment, is a hospitality expert. Here, he gives us three recipes and six tips for making a night to remember (which, sure, some bits you might forget, but it’s the feeling that lingers for years).
“Not every job in the world or everyday are we able to make people feel some kind of way— feel better—so it’s a responsibility when hosting to give people our best. That’s the only thing: spread love.”
As the holiday season approaches, KIND wants
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“When you think about your menu, always think: “What can I do in advance?”
“Prep your meal in advance and only do the final touches when the guests arrive. Don’t have a crazy mission that takes hours—you don’t want to be in the kitchen the whole time and get stressed, people feel that. Just reheat the final touches when it’s go-time.” “Make sure everyone always has everything—a full drink, a full glass.” “I serve vodka. I like a dry martini with vodka and a peel of lemon, a twist. And I learned this from a friend of mine: a martini should always be finished in two gulps. One massive gulp, and one tiny sip—if a martini takes you longer than two gulps, you’re a loser. Drink responsibly. But also take a martini down in two gulps.”
“Please—no hospital lighting! Especially in the wintertime when everyone looks pasty and sick, nice lighting is so important. Think flowers, candles, lights turned dim. Make the place look different—cool.”
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“I hate going somewhere you’re invited to. You have to go in K I N D
your car, and the people you’ve invited over might not want to
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go to your place, so if you’re the host, don’t fuck with the dishes, unless it’s family—a cousin, “Come here!”—but if you’re the host, take care of everything, no complaints. It’s the price you pay for not having to leave home.”
“The music shouldn’t be too loud, not at the start of the night. Vibey.”
When you walk into my home, I’ll give you a beautiful martini or negroni. I don’t do crazy infusions, I don’t have any of that stuff. But there’s nothing like a proper dry martini (or even a dirty one). With a welcome martini, you’re off to a good start.” K I N D
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“Sometimes I’m like, ‘Why don’t I buy CBD?’ Like, we have to shoot a scene four times because I’m fucked up and had too many puffs. But I’m always able to manage because I’m an expert, but you guys? Know what you’re smoking before you’re hosting. I always smoke the same thing so I know my limits. If I was smoking Cali Kush with Snoop Dogg, it would be different, but I can function on weed—at least look like I’m functioning— because I know my limits. Know your limits before the guests arrive.”
“You have to feel your fit, if you have doubts, you should change. If you think your pants are too tight, change—make sure you’re
“Some butter, some bread, some fresh comfy. When you look in the mirror and have herbs, some pasta, some little gherkin a little smile, that’s a fire fit. You want to leave pickles, some vodka—this is what I have at my home. If your friends come the house with full confidence. Before leaving over after the bar is closed, nothing’s a the house, I FaceTime my good friend. When crowd-pleaser like a nice little grilled in doubt, I’ll send a picture for approval. If you cheese.” don’t have taste in fashion, find a friend who
“Aupale Vodka. From Montreal.”
does—ask them.”
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INTRODUCING THE NEW BUBBLE KUSH ZAPZ ALL-IN-ONE. Sleek enough to slip anywhere, tough enough to keep up, and always ready to rip. No buttons, no fiddling, no “how does this work?”—just a clean pull and bold flavour firing back every single time. Pocket-sized, punchy, and built for those moments when you want to spark something quick and keep moving.
Leading the charge is KIWI SORBET— a juicy pop of ripe kiwi and mellow melon that lands like a cold scoop on a hot day. Refreshing, fruity, perfectly balanced, and way too easy to come back to. It doesn’t just hit… it wakes you up.
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Up In Smoke? Up In Smoke?
From dope dealers to cowboy business deals, this is the tell-all insider!s story of the winners and losers of cannabis legalization in Canada - and the bilions lost.
#CatchAFire #CatchAFire From dope dealers to cowboy business deals, this is the tell-all insider’s story of the winners and losers of cannabis legalization in Canada - and the bilions lost. Available at your favourite bookseller Available at your favourite bookseller S U M M E R
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Unpacking the Reasons that Sasami’s Got Next STORY BY BEN KAPLAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW THOMAS HUANG + ANNA POLLACK
The other night at History, opening for King Princess, as she has recently for Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Haim, the 35-year-old freak indie rockstar Sasami had the crowd on its toes. Her music can run the gamut, from nü-metal eardrum craziness to something that would more likely be found on the new record from Sabrina Carpenter. What makes it distinctly Sasami is the virtuosity hidden beneath the theatrics and the chops she keeps tucked away from the audience pushing forward
to take in every moment of her all-ages live show. “Every album cycle is an opportunity for me to dive into a new musical language and explore and experiment,” says Sasami, the morning after her sold-out show, riding in the van to take her to that night’s performance in Kalamazoo, Michigan. “I get into character when performing and
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sort of live it, so if the last record was dark and angry, I needed a shift of energy in my life. I wanted to make something danceable, that still had drama and theatricality, but put me in a fun place—rather than someplace that’s evil.” The fun on Blood on the Silver Screen, what Rolling Stone called one of the year’s top records, is a goth-punk-dance masterpiece, with something for everyone: a hat tipped toward new country, beats that wouldn’t be lost in hip-hop, grunge (lots of grunge), and plenty of Lady Gaga and Britney Spearstype earworms. Sasami, originally from El Segundo, California, who earned her chops playing clubs in LA, says she thought about the stage show when writing her new songs.
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“I know what I want my show to look like, usually different from the last one, and I craft my music to fit that,” says the former synthplayer of Cherry Glazerr, who grew up playing the French horn (which she still plays onstage and on the new record). “In the studio, I knew I wanted my show to be uptempo and I felt like I wanted to let people dance and have fun, which I also want to feel.” Sasami began playing piano at five and, raised in a musical family active in their church, she grew up around music—both the choral stuff her mom liked and the ‘dad rock’ records played by her dad. By studying classical music before making her own pop stuff, she says she grounds even her flintiest dance beats with proficiency, and stark highs and lows.
“There’s something about classical music— the drama—plus, the wrath of hell is on the other end of you fucking off,” says Sasami, who gravitates to extreme music while oscillating between mellow rock, noise anthems and today’s bangers for the dance floor. “Classical music is so embedded in my linguistic knowledge that it always shows up in my work, but I also like rejecting the seriousness and the stakes of how I first learned to play.” Play may be the operative word in the current Sasami line-up, which features the artist who can play every instrument performing her new record with a full band. Produced by Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, Sasami says she wants the fame and charttopping success of such mainstream acts as
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Prince and Bruce Springsteen, but she’ll never sell-out who she is to achieve that. “I’m a composer, producer and performer, I’m not a marketing experiment,” she says, adding with a laugh that making sleek TikToks isn’t part of her job description. She says that any artist who cares about what they make wants as many people as possible to experience it, but if the pursuit of expanding her audience degrades the quality of what she’s making, that’s not interesting to her. “I feel like I’ve played every sized venue in Canada, from a hockey rink to a Tim Hortons,” she says. “I can’t tell you what size venue I’ll play next, but I can guarantee I’ll be back.” For more on Sasami, including tour dates, see SasamiAshworth.com.
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Hip Hop’s Conscious Drops Start Anew and Tours the Country Spreading Hope and Joy STORY BY BEN KAPLAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY JUSTIN BROADBENT “I was looking at the world and thinking that so much tension has to do with how difficult it is to let go,” says Shad, the Juno and Emmy award-winning musician who fluctuates between music, documentaries, teaching and rapping, where he’s been nominated five-times for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize. “It’s hard to go through change. We end up kicking and screaming against that, but you have to get to your bottom in order to move past things and I felt like now was a good time to make a record about what we’re all going through as a collective.” With his patented, dexterous, rhythmic rhyme flow—few MCs make you reach for the rewind button like Shad—the musician says that after two decades of playing shows and dropping albums, he took time to think about his legacy. In the face of the MAGA movement and climate crises, wars in Sudan, Ukraine and the Middle East, let alone income inequality and social injustice here at home, it feels like the world’s at a tipping point. On Start Anew, Shad stares down a career that began in 2005 and wonders what he has left to share with the culture.
imbues his audience with not only beats, rhymes and life, but also with positive messaging and a shared emotional ride. This tour, which touches down from Vancouver to Toronto, Edmonton to Guelph, is designed to be extra celebratory. Reflecting back on twenty years, Shad says he wants to salute his fans at each stop of his live show. “I’m trying to keep ticket prices low and taking requests, not only for songs, but also with banter,” he says, using his newsletter to ask his audience not only what they want to hear him play, but what they want to hear him talk about. “I want this album release and tour to be a celebration of the bond I’ve had with my listeners and celebrate this special relationship we’ve been lucky enough to share.” Far from becoming the curmudgeonly old rapper that he warns about, Shad has remained youthful and witty, using humour and nonchalance amongst his messages and remaining, twenty years down the road, at the very top of the game. He says his music has always navigated that balance between heavy and light, stark, and optimistic about what’s yet to come.
“Am I going to be that older artist that’s always angry and fighting for his place in the story or am I going to be the guy who stays inspired, contributes and lets life be whatever it is?” he asks, and talks about the inspiration for thoughtful, fire new tracks like Slanted, Bars and Barbecues, Islands and K.I.S.S. “Endings are hard. Evolving is hard. But I think we have the courage collectively to do it, which is how I stay inspired to write and perform.”
“I come around music because of the positive emotions attached to it, the joy—that’s how I got into hip hop, the fun of freestyling with friends,” he says. “That’s why I rap, because of those euphoric experiences, but I’m also using music to represent the tension and paradoxes that are life. You can’t grow without discomfort, but you also need some levity, vulnerability and silliness—music is all those things, and that’s what I try to encompass on my albums and tour.”
The performance aspect of the Shad live show—where his breath control on such wordy classics like Rose Garden and Keep Shining is a site to behold—is a singular experience. He
Start Anew is out now on Secret City Records. For 2026 tour dates across Canada, see shadk.com.
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K I N D B E STORY BY BEN KAPLAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY MO PHUNG
Almost three hundred pounds and being six-foot-five has made Lance Sampson a lifelong intimidating presence. Growing up in Halifax’s Uniacke Square, Sampson, raised by a single mother, had all of the right ingredients for turning out as a product of his environment. However, the longtime soul music devotee and historian, had other plans. “When I was 15, I was a hard person to be around, my environment pushed on me this idea of being a toxic masculine person, that you have to have people respect you through fear,” says Sampson, who received a five-year drug trafficking sentence in his teens, and used the time behind bars to not only discover music, but also his Africville ancestry.“People see this image of me and don’t know who I am, but I like to mindfuck people. The most important thing was getting out of my box.” That box also pertains to Aquakulture’s music, which was mistakenly categorized as hip hop by a certain awards board, but
actually features the musician singing and playing piano and guitar. 1783, the newest Aquakulture album, his fourth, focusses on Black Nova Scotian history and is done through skits, interviews and deep-groove funk tracks, often performed by local Africville musicians. It’s a piece of art as original—and striking—as its creator and brings to mind how local Canadian musicians are rewriting our national soundtrack one banging tune at a time.
school. Much like the artist recording, the music is thoughtful but also determinedly original, paying homage to the past but reinvigorating it with a touch of Soulquarian influences, American acts like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Common and The Roots. It’s a thrilling piece of current Canadian artistry and Aquakulture is a name you won’t soon forget.
“My intention is to get folks moving and grooving to get them to listen to the message,” he says, adding that the soul albums from his grandmother’s record collection inspired his musical texture. “When I’m writing, I feel like I have a responsibility to say things that are true to me because I know music can shape your way of thinking. I put messaging out there I want my kids to learn.”
“I’ve come into life as a collaborator, and I feel like because I approach my relationships with friends and strangers by giving people a lot of time and space to be themselves, I’m hoping in return they allow me to be myself,” says Sampson, who recently shared the stage with the poet and professor George Elliott Clarke. “At my shows, Black folks are showing up intergenerationally and that makes me happiest about this project. I have to have my artistic place settled before I go anywhere else.”
The lessons on 1783 aren’t sugar-coated but nor is the album like anything you’d get in
For more information on Aquakulture, see Aquakulture.com
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Astrotourism is Out of this World P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y O F N AYA R A A LT O ATA C A M A
The night sky offers something that can be achieved through no other means: humility. Underneath the celestial awe, we can’t help but marvel at the galaxy and our tiny place within—despite our mistaken belief that we’re the centre of the universe, we’re merely a tiny spec on the endless cosmos, our everyday drama as insignificant as wind blowing on stone.
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Nayara Alto Atacama features a high-powered Celestron 8SE telescope, and the resort schedules evening viewings of the night skies, its terraces arranged for wishing upon the Southern Cross and Tarantula Nebula. There’s a cactus garden and llama park and environmentally conscious guests flock to their yoga instruction and enjoy local ingredients and wines at Ckelar Restaurant, which draws raves. As we continue to reap environmental degradation on the universe, this tiny region of Chile’s Atacama Desert remains virtually untouched and preserved for travel this winter. Rooms begin at $1,500 for one night, so it remains an aspirational journey. However, built in the greenest oasis in the driest desert in the world, the hotel and the city offer a place where you can connect with the planet and with yourself. For information, see nayaraaltoatacama.com.
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Chile’s Atacama Desert, with its high altitude and arid climate, has some of the world’s clearest skies and increasingly its hotels are boasting stellar astronomy departments. Nayara Alto Atacama, a five-star oasis amidst the driest desert on earth, is the area’s only resort with an observatory. You’ll be astounded at the Alto Altacama valley, which sits 2,500 metres above sea level and is less than two hours away from the bustling city of Calama. Like Portugal last year, 2026 will see savvy tourists rushing to Chile for its culture, cuisine and all-natural late night light show.
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Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle on Newfoundland, Dreams, Creativity and What a Holiday Throwdown is like at his Home STORY BY BEN KAPLAN, PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ALAN DOYLE
To say Alan Doyle had a big 2025 would be putting it lightly. The musician has both a top-selling book, The Smiling Land, and Tell Tale Harbour, the sold-out stage show that he stars in and co-wrote. Doyle—gregarious, adventurous, fiercely Canadian and always representing his hometown of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland—has been making music, acting and writing all his life, and he’s always done it distinctively his own way. As we look ahead to the new year and our own lives and dreams for what’s to come, we asked Doyle to share with KIND not only his secrets of success, but how to enjoy the process.
Ben Kaplan: Loved The Smiling Land, and I’ve never even been to Newfoundland. What should the rest of the country know about Newfoundland that maybe they’ve forgotten? Alan Doyle: That NL is still a very new part of Canada, and that people my age are first generation Canadians. It explains so many reasons why we are di!erent and unique. BK: Different and unique is definitely a good thing. What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your life? AD: My Mom playing accordion while my Dad plays guitar and sings.
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K I N D H E A LT H BK: Another perfect answer. How has the water inspired your creativity and what’s the key for our readers to unlock their own creative juices?
AD: The journey is the destination. The game is the victory.
AD: Just do what you love.
AD: That’s just a combination of co!ee and stubbornness.
BK: But that’s easy for you to say. You’ve always had a strong compass. What if we’re confused, blowing in the wind?
BK: As this is also our Food & Drinks issue, what does holiday dinner entail in your house, who cooks and what libations do you imbibe?
AD: Listen, if you’re stuck, just do it more. Write three terrible songs. Write three chapters you hate. Paint something you’ll never show anyone. BK: The theme of our holiday issue is Beauty, Joy and Abundance. When you hear those three words, what do you think? AD: Sunset over Placentia Bay, songs in my kitchen, room full of friends all talking at the same time. BK: That sounds like a good recipe for a great time. Where has your confidence come from—to move from the Squid Jigger to writing and starring in your own play?
BK: And your endurance?
AD: Everyone pitches in on the holiday meals. One peels spuds while the others do carrots and turnips. The turkey is a shared obligation (then none feels the pressure). Rum for pre-drinks. Wine for the meal. And anything goes after the gravy is served. BK: Do you remember the food of your childhood and would you recommend that to strangers? AD: Yes! Fresh fried codfish with homemade bread and butter remains one of my favourite meals and I always recommend it to everyone—always. BK: What’s a dish you can’t leave St. John’s without trying and where’s the best place to get it?
AD: I’m not sure that confidence is important to me. AD: Fish and Chips at Leo’s. BK: What do you mean? AD: Willingness, even eagerness, to do things I don’t know how to do, is far more motivating.
BK: Lastly, my friend—and though we’ve never met after loving your work all these years I feel like we are friends— what’s next for you as you keep movin’ on? What do you want to do in 2026 and beyond?
BK: Sounds scary. AD: I hate failing. But I am 100% willing to do it and encourage others to do the same.
AD: Stay on stage as much and as long as possible. Join friends in their favourite projects when they need a hand. Walk the trails, and go to Japan.
BK: What’s your dream for the world in the new year and, essentially, how can we move towards it, together? AD: To help each other more and we can do this very simply— by helping each other more. BK: You call your book The Smiling Land: what’s been the secret for maintaining your smile? AD: I was gifted with an insatiable hunger for new experiences and good times. I have found no shortage of either. So o! we go. BK: How have joy and play and laughter contributed to not only your success, but your ENDURANCE? AD: Joy and play and laughter ARE the successes. BK: God, I love that.
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Who knows what Alan Doyle will be up to next, but to find out, check AlanDoyle.ca.
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