The New Spirit Winds is a weekly feature program broadcast on ROCK 95 that showcases Aboriginal musicians, traditional and contemporary styles of music as well as current events.

Current hosts are Morgan Priester and Cal White who alternate every second Sunday.

Morgan and Cal both joined Rock 95 two years ago as co-hosts of the program. At the time, the name was changed to The New Spirit Winds, both to reflect the edgier direction of the show and to pay tribute to the fine job that previous host, Linda McGregor, had done in her tenure at Rock 95.

From Georgina Island First Nation and with almost 10 years experience at his local community station, CFGI, Morgan Priester was also a member of the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards Jury in 2003. He received his own nomination for Best Radio Show Promoting Aboriginal Music in 2008. Rock and Roll and Blues are his specialty but he is always looking for something cool, be it new or old, indie or mainstream to play. Morgan loves to share his passion and knowledge of music with the listeners and welcomes questions and comments!

Cal White is a graduate of Seneca College's Radio & Television Arts program and ran the Wahta First Nation community station for seven years. During that time, he was a two-time nominee for Best Aboriginal Radio Show at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. Cal likes to use his industry contacts to keep listeners informed as to the current activities of their favourite musicians. A professional musician for over 25 years, Cal brings a unique view to the show.

History of The New Spirit Winds

The program first aired in 1989 when ROCK 95 joined the air waves of central Ontario and reflects the stations commitment to the development of Aboriginal broad-casting and access to mainstream media. Spirit Wind currently airs on Sunday evening beginning at 11 pm and features new talent as well as Juno and Grammy winning Aboriginal musicians. Artists from the ROCK 95 listening area are showcased on the program in addition to diverse cultural styles of music and Aboriginal languages from across Canada and the United States.

Influences and Changes Over the years

The number of Aboriginal musicians in the ROCK 95 listening area producing radio quality music CD’s has increased significantly and is a trend that will likely continue. The inception of the new Juno category in 1994 – Best Music of Aboriginal Canada followed by the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards made significant contributions in the development of Aboriginal music and musicians and served to raise a level of consciousness within the music industry and society in general. In 1995, Spirit Wind host Linda McGregor acted as juror for the newly formed Juno category. The development of Aboriginal programming and community-based radio stations continue to serve as important influences with many positive off-shoots. In recent years, the Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival introduced a First Peoples Concert Series featuring many artists heard on Spirit Wind with host Linda McGregor having the pleasure of acting as MC for many of the events.

Showcasing Aboriginal Talent

The beauty of the New Spirit Winds is that it provides a mainstream vehicle for up and coming Aboriginal artists and a means to celebrate the accomplishments of seasoned artists as well. Some fascinating facts that serve to inspire include local artist Ronnie Douglas winning a national talent search carried out by the Toronto Blues Society; Buffy Sainte-Marie winning a Grammy for co-writing, Up Where We Belong and being inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame. The list goes on.

The development of Aboriginal broadcasting and access to mainstream media has truly helped showcase Aboriginal talent, music and a richly diverse culture.