The State of Independents

Host: Donald Finigan

The State of Independents is a curated hour-long show dedicated to promoting independent musicians - that is, by definition, unsigned artists, or those signed to stand-alone, independent labels. Hosted by Donald Finigan, his first experience with independent artists came as a founding committee member of The Acoustic Village concert series which takes place in Knowlton, Quebec. Inspired by the many challenges that such artists face in reaching listeners without mainstream radio exposure, as well as drawn to the freedom they had to push musical boundaries, he began the show in February of 2018 to help bridge the gap between artist and listener as well as to expand his own music collection. A hobby that has unfolded in real time, the vast majority of artists heard on the show have been discovered during its tenure and most have been added to CIDI's library after first airing on The State of Independents in an effort to show further support. Donald and his wife, Darleen Bell, have also hosted musicians on their own in various capacities, including artists with national profiles such as Donovan Woods, Jeffery Straker, Coco Love Alcorn and The Once.