Back for a second installment and once again directed by alumnus David Mewa (BA '02), this multi-genre showcase weaves musical performances with alumni stories, bringing together a diversity of Western experiences. 

Hosted by CTV’s eTalk L.A. correspondent, Liz Trinnear (BA '10), and Homecoming Chair, David Simmonds (BA '07), Western Stories & Songs II will take you on a journey through campus and beyond as you reminisce and reflect on your own time at Western.

Your Hosts

Liz Trinnear

Liz Trinnear lives and breathes all things music and pop culture. Hailing from London, Ontario with BA from Western’s MIT program in 2010, Trinnear has co-hosted The Much Music Video Awards (MMVA) Red Carpet Special, and the Much Countdown iHeartRadio MMVAs alongside multi-platinum selling artist Ed Sheeran. She has also covered major events and award shows, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the JUNO Awards for CTV, Emmy® Awards Red Carpet, Toronto Fashion Week, and Toronto International Film Festival®. Today, Trinnear reports from Hollywood as CTV’s etalk L.A. Correspondent. A fashion aficionado and captivating chatterbox, Trinnear brings her signature style and grounded personality to etalk. As a seasoned entertainment reporter, Trinnear became the host of CTV’s hit music series, The Launch for its second season in 2019. With more than 100,000+ followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook combined, Trinnear has built and continues to build a legion of fans on social media.

David Simmonds

David Simmonds is Past President of Western’s Alumni Association and a member of Western University’s Board of Governors. He is also our Homecoming Chair and an enthusiastic ambassador for Western. Last year, David added another Western feather in his cap as Visiting Professor at Western's School of Advanced Studies teaching Power, Privilege, and Public Persuasion: Storytelling as a Tool for Change. David is currently the Senior Vice-President, Office of the CEO, Corporate Initiatives at Great-West Life. A sought-after speaker, his commentary can be found in national media including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and CBC News. In 2015 the Diversity Advancement Network named David one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Canadians.

Musical Performances

POESY

POESY is the solo project of Toronto-based singer/songwriter Sarah Botelho. She was initially discovered after she appeared on the first season of hit Canadian music show, THE LAUNCH. Her performance captivated the judges and the hearts of millions across the country. Her incredible breakout performance propelled POESY to new heights, landing her a major label deal with Big Machine Records. Her debut single "Soldier of Love" rapidly climbed the ranks of Canada’s music charts - debuting at #1 on the iTunes All Genres chart and landing in the Billboard Top 40. She is currently in the (virtual) studio with UK producer Stephen Lipson (Annie Lennox, Billie Eilish) working on her latest body of work and has recently been commissioned to write the theme song for the 2022 Canada Games. Sarah graduated with a BA from Western in 2016.

Stephan Moccio

Classically trained impresario, Oscar® and three-time Grammy®-nominated artist Stephan Moccio is an LA-based Canadian producer, songwriter, composer, recording artist and musician behind some of music’s most massive hits. In 2013, Moccio co-penned the 7x-platinum song “Wrecking Ball” for Miley Cyrus. Following the song’s success, Moccio went on to co-write and co-produce the two end credit songs for the film Fifty Shades of Grey: "Earned It" (The Weeknd) and "I Know You" (Skylar Grey). Previously, Moccio co-wrote the Celine Dion hit “A New Day Has Come”, which spent 21 weeks at #1 on the Billboard chart. He also produced and co-wrote the quintuple-platinum song “I Believe” for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Avril Lavigne's critically acclaimed come back single “Head Above Water”, and Celine Dion's latest album's title track “Courage”. He signed a worldwide record deal with Decca in late 2019 and has since released two studio albums Tales of Solace and Winter Poems. Stephan will be releasing his third album on October 15th and embarking on a long-awaited world tour starting in April 2022. Stephan graduated from the Don Wright Faculty of Music in 1994 and received an honorary Doctor of Music from Western in 2019.

Falana

Falana was born and raised in the Toronto suburb of Brampton. It was whilst studying Kinesiology at Western that she wrote the songs that would eventually become the tracks on her debut EP, “Things Fall Together”, which was mixed by Western’s Don Wright Faculty of Music Professor, Jay Hodgson. After Western, Falana moved to Havana, Cuba for a year to study piano. Following a year layover in Toronto, she departed once more to develop her sound, this time heading for her parents’ hometown of Lagos, Nigeria. Amongst other accolades, Falana has been hailed as “Nigeria’s Coolest Front Row Star” by Vogue. Her reputation for captivating live shows has led to multiple bookings in Paris, London and New York. In 2019 she enjoyed a breakthrough year with the release of her critically acclaimed self-produced “Chapter One” EP, which led to her first headline African tour. Her latest single, ‘Joy’, released in February 2021, has been a hit in Nigeria and has also received heavy rotation on major radio stations in the Canada, USA and the UK. Her sound is a mix of soul and pop to R&B and Afrobeat.

Michael Malcolm & Abby Litchfield

Brand new Western grads, Michael (Malcolm) Williams and Abby Litchfield met on campus, where they started performing covers together at on-campus coffeehouses for charity. With no opportunities to perform live during the pandemic, they shifted gears to writing and recording originals. In January 2021, they released their first single together, “Sky Falls Down”, which has since been played in more than 50 countries on Spotify and was recently remixed by popular EDM artist Sound Remedy. As they experiment with genres from EDM and Pop to Acoustic, you’ll want to stay tuned to see where these two fast-growing artists go next.

Gareth Bush

Born in Halifax and having moved countless times along the East coast, Gareth Bush now resides in Toronto, Ontario as a live performer and recording artist. Since he was 16, Gareth has been song writing, Youtube-ing, busking, performing in local music venues and now ranks as one of Toronto’s top ranked event performers. While he finds inspiration from the likes of John Mayer, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Lifehouse, and Mumford & Sons, Gareth has been entertaining audiences over the past decade with an extensive repertoire covering all major genres, with over 700 hit songs in his pocket. Since graduating from Western University in 2014, he’s provided entertainment for hundreds of clients across Toronto’s wedding, corporate and bar/restaurant industries, including Facebook, TD Bank, The Bay, The Toronto Maple Leafs, Indigo, The Chelsea Hotel, Western University, and many more! Gareth released his debut EP “This is For Keeps” in 2013 and has since recorded three cover albums, “Try Again” Volumes 1 & 2 and "The Wedding EP", which are available digitally worldwide.