Sometimes people just blow your mind with their depth of musical knowledge. Professor and author Rob Bowman did that to me this week on the show. This guy operates on a completely different plane, folks. His musical knowledge is matched only by his passion for it. He's been hired to write for the Stones, Dylan, Rush, and so many others. We talk about his latest book The Flyer Vault, and also Zeppelin's first time in Canada, which Beatles song has eight different hooks, the importance of musical ...
Nov 05, 2019•50 min
I finally talked former Tragically Hip manager Jake Gold into coming to the studio to do a NSTS episode. As you can imagine, he told some terrific stories - about how he came into contact with the Hip for the first time, what the Road Apples record was originally supposed to be called, the dark stories surrounding "Locked in the Trunk of a Car". But also the special reason why a Cat Stevens song made his list, and what he and Andy Frost thought of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". Don't miss this....
Oct 29, 2019•27 min
I have so much in common with Steve Jones. We both grew up in small towns in Northern Ontario, used music to cope through our small town isolation, went on to write music-based books, and now we both speak on what can be learned from music and applied to various aspects of work and life. And this week, we sit down and shed light on our intriguing similarities. We chat about Sudbury, The Violent Femmes, Bob Marley's Canadian connection, the story behind that little laugh that can be heard if you ...
Oct 22, 2019•45 min
This week marks the first time I've ever hosted a full band in the NSTS studios, and that band was the very talented Jessica Rhaye and the Ramshackle Parade. Jessica's new record Just Like A Woman dropped last month, and the band stopped in to talk about it and also to discuss some skin-vibrating songs - each band member brought in one each. They wrap the show by playing Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" live, and you're not going to want to miss it. It's damn good. Rhaye's playlist: Robyn Hitchcock...
Oct 15, 2019•21 min
My pal Kevin Comeau, guitarist of Crown Lands, drops in this week for an impromptu chat on the latest with the band and what it's been like opening up for Jack White and Rival Sons across North America.He came up with his song list on the drive over. As always, Kev and I have a great chat, and after we talk about Crown Lands heading down to Nashville to record the new album, the conversation goes into some interesting places - his interest in coffee on tour, why Saskatchewan is so underrated, Ja...
Oct 07, 2019•24 min
I've been talking forever about music's ability to elicit an emotional response. My guest this week is musician Rob Carli, and he's created a special campaign that embodies this very idea - The Awesome Music Project. Rob and his business partner Terry Stuart created The Awesome Music Project as a collection of stories detailing music's transformative impact on people, which eventually developed into a book and a campaign whose goal is to build a community that can accelerate mental health soluti...
Sep 30, 2019•30 min
Garage rockers Alissa Klug and Brendan Albert of Queens & Kings join me on the show this week, celebrating the release of their hot new single and video "You Got Me". We play a snippet from the single and talk about some songs that make their skin vibrate, along with other stuff like stage fright, photography, Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder, and where the intensity in their music really comes from. Check it out. Queens & Kings playlist: PJ Harvey - Grow Grow Grow The Kills - Last Day of ...
Sep 23, 2019•22 min
Julian Taylor drops by the NSTS studios this week to talk skin-vibrating tunes. His new record Avalanche is a funk and soul tour de force, and if you haven't heard it yet, you should. Julian is a super talented musician and songwriter who should be a lot bigger than he is. We chat about his old band Staggered Crossing, a band I've loved since the late 90s, and lots of other stuff - the Funk Brothers, what sounds good and what doesn't sound good driving in his new '66 Mustang, bagpipe solos, hang...
Sep 16, 2019•26 min
No Sleep 'til Sudbury is back with Canada's Queen of Punk, Bif Naked! Bif's achieved a lot of things - topping charts with hit singles, beating cancer, and performing in Lilith Fair to name a few. We talk about the 20th anniversary of Lilith Fair and lots more - Desmond Child, New Wave, where I Bificus came from, Sudbury, protest songs, Iron Maiden and Madonna, and her upcoming seniors burlesque school. I love this woman. Naked's playlist: Foxy Brown - Hot Spot Asking Alexandria - Moving On Grim...
Sep 09, 2019•22 min
My guest this week is Brainsights CEO Kevin Keane, whose organization measures brain activity and more specifically, emotional and physiological reactions to stimuli. Fascinating stuff. Not surprisingly, Kevin also possesses a massive appreciation for the propensity for music to make our skin vibrate, and he shares some incredibly personal experiences he's had in this regard. Conversations like this one define why I do this show. Keane's playlist: Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey Elton John - Your So...
Aug 26, 2019•32 min
The conclusion of my discussion with Twisted Sister founder and guitarist John 'Jay Jay' French airs this week, and what a discussion it was. His playlist is centred around John's summer spent in London in 1972 and the music he experienced there, but the span of our discussion is limitless. We talk about motivational speaking, the similarities of our top five records, continued reinvention, the one question he would ask The Beatles, riding a stolen motorcycle on Broadway in New York in the 60s, ...
Aug 20, 2019•51 min
He's back! Twisted Sister founder and guitarist John Jay Jay French joins me via Skype this week for part one of a very lengthy chat about all manner of musical things. In part one, John and I talk about the recording of Twisted Sister record Under The Blade at the site of The Battle of Hastings, best of Beatles versus best of Stones, his guitar collection, four hundred thousand dollar turntables, the summer he spent in England in 1971, and so much more. And that's only part one! French's playli...
Aug 13, 2019•27 min
Back by popular demand this week is insights guru, semiotician, and NSTS listener favourite Charles Leech! This time around Charles uses the concept of synesthesia, which is the crossing over of intrapersonal senses, as a platform to discuss his musical insights. Once again, his perspectives and acumen are absolutely mind-blowing, to the point where you may find yourself mouthing the word 'wow' as you listen, likely more than once. Prepare to be fascinated, friends. Leech's playlist: Heaven 17 -...
Aug 06, 2019•56 min
Want to hear some incredible rock and roll stories from a guy who was right there, collaborating with The Pogues, Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads, and others? My guest this week is that guy, three-time Grammy winner and five-time Juno winner, mister Chris Birkett. Chris was the chap responsible for producing Sinead O'Connor's smash hit "Nothing Compares 2 U", after having worked with Steve Earle, Alison Moyet, Dexy's Midnight Runners, and David Bowie's producer Tony Visconti. The stories he tells du...
Jul 30, 2019•38 min
I'm thrilled to host the great Kevin Breit this week on NSTS. Kevin has played guitar alongside the likes of Celine Dion, Norah Jones, Marc Jordan, and so many others. I was particularly happy to have Kevin in because he grew up in the same Northern Ontario small town I did a few years before, and after he left he was mythologized up there during my teen years. I really enjoyed the chat we had about his incredible and tasteful playlist. His musical acumen is staggering, his stories are fascinati...
Jul 23, 2019•31 min
Indie singer songwriter Jordan Paul is an exciting young talent with an awesome voice and smart songs, and he drops by the NSTS studios this week with his guitar. In between performances of two of his songs, we chat about Indian classical music, Radiohead's lesser-known records, skateboard videos, his favourite musical moment, Mazzy Star, and what awaited him at a mysterious Starbucks meetup. Paul's playlist: David Bowie - Five Years Bob Dylan - It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) Sharon Van Ett...
Jul 16, 2019•26 min
Singer songwriter Laura Repo drops by the NSTS studios this week with a vinyl copy of her new record This Is My Room. She also brought her guitar, and she treats us to a song from the album, "Too Soon To Miss You". Check it out. Repo's playlist: Billie Holliday - I Thought About You Koko Taylor - Honky Tonky Liz Phair - Stratford on Guy Murray McLachlan - Down By The Henry Moore John Holt - Treasure of Love Joan Armatrading - Get in Touch With Jesus Dolores Keane and John Faulkner - Johnny Lovel...
Jul 09, 2019•25 min
Welcome back to my chat with storied drummer David Quinton Steinberg. Last week we didn't get to his songs, and so this week we get right into his playlist. The insights continue, as David recounts his fondness for his favourite Beatles track, Stiv Bators' personal conspiracy theories, his first encounter with Frank Zappa, who the last real rock star is in his opinion, his chat with Gene Simmons, the grim details behind Rush's "Nobody's Hero", David Bowie's connection to punk, and David's "Karmi...
Jul 02, 2019•52 min
This week's NSTS guest has played drums with The Mods, punk legends Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys, and then Strange Advance and The Jitters. Now, he's Rush's lawyer. His name is David Quinton Steinberg, and he obviously has a lot to talk about. Which is why this is only part one of our chat. We don't even get to David's songs until part two for all of the amazing stories and insights he shares about hanging out with Dee Dee Ramone, getting spit on during shows, playing The Horseshoe during The G...
Jun 25, 2019•36 min
Bermudian songstress Heather Nova is my guest this week on NSTS. She grew up on a sailboat in the Caribbean, and her songs appear on the soundtracks of The Crow and I Am Sam, and on shows like Dawson's Creek. Her new record, called Pearl, drops on June 28. Heather's list is full of skin-vibrating tunes, and we chat about Kris Kristofferson's advice to Joni Mitchell, Heather's reggae musician brother Mishka, seeing Patti Smith live, Neil Young's guitar solos, and our introductions to Kate Bush. N...
Jun 18, 2019•25 min
This week on NSTS, the great Blair Packham returns to the show for his third time, and he brings his guitar with him. We have a lengthy chat about all sorts of things, including No Sleep 'til Sudbury's upcoming first-ever live audience recording at Hugh's Room in Toronto on Thursday, June 27 featuring Carole Pope and Rob Preuss (get yer tickets at hughsroomlive.com!) In addition to a great chat about The Boss, sticking it to The Man, how Tom Petty came up with "Swingin'" on the spot, heroin, and...
Jun 11, 2019•53 min
Singer songwriter Lily Frost is one in a million. She's funny, super talented, insightful, and an absolute blast to have on the show. Lily's new record Retro Moderne drops June 7, and we chat about it before getting into the songs that make her skin vibrate, along with all the topics that arise from them - Joni Mitchell's grumpiness, The Dirts, Pinochet, guys who sing in falsetto, the Seattle Freeze, The Jerky Boys, and the criticality of 'the swell'. Then we talk about random unrelated stuff fo...
Jun 04, 2019•43 min
You won't meet many people more genuinely passionate about music than my pal and friend of the show Bob Mayo. He joins me from Massachusetts this week with a new batch of songs that make his skin vibrate, and as always, he enlightens me on a few things. Bob can always be counted on to bring in fascinatingly obscure tracks, because he's a believer in us discovering music we may have never heard of. He also brings in a few of my favourites. On both fronts, the conversation is great - we chat about...
May 28, 2019•54 min
I was delighted to be joined in studio this week by Chalk Circle vocalist and guitarist Chris Tait. I listened to him a lot as a teen (still do), so it was great to have him in for a conversation about his playlist AND my favourite Chalk songs. I won't spoil it, but Chris does something really cool with his playlist here. Every song has a place on the list for a very specific reason, and I was impressed at how the whole thing was carried out. Great stories too, including the fact that he actuall...
May 23, 2019•56 min
Juno award-winning musician, producer, songwriter, and actor Marc Jordan joins me this week to talk about the songs that make his skin vibrate. Marc has written songs for Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, Cher, and others, and we talk about that and some other stuff too - like why we love the art that we do, the band he plays in with Murray McLauchlan and Ian Thomas, how "Walk On The Wild Side" is a missing link between musical genres, and his new solo record, Both Sides. Check it out at ht...
May 14, 2019•20 min
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome The Kings' guitarist and founder, Mister Zero! Everybody knows The Kings megahit "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide". This week, band founder Mister Zero drops by to talk about how the song came together, why it's two songs in one, Bob Ezrin's contribution to the recording to the song, The Kings appearance on American Bandstand, the night he and Kings singer David Diamond were out with Blondie's Debbie Harry at an Iggy Pop show, who his favourite guitar pl...
May 07, 2019•46 min
In episode 106, international woman of mystery Audra Santa makes her return to No Sleep 'til Sudbury. And, she brought an electric guitar and an amp with her! This time around, Ms. Santa and I chat about her upcoming gigs, her chance encounters with various Barenaked Ladies, the mystique of Kate Bush, Arkells' very noble Juno gesture, and the examination of her dark side. All this and a live performance too. You're welcome. Santa's playlist: Tori Amos - Caught A Lite Sneeze Kate Bush - Running U...
Apr 30, 2019•38 min
It was my privilege to welcome legendary Canadian musician Murray McLauchlan to the show this week. I grew up listening to his music, and he's an engaging conversationalist with some pretty terrific stories. Join us as we talk about the unique musical charity Murray supports, the time John Prine opened up for him, his insightful interpretations of Ray Charles, his opinion of grunge, why Blossom Dearie always makes him cry, microwave popcorn, and how he, Jim Croce, Tom Waits, and his other musica...
Apr 23, 2019•44 min
Dr. Gillian Turnbull, professor and author of Sonic Booms: Making Music in an Oil Town, returns to the NSTS studios this week with a whole new batch of tunes to talk about. It's always fun to host Gillian - she's a really smart woman who really feels music. Listen in as the good doctor discusses Kathleen Edwards' gift, the life of a cowboy, her love of yodelling, a topless Neko Case, who she wants to be when she grows up, and the time she made Jack White cry. And at one point, Gillian actually t...
Apr 16, 2019•45 min
97.7 HTZ-FM music director and on-air personality Siobhan Woodrow joins me this week to chat about a most impressive list of skin-vibrating tunes. The HTZ-FM website says she loves punk rock, and she clearly does - L7, Rancid, and Mr. Bungle grace her list - but it's balanced with songs by Stevie Wonder, Janis Joplin, and Lauryn Hill. She explains this perspective during our chat, in addition to talking about what it was like to have to announce the news of Chris Cornell's death on air, who her ...
Apr 09, 2019•37 min
