Given the interest in NSTS Episode 171, "Bizarre Musical Conspiracy Theories", I elected to return to the territory this week and examine perhaps the greatest rock and roll hoax of them all - the 'Paul is Dead' conspiracy theory. Such an interesting phenomenon to delve into - the assertion that Beatle Paul McCartney secretly died in a car accident in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike, with all kinds of hidden clues subsequently provided by the remaining Beatles on album covers and in song lyr...
Jan 18, 2021•17 min
It's my pleasure this week to host Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go's on NSTS from her home in Austin, Texas to chat about her fantastic memoir All I Ever Wanted, and of course, the songs that make her skin vibrate. Kathy and I have a great down-to-earth discussion about the incredible events she's experienced in life, both good and bad. She also shares what she had really hoped to convey in her book, how music helped her to feel normal, and how that unorthodox electronic handclap found its way into...
Jan 11, 2021•37 min
Happy New Year everyone, good to be back. We're going to kick the year off with a chat I had with a good friend of mine from England, bestselling author and editor of Bass Player magazine, mister Joel McIver. Joel's writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Classic Rock, and loads of other publications, and in having written more than 30 books on bands like Metallica, Queens of the Stone Age, Motorhead, and others, often alongside members of those bands, Joel has earned the trust, respect, and frie...
Jan 04, 2021•33 min
I had mentioned earlier that I left Rik's house after taping this year's NSTS Christmas special with almost four hours of material. After considering options, I decided to create THREE episodes, one more than the usual two we produce every year. So technically, we can consider this a bonus episode! This is just all fun, fantastic content. Laughs, insights, analysis, and intimate acoustic performances from Rik, including Burt Bacharach's "Alfie" and a breakdown of Marcus King's "Goodbye Carolina"...
Dec 17, 2020•50 min
Welcome back to No Sleep 'til Sudbury's 2020 Christmas special, live from legendary Triumph frontman Rik Emmett's home studio. In this episode, Rik continues to deconstruct the songs that make our skin vibrate, this week's picks being Lulu's "To Sir With Love", The Beatles' "And I Love Her", and "Planet Caravan" from Black Sabbath. Rik sings and plays them section by section, breaking them down with fascinating technical analysis and humour, insight, and some great stories. He and I have been do...
Dec 14, 2020•44 min
I am SO excited to share this with you. Legendary Triumph guitarist Rik Emmett is back for his annual NSTS Christmas episodes, but in planning this year's content, we decided we would do something different... Rik told me earlier this year that he had exhausted his list of Christmas songs that make his skin vibrate. But, in keeping with the theme of that special warmth Christmas brings, he proposed an idea - that I offer five songs that make MY skin vibrate, and in turn he would bring five songs...
Dec 07, 2020•1 hr 17 min
What better way to wrap up the Steam Whistle live on location sessions than with my dear pal, the incredibly gifted Stephen Stanley? In this finale episode, Stephen and I cover a lot of ground - his new record, his new radio show, his new t-shirt...! In addition to sharing some fantastic skin-vibrating songs, Stephen also shares some great stories, like the time when he was introduced as "Steve and Stan Lee", his experiences in America with Lowest of the Low, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck playing his guit...
Nov 30, 2020•43 min
Friend of the show and one-woman hurricane Suzi Kory drops in this week for episode four of the No Sleep 'til Sudbury Steam Whistle live on location series recorded at the Steam Whistle Roundhouse in downtown Toronto. As she always does, Suzi brings her unique high-energy blend of engagement, inspiration, and lots of laughs. And this time around as an added bonus, she's joined by guitarist Jeff Brown for her NSTS singing debut, performing her single "Outlaw". Kory's playlist: Joan Baez - Diamond...
Nov 23, 2020•29 min
Back by popular demand, R&B songstress Sandra Bouza returns to the show as my guest for part three of the NSTS Steam Whistle live on location series. Her first appearance on the show got a lot of attention, and now she's back with a new list of songs and another searing acoustic performance. Highlights of our chat include Janis Joplin, her very unique way of forgiving others, Blood on the Tracks, and Sandra's tendency to surreptitiously sneak extra songs into her NSTS playlist. Bouza's playl...
Nov 16, 2020•31 min
Sandy Horne and Gord Deppe of The Spoons join me this week for Episode II of the No Sleep 'til Sudbury multi-show series live on location from the Steam Whistle Roundhouse facility in downtown Toronto. Sandy and Gord have both been on the show solo previously, so we thought it would be cool to have them come in together and play, and fool around with the idea of skin vibrating songs. They attempt to guess each others' selections, which results in a lot of laughs and also sheds light on some inte...
Nov 09, 2020•33 min
Welcome to the special NSTS five-episode series created in partnership with the Steam Whistle Brewery, recorded live on location at their Roundhouse facility in downtown Toronto. This is a cool project I've been working on for a while, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Steam Whistle is a brand I've always liked, but it wasn't until I learned more about their deep affinity for music and the arts that I became a real fan. As such, the collaboration between Steam Whistle and No Slee...
Nov 02, 2020•22 min
This coming Friday, October 30, Glass Tiger will be doing something they've been waiting to do for more than three decades. And in what I believe is a global exclusive(!), Glass Tiger keyboard player Samuel Reid is on No Sleep 'til Sudbury this week to talk about it. I don't want to ruin the surprise, and if I list the songs Sam brought in, I'd be giving it away. So what are you waiting for? Press play already!!!
Oct 26, 2020•26 min
If you're a regular No Sleep 'til Sudbury listener, you know that I love hosting up-and-coming artists whom I think are special. And this week, I welcome a very special talent - R&B singer Sandra Bouza. There's a story behind this episode - one that didn't start out so well, but now has a happy ending. This episode was originally recorded live at The Spoke Club on Friday, December 13, 2019, but for unknown reasons there were technical issues with the file that rendered it unusable (the Frida...
Oct 19, 2020•40 min
As an Edward Van Halen fan from the age of twelve, it was necessary for me to commemorate him on NSTS upon learning of his passing last week. I feel fortunate to have a platform to offer this tribute. Even though we didn't know each other at all, I felt like I'd lost an old friend. Without him knowing, we made some pretty incredible memories together, Eddie and I. We should be so lucky in our lives to have experienced something that thrills us with so much intensity. And for me, Ed did that. He'...
Oct 12, 2020•17 min
Hey! This is part two of my chat with author and MuchMusic veteran Christopher Ward. We finally get to the songs that make his skin vibrate, and hearing Christopher's take on them was a great experience for me. Highlights of our music geekfest discussion include Bob Dylan's revenge themes, the inspiration behind him writing Alannah Myles megahit "Black Velvet", who "Son of a Preacher Man" was initially written for, and the time he danced with The Temptations on Much. Hope you enjoy this as much ...
Oct 05, 2020•19 min
Yes, original MuchMusic VJ, author, and songwriter Christopher Ward and I geeked out gleefully over little-known music facts this week on NSTS. And yes, as a result it's a two-episode series. Hey, we had a lot to talk about! Since his earliest days as part of the Second City troupe befriending an unknown Mike Myers, Christopher has had a lot of stories to tell. He's interviewed Paul and George of The Beatles, attended Live Aid, dined with Robert Plant, raised the ire of Elvis Costello, danced wi...
Sep 28, 2020•31 min
Remember Wide Mouth Mason? I never forgot 'em - always loved the band, and I listen to them regularly. In November they're celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Stew by releasing a special version of it on vinyl, and WMM drummer Safwan Javed called into the show to talk to me about it (and of course, the songs that make his skin vibrate). Safwan is an incredible musician and a great dude, and we have some good laughs during our chat. He's got some incredible stories from Wide Mouth Mas...
Sep 21, 2020•31 min
It's here! The third and final part of the special No Sleep 'til Sudbury Honeymoon Suite series featuring HMS singer Johnnie Dee and guitarist Derry Grehan. It was a real pleasure to be a part of this very laid-back conversation between two legendary musicians who have been in the trenches together for decades. In this series finale, Johnnie and Derry discuss the music that makes each other's skin vibrate - they chat about their playlists in terms of what they expected to see from each other, wh...
Sep 14, 2020•34 min
Welcome back to No Sleep 'til Sudbury's three-part Honeymoon Suite musical discussion series. This week is part two, in which fleet-fingered HMS guitarist Derry Grehan joins me to chat about the new single and the songs that make his skin vibrate. He immediately won me over with his playlist, particularly the Van Halen and Deep Purple picks. There's a song I wasn't expecting in his list but Derry shares the reasoning behind it, along with some other great stories and a great Ted Templeman impres...
Sep 07, 2020•19 min
In the first of a three-part Honeymoon Suite series, HMS singer Johnnie Dee joins me this week on No Sleep 'til Sudbury to talk about the band's new single, "Find What You're Looking For", and also of course, the songs that make his skin vibrate. For Johnnie, it's all about lyrics and melody in music. The songs he brings to the show reflect his love for sentimentality and purity in music, and in our discussion, I was reminded of how important it is for him to convey a genuine purity of his own t...
Aug 31, 2020•22 min
CHUM-FM Morning Show producer and Famous Lost Words cohost Tom Jokic is my guest this week on NSTS. Tom's been in the music industry for decades, and has some great stories from his time spent interviewing some of the biggest names in the business. His Famous Lost Words podcast, which he hosts alongside MuchMusic alumni Christopher Ward, unearths those archived interviews for our listening pleasure. During our chat Tom shares some tales from his past, along with the songs that make his skin vibr...
Aug 24, 2020•30 min
Following our examination of the conspiracy theory surrounding Kurt Cobain's death, this week on NSTS we look at other music-related conspiracy theories - ranging from the ridiculously far-fetched, through to the maybe kinda believable. Did Supertramp and the Freemasons try to warn us about the September 11 attacks with clues hidden in their Breakfast in America album cover, 22 years earlier? Did David Bowie reference Kanye West's rise to fame with Ziggy Stardust and Blackstar? Did Elvis fake hi...
Aug 17, 2020•25 min
It's here! The second half of my chat with the lovely Erica Ehm is now live, complete with the songs that make her skin vibrate (and that John 'JD' Roberts cliffhanger conclusion). Erica's playlist was compiled as a retrospective of her life thus far, documenting childhood memories, her time at MuchMusic and the artists she befriended, motherhood and her connection to her mother, and driving Bono and the rest of U2 around Toronto in her mom's car. Erica also shares the silly reason why she was n...
Aug 10, 2020•29 min
It's a wonderful thing when you find out someone you've admired as a younger person is actually worthy of that admiration. And Erica Ehm certainly is. Following her stint as an original MuchMusic VJ, Erica went on to write and produce Juno-winning songs, publish books, establish two successful companies, launch a speaking career, and more. In part one of our chat this week, Erica takes me through the journey that led to her MuchMusic career and beyond, with a sharp focus on the details of her 19...
Aug 03, 2020•30 min
This week on NSTS we examine the events leading up to the unfortunate death of Nirvana singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, considered by many to be the primary architect of a musical movement that changed the face of music in the early nineties. Despite Cobain's death being ruled a suicide, there have been plenty of assertions that he may not have died by his own hand. A number of peculiar and inexplicable events have given rise to conspiracy theories that Cobain was killed, all of which are laid ...
Jul 27, 2020•20 min
When music fans share the songs that really mean something to them and the reasons why, they're sharing a part of themselves in doing so. And Spoons singer Gordon Deppe truly does that with us this week on No Sleep 'til Sudbury. He graciously provides the backstories for the songs that have made his skin vibrate over the course of his life, and we go pretty deep in reinforcing the idea that music provides a significant connective power. Talking with Gord about these songs was like talking to an ...
Jul 20, 2020•34 min
My pal Stephen Stanley just released an incredible live record, and he joins me to talk about it this week on NSTS. The record is called Live Static Roots, recorded in Oberhausen, Germany during his 2018 European tour. And it's killer - check it out wherever you access your music. In keeping with the live music theme, Stephen brings in seven live tracks that have made his skin vibrate over the course of his life. And as it always is with Stephen, the discussion is rich and rewarding. Does he get...
Jul 13, 2020•37 min
The great Kim Mitchell joins me this week on No Sleep 'til Sudbury for an incredibly enjoyable chat about the songs that make his skin vibrate, and his new single 'Wishes'. Kim is easily one of Canada's most accomplished musicians, from his days leading Max Webster through an illustrious, hit-laden solo career. The coolest thing about Kim is that in talking with him, you'd never know it. He's humble, funny, insightful, and very engaging, and as you'll hear, he's got some great stories - the one ...
Jul 06, 2020•36 min
Last week on NSTS we talked about how Metallica formed in 1981. This week we look at another band that formed a few months earlier in the same year - Motley Crue. Motley Crue's early years are full of wildly unbelievable events - fatal car crashes, overdoses, jail sentences, drug and alcohol debauchery, and even a conspiracy theory when you consider the mysterious tale of Matthew Trippe, who claimed he stood in for injured Crue bassist Nikki Sixx during the Shout At The Devil and Theatre of Pain...
Jun 29, 2020•24 min
As mentioned in earlier episodes, some significant musical events took place in the year 1981. One of those events was the formation of Metallica. The band went on to achieve all kinds of ridiculous levels of success, but when I held their first album in my hands while I decided whether or not to buy it in 1983, I could have never, ever imagined. This week it's my pleasure to talk in detail about the beginnings of Metallica, a band that I absolutely worshipped as a kid - the reason why drummer L...
Jun 22, 2020•22 min
