All Posts By

Brent Jensen

Episode

NSTS Episode 206 – Coney Hatch Singer and Bassist Andy Curran

As a Coney Hatch fan from waaaaay back, it was a privilege for me to host Coney singer and bassist Andy Curran this week. The band has released their new live record, Coney Hatch Live at the El Mocambo, recorded in October 2020 at the historic Toronto venue. 

Andy has some tremendous rock stories, and he shares many of them with me in this episode – playing tennis on the road with Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris and getting pelted with cutlery on stage opening up for Judas Priest among them. You don’t want to miss this.       

Episode

NSTS Episode 205 – Satanism, Church Burnings, and Murder: The Extremism of Norwegian Black Metal

Since its inception, Heavy Metal has spawned a countless number of subgenres. Death Metal is one of them, and in the early 1990s Norwegian Death Metal became more than just a musical subgenre. It developed into a violent, deeply sinister belief system. 

In this episode of No Sleep ’til Sudbury, we examine the dark origins and horrifying transgressions associated with the genre – Satanism, murder and corpse mutilation, church burnings, and the disturbing extremism of Norwegian Black Metal’s purveyors. 

Episode

NSTS Episode 204 – Singer Songwriter Nelson Sobral

Longtime NSTS listeners know that I love speaking with up-and-coming musical talent on the show. And I anticipate that country singer songwriter Nelson Sobral will be a well-known name fairly soon.   

Nelson’s imaginative with the instrumentation he utilizes in his country-inflected material, a nod to his sophisticated musical tastes – something he credits to his mother. We talk Crowes, Otis Redding, The Ronettes, Howling Wolf….and we see things very, very similarly. 

Sobral’s playlist (available in Spotify):

The Ronettes – Be My Baby

The Black Crowes – Sting Me

Willie Nelson – Can I Sleep in Your Arms

Otis Redding – I Love You More Than Words Can Say

Howlin’ Wolf – 300 lbs of Joy

Episode

NSTS Episode 203 – The Legendary Blair Packham

This week on NSTS I welcome back one of the industry’s ‘good guys’, Jitters frontman Blair Packham. Blair is a friend and it’s always a pleasure to have him on the show. 

In addition to chatting about the new record he’s currently working on and his skin-vibrating songs, we also discuss how his dad inadvertently named his last record, the interesting story behind how Blair became acquainted with Crowded House’s Temple of Low Men record, what Malcolm Gladwell sees him as, and how he really feels about Elvis Costello’s lyrical cleverness. 

Packham’s playlist (available in Spotify):

Ron Sexsmith – Speaking With The Angel

Elvis Costello – Shipbuilding

Tom Petty – Dreamville

Crowded House – I Feel Possessed

John Legend – Everybody Knows

Episode

NSTS Episode 202 – Singer Emily Taylor Hudson

This week on NSTS I speak with someone whose parents I watched on television as a kid – her mom is Cindy Williams, who played Shirley from Laverne & Shirley, and her dad is Bill Hudson of the Hudson Brothers. Her name is Emily Taylor Hudson, and she’s a super talented singer songwriter with brand new music available.    

Emily and I have a really great chat in this episode. Her new single is “Hearts We Wanna Break”, from her EP entitled Love is a Dirty Word. We also talk about her deep appreciation for the classics – old school Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles’ “Julia”, and more.  Wonderful discussion. 

Hudson’s playlist (found here on Spotify)

The Beatles – Revolution

Enya – Caribbean Blue

Marvin Gaye – Ain’t That Peculiar

Joni Mitchell – The Last Time I Saw Richard

Sting – If I Ever Lose My Faith In You 

Episode

NSTS Episode 201 – What Really Happened To Jim Morrison?

As he did in life, Doors frontman and rock icon Jim Morrison also commands mystique in death. The circumstances surrounding his death are mysterious and unclear – if he did in fact even die. 

This week No Sleep ’til Sudbury examines the multiple theories associated with Morrison’s passing, including the assertions made by some who claim he’s alive and living on a farm in Oregon under the name Bill Loyer.   

News

The No Sleep ’til Sudbury Podcast Joins Patreon

As the No Sleep ’til Sudbury podcast progressed over the years, I spoke with a number of people about the usual podcast stuff – joining networks, partnering with others, adding commercials to the show, et cetera.
After a great deal of thought, and after 200 NSTS episodes, I’ve decided to work with Patreon, a platform that allows listeners to support the show if they choose, and how they choose.


Two things were and are important to me – I wanted to avoid inserting commercials and ads into episodes and disrupting flow. And, I was reluctant to join a network for fear of relinquishing any measure of creative control over something I worked so hard to build since 2017.


The thing I like so much about Patreon is that it allows creators to offer all sorts of additional rewards to patrons in exchange for support. NSTS supporters will have access to unreleased episodes (one with Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson), show outtakes and bloopers, deleted content, behind-the-scenes photos, show notes, a chance to record the show’s intro and have it included in an actual episode, personally inscribed copies of my books, merch, and much more.


Not only do I want to keep No Sleep ’til Sudbury going, I want to make it even better. Patreon can help me do that independently. Have a look at the video here, and visit the Patreon site here to have a look at what’s offered. My sincere thanks to every single one of you for your continued support.

Episode

NSTS Episode 200 – Great Moments in the History of No Sleep ’til Sudbury

It’s here. NSTS episode number 200! While much has changed since the very first episodes of No Sleep ’til Sudbury were released in April 2017, the premise of the show remains the same – to celebrate music’s power to connect us and enrich our lives. 

The last four years have been quite a trip, I must say. The conversations and exchanges, the new friendships, and the shared music have all made for some truly life-enriching experiences, ones I feel very fortunate to have enjoyed. I wasn’t sure what would happen when I clicked on ‘publish’ that very first time back in 2017. But I couldn’t be more glad I did. 

Episode 200 is a tribute to all of these experiences, and a tip of my hat to all of the people who delivered them to me.  As No Sleep ’til Sudbury turns 4, I sincerely thank everyone, guests and listeners alike, for making it all possible.   

Episode

NSTS Episode 199 – Rock Critic Jonathan Gross

My guest this week is Jonathan Gross, a former rock critic, Rolling Stone contributor, and music promoter who brought Run DMC, The Beastie Boys and other New York City hip hop acts up to Canada in the early 80s. 

The chat that Jonathan and I have about his songs is sentimental, funny, and fascinating all at the same time. Bad breakups, getting to first base (and a half), the beauty of nostalgia, the 70s Toronto music scene, Steve Rubell, Jon’s relationship with Ric Ocasek of The Cars, The Beatles versus The Stones… it all gets covered in this episode.  

Gross’ playlist (Spotify – NSTS Episode 199 – Jonathan Gross):

Hall & Oates – She’s Gone

Goo Goo Dolls – Name

Boston – More Than A Feeling

The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl

The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl

Episode

NSTS Episode 198 – The Artist Now Known as Ellis Meek

Back in November when he was still known as Jordan Paul, Ellis Meek was scheduled to appear on the show as part of the NSTS Steam Whistle live on location series. He declined as a safety precaution, feeling slightly under the weather, but as it turned out Ellis became seriously ill with COVID.

This week he returns to NSTS to talk about his recovery, how his illness impacted him, and his new outlook on life.  Spotify – NSTS Episode 198 – Ellis Meek   

Meek’s playlist:

The Beatles – It’s All Too Much  

Lonnie Holley – All Rendered Truth

Harry Nilsson – One

Neil Young – Bandit

Jefferson Airplane – Today