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Episode

NSTS Episode 181 – Glass Tiger’s Samuel Reid

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!!! 

Episode

NSTS Episode 180 – R&B Singer Sandra Bouza

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 Friday the 13th thing freaks me out a bit). Recently, I was finally able to recreate a copy of the episode, and it sounds great – particularly Sandra’s incredible voice. My biggest disappointment initially was that Sandra did something special for me during our chat, a totally spur-of-the-moment gesture that was potentially lost forever – but thankfully, it’s been reclaimed for the whole world to hear. Check it out! 

Bouza’s playlist:

Buffalo Springfield – For What’s It’s Worth

Amy Winehouse – What Is It About Men

Erykah Badu – Window Seat

Neil Young – Old Man

Radiohead – Electioneering

Episode

NSTS Episode 179 – A Tribute To Edward Van Halen

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’ll be missed, but never truly gone.   

Episode

NSTS Episode 178 – MuchMusic VJ Christopher Ward Part II

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 as I did.      

Ward’s playlist:

Aretha Franklin – Chain of Fools

The Beach Boys – Till I Die

Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone

Dusty Springfield – Son of a Preacher Man

The Temptations – Just My Imagination  

Episode

NSTS Episode 177 – MuchMusic VJ Christopher Ward

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 with The Temptations, and embraced the chaotic madness that was MuchMusic in its heyday. And in this first episode of two, we cover most of that and more. Enjoy!   

Episode

NSTS Episode 176 – Wide Mouth Mason Drummer Safwan Javed

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 Mason’s days opening up for The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top – having dinner with Charlie Watts, being invited to Billy Gibbons’ house for BBQ and homemade guacamole, and more. And what a playlist! Really enjoyed this chat with Safwan, check it out. 

Episode

NSTS Episode 175 – Honeymoon Suite’s Johnnie Dee AND Derry Grehan

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, what surprised them, what they would add to their own lists, and which specific Honeymoon Suite songs give them goosebumps. Plus more great stories, including the time Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy visited their tour bus.     

Episode

NSTS Episode 174 – Honeymoon Suite Guitarist Derry Grehan

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 impression to boot! Don’t miss this. 

Grehan’s playlist:

Grand Funk Railroad – Are You Ready

Alice Cooper – Eighteen

Van Halen – I’m The One

Peter Gabriel – Don’t Give Up

Deep Purple – Burn   

Episode

NSTS Episode 173 – Honeymoon Suite Singer Johnnie Dee

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 through Honeymoon Suite’s songs. Really enjoyable chat. 

Dee’s playlist:

Chris Cornell – The Promise

Bruce Springsteen – Stones

Coldplay – The Scientist

Sting – Fragile

Ian Hunter – Standing in my Light  

Episode

NSTS Episode 172 – CHUM-FM Producer and Podcast Host Tom Jokic

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 vibrate – not to mention the one that makes his skin crawl.          

Jokic’s playlist: 

Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone

Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah

Bruce Springsteen – My City of Ruins

Talking Heads – Once in a Lifetime

KISS – Detroit Rock City