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Episode

NSTS Episode 066 – League of Rock Founder Terry Moshenberg

I’m joined this week by entrepreneurial juggernaut Terry Moshenberg, founder of The League of Rock.

Terry’s a true blue old school rock and roll disciple, and we have a great chat about the Seventies, Mark Knopfler, the gypsy lifestyle, The 27 Club, John Holmes (not that one), the last real rock and roll band, and a true story Terry tells about running away to the Jersey Shore that could have easily been a Springsteen song.

 

Moshenberg’s playlist:

Little Feat – Spanish Moon

Bob Dylan – All Along The Watchtower

Bruce Springsteen – Lost In The Flood

Bruce Springsteen – It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City

The Allman Brothers – Whipping Post

Dire Straits – Telegraph Road

Little Feat – Time Loves A Hero

Episode

NSTS Episode 065 – Coney Hatch Frontman Carl Dixon

Coney Hatch’s Carl Dixon is one of Canada’s most respected musicians, and he’s also my guest this week on No Sleep ’til Sudbury. Carl is funny, humble, thoughtful, and sentimental, and it was a pleasure hosting him. I invited him to bring in his guitar and he did, treating us to a song from his new record to wrap up our chat.

Carl tells great stories from his days recording the first Coney Hatch record with Kim Mitchell producing, including how the solo from “Monkey Bars” came to be and who inspired the lyrics to “Devil’s Deck”. We also chat about his experiences fronting The Guess Who, his time serving as a musical Swiss army knife in April Wine, the horrific car accident which almost ended his life, and the songs that choke him up as he talks about them.

You don’t want to miss this.

 

Dixon’s playlist: 

Grand Funk Railroad – Aimless Lady

Foo Fighters – Learn To Fly

Jethro Tull – Skating Away

Johnny Winter – Jumping Jack Flash

John Fogerty – Almost Saturday Night

Thin Lizzy – Fight or Fall

Status Quo – Whatever You Want

Episode

NSTS Episode 064 – Christopher John Campion

New York City author and singer/songwriter Chris Campion joins me on the show this week. Chris gets what we’re doing on the show and he welcomes the result of his honesty – we have a laugh that his playlist is solely comprised of songs by middle-aged white men.

In this episode we have a great talk about the vitriol of YouTube commenters, our mutual fondness for “Send In The Clowns”, electric convulsive therapy, Anne Frank, the two Aerosmiths, and how Rod Stewart navigated the 80s. He also does a mean Tom Waits impersonation.

 

Campion’s playlist:

U2 – The Electric Co.

Neutral Milk Hotel – Two Headed Boy

Tom Waits – Innocent When You Dream

Wilco – Radio Cure

Episode

NSTS Episode 063 – Suzi Kory

Canadian rock singer Suzi Kory is a woman who goes after what she wants. And in NSTS Episode 62, you’ll see that she gets it.

Suzy drops by the studio to talk about the songs that make her skin vibrate, and she shares some pretty incredible stories in the bargain – meeting Axl Rose and Jim Cuddy, playing The Whiskey in Los Angeles, and her views on what sexiness truly is. It would be a mistake to underestimate this woman, friends.

 

Kory’s playlist:

Guns N’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle

Barbra Streisand – Make It Like A Memory

Notre Dame de Paris – Bohemienne

Stevie Nicks – Landslide

Blue Rodeo – After The Rain

Episode

NSTS Episode 062 – Tara Slone

It’s my distinct pleasure to introduce this week’s No Sleep ’til Sudbury guest, former Joydrop lead singer and current Sportsnet Hometown Hockey co-host Tara Slone. Tara joins me in person to talk about the songs that make her skin vibrate, and the result is a great discussion in which she graciously shares some fantastic stories, insights, and laughs.

In this episode T and I have an emotional chat about Bowie’s final album, the soundtrack to her grade 9 crush, how Hall & Oates made a surprise appearance on her final playlist, the impact of The Ramones on her life, and the artist that she and Ron McLean both love. And if that’s not enough, she even does a little singing!

 

Slone’s playlist:

George Michael – Father Figure

David Bowie – Blackstar

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Knock Me Down

Ramones – Rock and Roll High School

Toto – Rosanna

Pretenders – Middle of the Road

Tom Petty – Only a Broken Heart

Mew – The Zookeepers Boy

Leh-Lo – 2 out of 3

Blinker the Star – Below the Sliding Doors

Hall and Oates – One on One

Episode

NSTS Episode 061 – The KISS Solo Albums (with The Pink Chief)

On the 40th anniversary of the release of the KISS solo records, friend of the show and KISS lunatic Chris ‘The Pink Chief’ Long joins me this week from Florida to talk about the songs from those records that make his skin vibrate (spoiler alert – they all do).

I wisely limited The Chief to 6 selections, and here’s what he came back with:

 

Chief’s playlist:

Paul Stanley – Tonight You Belong To Me

Paul Stanley – Hold Me Touch Me

Ace Frehley – Rip It Out

Ace Frehley – Speeding Back To My Baby

Gene Simmons – See You Tonight

Peter Criss – I’m Gonna Love You

Episode

NSTS Episode 060 – Blair Packham Is Back

Returning to the studio for NSTS episode #60 is former Jitters frontman Blair Packham, to cover off the songs we didn’t get to during his first appearance in episode #58.

Blair is a compelling guest for a lot of reasons, two of those being his great sense of humour and the visceral insight he provides while dissecting the songs that make his skin vibrate. During this week’s chat Blair and I discuss the particulars of Squeeze’s songwriting, the dark origins of MTV’s Unplugged series, Blair’s Jitters days playing alongside bands like Rheostatics and Blue Rodeo, and a reconsideration of Bob Marley.

 

Packham’s playlist:

Squeeze – Is That Love?

Jules Shear – This Primal Fire

Bob Dylan – It’s All Over Now Baby Blue

Bob Marley – War

The Beatles – Hey Bulldog

Episode

NSTS Episode 059 – Autograph Guitarist Steve Lynch

This week on No Sleep ’til Sudbury I’m thrilled to host one of my favourite guitar players from my early teen years, Autograph’s Steve Lynch. Steve was one of the earliest innovators of fretboard tapping. After hearing Autograph’s 80s megahit “Turn Up The Radio” in my car recently, I called Steve up to do the show and talk about the songs that make his skin vibrate.

Steve brings in some great tunes and recounts some cool stories from his Autograph days on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, including how the band shot guns in the studio to incorporate into their snare drum mixes, and how Van Halen’s tour manager warned Steve not to tap during their set because it was “Eddie’s thing” when they opened for VH in 1985.

 

Lynch’s playlist:

The Rolling Stones – Sympathy for The Devil

Led Zeppelin – Ramble On

Charlie Sexton – Cry Little Sister

Jimi Hendrix – The Wind Cries Mary

Small Faces – Itchycoo Park

The Beatles – And I Love Her

Led Zeppelin – The Rain Song

Episode

NSTS Episode 058 – Blair Packham

Canadian veteran singer songwriter and former lead singer of The Jitters Blair Packham joins me live in the studio this week to talk about the multitude of projects he has on the go these days, and he brings in some great songs and tremendously thoughtful lyrical insights to chat about. Blair really gets the show’s gist, and his perspectives bolster some great discussion.

Blair and I talk about our common fondness for sad songs, our love for John Prine and Elvis Costello, the absurdity of musical guilty pleasures, and whether or not people will be talking about latest musical trend reggaeton in twenty five years. Probably not.

 

Packham’s playlist:

Steve Goodman – The Dutchman

John Prine – Far From Me

Elvis Costello – I Want You

Jennifer Warnes – Song of Bernadette

Ron Hynes – A Good Dog Is Lost

Episode

NSTS Episode 057 – Sean Beaudoin Returns!

Seattle novelist and friend of the show Sean Beaudoin returns with more cool tunes in episode 57 of No Sleep ’til Sudbury. Sean consistently brings in really great songs, often by artists I’ve never heard of, so it’s always great and very educational to chat music with him.

Sean’s songs all represent an individual theme and this time around, we cover musical plagiarism, selling out, platform shoes with fish in the heels, death threats from metal fans, and the potential for Sean to seek Canadian asylum. I’d happily offer it to him.

 

Beaudoin’s playlist:

Joe McPhee – Shakey Jake

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – Get Down Moses

Bert Jansch – Black Waterside

Truckfighters – Desert Cruiser

Paul Pena – Cosmic Mirror