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NSTS episode number 99 features Ashley Jane and Timor Wientzek of folk pop duo In The City. It’s always a treat to host organic musicians on the show, and these two did not disappoint. They were good enough to perform their current hit single “Best Time”, a moving song about loss.

During their visit, we chatted about Ryan Adams covering Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi’s mp3 dilemma, Tragically Hip lyrics, Timor’s unexpected reaction to Joni Mitchell, the pros and cons of streaming, and why Ashley called me ‘every musician’s dream’. Is the trumpet real? Listen and see for yourself!     

In The City’s playlist:

Phoebe Bridges – Emotional Motion Sickness

Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now

The O’Pears – Find the Sun

Haerts – Your Love

Big Thief – Shark Smile

Big Red Machine – I Won’t Run From It

Barr Brothers – Defibrillation

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The happiest person on planet Earth, singer Suzi Kory, returns to the NSTS studios this week to chat about all sorts of fun things. 

It’s always a pleasure to host Suzi, and during this episode she catches us up on everything she’s currently doing – her foray into country music, the video shoot for her latest single Pretty Little Things, learning to play guitar, and who her girl crush is. Bonus: I tell Suzi a deep dark secret about Dolly Parton from my childhood.   

Kory’s playlist:

The Dixie Chicks – Not Ready To Play Nice

Miranda Lambert – Tin Man

Elie King – Ex’s and Oh’s

Little Big Town – Girl Crush

Dolly Parton – Jolene   

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This episode is definitely for the low-fi indie rock crowd. I travelled to Seattle late last year and chatted with co-founder of premier indie label Barsuk Records Barry Gordon at the Starbucks Center. My good pal Kevin ‘Wyatt’ Reid also drops in for a few laughs.

Barry’s music IQ is deep and sophisticated, and we talk about his role in discovering Death Cab for Cutie, watching Arcade Fire ascend to fame, loving The Smiths and Rush simultaneously, how to play ‘guess-the Pitchfork-score’, The Strokes as an opening act, and Bowie’s unmistakeable influence on indie rock. It’s fascinating to listen to Barry’s musical acumen, coulda talked with him all day. Enjoy! 

Gordon’s playlist:

Throwing Muses – Two Step

Ramona Falls – Clover

Sugar – Explode and Make Up

Death Cab For Cutie – Company Calls Epilogue

Maria Taylor – Xanax

Morrissey – Southpaw

David Bowie – Lazarus 

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This week on No Sleep ’til Sudbury we welcome Canadian Folk Music nominee and super cool lady Andrea Ramolo. She’s currently touring her newest record Homage, a collection of Leonard Cohen songs, and she was good enough to take a few minutes to chat with me about the songs that make her skin vibrate.

Andrea is a self-proclaimed ‘lover of the darkness’ in music, and her playlist reflects it. We have an extended chat about Fleetwood Mac’s favourite drug, the story behind her very personal album Nuda, the song she made a point of listening to every morning, whether music matters as much anymore, the power of interpretation, and the brilliance of Ryan Adams. When she comes back, we’re doing an all-Adams playlist. For real.             

Ramolo’s playlist:

Janis Joplin – Kozmic Blues

Jonathan Byrd – The Law and the Lonesome

Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way    

I Will Give You Everything – The Skydiggers

Sam Cooke – Bring It On Home To Me   

Glory Box – Portishead    

Oh My Sweet Carolina – Ryan Adams and Emmylou Harris    

Because the Night – Patti Smith

Nina Simone – Feeling Good

Kansas City – The New Basement Tapes

Famous Blue Raincoat – Leonard Cohen  

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Friend of the show and Brighton Rock guitar slinger Greg Fraser returns to NSTS this week, with quite a different batch of songs – this time around, it’s all rock. 

It’s always fun chatting with Fraze, he’s a great guy and we love a lot of the same music. We cover all the important stuff – his favourite KISS song, watching Poison’s bass player get punched in the face, Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein approach to building guitars, Buffalo’s 97 Rock, how Brighton Rock’s hits were written, Mick Ronson as a roommate, how their record company always wanted Brighton Rock to be more like Honeymoon Suite, and so much more. Fraze even finds a way to bend the show rules to slip an extra song into his list, that scammer. Very fun episode, check it out. 

Fraze’s playlist:

Thin Lizzy – Warriors       

Van Halen – Unchained

Judas Priest – No Surrender     

UFO – Only You Can Rock Me     

Michael Schenker – Armed & Ready   

KISS – Flaming Youth   

Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same

(Special mention) AC/DC – Rock N Roll Damnation

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Audra Santa caused something of a sensation on the internet recently. The video for her latest single “Afterglow” was censored by Facebook for ‘failing to uphold advertising standards’. Of course, you can watch the video and decide for yourself. 

Audra is a fantastic conversationalist with a strong female voice, and our chat continued long after the episode wrapped. What was captured on the actual show, you ask? The brilliance of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt”, sexual empowerment, Portishead’s “Dummy”, Thunder Bay, Audra’s work in the Indigenous community, whether skipping the first two songs on Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” is necessary, and the importance of reconciling spirituality and sexuality. And if that’s not enough, the lady plays a song for you too. You’re welcome. 

Santa’s playlist:

David Bowie – Lazarus

Johnny Cash – Hurt

Madonna – Human Nature

The Boudoir Project – Naked

Portishead – Glory Box

Foals – Late Night

Daniel Johns – Preach

Florence & The Machine – Big God

Radiohead – Reckoner

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Here’s something different for you this week. Something I’ve thought about doing for a while now. It’s a privilege for me to have guests of No Sleep ’til Sudbury play their music on the show, and there have been some really special musical performances across the 90+ episodes we’ve done so far. So I figured, why not assemble a few of them and make a unique live music playlist of my own? 

And so I have. Join me as I look back on some of my favourite NSTS performances, stripped-down versions of great songs from incredibly talented musicians, played with an intimacy and a purity that made my skin vibrate as they unfolded in front of me. Maybe yours did too.                  

The NSTS live performance playlist:

The Stephen Stanley Band – Melinda

Kelsi Mayne – Woman Waiting

Carl Dixon (with Ron MacLean) – Won’t Back Down

Rob Preuss – Romantic Traffic 

Christina Martin – Impossible To Hold

Barney Bentall – Something To Live For

Rik Emmett – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 

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Barney Bentall is an incredible songwriter and a terrific man. It was a real pleasure hanging out with him, capped with an unplugged performance of a song of his I’ve loved since my teens, “Something To Live For”. Talk about skin vibration.       

Barney and I cover a lot of stuff – his four-night stand at Hugh’s Room in Toronto as part of a Gordon Lightfoot tribute, the sabbatical he took from music to chase cows in minus 20 weather, Springsteen’s Nebraska, the very first record he ever owned, Ron MacLean’s Juno Cup mixtape, and the story behind his cover of the Hip’s “Bobcaygeon” as a tribute to Gord. Don’t miss this.     

Bentall’s playlist:

Bob Dylan – Tangled Up In Blue

Gordon Lightfoot – Shadows

Bruce Springsteen – The Rising

Tom Petty – Free Falling

The Band – King Harvest Has Surely Come

KD Lang – Love Is Everything

The Tragically Hip – Bobcaygeon

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Happy New Year, NSTS is back! 

We kick off the year by hosting former Sting guitarist Jeffrey Lee Campbell. Jeff toured the world with Sting in 1987 on his Nothing Like The Sun tour, and he details that whirlwind period of his life in his new book, Do Stand So Close: My Improbable Adventure as Sting’s Guitarist.     

Jeff obviously has some incredible stories, and he shares some of them on the show – headlining Madison Square Garden with Sting, his years with the Broadway smash Mamma Mia!, and what it was like to give Jon Bon Jovi guitar lessons. Jeff imparts all kinds of musical wisdom during our conversation, and if you’re a music fan in any capacity you’re gonna love this chat.            

Campbell’s playlist:

Prince – Do It All Night

Dyke & The Blazers – Let A Woman Be A Woman (And A Man Be A Man)     

Jimi Hendrix – Wait Until Tomorrow    

Humble Pie – Hot N’ Nasty    

Sly & The Family Stone – Family Affair   

Gregory Porter – Take Me To The Alley  

Frank Sinatra – Silent Night

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Here’s the second and final portion of my time spent with the great Rik Emmett, going over the Christmas songs most special to him. Our first episode from last week was a massive success, earning the most downloads of any NSTS show in 2018. Hope you enjoy this one just as much.     

This week Rik once again provides tremendous insight into the writing of some of our favourite holiday tunes, all while playing portions of them on guitar. He also shares some personal details about the playlists the Emmett family listen to during Christmas, and why. Rik graciously wraps up the show by playing one of my faves, a highlight I won’t forget. Doing these shows with Rik was the perfect way to wrap what’s been an absolutely incredible year for NSTS. Thanks sincerely to each and every one of you, faithful listeners – my very best goes out to you and your families over the holiday season. I’m outta here, programming resumes January 8, 2019 – Merry Christmas!  

Emmett’s playlist:

Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock

Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

Larry Carlton – My Favourite Things

The Yellowjackets – Go Tell It On The Mountain

Vince Gill – Breath of Heaven

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