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My guest on NSTS this week, singer Stacey Kay, is no stranger to the spotlight. She’s advanced to the final rounds of America’s Got Talent, performed live at Massey Hall with k.d. lang, and has been praised by the likes of Fergie and David Foster. She’s also a proponent of positive body image and speaks on the topic at schools. 

During our chat, Stacey tells some great stories about going viral with a rap in a Walgreen’s, how she really feels about Bob Dylan’s voice, what an 11 o’clock number is, and the k.d. lang Coke can conspiracy. Inspirational lady, great conversation. 

Kay’s playlist:

Queen – Somebody To Love

Travis Barker – Let’s Go

Alicia Keys – If I Ain’t Got You

Pentatonix – Natural Disaster

Justin Timberlake – Drink You Away

Etta James – I’d Rather Go Blind

Christina Aguilera – Lady Marmalade

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Juno-nominated jazz songstress Barbra Lica joins me in the NSTS studios this week for show number 101. CBC Radio 2 recently called Barbra one of Canada’s top female jazz singers, and you’ll see why after listening to her perform at the end of this episode.

Barbra brings with her a fine assortment of tasteful songs, some of which I’ve added to my own personal playlist. I’ve also been playing her single “You’re Fine” lately, which comes highly recommended. Enjoy! 

Lica’s playlist:

Corinne Bailey Rae – Put Your Records On

Dala – Horses

Melody Gardot – If The Stars Were Mine

Rachael Yamagata – I’ll Find A Way

Gillian Welch – Barroom Girls

Ella Fitzgerald – They Can’t Take That Away From Me  

Norah Jones – Carnival Town

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I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the one hundred episode milestone with a look back at some of the great moments that took place on the way to getting here. Of those there were many, and while I regret not being able to include them all, I did gather a good number of them for this special retrospective.

There are laughs, tears, insights, insults, interesting facts, and some incredible conversation compliments of the wide array of guests I’ve been lucky enough to have – Stephen Stanley, Kelsi Mayne, Ron Tite, Tara Slone, Christopher Long, Rachel Sumner, Rik Emmett, Ron MacLean, Suzi Kory, Terry Moshenberg, Andrea Ramolo, Jay Jay French, Brad Jemmett, Kevin Comeau, Bob Mayo, Sean Beaudoin, Rob Preuss, Amy Sweezey, Phil Collen, Greg Fraser, Audra Santa, Jeffrey Lee Campbell, Alan Cross, and so many others. 

THANK YOU for listening. I honestly could not have done it without you. Here’s to the next hundred, true believers.

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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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