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Andy Curran’s image occupied a space on my teenage bedroom wall. The guy is an icon. But he’s also an extremely humble human being and a fantastic conversationalist. 

Andy joins me on NSTS this week to talk about the new musical project he’s working on with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson called Envy of None, an experimental, industrial-flavoured musical foray that sounds nothing like Coney Hatch or Rush. We also chat about his obsession with shinny hockey, Creem magazine, the letter he wrote to the Scorpions fan club as a kid, and his upcoming doubles tennis match with Alex, Geddy, and Steve Harris from Iron Maiden. 

Curran’s playlist:

Massive Attack – Angel  

Scorpions – He’s a Woman, She’s a Man    

James Gang – Stop (live 1971)

Stone Temple Pilots – Sex Type Thing

Jeff Beck – Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers

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Singer songwriter Justine Giles is an amazing talent. And she’s a Sudbury girl! 

Justine joins me this week to talk about her upcoming new single “Save Myself” which drops Friday, February 18. We also chat about albums versus singles, the impacts of Alanis Morrisette, Stompin’ Tom Connors, and of course, Justine’s fave places to play in Sudbury.   

Giles’ playlist:

Serena Ryder – Weak In The Knees

Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts

Sara Bareilles – Basket Case

Matt Nathanson – Washington State Fight Song 

Rihanna – Stay

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Music therapist, author and speaker Jennifer Buchanan joins me this week on NSTS to discuss her new book, entitled Wellness, Wellplayed: The Power of a Playlist. The book focuses on how music playlists can improve mental health, making Jennifer pretty much my ideal guest.

Jennifer and I talk about first concerts, being brought to tears by music, pre-Alanis Morrisette Alanis, the ultimate feelgood song of all time, and the staying power of Shaun Cassidy.  

Buchanan’s playlist:

Shaun Cassidy – Da Doo Ron Ron   

Whitney Houston – Greatest Love of All  

Alanis Morrisette – All I Really Want

Adele – Rolling in the Deep

Bob Marley – Three Little Birds

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Last year Alex Huard, host of Release Day, and I created a video series called Thursday Night Record Club, where I introduce Alex, who is a rock fan but substantially younger than I am, to some records from my day he wasn’t previously familiar with – Van Halen, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, the Stones, and others. This week, he’s my guest on NSTS to talk about the songs he discovered as we recorded TNRC that made his skin vibrate. 

Huard’s playlist:

Led Zeppelin – Your Time is Gonna Come

Van Halen – Somebody Get Me a Doctor

Aerosmith – Seasons of Wither

The Rolling Stones – Can’t You Hear Me Knocking

The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street (entire album)

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Happy New Year! NSTS kicks off 2022 with music biz veteran and indie act champion Darryl Hurs. 

Darryl has been a massive supporter of independent artists for decades, and he provides some fascinating insights on today’s music industry and what it means to be an indie artist in the digital age. We also chat about grunge deep cuts, Eddie Vedder being the last surviving grunge singer, how U2 took over the world, and Prince as a guitar player. 

Hurs’ playlist:

Olivia Vedder – I Am My Father’s Daughter

Glen Hansard – Falling Slowly

Prince – Purple Rain

U2 – Kite

Temple of the Dog – Times of Trouble

Harm and Ease – Cut Me Loose

Alice In Chains – Nutshell

Pearl Jam – Indifference  

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In this final No Sleep ’til Sudbury episode of 2021, I decided to share some of my favourites from the Christmas playlists heard in the Jensen house throughout the holiday season.

You may be surprised at some of these selections, particularly the very first Christmas album that plays every year as the tree goes up on the last Friday evening in November. Some surprises and a few facts behind the songs – like why “Peace On Earth” had to be written on the spot for David Bowie’s duet with Bing Crosby, the Christmas song that’s actually a protest song, and who was originally supposed the sing the female part of “Fairytale in New York”. 

To all my listeners and friends – the happiest of holidays to each and every one of you, near and far. Merry Christmas! 

The playlist can be accessed in Spotify here.

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This week marks the return of super awesome singer songwriter Christina Martin to the show. Christina’s new single is called “Stay With Me”, now available wherever you get your music.

Always a great chat with Miss Martin – this time around we cover the making of her new video for the single, the focus she’s placing on making her music more accessible to her fans with disabilities, how she accidentally met Patty Griffin, the lost art of being a pen pal, and how we’re going to get rich together.         

Martin’s playlist: 

Patti Griffin – When It Don’t Come Easy

Tori Amos – Baker Baker

Tina Turner – Simply The Best

Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You 

Seela – Hard Times Hit

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Canadian 80s New Wave legends Martha Johnson and Mark Gane of Martha & The Muffins join me on No Sleep ’til Sudbury this week to chat about their new record, called Marthology: In and Outtakes.  

Martha and Mark are wonderful people with great stories. Topics discussed include The Wizard of Oz, seeing The Beatles live, how limitations create style, the time Chris Isaak wrote a song in a closet during a party, and the fascinating reason the chorus of “Echo Beach” is heard only at the end of the song.   

Martha’s playlist:

Laura Mvula – Green Garden

Bob Marley – Waiting in Vain

The Beach Boys – God Only Knows

Judy Garland – Over the Rainbow

The Beatles – Eight Days A Week

Mark’s playlist:

The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows

Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Steve Reich – Music For 18 Musicians

Jo Stafford – The Nearness of You

King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man

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My guest on NSTS this week is Evan Denley, an up-and-coming Canadian folk rock singer-songwriter who’s been described as Bob Dylan meeting Dallas Green at a Neil Young show.

Evan’s second release of 2021, “Coming Undone”, was written in response to a culmination of two things – the breakup of his former band The Yonge Collective, and the threat of the oncoming pandemic. His new video for “Building Walls” is also available on YouTube. 

Denley’s playlist:

Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real – Entirely Different Stars

Boygenius – Salt in the Wound

John Mayer – Gravity

Hozier – Foreigner’s God

Father John Misty – Please Don’t Die

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My pal Rik Emmett returns to NSTS this week for part two of our chat about his new poetry book Reinvention, and we cover a lot of ground indeed.   

As he did in part one, Rik shares some fascinating glimpses into his personal history via the new book, and this episode runs the gamut – dealing with the death of loved ones and with our own mortality, some lighter moments including a hilarious story featuring Coney Hatch’s Andy Curran, and even a live musical performance from the man himself. Go out and grab Rik’s new book of poetry Reinvention, you won’t be disappointed.  

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