Author and music critic Brent Jensen hosts a wide range of music fans from all walks of life to discuss their special playlists and the stories behind them.
As the host of No Sleep 'til Sudbury for the past eight years, I've been fortunate enough to enjoy some pretty gratifying experiences. This one ranks up there with all of them. Doing the show live in front of an audience was something I'd always wanted to do, and to do it alongside the legendary Rik Emmett just made it that much more unforgettable. Rik has always been one of my favourite guests, and as he always does, he made this night easy. I'm proud to call him a friend and I'm grateful for his contributions. Special night indeed.
Former Jitters frontman and songwriter extraordinaire Blair Packham drops by this week to talk about his brand new record The Impossible Dream, and he brought his guitar to do a couple of the album's songs for us. In addition to playing the tracks, Blair shares the stories behind the songs, which leads to some conversation around Canadian history, touring hijinks, and why he sometimes has to close his eyes while he performs.
Here's part two of my hang with Rik Emmett, live from Eli's Loft, to talk about his newest project Ten Telecaster Tales. As always, the conversation is rich, insightful and a lot of fun. Rik performs four tracks from the record that accompanies the book, for the very first time since they'd been recorded. In turn, he talks about performance as communion, from the smallest (this one for NSTS listeners) right up to Triumph's US Festival appearance. He also shares great insights about the reggae influence in “Fight The Good Fight” and how he was asked to hurriedly come up with a single by the record company for the The Sport of Kings album that resulted in “Somebody's Out There”. On Friday, March 21 at 8pm, Rik and I will be recording two episodes of No Sleep ‘til Sudbury with a live audience at Black Bellows in Collingwood, Ontario. Go to www.blackbellows.com for details.
He's back! The legendary Rik Emmett returns to No Sleep 'til Sudbury, or rather we return to his home studio, Eli's Loft, to discuss his new Ten Telecaster Tales project. It's always plenty of fun hanging out with Rik - the stories, the music, the insights, the voices he can do...in addition to talking about Ten Telecaster Tales, Rik and I go way off track and talk about his violin lessons, his way-too-tight pants days, little known Beatles facts, his three wedding rings, and lots more. Later this month on Friday, March 21, Rik and I will be recording two LIVE episodes of NSTS at Black Bellows in Collingwood, Ontario. Don't miss it!
Executive chef and massive music fan Christian Pritchard drops by the No Sleep 'til Sudbury studios this week, armed with some great songs and stories. Christian, a Type II diabetic, discusses his plans to develop dishes geared more towards a healthier lifestyle, and also how much the No Sleep 'til Sudbury podcast sucks because he was only able to talk about five songs that make his skin vibrate (he was thus granted six).
It was my pleasure to host executive producer Stuart Coxe on the program this week. Stuart's credentials include producing CBC TV news program The National, developing the Dragons Den and Shark Tank TV programs, and working alongside Gord Downie on the Secret Path multimedia project. Stuart has since founded his own production company called Antica Productions, focusing on podcasts, television and film. He comes to the show bearing soundtracks to discuss, and his stories featuring his work with Downie, will.i.am, Ron Sexsmith and NASA's Space Shuttle are incredible.
It's that time once again, and this year I thought I'd combine music history and Christmas music to close out the 2024 No Sleep 'til Sudbury programming schedule. Christmas music actually evolved from Gregorian chanting to celebrate the winter solstice and the return of longer days, as far back as the 4th century. From there, a number of eras were responsible for the gradual development of the 'carol' onward through the centuries, and in this episode we touch on all of them. Merry Christmas everyone!
CHUM-FM producer, Famous Lost Words podcast host and friend of the show Tom Jokic makes his return to NSTS this week with a brand new angle. Tom does a segment on his podcast called "When Rock Stars Attack", a hilarious take on snippy-ish musician interviews found in the CHUM-FM and MuchMusic archives. Today he graciously shares some of these clips with us, featuring Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr, Jann Arden, April Wine's Myles Goodwyn, and a Beatles skirmish involving George Harrison and Paul McCartney. Lots of laughs and great conversation.
Ah, the eternal question - of all of those truly great Beatles albums, which one is the best? In this special episode of No Sleep 'til Sudbury, we go through the discography of the one of the greatest musical groups of all time, and arguably, the band that started it all, to determine their best work. Which album is it? Press play and find out.
Jazz singer songwriter Lori Cullen calls into No Sleep 'til Sudbury this week to talk about The Thunder and The Bay, her new record dropping this Friday, June 7. Lori goes in a slightly new direction with this release, introducing elements of electronica and taking the material to new places - the songs are airy, colourful and dynamic. And with her selection of songs that make her skin vibrate, she completely stumps me - I'd never heard of any of them, a first for NSTS. But as always, it's all about the discovery.
We'd crossed paths previously over the years, but today Andy Kim sits down with NSTS for his first complete episode. The occasion is significant - on May 10, 2024 Andy's megahit "Rock Me Gently" turned 50. Andy shares the tremendous story of growing up in Montreal tenement housing and hearing "Be My Baby" for the first time, which compelled him to move to New York City and co-write smash hits like "Sugar Sugar". This gave way to him being handed his gold record for "Rock Me Gently" by John Lennon, hanging out with Phil Spector, Cher, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and others, and forging an unforgettable career in music.
In the NSTS interview seat this month is Eye Eye and Bill Wood and the Woodies frontman Bill Wood, talking about the songs that have shaped him over the course of his life. In tandem with these songs, Bill shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes details of Eye Eye's success and navigating the pressures of their record company, his Steve Earle-inspired revelation, the early days on the road with The Oh Nos, and the many projects he currently has in the works, including a reunion project of sorts with Eye Eye guitarist Andy Ryan.
Singer songwriter and friend of the show Stephen Stanley makes his long awaited return to NSTS this week, joining me live to chat about his excellent new record, Before The Collapse Of The Hive. The new record is a triumph - Stephen once again weaves vivid visual landscapes as an accomplished lyricist, but this time he goes further by fusing his familiar brand of rootsy Americana to new elements, resulting in a much different record than Jimmy & The Moon. We go through the songs together, and Stephen dissects them with his usual wit and insight. No wonder the guy's been on the show like, 46 times.
Friend of the show and vocal powerhouse Sandra Bouza drops by for a cup of coffee and a chat about her incredible new record, A Sound in the Dark. Sandra turns the tables and asks me to go through MY favourite tracks from the record, followed by an exclusive live performance of a brand new and very personal song she just wrote.
A few months ago filmmaker Sean Menard released his MuchMusic documentary entitled 299 Queen Street West, celebrating the history and cultural significance of what would come to be known as "The Nation's Music Station". I attended the premiere screening at Roy Thomson Hall in downtown Toronto, spoke to Rick Campanelli, Denise Donlon, Ed the Sock, Sook-Yin Lee, Bill Welychka, and other Much alum as they walked the red carpet, and offer my personal thoughts on the film here.
In the last episode of 2023, No Sleep 'til Sudbury welcomes legendary pro football running back Michael 'Pinball' Clemons, a man who's equally celebrated for both his athletic achievements and his neverending kindness and generosity. Pinball and I discuss the accomplishments of his charitable foundation and the upcoming "Christmas with the Clemons" gala, a fundraiser in service of marginalized youth. We also find out what Christmas songs can be heard in the Clemons house over the holidays.
This week on No Sleep ‘til Sudbury I'm joined by writer, musician, and fellow Sudbury kid Sean Barrette. Sean has written a book entitled Heartstrings – First Guitars, and it's a very interesting project involving some notable guitar players and the stories they share with Sean about their very first guitars. Of course, we also talk about the songs that make Sean's skin vibrate, as well as the ever-compelling Friday night pizza playlists he puts together using his old iPod.
Welcome to part two of my latest NSTS chat with the very talented and always entertaining Rik Emmett, live from his home. Last week we talked about his new book entitled Lay It On The Line, and this week we discuss some of the other stuff he's been working on - including reworked versions of some old Triumph classics and a new project called Ten Telecaster Tales. And guess what? Rik was kind enough to give us our own exclusive little taste of some of these songs.
He's back! Rik Emmett's new book, Lay It On The Line, is the focus of our latest chat live from the newly renovated music room of Rik's home. As usual, the discussion is funny, insightful and highly entertaining - not unlike his new book. In part one of our two-part conversation, the insights are particularly interesting. Rik sheds light on his motivations behind writing songs like "Fight The Good Fight", "Magic Power", and "Hold On", how a Triumph album cover tried to capture a Beatles motif (but with lasers!), how "Suitcase Blues" prepared his fans for a post-Triumph Rik Emmett, and so much more.
I have no idea how this happened, but my pal Famous Lost Words host Tom Jokic and I taped an episode of the show in early May of this year that's just getting up now. Anyway, Tom is in fine form once again, recounting stories from his interviews with Lisa Marie Presley, Meat Loaf, and the late great Gordon Lightfoot (who had passed just days before we taped this). Tom even brought along a clip of Gino Vannelli telling him the amazing story of how he was signed by Herb Alpert. Enjoy, and be sure to check out the podcast Tom co-hosts with Christopher Ward, Famous Lost Words. It's a fantastic listen.
The previous episode of little known behind-the-scenes facts about your favourite rock artists and records that aired a little while back was so popular with you guys that I decided to do another one. This time around, we look at stuff like what the actual "song from 1962" referenced in Bob Seger's "Night Moves" is (and that it was in fact from 1963), how OMD and Depeche Mode's influence over ZZ Top resulted in the biggest hit record of their career, what that strange noise is at the beginning of The Police's "Roxanne", and SO much more!
Speaking of The Redwood Theatre... It was the site of my conversation with my pal Rob Preuss as we talked about his exciting new project, Rob Preuss and Friends. This episode was taped back in April, but I explain why in the intro - before Rob does his own show intro (and outro at the end of the show). If you're in the Ottawa area this weekend, you can see the Rob Preuss and Friends show at Bar Robo on Saturday July 22. He also plays the El Mocambo on Saturday, August 26th. Don't miss it!
I knew it would be enjoyable, but I have to say that this was one of my favourite all-time NSTS conversations. Songwriter to the stars Rob Wells joins me at my home this week, and the musical geek out session we have is off the charts. In addition to bringing in some fantastic songs, Rob shares his astonishing story about how a kid from Peterborough was eventually tapped to write songs with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Nick Lachey, The Backstreet Boys, and Weezer. We also discuss his imaginary finger theory, and the similarities between Neil Degrasse Tyson and Bruce Springsteen. Do NOT miss this.
This week on NSTS I welcome Chris Sisam, formerly an executive with Corus Radio and The Edge and manager of 90s pop band Wild Strawberries, who's now doing some very interesting things in the music publishing and royalties space. Chris offers some interesting insights into how the financial aspect of the music business works, and touches on Clarence Clemons' sax solo in Jungleland, Springsteen's rehearsal requirements, Don Henley's acerbic comment to the crowd at an Eagles Toronto show, and one of his favourite lyrical lines of all time.
This may be the first time a live banjo performance is heard on No Sleep 'til Sudbury. Former Stompin' Tom bandleader and banjo player Duncan Fremlin returns to the show this week, and he brings along his Doogie and Dun partner, Juno-nominated singer songwriter Douglas John Cameron. In addition to sharing the albums that were formative in their musical lives, the two perform a medley of songs from their shows, including a take on Stompin' Tom's "Sudbury Saturday Night" that you have to hear to believe. Talented chaps and great people.
Most of us like the trivia and the behind-the-scenes stuff. So this week on No Sleep 'til Sudbury, we feature some little-known facts related to some of your favourite musical artists. For example: The unusual recording request Axl Rose made during the Appetite for Destruction sessions. The hilarious misunderstanding that led to a lyric change for The Cars. Why Aerosmith whipped themselves with an actual bullwhip in the studio. Scorpions singer Klaus Meine's confusion over American female fans who flash the band during shows. Metallica's sly nod to David Bowie in "Master of Puppets". And so much more.
Whiskey Jack frontman, former Stompin' Tom Connors bandleader, and author Duncan Fremlin drops by this week to chat about his new book entitled My Good Times With Stompin' Tom. Duncan's a Soo boy, and he ignites the Sault Ste. Marie - Sudbury rivalry right out of the gate. We do manage to have a civilized conversation about his years spent touring with Stompin' Tom Connors however, and about the songs that make his skin vibrate. He even got invited back for another episode - maybe Soo guys aren't so bad after all.
Last week, we were stunned by the news that guitar legend Jeff Beck had died. This week, No Sleep 'til Sudbury returns to pay tribute to a man who was considered by many to be one of the greatest guitar players ever. Our tribute reflects on the highs and lows of Beck's haphazard musical journey - being fired from the Yardbirds, the brief triumphs of two different Jeff Beck Groups, throwing guitars off stage, his love/hate relationship with Rod Stewart, being temporarily deafened during a GN'R soundcheck, his collaborations with everyone from Seal to Ozzy Osbourne, and much more. Through it all, he'll always be recognized as one of the very best there ever has been.
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to share a fun and personal Christmas music playlist that gets a lot of airtime at the Jensen house around this time every year. Last year's holiday playlist contained more familiar Christmas tunes - this one, less so. But I do hope there's something on it you like. Here's the playlist link on Spotify. Merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays to each and every No Sleep 'til Sudbury listener. It fills me with joy that I can share things like this with you, and I appreciate your support very sincerely. Cheers everyone!
A few weeks back my pal former Brighton Rock and current Storm Force guitarist Greg Fraser and I sat down to chat about his new single, a cover of Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited". As is usually the case when the conversation is good, the show ran long and we didn't get to Fraze's skin vibrating songs. So, here they are - welcome to part two of our chat. Fraze's playlist: Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - Man On The Silver Mountain Boston - More Than A Feeling Van Halen - Eruption/You Really Got Me Vandenberg - Burning Heart Alcatrazz - Island In The Sun
An old friend of the show drops in this week to talk about his band's haunting new single - a cover of Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited". Former Brighton Rock and current Storm Force guitarist Greg Fraser talks about how the band came up with the unorthodox choice, how former Honeymoon Suite keys player Ray Coburn helped develop the idea, and all the events that led up to the single's release.
I love discovering new music, and I also love sharing those discoveries with others. This week's guest on NSTS is indie singer songwriter Annabelle Chvostek, and her music is definitely worth sharing. Annabelle's latest record is called String of Pearls, recorded in both Canada and Uruguay, and features jazz, tango, and classical musicians from both countries. We chat about how the record was made, her relationship with Bruce Cockburn, 90s art rock, Joni Mitchell, and the influence of The Beatles' Abbey Road record. Chvostek's playlist: The Beatles – Come Together Joni Mitchell – Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire Sarah Vaughn – Honeysuckle Rose PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love Bruce Coburn – Night Train
Former Spoons and Honeymoon Suite keyboardist Rob Preuss and I are working on a special and very exciting new project together, one that we originally started talking about five years ago. It's in full production now, and this week he calls in to NSTS to talk about it. Specific details won't be divulged until the project is in its later stages, but in keeping with the No Sleep 'til Sudbury theme, Rob brought in a handful of instrumental songs that may or may not be part of it. Enjoy! Preuss' playlist (available on Spotify): Spoons - Trade Winds Split Enz - Wail Gary Clark - A Jackson in your Kitchen Andrew Lloyd Webber - Entr'Acte Gary Numan - Trois Gymnopedies (First Movement) Elton John - Song For Guy – Elton John Walter Murphy - A Fifth of Beethoven
Something rather unexpected, highly improbable, and absolutely moving happened to me last week, and I was so inspired by it that I wanted to share it on the show. It's a personal story about how Metallica's very first record impacted two 14 year old kids, almost 40 years apart. One of those kids was my stepdaughter. The other kid was me.
You're likely familiar with a question that's been all over the internet lately - "what's up with Bon Jovi's singing voice?" There are a lot of theories and a lot of positions out there, but I personally think there's a little more to it than aging, COVID-19, the absence of Richie Sambora, or technical issues. And this week on NSTS I share my perspective.
The legend of Elvis Presley is tremendous, but his entire story arc is tragic. Towards the end of his career, the poor kid from Tupelo, Mississippi who became the King of Rock and Roll was lonely, exhausted, and depressed, eventually succumbing to the pressures of his own fame. Is it conceivable to think that his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, a man with a dark history who lied about his real identity until the very end, was responsible for the death of Elvis Presley?
Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters caused a bit of a stir recently for speaking his mind. This week on No Sleep 'til Sudbury I take a closer look at the man and all the things I've personally learned about him over the past couple of weeks.
I recently saw something on the internet involving one of my childhood heroes, Metallica's James Hetfield, that gave me pause. Over the years we've seen a progressive humanization of Hetfield, but now we've gone beyond the expected arc. And it got me thinking about where we've been and where we are on a greater scale. And this week on NSTS, we talk about it.
Sometime next year, pop cultural icons KISS will play their final show after more than 50 years of fire, blood, and bombast. For the first time in half a century, KISS will no longer be. KISS masterfully deployed the power of nostalgia to leave a significant and indelible mark on millions of rock fans of my vintage. Now, as they approach their end, I look back at what the whole thing really meant.
Something terrible happened. The derecho thunderstorms that left parts of southern Ontario without power for two days on May 20 also left me without a podcast episode. The file containing part two of my chat with Nick Walsh was lost in the power outage, and while I've been trying to recover it since, it's gone. Very, very disappointing, but Nick graciously agreed to do it over again so you can find out what his NSTS selected songs were. However, Nick's schedule is busy, so it may be a while. In the interim, I've decided to share a previously unreleased episode from 2018 I did with Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson about the upcoming tribute show for his recently-deceased bass player Garry Lowe. Gordie was calling in from his car and I initially shelved it because of the sound quality, but it's actually not bad at all. Cheers everyone.
It took a while, but former Slik Toxik and current Famous Underground and Classic Albums Live singer Nick Walsh finally sat down with NSTS to talk about a few of the songs that make his skin vibrate. Because our chat was so lengthy, we didn't quite make it to those songs in part one of his time with us - but we did talk about his recent promotion at Classic Albums Live, Doin' The Nasty on Spotify, what he learned when Slik Toxik opened for Yngwie Malmsteen, what his dad thinks of Famous Underground song "Love Grenade", and why he'll never do a Slik Toxik reunion. Come back to find out what Nick's songs are in the next episode!
There haven't been many times over the 240 odd episodes of the No Sleep 'til Sudbury podcast I've done where I've been lost for words. But I was here. The wonderful and immensely talented Sandra Bouza joined me at my home this week for the first live NSTS performance since 2020, and as usual, she was a delight. And this time I was not only impressed by Sandra's performance, but also by her courage. Bouza's playlist: Alanis Morrisette - That I Would Be Good Deftones - Be Quiet and Drive Emiliana Torrini - On The Sunny Road Ella Fitzgerald - Misty Joan as Police Woman - Anyone
In the last episode of No Sleep 'til Sudbury, we paid tribute to the memory of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. But what about Dave Grohl? We thought it was important to celebrate an individual who despite his having brought joy to millions of people, has suffered some tremendous heartbreak. This week's episode is dedicated to Dave.
It's always difficult when artists we admire pass on, but it's a little more difficult when it happens so long before their time. This week on NSTS we pay tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, an incredible musician and, as Queen's Roger Taylor described him, "sunshine in human form".
The infinitely talented Nelson Sobral returns to the show this week, and I'm delighted to host him. His new record Second Arrow just dropped, featuring the single "Dancing Fool" and soon-to-be megahit "In The Middle Of The Night". Nelson shares the context behind the Buddha-inspired title of his new album, and we chat about the old blues greats, difficult times, and how bad I am at rolling the 'R' when pronouncing his surname. Sobral's playlist: The Rolling Stones – Rocks Off Bettye Swann – Don't Touch Me Ray Charles – A Song For You Mattie Leon – Boy Hank Williams – I'm So Lonely I Could Cry
Completely by coincidence, my guest on NSTS this week is none other than longtime CHUM-FM Morning Show producer Tom Jokic. He was scheduled to appear in my studio two years ago to the day for his episode, but was forced to cancel due to a new concern people were calling COVID. Exactly two years later, Tom makes good on his appearance by turning up here in person to recount some of the great stories he's amassed not only as a producer, but also as the cohost of Famous Lost Words, the excellent podcast he hosts alongside MuchMusic alum Christopher Ward. Great stories, great conversation - Tom's among the best in the business. Jokic's playlist: The Rolling Stones – Shattered The Bee Gees – Nights on Broadway Crosby, Stills, and Nash – Suite Judy Blue Eyes Alanis Morrisette – You Oughta Know Max Webster – The Party
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
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
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
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)
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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