No Sleep Til Sudbury With Brent Jensen

There have been times when I wasn't sure we would hit this milestone. But here we are, almost three years after the very first episode of No Sleep 'til Sudbury aired, at episode number 150. Wow. To celebrate, I went through the last 50 shows and put together some moments I thought represented the show at its best - insightful musical conversation, laughs, tears, and great musical performances. I regret not being able to use all of the material, as I've had so many incredible guests, conversations, and performances, but this isn't a bad rendering. Sincere thanks to all my loyal listeners around the world - this episode is for YOU. Enjoy, and stay safe!    

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing social distancing and isolation, cancellations and schedule alterations are a must. But fear not, listeners - First 30 CEO and massive music fan Amy Davies is my guest this week.   In light of coronavirus concerns, Amy brings in a list focused on 'feelgood' music to lighten the mood and lift the spirits. We have a fun chat, and she shares stories about her embarrassing Queen lyric misinterpretation, how she hustled free drinks from Aussies, and her years living in London. We also mistakenly identify The Newlywed Game as 'The Honeymoon Game'. Perfect fare for a quarantine.     Davies' playlist: Nina Simone - Feeling Good Queen - Don't Stop Me Now Jennifer Lopez - Let's Get Loud Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest Cold Chisel - Khe San

I was happy to welcome country sensation and friend of the show Kelsi Mayne back to the Sirius XM studios this week to chat about music and perform her new single "As I Go".    Kelsi is one of the hottest young country artists in North America right now, and her video for "As I Go" is getting a lot of attention. Keep an eye on her, she's definitely on her way up.      Mayne's playlist: Free - All Right Now Tenille Towns - Jersey on the Wall Ashley McBryde - Girl Goin' Nowhere Chris Stapleton - Whiskey and You Miranda Lambert - Pushin' Time Shania Twain - You've Got A Way Allen Stone - Brown Eyed Lover

Black Crowes drummer and author of the new book, "Hard To Handle - The Life and Death of The Black Crowes", Steve Gorman calls in to the show from Nashville this week. Steve is funny, gracious, and unflinchingly honest about his time in the Black Crowes. The stories are astonishing, and he shares insights on SCTV and Kids in the Hall, what his favourite Crowes record is, where the cowbell double tap on "Wiser Time" came from, and of course, some songs that make his skin vibrate.        Gorman's playlist: Television - Marquee Moon AC/DC - Riff Raff Illiterate Light - American Boy   

Not many people can say they changed the cultural landscape of a city. This guy can. Legendary concert promoter Gary Topp is my guest this week on NSTS.  Topp and his business partner Gary Cormier would come to be known as The Garys, a concert promotion colossus that introduced Toronto to Punk and New Wave, having brought bands like The Police, MC5, Talking Heads, and The Ramones to the city for the first time. They were also responsible for the riot that was The Last Pogo, but I'll let Gary tell that story. Don't miss this.     

Former Wargasm bassist, writer, and friend of the show Bob Mayo joins me this week on NSTS to chat about more songs I've never heard.    Regular listeners will remember that Bob has told some pretty courageous personal stories on the show previously, and that he's an incredibly authentic individual. Recently he was asked to give a talk at MIT about, in his own words, how heavy metal didn't necessarily save his life, but certainly gave him one. Bob is definitely the real deal.   Mayo's playlist: Blue Oyster Cult - The Golden Age of Leather Gillan – Abbey of Thelema Immolation – Fostering the Divide Voivod – Neutrino Wishbone Ash - Lifeline    

As discussed last week on NSTS, 1991 was the year that grunge exploded. However, the scene was still very much in its infancy - hard rock and heavy metal were still the most dominant version of rock. So this week, in addition to talking about U2, Garth Brooks, and Lollapalooza, we look at the two most powerful heavy rock bands of 1991 - Guns N' Roses and Metallica. Axl Rose made history doing something no artist had ever done before with the Illusion records, and the recording of Metallica's Black Album was so intense that three of the four band members would get divorced before it was completed. Don't miss this.        

I'm pretty stoked about this week's episode, which focuses on the rise of the Grunge movement of 1991 - the stories behind how Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and other acts came to found this musical movement.   The most interesting aspect of what people understood to be 'grunge' is that many of the bands thought to represent the genre, including Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Alice In Chains, really weren't grunge at all. So what were they really? And what was really responsible for the eradication of hair bands in 1991? Hint: it wasn't grunge... 

Guitarist and friend of the show Greg Fraser calls in to NSTS this week. He's got a brand new band called Storm Force, with a brand new record, Age of Fear - and it's been getting a lot of attention around the world since its release last week. Because he's such a great Canadian, Fraze brings in five Canuck tunes that make his skin vibrate. As always, we have some laughs and a great musical chat that includes catching Geddy Lee on an off day and Lars Ulrich's opinion of Streetheart. Fraze's playlist: Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - World Anthem Triumph - Magic Power Goddo - AnacanaPanacana So Walk On Streetheart - What Kind Of Love Is This Rush - 2112 Overture

This week on No Sleep 'til Sudbury, I examine the year of 1978 through some of the most bizarre and fascinating events that shaped it musically, including Richard Branson trying to have Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten join Devo as their new singer after the Pistols broke up. The facts behind the untimely deaths of Sid Vicious, Keith Moon, and Chicago's Terry Kath are also discussed, as is the ill-fated KISS solo albums strategy, and the massively far-reaching influence of New Wave. Don't miss it!                  

Singer songwriter and friend of the show Suzi Kory drops by the NSTS studios this week to talk about her recent gig at the Horseshoe. Her new single "Settle of the Dust" just dropped, and you can check it out wherever you listen to music. Always a lot of fun to have Suzi on the show - she's funny, insightful, and loves to talk about music, navigating social media trolling, and the "Love Revolution". Check it out.    Kory's playlist:  John Lennon - Imagine   Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow   Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers - Islands in the Stream KISS - I Was Made For Loving You    

Happy New Year, everyone! To kick off 2020 I welcome a very special and unique guest to the show. Jon McMurray has been described as the man with no memory, following a severe head injury he sustained in his 20s. However, he does remember music - and it's the bridge back to his previous life.  His attitude is incredibly inspiring, as is his story, which he graciously shares with us this week through the songs that helped him recover after he awoke from his coma. McMurray's playlist: David Bowie - Space Oddity Beastie Boys - Something's Got To Give Sloan - I Can Feel It A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It? Rheostatics - Fan Letter to Michael Jackson          

Welcome back to the 2019 No Sleep 'til Sudbury Christmas special, featuring none other than the legendary Rik Emmett. In Part II of this year's special, Rik and I return to his home studio to chat about the controversy behind Christmas classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside", who wrote the Jeopardy theme, the back side of the beat, and so much more. And, he performs another Christmas classic. Once again, Rik approaches his favourite Christmas tunes with humour, passion, and insights that introduce a entirely new level of understanding of music most of us tend to enjoy superficially. Cheers to him for being an incredible guest once again this year. This concludes the NSTS programming schedule for 2019, returning the first week of January. To my valued listeners, all over the world - I wish you a very Merry Christmas and an amazing 2020. I appreciate your loyalty, and it's been my privilege to have you tune in this past year. All the very best to you. Happy holidays!     Emmett's playlist: Sammy Davis Jr. - Baby, It'

He's back! My pal Rik Emmett has joined me once again this year on No Sleep 'til Sudbury for two special Christmas episodes of the show, live from Rik's home.   I love working with Rik on this stuff, because he's so enthusiastic about it and puts in so much preparation. He killed it again this year, with more compelling perspectives, historical insights, and hilarious stories - all while playing his guitar. And this year folks, Rik performs TWO songs. Do not miss this.        Emmett's playlist: James Taylor - The Christmas Song Michael Buble - Let It Snow   Tuck Andress - Jingle Bells Joni Mitchell - River    

Film director Sergio Navarretta and screenwriter Alessandra Piccione are the founders of SNAP Films, and they are also my guests on NSTS this week. They're here to talk about The Cuban, their new movie starring Lou Gossett, Jr., and also Arctic Dogs, a new movie they worked on with Alec Baldwin, Heidi Klum, and John Cleese.      We have a great chat about their NSTS playlist, in addition to the criticality of selecting the music for The Cuban, the best places to eat in New York, Afghan culture, and much more.  The playlist: Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah Frank Sinatra - New York, New York Lucio Dalla - Caruso Billy Joel - Piano Man Ibrahim Ferrer - Quizas Zeb & Haniya - Paimona 

Flute! We have flute! British producer, guitarist, and Grammy & Juno winner Chris Birkett makes his return to the show, bringing with him Free Spirits collaborator and flautist Shari Tallon to talk about their new record, called 11:11. They play two songs from the record, and as always, Chris has some entertaining stories - this time around, they involve Dexy's Midnight Runners and Thomas Dolby. Check it out!     Birkett's playlist: Thomas Dolby - Commercial Breakup Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno Steve Earle - Copperhead Road The Free Spirits - The Power of our Love The Free Spirits - Follow The Light     

His story began with a broken neck. Joining me this week is performance physiologist, author, speaker, and music fan Dr. Greg Wells, and he shares his incredible story of coming back from a life-altering injury to achieve extraordinary heights. The playlist he provides serves as a guiding soundtrack to this journey.      Wells' playlist: The Who - Baba O'Reilly INXS - Kiss The Dirt The Tragically Hip - In View Bryan Adams - Summer of 69 Foo Fighters - Times Like These

This week I host someone I used to stay up late to watch as a teenage sports fan - broadcast legend Mark Hebscher. Since his days hosting the innovative Sportsline, Mark has done a number of other things including having written a new book entitled The Greatest Athlete You've Never Heard Of.  Hebsy is also a massive music fan, and we chat about all sorts of stuff - Mick Taylor, Paradigm Phantoms, being introduced to Los Lobos, why catchers paint their fingernails, and how he got to hear an early version of The Hip's "Ahead By A Century" as it was being written by the band.       Hebsy's playlist: King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Shoes The Rolling Stones - Can't You Hear Me Knocking Los Lobos - Theresa The Tragically Hip - Ahead By A Century  

Sometimes people just blow your mind with their depth of musical knowledge. Professor and author Rob Bowman did that to me this week on the show.  This guy operates on a completely different plane, folks. His musical knowledge is matched only by his passion for it. He's been hired to write for the Stones, Dylan, Rush, and so many others. We talk about his latest book The Flyer Vault, and also Zeppelin's first time in Canada, which Beatles song has eight different hooks, the importance of musical experimentation in live contexts, and the unusual way Keef recorded the demo for Jumpin' Jack Flash. Unreal.      Bowman's playlist: The Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash  Bob Dylan - Trying To Get To Heaven Patti Smith - Horses Public Enemy - Fight the Power James Brown - Cold Sweat    

I finally talked former Tragically Hip manager Jake Gold into coming to the studio to do a NSTS episode.  As you can imagine, he told some terrific stories - about how he came into contact with the Hip for the first time, what the Road Apples record was originally supposed to be called, the dark stories surrounding "Locked in the Trunk of a Car". But also the special reason why a Cat Stevens song made his list, and what he and Andy Frost thought of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". Don't miss this.        Gold's playlist: Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes The Tragically Hip - Locked in the Trunk of a Car Bob Marley - the Redemption Song Cat Stevens - Father and Son Genesis - Supper's Ready