No Sleep Til Sudbury With Brent Jensen

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.