The Volume Knob

So, is anyone else blown away by Carla's talent, her voice and comic timing? Me too. What a treat to have her on the show. You can learn more about her from her web site and by following her on Twitter and  Instagram.

This week's playlist features some of my own favourite art rock and art rock adjacent music. It's called Reflected like Fireworks I hope you enjoy it.  

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

Before I go on about how cool, and brave and inspiring Louise is and how lucky I am to have had the chance to spend time with her, can we all just take a second to admire how great her voice recording sounded? Seriously, though, professional equipment recorded in a professional voice booth.  -- Chef's_kiss.gif --

Apart from that, though, it WAS very cool to spend time with Louise and to have an excuse to listen to her very impressive output of music. You can find her solo work here on her bandcamp page and you can also have a listen to her work with her band Gold & Youth. Once you've done that, be sure to give Louise a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

This week's playlist is called Unaware I'm Tearing You Asunder (from my favourite lyric in Running Up That Hill).  It features not only Kate Bush but some of her contemporaries and some more recent artists that remind me of her. If you enjoy it, please drop me a line to let me know.  

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

As I mentioned in the opening of the show I've been attending classes and performing off and on at Montreal Improv for years. I've met friends there and made things and none of it wouldn't have happened without Vinny and the community that he and his friends created. For his effort, and that of others, I am truly grateful. 

Vinny's newest improv venture is called Improv College and, like I said, it features students and performers from all over the world. You can check it out here or follow Improv College on Twitter. You can also learn more about Vinny on Twitter and Instagram.  

This week's playlist is called With My Own Hands and it features a bunch of sing-alongable mid-nineties to early-aughts "rockin tunes" (to use Vinny's words). I hope you enjoy it.  

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

It's not everyone who can speak so frankly and thoughtfully about being both an angsty retro-teen and also a wife and mom wrestling with questions as powerful as "should we open our marriage?" Teri is that person and I'm really grateful she took the time to tell me her story. Grateful to call her friend, too.

You can get copies of Teri's books, Bats or Swallows and Escape Plans by visiting her page at her publisher Invisible Publishing.  You might want to hunt her down on Twitter or Instagram if you are looking to buy a copy of her latest Zine.

I thought about calling this week's playlist Fairy Bread  or Nonpareils but settled on the more direct option and called it Hundreds and Thousands. Whatever you call it, it was a fun trip for me if a little bit off in all directions. You'll find some of my favourite Canadian (and non-Canadian) indie and lo-fi music of the early 90s and other stuff that's inspired by it. I hope you enjoy it! 

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

Devan is such a remarkable human being! Such a pleasure to spend time with him and help him share his story. 

You can learn more about Devan and his work on his website.  In addition to his appearances on The Moth and NPR as a storyteller, Devan is also the co-founder of Unreeling Storytelling a Brooklyn-based organisation providing a storytelling platform for people of colour, women, and others marginalised folks.  You can also follow Devan on Twitter, and Instagram.

If you've never made the time to listen to a Volume Knob playlist, this week is the week to do it. This week's playlist (entitled How Much Time?) includes some of my favourite tracks which were inspired by (or made me think of) the death of George Floyd. 

It's funny how, during the Trump administration, there was a lot of talk about how social strife was "good for art" or "bound to result in a bunch of great punk rock". 

That hasn't been my experience. 

On the contrary, the black community's outpouring of anger and frustration has resulted in some vital, important music in the last 18 months. What's sad (and it's something that Devan points out in his story) is how much G-Smoke and Sault in 2020 sound like Syl Johnson in 1969 or Gil Scott-Heron in 1972. 

How much time, indeed.

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

Everywhere you go in the "storytelling business" you run into people who have been touched by David's work as a teacher, writer and performer.  His talent is easy to see, what's less obvious is how warm and charming a human being he is. A genuine pleasure to work with.

If you want to learn more about David and his work, a good place to start is his his memoir, Bad Kid; a gentle, honest, funny and (if you grew up a little weird in a town smaller than your ambitions) deeply-relatable read that I'd highly recommend. Be sure to check out his website for more information about opportunities to take his storytelling classes. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

I felt a titch intimidated putting together a playlist based on David's story but my take (called The Dreams of an Octopus) has been on high rotation in the Serry household (and car) in the last couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy it. Can't get enough of that Robyn track...

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

I know I say nice things about all of my guests; it's because they're nice people, but I really do feel especially enthusiastic about the time I spent with Anna. She is someone who has definitely dedicated time and talent to the art of storytelling. She is a deeply intelligent and remarkably talented human being. So so many thanks to her for sharing her time and vulnerability this week.

If you're interested in hearing more of Anna's work, you should definitely visit her web site which has links to not only her storytelling but also her award-winning books. 

This week's playlist was a unique treat. I don't usually get to bust out the jazz standards. That said, if you're looking for a taste of fifties feel good music, be sure to check out Tales from the Victory Theatre which includes some of my favourite classic ballads.

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

In case it wasn't obvious from the clips of me snickering, Jeff had me in stitches throughout our interview. He's a genuinely funny (and very bright and articulate) dude. 

If you're interested in hearing more from him, definitely check out his podcast The Reluctant Phoenix which is a series of conversations with a wide variety of people who have restarted their lives whether or not they really wanted to in the first place.  As I mentioned on the show, Jeff's 2020 album Why You Should be Happy is available on all the regular platforms. You can also follow Jeff on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I had a lot (like, a LOT) of fun putting this week's fuzzy, crunchy, stonery playlist together. It's called That Lizard Ate My Pants. Feel free to drop me a line and tell me if you think it's a good enough mixed tape to convince you (or Michelle Obama) to consider an open marriage.

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

You're aware if you read these show notes that I usually put a small bio of each week's guest in this space here. Not today. Instead, why don't you follow this link to Montreal's Chez Doris, a shelter and community centre for my city's homeless women. If you liked the story (or if you like the show) maybe you'd consider making a donation.  If you want to learn more about me, just keep listening to the show!

As I said in the show close this week, I ran out of time before I could make a mix based on this week's story. That said, if you're interested in hearing Beautiful Island (I guess more accurately called Isle.. though I'm going with the version in my memory) of Somewhere you can hear it here. During my story I said it was recorded in the 30s, I may have been off. Wikipedia tells me it was written in 1898 and gained popularity when it was played at the funeral of US President William McKinley in 1901.  

The more you know.

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].

It's a pleasure to have someone with Rory's comic timing on the show. You can learn more about his comedy by following him on Instagram. 

This week's mix is called Funky Baby. It's perfect for adding a little tempo and shake to your lazy afternoons. Hope you enjoy it.

Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net.

And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].