705 - Loverboy! Colin James! Martha & The Muffins! TJ vs The VJ!

This week – one of the biggest rock bands of the ‘80s, plus a guy who had one of the greatest award show performances ever – and then a band that defined the early new wave movement. And whaddya know...They’re all Canadian! We start with a 1986 interview with Mike Reno of Loverboy. This was a band at the peak of their game and their fame. Mike talks about touring with Van Halen, singing with Sammy Hagar, the rigours of the road – and how he misses performing immediately after a tour ends.             We also have a couple of brand-new interviews to share with you:  Colin James talks about his latest album, “Open Road”. Colin also tells the bizarre story of how he got his first big break. And something happens during our Zoom interview that was very very strange – and it stopped everyone cold – and then we all cracked up. Have a listen for that.             And we had the privilege of speaking to Martha & The Muffins – Martha Johnson and Mark Gane. They talk about their new collection of songs “Marthology”, featuring the single “Do You Ever Wonder”. Plus we discuss the success of Echo Beach and how the popularity of that song helped keep the band together, but put enormous pressure on them. And Martha talks about how her battle with Parkinson’s has ended her ability to play live – but it hasn’t stopped her from making new music. And we also discover why Martha straps on the boxing gloves on a regular basis. It’s a wonderful and inspiring chat.             We close the show with another grueling episode of “TJ vs The VJ” – as Tom and Christopher go toe-to-toe with music trivia. Christopher fights hard to redeem himself after a couple of recent setbacks.  Does he succeed? Have a listen to find out!