Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Melanie Doane: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1819

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

In this 1819th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with musician Melanie Doane about her career in music, Doane Music School, her father's influence in Nova Scotia, Ukulele U and more. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Nick Ainis, RetroFestive.ca and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail].

Hi there. This is Melanie Done, and I'm about to make my Toronto-Miked debut. Amazing. Welcome to episode. Welcome to episode 1,819. of Toronto Micke, 1819, proudly brought to you by RetroFestive.C.A. Canada's pop culture and Christmas store. Save 10% with the promo code FOTM for a limited time. Great Lakes Brewery. Order online for Great Lakes at Great Lakesbeer.com. That's two mistakes, Melanie. I'm so nervous. Oh my goodness. Order online at Great Lakesbeer.com for free local home delivery in the GTA.

Palma Pasta, enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Visit palmaPasta.com for more. Fusion Corp's own, Nick Aini's. He's the host of Building Toronto Skyline and Building Success, two podcasts that you ought to listen to. Recycle MyElectronics.c.c.a.comitting to our planet's future means properly recycling

our electronics of the past and Ridley Funeral Home Pillars of the community since 1921. Today, making her Toronto mic to debut. It's Melanie Dohn. Welcome, Melanie. Thank you so much. Very excited.

Well, you're cold as well. I can see you shivering over there. I did, for the record, I want to let the listenership know that I did offer to get like a little heater down here for you because it's cold. No, it's great. Are you sure?

Okay. But you are wearing a very, heavy jacket in the basement inside it's true so how are you i'm really good it's so fun to be here i love your i love this uh it's very cool vibes down here can you describe it for the listenership well the artwork the albums the the memorabilia it's it's a feast for the eyes really now i don't know your age in a moment i'm going to tell you how we're connected well do you did you read mr mugs when you were in school mr mugs does that name mean anything i'm from nova scotia so i you have to think, think about that too.

No, you know what, that's a good point. I think it might be an Ontario phenomenon. I think so. If you're a certain vintage, your readers in, like, kindergarten were Mr. Muggs readers, and I kept one, and it's even good, like, it's from 1976, and I'm pointing to it now, but I just uncovered it because now I realized all my kids have already learned to read. So I have this, but it's up in the studio now, but that's, that sheepdog is Mr. Mugs, and Mr. Mugs taught me to read.

I love it. We did not have Mr. Muggs where I grew up. Novoskosha? Sorry about that. Well, don't apologize. But whereabouts in Nova Scotia? Did you grow up? I grew up in Halifax. Oh, that's the big smoke.

Yeah, it was a great place to grow up. And how old are you when you leave Nova Scotia? I left quite young. I've been here since, pretty much since I was about 20. I took a couple tries to get here for goods. I came for a summer, went home again, and I was working in theater at the time, and I went back to do another season at Neptune, and then I came back up, and that was the one that stuck,

and that was quite a while ago. And, yeah, like five years ago. Okay, well, we're lucky to have you here. Let me tell you how we're connected, okay? Okay. So do you have a, like, a PR representation? Like, I'm trying to think of, who's the woman I spoke to that, suggested you come over. My friend Deb McCain. Okay. So Bob Willett, who comes over every month

for episodes of toast, and he can be heard on Indy 88. He's probably on right now. He's on all the time. So he connected me to Deb. Is her name? Yes. Okay. And then, but here's the mind blow. Because Bob, when he was at Proud FM, would produce a morning show there that featured Mary Joe Eustis. Yes. So Bob Willett connected me to Mary Jo years ago. And I worked very closely with Mary Jo Eustace on her podcast that featured her ex-husband before she went solo, if you will, and that's a whole, we could do 90 minutes on that. Yes. But Mary Jo would often speak of you.

I guess you guys are buds. We are. We are. I love her dearly. She's a wonderful friend and a wonderful talent, as you know. And, yeah, that's pretty cool. Yeah, I produced exes and uh-ohs. Yes.

Is this, yeah, I don't know. I'm looking at you to see how you'll respond, but I mean, you probably, I have a blank face. Blank face. But if you know Mary Jo as well as I think you do, then you know, we recorded like 11 episodes of this podcast, which was her and Dean McDermott. And you guys can Google that story. But Dean, after three or two episodes, maybe after two episodes, Dean basically said, I'm tapping out. I can't, I'm not allowed to do this. You can't drop the rest of the episode. So Mary Jo and I have this, like, vault full of like, pretty interesting content that we've never shared with the universe. I bet it's very interesting, and it is another story for another day, perhaps, although, you know, I don't have a lot of insight except to say, I hear you. Okay, well, I see you over there. I see you with this story.

Is there a wink there? Let me see here. I'm not doing, blank. No wink. She's completely blank. Okay, so just wanted to say hello to my friend Mary Jo Eustis and also to Bob will let you introduce me to Mary Jo. many, many moons ago. Wonderful. I love Mary Jo.

How did you meet Mary Jo? Well, strangely, I knew Dean first years and years ago, but not in the year you're thinking I'm saying we went out or something. That's not... No, but I have to produce a podcast for a woman who did go out with Dean pre-MJ. Right. That's not me. But Dean and I were acquainted because I was doing theater and there were a lot of TV people.

When I moved to Toronto, all the kids were. We're out doing auditions and that kind of thing. But Mary Jo and I met as songwriters. I don't know if you know about her songwriting prowess, but she is a wonderful musician and writer, and she used to perform quite a lot. And we met through my brother. She and my brother were co-writing some stuff,

and I was in the loop with pure music at the time, David Baxter, shout out to David, who we lost a few years ago, and a wonderful member of our musical community here in Toronto. was connecting musicians, young people. And anyway, that was how we met. Okay, and you became fast friends, forevermore. Forever more.

Okay, shout out to MJ here, who I loved, I worked after Dean flaked out. We kept working together for quite a long time, and then MJ dumped me for Jan Arden, so, but still love MJ, much love to her. She's listening at home. Okay, Manfred from Elephants and Stars, wrote me to say,

One of my first jobs was working for Melanie's manager. Melanie was always so nice and pleasant to deal with 10 out of 10 person. Oh. 10 out of 10, Melanie. Manfred. Wow. What a nice shout out and a nice memory. Wow.

Not 9 out of 10. 10 out of 10. So no pressure, but I'm expecting 10 out of 10 in this episode of Toronto Mike. In the niceness department? I'm going to try to deliver. So Hazardis wrote me. That's the handle on blue. guy anyways. Hazardus wrote, how much coffee does she drink? She's always so full of energy and it's

infectious to the kids. So how much could you drink coffee? Not too much. I have one in the morning. How do you prepare the coffee? Like would you have a, is it a drip thing? Is it a, what, because I do French press. I'm curious how people make their coffee in the morning. I do an Italian one cup up through the middle perk. I guess it's a technical. percolating. I don't know what you call that. But it's delicious. Oh, my God. It's so good. Okay, so I get this note, and there's another, we're going to expand on his next part here,

but Hazard just sends me this. So I'm thinking, maybe, like, maybe Melanie's a big coffee head or whatever. So I did secure for you, and you don't have to drink it now. You can bring it home with you if you want. Coffeehead. But Great Lakes makes this hop pop with coffee. Okay, I'm holding it in my hand right now. I pull this out of the fridge right now. So there's no alcohol in this. I just want to point that out so because Great Lakes brews fresh craft beer and they are sending you home with four cans of Great Lakes beer but I'm just going to put this here obviously no pressure but I'm just telling you this is yours whether you drink it now or later it's the coffee infused hop

pop I'm intrigued so gifts for you Melanie because I thought you might be into coffee there well I really do like coffee I just have to keep it in at a at bay so we're going to get to this whole notion about infectious to the kids like what are you talking about Melanie don't the musician I'm going to hear on the radio. But Hazardis writes, her ukulele program is so great and touches so many families. It's mind-boggling how many kids she helps.

So before we get into the music, because I'm going to go back with you a bit, like these are two items that Hazardis is referring to, some kind of music school and some kind of ukulele thing. Would you please tell us what Hazardis is talking about? Oh, I'm just loving this, all this lovely feedback.

Yeah, I've been running a music program, I'm here in the GTA for about 15 years, maybe a touch more than that, which I started to kind of serve my own kids. At first, I was volunteering at their school, and it kind of blew up from there. But the backstory and the deeper story is that it's a continuation of my father's work and his legacy as an educator right across Canada, predominantly in a... Halifax and in Nova Scotia, but then it really did spread throughout the country. And this is like the teeniest 1% of what my dad did for the kids of Canada, and particularly

Halifax. And I at a certain point was like, who's going to do this for, how are my kids going to get this amazing education that I had? Because it's not happening. It's not only, you know, decreasing as the year. go by, the teachers are being stressed and put under, you know, that's a topic and we can talk about it. But meanwhile, while all this is going on with teachers and funding and all of that, who's going to teach the kids? And that's something I know how to do. So I kind of stepped in

and after a little while, I realized someone pointed out to me, you're running a charity. And I was like, oh, is that what that is? And they're like, well, why are you charging? Like, this is like, they're getting you at school, you're teaching? Why are you charging? And I said, well, I don't, I would like it to be free. And they're like, um, okay, so heads up, that's called a charitable organization. Right. Get your act together. So, um, that was good. That was, you know, I didn't know that, really. Um, because the example I had was it's free for our whole city because it was part of our school board. It was part of my dad was with the school board. And I just thought, well, it's got to be free for everyone and, and great, you know, the best teachers, the best of the best. So, so. So,

So we did become a charitable organization, and that's been happening for quite a while, which meant I could ask for help from people who wanted to help kids in our community. And that's what I've been doing. So it's been growing and growing, and I'm really proud of our kids who are learning music literacy, and we use the ukulele as the tool to deliver all aspects of education. So they're learning to sing and play and use their ears. we call that ear intelligence or, you know, ear training. But also we're learning to read off the page and we're learning to read

sheets and improvisation and all kinds of, you know, the real music literacy stuff. And, you know, we're feeling great about the work. Well, Melanie, this is amazing. Like a lot of people are like, oh, yeah, Adam's rib or whatever, or still desire you. But this whole chapter of your life, what, 15 years you said? Like thousands of students in Toronto elementary school. Don music. So is it U-School?

Don music school? We were called U-School. It was called U-School, meaning U-K-School. And every time people would introduce, they would say, and here's Melanie from the school or something. Oh, I just struggled with it. It is, I don't know why. Once you hear it, it's easy, but for some reason it was like,

what is that? So that's why we changed the name, and it's a little clearer. And really, for me, people get a little bit hooked on, it's a ukulele thing and it is a ukuley thing but the yuk is the vehicle it's it's about the music so we're training brain the instrument is a brain right when our brains can make music we can play all the instruments and that was my dad's philosophy that's why all the kids in our family and the kids in halifax honestly play all the instruments i mean there's such an explosion of people that have come through that program and um me included well you're a don't did sloan come through this program

There are some members of Sloan who went through the Halifax program. I'm not surprised. Absolutely. Yeah, you shouldn't be surprised. No. And others, you know, there's, East Coast explosions happen for a reason. Sarah McLaughlin, did she go through the program? She was out there at that time.

She did. She was in choir with my brother and I. And she had, she also did things, a private teaching. I know she had private teachers, and that was something that a lot of us didn't have. Right. Um, and she talks about that clearly, um, when she's talking about her upbringing, but she was, you know, she had the benefit of the teachers in her elementary school. That was because of my dad.

She was in my choir in high school. Like your dad, who I'm going to speak about in a moment, in a little more detail, but like, how about Matt Murphy from Super Friends? Um, I don't know Matt personally, but I know that everyone who grew up in the area. Joel Plaskett. Yeah, well, I have to ask them who their music teachers were, but I probably know them. that's okay so your father's name was chalmers don't that's it that's first of all with a name like chalmers maybe it's because i've watched so much simpsons i think of super intendant chalmers or whatever but chalmers don't to me that's like a prestigious name like you have to teach people with a name like that you better have your act together yeah you better bring it chalmers don't like that's a lot to live up to there so he had this ukulele uh classroom program going in uh in in in halifax in in in Nova Scotia.

And you were so inspired, you brought it here. I just think we should spend a few more minutes before we get into it. And I do have to ask you about ukulele you, because that came up as well. A lot of yucalgae talk on this. When I think of ukuley, can I tell you, I think about, and I don't want to spoil this show, but it's like so old, maybe I'm allowed to spoil it, it's decades old. But I think about a scene in Hawaii with Dr. Mark Green from ER, with that somewhere over the rainbow slash, what a wonderful world, ukulele by is.

Israeli. I'm going to butcher his name. But that's what I think about when I think of ukulele's. That's a beautiful way to think of it. It's a beautiful scene. And when I hear that song in the wild, I think about Dr. Mark Green from ER. No spoilers here. I just think about the guy. Wow. Well, that's pretty deep. And the actor was in Revenge of the Nerds. Okay. Yeah, Anthony Edwards. And was in Top Gun. True. Oh, yeah. So many things. Yeah. Talk to me, Goose. Okay. Talk to me, Melanie. About your father, Chalmers Don. Just a little more detail because I want to tell the listenership he's an order of Canada recipient he is and he's still with us today he's still teaching he's still gigging he's wonderful yeah he's um doing well and my

mom too but my dad um people think of him and the yuk the yuk was such a new thing he no one had used it in the classroom so that's why there was so much attention around it but he he plays everything and the kids in halifax were i mean i i grew up playing violin in the in the string program, which was huge in Halifax schools. And I was, you know, we had a choir program and you had band and strings, ukulele in grade four, and then you had strings and band in grade five, honor choirs. Every school had a dedicated music teacher, every school, every school. And I mean, a dedicated music specialist teacher, not just someone, oh, maybe I play a little

guitar. I'm talking about a music specialist. There's a difference, and people maybe don't know that. But anyway, that was, and his goal was to have a symphony orchestra within the first, however, many years. He started in 1968 in Halifax and he was there through into the 80s. So it was a huge program.

And yeah, so yeah, I can't get you at water. I should have offered it earlier, but you do have... I'm going to go crack open my Great Lakes. Yeah, you know what? You know, do it, go bigger, go home. That's what I say, Melanie. But kudos to your dad. Like, the number of students. I think this is wonderful. I think you're absolutely correct. Like, the first thing to get cut seems to be the arts. It seems like, okay, we have to make some tough decisions

and then suddenly music seems to disappear. Can you speak to how underappreciated and undervalued musical education is in this country? Well, it's a funny thing because I think really everyone does think they want it. I think everyone kind of has already come over that hurdle. Yeah, we know it's important. Oh, it makes your brains work well, and we love music in our lives. I think people actually do say that.

I mean, I hear people say, my parents all want it, principals wanted, everyone says they want it. It's actually in the curriculum at all schools. But who's teaching it? That's where I'm at now. As I look closely at where are we? And is there a room for the music? And is there, so yeah, it does come down to the funding and I almost think it's more of a respect for what's involved. If people kind of think, oh yeah, we do have music at our school, we put on

some movies and people listen to something about someone that made, you know, did a documentary, and that's our music class. Or we listen to Beethoven and the children draw pictures. Well, that's really, that sounds fun. Is that music education? Not at all. So what is it? And that I think is the next step. And of course, when there's no money for any of it, and they're closing closing down, even classrooms are being closed in schools for silly reasons that don't make any sense. Supposedly because it costs money to vacuum the room. So then there's no room for the music. So the music teachers running around with a cart or they're in the foyer. I mean, we've been in a foyer and there's been like, hey, I'm here with the delivery. Someone's walking through and the kids

are singing. I mean, it's the respect for what it is is not there. And that is the next step. If people think they want it, well, then they have to show that they want it. And that goes for all of us as citizens to fight for the artists, our next generation of artists. So, Melanie, I mentioned the name Bob Willett. He pays me five bucks every time I say his name, so I'm up to like 30 bucks at this point. But Bob Willett, who visits here once a month for a sub-series of Toronto Mike, we call Toast, his co-host, well, our co-host, because there's three of us. It's Bob let myself, and a chap named Rob Pruse. Have you ever heard this name before?

Rob Pruce. Yes, but help me out. He was the keyboardist for the spoons, and then he was with Honeymoon Suite. But what he's been doing, well, he works now on, like, he's working the music side of Mamma Mia in New York right now, actually. But he does something very similar to what you're doing in New York, where him and his wife,

they go to schools, and they teach music education. So I just think there's a lot of parallels between you and Rob And when Rob heard you were coming on, he sent in this little note that says, Melanie's ukulele school playing on stage with Ron Sex-Smith was magical. So I'm trying to, I didn't ask him any follow-up questions, but Ron Sex-Smith, who's also an FOTM like you, that means friend of Toronto Mike. We love Ron Sex-Smith. So is it possible Rob Proust joined Ron Sex-Smith on stage at your ukulele school?

Maybe? My students played with Ron a couple of weeks ago. at Danforth Music Hall because we had also just released our song, our latest single, our kids are so good that we make records, by the way. You can go find our Spotify. Well, what's the name with this?

If I searched it on Done Music School, Spotify, or Done Music School, and Ron Sexsmith. But we have quite a few songs we've released over the years. We did the first one with Bare Naked Ladies. That was our first single quite a few years ago now. And then we did a tune with Jan Arden called Try Little Kindness. And then we did a song with Molly Johnson just coming out of the pandemic. Wow.

Oh, Child. And our most recent, and we made a beautiful video to go with it, which is a love letter to Toronto, by the way, and to the TTC, and to kids and music. It's called Sunny. It's an old favorite that you'll know, you'll recognize the tune, but it stars Ron. And we rented a streetcar and went through the streets of Toronto.

And I want to mention, that's it. Of course I know this jam. Now the dark days are gone. The bright days are here. My son you won't shine. Oh, I see. It's just a teaser here. Okay.

That's a teaser, but people can find it. Absolutely. Cool. It turned out great on our friends at Revolution. You may know the studio. They have helped us record when I need to have 200 students in a room to record. There are not a lot of rooms in Toronto anymore.

Sadly, we don't have many of our big studios these days, and our friends at Revolution have been gifting us, you know, recording time. So thanks to them, we've been able to do these beautiful recordings. Okay, so we've covered a lot of Done Music School ground here, and I think what you're doing is totally awesome. Oh, thank you so much. Totally awesome.

Thank you. I have a team of 15 plus. us teachers. I'm in school every day. I teach almost every day. And we do actually go up to grade 12. So our kids who want to stay with us are the ones who get to play with Ron or go do something with Jan Art and et cetera, because they're really good. And we know how to keep them playing and learning. So see, I feel bad now. I said negative, not I didn't say anything negative, but I said MJ left me for Jan. And here she is surfacing in glory, in all glory in your stories. Sorry about that. And Jan, you're not listening. But if somebody who knows Jan is

listening, I would love Jan Arden on Toronto mic. I'm just throwing that into the universe. I'm sure she would love to join you. Don't be so sure. Because you're dissing her all the time. Oh, never. You can't dis her legend. Like Jan Arden, she's everything. But much love to Jan Arden, much love to Don music school. But we, I wanted to ask you about ukulele U. Sure. And I know that this involves Bob Ezrin, who's another guy I want on Toronto mics. I'm throwing all this into the universe because what can, what do I have to lose, right? So I'm just throwing it out there. He would love it too, I'm sure.

And he's here now, Toronto, I mean. He's here quite often, I think, yeah. I think he lives here now. Well, yeah, he travels around, though. You'd never know. He's traveling around here. Okay, so tell us about ukulele, you, and then we're going to go in the time machine.

Okay, well, Bob approached me about this idea he had to make a show for CBC. Well, it wasn't necessarily for CBC, but he wanted to do a show. And it was really fun to have him called, me up and you know kind of pitch the idea because I didn't even know why he was calling actually when he he just cold called you or I had a call from a friend of his who said um Bob Ezra wants to call you tomorrow or something and I thought oh he's heard about the work I'm doing in school and he wants to you know whatever must borrow a ukulele make a donation or he wants to tell me good job I don't know he's going to send Alice Cooper over to your school you know hang with the kids

yeah it's something wholesome just do the wall with your children children. Well, all in all, it's just a... Could do. I mean, it could still happen. We were always talking about those ideas. But anyway, he had this idea for a TV show. He wanted to do...

He was all excited about the ukulele. And so we set out on this journey, and a number of years later, we were on CBC kids. And we made 52 episodes, which is a lot, and shot them one summer. And during the pandemic. It was all a pandemic project, which was quite an endeavor. Right. And I'm really proud of it. And you hosted this show.

And I hosted it. Okay, so you're doing a lot of work on this show. You're executive producer. You're the writer. You're the composer. You're the host. You're doing it all. Co-created with Bob Ezrin.

So, Melanie, here's a fun fact about Bob Ezrin. When Blair Packham, lead singer, founder of the Jitters, his early demos were produced by Bob Ezrin. Oh, I did not know that. Yeah. Bob Ezrin. It's not a surprise. Not a surprise. Think of the big three, I would say, The Wall, Alice Cooper, Blair Packham.

Totally sounds right. The big three. All right, so congrats again on the ukulele U and Don Music School. Are you comfortable with going back in the time machine? And let's talk a little bit about your, you know, career as a pop star. Is that cool? Love it. Okay.

So before I press play on this first jam, and we talk about, you know, it sounds like your dad inspired you, but we'll get more of the origin story and find out a bit more about your career. I do want to tell you in my freezer upstairs, Melanie Done, is a large frozen lasagna that was sent over here by Palma Pasta. You can take that home with you.

What? I have no way. You thought it was just beer, but it's actually beer and lasagna. Wow. And a measuring tape for you, Melanie Done, from Ridley Funeral Home in their pillars of, this community, and they've been here in New Toronto since 1921.

Really? 1921. Yeah, I was just a kid back then, Melanie. Yeah, you were just a little sparkle in someone's eye. Yeah, my great, great-grandfather. Okay, so, speaking of going way back, this guy was around a long time ago. Let's play a little bit of this. Once upon a time, I was just a little bone.

I was just a little tiding rib, and the rib cage was my home. Some days I'd wonder how it's. me to feel to be my own person to eat my own meals i never had to make a plan just be a little piece of a bigger bear and adam rocked my world i was his biggest fan such thing as being a girl he had the whole world in his hands Okay, Melanie, we didn't go back to the very beginning, but this was your first hit. It was the first one that really opened some doors, for sure. So this is not your first album either.

So can you take us back even further, basically, give us a bit of the Melanie Donne origin story when it comes to your music career? Well, I wasn't planning to do it, so that's interesting. I went to music school, and then I got a game. gig at Neptune Theater and suddenly was doing theater. This is all in Halifax. So I did that for a few years and then moved to Toronto to continue, I thought, probably doing some of this acting in theater, although I was a musician. I was a trained musician, but I had such a respect for musicians having grown up around all the way we did grow up with people from all over the world coming to see my dad's program. I just revered the musician. I just thought, well, I could never, I could

be a musician, but of course I didn't know much about the acting world and theater people, so I was much more ignorant and had more confidence to go that way because I didn't know any better, which was very helpful, really. Anyway, eventually, after doing many, many interesting theater things, something took me to Broadway at one point because I played instruments, but I could also be an actor and whatever. That happened, and then I was playing as a side man for many different people. Eventually, I realized, oh, this is like going across Canada in a van is a lot of work when it's not even your music. And I started to kind of get it in my head, like, well, I think maybe I have something to say.

So that got me going. Having already worked for many years and really honed my professionalism, I was a real pro and a side man. and I had a lot of experience, but then started to write. And then it sort of happened kind of quickly. I made an EP. I got signed. I made a record with Sony that did not have commercial success. Oh, Shakespearean Fish.

Yes, that's right. Although, you know, we did, it did well, but it wasn't, at that time, you know, you needed to be selling 100,000 records. You needed a hit. You needed a hit, and you needed to be, well, you didn't need a hit, though, because in those days, was more development. It was, you could develop, which is something that young artists don't get anymore. But anyway, that's another topic. I didn't have a hit. It was a low-key, beautiful album. I still love it, but I needed a hit. Anyway, luckily, I got another chance to make

another album. I had learned a lot of lessons. I went to L.A. on a writing trip and connected with a producer who ended up being a very dear friend and writing partner, still my a dear friend and writing partner, Rick Nair, and we wrote a slew of things that got things up over the top for me. So it's almost like you're a Lanus Morissette and you found your Glenn Ballard out there. Let's let's collaborate. Let's call it that story. That's a good story too.

Okay, so what did Rick add to the mix, though, that would take you from a talented musician to somebody who's going to get on Top 40 radio? Do you know he cared about me and he said, oh, well, you know what you're doing. I hadn't had that validation before. And that's only, I don't want to say why exactly, but I hadn't been with a producer of his caliber up until that point. And a real producer can hear all the stuff and say, oh, yeah, this is, you know,

yeah, you know what you're doing, you're right, or you can sing. Oh, you want to write string parts, you're going to make arrangements for, you play violin, great, you can do all that. He was all about it and lifted me. up versus someone who says, oh, well, you know, I always tinker with people's lyrics or I always do this. And you're like, really? I don't think that's what, you know, and I'm pretty sure that isn't how it should be. I had been down the road with many different things. And this was just so, so many miles ahead of all of that. And that's, you know, it's a long climb to get to those

places where you're with the real deal people. And that's what he is. He was the real deal. Okay, so we just played Adam's Rib, which is from the album you made with Rick and, yeah, top 40 hits. So I am curious, so are you living in L.A. at this time? Are you still based in Canada? I just went back and forth. I was in Toronto, mostly my husband at the time was doing a show in New York. We were kind of all over. He's a theater person. and so we had an interesting time of lots of travel and doing things like that, but mainly based out of Toronto. What radio stations in Toronto might have played Adam's Rib?

Well, yeah, I'm going to have trouble with that. Is it, Chum FM? It wasn't at first. We came out with Adam's Rib with the idea to go to Rock Radio, and it went into a top 20 hit on Rock Radio, And we figured if we could get rock radio first, then if we came with the next bunch of singles, we would have, you know, it would cross over, which is what happened. So we aimed at rock radio and it was, you know, the mix eventually was in the, in there. Absolutely.

But who would have been the rock radio at that time? Like Q107 was the big rock radio station? I think it must have been, but who, I think, I don't know, I'm trying to say. No, I mean, so 98, I mean, the station's playing rock in this market, New Rock anyways, would have been 102.1, The Edge, was playing New Rock. And Q107 was still, I think, and 98 was still, if they haven't gone, eventually they go like greatest hits or whatever. I think they did add it, and I think the mix was out in front of everyone,

although it wasn't particularly a rock station. We ended up in the top 20. They would play, we just mentioned Alanis Morissette. Sure. Mix 99.9.9 would play a lot of, like, you ought to know. Yeah. And it was Wayne. Wayne Webster, who was a real champion.

He just retired. I know he did. And I was busy at a school doing a school concert and couldn't get over there to give him. So congratulations to Wayne, who's always been a wonderful friend of mine. He came over for an episode and was great. But what I learned very quickly is he's a soft-spoken man. Yeah. So it's like, oh, I was going to give him a couple of Red Bulls and see.

But that's Wayne, and he's like a legend. He sure is. Congrats on your retirement, FOTM, Wayne Webster. So when you're touring to support this album, and what's the name of this second album? Happy, no, what's the name of this album? Adams Rib. Adams, that makes complete sense.

Okay. So this is where you're touring with people like the aforementioned Jan Arden. Yeah, we did a long tour with Jan, which was so amazing. And we were on Lilith Fair a couple of two years in a row, which was amazing, of course. I toured with The Philosopher Kings many times, long tours with them. We were all on the same label, so that was a thing to collaborate that way. Anyway, that's partly why it happened. You know who was just here two weeks ago?

Alan Doyle was here. Oh, well, yeah. Yeah, well, then we did a 40 dates with Alan and the boys, which is a wonderful, wonderful memory in great times, as you can imagine. Well, they taught you how to party. I did not. The joke was that I was, we opened for them. I was on the bus. I was really into knitting at the time. And we had TV. TV on a bus was a, like we had cable on the bus. This was a big deal. And I remember it's like, oh, it's a Brady Bunch marathon. And I would be back on the bus having my dinner, great big seas going on. The boys, my band would be like waiting for, to go out with everyone. Oh, that's funny. And I would, because I was where, I would get up at nine and do radio or whatever. And I had to sing every night. I was very professional. No, you were very responsible. Well, I had come from theater. You don't do eight shows a week by dicking around. Like, you just don't.

And that kind of commitment to professionalism earns you a Juno Award for New Artist of the Year. Yeah, new quotes, new. But that's how it goes, and that's okay. I was very grateful and, you know, what a fun thing to have a Juno. Well, again, I feel like now, forget Bob Willett. This is the Alanis Morissette episode,

because she was like new artist with Jagged Little Pill, But, of course, she wasn't a new artist. No. Like she was a pop, pop, you know. And who cares? But you know what? That's what it takes. And if you're lucky enough to get the development to go through however many things you got to do,

I mean, I got to tour Canada with other artists and then make an EP and make a whole album on a major label that didn't really break through. And I still got another chance to do another album. I mean, that's unheard of. Well, yeah, amazing. And I think I know this. Michael Sadler was just on the show. And he founded a band called Saga.

And Saga got like the new, the same award from the Juno's. And they were like six albums deep or something like that. Yeah. And in those days, you really could go six or seven before you had a hit. I mean, that's really the way it used to be, which is, you know, really as it should be, artists need to develop. Well, I feel like maybe a couple of minutes on that. Like, so what advice would you give a new artist today? Like, they're not giving you the time to develop today.

you know what it's so confusing i i wish i i wish i knew how to give good advice my own kids are musicians and um all i can really impart to them is to be good and to love what you do and um learn to be a pro take care of your if you're singing take care of you know how to take care of your body and your voice play as many instruments as you can be you know be proficient um and and and you know write good stuff and and get out there and and I mean it's really who every week it's something it's a new way of doing it I don't know I don't know how to do it but I know I know that if you're good that is the main thing and then you'll enjoy it I mean for me it's a lifelong thing and what I what I why why I work with kids in the first place is that it's not so much that I'm like oh I hope I hope

this kid will go on the voice and be make my school look like a great thing like I taught them something. Who cares if someone's a soloist? I happen to turn up to be a soloist at times, but I was really brought up to enjoy music in our living room. We played music for entertainment, and so many people from our part of the world, the East Coast used music as an entertainment, and it is the most entertaining thing ever. And if you can play and do that with your friends and family for your whole life, because even if your knees go out or your hips, you're 90, you can still play music. It's forever.

Like, if you can do it, you have it forever. So whether you're gifting it to others as an artist or whether you're just enjoying it, like, there's no downside. So I don't know as far as like, oh, a career in music, I have no answers about that. I really couldn't tell you.

It's such a different landscape, and the kids know better than me. I'm asking them how to do it. They can't ask me anything. But be good. So many, yeah, be good is step one. but although not necessarily required at this point but that's another conversation

but I do know several great Canadian musicians whose songs were all over the radio and much music of course shout out to much music who have other jobs like it's like music is the side hustle right like so there are like so many prominent artists you know and love they have another job where they pay their mortgage

or their rent or whatever and then yeah they're also a musician that you will pay bucks to to see so where is your juno today? day, Melanie? It's in my house. It's, um, it's just in there. I don't have a shelf built or anything special. You didn't build a, yeah. I do, I do think, I'm proud of it. So it's on display somewhere in that house. Kind of, I wouldn't say it's on display, but it is in, it's in the house. If you invited me because you should, if you invited me over for like a Christmas party or a holiday party, whatever, you're invited. Okay, thank you. Just remember to give me that address before you leave. Okay.

Will I, if I walk to go to the washroom and I'm walking the hallways of your estate, Like, will I encounter this, Juneau? My mansion. You would see it probably when you come to my house. It would be somewhere. Okay. If you looked carefully, you would see it behind some other things somewhere. Well, I'm going to find it, and I'm going to post a picture on Instagram when I find it here.

But why do you part ways with Sony? Well, that's sort of an interesting story. At the time, they were very, very focused on, you know, an American domination. They had had a big success with Solent. Dian, and it was... Never heard of her. Yeah, never heard of her. And she, it was unusual

because she was signed to the Canadian company, which a lot of times the Canadian signed acts have, it can be a barrier because the American people have their

favorites and they have the bigger bucks and they have the bigger machine. And they push that artist. And how are they? Yeah, so it was almost, I don't know how it all happened, but by, well, through talent and amazing hard work and all the things, Celendion was a international breakthrough, signed directly to the Canadian company. Not a usual thing. Right.

And that really enabled a lot of us who were coming just after her to have the benefit of, not only did the Canadian company have some resources at the time, which helped all of us and gave us an amazing experience because there was money to make videos and to send, us across the, you know, money, meaning our own money that we paid back, but it was there to get it going, at least. That's all... It's essentially a loan, right? Correct. Like, this is, again, I've only done this 1,800 times or whatever, but I still think it's a fun, not a, it's not a fun fact, it's a interesting fact to set people to learn that, because you always hear about, oh, I got signed to a big label, like Sony, big freaking label. You're no indie artist, Melanie, you're on

Sony music there. And, like, you hear about how they got money for the video. and they can spend a lot of money on the video and they're whining and dining and the bottle service and this and that. But the little secret there that shouldn't be a secret, but is that, oh, that gets billed to you. Like, you have to pay for that.

Correct. Yeah, I don't think people understand that. I didn't understand it forever. Like, I just thought that was part of the deal to have you on the label. Yeah, well, and people do different deals, and this can be long conversations, and it can be frustrating to go back

and look at, you know, crappy deals. or all of that. But at the same time, if your label doesn't have any money to work with in the first place, they don't have a lot that they can push. They can't spend much of your money ahead of time and bill it back to you if they don't have any. So you can look at it many different ways. I kind of look at it as, wow, what a time where they were throwing the money around. It turns out, like a billed back to me, but to have it in the first place and to put it into your career was an advantage. And a lot of us benefited from that. but they were also very focused on American releases.

I did have an American release that was not really, I would call it not really a release. So it wasn't really in stores and it did come out and there were posters around New York City and that was about. It was sort of a lip service kind of a thing because I wasn't signed directly. So there's a lot of weird little things that happen. Geopolitics. Well, anyway, it's long and boring. But at that moment, Sony, I then was told, well, I don't know about your next record if it's going to, we don't know if the Americans are going to get behind it. So we're not sure if we're going to do another one.

And I had just wanted, you know, we sold over 70,000 records. And I was kind of like, wow, that's so that this is a failure. This was, this is a fail. Wow. Like how could it have, like I guess, you know, Napster was a thing. So people were not as much selling a hundred thousand records or things. 300. It just wasn't happening quite as much. And as you know, nowadays, it's quite different. But all of that was hitting at once. And so it was considered to be not a success. Okay. So where do you

go from Sony then? I made an independent record, but then Warner picked it up, which was really fun and great. That was Steve Kane and Steve Cody and the gang over there. The Warner guys. The Warner guys who were wonderful. And then I did a record, a couple of records totally independently, but I was still working with Rick Neer in L.A. And I've been playing for all these years. I still play, and people may or may not know that, and that's fine because I play for, because I love it.

And I have a gig coming up in Toronto. Where's your gig? Of course. January 10th at Hughes Room, if I think we're... I love Hughes Room, and I love Jane Harbury. Yes, of course you do. She's wonderful. and this happens to be a benefit for the school.

So anyone who comes and buys a ticket is helping kids in the GTA to receive barrier-free programming. And we're running out of tickets, so get your tickets quick because there aren't many, but it's a small venue. But I'll be playing with my band, my longtime band.

Mike Borkoski will be there. Mike has been playing with Saga, as you mentioned earlier, and he's played with everyone, Carol Pope and everybody. My brother, Creighton, who you mentioned Honeymoon Sweet. He was in Honeymoon Suite.

Alanna Miles, he's played with Kim Mitchell. He's going to be there. Also, I have with me, Dennis Mohamed, who you may know from Estero or Jesse Cook he played with for many years. Just so many people, I'm blanking. But they've all, you know, seasoned, amazing Toronto players.

Okay, so January 10th? January 10th. And there are still some tickets available. There are, but I don't think too many. And that's a great cause. Oh, it's, all the money that we raised that night will go towards Don Music School. Okay. Amazing.

I'm going to play another song because I have you here. I feel like you're comfortable now, and I am, I confirmed. I am actually recording, so that's an important detail here. And before I plan, we just said drop a name on you, and you just have to tell me if you know this name or not, okay? Only because we talked about Celine Dion and we talked about Sony music and everything. Do you know the name Paul Farberman? I think I do. Okay, I just wondered if you know, because Paul was working at Sony, ended up.

working for Celine directly and he's become a very good friend and he's a good FOTM and he brought snow into the basement so earlier this year so oh yeah that's cool yeah he's like I'm gonna deliver you snow like hopefully not the snow will get soon here in Toronto but and he did like oh here's snow and he just sat down and we had a pretty good chat about informer and more so I just wondered if you knew Paul Farberman yes I believe I do and I just haven't heard his name in a while but Hello to you, Paul. You know what you should say? That's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time.

I'm not saying it. Here's a song I want to play for you. the door you leave a lot to be desired you leave a lot to be desired. You leave a lot to be desired. You never make me eggs in the morning

We never do it on the floor You never tell me how good I'm looking You don't bring me flowers anymore You leave a lot To be desire But I still desire you And no matter what you do I will still desire you

That's another banger, Melanie. Come on, still desire you. Oh, well, thank you. A banger here. And fun fact, this reaches number one On the much more music viewer's choice countdown. It did. It was on that women in music, one of those women and music.

This was a big deal. Who did I just have on? I had Paula Cole on a few months ago, speaking of Lila Fair. And this was a moment where these women and songs were huge. They were big. People bought them. He went to the store and you purchased it. What is it that we all suddenly discovered that, oh, women can sing too?

Yeah, some of us always knew that. Why didn't you tell us, for goodness? Yeah, I know. We should have been, like, trying harder. That's the thing we just weren't doing. Come on, I got you. No idea. No idea. But anyways, this is a big one, and it was all over Canadian radio stations. Still desire you. Yeah, it was a fun one. Rick and I wrote this, and, yeah, we had, you know, I like to write a good song. Come on, you're very talented woman, doing lots of great stuff here. Now, so, I want to ask you about, you know, licensing music for television and in different shows and stuff. Like, you've had a number of your songs that have been placed in different TV shows, right?

Yeah, I've had some really good luck with that. It used to be something that was an income stream, for sure, for many artists. It's not really so much, they don't pay for it anymore, but they used to. Why don't they pay for it anymore? I think they don't have to. I don't really know exactly all the ins and outs. I should know that answer. Is that a streaming thing?

Well, people don't pay for music. So then, you know, something that might have been, oh, we'd like to use this in three episodes of, I don't know, brothers and sisters, that was a show years ago or whatever. And it'll be, you know, $20,000 per episode use or whatever. Good Gifts was a song of yours on Brothers and Sisters. Oh, yeah, that's true. It was.

Good Gifts is a song I wrote for my mom and oh yeah this song too Bring it up in a moment Let me hear about your mom Well I wrote a song for my mom And it got used in that brother and says But it also got used on an ad once

An American ad And a wonderful singer Glenn Lewis Sang wise I didn't even sing it It was like another They did their own version And it made so much money On this commercial

That it obliterated my debt to Sony publishing. It paid the debt off. That's amazing, because you're the songwriter. Because I'm the songwriter. And usually, like, as we were talking about before, there's always such a debt built up of all these things. They've spent money on, oh, well, you record it, and then you tour to run,

you had a tour bus, and then you did this in promotion, and you never can pay back these debts, but it made that much money on this song. I didn't really pocket a lot, but, you know, Sony did, and someone did, and it paid off that huge debt. And so... One less thing to work.

about. And that, and one less thing to worry about. It actually just meant that eventually I was making some money on my songs because the debt was obliterated. Okay, so good. This song in the background, I'll bring it up a bit. Sure. So maybe you're not real as the others But I choose you over all my past lovers They've come and they've gone But I can always turn you on I can take my eyes off you

Melanie, I can't take my eyes off you. Wow. What show? What show did this appear in? That was in a really cool scene in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the two women characters are at a dance, and then they start to, they go up into the air, they float upwards, which was, I guess, an iconic moment in television.

Yeah. so that's great I love it yeah so I'll just shout out real quickly because I could ask you about all these things but you were you've had a couple of songs that were on party of five I watched every episode

did you it was a big hit show big show and it was right there on the Fox with I guess 902 and O and all that was happening at the time and yeah it was a big show those were old times though that's quite a while ago but they were big

big hit shows yes I still wish I wish I wish I I know you don't have the specifics but it seems to me like if Buffy was rebooted and it was on some streaming service, let's say it's on Netflix, okay? We'll make it up. So Buffy's now rebooting on Netflix of new actors

and they decide they're going to take that exact song and play it. You're telling me you don't get compensated the same way as you would have back in the day. You'll get the call over. It's going to go to Netflix now. We want it. We still like to use your song, but we might just get someone else to write something if you don't want

it. We can offer you 200 bucks. that's kind of the call you get well that's you do know of course you know but that's bullshit oh yeah it's not cool you don't seem angry like i am because you're numb to it serenity now serenity serenity now that's from signfeld right serenity do you remember franka stanza he used to celebrate festivus yes i remember and listeners there will be a festivis episode of tronelmaid with elvis and that is uh december 23rd so stay tuned for that that's going to happen. Hey, I want to ask you, I have a couple more things here. I'm quite enjoying this, but I want to just let you know, Melanie, and let the listeners know

that it's the holiday season. Okay, we've got Hanukas going on. Christmas is coming. We're like nine days away or something like that. And it's not too late to go to retrofestive.ca, which is like, you know, Canada's Christmas store, also pop culture store. But they have a, like, a Brexon Mortar outlet, you can visit them in person in Oakville, but if you go to retrofestive.ca and use the promo code FOTM, you can save 10%. So much love to retrofestive.ca. It's not too late to get your leg lamps and be all set for the holiday season. Also, here's a pro tip for you.

I can only imagine you have a drawer, a closet full of old cables, old electronics, old devices. Am I right, Melanie? Uh-huh. Yeah, it's perfect. You're reading the script perfectly there. Okay, if you go to Recycle MyElectronics.ca and you put in your postal code, you can find out where to drop that off to be properly recycled so those chemicals do not end up in our landfill. Yeah, I do that in my neighborhood. Excellent. Yes. Okay, so thank you to Recycle MyElectronics.ca. And last but not least, I just want to give some love to Nick Ienis, who visited here on Friday when you sponsored Toronto Mike. It also comes with an episode, and I had a great chat with. Nick, and he has two podcasts you should listen to. Building Toronto Skyline and Building Success. So thank you to Fusion Corps, Nick Iienes, for helping to fuel the real talk. Please tell me, Melanie, about Warhorse.

I was in Warhorse. Okay, there you go. End that. Okay, but this was a big, this was a Mervish production. It was a very big deal. You were in Warhorse. It was a beautiful show. Say it fast.

I was in Warhorse. I was in, or you were in, that's harder, yeah. Okay. Go on, please. It was a beautiful production. They did a Toronto cast when they did a run in Toronto, which was about a year and a year in a couple of months. And I auditioned for the part of the song person, a songwoman, I think we were, I was called.

And it was already a hit on Broadway. So we, you know, people were auditioning and knowing already a lot about the show, a beautiful story. And I got the part and decided to see if I could add in eight shows a week, teach at school on my day off, all the things, two little kids. It was kind of a lot, but a wonderful, amazing cast, beautiful experience. Amazing. And I also, because I was looking at all the awards,

and I know I can find your Juno when I'm at your Christmas party. If it's okay with you, tell me, don't do that. People tell me, and I don't get invited to much, to be honest, but they'll be like, oh, yeah, we're having a party at 8 o'clock, okay? Blair Packham, who does invite me to stuff at his house, he'll be like, we're having a party at 8 o'clock. I am wired as such that if you say a party's at 8, I'm actually there at 8, okay? And I show up at 8, and I'm the only one there. I have no, so you have it too. So I always, and I said it to Blair, I think, I says, I feel like, speaking of Seinfeld, I feel like Kramer, why don't you tell me the time you want me to arrive?

Right. Like, don't say eight if everyone's coming at 9.15. Well, it's like a cool thing. I'm not very cool. I'm as square as can be, so I'm going to be on time. And I like to be professional. And even if it's a, you know, a social thing, I'm still like, but what if they really did want me there on time?

And then I'm not. I have to take a chance and be a loser and be on time. So that's what I do. That's what I do. This is why we're hitting it off here. We both have beautiful blue eyes and we both arrive on time. So I just feel like if you're having. having this Christmas party and you want me to attend so I can find your Juno because there's

another award I'm going to be hunting for. Just tell me what time you want me to arrive. Like, don't say we're having a party at eight if from eight to nine, I'm just watching you prepare food or something. Yeah, that's, I mean, really. Just give me the time to arrive. Totally. Thank you. Okay. That's all I ask. This is the new rule for 2026. Just tell me the time you want me to arrive, especially because I often bike to things. So there is no traffic or whatever. It's sort of like, I know to the minute what time I'm going to be at your door. Right. Yeah, I just can tell you exactly what minute I'll be there.

You won Best International Actress at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. You're really digging around for things. Well, you won this. Like, I don't know New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. It could just be some guy in his basement who made this up. But I got a feeling, this is, by the way, for Black Swan. Is that an actual award I would find in your house if you invited me? me over for the Christmas dinner? It's not an award in the house, but it is a, it did actually

happen. And a black swan is, it was a movie I was in, and it was before the other black swan. So that's kind of funny. It was a Canadian independent film. And also funny, it aired on, like, I don't know, some late night, maybe CTV or something. It just, it happened, like, for a couple years, it was just on every night at midnight or something, you know. forever. I did good work in it. Michael Riley was my co-star. Michael Riley, if you know, the actor, very, very well-known Canadian star, and luckily got to be opposite him in this thing. And it was actually a really fun experience. Well, you want to know, I think that's a prestigious award that you won there. It's kind of cool. Thank you for that. I'm going to be looking for it somewhere

in that house. Now, so speaking of actors here, so Gary Sinise, what encounters have you had in your life with the legendary actor, Gary Sinise? Quite a few. We're friends, and he... Lieutenant Dan and you are friends. We're friends. He was working in Canada at the time of Adam's Rib hoo-ha, and went and bought the record, saw the video on much music, went and bought the record, found out I was playing in Vancouver and sent a note to say, we are having our cast party, come, bring your band and come over after I mean that I don't know I don't travel in circles like that so it was very I was like

who is I don't know no one it said from Gary no one had his name either it was just like someone got mixed up someone named Gary I was like but this is post Forrest Gump because you're late 80s Oh yeah this is like 2000 or something I don't know what but right around all that stuff okay maybe 99

I don't know around there And so we went and they were finishing that movie reindeer games Right so it was Ben Aphithe Flick was there and Charlie Sterrin and Gary saying, I love your music. And I just was, it was so neat. It was really neat. And then later, I made a record and he became a partner in the record release, which

was really fun. So that was the record that had Still Desire You on it. So we liked this record a lot. But then he also has a band, the Lieutenant Dan Band. I don't know if he know that. He does USO shows and travels all over. the states, but goes to aircraft carriers and does a show and goes all over the world. And I went and played in his band for a little while, like not maybe for one year I would go

and do that. One time he said, well, I need you to come, whatever, this weekend. And I said, well, going across the border kind of sucks. And I don't have a visa. It's just a gig. Like, it's a one-nighter. It's going to, I don't know if I can do it. And he said, hang on. Just let me, I'm going to, I'm going to send you something. And I got a letter from the Pentagon that said, yeah, Melanie Donne is going across the border for this date to play with Gary Sinise, blah, blah, blah, which I had never had a nice Pentagon letter like that at the time. So that was sort of, you know, interesting. That's all, that's all very interesting here. So you've been wonderful.

How was this experience for you, Melanie? This, with you here at your studio? This last hour that we've spent together. It's the best. I'm loving it. Can we, I like to, like, tell listeners how the cake gets based. So can I just disclose to listeners that like 26 minutes into this chat my laptop

basically coughed up a hairball and said I'm not recording anymore like we literally had to stop this is the second time in the history of Toronto Mike that happened but this time I did recover it very quickly unlike the Lauren Honakman incident of earlier this year but what this tells me is this laptop

I believe is nearing the end of its life this is a sad time for any independent podcaster because these laptops are not cheap so I'm just realizing that I'm looking at a future major expense I'm in the same boat at my place I was looking at refurbs I'll show I'll send you a link send me a link here because I cannot afford to lose a minute of my conversation with Melanie don't and to be specific it happened just so we lost in the middle of the Blair packum shout out when we were talking about Bob Ezrin is when this thing conked out and then I caught it pretty quickly but so

When we pick it up with the Bob Ezrin, Blair Packham connection, you know it's like a second session. But I was thinking with you how I wanted to close. I am a massive fan of Blue Rodeo. What do you think of Blue Rodeo? Love Blue Rodeo. And have some lovely stories and friendship moments with many of those players, particularly Jim and Greg,

who have championed me over the years in different ways, but they're wonderful. Well, okay, I'm going to play a song with you and Jim actually here in a moment. But I had scheduled to visit me yesterday, Michelle McIdory. And she came down with like a cold or a little flu or something. So we're going to reschedule it. She's been over before, but we're going to have her back on. I love Michelle McIntyre.

But the first time I discover the wonder that is Michelle McIntyre is the video for Try. Oh. She's the star. Right. Because she was dating Greg Healer. Yeah. Well, I always love just because she's awesome, but I hope you'll play her song when they did that tribute,

Neil Young album, and they did Aurora Borealis. Oh, Crash Vegas? Yeah. Yes. Okay. So, absolutely. So we will do that. Make sure you play that song because it's a-

I might cut you out introducing it as well since I actually did record this. So I discover her try. And then, of course, Crash Vegas and Inside Out and all that, fantastic. But I recently had Colin Cripps on the program, and Colin Cripps was in that band, and that was a wild chat. But here's a question that you can't answer honestly. So it's more for the listeners. But I was on, I think, some Reddit thread or something. And it was, who do you prefer, Jim Cuddy or Greg Keeler?

And it's, for most of us, it's an impossible, it's like saying, who do you like better, Lenin or McCartney? They're both essential components in this wonderful thing. but it is amazing that this band has these two songwriters with distinct styles where you could be like a cutty guy or a gal or you could be a keeler guy or gal or you can enjoy how they come together Blue Rodeo I'd say now that the tragically hip sadly is no more Blue Rodeo I think it's probably this country's biggest active band what say you it seems like I mean there's some solo

some women solo artists that I just, you know, I'm going to throw them in there because, you know, the Sarah McLaughlin and the Jan and, I mean, these are iconic also artists. So anyway, just so we should put a caveat in there that apparently Rush is back. So like I used to phrase this when Rush was going. Although it is, you know, it's one member of Rush has passed on, but it's still a reunion tour for Rush. But here's the song I want to play and just spend a little more time talking about Jim. Before we take our photo by Toronto Tree. you the sun will be shining and I feel and I feel it when I'm with you it's all right I know it's right

Wow I'll give the world To you I'll never be cold Because I feel that When I'm with you It's alright I know it's right

And the song words are singing Like they know the score And I love you, I love you, I love you Like you never before Move over Greg Keeler Cutty's got a new dance partner here Songbird, beautiful Thank you

Well, tell me about this project It's everyone's dream to sing with Jim So I feel very lucky to have recorded with him I also played fiddle in his solo On his first solo album I don't know if you know that I'm the side man fiddle player On his first Jim Cuddy record

which is another proud moment for me. But the reason Jim even knew about me is I happened to be on a gig with Greg in Nova Scotia at a songwriting circle in Cape Breton. And Greg and I hit it off because he was like, jump in! And I was playing and joining in. And I think then he told Jim,

hi, you should check out this kid playing, whatever. And that got me a gig with Jim and then we've remained friends. So kind of cool. Very cool here. Now, Anne Lindsay is the current fiddler for Jim Cuddy. And she's a friend of mine and someone I love and admire. I might, I have to check quickly here.

I might be wearing an Anne Lindsay t-shirt right now. She gave me a, she was here earlier this year, and she gave me a t-shirt, and I wear it all the time. It's, yeah, Anne Lindsay, she's fantastic. She's wonderful. And so when Jim's first album, that album came out, it was really an exciting thing, but it was the same moment that Adam's rib came out almost pretty much and that same Juno's backstage at the Juno's I was walking out of the press room

having just one of Juno and Jim was walking in having just got his for that for that album and we had a hug or whatever and that was the timing so it was not good timing I couldn't really and then Anne was the was right in there and has been there ever since which is amazing and she she and Jim by the way are big supporters of the work I do in the school so I have to tell them a thank you, a public

thank you for all the they're just, they're right there to say we love what you're doing or they, Jim came to school last year and played at Yuc Day with 700 kids and performed with us and Ann shows up at the concerts so, you know, these are good friends. No, it warms my heart

to hear this. That's fantastic here and Songbird of course is a Fleetwood Mac song. Yeah. And this album, which is, we're going back a bit here, but 2007 is called A Thousand Nights. My daughter's calling from Montreal. Should I answer this?

No, I'll get it later, but... You can. All right, hold on, let's say... Family first. You know, I told you off the top, I don't edit these things here. Yeah, oh, it's okay, I already missed it. I'll call her back in, like, five minutes. But she's coming home soon, because

she's got, like, one more exam, I think, and then she's coming back for the holidays. I haven't seen her. I haven't seen her since... Oh, she was here for Thanksgiving, so... Yeah, that's a long time. Long time for my beautiful second-born, Michelle. but she's coming home okay so uh very cool a lot of great covers on this album a thousand nights

yeah and it's a it's it's for bedtime it was created i've got a mixture of originals and and covers that i never done before covers but it's for putting on when my kids were little at that time it was for putting on at night it's it's um i was inspired by sean colvin and her lullaby album and i didn't want it to be lullabies but i wanted these songs to be reinvented as lullabies, so that's why I did that one. Remind us again how we can see you at Hues Room. I know it is January 10th, but how do people get tickets? Yeah, you can come to the Hues Room website is very user-friendly, and I think I have a link

on my Instagram as well, Melanie Done, Instagram. Come and join me there, or, you know, wherever you find your tickets, but I think they're just at the Hues Room website. Huesroom Live. Huesroom Live.com, and people should. should follow you on Instagram to get the latest and greatest from Melanie Dome. Great. When will you see Mary Jo Eustace next? Soon.

Will I see her at your Christmas party? Yeah, at the Christmas. Don't forget to come. 7.05. I'll be there at 705 if you tell me 705. That's what time. Although it's actually worse than that because I feel like I automatically build in to be somewhere 10 minutes early.

So like you go out, the party's at 8. It's a real problem. And yet I'm proud of it. See, I, right? I want to be proud of it, but to me, it's really awful when you'll tell me it's a 7 o'clock party, and I'm there at 6.50, and you have that look at the door, and you're like, oh, you're early, and it's like, not only am I 10 minutes early from the time you told me, but no one else is showing up for another hour. Yeah, but you have to walk around the block until the actual assigned time.

You still are going to be the only one, but you can't come earlier than that time. Now, it's funny you said that, because I thought you're going to tell me I have to walk around the home and look for that Juno Award. Well, you can help do some cleaning and look for the Juno Award. Does your ukuley have a name? You brought it, but... It's not got a name. I don't know. Do you want to hold it for the photo by Toronto Trini?

Yes, yeah, we'll take it out for the photo. Okay, there's another song I quite like, and I've seen him perform it live even. Eddie Vedder's got a song I quite like that he plays on the ukulele. Yeah, he did a whole album. Yeah. Yeah, he's into it. Eddie Vedder should be at your school performing. Maybe I'll make a few calls.

If you wouldn't mind. I'm always looking for the next question. great collaboration. Of course, right now, it's Ron Sex-Smith. And go watch that video. If you haven't seen us on the streetcar, it's truly a love letter to the city. It's beautiful. I think that's beautiful. I think Ron Sex-Smith is an angel from heaven. He sure is. Last year at this time, I was having him on because Taylor Swift's future husband has a podcast, and he, Taylor Swift's future husband did a, speaking of Fleetwood Mac, did a duet with Stevie Nix of a song written by Ron Sex-Smith, and this was like

a minor hit. And it went to number one on the holiday charts, and Ron Sex-Smith said, this was about one year ago, he said it was the first time he was number one on any chart. Travis Kelsey, I couldn't remember the freaking guy's name. So Travis Kelsey and Stevie Nick's covered Ron Sexmith one year ago.

Yeah. Well, Ron, that's going to happen to Ron every few years, because he writes beautiful songs. He writes beautiful songs. That's why I keep writing everyone. Never give up on your dreams. And congrats to you on a great music career, still performing. You're at Hughes Room, Jan Tannen,

for this wonderful work you're doing to teach our kids about music and the show you had on CBC with Bob Ezrin. Melanie, I'm glad we met. So nice to be here. Thank you so much. And that brings us to the end of our 1,819th show. Go to TorontoMike.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. And much love to all who made this possible.

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