The Volume Knob

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...

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...

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 wan...

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 t...

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...

So grateful to have as brilliant and unique a voice as Burke was able to bring to the show this week. As he alluded to in his introduction, Burke is a director, a photographer and director of photography. He recently was the DP on a season of Top Chef and his web site includes not only some amazing portraiture but also several of the music videos he has directed. Check it out!  As I mentioned in t...

It's not too blunt to say that Ed Gavagan is a big reason why I'm fascinated with personal storytelling as a craft. I first heard him telling stories on The Moth years ago and, when he and I were introduced and he indicated that he'd be willing to do a story for the show, I literally bounced up the stairs of my house yelling to my wife "I'm going to do a show with the guy who told Drowning on Sull...

Has there been a more charming guest on the show than Gastor Almonte? Hard to think of one. His presence, timing, sense of humour and humanity are all larger than life. What a complete and total pleasure to have him share his talent and vulnerability with me this week. Do yourself a favour and watch this (it's one of the Comedy Central appearances Gastor referred to in the story and its hilarious)...

Matt Goldberg isn't only a fantastic, warm and talented person he is also one of Montreal's most established storytelling producers.  Storytelling producers are ESPECIALLY fabulous people!  Matt founded the Confabulation storytelling series in Montreal in 2010. Since then, Confabulation has not only put on dozens of shows here but they have their own podcast and shows in both Toronto and Victoria....

If you heard Adam's story and thought "that seems like a really remarkable human being" your instincts are exactly right.  I know I say this a lot, but I feel genuinely privileged to have gotten to know Adam through this process.  The reason he is one of the masters of this art form (he's won 20 Moth Story slams!! 20!!!) is that he is absolutely, completely authentic.  By that I don't mean authent...

Brad is more than a fantastic storyteller. He's a multi-talented burlesque performer , and visual artist . If only to put the rest of us to shame, Brad is also an author.  In 2020 he serialised his novel Maxine and the Planets Unknown as a 20-episode podcast . It's worth a listen. Think of the children. You can learn more about Brad by following him on Twitter , Instagram or Facebook . You can als...

Some music fans are storytellers and some storytellers are music fans but it was a rare treat for e to sit down with someone who combines both storytelling talent and music loving passion the way Emily did.  Emily is one of the producers behind Toronto's Replay Storytelling  which recently did a very exciting event along with the CBC's Doc Project (Featuring former TVK guest Nisha Coleman).  Emily...

You can't sit in the same room as Sandi Marx (either virtually or in person) and not have a smile on your face. Her energy and unbridled enthusiasm for being herself are contagious. If you're interested in hearing more of Sandi's unique brand of personal storytelling be sure to get to her website which has links to her appearances on Risk! and The Moth and to follow her on Twitter Facebook and Ins...

Madeleine has only recently started in the craft of personal storytelling and I'm so (so!) excited to see where she goes in the medium. I was blown away by not only the vulnerability she showed but also her command of structure, pacing and imagery. Such a wonderful experience working with her. She has no social media, so you'll just have to keep an eye out for your next opportunity to watch her pr...

Howard was a very generous and thoughtful guest. Many thanks to him for being on the show. You learn more about his Gateway Music Podcast on Facebook and you can hear the episode with me on it here on February the 12th .  Though Katie wasn't fond of it I really liked the stark, open spaces in The Other Side of Mt Heart Attack. I'm also convinced that every time I hear it, I'll have an image of a s...

What a treat to hang out with Catherine without the burden of a stack of legal paperwork between us. Many thanks to her for her time and her vulnerability.  If you're interested in Catherine's writing you should check out her website  where you can get links to her Facebook , Twitter and Instagram accounts. While you're there, don't forget to check out info about all of Catherine's novels includin...

In case it wasn't obvious, Leslie and I had a fantastic time working on this week's episode. Many thanks to her for her good humour and fantastic TALENT.  You can learn more about Leslie (and see her wide range of work) on her website . You can also follow her on twitter and instagram .  While you're learning more about Leslie, make sure to check out her weekly virtual karaoke nights every Saturda...

I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the Rush rabbit hole I went down while editing/mixing Jake's story.  I, for example, had no idea that they had recorded most of their biggest hits at Le Studio in Morin Heights (just a short drive up the road from here in Montreal).  In fact the videos for Tom Sawyer and   Limelight  both feature the Laurentians quite prominently.  There is no official vi...

I wasn't just blowing smoke when I said that Ben's podcast 20 Square Blocks is  great stuff.  As soon as I heard it I reached out to him to see if we could work together.  The humanity of the stories told and the silence Ben uses to listen to his guests is really worth seeking out. Once again, many thanks to him for appearing on my show.  It was pretty interesting to hear how Por Jud is Daid has b...

What a treat to have Sage on the show this week.  To be honest, when I started the show earlier this year, there were three lists of people that I wanted as guests:  1) The people who knew me well enough to say yes;  2) The people I kinda knew, but wanted to get to know better; and, 3) People who I had never met, but had admired as storytellers/artists/others.  This 3rd group features the folks th...

What a pleasure to have John on the show this week. Many thanks to him for his time, good humour and vulnerability. As I mentioned in the show, Tomato Tomato has a new record out called It'll Come Around . Check it out if you love sweet harmonies. Also thanks to Tim at Sound of Pop (Tomato Tomato's publishers) for permission to use Chasing Rainbows at the end of the show.   Iron Horse's cover of F...

An honour to have Emira give of her time and vulnerability this week. I have to admit it, I was surprisingly moved by listening to What a Feeling , while mixing the show.  I found it really strange to hear something that I'd heard so many times associated with true emotion rather than mocked for being ubiquitous or silly (even if it might actually be both).  As always, I'd encourage you to spend a...

So outstanding to have Laurel on the show this week. Many thanks to her for her time and her vulnerability. Laurel's latest album as Little Scream came out on Merge Records last fall. It's is called Speed Queen and it's fantastic. Check out the video for Dear Leader and tell me Laurel hasn't achieved her goal of making political art.  While you're at it, you might want to listen to the final, reco...

Once again, many thanks to Amanda for her time and her vulnerability this week. You can find an example of Amanda's stand up here .  Funny stuff and I'm not just saying that because I'm a sucker for a good WNBA gag. I won't link to the California Raisins' cover album of Motown classics but were you aware that their (huge hit) album was released on Priority Records which was later described by Bill...

Once again, many thanks to Julie for her time and her vulnerability this week. The complexity of her feelings towards her decisions and her partner and his kids were fascinating to me, and deeply human. I'm really proud she felt comfortable enough to express her thoughts, even if some of them may have seemed taboo. I'm also really (really!) glad that Julie introduced me to Lucy Dacus. Since Julie...