On the Saturday July 5, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we celebrate Canadian music and the people who make it.

We meet Kevan Staples, co-founder of the legendary Rough Trade. In this interview from 2021 Staples, who passed away earlier this year, talks about his legendary band and their best-known song, “High School Confidential.”

Household name Randy Bachman stops by. He’s best known as the lead guitarist, songwriter and a founding member of the 1960s and 1970s rock bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman was also a member of Brave Belt, Union and Ironhorse, and has recorded numerous solo albums. He is also a national radio personality and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016… In this interview we talk about where it all began for him.

We’ll listen to an interview from my archive with legendary musician Robbie Robertson. The Band guitar player, who passed away in 2023, joined me several years ago to talk about his earliest musical inspirations, how he was booed by Bob Dylan’s audience and how he once almost turned to a life of crime when he couldn’t get gigs.

And, we’ll get to know Mike Downie, director of “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal,” the definitive four-part documentary series about the band who, as the programmers of TIFF noted earlier this year, “went on to make music that defined Canada to the world and, more importantly, Canada to Canadians.”

On the Saturday June 21, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we spend some time with 8x JUNO Award-winning and multi-Platinum selling blues-rock artist Colin James. He released the first of his eighteen albums in 1988. He’s had international hit singles like “Five Long Years,” he’s worked with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins, Pops Staples, Robert Cray, Albert King and Mavis Staples to name a few. He appeared on an episode of the television program Corner Gas and gave a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II. Today, we talk about his first band, his new record “Chasing the Sun,” the impact Stevie Ray Vaughn had on his career and working with regular collaborators like Tom Wilson and Colin Linden.

Then, Brittlestar, also known as Stewart Reynolds, is a social media personality and author of two books. His last book, the best-selling “Welcome to the Stupidpocalypse: Survival Tips for the Dumbageddon,” is a collection of short comedic essays on politics, life, and more as a field guide for life.

His latest book, available now wherever fine books are sold, is “Lessons From Cats For Surviving Fascism.” Through humor, sharp insights, and unapologetic defiance, the book lays out eleven essential cat-inspired strategies for resisting control and reclaiming power. From staying nimble and unpredictable to demanding what you need with the confidence of a hungry tabby, each chapter is packed with lessons that are as subversive as they are practical.

On the Saturday June 7, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet magician and New York Times crossword constructor David Kwong. A Harvard graduate with a passion for the history of magic, he created “The Enigmatist,” an acclaimed theatrical show combining immersive puzzles and illusions that the Chicago Reader said, has one a-ha moment after another. David brings the show to Toronto at the Black Box Theatre until June 22. Get more info tickets at starvoxent.com.

Then, we’ll get to know Matthew Lillard, one of the stars of the new film “The Life of Chuck,” an adaptation of a Stephen King novella. You know him as Stu Macher in “Scream,” and became a household name as Shaggy Rogers in the live-action Scooby-Doo films. Today we talk about stepping into Stephen King’s world, especially in a non-horror story like The Life of Chuck.

Finally, we’ll meet Nashville-based, P.E.I. raised rising country artist Alli Walker, who was recently announced as the opener for Shania Twain’s Toronto show on July 16 at The Theatre at The Great Canadian Casino Resort. This marks Alli’s second time sharing the stage with Shania—following their viral moment at the 2024 Churchill Music Festival, where Shania invited Alli onstage to showcase her bagpipe skills, captivating millions online.

With a unique blend of traditional country sounds and pop/rock sensibilities, showcased in hits like “I Like Big Trucks,” “Creek,” and “Dirt On Us,” Alli has quickly become one of the most exciting voices in the genre.