A thousand years ago, I read an interview with Tom Hamilton, the bass player of Aerosmith. He was asked why he chose that instrument over anything else, and his reply stuck with me.

Paraphrasing Tom, he said that the bass is the bridge between the drums and the guitar. The bass has percussive elements and is often used to emphasize the beat. A bass player and a drummer who can lock together is an amazing thing and can turn an okay band into something awesome.

But the bass also has melodic characteristics. A great bass player can also underscore what’s happening with the guitar and even the vocalist. Listen to what Paul McCartney did with the Beatles or how John Paul Jones subtly and effectively added more power to Jimmy Page’s riffs.

If you’re gonna rock, you need bass. That bottom end is the sonic scaffolding upon which everything is built. Without it, things sound thin. And I’m looking at you, Metallica, and your ...And Justice for All album.

Like, come on. I mean, it’s a fine metal record, but it would have been so much more powerful if you’d turned up Jason Newsted in the mix. But noooo! James and Lars ordered that Jason be pushed way down in the mix, so he’s pretty much inaudible. They said, “Oh, our ears were just fried from touring, and we just kept pushing up the treble so we could hear it. And in the process, the bass just disappeared. Sorry… our bad.”

Right. It was ego, and you know it.

If you want an alternate universe for this album, just look for a fan project called And Justice for Jason.

Anyway, I digress. What we’re here for is part two of a look at the most important bass players in the history of alt-rock. And you’ll be able to hear each and every one of them.

Songs  heard on this show:

• The Stranglers, No More Heroes
• Talking Heads, Life During Wartime
• The Smiths, This Charming Man
• Primus, Tommy the Cat
• Radiohead, The National Anthem
• Green Day, Longview
• Pearl Jam, Jeremy
• Rage Against the Machine, Killing in the Name

Here’s Eric Wilhite’s playlist.
The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations:

• 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
• Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
• Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm
• 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
• FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
• Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
• 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
• The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 9am and 9pm
• The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• The Goat Network/Interior BC
• WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

 

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Is there a correlation between being a psychopath and the music they like? That’s what a study at New York University set out to explore.

About 200 students were given a questionnaire designed to gauge their level of psychopathy. Among the questions were “For me what’s right is whatever I can get away with.” That’ll give you an idea of what character traits they were looking for.

After determining who in the group had psychopathic tendencies, researchers then gave everyone a music preference test. Those with the highest psycho scores tended to like “Lose Yourself” by Eminem and “What Do You Mean” by Justin Bieber. Non-psychos preferred “Money for Nothing” from Dire Straits and “My Sharona” from The Knack.

Does this mean music preference can be used to determine whether or not you’re a psychopath? Not yet, but more study needs to be done.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Scientists are fascinated by how the brain processes music. How, for example, was Gord Downie able to eventually relearn the lyrics to 90 Tragically Hip songs for the band’s final tour even though he had a temporal lobe and hippocampus were surgically removed? Maybe it’s because musicians have better memory abilities than non-musicians.

And we’re talking about both short-term and working memory. They also have a slight edge when it comes to long-term memory. This came out of a study in Italy that used data collected back to 1987. But here’s the thing: scientists can’t explain why musicians’ memory is superior. The only thing they can come up with is “the multi-sensorial nature of music training.”

Another reason to make sure your kid takes music lessons, right?

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

When David Byrne was with the Talking Heads, he was determined that the band always be ahead of their time. But there was one occasion when the band was too far ahead.

The 1988 album Naked was released “graphics ready.” This meant that if you were to buy a CD player with a special decoder, you could watch the lyrics of the songs pass by in real-time on your television. You could also watch a list of which instruments were playing when.

Unfortunately, these special CD players were not available in 1988—and many people have totally forgotten about this.  And come to think of it, technology and technological standards have changed so much since then.

Today, there might not be a piece of consumer electronics anywhere that can properly decode this part of the Talking Heads disc.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The new owner of Toys “R” Us Canada will revive the brand by opening dedicated shopping areas within Staples Canada stores.

The office supplies retailer says it has reached a deal with Next Century Ipco Can ULC to bring Toys “R” Us and new Parties “R” Us departments to Staples locations.

The partnership will start with a pilot launching on Nov. 14 at a Staples in Richmond Hill, Ont.

By the end of 2027, the companies hope they will have opened Toys “R” Us and Parties “R” Us locations at roughly 300 Staples stores.

Next Century bought 150 of Toys “R” Us Canada’s trademarks earlier this year, when the retailer run by Ancaster, Ont.-based entrepreneur Doug Putman filed for creditor protection.

Next Century is an affiliate of Ad Populum, a U.S. firm that owns Party City, manages several toy companies, and is involved with Graceland, the Elvis Presley attraction in Tennessee.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A person has died and another person is missing in a suspected grizzly bear attack in the Central Coast region of B.C.

One person was found dead in the Snooka West Trail area near Bella Coola on Monday afternoon after RCMP and Search and Rescue crews were called out, the Ministry of Environment said in a statement.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service was asked to help after evidence at the scene suggested an animal may have been involved in the person’s death, ministry officials said.

A second person has not yet been found.

The pair were reported missing on Sunday, Nov. 1 by family.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the victims during this tragic time. We are in contact with the family to offer any support we can as we continue to investigate this incident,” Insp. Jeff Tyre with the B.C. Conservation Office said.

“We urge people to stay away from Snooka West Trail area for their own safety. We appreciate people’s concerns and the desire to assist but it is critical the public stay out of the area – both due to the danger and to allow officers to do their work.”

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said all resources are being deployed to trap any bears involved and any bears who are captured will be assessed to determine next steps.

If the bear is determined to be involved, the conservation service said that it will be euthanized.

— More to come…

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Ford government has called in an external auditor to review a second provincial ministry, as the Progressive Conservatives attempt to get a firm grip on a growing OSAP scandal that’s impacted thousands of students in private career colleges.

Labour Minister Trevor Jones confirmed to Global News the ministry tapped KMPG to review Better Jobs Ontario, a provincial program that helps unemployed workers retrain for new industries. The government has paused new applications to the program until the “inconsistencies” are sorted out.

“We did some investigations from the ministry’s end. They saw some kind of the same sort of kind of inconsistencies with where the money’s going to, who’s it going to and is it making benefit,” Jones said.

“Prudent to pause, take stock, review, and see if there are those inconsistencies and make sure that money’s going to where it has to be.”

The government said nearly 4,300 workers received funding from the Better Jobs Ontario program in 2025, which gives students between $28,000 to $35,000 for tuition, books, transportation and housing.

The review, Jones said, came after the Ministry of Colleges and Universities revealed instances of potential OSAP fraud in private career colleges – findings that were partially discovered by KMPG before being handed over to the OPP for review.

In that case, the government suggested “bad actors” were possibly posing as students attending virtual courses at private schools in Ontario.

“Allegations of third parties completing coursework on behalf of students, some entire courses completed in a single day. Final exams that were completed in as little as six minutes. Supposed students who could not even identify the institution they attended, the program they enrolled into, or the courses they were taking,” Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn told the legislature.

Jones said, unlike private career colleges, the Better Jobs Ontario program requires students to be physically present, and doesn’t allow for virtual courses.

“Most of that funding is tied to people in seats, physically in classrooms, hands-on training, could be forklift training, could be some other like skill type training, micro-credential training,” Jones said.

“So the incidence for risk is lower threshold, but still the risk is there.”

Jones didn’t say how long the pause in applications would last or how much money was under investigation by KMPG.

Meanwhile, the government said the results of that KMPG audit will stay under wraps even after the firm has completed its final audit of the private career colleges sector.

Quinn said the government wants to ensure the “confidentiality of the audit” remains intact but promised the audit will lead to “actions” from the ministry.

“You’ll see instances of schools possibly not being renewed to be able to provide career college training in Ontario,” Quinn said.

Critics slammed the government for keeping the report a secret.

“It’s obvious the government is trying to hide the OSAP scandal,” said Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the government has offered few details on the scope of the audit but said taxpayers “deserve to know” the results of a publicly funded audit.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A teenager in Alberta has been arrested and charged with engaging in terrorism-realted offences, after police alleged they were talking to people affiliated with the Islamic State — a designated foreign terrorist organization.

In February, the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region’s integrated national security enforcement team (INSET) said it began investigating online correspondence between an Alberta teenager and what police said were users affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, commonly known as ISIS.

On Oct. 26, INSET arrested a 17-year-old youth for a terrorism-related offence. Police did not say if they are a boy or girl.

The RCMP said it commenced proceedings against the youth by way of a terrorism peace bond, pursuant to section 810.011 of the Criminal Code — fear of terrorism offence.

The peace bond would give investigators broader authority to monitoring conditions such as online activity and other tools aimed at preventing potential offences.

While police did not reveal where the teen lives or was arrested, they were released on conditions and scheduled to appear Tuesday at the provincial court in Fort McMurray.

RCMP said the Youth Criminal Justice Act prevents the release of any other information and since the matter is now before the courts, police will not comment further.

Earlier this year, a former CSIS analyst told Global News ISIS continues to be an active global organization and is using ongoing wars, including in Gaza and Iran, to attract new recruits.

The RCMP says countering religiously motivated violent extremism remains a top priority and is urging the public to report suspicious activity.

With files from Touria Izri and Alessia Maratta, Global News

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A tremor felt in parts of southeastern Saskatchewan Tuesday morning is suspected to have been caused by mining activity, according to Earthquakes Canada.

A 3.4 magnitude seismic event occurred around 7:04 a.m. local time in an area northeast of Esterhazy, Sask., according to the federal agency. Esterhazy is approximately 230 kilometres east of Regina.

Earthquakes Canada said moderate shaking started about one kilometre underground, and was triggered by human activity in the form of a “suspected mining-induced event.”

In an emailed statement, Mosaic Canada confirmed that seismic activity was felt near its potash mine just outside of Esterhazy.

“The event occurred in a mined-out area of the older workings of the K3 Mine,” the statement from Mosaic said.

All roughly 1,200 Mosaic employees have been accounted for, and operations in Esterhazy are continuing as normal. No safety concerns remain as a result of the tremor, the company said.

“Mining induced seismic activity in this area is common, and our facilities are engineered with seismic loading in mind,” Mosaic added. “We continue to advance our understanding of the geological properties of the K3 ore body and will work with external experts to review seismic activity.”

At the time of publication, 22 people reported having felt the tremor to Earthquakes Canada. It noted that details have been reviewed by the agency but have not yet been finalized.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Hockey Canada says it is still in discussions with the International Ice Hockey Federation on the impact that Russia’s reinstatement to international competition — and the blowback it has caused — could have on the upcoming world junior championship in Alberta.

It comes as protests from European hockey organizations grew Tuesday over Russia’s return to competition.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled last week that the IIHF must reinstate Russian teams, starting with the world juniors, which begin Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer.

“We share the disappointment expressed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and other stakeholders with the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision on Friday,” Hockey Canada said in a statement.

“We remain in discussions with the IIHF, our fellow member national associations and additional key stakeholders regarding the potential impact of the decision, and we are working towards gaining more clarity in the coming days.”

Hockey federations representing Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Latvia say their national teams will not play against Russia in international competition.

“The Swedish line was and is crystal clear: Sweden will not play ice hockey matches against Russia in the situation we are in right now,” the Swedish Ice Hockey Association said in a statement.

“The decision does not mean that Sweden will refrain from participating in World Cup tournaments where Russia is participating.”

Norway said it will not play Russia at the 2027 men’s world championship in Germany. Its statement did not specifically address the world juniors.

Norwegian Ice Hockey Association general secretary Petter Salsten told The Associated Press that Norway could be removed from next month’s world junior championship in Canada to make way for Russia.

Denmark, which is not in the world junior field, has also said it will not play Russia at the men’s worlds.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha thanked the federations that had refused to play Russia and urged other hockey powers, including co-host Canada, to follow suit.

“If CAS lacks a moral compass, let’s show that hockey still has values. Refuse to play against Russia and deny visas to its players,” he wrote in a post on X.

Sweden is the defending champion and one of 10 teams currently set to compete at the world junior tournament, along with Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, the United States, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Norway and Finland.

Finland’s federation said no player or team official would be obliged to take part in a tournament involving Russia or Belarus, and that it supported those who chose not to.

German federation board chair Frank H. Lutz wrote on the organization’s website, “We reject the return of Russian national teams to international ice hockey tournaments.”

Germany is the host of the 2027 men’s world championship, and Ukraine is a participating country.

“Allowing Russia to participate would have significant security, political, and economic consequences for us as hosts,” Lutz said last week.

Canada’s federal government has said it opposes Russia’s return and will maintain restrictions on Russian athletes at events in Canada that receive federal funding.

Following the decision on Oct. 30, Canada’s Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverden said the federal government strongly opposes the court’s decision.

“We take great pride in welcoming the world to compete at the highest level and sharing the hospitality and spirit that define us as Canadians. But with that pride also comes a responsibility to uphold our principles and values,” he said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

Canada’s stance on Russia’s actions has not changed, the minister said.

“Canada maintains, as it has since 2022, that Russia should not be represented in international sport competitions while Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable full-scale invasion against Ukraine continues,” van Koeverden said.

“Canada will maintain restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes at events hosted in Canada that receive funding from the Government of Canada and explore further options to ensure that the Russian government is held accountable.”

Hockey Canada confirmed the world juniors is not federally funded.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the province would comply with the CAS ruling.

© 2026 The Canadian Press