Special Guests

  • Paul Brandt — Recording Artist
    Paul Brandt’s 11 career albums have spawned hit singles, multiple Album of the Year awards, gold, platinum, and multi-platinum performances. According to Nielsen BDS, of the top 25 Canadian Country songs, 6 were released by Paul Brandt, and his song “My Heart Has a History” is the most played Canadian Country song since the chart began. Paul is also the most played Canadian Country artist on Country Radio in history (Nielsen BDS). He has had 26 top ten songs on Canadian Radio. His song “For You”, was selected to promote the 2002 major motion picture We Were Soldiers, and was performed by Dave Matthews and Johnny Cash. In 2017, Paul Brandt was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame & Western Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Always a trailblazer, Paul has decided to release new music in the form of two companion EP’s in 2018. The first, The Journey: YYC Vol. 1, derives its name from a self-penned tune on the EP which sets the tone for Brandt’s most personal body of work to date. “The song on this first playlist of songs called ‘YYC BNA’ is a really special one to me. Bittersweet reflections on the trip from that YYC Calgary airport to Nashville’s “Berry Field” BNA were a catalyst for some of the spirit of this project. Calgary and Nashville are the only places I’ve ever called ‘home’, and those two cities bookend my journey in life so far.” The album’s latest single, “All About Her,” is a pop-infused anthem which Paul says gelled quickly. “I greatly respect the co-writers on this song, so working with Seth Mosley and Ben Stennis was a dream come true for me. The more we got to know each other, the more it was clear that our wives are incredible inspirations to us, each in their own unique ways. We wanted to write a song that would celebrate them and the thankfulness we have for being in their lives. Once we began moving in that direction with the song, it kind of started to write itself. I’ve found the best songs always do that; they ride the emotion and spirit of the idea.”

  • Tim Rymel — Author of RETHINKING EVERYTHING: When Faith and Reality Don't Make Sense
    In addition to nearly 25 years of leadership in evangelical Christian church and parachurch organizations, Tim Rymel is a survivor and former leader of conversion therapy - the attempt to change someone’s sexual orientation from gay to straight. He is the author of Going Gay – My Journey from Evangelical Christian Minister to Self-Acceptance, Love, Life, and Meaning. Now he’s written a book entitled Rethinking Everything: When Faith and Reality Don’t Make Sense. American evangelical Christianity is a uniquely American Phenomenon. Ingrained in culture and politics, fundamentalism ascribes to strict theological and political dogmas in ways that seldom mirror our vast human experiences. Evangelical Christians have been caught in the political crosshairs during an ever increasingly hostile environment separating the “godly” from the “ungodly.” With a plethora of religious freedom laws consistently targeting Americans who don’t fit the same strict Biblical interpretation of elected evangelical Christian lawmakers, some evangelicals are excluded from the laws, or targeted by the laws, meant to protect them – specifically, LGBT Christians. Their parents and family members who support them are often forced to choose between their churches and their loved ones. Other believers have simply noted the overt moral hypocrisy of their leaders in favor of political power, and have begun to question their faith as a whole. Rethinking Everything – When Faith and Reality Don’t Make Sense is an intellectual and emotional journey wherein questioning believers look, brick by brick, at the foundation of their faith. They discover how evangelical Christianity evolved out of the larger Christian faith, and why for them, in a world of fundamentalist absolutes, there is a struggle to separate belief from truth. The book addresses feelings of anger, depression, and fear of eternal damnation that many people struggle with when walking away from their faith, or reframing their view of God. Tim Rymel offers a unique perspective on the topic of evangelicalism in America. *To pre-order Tim Rymel’s latest book, head to www.rethinkingeverythingbook.com

  • Angela Saini — Recording Artist
    Toronto-based folk pop artist Angela Saini is all about second chances and empowering others. Her ability to combine humanistic and honest themes laden with catchy hooks and memorable melodies make her entertaining as well as relatable, two amazing qualities for any musician to have. With two European and five Canadian treks under her belt, BBC Radio is calling Angela Saini “massively talented” after the release of her sunshine-soaked single “Living on The Bright Side.” Currently in rotation on the Pop Adult station on Stingray Digital across Canada, Angela is a 2017 Toronto Independent Music Award Winner and blogTO named her in their “Top 5 Folk Acts to Watch.” The Calgary native got her guitar chops early on when she formed her first band at the age of 15, with her Austrian mother and Indian father driving her to gigs in bars before she was legally allowed to frequent them. She was the frontwoman of her high school rock band Supernal, which catapulted Angela to Toronto after 4 independent releases and thousands of kilometres touring. The rocker-turned-songstress released her first solo EP in 2012, after her refined songwriting skills and natural vocal ability got the attention of Tragically Hip drummer Johnny Fay. Demos together became pre-production for “Cake and Callouses” and shortly after, her second EP “Leap” was released in 2013. Two singles and a live album later, she is currently recording her upcoming album with single “Right Here Beside You” set for release in spring 2018. Heartfelt lyrics with a genuinely positive outlook reflect her life-affirming perspective: the road may be untraveled, but you’ll never know if you don’t take a chance.

  • Kate Bowler — Author of EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON: And Other Lies I've Loved
    Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son.

    Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.

    The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live.

  • Ashley David Chapman — Vice President of Chapman’s Ice Cream
    Back in 1973, David and Penny Chapman bought a small creamery in Markdale Ontario. The Chapman family began with four employees and two trucks, and moved into the cramped and primitive rooms above an old creamery in town. In 2001, Chapman's opened a distribution center in New Brunswick to better serve its customers in Atlantic Canada. Although Chapman's Ice Cream has grown substantially, it is still firmly rooted in the community and deeply loyal to its employees. The distribution centre in Ontario covers about 140,000 square feet and can house over 6 million units of product, which gets delivered right across Canada on over 50 trucks. At 10 am on September 4th 2009, someone noticed smoke coming out of one of the buildings. By mid-afternoon, the fire was almost under control when the Municipality of Grey Highlands undersized water tower ran dry. At 5 pm the Chapman family withdrew to their family home outside of Markdale, after witnessing 36 years of hard work go up in smoke. But within an hour of getting home, the family made the quick decision to rebuild their business. Worried about the local economy, and their 350 employees who make up the extended Chapman family, the Chapman's refused to go down without a fight! Shortly after this, the entire management team gathered around David and Penny's dining room table and started planning the rebuild. Within 7 weeks from the fire, Chapman’s produced their first 2 Litre brick of ice cream! In the ensuing months, the community and Chapman's worked tirelessly to build their new manufacturing facility, appropriately named Phoenix. Within a year and a half from the fire, they had rebuilt bigger and better than ever! Today, Chapman's is Canada's largest independent ice cream company.

LIVE! on TDMS - Devoted Souly to the Art of Music

  • Tyra Jutai
    A passionate performer, Tyra has dazzled audiences on both local and international stages, in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Amsterdam. As a songwriter, has an uncanny ability to tell stories that elevate the mundane and convey expression across the spectrum of human experience. She combines the melancholic with the joyful, and humour with earnest sobriety. No one is sure what to expect when she steps up to the microphone. Tyra is a continuously evolving musician, with great enthusiasm for experimentation. Classically trained in piano, flute, and voice, she has a solid grounding in music fundamentals. She has built upon this training by opening herself up to new styles of music, new techniques and by collaboration with musicians across genres. Her focus lately has been to develop and record her original compositions, which blend electronic and acoustic instrumentation with her soulful vocals and storytelling. www.tyrajutai.com

    CHECK THIS VIDEO OUT: TYRA JUTAI on The Drew Marshall Show

    **AND… Check out our DrewTube page to watch over 100 videos from some of our previous recording artists.

    **WANT TO WIN A CD FROM TODAY’S ARTIST? Send us a message on our Facebook page. While yer there, maybe give us a LIKE!

    (*Must be from Canada to win eh!)

Pub Crawl

  • Drew & His Mates Crack Open A Few Topics!
    Current affairs, pop culture, even touchy-feely-relational stuff! Listen in OR call and join us, as we crawl from topic to topic!
    (Got a topic you want the gang from the pub to crack open? CLICK HERE)

    THIS WEEK ON THE PUB CRAWL
    - Tal Bachman - Juno Award Winning Recording Artist (He’s the She’s So High Guy!) Featured in Bill Maher's “Religulous”, ex-Mormon - Tal is the son of legendary guitarist Randy Bachman from The Guess Who (American Woman) and Bachman Turner Overdrive, (Takin' Care Of Business). Tal is also really good friends with THIS GUY...Find him on FACEBOOK
    - Dr. John G. Stackhouse Jr. - Prof. of European History, Prof. of Religion, Prof. of Theology & Culture, Author www.johnstackhouse.com
    - Angela Saini - Recording Artist www.angelasaini.com
    - Ashley David Chapman - VP of Chapman’s Ice Cream www.chapmans.ca

    TODAY’S TOPICS
    1/ Should foster children have been removed from a family because they were told that the Easter bunny and Santa were not real?
    A religious couple refused to tell their three and four year old foster girls that the Easter bunny and Santa Claus were real. So the Children’s Aid Society removed them with only one day’s notice. The couple sued the CAS, who told the court that the children were actually removed because the foster parents were not supporting the birth mother’s wishes (despite any evidence) and “failed to be respectful of the cultural needs of the children.” Did the CAS go too far or were their concerns legitimate, especially in the wake of religious parents refusing to allow their kids to receive proper medical care for various illnesses and then the children die?
    HERE’S THE STORY

    2/ Would you buy “SWEET JESUS ICE CREAM”?
    A Toronto based ice cream company is being boycotted because of its name and use of religious language/ imagery. Some of their ice cream flavours are called “Red Rapture”, “Hella Nutella”, and “Sweet Baby Jesus” and they have a picture that shows their ice cream in the place of baby Jesus in a Nativity Scene. Another promotional campaign states, “Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain… BUT G**DAMN THAT’S DELICIOUS” and it shows an upside down cross. Is this all just provocative marketing that pushes boundaries in a free market system or has Sweet Jesus ice cream gone too far? Would there be the same “outrage” if the ice cream company was called “Bodacious Buddha” or “MMMMMMMuhammed”?
    HERE’S THE STORY

    3/ Should children be forced to go to church? How about teenagers? What motivation should be used to get your teenager to go to church? A taser?
    A mother told her 17 year old son to get up because it’s “Jesus Day” and when he refused, she allegedly tasered him. According to the mom, “I don’t think I did anything wrong because you’re supposed to put God first and that’s all I was trying to do is tell my kids to put God first.”
    HERE’S THE STORY