Ron Sexsmith, "Snow Angel" from Time Being (2006)
[Face lights up] Ron! I first heard Ron Sexsmith in '98 or something like that. Unavoidable in Canada -- any friend will always end suggesting some Ron Sexsmith song. He's a reference point for everybody. Last night I was in Ottawa playing the Canada Day party, and two years ago I did the same thing, and I stayed at the same hotel as last time. We were in the lobby bar after the show, and it dawned on me that that's where Ron and I first talked about Brandy Alexanders. He said, "Hey take a sip of this drink. It's crazy, it's called a Brandy Alexander." At the time I knew him a little bit, if he's going to share a straw with me. [But] we're friendly, Canadians. We share drinks with one another. Last night I asked the bartender if he could make one so I could have one in the same place where we conceived of the idea to write "Brandy Alexander" [from The Reminder]. But they said they wouldn't be able to make us one [laughs].

Nina Simone, "Sugar In My Bowl" from Nina Sings Nina (1964)
[Before vocals come in] Sounds like Nina Simone. You can tell: the right hand, the left hand, it's so recognizable. That's so funny! We were just playing this song in soundcheck the other day. [Producer and collaborator] Gonzalez is, without question, my favorite piano player. But I've never stood next to Nina Simone while she's playing. I think if I did, they would be in a tie. Gonzalez rides the line between Simone's American, tossed-off blues, kind of jangly, sexy, mean. It's messier and jagged. Her piano playing is so unmistakable.

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Bright Eyes, "Lua" from I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005)
Is this Conor? Yeah! I played with him first at an Austrian outdoor festival. Then I toured with him across America. It was amazing. He has such a crew, such great people. There was a baby toddling around backstage because one of the guys in the band brings his lady and baby. It was like a traveling circus, in a good sense, where their home is with them. Broken Social Scene is like that -- we have our own self-made universe, a family and all the people involved and all the satellite bands. Conor and that crew, they're the Omaha version of that extended family. When I stepped into that tour, it felt like a different flavor of home. Everything was familiar, it was just different people and songs. He was phenomenal to tour with -- a generous, great guy.

Metric, "Police and the Private" from Live It Out (2005)
Metric. You couldn't not recognize that. Is that a triple negative? What can I say? Old, old buddies. I've known Emily for almost 10 years now. And Jimmy. This story goes way back. I was booking a club and putting on nights there and playing there -- this restaurant that had a baby venue in the basement. I took it over, and Emily came one day and was like, "Can you book me? I'd like to play." I hadn't met any other women that played in years. Most women who were playing that we knew were like us, writing our own songs. For years we managed to hold down that every Sunday, we'd call each other, no matter where we were on tour. What's amazing is that for all of us (in Broken Social Scene), it's like this spider web, and you can feel it reverberate. When something happens for Emily, it all links together.

Astrud Gilberto, "Corcovado" from Astrud's Finest Hour (2001)
Astrud Gilberto. Come on, these are all softballs! I don't know much about her. Do you know that she was in The Party with Peter Sellers? Last night I was clicking channels, and I watched a half hour of it. There's this woman singing beautifully with an acoustic guitar, and I thought, "It sounds like Astrud Gilberto," so maybe she's in that movie. [Pauses] And is that Gil Gilberto? I do have a little bit of knowledge about Brazilian stuff, like Caetano Veloso and Gil Gilberto. My old bass player from years ago was like, "You've got to listen to this." I'm going to Brazil in October, to play three shows, festivals. I don't know what to expect -- it's so far.

Joni Mitchell, "California" from Blue (1971)
Oh! Joni Mitchell! I've always loved this song. It's beautiful. I can take it as a compliment, [being compared to her]. In general, I hear comparisons as more an indication of what people have in their record collections, [rather] than my music to hers. I've heard every comparison there is, and usually I end up appreciating them. I couldn't put myself and her in the same sentence. Her voice is so pure and acrobatic and at home with herself. She was so young when she made this. She's forgotten more chords than I'll ever know.