Vancouver-based outfit Mr M & The All Nighters have released their new single, “Johnny Drama,” a guitar-driven track taken from their forthcoming album Flying High, due 6 November 2026.
For anyone who has ever chased a dream in the entertainment industry, there is a familiar mix of excitement, frustration, rejection, and unexpected triumph that comes with the territory. Mr M & The All Nighters channel that experience into “Johnny Drama,” a song inspired by the unforgettable Entourage character played by Kevin Dillon and by band leader Ian Gregson’s own 25-year journey through the Vancouver film industry.
Johnny Drama played by Kevin Dillon is a character I identified with on the tv show Entourage. The character resonated with me as a 25 year veteran of the Vancouver Film Industry and having worked on many productions over the years as background, stunts or as an actor. Johnny Drama’s frustrations and journey certainly reverberate with my own personal experiences on shows such as X-Files, Highlander, Supernatural, Arrow, Snowpiercer and Fire Country and movies Wrongfully Accused, Godzilla and the Twilight series to name but a few. I even went to do a scene with Entourage’s leading female Emanuelle Chiqrui on the show Superman and Lois.
Ian Gregson, Mr M & The All Nighters
On the new project, Flying High, Gregson created original music influenced by the world around him, from local and international events to television, film, relationships, and the music he has absorbed throughout his life. His influences range from the atmospheric electronic work of Tangerine Dream, Talk Talk, and Thomas Dolby to the darker sounds of Portishead, alongside rock touchstones including Thin Lizzy and Ultravox. Vocally, he draws on Bryan Ferry, Paul Weller, Ian Dury, Alex Harvey, and Nick Cave, while his guitar playing reflects Gary Moore, Francis Rossi, Steve Morse, Rory Gallagher, and Pat Travers, rounded out by the distinctive saxophone of Manny Albeury.
Gregson moved from the Wigan area of the UK to Vancouver in 1981, initially pursuing an athletic career that saw him represent Canada at the 1984 and 1988 Paralympic Games. In 2000, he made a personal commitment to take music more seriously, eventually joining The Carnival Band in 2005 before forming Mr M & The All Nighters in 2006. Ultimately, the band is about two musicians following an idea wherever it leads, sometimes into rock, sometimes into electronics, sometimes into jazz-influenced saxophone territory, and discovering what happens when familiar musical memories are stripped down and rebuilt from scratch.
Listen to “Johnny Drama” here.
