If you remember back to the days when MuchMusic called itself "the nation's music station" and actually played music videos, you no doubt remember some of the TV channel's hosts.

Erica Ehm was a biggie, as was J.D. Roberts, before he stopped rockin' and became staid John Roberts of FOX News.

Then there were insightful hosts like Sook-Yin Lee and George Stroumboulopoulos, and guys with middle names like Terry David Mulligan and Kim Clarke Champniss.

But my favourite MuchMusic host was always Ed the Sock, the scowling, cigar-chomping, green-haired, gray sock puppet with the gravelly voice. That grouchy little bugger may well have been the inspiration for Triumph the Insult Dog, even if he wasn't quite as funny.

I hadn't heard much about Ed the Sock lately, until yesterday's announcement that he and his creator, Steve Werzner, were launching an online video music-channel called NewMusicNation that claims to bring back the spirit of MuchMusic, updated with hip new hosts and focusing on independent Canadian artists.

“When MuchMusic took a dirt nap, it left Canadian artists stranded,” says Ed the Sock in a press release. “We’re going to shine a light on independent musicians and treat them like stars.

“NewMusicNation is what MuchMusic would be today if it hadn’t shit the bed,” adds Ed. “We as Canadians built the very self-aware, personal, smart, anarchic experience. Corporations killed it. We’re taking it back!”

“NewMusicNation exists because there is so much video music online," says NMN president Kerzner, "too much for people to navigate on their own. NMN and its new VJs will separate the wheat from the chaff and curate great musical experiences in the much-missed style of classic MuchMusic. Curated by humans, not algorithms.”

NewMusicNation is asking artists across Canada who have music videos to submit them. For more info visit the website here.