Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

Award-winning composer Max Richter is arguably the most streamed classical artist in the world. His scores feature in acclaimed films like “Arrival”, “Ad Astra”, “Shutter Island,” and popular series such as “Black Mirror,” “Bridgerton” and “The Leftovers.” Currently on his first world tour, Max drops by our studio to talk with Tom Power about his acclaimed career and how he confronts today's polarized world through music that has no words.

In his latest series, “Southern Lights,” photographer Finn O'Hara shows how some of Canada’s most cherished and iconic natural landscapes are under threat of development. He sits down with guest host Gill Deacon to tell us what we risk losing as Canada’s wilderness disappears, why he used night club lasers to capture his photos, and how his connection with nature helped shape his passion for photography.

With viral hits like “Pretty Girl Era,” LU KALA has proven that she might just be the next big Canadian breakthrough artist à la Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Weeknd or Shawn Mendes. Her catchy songs about loving yourself and knowing your worth have amassed millions of streams all over the internet. On the heels of her brand new EP, “No Tears On This Ride,” LU sits down with Tom Power in our studio to tell us her story, how she became more confident after being bullied as a kid, and what it felt like to see Serena Williams and her daughter lip sync to her music.

For Mike Drucker, getting a Nintendo at three years old truly changed the course of his life. Since then, the Emmy-nominated writer and comedian has built an entire career influenced by video games. In his new memoir, “Good Game, No Rematch: A Life Made of Video Games,” Mike details how some of his most defining experiences were either accompanied or caused by video games. He joins Tom Power to share some of those stories, from showing the cast of “Saturday Night Live” how to play the Wii when he was an intern, to working at Nintendo, to bonding with Jimmy Fallon over video games before eventually joining the show as a writer

For more than 60 years, Canadian rock and roll legend Randy Bachman has been takin’ care of business and working overtime. He co-founded not one but two of the most successful rock bands to come out of this country: The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Randy sits down with Tom Power to look back on his incredible life in music, from leaving The Guess Who at the height of their success, to Neil Young helping him start his new band, all the way up to his new BTO single, which looks back at Winnipeg — the city that he says gave him everything.

Bria Salmena is a Canadian musician who originally rose to prominence as the frontwoman of the post-punk band FRIGS before joining Orville Peck's touring band. Now, she’s released her debut solo album, “Big Dog.” One of its most powerful tracks, “Rags,” is a raw anthem about rage, shame and shedding the need to accommodate others. Bria joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the track and how it helped her reclaim her voice after moving to Los Angeles — a city that made her feel like she was in high school again.

Young punk upstarts PUP aren’t so young anymore. In fact, the band that singlehandedly brought punk rock back to Canada in a big way is probably getting too old to mosh. On their fifth and latest record, “Who Will Look After The Dogs?” lead singer Stefan Babcock reflects on his evolution as a songwriter and getting older. He joins Tom Power in our studio to discuss the new album, his writing process and why he can’t take a compliment. If you enjoy this conversation, check out Tom’s chat with Densil McFarlane of The OBGMs.

Tunde Adebimpe made a name for himself fronting the art rock band TV on the Radio. Now, he’s released his first solo album, “Thee Black Boltz.” Tunde joins Tom Power to talk about making music without his long-time band, the spirit of rebellion that runs through his new record, and how an album that’s born out of some pretty tough stuff ended up sounding so dancey. Plus, he shares a pretty deep philosophical take on what punk rock has in common with Calvin and Hobbes.

On her new album, “Forever Is a Feeling,” Lucy Dacus sets the record straight on what love is — and isn’t. The singer-songwriter sits down with Tom Power to tell us what she thinks is missing in modern love songs, what she’s learned about love (spoiler alert: she's still searching for answers), and how she feels about the end of her Grammy-winning supergroup boygenius. If you like this conversation, you’ll probably also enjoy Tom’s chat with Phoebe Bridgers.

A few years ago, Mustafa released his critically acclaimed EP, “When Smoke Rises,” which chronicled the deaths of loved ones from his community of Regent Park in Toronto. So when he sat down to write his debut album, “Dunya,” the Juno-winning musician and poet wanted to explore other things, like love, faith and his relationship with God. Then his older brother died. Mustafa sits down with Tom Power for a wide-ranging conversation about his latest album, the loss of his brother and why Toronto no longer feels like home to him.

When Nick Cave was in his early band The Birthday Party, he was angry and antagonistic toward his audience. The legendary Australian musician, writer and actor eventually grew out of his youthful contempt, but he remained consumed by his work, always putting it first before anything else. Then he lost two of his sons. In this wide-ranging conversation about grief, ambition, God and Johnny Cash, Nick tells Tom Power how he was forever transformed by his experience of unimaginable loss. He also discusses his new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album, “Wild God,” and the mysterious origins of his songwriting.

When the Canadian indie rock band Casper Skulls got their start about 10 years ago, things were a little different. Firstly, band members Melanie St-Pierre-Bednis and Neil Bednis weren’t married at the time, and now they’re husband and wife. Secondly, they hadn’t moved back to their hometown of Sudbury, Ont., and they didn’t have a baby yet. Melanie and Neil join Tom Power to talk about making their latest album, “Kit-Cat,” through those major life changes — and why it might be their best record yet.

The Canadian singer-songwriter Lights grew up in a missionary family in Timmins, Ont., believing that her musical ability was both a gift and a responsibility. Some of her earliest work was Christian music. When Lights was just a teenager, she started posting her songs on Myspace, which ultimately set her career into motion. But during that time, she also started questioning her faith. Lights joins Tom Power to talk about the healing she did to sever her ties with religion, plus, her new album, “A6,” which was inspired by the sights and sounds of Berlin. If you like this conversation, check out Tom’s interview with deadmau5 from last year.

Twenty years ago, Dallas Green and his band Alexisonfire were making post-hardcore music when Dallas decided to release a soft acoustic album under the name City and Colour. It was a big risk, but that debut solo album, “Sometimes,” went on to receive critical acclaim and a Juno Award. It was also the catalyst for Dallas to start his own independent record label, Dine Alone Records. On the 20th anniversary of his “Sometimes,” Dallas sits down with Tom Power to share the real story behind the album.

The actor and musician Joe Keery, also known as Djo, is best known for playing Steve Harrington on the hit Netflix show “Stranger Things.” But after his song “End of Beginning” went viral on TikTok last year, a huge spotlight was shone on his music. Joe sits down with Tom Power to talk about his new album, “The Crux,” and his breakthrough role in “Stranger Things.”

On her latest record, “Conditions of Love Vol. 1,” Rose Cousins digs into all the complicated feelings that come with love, from falling in love, to keeping the romance going, to maintaining friendships. It also finds the Canadian singer-songwriter reuniting with one of her most important companions: the piano. Rose sits down with Tom Power to talk about the album and her song “K’s Waltz,” which is an ode to a close friend she lost. 

Bob Martin is a Canadian actor and writer who first made his name working in Canadian TV, but now he’s one of Broadway’s most in-demand playwrights. How in demand? Well, two of his new musicals (“Boop!” and “Smash”) recently premiered on Broadway in the same week. Bob joins Tom Power to discuss that achievement and his Tony Award-winning career. In case you missed it, you might also enjoy Tom’s recent chat with Canadian composer and playwright Britta Johnson on her new musical, “Life After.”

The longest poem ever written is a 4,000-year-old Sanskrit epic called the “Mahabharata,” which clocks in at roughly 1.8 million words. But the poem’s daunting length didn’t stop Toronto’s Why Not Theatre from adapting it into a large-scale play of the same name. Miriam Fernandes, the co-creator and star of the show, joins Tom Power to tell us exactly what it took to bring this ancient Sanskrit epic to the stage. If you’re looking for more conversations about Canadian theatre, check out Tom’s interview with actor and playwright Anusree Roy.

For more than 35 years, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer has used her voice to make award-winning, critically acclaimed music — but that’s not all. She’s also been a vocal advocate for important environmental and humanitarian causes, both in this country and abroad. At the Juno Awards in Vancouver earlier this year, Sarah was honoured with the Humanitarian Award, and now she’s receiving a key to the city for her hometown of Burlington, Ont. In this career-spanning conversation with Tom Power, Sarah talks about her early days making music with The Saddletramps and Weeping Tile, going solo, and why she’s so passionate about protecting the land she grew up on. If you enjoy this conversation, check out Tom’s chat with The Weather Station.

Arkells frontman Max Kerman is taking back the term “try hard” with his first book, “Try Hard: Creative Work in Progress.” It peels back the curtain on the band’s creative process, offering a framework for how to bring more creativity into your life, but it’s also a defence of striving and wanting to be a better artist. In this conversation with Tom Power, Max dispels some of the myths about what you need to make it in music. He also shares a few stories from the band’s history and tells us why Bruce Springsteen is such a big influence on him.