Q with Tom Power

For three decades, crime writer and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs has been writing novels that bring the science behind solving crimes to the fore. She’s the bestselling author of the Temperance Brennan series, which is the inspiration for the TV show Bones. Back in November, Kathy released the 24th novel in the series, Evil Bones. She joined Tom Power to tell him about the book and the surprising reason she started writing in the first place.

Sandy Pandya is a music industry veteran who has managed musicians like Serena Ryder and Jully Black. At this year’s Junos, she was honoured with the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award for shaping the Canadian music industry. She joins Tom Power to talk about growing up in Regina, running a café which became a hub for artists in the city, and founding ArtHaus, a multi-purpose live-work space and record label where artist mental health and career longevity is the goal.

Arlo Parks is a Grammy-nominated artist from London, whose career launched after she submitted her demos to the BBC. Since then, she’s opened for artists like Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, and even co-wrote a song for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter record. Life has been busy for Arlo thanks to all the success, but she knew she needed to take a step back to enjoy being a 20-something. So she did, and her latest album was inspired by the experiences she had during that time. Arlo Parks joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about how diving into the world of dance music and club culture helped her create her new album, Ambiguous Desire.

In just four years since Aysanabee left his day job to pursue music, he has played over 400 shows, toured all over the world and was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. He also made history as the first Indigenous artist to win the Juno awards for both alternative album of the year and songwriter of the year. Aysanabee joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about his new EP Timelines, his recent Juno wins and the moment that made him quit his day job and pursue a career in music.

Acclaimed Canadian stage actor Peter Fernandes is making his directorial debut at this year’s Shaw Festival, with a remount of the play Sleuth. This Tony Award-winning show, and later Oscar-nominated film, is a work that both has a lot of love for the mystery genre, and picks apart many of its tropes. Peter joins Tom in the Q studio to talk about why he wanted to take on this project, and how it feels to wear the director’s hat.

Country musician Owen Riegling went from playing the local pub in his hometown of Mildmay, Ont. for his buddies, to hitting the stage at iconic venues like the Grand Ole Opry and Massey Hall in just a couple years. His new album contends with that feeling of hitting the stratosphere, while also missing home — and the people who make it home — at the same time. He sits down with Tom Power to talk about what his own small town means to him and his music.

In a long-awaited catch-up, singer, songwriter and actor Josh Groban stops by the Q studio to talk about his upcoming album Cinematic. The record is a tribute to the iconic soundtracks of some of his favourite films, from The Lion King to James Bond. He tells Tom about his touching collaboration with his father on the record, what it was like to play Sweeney Todd on Broadway given his lifelong love of Stephen Sondheim, and his spontaneous cameo at this year’s Oscars.

On their new song Had It, Toronto indie-rock trio Dumb Crush tell the story of a modern-day guy who’s dealing with the pressures of hyper-individuality and the feeling of never being good enough. Owen Hooper, a bass player and singer in the band, joins Tom to talk about the inspiration behind the song, and how the band feels about the constant pressure to maximize your potential.

Arkells are at a stage of success where they can easily sell out large amphitheatres across Canada. But with their new record Between Us, the band has chosen to do something different with the tour: city takeovers. Instead of booking large venues for one night, the boys are spending multiple days in Canadian cities, playing smaller stages and more intimate shows. Arkells frontman Max Kerman and guitarist Mike DeAngelis tell Tom Power why they wanted to replicate what it felt like in the early days, and what both they and the fans get out of small, up-close-and-personal shows.

When Alberta filmmaker Jody Wilson was working on visual effects for CSI Miami, she didn’t know the Hollywood gig was also laying the groundwork for her future in filmmaking. From The Avengers to The Last of Us, her on-set observations all came in handy when she finally decided to make her own feature film, The Bearded Girl. It’s a coming-of-age story with a twist and, as Jody tells Tom Power, its extremely niche main character is what makes the story universal.