Q with Tom Power

On his latest album, “Further From the Country,” William Prince moves away from his usual country sound into new sonic territory. Known for his intimate acoustic songs, the smooth-voiced Manitoban singer-songwriter from Peguis First Nation has now decided to add a rollicking band behind him. William sits down with Tom Power to discuss his bold new album and his performance at the Grand Ole Opry. Plus, he ranks iconic Winnipeg things, from slurpees to steakhouses to the Winnipeg Jets.

For decades, Tom Allen has been boosting the nation's knowledge of classical music. He’s the host of the CBC music show “About Time,” as well as a musician and concert host. But now, Tom has turned his attention to a new format: the almanac. His book “Tom Allen's Classical Musick Almynack” takes a look at classical music over the course of a calendar year, including key dates, facts and stories for each month, along with recipes, quizzes and musical activities. Tom sits down with Tom Power to tell us why he wanted to embrace this old calendar form, and why he’s so keen to spread the word when it comes to classical music. 

Even though she’s a descendant of the biggest wrestling family of all time — including legends like Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith and Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart — Nattie Neidhart (a.k.a. Natalya), charted her own course in wrestling to become a legend in her own right. It's not an exaggeration to say she helped usher in the biggest women’s wrestling revolution in history. Now, Nattie has released a new memoir, “The Last Hart Beating: From Dungeon to WWE,” which traces her incredible life and career. She joins Tom Power to discuss her book, her life in the ring, and the room in her grandfather's house called the dungeon.

Anyone in a band will tell you it’s like being in a family — a dysfunctional family. But somehow, against all odds, the Canadian rock band Yukon Blonde has managed to stay together for nearly 20 years. On their new record, “Friendship & Rock 'n' Roll,” they celebrate the love and music that’s kept them together all this time. Jeff Innes and James Younger of Yukon Blonde join Tom Power to talk about the album and why they find it so grounding to be in a band. Plus, they set up a new song called “Colours of My Dreams.”

Oscar-nominated actor Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey, Ragtime) is perhaps best known for her role as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham on the acclaimed TV series “Downton Abbey.” Now, Elizabeth is in Canada with a new theatre production she wrote and stars in, “Ava: The Secret Conversations,” which sheds light on the life of Hollywood legend Ava Gardner. Elizabeth sits down with Tom Power to tell us the similarities between her life and Ava’s, how celebrity culture has changed (and not changed), and what it was like finally saying goodbye to “Downton Abbey” after 15 years.

This is the second half of “Q Live in St. John’s” (search for Part One if you missed the first half), which took place at the historic St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre earlier this month. This part features an incredible stand-up performance by comedian Trent McClellan, a conversation with award-winning drag queens Tara Nova and Gravy, and a hilarious chat with comedian Mark Critch.

A few years ago, Robert Plant thought he was done making records. But the former lead singer of Led Zeppelin discovered he still had at least one more left in him. His new album, “Saving Grace,” is named after the band he’s been performing with for the last six years. It’s a collection of 10 musical interpretations and covers of songs by a variety of artists. Robert joins Tom Power to talk about finding new inspiration in old music, why he's not precious about the past — including his time in Led Zeppelin — and this great quote he has about Bob Dylan: “Dylan didn’t tap me on the shoulder, he hit me between the eyes.”

After a period of personal growth, loss and change, Canadian singer-songwriter Julianna Riolino is bringing some hard-won confidence to her sophomore album. It’s called “Echo in the Dust” and it’s out now. Julianna sat down with Tom Power to talk about the record and to set up a song titled “Be Good To Your Mother.”

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 are the inspiration for the TV show “Bones.” Now, Kathy is about to release the 24th novel in the series, “Evil Bones.” She joins Tom Power to tell us about the book and the surprising reason she started writing in the first place.

The Canadian shoegaze band Living Hour just released their new album, “Internal Drone Infinity.” Many of the songs on the album are steeped in the life and landscape of Winnipeg — the band’s hometown. Lead singer Sam Sarty talks to guest host Talia Schlanger about how the band captured both the sounds of Winnipeg and the sounds of yearning on their new record. Plus, she sets up the song “Texting.”