The Talk Music Podcast

Hi, everybody!Here’s PART 2 of my interview with RIK EMMETT, recorded live in the cozy confines of his studio loft. We take a deep dive into his legendary career as the songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist extraordinaire for Canadian rock icons TRIUMPH!Our conversation kicks off with Rik’s early days in Toronto, his decision to pursue music over sports, and his fateful first meeting with Mike Levine and Gil Moore, where he immediately recognized Gil’s sharp business acumen and Mike’s record production skills. Rik generously shares memories from each TRIUMPH album and how major support from US radio and MTV/MuchMusic impacted the band's success. We also explore his incredible songwriting contributions, including classics like “Lay It on the Line,” “Hold On,” “Fight the Good Fight,” “Ordinary Man,” “Magic Power,” “Somebody’s Out There” and “Never Surrender.”More than 40 years after exploding onto the scene, one thing remains crystal clear: Triumph’s legacy lives on. The Canadian hard-rock power trio stands out as a visionary, uniquely influential force—known for their virtuosic musicianship, soaring melodies, electrifying live shows and powerful songwriting with a positive message.It was an absolute honour to interview Rik and we had plenty of laughs along the way! Enjoy!

My guest this week is guitarist/songwriter RIK EMMETT! After a dozen PLATINUM albums from ‘75 to ‘88 with TRIUMPH (who celebrated their legacy and rise to stardom with the documentary “Rock and Roll Machine”), Rik has now released 25 more solo projects. Six decades in the biz have landed him in five halls, including the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, along with a few Best Guitarist awards. Rik has also released a poetry collection titled REINVENTION and a memoir, LAY IT ON THE LINE. His latest work is a collection of instrumental pieces called TEN TELECASTER TALES, and it’s accompanied by a book with detailed liner notes and personal stories. This super entertaining chat was done in person at Rik's beautiful home in his cozy studio. We chatted so long I've decided to release our conversation in two parts.In this Part 1, we dive deep into Rik's solo career after leaving Triumph. We chat about the creative process, his roots, influences, philosophy, and spirituality involved in writing and recording. Additional stories, career highlights, jams with George Benson and Alex Lifeson and a Juno-nominated album with Pavlo make part 1 a MUST listen! Stay tuned for Part 2 for a deep dive into Rik Emmett's ENTIRE Triumph career! 

In part 2 of my feature on Interesting Estonian Personalities, my guest on the Talk Music Podcast is Mari Sild—an extraordinary artist and scientist who seamlessly blends both worlds to inspire, innovate, and make a difference:www.marisildmuusika.comBy day, as a Senior Project Manager in clinical research, she plays a key role in developing new medications for migraines, hemophilia, and cancer, with past experience spanning work in cardiovascular, infectious diseases, immunology, ophthalmology, and oncology treatments.Beyond the science, Mari is also a passionate and boundary-pushing musician. Trained as a classical pianist in Estonia, she later forged her own path, creating a genre she calls Nordic fusion—a mesmerizing blend of the likes of jazz, alt-pop, and indie rock. You can find her performing in clubs and festivals, or composing and releasing songs in various languages. Her recent collaboration with Cuban musicians led to what is likely the world’s first-ever salsa song in Estonian—a true testament to her love for musical storytelling across cultures.We dive into her childhood in rural Estonia, learning to play her grandmother’s piano, touring with a symphony orchestra as a teenager and ultimately facing the difficult choice of whether to pursue music or science. We also talk about her love of travel, performing on trains (which I also love!), and her deep passion for protecting nature.It truly was a fun conversation I enjoyed very much. Mari leads a fascinating, multifaceted life, and you won’t want to miss this episode!

Hi everybody, my truly special Talk Music guest for this episode is ESTONIAN PIANIST KRISTJAN RANDALU, who exists among the most sought-after piano players of his generation, carrying the torch in both the improvised world of jazz and the traditional realm of classical music. Between creating his own original blend of contemporary jazz as a leader and collaborating with several generations of respected musicians, Randalu has brought his music to some of the world’s most renowned jazz festivals and concert halls. The prestigious magazine Jazz Times describes Kristjan’s playing as an “open invitation to an unnameable exotic land." At the same time, he is viewed as an esteemed interpreter of a broad spectrum of contemporary and classical music, performing alongside internationally acclaimed orchestras and conductors. We chat about how Kristjan was born in Estonia's capital Tallinn and how his family escaped Communist rule by relocating to Germany where he graduated from the Stuttgart Music University. Kristjan then went on to study at The Royal Academy of Music in London, followed by the Manhattan School of Music where he attained an additional master´s degree. We also delve into some of his most recent recordings including Sisu (awarded Jazz Album of the Year at the 2023 Estonian Music Awards) and Schumann’s Dichterliebe (Berlin Classics, 2024) whereby Randalu has not only deepened his musical ties to the classical world, but presented a truly original recasting of one of the Romantic repertoire’s cornerstones. We discuss his recordings with saxophonist Dave Liebman (Mussorgsky Pictures Revisited), Bodek Janke (Double Standard) and his album “Absence,” produced by Legendary owner of the ECM label, Manfred Eicher. Coming soon, his collaboration with Martin Kuuskmann (Schubert Voyage, release in March 2025 on Berlin Classics). Kristjan's list of musical partners include: Eivind Aarset, Mark Guiliana, Dieter llg, Marilyn Mazur, Nils Petter Molvaer, Claudio Puntin, Nguyen Le, Trygve Seim, Mathias Eick, Petros Klampanis, Dhafer Youssef, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the New Chamber Orchestra of Berlin, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the London Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies, Paavo Järvi, Kristjan Järvi and Maria Schneider.With a discography of over 50 albums under his belt (including a Grammy-nominated recording) and numerous awards to his name (including “Jazz Artist of the Year” and “Jazz Composer of the year” in Estonia), Randalu’s prolific body of work continues to grow in breadth and quality. His unique voice is becoming internationally more and more important. This was for me a most interesting deep dive into an amazing musician and fellow Estonian! Whenever I can attend a performance you will always find me in the front row! Enjoy! 

Hi everybody, Happy New Year! I’m stoked to post this chat with my first guest of 2025: Mediterranean artist extraordinaire PAVLO! Born in Toronto to Greek parents, Pavlo’s amazing journey to touring concert halls around the globe is most impressive. Over his 20-year career, he’s released 17 albums and 4 PBS TV specials, including his latest which was filmed in Santorini! Two of his albums went GOLD, and he had a Top 10 Billboard hit with “FANTASIA.” In 2002, Pavlo won a lawsuit against R&B mega stars R-Kelly and Jay-Z, who sampled his music for their hit song “Fiesta.” Pavlo has performed for King Charles and worked/toured with artists such as Jose Feliciano, Olivia Newton John and The Tenors. He also recorded/performed a trio album called “Trifecta” with legendary guitarist OSCAR LOPEZ and Hall of Famer RIK EMMETT (Triumph). Their subsequent national tour was sold out, and the album earned Pavlo a Juno nomination!Playing what he calls “Mediterranean music”- a blend of Greek, flamenco, Latin and Balkan flavours, Pavlo chats about his early childhood, how he went GOLD on his debut album and sold out Toronto’s Massey Hall. We also talk about his continuous growth in popularity by orchestrating the release of 4 PBS specials, allowing him to tour constantly all over North America. Pavlo has headlined over 3000 concerts so far and, being a born entertainer, will keep performing and performing. This was a fun chat I enjoyed very much! If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing to get more of the Talk Music podcast.

What a thrill and honour to interview an iconic Canadian music legend to end this season of the Talk Music podcast: BRUCE COCKBURN.Among his many achievements (including the release of 39 albums), the Ottawa-born artist has been honoured with 13 Juno Awards, an induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Canadian Music Hall of Fame, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada.Bruce is an artist revered around the world. With his repertoire of musical styles and skillfully-crafted lyrics, his songs have been covered by diverse artists such as Jerry Garcia, Chet Atkins, Judy Collins, The Barenaked Ladies, Jimmy Buffett and K.D Lang. His pioneering guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, has placed him in the company of the world’s top instrumentalists. THE NEW YORK TIMES called him a “virtuoso on guitar,” while Acoustic Guitar magazine placed him in the esteemed company of Andrés Segovia, Bill Frisell and Django Reinhardt. Bruce remains deeply respected for his activism on issues spanning native rights to land mines, the environment to third world debt, and he has worked for organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders and Friends of the Earth. In this episode, I go deep with Bruce as we chat about his early beginnings, his time at Berklee College of Music in Boston, the inspiration behind some of his most memorable songs (Wondering Where the Lions Are, If I had a Rocket Launcher, The Mines of Mozambique), and we chat about his memoir Rumours of Glory. Whilst navigating his entire career, we explore his in-studio relationships with producers Colin Linden, Eugene Martynec, Jon Goldsmith and T-Bone Burnett.After chatting about Bruce’s wonderful last album, O SUN O MOON, which also features a co-written song with Susan Aglukark about the growing threat of global warming (To Keep the World We Know), our conversation wraps up with Bruce saying that "if God shows up I hope I will recognize him." This is a highly recommended must-listen. Enjoy! 

Hi everybody, welcome to another episode of The Talk Music Podcast!I’m thrilled to announce my guest is LES STROUD! Best known as the producer, creator and star of the hit TV series SURVIVORMAN, Les is also an accomplished musician/songwriter. His music is a rich tapestry of rock, world, prog rock, folk and blues, and it reflects his deep connection to nature. Steve Vai, Bruce Cockburn, Colin Linden and Slash have all lent Les their musical talents for his recordings. Les has guested on stage with Journey, Alice Cooper, Blues Traveler, Steven Stills, Chicago, Randy Bachman, Tommy Shaw, James Cotton, Dave Mason and Slash (who’s latest solo album Les performs on). Les has always operated in two lanes: his Survivorman and music careers, the latter being his most recent focus. His latest album MOTHER EARTH, produced by MIKE CLINK (“Appetite for Destruction” by Guns N’ Roses), blew me away. Some song clips are sprinkled throughout. I loved chatting with Les about his beginnings, both our experiences at Fanshawe college, his remarkable journey as a survival expert, and of course his lifelong passion for using music to express his love for our planet. This in-depth chat took place the day after I saw Les perform as a guest on harp at a truly magical Bruce Cockburn concert. Afterwards, surrounded by nature at his well-hidden cottage, we enjoyed a hot sauna, cold beer and a quick dip in the lake. A blissful time I will always remember. Enjoy!

Hi everybody and welcome to another episode of the TALK MUSIC podcast! My guest this week is BOB ROPER! This is a great, entertaining deep dive into his illustrious career. Bob has done it all! From booking concerts at university to doing major label promo, to working for top concert promoter MICHAEL COHL doing marketing. Bob then became an A&R guru at WARNER Music where he signed acts such as HONEYMOON SUITE, BLUE RODEO and FROZEN GHOST. He also helped ALANNAH MYLES and RUSH get their US careers going.Before joining Warner, he spent time as tour manager of SUPERTRAMP who, then at the peak of their career, ended up playing Madison Square Garden. After leaving Warner, Bob jumped into management working closely with SHARON LOIS AND BRAM, where he brought them to another level before moving on to handle A&R/management for the SRO/ANTHEM company (home of RUSH, GOWAN, MAX WEBSTER & CONEY HATCH).Following that, Bob ran his own management company (GOWAN, MOLLY JOHNSON) and then taught at the HARRIS INSTITUTE for 30 years! Wanting to be closer to home, Bob spent a couple of years working at the PRECISION manufacturing company and he just recently retired.I truly loved this interview as I also had a chance to THANK Bob for taking a chance on me as Producer of the debut album for HONEYMOON SUITE.His faith in me and the massive success of the 4 Top 10 singles (and TRIPLE PLATINUM sales of the album) was a game changer for me and changed my life forever!! Take a listen, there’s lots of interesting stories in this one and I can honestly say Bob really is another one of the really good guys out there. ENJOY! 

Hi everybody and welcome to another episode of The Talk Music Podcast. I’m absolutely thrilled to post this wonderful chat with STEVE KANE, who just recently stepped down as PRESIDENT OF WARNER MUSIC CANADA where he orchestrated tremendous success for the label for over 20 years.Steve not only led the daily operations of the company, but also oversaw the signings of BILLY TALENT, SCOTT HELMAN and the re-signing of BLUE RODEO, to name a few. We dive deep into how he earned his stripes as president, starting his career on Yonge St. at an indie record shop and being mentored by some of the greats in our business. We also chat about his current involvement, including MAKE MUSIC MATTER and SING. We round out our discussion with a bit of insight on how to navigate the music biz these days as an up-and-coming artist. I loved this chat with Steve, he really is one of the GOOD guys out there. I look forward to bumping into him somewhere where music lives! As an added bonus, I've included some of Steve’s musical faves that he listens to at home. Enjoy!