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!

Hi everybody and welcome to another episode of the TALK MUSIC podcast! My guest is music and film producer MARK BERRY. Mark has attained 36 international GOLD and PLATINUM record awards for the artists he's worked with as a producer, engineer and/or mixer. The list is impressive, including Grammy-nominated artists such as Carly Simon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Boy George, Yes, Joan Jett, Cameo and Kool and the Gang, as well as numerous Canadian artists such Lee Aaron, The Headstones, I Mother Earth, Burton Cummings, Voivod and many more. He’s also the chairman of AMG CORP, a company encompassing music, film and TV under one roof. This was an engaging chat about the music industry past and present, the mechanics of how his company combines music, film and TV and how Mark was able to work with such iconic artists in his career. Enjoy! 

Hi everybody, I have two wonderful guests on for this episode as I’m thrilled to welcome both AMY SKY and MARC JORDAN!This fun chat dives deep into Amy and Marc's beginnings and how they both grew up in Toronto, how Marc, in 1978, got a US record deal with WARNER Music, and that culminated in the hit song “Marina del Rey." Fast forward and Marc has now released 16 solo albums to date, including his most recent, two brilliant jazz themed albums “Both Sides” and “Waiting for the Sun to Rise." He has also written for such artists as Bette Midler, Joe Cocker, Josh Groban and Manhattan Transfer, but is arguably best known for his worldwide #1 hit Rhythm of My Heart made famous by ROD STEWART who went on to record more of Marc's work, including Tears of Hercules and Charlie Parker Loves Me. Marc's songs have been on 35 MILLION CDs and he was recently inducted into the CANADIAN SONGWRITER’S HALL OF FAME. Marc also performs as a member of the quartet “Lunch at Allen’s."Amy began her career as a staff songwriter for MCA, subsequently moving on to Warner-Chappell and EMI. She has written for many international artists, including Diana Ross, Anne Murray and Roch Voisine, and is also renown for her collaborations with Oliva Newton-John. Since the release of her debut album Cool Rain in 1996, Amy has recorded 13 albums. She has been nominated for four Junos, is the recipient of three Socan awards, an International Songwriter's Award and the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award. Her most recent album released by LINUS Entertainment is a Duets Project with Marc called  "He Sang She Sang". It was nominated for a 2023 JUNO award for “Adult Contemporary Album of the Year.” Enjoy! 

Hi everyone! Here’s part 2 of my interview with Gordie Johnson from BIG SUGAR. In this episode we continue to go deep into his career, delving into all his albums after signing with A&M Records. With super radio-friendly songs such as Turn the Lights On, Diggin’ a Hole, The Scene, If I Had My Way, Better Get Used to It, Roads Ahead and the classic anthem All Hell For A Basement, Gordie achieved 3 PLATINUM awards for the albums Hemi-Vision, Heated and Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready? We also touch on the reasons why Gordie left Canada to live in Austin (where he co-founded the ‘cowboy metal’ band, Grady), his eventual return to Canada, his bout with carpal tunnel and his seemingly never ending tour of all Canada's beautiful provinces. We end our conversation with Gordie's advice on getting started as an upcoming musician/artist. Always insightful and with great stories to tell, this chat with Gordie was truly a special one for me because of our shared history and the renewed interest in the album 500 pounds, thanks to JACK WHITE.Enjoy! 

Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of the Talk Music podcast!WOW I’m so excited about this one as my guest is GORDIE JOHNSON from BIG SUGAR! Gordie Johnson has earned numerous gold and platinum records with his band Big Sugar, and as producer/musician with Gov't Mule, Taj Mahal, North Mississippi Allstars, Toots Hibbert, Dennis Alcapone, Leroy Sibbles, Willi Williams, Nashville Pussy, Joel Plaskett, The Trews and Default. We chat about why JACK WHITE recently proclaimed the album 500 Pounds as the BEST blues-based album to ever come out of Canada! (also my first gold album on my Hypnotic label!) Gordie goes into detail about how he originally met Jack as a kid at a gig in AUSTIN, TX when he was the drummer for the band GOOBER AND THE PEAS, opening for BIG SUGAR. Jack burned out his 500 Pounds cassette and, a couple of decades later, was excited to re-release the album on his THIRD MAN label, letting the entire world know how much it meant to him growing up. We also go deep into Gordie’s early beginnings, how I ended up signing him to my label and co-producing the BIG SUGAR debut album, earning the EDISON award in Holland for best blues album. Further discussion revolves around how BIG SUGAR broke wide open with the video for “Sleep in Late," and that exposure resulted in opening gigs for BB KING, ARETHA FRANKLIN and RAY CHARLES! We then delve into the making of the 500 pounds album and how Gordie worked his magic in the studio.  Enjoy part one of his long, illustrious career!