The Talk Music Podcast

This week's interview is yet another really special one for me and The Talk Music podcast as it's with singer BRIAN VOLLMER from HELIX. I truly regard them as another fantastic band that I owe my success to as a producer as I was fortunate to produce 4 albums for them. I am so grateful that one went double platinum and two others platinum in Canada. We also had success around the world inc...

On this week’s podcast, I’m stoked to chat with David Diamond and Mister Zero from the band THE KINGS, who in 2020 celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release of their debut album, The Kings Are Here . On the album was a massive hit song called “This Beat Goes On/Switching to Glide” that exploded in Canada and the US and earned them an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. That song and...

For this week's THE TALK MUSIC podcast, I’m beyond excited to feature my interview with ESTONIAN folk sensation MARI KALKUN. Her music is rooted in deep, ancient ESTONIAN traditions that I believe will resonate with new listeners, as will her singing voice which seems to speak directly from the heart of the ESTONIAN forest. Her new album titled STORIES OF STONIA, just released on PETER GABRIEL...

I’m honoured to welcome DERRY GREHAN from HONEYMOON SUITE on this week's THE TALK MUSIC podcast. Their music achievements are impressive indeed as they sit amongst the most successful Canadian acts to ever form in this country and they are still going as strong as ever!  With double and triple platinum albums to their credit, along with a remarkable amount of hit songs that have graced our air...

On this week's Talk Music podcast, check out my fun chat with Renan Yildizdogan. He's the founder and owner of the super cool label GYPSY SOUL RECORDS, a full-service artist collective, distributed by Fontana North. Considered by many to be one of the most successful INDIE labels around, his artists are constantly on tour not only in Canada but in the US and Europe as well, so this is MUST...

If you love indie RECORD STORES (and who doesn’t) and love VINYL, or perhaps are interested in why vinyl sales are booming everywhere, check out this week's THE TALK MUSIC podcast as I go deep into a fun chat with owner Mike Clasen about his SUPER COOL Records on Wheels shop located in Dundas, ON. Hear how he got started 38 years ago, how he survived the ups and downs of the music biz and list...

For this week's THE TALK MUSIC podcast, I’m so excited to release this entertaining interview with NU-folk duo PUULUUP.  Like myself, they are proud ESTONIANS and, as a relatively small country, ESTONIA breeds and exports some truly incredible artists! Mixing surrealism and modern folklore with the talharpa, a bowed lyre popular in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages, PUULUUP playfully comb...

This week my feature is a wonderful long chat with musician, artist and producer extraordinaire COLIN LINDEN. We talk about his love of producing other artists (140 so far), his prestigious sideman gigs with BOB DYLAN and BRUCE COCKBURN and he’s played on over 500 albums! We also chat about his 25 year career as a member of BLACKIE and the RODEO KINGS, his major music contribution to the hit TV sh...

The TALK MUSIC podcast this week features a great fun chat with guest DARRYL HURS who has a 30 plus year history in the music business. Darryl runs one of Canada’s largest artist showcase festivals and conferences, INDIE WEEK and recently founded an additional 3 music conferences to help artists and anybody interested in a career in music navigate the biz. Our conversation includes the current sta...

This weeks guest is JAYMZ BEE who’s known to many in Toronto as the “MAN ABOUT TOWN” and he is definitely one of our most visible colourful characters! He’s a singer, bandleader, raconteur, producer, concert promoter, mentor, MC, an author of two books and for 21 years now has been the ultra likeable face of JAZZ.FM91. On the station he is the morning show co-host, fund raiser supremo, the creator...

This weeks guest is Kevin Hearn who has been a member of the Canadian Hall of Fame inductees Barenaked Ladies since joining them in 1995. Kevin has worked with some of the world’s best musicians and artists such as Neil Young, Tanya Tagaq, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones and for his last six years Kevin was Music Director and keyboardist for Lou Reed who was one of his musical hero’s. Kevin also had a d...

Season 3 starts off with a bang with singer-songwriter extraordinaire and monster talent Terra Lightfoot. She’s been nominated for a Polaris Music Prize, a Juno award, and received a special Road Gold touring award for travelling millions of miles on tour promoting her music. She’s released 4 albums internationally, toured with Bruce Cockburn and Blue Rodeo and just recently completed a cross-Cana...

This week our featured guest was the singer, guitarist and keyboard player  with some iconic Canadian Bands.... Coney Hatch, April Wine and The Guess Who. Carl Dixon is considered to have one of the best and most distinctive voices in Canadian rock. He also has a solo career and written a book (and is an inspirational speaker )about his life and in particular about recovering from a devastati...

What does it take to make a great stage show? Why are cover bands unappreciated? What are immersive shows and where do they go next? These are only a few of the topics a hugely successful Promoter, Manager and Producer covers this week. Wayne Thompson promoted world tours and concerts for Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, George Burns, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, Beach Boys, Moody Blues, Julio Igle...

This week’s guest is Harrison Kennedy who had the first million selling single by a black Canadian artist as part of a Detroit group. Find out what happened to him then and how he has reinvented himself at least twice leading to a remarkable comeback as a Juno winning recording artist on a European tour decades later. As well Tom reviews a Canadian Gem by a brilliant and world famous Canadian Prod...

Guitar Riffs. From Whole lotta Love to  sunshine of your love to Louie Louie...what are the guitar riffs you love the most and are the most memorable? Also a new doc about Shania Twain and BBC  goes all in on the lives of the Rolling Stones. The guys have  a discussion about "Session" musicians. Talking about people who used to do this or used them on albums . Famous ones include Ha...

From Red Rider to Serena Ryder ...this week a conversation with Fraser Hill who for years was an A and R man with Capital and Universal records discovering and signing bands and artists  like the Northern Pikes, Serena Ryder and Elijah Woods .  Starting out he even recorded Red Rider with Tom Cochrane the very first time he did a recording  by himself in a studio. Recently he is &nb...

Feature interview with Alfio Annibalini  currently in a project with Alex Lifeson of Rush  and Andy Curran of Coney Hatch called Envy of None . A sound engineer and musician he is also working with The Arkells arguably Canada's  biggest rock band today. In the past he has worked with Blue Rodeo, Sons of Otis, Big Sugar, h3o, Andy Curran on Soho 69 ,Gypsy Soul and many others. He and...

To start a new season the guys discuss the best rock bands. Who is your pick and what makes a truly great rick experience ? From the Foo Fighters to Van Halen, from Deep Purple to Rush. Who had the best front man, the best drummer, which era were they best in and who keeps bringing it?  Andrew reviews the movie Elvis...is it worth a look and can anybody actually play Elvis convincingly ? &nbs...

In the season finale we talk about why Canadian Music has punched above its weight on a worldwide basis. Is it something about being a country of distinct regions each with a music style and history? What are they and why? A top Canadian music exec who produced The Stones, Peter Gabriel and Black Sabbath, Gary Muth , wades into the discussion as well with his take on who makes it where and how in...

Tom and Andrew talk about the Music Publishing business. For young musicians and writers how do you protect yourselves? What do you own rights to? Do you get paid for co writing a song? What about cover songs..who makes money?  They also discuss Taylor Swift's re-recordings and the amazing value of catalog sales Tom finds another artist who has flown Under the Radar but deserves a listen, Andr...

The tastemakers of the past and present from Radio to MTV , Mags to You Tube , Spotify to TikTok. How do you get discovered? There are a couple of amazing new Canadian artists  found in unusual ways. A Multi Platinum music producer/manager and a music super fan talk music. The focus is both Global and Canadian. Tom Treumuth and Andrew Schalk argue over who is the best drummer in rock in our  "“Bes...

What's the importance of the relationship between the artist and the manager? Good ones , bad ones, who got ripped off and who made the money?  How does it work well and how does it go wrong? Who fired theirs?    First big break: How did bands get theirs? Your most important Gig . How people get discovered.  Great stories about artists big breaks including a long shot tale of o...

Tom Treumuth and Andrew Schalk talk about what makes a great live venue and a great concert. From Massey Hall to Wembley ,The Commodore Ballroom  to the House of Blues who does it right? They also debate - is Rock Music is dead? Can anybody break in as a Rock band these days? Record executive Gary Muth ,who signed some of the great Rock acts of all time like the Stones and Black Sabbath, gives his...

A conversation with Tom Wilson not just about his music with Blackie and The Rodeo Kings and Junkhouse but his powerful personal story about family secrets ,addiction and rebirth. Tom discovered in his mid 50's that he was adopted and is of Mohawk heritage. An author and now the subject of a new documentary called Beautiful Scars he has used his own life experiences  in both his striking visu...