Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

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.” 

Last week, we took the show on the road all the way to Tom Power’s hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador! This special live taping of “Q” took place at the historic St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, featuring performances and interviews with musician Alan Doyle formerly of Great Big Sea, opera singer Deantha Edmunds, comedian Rick Mercer, actors Allan Hawco and Joséphine Jobert, and many more. Here’s a sample of some of the funny, heartfelt and wonderful moments that happened that night. Next week, we’ll share more from Q Live in St. John’s, including conversations with comedian Mark Critch and award-winning drag queens Tara Nova and Gravy, plus an incredible stand-up performance by comedian Trent McClellan of “This Hour Has 22 Minutes.”

Elle Fanning is an A-list actor who calls herself a "nepo sibling.” When she was just two years old, she appeared in her sister Dakota Fanning’s movie “I Am Sam,” playing a younger version of her character, Lucy. But for someone who’s been famous for nearly her entire life, there’s a bit of mystery surrounding Elle — and that’s intentional. During the Toronto International Film Festival in September, she sat down with Tom Power to talk about her latest film, “Sentimental Value,” which broke applause records when it premiered in Cannes earlier this year. She discusses the movie, her start in acting and why she wants to maintain some mystery around who she is.

Amaarae is one of the biggest new voices in music with a sound that blends Afrobeats, pop, house and rap. In the past few years, she’s gone viral on TikTok, she’s performed at Coachella, and she’s opened for Sabrina Carpenter and Childish Gambino. Amaarae joins Tom Power to talk about her new album, “Black Star,” how she got her start in music, and how a trip to Ghana led her to reconnect with her roots.

Sydney Sweeney is one of this generation's biggest stars. Her new film “Christy” tells the story of the trailblazing boxer Christy Martin, who broke into the male dominated world of 1990s prizefighting and became one of the biggest stars in boxing. It may not seem like Sydney — star of the hit teen show “Euphoria” and rom-com “Anyone But You” — would have much in common with Christy. But they both come from small towns, broke into their respective industries without connections, and have backgrounds in combat arts. Sydney joins Tom Power to talk about taking on the role of Christy, the physical transformation she underwent, and how her own background in martial arts influences her life and career.

Benny Feldman is a one-liner comedian who’s written thousands of jokes, including ones that poke fun at his own experience with Tourette Syndrome. Over the last few years, his career has been picking up steam after performing on Comedy Central and at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival. Even the great comedian and actor Patton Oswalt is a huge fan, saying that Benny is an “amazing joke writer and even better joke deliverer.” Benny stops by the Q studio to tell Tom Power about his new hour of stand-up “Butterfly Pavilion,” the art of one-liners, and being his “own heckler.”

Actor Stephan James (Homecoming, If Beale Street Could Talk) has made a name for himself playing major historical figures like runner Jesse Owens in “Race” and civil rights activist John Lewis in “Selma.” After working with legends like Julia Roberts and Laurence Fishburne, Stephan wanted to come back to his community in Canada and share his success. Earlier this year, Tom Power caught up with Stephan in front of a live audience to talk about his career and his plans to uplift young Black creatives.

A few years ago, the Canadian musician Brendan McLeod and his band The Fugitives wrote a collection of songs inspired by the real-life experiences of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War. Last year, ahead of a performance of those songs in a stage show called “Ridge,” Brendan joined Tom Power to talk about the project and the significance of Canada's sacrifice at Vimy Ridge.

Alex Cuba is a Grammy-winning artist known for his joyful, genre-blending sound. But on his new album, “índole,” he taps into sorrow as a creative force. His songs also reflect his Afro-Latin roots, and he wrote his 11th studio album as a thank you to his ancestors and the African diaspora that gave Latin music its heartbeat. He joins Tom Power to talk about finding beauty in pain, gratitude in his ancestors, and the true nature of where his music comes from.

It’s been a big year for the James Barker Band, one of Canada’s biggest country groups. They just celebrated 10 years as a band and won group of the year at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards. Despite all this success, the James Barker Band decided to revisit their hometown on their new album, “One Of Us.” The record details the people and places of Woodville, Ontario who have made them the artists they are today. James Barker drops by the studio to talk with Tom Power about the band’s big year, their new album, and why community and showing up for your neighbour is on his mind right now. 

A new documentary shines light on the early years of the hugely successful Canadian wildlife painter Robert Bateman. “The Art of Adventure” peels back the layers of how the artist fell deeply in love with the natural world and launched a lifelong fight to protect it. Yet, critics often dismiss Robert’s art. He has received the Order of Canada, but has never been invited to show at the National Gallery of Canada. At 95, Robert looks back with Tom Power on an unusually artistic career which has been both celebrated and misunderstood by his home country.

The Hello Crows have never just been a band. The Indigenous collective from Fredericton, New Brunswick formed after its members connected at an Indigenous songwriters’ circle. Through sharing their stories about their lives and collaborating on stage, the musicians realized that they could form both a band and a safe space for them to re-approach their Indigenous heritage. The Hello Crows members Quinn Bonnell and Dylan Ward join Tom Power to discuss their debut album, how they’re reconnecting to their culture and winning song of the year at the Music New Brunswick Awards.

After reading Ariana Harwicz’s novel “Die, My Love” in his book club, Martin Scorsese sent a copy to Jennifer Lawrence, telling her he imagined her as the main character. Now, the Oscar-winning actor stars alongside Robert Pattinson in a new film adaptation of the novel, directed by Lynne Ramsay. The story follows a young mother struggling with her mental health after the birth of her first child. As a new mother herself, Jennifer decided this was the right project for her to jump back into acting following a break from Hollywood. She joins Tom Power to tell us how she mentally prepared for this harrowing role, how she doesn’t let her teen fame past define her, and why she stepped away from the spotlight after she started feeling more like a celebrity than an actor.

In the groundbreaking play “The Comeuppance” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, old wounds rise to the surface when a group of friends reunite 20 years after their high school graduation. The Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright wanted to shine a light on the elder millennial demographic — the kids that came of age alongside Columbine and the Sept. 11 attacks. Now, a new Canadian production of “The Comeuppance” is opening at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre. Branden joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the play and how it looks back on the events that shaped a generation.

Afie Jurvanen, also known as Bahamas, is back with a new record, cheekily titled “My Second Last Album.” Whether or not it’ll live up to its title is still undecided. Afie made it on the fly with his buddy Joshua Van Tassel and nobody else. He sits down with Tom Power to talk about their collaboration and why he says letting go of control makes most things better. Plus, he sets up a song for us.

When Audrey-Anne Bouchard was a teenager, she found out she had a rare degenerative eye disease. Now, she creates immersive theatre performances for blind and partially sighted audiences, turning her experience living with a visual impairment into a professional strength. Her latest show, “Fragments: celle qui m'habitait déjà,” engages audience members through all the senses but sight. If you can see, you’re asked to wear an eye-shade during the performance. Audrey-Anne talks to Tom Power about how she approaches storytelling beyond the visual, and how that brings people together in unexpected ways.

Rochelle Jordan is a Canadian singer whose new record, “Through The Wall,” was recently named one of the best new albums by Pitchfork. It explores the roadblocks she’s dealt with in her career after years of self-doubt and insecurity. Rochelle joins Tom Power to talk about bouncing back from that, fighting as a Black artist to make pop music, and how her new album pays tribute to her brother.

Years before she made a splashy debut with her award-winning graphic novel “Stone Fruit,” the Montreal-based cartoonist Lee Lai spent years working in cafes and restaurants. That experience got her thinking about some big questions, like what does it mean to be of service? What happens when someone is used to giving but never receiving? And when you change your life for the better, will your friends and relationships support your personal growth? Those questions form the core of Lee’s new graphic novel “Cannon,” which follows a line cook who has trouble asserting herself and setting boundaries. She joins Tom Power to talk about it.

Over the last few years, Canadian singer-songwriter Elijah Woods has surpassed one billion streams, been nominated for four Juno Awards, and sold out tours across Canada and Asia — all before the release of his debut album. Elijah joins Tom Power to talk about his early brush with success on a reality music competition show, the dissolution of his band Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, and starting over with a solo career.

Winnipeg’s Alexa Dirks, better known by her stage name Begonia, is one of the coolest voices in alt-pop with a bombastic, technicolour sense of style. On her new album, “Fantasy Life,” she pushes the boundaries of her sound, her visuals and, most importantly, her amazing voice. She sits down with Tom Power to talk about the record, her critical acclaim, and the difference between Begonia the flamboyant performer and Alexa the songwriter (spoiler: they’re not too different at all).