J Stevens is making queer comedy for everyone

Juno Award-winning blues guitarist Colin James is opening up about his life and legacy in a new memoir, Playing the Changes. The book traces his journey from growing up in Regina through the ’60s and ’70s to the edge of superstardom just before his breakout 1988 self-titled debut. Packed with road stories and encounters with legends like Joni Mitchell, John Hammond, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, it’s an intimate look at an iconic Canadian career. Colin joins Tom Power to talk about his Saskatchewan roots, discovering his passion for the guitar, and the invaluable lessons he learned from his musical heroes.

Getting older can mean caring a little less about what you’re supposed to do, and a little more about what makes you happy. For Canadian musicians James Bryan and Jay Levine, that means bringing their iconic animated duo Prozzäk back to life. More than 25 years after their cartoon alter egos, Simon and Milo, became unlikely pop stars, James and Jay join Tom Power to reflect on their legacy, returning to the stage and hitting the road with the Vengaboys.

Though she may not be a household name, Darlene Love is a true musical icon. You know her voice from the timeless holiday anthem Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), but her legendary vocals also power classic hits like Monster Mash, Monday, Monday, Frank Sinatra's That’s Life, and Sam Cooke's Chain Gang. For years, Darlene provided uncredited lead and background vocals while under contract to Phil Spector — the famously abusive producer who systematically kept her from getting her due. A new documentary, Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been, takes a look at her extraordinary life and career in music. Darlene sits down with Tom Power to share her remarkable story, reflect on decades behind the microphone, and reveal how she overcame the obstacles in her path to claim her spotlight.

Long before they were directing television, J Stevens was convinced they were going to be the next Serena Williams. But when they picked up a camcorder in high school, everything changed. Today, J is an award-winning filmmaker and one of the first openly non-binary filmmakers in the Directors Guild of Canada. They’re also one of the co-creators of Slo Pitch — a mockumentary series about a “loveable, queer, beer league softball team” that grew from a web series into a half-hour show on Crave. J sits down with Tom Power to talk about the show, how they’re telling queer stories with universal appeal, and the power of the camera in comedy.

Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) is an actor, comedian, musician, writer and podcaster. This year, he stars in two Canadian films that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival: Smudge the Blades and The Stunt Driver. While in town for TIFF, Ed joined Tom Power to talk about playing a hot-headed hockey coach in Smudge the Blades — a fresh take on the underdog sports genre centring on an Indigenous hockey team in Northern Alberta. He explains why playing a “mean” character doesn’t come naturally to him, and how a deep heartbreak over the state of the world shaped his portrayal of one of his best-known characters, Andy Bernard. Plus, he shares stories about meeting the legendary George Carlin and chartering a jet straight from The Hangover set to make his call time for The Office.

Emma Pennell has come a long way as a singer. When they were a kid, the trees of Northern Ontario were their audience. Now, the two-spirit Indigenous soprano is singing for thousands with the Canadian Opera Company in a new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. Emma joins Tom Power to discuss their journey in opera, the hurdles they’ve overcome along the way, and why they see music as medicine.

Anna Lambe almost walked away from acting before landing her starring role on North of North. She had headed to Ottawa to study international development, deciding to focus less on acting and more on her activism for Indigenous rights. But it was the pull of North of North’s characters — with their genuine depth and nuance of Indigenous experiences — that finally brought her back to the screen. Earlier this year, she joined Tom Power for a special interview in Banff, and shared why none of her projects have felt more personal than this show and its current success.

In just four years since Aysanabee left his day job to pursue music, he’s played more than 400 shows, toured all over the world and was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. He also made history as the first Indigenous artist to win Juno awards for both alternative album of the year and songwriter of the year. This past spring, Aysanabee joined Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about his new EP, Timelines, his recent Juno wins, and the moment that made him quit his day job and pursue a career in music.

The Canadian duo Majid Jordan is best known as one of the pillars of Toronto’s R&B sound. This past August, they released their fifth studio album, Two Roads. On the day of their hometown stop in the 6ix, Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman joined Tom Power to talk about some of the first music they ever loved, what they think the best song they’ve ever written is, and the secret behind what’s kept them working together for 15 years. 

A new box set celebrates the late Canadian jazz icon Oscar Peterson. It’s called Oscar Peterson: World Tour, and it features live concert recordings from around the globe spanning 1969 to 1996. Oscar’s wife, Kelly, and daughter, Céline, join Tom Power to recount stories from the road with the legendary Montreal pianist — from his quiet vulnerability to his reputation as a prankster. Plus, they share some of his personal poetry.