Tom Power is a Canadian broadcasting great and frontman for folk band, The Dardanelles. He’s also the host of Toy Heart: A Podcast About Bluegrass, which just launched and has quickly become one of our favorite listens.

On this week’s FJ Podcast, we talk to Power about growing up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, discovering bluegrass music through the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, and his unlikely and fateful meeting with Blue Grass Boy Tom Rosenberg (one of only two other St. John’s residents who played the banjo).

Power walks us through his career in broadcasting (he hosts the popular, nationwide Q show), explains why he decided to travel through America interviewing bluegrass legends, and shares some of his favorite memories from meeting Alice Gerrard, Del McCoury, Bela Fleck and others. If you’re into bluegrass music (or the roots of Americana), we can’t recommend Tom’s podcast enough.

Listen to Toy Heart here or through Apple Podcasts.

For pics of the Jordan McConnell-built guitar that Tom describes in our conversation, click here.

Photo above by Catherine Stockhausen.

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This episode is sponsored by Carter Vintage, Martin Guitars and Gibson.

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