The Talk Music Podcast

Welcome back to The Talk Music Podcast!

I’m thrilled to welcome this week’s guest, MIKE KROMPASS! We recorded this episode at his beautiful home studio in lovely Bobcaygeon, Ontario.

With more than three decades in the music business, Mike Krompass is a multi-platinum producer, songwriter, musician, and music executive whose work spans pop, rock, country, and sync licensing. His impressive credits include production, songwriting, and performance collaborations with Meghan Trainor, Natasha Bedingfield, Smash Mouth, Kelsea Ballerini, Robbie Nevil, David Archuleta, Dylan Scott, and Canadian music icons Honeymoon Suite.

Alongside his wife and business partner, Anissa Krompass, Mike is heavily involved in BCMG Recordings Inc./Noise Nation Records, a record label with worldwide distribution through Sony Music’s The Orchard. The label specializes in developing, producing, releasing, and distributing artists, including The Fell and Dead Romantic.

In addition to running the record label, Mike and Anissa lead Noise NationX, their own publishing and sync company. They are also the exclusive Canadian sub-publisher for Sony Music Publishing’s Extreme Music catalogue, which features legendary composers and artists such as Hans Zimmer and Quincy Jones. Their focus is on publishing music and creating opportunities for its placement in film, television, advertising, and other media.

One of their standout sync success stories is “I See Red” by Everybody Loves An Outlaw, which was featured in the Netflix film 365 Days and has reportedly surpassed 750 million streams.

Mike is also the driving force behind The Fell, a modern rock band featuring legendary bassist Billy Sheehan, known for his work with Mr. Big and David Lee Roth, alongside vocalist Toby Rand and drummer Nick Chiarore. With their brand-new single, “The Way I Love You,” recently released, upcoming UK tour dates in November and December, and a major opportunity to open for The Dead Daisies next year, The Fell are building serious momentum.

As if that weren’t enough, Mike is also a member of Dead Romantic, another band that has amassed five million video streams and had its music featured on Saturday Night Live. The band has a brand-new single, “Madman,” set for release just before Halloween! (and I feature a clip of the track at the end)

In this episode, we discuss Mike’s early beginnings and his time as the touring guitarist for Nelly Furtado during the rise of her massive hit “I’m Like a Bird.” Mike also performed and recorded on the song’s acoustic version. We explore his moves to Los Angeles and Nashville, how he built a highly successful career as a hit producer, songwriter, performer, and music entrepreneur, and what it takes to succeed in today’s ever-evolving music business.

Enjoy!
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Hi everyone and welcome back to The Talk Music Podcast!

For this episode, check out my deep dive with Aldo Nova. He’s a Multi-Platinum recording artist, a major hit songwriter, and a genius producer whose career has dominated the airwaves for more than four decades.

He first exploded onto the international music scene with his 1982 self-titled debut album, which went double platinum in the US and featured the iconic hit “Fantasy,” - a song that helped define the sound of 1980s rock and remains a staple on classic rock radio to this day.

Aldo’s genius didn't stop on the stage. Behind the scenes, he built a jaw-dropping second career crafting hits for some of the biggest icons on the planet. We’re talking about his historic, long-standing partnership with Céline Dion—co-writing her massive global hit “A New Day Has Come” and earning a Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his work as a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist on Falling Into You. His legendary chemistry with Jon Bon Jovi runs just as deep; after Aldo co-wrote the number-one hit “Blaze of Glory,” Jon returned the favour by signing Aldo to his own label. Together, the two masterminds co-wrote and co-produced Aldo's powerhouse comeback album, Blood on the Bricks.

From his deep history with Céline Dion and Jon Bon Jovi to creating chart-topping hits with Faith Hill and Clay Aiken and many others, Aldo Nova remains a well respected and influential figure in the music industry. Whether on stage or in the studio, his work continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, and our chat is a deep dive into his incredible journey, his creative songwriting process, and what he’s working on now.

Enjoy the chat along with music clips from his first 3 albums, and his rock opera “The Life and Times of Eddie Gage”.
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Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Talk Music Podcast!

I’m thrilled that my guest is Barry Harris, one of the true architects of modern dance music. His project Kon Kan broke worldwide with “I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden)," a massive Top 5 hit on Atlantic Records US that launched his international career.

After a couple of albums on Atlantic, I signed Barry to my indie Hypnotic label (via A&M), where we released the Kon Kan album Vida and saw solid success with songs "Sinful Wishes" and "S.O.L," including features on major dance compilations of the era.

Barry later moved to LA and became one of the most influential remixers of all time. As part of the mix duo Thunderpuss (with Chris Cox), he helped define late-’90s/early-2000s club culture, delivering 20+ Billboard Dance #1s and reworking tracks for icons like Madonna, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Cher, and Celine Dion.

Decades into his career, Barry is still evolving. Our chat dives into his incredible music journey, his recent successful tour of Brazil and the details behind his brand-new release, Barry Harris’ Kon Kan, proving he’s not just part of dance music history—he’s still shaping it. From his Atlantic Records breakthrough to global dancefloor domination, Barry Harris didn’t follow the culture—he helped build it.

Enjoy!
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Hi, and welcome to another episode of The Talk Music Podcast!

I’m thrilled to welcome JUNO Award–winning Canadian blues guitarist STEVE STRONGMAN as my guest. We recorded this most entertaining chat on my back porch on a beautiful afternoon, so listen closely and you'll hear some birds chirping in the background.

Steve is one of Canada’s top blues artists/guitarists, and his recording journey actually began back in 2004 with the album Honey, which I released successfully on my indie label via A&M Records. Reminiscing about that time working together made this conversation extra special and fun for me.

Since then, Steve has built an incredible discography, including his 2013 JUNO-winning album A Natural Fact. His records highlight talented artists such as Harrison Kennedy, Jessie O’Brien, Crystal Shawanda, Rob Szabo, Dave King, Steve Marriner and many others.

He’s also an acclaimed producer, having co-written and co-produced Struck Down by Kim Wilson and The Fabulous Thunderbirds—a GRAMMY-nominated project featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal, and Mick Fleetwood (and we go deep into how this record came together over a 2 year period).

Steve has shared the stage with legends like B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, and Jeff Healey, and in this chat we delve into his musical journey up to now, the story behind his favourite guitar, and as a bonus I also feature Steve with a live solo acoustic porch performance of "Struck Down (by the Blues)."

Enjoy!
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Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Talk Music Podcast.

My guest this week is MICHAEL SHOTTON—drummer and powerhouse vocalist for VON GROOVE—a melodic hard rock trio packed with serious firepower. Alongside him, guitarist Mladen Alexander delivers elite technical chops, while bassist Matthew Gerrard brings the groove and a heavyweight songwriting pedigree.

After a long hiatus—and now signed to the prestigious FRONTIERS Music label—VON GROOVE is back with a killer new album, BORN TO ROCK. In this episode, we dig into the band’s origins, the inspiration behind some of the songs, and feature clips that display the album’s raw, visceral, hard-hitting production that absolutely lives up to its name.

Emerging from Ontario in 1990, the band built a worldwide cult following through standout releases like Rainmaker, Mission Man, and Chameleon, all driven by Shotton’s melodic instincts and commanding vocal delivery.

We also dive into Michael’s incredible journey in music—spending time with Tom Scholz of Boston, recording at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, and even hanging out with Phil Spector and Ron Wood. Plus, we explore his collaborations with Rik Emmett (Triumph), Gord Deppe (Spoons) and Wes Arkeen (Outpatience), who co-wrote several songs for Guns N’ Roses.

Enjoy!
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