Listeners who tune in to CBC Radio One on Easter Monday, March 24, at 1:30 p.m. will hear the CBC Radio debut of Memorial University student Tom Power when he hosts The Roots of Power, a celebration of new folk music.

Mr. Power, a 20-year-old third year folklore student who is minoring in music history, is thrilled at the opportunity.

“It’s a tremendous honour but also pretty daunting, given that it’s for a station I’ve listened to since I was very young.  It feels great though and I’m unbelievably happy to be doing it.”

The multi-talented Mr. Power now focuses mainly on playing string instruments although he has played “a load of other things” in the past.  Growing up in St. John’s with parents who were “big folkies” he was always aware of music but it was the soundtrack to the Cohen Brothers’ film O Brother Where Art Thou that really got his attention.

As a result he now plays with local traditional group The Dardanelles and with local accordionist Graham Wells with whom he will be touring Ireland this summer.  “I’m interested in the possibilities of all music and in using traditional music or roots music as a starting point,” says Mr. Power.

Within the past whirlwind of a year, Mr. Powers has gone from hosting a roots show on CHMR to working in the newsroom at VOCM, to getting a pilot and making a special for CBC Radio. For The Roots of Power he chose all the music and wrote what became the script, working closely with CBC producer Francesca Swann.

“We had a lot of fun putting this show together,” says Ms. Swann.  “As CBC listeners will hear, Tom is a natural story-teller on air.  He’s steeped in the roots music scene as a player and a fan and brings hands-on knowledge and an irresistible youthful enthusiasm to his presentation of folk music.” 

Mr. Power hopes his future will include both broadcasting and folk music performance.  “Right now the plan is to head off to grad school to pursue broadcasting, but I can’t ever see a time when I won’t be performing music,” says Mr. Power.