How Musicians Work

Evan Buckley, your favourite lead singer of The Burley Griffin came by to talk about how he wrote Being Alive.Find his music here.

One poet! (Asha Naznin)One musician! (Alice Cottee)Three songwriters!It's One Song Three Songs!It's the third one!It's One Song Three Songs Three!Emma Hoy and Caroline Wallace - PlayJames Fahy - The HousematePleased to Jive You - PlayIf you are a poet or songwriter and you'd like to be involved, email me at howmusicianswork@gmail.com

Singer-songwriter Lucy Sugerman joined me to share her unique experience of the music industry and her approach to music.

One poet! (Jacqui Malins)One musician! (Jenna Hinton)Three songwriters!It's One Song Three Songs!It's the second one!It's One Song Three Songs Two!Alison Procter - The BorderJedda Do - DirectionLuke McGrath - Border SongIf you are a poet or songwriter and you'd like to be involved, email me at howmusicianswork@gmail.com

A gorgeous chat with the brilliant Lina Andonovska. We track her career from its precocious beginnings in Fremantle to her current home in Frankfurt, via London, Canberra, Melbourne, Edinburgh, Dublin, Timor-Leste and more. Lina is one of Australia's finest contemporary musicians and comes with the added bonus of a heart of gold.Find out more about Lina here and listen to her album here.Lina's recommendations are anything by Claire Chase and Mark Stewart.

Nick Delatovic came by to talk through his song writing process on this third installment of How I Wrote This Song. As part of answering the questions of How Musicians Work, I'm asking How Do Musicians Write Songs? I take musicians through their song writing process while they have their instrument in their hand. We often treat art as a mysterious talent that only few possess, but with this segment, I'm hoping to learn how it really works.

A chat with singer-songwriter Evan Buckley about how music was a friend during an isolated childhood and a way to connect with others when he got the chance. We cover songwriting, Canbeurovision plans and how it feels to finish an album.Check out The Burley Griffin here.Evan's music recommendations are Bill Callahan, Devon Sproule and, for the smoochy times, Beach House.

It's a new thing!One poet! (Zoe Anderson)One musician! (Nick Delatovic)Three songwriters!It's One Song Three Songs!It's the first one!It's One Song Three Songs One!Lisa Maps - Beyond the WallBec Taylor - I Remember What This River WasEmma Kelly AKA Happy Axe - The One That RemembersIf you are a poet or songwriter and you'd like to be involved, email me at howmusicianswork@gmail.com

Guitarist, sound recordist and academic Sam Bennett joined me for a great chat about learning music her way, building a career when the odds were stacked against her, how her relationship with performing has changed and more. Sam's music recommendation is Mojo Juju.

Another installment of a segment I have called How I Wrote This Song. As part of answering the questions of How Musicians Work, I'm asking How Do Musicians Write Songs? I take musicians through their song writing process while they have their instrument in their hand. We often treat art as a mysterious talent that only few possess, but with this segment, I'm hoping to learn how it really works.Bec Taylor came round to play her song Friend of Mine and talk through her songwriting process. Bec plays drums, keys, guitar and mandolin and you will know her from bands like Fun Machine, Glitoris and Hashemoto.We talked about Bec's songwriting routine, how the song writing process starts with inspiration and finishes with hard work and how driving can help her think.

My chat with local singer songwriter Hope Wilkins. Having only ever seen her perform, I was stoked to find that she is also very cool and funny. We talked about early onset midlife crises, how hangovers can help your songwriting and why coffee might not be the best idea before a gig.Hope's music recommendation is chapter 2 by girl in red.

I had a chat with Sebastian Field. He was a part of Cracked Actor and Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens. These days you can see him play solo or with Burrows. We talked about starting bands in sheds, the process of songwriting as a way of processing emotions and the reason that we want to share our art.Seb's music recommendation is Cocoon by Björk.

I have a chat with Andy Jauregui, lead singer of Los Chavos. He told me about performing with his cousin at 9 years old, how he writes songs before bringing them to the band and that I've had the wrong idea about what los chavos means for the last 12 years. Andy's music recommendation is Dread Mar-I

Introducing a new segment for the podcast: How I Wrote This SongAs part of asking the question of How Musicians Work, in this episode, I'm asking How Do Musicians Write Songs?Beth Monzo sat down with me to talk through her songwriting process and how she wrote her song Mean. Find more of Beth Monzo's music here:Dub Dub GooseBeth N BenBetty AltoCanbeurovision

My guest this week is singer songwriter Beth Monzo. We talked about figuring out that music can be a career, the right number of beers to have before a gig and women in music. Beth's music recommendation is Somebody to Anybody by Margaret Glaspy.

Xina Hawkins is a violist who grew up in Australia and currently lives in Berlin. We spoke about the importance of focus, performance anxiety and making a living as a classical musician.Xina has a few music recommendations. The first is this amazing performance by Kayhan Kalhor and Toumani Diabaté at the Morgenland Festival in 2017. Next is the track Molasses by Hiatus Kaiyote, and her third recommendation is an album called Beethoven: Violin and Piano Sonatas, performed by Andreas Staier and Daniel Sepec.

Classical guitarist Callum Henshaw talked to me about when he realised he could make a go of a professional career, his performance prep hacks and how classical guitar has evolved.Cal's music recommendation is this cover of the Flume remix of You & Me by Disclosure by MEUTE.

Declan Shrubb and Morgan Quinn from the band Pleased To Jive You join me to talk about being super cool rock stars in high school, standing out in a crowd of metal bands and the release of their new album, Whitman's Peak.Morgan's music recommendation is What A Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers. Declan recommends Lusitania by Endrey and Young Monks.

I had the pleasure of chatting to Kevin Mitchell, who is the lead singer of Jebediah and performs solo under the name Bob Evans. We talked about how the making music has changed (or hasn't) over his career, performance anxiety and our reasons for making art.Kevin's music recommendation is Western Stars, Bruce Springsteen's latest album. He reckons you should start with the video for the title track.Other artists we talked about on the podcast:BjörkThe Stone Roses

I chat with Nicole AKA Groovy Daughter about her background in musical theatre, how her latest track, Reboot, came together and her thing for soundtrack composers.Nicole's music recommendations are the Stranger Things Vol.1 Soundtrack, the Planet Earth II Soundtrack and anything by St. Beauty.Other artists we talked about on the podcast:Sharon TreeHands Like HousesEloria.James McGregorKojo AnsahShannen EganAriana GrandeAmy WinehouseH.E.R.Hans ZimmerKyle Dixon and Michael SteinGood LekkerLes MisérablesLittle Shop of HorrorsKinky BootsModern Baseball

Rachael Thoms came on the show and blew my mind with her knowledge of the voice and singing. Rachael is the Voice Lecturer and the ANU School of Music Jazz and Contemporary Performance Faculty. You might see her around town with Thoms & Coventry, Soul Traders and Luke Sweeting.Rachael's music recommendation is River: The Joni Letters, an album by Herbie Hancock. Her favourite track is Edith and the Kingpin, which features Tina Turner on vocals.Other artists we talked about on the podcast:Gian SlaterKristin BerardiMichelle NicoleMatilda AbrahamLachlan CoventryJess GreenLlewellyn OsbourneWayne ShorterCecilia BartoliDianne ReevesGeorgeKatie NoonanLuciano Pavarotti

Chris Endrey joins me to talk about his musical life. He talks about the process of creating his upcoming album, his chaotic approach to performance preparation and we get samesies on the question of who we would love to see perform live.You will know Chris from Fun Machine, Jason Recliner, Yes/Clarke, Paint on Paint and of course from his current project, Endrey. He is also a mastermind of Canbeurovision.Chris' music recommendation is this playlist that he put together: Other artists we talk about on the podcast:Hot ChipCamilleSaul WilliamsImproventionPatti StilesFelipe OrtizFranz LisztThe White Stripes

I talk some good talk with Nick Delatovic, a prolific and uninhibited artist and producer. He's involved in so much stuff, it's hard to sum it all up, but if you want to get a sense of Nick Delatovic, start here:Lick-NukeBabyfreezeThe Missing LincolnsCracked ActorPromYou Are HereFancy Nick Delatovic and the Empty Lake SingersNick's music recommendation is Try Everything (from Zootopia) by Shakira.Other artists we talk about in the podcast:Sam KingLuke McGrathLulu and the TantrumsMeat LoafCherThe White StripesNorthern Soul (not a band or artist exactly, more of a genre/movement)David BowieBurrowsJoni MitchellBilly BraggPrinceLCD Soundsystem

We hear from Emma Kelly who performs as Happy Axe and has been playing around Canberra for years in various bands such as Dahahoo, The Ellis Collective, Mr Fibby and Burrows. Her album, released last year, is called Dream Punching. We compare music school notes, how she got signed to her label and how she should play support for Björk.Emma's music recommendation is r beny.Other artists we talked about in the podcast:BjörkGoldfrappPortisheadSilverchairRadioheadDebussyRavelHolly ThrosbyEmma mentioned a study about men and women applying for jobs - that women tend to only apply for a job or promotion only if they feel 100% qualified, whereas for men, they only need to feel partially qualified to have a crack. It came from a Hewlett Packard internal report apparently. This article has some info.At one point in the episode I mention a story I heard about Charlie Parker - I looked it up afterwards and this is what I found. It's not really the same story, but it's kinda the same gist.

This episode we hear from Kojo Ansah, AKA Citizen Kay, who tells us about his first musical obsession, his disastrous first performance, working with his brother (in The Ansah Brothers), how understanding his identity has shaped his music and how Canberra is the next big thing.Kojo's music recommendation is the a Spotify playlist called 80's Soul Weekender.Other artists we talk about in the podcast:Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Live in Hyde ParkKanye WestPublic EnemyJimi Hendrix

This week's episode features an interview with Lynette Salazar of Brother Be and Betty Alto. Nettie's recommendations are Margaret Glaspy and The War and Treaty - particularly their song Love Like There's No Tomorrow.We also talked about:Kacey MusgravesKaty PerryBasement JaxxClare BowditchMr. Big - and specifically the bass player, Billy SheehanBob Marley

An interview with Alice Cottee, guitarist and singer. We catch up on what she's been up to since we last spoke, her feelings about women in music and how pretty much every musician ever is in her list of influences. The last 5 minutes is just us talking about animals. I was going to edit it out because it is not remotely relevant to the topic of this podcast but decided not to because I like animals and I want our ramblings about them on the record.You can find Alice's original interview here. And all things Glitoris here and here.Alice's music recommendations are: Claude Debussy, The Piano Soundtrack and Joanne by Lady Gaga.

An interview with Bec Taylor, a musical all rounder and awesome human. We talk about how the issue of gender in music has changed over the last 4 years and how weird it was that she asked me to join Glitoris. Her original interview from 2015 can be found here.You can find some of her music here and here and here. And you can find her music school here.Bec's music recommendation: tUnE-yArDs - BiznessOther things we mentioned in the podcast are:CANBEUROVISION!!!!!Smith's AlternativeThe Canberra Musicians ClubMoaning LisaSlagatha ChristieDalmaciaTeen Jesus and the Jean TeasersJulia's Misogyny SpeechMusicACTPeachesBilly JoelCarole KingJoni MitchellTISMMachine Gun FellatioRegurgitatortUnE-yArDsFeistSt VincentSergei Rachmaninoff

An interview with singer songwriter Julia Johnson. We learn about how her approach to music has changed over the last 4 years and how many strings she has to tune at every gig.You can find her music here.Other musicians and bands that were mentioned in this episode are:Alyx DennisonThe Necks Emma Kelly - Happy Axe Joni MitchellThe DronesDavid ByrneThe Weather Station

My first interview is with Erica Mallett and Sally Coleman from Coda Conduct and Triple J. We talk about how things have changed since we last spoke in 2015 and how they make music, with important advice regarding wees.All blog posts can be found at www.howmusicianswork.com.Find more information on Sally and Erica's music at codaconduct.com.au.

Four years after I first surveyed the Canberra music scene, I ran the numbers again to look at the number of men and women making original music in Canberra. I talk a lot of numbers in this episode, so for all the stats mentioned in this episode, and more, visit www.howmusicianswork.com.