Rhythms Magazine

Episode 10 opens in the long-running genre they've accidentally perfected — two grown men versus consumer electronics — as Michael explains how he revived his ageing Samsung “smart TV” (now “a bit of a nuff-nuff”) with a cheap HDMI streaming box bought from an Australian online retailer that “rhymes with Hogan”.  The thrill here isn't just 4K; it's the moral victory of upgrading the brain while keeping the body.  The upgraded TV then becomes a portal to two YouTube documentaries that send the pair (and us) into a warmly nostalgic British lane. One is an ARTE doc on Madness — “Princes of Ska” — which prompts Michael to re-fall in love with a band he rates as not just a ska novelty act, but an elite singles machine whose later pop craftsmanship deserves more credit than the pigeonhole allows. The other find is the real rabbit hole: John Peel's Record Box — an hour built around the late BBC DJ's stash of 142 singles kept separate from his famously vast collection (more than 100,000 records). The documentary hauls the box around to fellow travellers and famous fans — Jack White, Elton John, others — letting them rummage, remember and speculate on why those particular records were kept close.  Peel, it turns out, could contain multitudes: Sheena Easton's “9 to 5”, some Status Quo, a heavy White Stripes presence… and a special extra shrine for The Fall, who were apparently too important even for the box.  Then Brian takes the wheel for the episode's marquee music moment: Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde turns 60, marked with a concert at Tulsa's legendary Cain's Ballroom, presented by the Bob Dylan Center (sitting right next to the Woody Guthrie Center, because Tulsa is quietly running a curriculum).  Brian's spoken with the Center's director, Steve Jenkins, who teases an event titled Sooner or Later with a lineup that reads like an alternate-universe festival poster:  Naturally, they can't leave the album itself alone. They circle around what makes Blonde on Blonde such a gravitational object: the New York-to-Nashville recording shift, Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson in tow, and the snap-in brilliance of Nashville players like Charlie McCoy and Joe South.  Michael calls it the culmination of Dylan's ridiculous 18-month streak from Bringing It All Back Home through Highway 61 Revisited to Blonde on Blonde — productivity that makes modern “content schedules” look like a wellness day.  Song picks follow: Michael is unwavering on “Visions of Johanna”; Brian leans toward “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)”, while also marvelling that Dylan had “Positively 4th Street” sitting on the bench, unused, like a spare masterpiece. There are lighter detours too: a surprisingly vivid discussion of a film built around stand-up comedy as therapy (Will Arnett, Laura Dern, John Bishop's life story, Bradley Cooper popping up in a minor role because he can), and then Brian's recommendation of Mackenzie Crook's Small Prophets — a title that briefly defeats Michael because he searches the wrong spelling and finds financial advice instead.  Once located, it lands hard: whimsy, sadness, small acts, and a specific episode-four moment that gets Brian teary without him wanting to spoil why. Michael flags the return of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, apparently digging deep into the back catalogue (with a Guardian five-star review from Toowoomba), plus the pair's Grateful Dead-adjacent moves and upcoming US tribute tour. They also talk up Robert Finley, the 71-year-old, legally blind Louisiana singer with the late-blooming career arc (carpenter most of his life, first records in his 60s, produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys), heading to Australia in May for intimate shows.  Finley's story lands like a parable for anyone who's ever thought they missed their chance. (Michael, who's finishing his own record — under the gloriously self-aware pseudonym Imposter Syndrome, album titled Oversharing with Strangers — certainly hears it that way.) Episode 10, then, is classic On The Record: a podcast held together by cable management, cultural memory, and the belief that the best stories are found when you stop pretending you have a plan. Important Links: Madness - Princes Of Ska (2025 Documentary) John Peels Record Box {Full show} The Fall Bremen Nacht (Vinyl Version) BOB DYLAN CENTER PRESENTS “SOONER OR LATER,” ALL-STAR CONCERT CELEBRATING SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF DYLAN'S CLASSIC ALBUM “BLONDE ON BLONDE”  Emma Swift - "Visions of Johanna" (Live at Layman Drug Company) Bob Dylan - Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) (Official Audio) IS THIS THING ON? | Teaser Trailer | Searchlight Pictures Small Prophets | Official Trailer - BBC Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Brokedown Palace (Grateful Dead) Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY Robert Finley - Helping Hand (Later... with Jools Holland) Robert Finley First Australian Tour Details and Tix   

Episode 9 is the one where Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie briefly mistake themselves for an IT helpdesk, a sports panel, and a moral philosophy seminar—before landing, somewhat dazed, back in music. It opens with Wise declaring he “can't stand” the sound of his own voice (a bold confession for a career built on talking), while Mackenzie offers the sort of praise that feels both affectionate and faintly menacing: “the voice of a generation.”  Before the audio collapses entirely, the conversation sprints through Wise's great sporting exertion: the exhausting labour of watching sport.  There's genuine distress at skier Lindsey Vonn crashing out in 13 seconds, complete with a description of pain you could feel through the screen.  From there, the mood whiplashes into the Super Bowl halftime show—Wise calls Bad Bunny's performance the best he's ever seen, even while admitting he couldn't understand a word of it. Mackenzie, meanwhile, is stuck on the visuals of sugar cane cutting and its historical echoes closer to home.  Their consensus: if Donald Trump calls it the worst halftime show ever, that's basically a five-star review. Then comes one of Wise's purest modern urges: gadget-lust triggered by sport. Spotting tennis champion Elena Rybakina wearing a watch post-match, he consults “our friend AI” and discovers it's a Vanguard Orb worth a mere $200,000.  At which point the show finally pivots to the Grammys—specifically the stuff that doesn't make the glossy broadcast.  Wise notes that Fela Kuti received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, nearly 30 years after his death at 58, making him the first African musician to be honoured that way.  They sketch Kuti as both musical revolutionary and political force, the Afrobeat originator whose trance-like repetition and complex grooves seeped into Remain in Light and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. The point: the Grammys have 85 categories, and the good parts are buried where only the determined will look. The episode's left turn into pop comes via Mackenzie's discovery of Charli XCX through the comedy-chat juggernaut Smartless. Wise's response—“Who's he?”—is treated as both generational commentary and perfectly on-brand.  The subtext is clear: don't confuse “not my cup of tea” with “not worth paying attention to”. Politics drifts in, as it tends to now, through the question of who's writing protest songs. Wise notes Nils Lofgren's “No Kings, No Hate, No Fear”, nods to Lucinda Williams and Mavis Staples, and longs—audibly—for Bob Dylan to re-enter the ring with something era-defining.  Mackenzie is unconvinced, offering the counterpoint that Dylan's signature move in moments like this is often silence. Screen culture gets its usual run: Mackenzie's recommendation of the British robbery thriller Steel mostly lands—until Wise objects to the final 15 minutes for explaining too much, revealing his mother's literary habit of reading the last chapter first.  The music talk returns in force with Buddy Guy. Wise has interviewed him (Buddy turns 90 this year and is flagged as possibly touring Australia for the last time), and the hosts linger on the question Wise once had about Buddy's live habit of paying tribute to other blues greats.  Finally, Al Green turns up as both salvation and complication. Wise recommends Green's EP To Love Somebody (Bee Gees cover included, plus “Perfect Day” featuring RAYE and a take on R.E.M.'s “Everybody Hurts”), while Mackenzie raises the perennial problem: applauding the artistry while not airbrushing the artist.  Episode 9's through-line, then, isn't sport or even the Grammys. It's the way culture arrives in the room: messy, overlapping, sometimes off-mic, and always demanding you listen harder than the algorithm wants you to. Essential Links Lindsey Vonn's heroic return ends in heartbreak | Wide World of Sports Bad Bunny's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show Vanguart Orb Flying Tourbillon Review: The Futuristic Titanium Timepiece of 2025 FELA Anikulapo Kuti - All songs The Rolling Stones and Steve Riley - Zydeco Sont Pas Salés [Official Audio] Smartless on YouTube Charli xcx - I might say something stupid (official lyric video) Charli xcx - House (Lyrics) ft. John Cale Nils Lofgren - No Kings No Hate No Fear STEAL - Official Trailer | Prime Video A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE | Official Trailer | Netflix Sinners (2025) - Post Credit Scene (1/2) Sinners Soundtrack This Little Light of Mine Buddy Guy Aint Done With The Blues  Buddy Guy Where You At Where U At Al Green - Everybody Hurts (Official Lyric Video)

Episode 8 of On The Record opens with Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie doing what many seasoned music listeners now do instinctively when the Grammys roll around: stare at the screen and wonder which planet they've accidentally landed on. Brian reminds us that the Grammys permanently lost their way the moment they abolished the polka category.  This wasn't a niche concern, either. For years, Brian faithfully rang Jimmy Sturr, the undisputed Muhammad Ali of polka, who won his Grammy almost every time. A system so reliable has no place in modern music awards culture, clearly. The tone shifts sharply—and respectfully—with news of the death of Sly Dunbar, one half of the mighty Sly & Robbie. What follows is a proper reckoning with just how vast Dunbar's influence was: reggae, dub, dancehall, pop, rock, Dylan (Infidels), Grace Jones (Nightclubbing, Warm Leatherette, Living My Life), even a dub version of the Rolling Stones' “Undercover of the Night.” Sly and Robbie weren't just players, they were architects. See the list of some of their important work below, along with links to every other turning point in the conversation. From there, Episode 8 pivots to the curious durability of certain artists who simply refuse to age in the expected way. David Byrne is a rare example of someone who keeps recalibrating his work, with his latest tour behind Who Is The Sky garnering rave reviews in every state. That thought feeds neatly into a wider cultural question: why the Australian Open continues to thrive while music festivals across the country are quietly collapsing? The answer, the hosts suggest, has less to do with sport versus music and more to do with clarity of purpose. Tennis delivers a fixed narrative, star power, and infrastructure, while festivals increasingly ask audiences to tolerate inconvenience, rising costs and vague promises of “vibes.” It's a sobering comparison given the state of live music in Australia right now. The episode closes with genuine surprise at the quality of Van Morrison's latest release, an album that sidesteps the curmudgeonly baggage of recent years and reconnects with the musical instinct that made him essential in the first place. It's not framed as a comeback so much as a reminder: when Morrison stops arguing with the world and channels his Celtic soul, something powerful still happens. Important Links Grammys 2026 list of nominees and winners  Jimmy Sturr website  Jimmy Sturr youtube channel  BAD BUNNY Wins BEST MÚSICA URBANA ALBUM | 2026 GRAMMYs  Bad Bunny Tiny Desk Concert  BAD BUNNY - NUEVAYoL (Video Oficial) | DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS  The Goodies Pirate Radio (A Walk In the Black Forest)   Chat GPT's Top 20 Albums Featuring / Produced by Sly & Robbie Black Uhuru – Red (1981) Black Uhuru – Chill Out (1982) Grace Jones – Nightclubbing (1981) Grace Jones – Warm Leatherette (1980) Grace Jones – Living My Life (1982) Sly & Robbie – Language Barrier (1985) Black Uhuru – Sinsemilla (1980) Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse (1982) Peter Tosh – Bush Doctor (1978) Sly & Robbie – Rhythm Killers (1987) Culture – International Herb (1979) Ini Kamoze – Ini Kamoze (1984) Serge Gainsbourg – Aux armes et cætera (1979) The Gladiators – Proverbial Reggae (1978) Bunny Wailer – Rock 'n' Groove (1981) Sly & Robbie – Dub Experience (1979) Black Uhuru – Anthem (1984) Bob Dylan – Infidels (1983) Jimmy Cliff – The Power and the Glory (1983) Sly & Robbie – Reggae Greats (1984)   Uncut: interview with Sly Dunbar on music  Undercover (Of The Night) (Dub) with Sly on percussion Black Uhuru Sistren  Grace Jones - Pull Up To The Bumper  David Byrne Tiny Desk Concert David's Reasons To Be Cheerful newsletter  FRANKENSTEIN Trailer (2025) Guillermo del Toro  Michael's fave food movie Chef is on Iview  STEAL - Official Trailer | Prime Video  Van Morrison Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge (full album)  Gillian Welch talks to Brian about Her Forthcoming Tour of Australia with Dave Rawlings  Lucinda Williams On her new album World's Gone Wrong 

Lucinda Williams talks to Rhythms Editor Brian Wise about her new album World's Gone Wrong, a scathing commentary on current political events in the USA. 

Gillian Welch spoke to Rhythms Editor Brian Wise about her forthcoming Australian tour with her musical and life partner David Rawlings. David was set to join us but was held up in the studio mastering the vinyl version of the Time (The Revelator) album. Music included: Neil Young's Albuquerque from the album Live & Obscure Vol. 1, Mavis Staples' version of Gillian's ‘Hard Times', Emmylou Harris with Gillian's 'Orphan Girl' from Emmylou's 1995 album Wrecking Ball produced by Daniel Lanois and 'Revelator' from Gillian's Time (The Revelator) album and 'North Country' from Woodland. Details of the latest tour which begins on February 13 in Brisbane can be found at lovepolice.com.au/tours  

On the latest episode of On The Record, Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie ease into their weekly cultural ramble with the sombre news of Bob Weir's death—remembering an artist whose band (The Grateful Dead) they half‑followed but wholly respected. Weir, who died on January 10 at 78 (the same date as David Bowie's passing—coincidence or cosmic scheduling?), becomes the launchpad for a surprisingly affectionate exploration of Deadhead culture. Michael recalls the excellent Long Strange Trip documentary—long enough, Brian notes, to break a Melbourne Film Festival projector—and the pair marvel at the Grateful Dead's unique talent for turning concerts into economic ecosystems.  From there, the conversation pivots to David Bowie's The Final Act documentary (streaming on ABC), Crowded House opening the Australian Open (a first for tennis, apparently), and the AFL's ongoing failure to book local acts for the Grand Final. Why Snoop Dogg over Emma Donovan? Why not Troy Cassar-Daley? The hosts are baffled. Then there's Bluesfest's controversial booking of heavy metal act Parkway Drive, which has purists clutching their harmonicas. Festival director Peter Noble defends the choice, arguing you can't limit festivals by genre.  The episode meanders through Lucinda Williams' new album, Russell Crowe's Oscar-worthy turn in Nuremberg, and the existential challenges of songwriting. On The Record with Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie is available on all major podcast platforms. Rhythms Magazine subscribers can access exclusive bonus content, including Loretta Miller's debut CD. Episode Links Grateful Dead Doco Long Strange Trip – Official Trailer | Prime Video  David Bowie/Mick Jagger Dancing In the Street  Bowie: The Final Act on Iview (2025)  David Bowie - Changes (Live performance Glastonbury 1971)  Split Enz reuniting for first time in 17 years | 7.30 Lucinda Williams - World's Gone Wrong  NUREMBERG | Official Trailer #1 (2025)  The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Goring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII  Jeff Tweedy: How to Write One Song  Loretta Miller on Bandcamp  Subscribe to Rhythms to get Loretta's album on cd 

If On The Record were a boxing match, Episode 5 would open with the bell ringing and Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie already mid-ring.. The topic? The Golden Globes. The real issue? Whether a film can be called a “musical or comedy” when it is clearly neither, and whether Paul Thomas Anderson should be declared a genius by popular vote or sent to the cinematic sin bin.  Two overly seasoned cultural obsessives staring at the same screen and seeing entirely different movies. From there, the episode sprawls—happily and unapologetically—into a wide-ranging conversation about awards hype, viewing expectations, and the strange disconnect between critical acclaim and lived experience. One host praises audacity and subversion, the other demands coherence and restraint. Nobody backs down. Nobody changes their mind. Which, frankly, is exactly how these debates should be conducted. Luckily, special guest Liz Stringer moves the conversation into other areas that are slightly more important - touring her latest album and raising money to address housing insecurity along with the uncomfortable truth that this is no longer a fringe issue confined to capital cities or stereotypes.  The show rolls on, touching on music-making, self-management, creative independence, reality TV guilt, Russian books that are abandoned for the sake of mental health, and the eternal question of why we all say we won't watch that show again… and then absolutely do. By the end of Episode 5, On The Record has done what it does best: entertained, provoked, and digressed wildly. It's messy, funny, opinionated, and oddly comforting—like a long conversation you didn't plan to have, but are very glad you did. Episode Links Liz Stringer website  Liz's album The Second High One Battle After Another - Official Trailer  If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Official Trailer HD | A24  Sam Fender - Remember My Name  Audrey Powne - From The Fire (ALBUM)  The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein Milk Fed by Melissa Broder  The Pitt  Succession  THE HISTORY OF SOUND | Official Trailer  SENTIMENTAL VALUE - Official Trailer  The Faces Ooh La La (2004 Remaster)   

Episode 5 of On The Record, and the conversation has hit its sweet spot: loose, curious, opinionated—and occasionally interrupted by reality. There's a healthy scepticism about hype, a refusal to confuse longevity with importance, and a shared belief that some things still genuinely matter—even if the algorithm disagrees. Brian Wise brings context and deep musical memory; Michael Mackenzie brings reflection, curiosity, and the occasional philosophical swerve. Together, they interrogate nostalgia without fully surrendering to it, defend enthusiasm when it's earned, and question why so much modern culture feels like it's passing time rather than saying something. There are laughs, strong opinions, thoughtful pauses, and moments where the conversation snaps into focus just long enough to land a point before wandering off again. It's not a panel show, not a lecture, and definitely not a hot take factory. Episode 5 doesn't shout. It knows what it's doing. Sort of. Important links Norma Tanega - Walkin' My Cat Named Dog  Stray Cats - Runaway Boys  Ram Jam - Black Betty  The Rolling Stones - Not Fade Away (Mono)  The Uncool - the new memoir from award-winning filmmaker and journalist Cameron Crowe  Grover Lewis article - Hitting The Note With The Allman Brothers Band (first published in 'Rolling Stone', November 25, 1971, Issue No. 96)  Kid Creole & The Coconuts website  Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Stool Pigeon   Du Fermier Restaurant website Florry - First It Was A Movie, The It Was A Book  Florry website  David Bowie - Lazarus  David Bowie website

Brian Wise talks to Paul Kelly in depth about Paul's latest album Seventy. 

Episode 4 of On The Record opens exactly as listeners now expect: however, the technology relents and the Christmas episode is officially underway. What follows is a warm, rambling, oddly moving conversation about Christmas music, memory, faith, food and survival, with plenty of laughs along the way. Michael Mackenzie declares Christmas music a minefield of bad taste, arguing passionately for carols, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Otis Redding and Silent Night—while firmly rejecting novelty songs, forced cheer and anything involving Santa “rocking.” Brian revisits his Catholic childhood as an altar boy, including midnight mass duties, Latin confusion, and the moral courage it took to tell an aunt that Sadie the Cleaning Lady was, frankly, not a great gift for a teenage boy. There are transistor radios from Liverpool, early playlists, and the dawning realisation that taste can arrive early—and stay stubbornly intact. Michael counters with one of the great Christmas stories: a white Christmas spent working illegally in the Swiss Alps, dodging passport checks, sledding home from work, eating communal meals by candlelight, and throwing snowballs under fir trees. It's nostalgic, cinematic, and only mildly incriminating. Things take a darker, funnier turn with memories of Christmas stress, maternal meltdowns, and the single most divisive festive dish ever discussed on the podcast: mango pie with gelatin—described as having the texture of a stuntman landing on cardboard boxes. The episode winds down with gift ideas, band-of-the-year talk, the weaponisation of Santa for child behaviour management, and a surprisingly tender close as the year ends and real life intrudes. It's funny. It's nostalgic. It's messy. And it's the most On The Record Christmas you could hope for. Important Links: Elvis Christmas Album  Alligator Records - A Genuine Houserockin' Christmas (2003 Full Album)  Los Lobos Llegó Navidad  Otis Redding - White Christmas  Sister Rosetta Tharpe Silent Night

Episode 3 of On The Record once again proves that no matter how long you've worked in media, technology will always sense weakness.  Once operational, the episode quickly becomes a rallying cry for the quietly furious demographic known as Grumpy Older Men Who Have Had It With Banks. Michael officially embraces his new identity after discovering his bank changed everything without warning, while Brian counters with tales of frozen debit cards, vanished tellers, and the most devastating bank exit in history... From there, the conversation widens—considerably. There's a surprisingly heartfelt discussion about the best technology of 2025, which turns out not to be AI, crypto or anything with a subscription fee, but a lightweight laptop, a digital library card, and apps that simply work. Radical. Travel takes centre stage next, with Michael recounting a punishing but transcendent hike through Albania's Accursed Mountains, involving donkeys, snow-capped peaks, dodgy knees and a journey that somehow includes minibuses, boats and a black Mercedes. Brian counters with a pitch for Tulsa, Oklahoma—a city with no tourists, no traffic, a Bob Dylan Centre, a Woody Guthrie Centre, and an offer to pay you $10,000 to move there (family approval not guaranteed). Music eventually breaks through—this is a Rhythms podcast after all—with Christmas gift recommendations ranging from Mavis Staples and Paul Kelly to Dylan box sets, Patti Smith anniversaries, Springsteen gloom, and vinyl for hipsters aged anywhere between 30 and 60. There are also book tips, documentary detours, and a shared belief that Brad Pitt shirtless does not automatically equal a good movie. By the end, Episode 3 has covered banks, libraries, hiking, Dylan, Tulsa, laptops, Formula One, Christmas shopping and the philosophy of buying technology like a V8 Mustang—all without ever fully sticking to a plan. Which, frankly, is exactly the plan. Essential Links Brian's fave tech of 2025   Michael's fave tech of 2025 Michael's Journey through Albania's Accursed Mountains  Tulsa's Bob Dylan Center  PBS Documentary on the Tulsa Race Massacre  Live, work, and grow in Tulsa (incentive program) The Watchmen TV series that is built around the real life Tulsa massacre  Louis Theroux talks with David Byrne on Apple Podcasts  Adam Buxton talks with David Byrne on Apple Podcasts  Formula 1: Drive to Survive - Season 7 | Official Trailer | Victorian Record Stores to shop at or online for Christmas  Captain Stomp  Greville Records  Rocksteady Records  Rathdowne Records  Brian's Musical Christmas Recommendations Mavis Staples Sad And Beautiful World  Van Morrison 70  Loretta Miller Loretta  Geese Getting Killed  Recommended Box Sets Bob Dylan Through The Open Window: The Bootleg Series Vol. 18 Patti Smith 50th anniversary of Horses Rolling Stones Black and Blue Remixed Bruce Springsteen Nebraska Re-released on vinyl Chris Wilson King For A Day Recommended Books Patti Smith: Bread of Angels Cameron Crowe: Uncool Peter Wolfe: Waiting On The Moon Tom Piazza: John Prine - Living In the Present Mike Campbell: Heartbreaker

Episode two of On The Record begins exactly where great podcasts are born: with the crushing realisation that nothing has been recorded. After a brief collective sigh (and a generous decision to “power through”), Michael Mackenzie, Brian Wise and guest Nick Corr regroup and press on—braver, wiser, and still dangerously unsupervised. What follows is a gloriously eclectic ramble through: A shamelessly persuasive plug for Rhythms Magazine, which somehow doubles as relationship advice A sold-out theatre talk about fungi, proving that mushrooms now draw bigger crowds than indie bands A deep dive into Pluribus, the Apple TV series that turns hive minds into a philosophical Rorschach test (Michael finds it calming; Brian finds it terrifying) The long-awaited final album from Chris Bailey of The Saints, hailed as a dignified, and moving farewell Lucinda Williams, political defiance, and why some albums are necessary whether America's ready or not A prolonged, reverent detour into Tom Waits, including birthdays, movies, glitter-filled pockets, and the universal agreement that everyone would still fly overseas to see him Talking Heads nostalgia, Bluesfest ticket shock, and the unsettling concept of “cover bands with original members” The episode wraps with movies (Dead of Winter, Train Dreams), tears shed in unexpected places, and the firm belief that art about love, loss, and grief is best discussed at length—preferably after checking the record button. On The Record is a podcast where culture is taken seriously, and tangents are treated as the main event. Useful Links Rhythms Subscription For Your Loved One At Christmas  Order Your Rhythms T Shirt For Christmas   Merlin Sheldrake Interview  The Saints Long March Through The Jazz Age  Lucinda Williams new album World's Gone Wrong  Lucinda's Honky Tonk in NYC  Documentary: Finding Lucinda   Jay Buchanan - Caroline (Official Music Video) Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery | Official Trailer | Netflix  Tom Waits - "Come On Up To The House"  Tom Waits Glitter and Doom Live  Tom Waits - The Acting Years  Snocaps band site  The Lemonheads New Album Remain In Light feat. Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew | Full Set | Hollywood Arts Park | 3-2-2024  Caught Stealing Trailer  Dead of Winter Trailer  Train Dreams Trailer 

In a gloriously shambolic podcast debut of On The Record, Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie briefly wrestle with technology; however, once the cockpit stops flashing warnings, they settle into a free-wheeling conversation about music, ageing audiences, dodgy voting scandals, Patti Smith, Beatles archaeology, sci-fi mind melds, and why matinee gigs are the greatest invention since the flat white. Wise and Mackenzie first teamed up when they co-presented Dig On The Radio, a summer season of music and performances on ABC Local Radio between 2003 and 2006. Since then, the pair have kept in touch both on and off the air, and decided there might be literally dozens of people eager to hear their meanderings in this new addition to the Rhythms stable. In this debut episode Michael and Brian meander through: The annual Rhythms Readers Poll, which, shockingly, people have actually tried to rig. (Move over Florida.) Why older gig-goers prefer concerts that end before the evening news, and the uncertain future for finding new music audiences via radio. Mavis Staples' new album, Sad and Beautiful World, which both agree is so good it may actually restore faith in humanity. A detour into Tom Jones, who's made excellent records while the world wasn't looking. Todd Snider, the mayor of East Nashville and patron saint of long, funny songs. Paul Kelly's new album and gig, celebrated for making audiences actually listen because they didn't know the lyrics yet. The Beatles Anthology reboot, where Apple Records proves once again that there is no bottom to the barrel if you have AI and Giles Martin. Final season of Stranger Things:  getting so dark it may require night-vision goggles Pluribus, the new Vince Gilligan sci-fi series about humanity becoming one hive mind—an idea Brian finds horrifying and Michael could really get behind. Cowboy Junkies live, who apparently sound so good Brian is still vibrating. The Springsteen biopic Deliver Us From Nowhere, prompting the important philosophical debate: Is it bi-OH-pic or BYE-opic? Patti Smith, whose writing has Michael crying and whose life stories have Brian reading again. Subscribe to here Substack here. A CNN Live Aid documentary, featuring Bob Geldof, Margaret Thatcher, and the invention of global-scale concert viewing way before GoFundMe. Watch on 9Now.

Acclaimed singer songwriter Gregory Porter, who will be touring Australia in October, spoke to Rhythms editor Brian Wise. Porter talks about his recording career and his influences, including Nat King Cole and Donny Hathaway.

This week's guest is Texas singer songwriting legend James McMurtry, son of the author Larry McMurtry, who has just released his 11th studio album, The Black Dog & The Wandering Boy (via New West Records). Produced by Don Dixon, whom McMurtry worked with on his third album in 1995, the latest album is McMurtry's first in four years. Rhythms editor Brian Wise met up with McMurtry on Zoom. This podcast has been produced by Jasmine Griffiths. You can find out more about Rhythms and the special subscription offer as well as catch up on the latest music news at rhythms.com.au

Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph talks about his brand new album Preacher Kids, released as a solo album with a new band and a forthcoming tour. (Produced by Jasmine Griffiths).

Taj Mahal and Keb Mo join Rhythms Editor Brian Wise to talk about their new album together Room On The Porch. 

Allison Russell, multi-award winning singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist will be in Australia this month for concerts in Melbourne (April 15) and Sydney (April 17) as well as appearances at Bluesfest (April 19-20). Rhythms editor Brian Wise spoke to Allison about her recent work, which included an appearance in the Broadway musical Hadestown.

Sly Lives! is a 2025 documentary about the life of Sly Stone and the band Sly and the Family Stone.  The film is also known as The Burden of Black Genius.  It was directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and premiered at Sundance in January 2025. It's the second documentary directed by Questlove, following his Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul. It was released on Hulu and Disney+ on February 13, 2025 and Michael Mackenzie and Brian Wise discuss the enormous influence this troubled genius has had on funk, soul, psychedelia since his multi-gendered, multi-racial band became superstars in the late 1960s.

Texas-born and bred singer Leon Bridges has just began his Australian tour in Bowral on Sunday January 19 and he has appearances in Sydney (January 21) and at at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on Thursday January 23. Brian Wise spoke to Leon about his career and his latest album, simply titled Leon. The interview also contains music from the latest album. Concert details and tickets at: leonbridges.com

Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie discuss A Complete Unknown, James Mangold's biopic on Bob Dylan starring Timothy Chalamet as Bob, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo (Suze Rotolo), Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. Is this the best music biopic of all time?

  Paul Kelly joined Brian Wise in the studio at Triple R in Melbourne to talk about his recent American our, the film How To make Gravy based on his song of the same title and his latest album Fever Longing Still. He also performs two songs from the new album for us: 'All Those Smiling Faces' and 'Down To The River With Dad'. 

Michael Connelly is the American author of thirty-seven novels,  including the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renée Ballard series. They alone have sold more than eighty million copies worldwide. Michael Connolley was in Australia for the Sydney and Brisbane Writers Festivals and spoke to Rhythms Editor Brian Wise about the use of music, especially jazz, in his Bosch series and other works. It was produced by Michael Mackenzie.

Michael Connelly is the author of thirty-seven novels, including #1 New York Times bestsellers Desert Star, The Dark Hours, and The Law of Innocence. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renée Ballard series, have sold more than eighty million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He's the executive producer of three television series: Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, and The Lincoln Lawyer. He spends his time in California and Florida. Michael Connolley was in Australia for the Sydney and Brisbane Writers Festivals and spoke to Rhythms Editor Brian Wise about the use of music, especially jazz, in his Bosch series and other works. Produced by Michael Mackenzie.

Our guest in this Rhythms podcast is Boo Mitchell, the son of legendary Memphis producer Willie Mitchell, whose Royal Studios featured the incredible Hi Rhythm Section playing behind a myriad of hits from the likes of Al Green, Ann Peebles and many more. Boo has his own formidable career working with many high profile musicians at Royal and producing the acclaimed 2014 documentary Take Me to the River, celebrating the intergenerational and interracial musical influence of Memphis, in the face of pervasive discrimination and segregation. There is also a New Orleans version and in this podcast Boo reveals plans for another documentary in an overseas location.  Boo Mitchell is bringing some of the remaining Hi Rhythm Section members to Blues on Broadbeach this weekend (May 16-19)with guest vocalists Lina Beach and Jerome Chism. Boo will also be showing Take Me To The River and taking about the documentary.   

Martha Wainwright is touring Australia this month and Rhythms Editor Brian Wise caught up with her by Zoom to talk about the tour, her return to touring, writing new songs and a tribute to singer/songwriter Connie Converse. The podcast starts with music from Martha's lates studio album Love Is Reborn.  Songs: Hole In My Heart/Getting Older/Love Will Be Reborn - Martha Wainwright (Love Will Be Reborn), Five Years Old - Loudon Wainwright III (Fame & Wealth), One By One - Martha Wainwright, Wild Mountain Thyme (feat. Anna McGarrigle, Chaim Tannenbaum, Lily Lanken, Lucy Wainwright Roche & Martha Wainwright) - Rufus Wainwright (Folkocracy). You can find Martha's tour dates at: https://www.marthawainwright.com/shows  

Jon Cleary is currently touring Australia with his Absolute Monster Gentlemen. Rhythms Editor Brian Wise spoke to him just before he set off for the tour and just after he had played The Bitter End in New York, which is s story in itself.  Jon is also appearing at Blues On Broadbeach this weekend, May 16-19, 2024. You can check out Jon's touring dates here: https://www.joncleary.com/tour

Wilco are touring Australia in March and Rhythms Editor Brian Wise spoke to Jeff Tweedy about the band's latest album Cousin and Jeff's new book World Within A Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music.  This edition of the Rhythms Podcast is sponsored by Love Police Tours. You can find full details of the Wilco tour at lovepolice.com.au/tours.  

Muireann Bradley, 17 year-old singer/guitarist from County Donegal in Ireland, has just released her debut album I Kept These Old Blues (interpretations of blues classics) on the American label Tompkins Square which first spotted her at the age of 13 after seeing her play on YouTube! Brian Wise spoke to Muireann just a week or so prior to her 17th birthday and just as her debut was about to be released. Listen to her amazing story.

Awash in full-throttle fiddle, weeping steel guitar, a sprinkling of heavenly backing vocals, and anchored by her warm, expressive vocals, Leigh's latest album is an emotion-packed revelation. Rooted in vintage country, Ain't Through Honky Tonkin' Yet is an unapologetically beer-and tear-soaked homage to an era when hard-country weepers burst forth from AM transistor radios. The album's country roots run deep, with guests like Marty Stuart and Rodney Crowell and a lineup of top-flight musicians.

Rhiannon Giddens has made a singular, iconic career out of stretching her brand of folk music, with its miles-deep historical roots and contemporary sensibilities, into just about every field imaginable. A two-time GRAMMY Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, and advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country's musical origins through art. In 2023 Rhiannon has taken time from her busy life to tour her first album of all original material called You're The One, and Brian Wise asks her to guide us though this extraordinary melange of gospel, blues, rock, jazz, folk and darkly atmospheric.

One of the music documentaries at the Melbourne International Film Festival is Joan Baez: I Am A Noise which digs deep into the life of the renowned folk singer/activist as she retires from touring and reflects on her life. Co-director Karen O'Connor has been a friend of Baez for many years and has managed to gain access to a treasure trove of archival material. The film also uncovers some surprising revelations about the life of one of the most famous voices of the '60s protest movement and the singer who helped kick start Bob Dylan's career.

Lucinda Williams talks to Rhythms Editor Brian Wise about her recently published memoir Don't Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You and her album Stories From A Rock 'n' Roll Heart. 

JODY STEPHENS is the sole surviving member of iconic early '70s power pop legends Big Star, and the only man other than Alex Chilton to play on all three of their peerless original albums. He was also a member of pioneering alt-country supergroup Golden Smog, alongside members of Wilco and the Jayhawks. LUTHER RUSSELL is an acclaimed singer/songwriter and producer (Richmond Fontaine amongst others) who formed his first band as a teenager with Jacob Dylan (before the son of Bob formed The Wallflowers).  Luther has made a handful of solo records, having first come to attention as a member of The Freewheelers in the '90s, during which time his songs were described as having "the appeal and personality of those by Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson". Together, Jody Stephens and Luther Russell are THOSE PRETTY WRONGS, who combine the lyrical and soulful harmony and jangle of both Big Star and classic '90s alt-country.Touring Australia on the back of their new album Holiday Camp, Those Pretty Wrongs will be joined by some special friends and perform their own gorgeous material as well as some classic Big Star.   Check the tour dates  at: Love Police Touring  

Brian Wise's guest in this podcast is Jason Isbell. To call Isbell the King Of Americana is not an idle claim. Since 2009 he has won 9 Americana Awards and been nominated for another ten - to add to his four Grammy Awards! Born and raised in Alabama and got a publishing deal with Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals when he was just 21, joined Paterson Hood in the Drive By Truckers and after five years began his solo career which included forming the 400 Unit and releasing 8 albums, the latest of which is Weathervanes, which follows the album Georgia Blue in 2021. Brian first spoke to Isbell when he was in Australia for the first time with Justin Townes Earle in 2012 and they have chatted frequently since. Last year they caught up by Zoom to talk about the Fender Jason Isbell Signature model while Isbell was on the set of Martin Scorsese's latest film Killers of the Flower Moon in which he plays the role of farmer Bill Smith.  This time Brian and Jason met to talk about the new album Weathervanes prior to Isbell's show at the Palais in Melbourne during his April tour of Australia with the 400 Unit, supported by Allison Russell.

Willy Vlautin is an American author, musician and songwriter. He was the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Portland, Oregon rock band Richmond Fontaine from 1994–2016 and is currently a member and main songwriter of The Delines who will be touring Australia from June 8 to June 18 (tour details at lovepolice.com.au) Born and raised in Reno, Nevada, Vlautin released 12 studio albums with Richmond Fontaine and has released another four with The Delines. He has also written six novels: The Motel Life, Northline, Lean on Pete, The Free, Don't Skip Out On Me and The Night Always Comes. The Delines were formed when singer Amy Boone was touring with Richmond Fontaine and singing the female parts from that band's 2003 album, Post to Wire, which had been performed by her sister Deborah Kelly with whom she had been in the Texas band the Damnations. Vlautin then formed the Delines centred on Boone's vocals.  Rhythms Editor Brian Wise caught up with Vlautin to talk about the forthcoming tour and The Delines' music.

For his latest studio album, The Chicago Sessions, acclaimed singer-songwriter/producer Rodney Crowell journeyed to Chicago to record at Wilco's Loft with Jeff Tweedy as producer. Crowell brought three players with him - guitarist Jedd Hughes, pianist Catherine Marx, and bassist Zachariah Hickman — while Chicago natives John Perrine and Spencer Tweedy (Jeff's son) split drumming duties. Jeff Tweedy appears on vocals, guitars, and banjo throughout and co-writes one of the songs.  Most of The Chicago Sessions consists of newly written material but Crowell revisits two tracks from the 1970s: 'You're Supposed to Be Feeling Good,' one of his songs first recorded by Emmylou Harris on her 1977 Luxury Liner album and Townes Van Zandt's “'No Place to Fall.' Rhythms Editor Brian Wise caught up with Rodney Crowell by Zoom to talk about The Chicago Sessions.  

Pieces of Treasure (BMG Modern Recordings), Rickie Lee Jones' fifteenth studio album, not only explores her love of jazz but also reunites her with producer Russ Titelman who produced her 1979 debut album and its follow up Pirates in 1981. Of course, Jones has recorded jazz -oriented albums before – Girl at Her Volcano and Pop Pop  - and in 1989 she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Jazz Vocal Performance category for her rendition of “Autumn Leaves” from Rob Wasserman's Duets album and a year later she won in the same category for her duet with Dr. John of 'Makin' Whoopee'. But with Pieces of Treasure Jones spends an entire album with the American Songbook. Pieces of Treasure was recorded over five days at Sear Sound in midtown Manhattan and the studio ensemble consisted of Rob Mounsey on piano, guitarist Russell Malone, bassist David Wong and drummer Mark McLean. I last spoke to Rickie Lee in 2021 about her Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour so I was delighted to talk to her about music and caught up with her by Zoom at her home in New Orleans, where she has lived for the past decade.

Don Walker is one of Australia's most revered, respected and most successful songwriters. He first established his reputation as the principal songwriter in Cold Chisel, the most played band on Australian radio and his career has extended through solo albums (under his own name or Catfish) and albums with Tex Perkins and Charlie Owens in Tex, Don and Charlie. Many others have recorded his songs and he is rightfully a member of the Australian songwriting Hall of Fame as well as a multiple ARIA and APRA award winner.  Don's latest solo album, his first for ten years, is titled Lightning In A Clear Blue Sky and I caught up with him by zoom to have an extensive chat about it. 

Swamp pop legend Tommy McLain began his career in the 1950s and enjoyed his biggest hit, 'Sweet Dreams', in 1966. CC Adcock was a founding member if Lil' Band O' Gold who toured Australia twice and he has also had his own acclaimed solo albums out. CC has produced Tommy's first album in 40 years, I Ran Down Every Dream which features guests Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Augie Meyers amongst others. Tommy and CC are currently visiting Australia. You can check their tour dates here: love police.com.au 

Five-time Grammy Award winning musician Robert Glasper was raised in Texas and went to school with Beyonce before heading off to New York to pursue his love of jazz music playing with some notables of the genre. However, Glasper's musical horizons extend way beyond jazz and while he won a Grammy for his work on the music for the Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead he has won another four for his R&B albums, mainly the Black Radio series. Robert Glasper will be appearing at Bluesfest Melbourne and Bluesfest in Byron Bay as well as gigs in Brisbane and Sydney. This Rhythms podcast is sponsored by Bluesfest Melbourne.

This episode features Steve Earle, who's been a frequent visitor to Australia since the late 80s when he was riding high in the charts with his third album Copperhead Road. Earl didn't release his debut album Guitar Town until he was 27 years old, but he'd already established himself as a noted songwriter in Nashville. By the end of 2022, Steve Earle had released 21 studio albums, many with his long standing band The Dukes. He's also a published author, has appeared in the TV series The Wire, has produced an album by Joan Baez, and also been involved in several stage plays. He's also released tribute albums to some of his key influences, such as Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker, and in 2021 released the album JT - a tribute to his son Justin Townes Earle who died in 2020. Steve will be appearing at Blues Fest in Melbourne along with Lucinda Williams over the Easter weekend, and also at Blues Fest in Byron Bay, plus the Enmore Theatre on April 3. This podcast sponsored by Bluesfest Melbourne.

Mary Coughlan began her recording career in 1985 with the acclaimed album Tired & Emotional. Since then Mary has released another fifteen studio and live albums and has become one of Ireland's most celebrated vocalists. Mary's life – turbulent at times - has been chronicled in the stage play Woman Undone and also in her latest studio album Life Stories, which she will no doubt showcase in her forthcoming appearance at the Port Fairy Folk Festival and other dates, But she is also working on a fascinating new project that she will talk about in this podcast. 

Billy Bragg, the Bard from Barking, is a singer-songwriter and activist renowned for his politically charged lyrics and social commentary. Billy began his career in the early 1980s with the release of his debut album, Life's A Riot with Spy Vs Spy, which featured the hit song "A New England" and established what was to become an abiding interest in politics. Over the years, Billy has released a dozen studio albums, several live albums, and has collaborated with other artists such as Wilco and Joe Henry. He is also a published author with books on Skiffle and politics. In addition to his music career, Bragg has been involved in various political campaigns and social issues. He is known for his passionate performances and dedication to using his platform to promote social justice.  Brian Wise caught up with Billy Bragg to talk about his latest album, recorded and released during the pandemic, The Million Things That Never Happened. (Brian and Billy first spoke in 1984 not long after the release of that first album!). Billy Bragg will be back in Australia in March/April 2023 for a series of special shows including a headline appearance at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. This episode of the Rhythms Podcast is sponsored by The Port Fairy Folk Festival. 

Eric Bibb has the perfect background for a folk/blues musician. His father was the renowned singer Leon Bibb which enabled Eric to mix with some of music's greats - including Bob Dylan - in New York's Greenwich Village scene of the 1960s. Eric has been recording and touring since 1972 but for many years has lived in Sweden which gives him a different perspective on his homeland. His last studio album was Dear America, released in 2021. Eric will be appearing at the Port Fairy Folk Festival, March 10-13, 2023 (portfairyfolkfestival.com) and doing other dates. Check out his touring schedule at .  This Rhythms Podcast is made possible by the Port Fairy Folk Festival - www.portfairyfolkfestival.com.

Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey was   responsible for one of the most memorable song intros of all time on 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak; yet Wilsey remains largely unknown. Michael Goldberg sets out to rectify that with his book Wicked Game: The True Story of Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey. In this Rhythms podcast, Goldberg talks to Brian Wise about the book.

Bonnie Raitt talks to Brian Wise about her latest album Just Like That. Bonnie was on the cover of the very first Rhythms magazine back in April 1992 and appeared on the cover of the 30th anniversary edition in May/June 2022. For more information check out rhythms.com.au

Brian Wise talks to Terence Crawford, narrator of the acclaimed play Girl From The North Country, written by Conor McPherson, which opens at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne on April 29 and runs through to June 4. The play, which has already had a season in Sydney, will also be in Canberra from August 25. and in Brisbane at QPAC from September 8.

WILLIAM CRIGHTON discusses his new album, Water & Dust, with Rhythms editor Brian Wise.  

  Brian Wise talks to musician Kerry Tolhurst who played at Sunbury 1972 and 1973 with Greg Quill's Country Radio and then with The Dingoes. Brian also talks to Ken McLeish who attended the first two Sunbury festivals as a punter. We also hear music from SCRA, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Greg Quill and Country Radio and Spectrum.

                            Elvis Costello talks to Rhythms Editor Brian Wise about his new album The Boy Named If (And Other Children's Stories). The album, recorded with members of The Imposters, also comes with an 88-page book of stories and illustrations. This podcast also includes selections of songs from the new album and, at the end, a rarity recorded by a young DP McManus.