Those Music Guys

In a time of political turmoil, the guys discuss the repercussionsTenacious D face over a single joke, and how that compares to the literal crimes committed by a former and possibly future president; Mike can't help but Smile about Skindred's latest release, and Fa explains why Asiyaa is the new rapper you all need to be listening to.

Well, the time has come: We are doing an episode on AI. We have thoughts; you will hear them; Mike says "Yes!" to Yes's Mirror to the Sky and Fa shows you why Manchester's Third Kulture are taking rap metal to glorious new heights.

In possibly our most informative episode ever, the guys sit down with UK Music Lawyer Chris Brown discuss the minefield that is the legal side of the music industry. A must listen for anybody interested in any kind of music career.

Amplifiers have been a constant in live music since the time of our forefathers, but are they necessary any more? Those Music Guys believe they have the answer; Mike goes against the rules of the podcast to discuss Fa's new band and Fa focuses on Pieces to break down his varied appreciation of punk music.

It's been nearly a month since Metallica released their 11th studio album, 72 Seasons, and we know you have all been eagerly waiting to hear our opinion on. To mark this special occasion, the guys invited their good friend Coop of The Spoken Metal Show Podcast to talk about literally nothing else for over 2 hours. It's like our 5th episode, only MORE! 

Dario Nikzad is a seasoned musician and tour manager who has not only worked with the likes of Anthrax, Clutch and Eagle-Eye Cherry, but also has a fabulous head of hair and is an old friend of at least 50% of Those Music Guys; which is why it took only a small amount of blackmailing to get him on the show to discuss the magic, madness and macros of life on the road.

Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson: 2 stalwarts of logic and reason. Nah, only joking; everything they say is nonsense. In addition to their mind blowing views on racism, sexism and the LGBTQ+ community, they also have opinions on music. Will this be the topic about which they finally make sense? You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out; Mike heats it up for Yeah Yeah Yeahs' latest album and Fa goes to a We Three Kings gig and then talks about it.

After having the guys on his show, the mighty Coop from the Spoken Metal Show is here to talk all things music and metal from the local Liverpool scene to the echelons of the Upside Down. Seriously, this episode is the tits.

In the first of a thrilling new mini-series tackling the most controversial hot takes in music history, the guys ask that age old question: Is Rock Dead? Mike is bowled over by Nova Twins' "Supernova" and Fa sets time aside to check out New Divide.

We've talked about when music scenes don't work, now we're going to talk about when they do. James Bennet of 0161 Manchester Underground Metal Community joins the guys to discuss how the Manchester metal scene is becoming a thriving hub for the moshpits of tomorrow.

For the first time in Those Music Guys history, we have a returning guest; Liam Barlow is back for revenge and he's brought Unearthed's Harry Warren with him to tell us how the heck you develop a band in the modern age.

In the first of our Spotlight Specials, the guys sit down with Wil Russell of Luna Kiss.

O2 venues are now taking 25% of artists' merch sales - what a load of bollocks; Mike reminds us how much we owe to Jack White and Fa finds the funk in indie with Liverpool's RATS.Rats Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/officialratsRats Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/themrats/

The guys sit down with Chris Massey, head of Sprechen Music, to discuss the realities of running a record label.To find out more about Chris and his label, please visit the following links:https://www.instagram.com/sprechenmusic (@sprechenmusic)https://www.instagram.com/chrismasseymusic (@chrismasseymusic)https://www.facebook.com/chrismasseymusic

The guys take a trip down Memory Lane to talk about the history of reality talent shows and try to predict their future and legacy; Mike gives an efficient review of Rammstein's “Zeit” and Ya'Boy Fa talks about Ya'Boyz Ya'Boyz' Ya'Boyz.

Phew, it's been a while since we've had a guest, so the guys are super excited to sit down with Liam Barlow of Unearthed Music to discuss all things band management.To check out everything Unearthed including up coming live dates, hit the following linkshttps://www.facebook.com/events/s/skeletal-remains-the-hairy-dog/1995549653949820/https://www.facebook.com/events/s/unearthed-festival/4496295657162924/https://www.facebook.com/events/s/unearthed-music-presents-coalv/403106044906712/https://www.facebook.com/events/s/unearthed-music-presents-desol/1366596740466431/https://www.facebook.com/events/s/derby-alt-fest-2022/2981642885486508/https://www.facebook.com/events/s/0161-mumc-and-unearthed-music-/2101707303337712/https://www.facebook.com/groups/845333192762727?ref=sharehttps://www.facebook.com/UnearthedPR

It seems like more and more musicians are relying on backing tracks, loop pedals, controllers and other such devices during their stage show; with the boundaries between a studio recording and a live performance becoming increasingly blurred, the guys ask the question: what the hell constitutes as live music in the modern era? Mike soundtracks his life with alt-J's "The Dream" and Fa falls in love with the dulcet tones of Matt Fryers.

Neil Young vs Joe Rogan! It's the war to end all wars; the ultimate showdown; the Battle Royale we never knew we needed! But who will win? Find out in our latest, most thrilling episode yet. Mike gets his opinions and pronunciation of Finneas absolutely correct and Fa is so into Casseyette that he forgets how to spell “cassette”.

It can be a scary world out there for creatives when clambering for likes and shares, and now we're being bombarded with adverts for courses claiming to teach us how to reach our goals - are they worth the money? Mike worships Billy Talent's "Crisis of Faith" and Fa gets all geared up to see The Pagans S.O.H this month. 

Regardless of success, it can be very easy for a musician to forget to be humble and allow themselves to push their heads further and further up their own rear end; so in this episode, the guys discuss the potential sign posts that can lead you along that dirty, dirty path; Mike spends countless evenings with Silk Sonic and Fa decides that Bambie Thug is his most successful discovery yet.

Autotune; it's everywhere - in our music, in our breakfast cereal, even hiding under our children's beds. But is it really as bad as we have been led to believe? That question kinda, sorta gets answered here; Mike feels right at home with St. Vincent's new album and Fa blasts off with L.A's Lunarcode.

The guys sit down with entrepreneur, journalist, promoter and music industry guru The Rock Fairy, to discuss the return of live music in 2021. It's ace.

Who is Rick Beato? And why is he your favourite musician? Find out in the latest thrilling episode; Mike brings all the funk with the new Bootsy Collins record and Fa gets heavy for Jazz with Manchester's Honeyfeet.

As the digital vs physical platform war rages on, the guys try to figure out exactly where this will lead the music industry; Mike's review of Maximo Park's new album definitely always wins and Fa is grateful that a random playlist helped him discover Boudicca's Bass Service.

Conspiracy theories are all the rage, so the guys sit down to discuss 4 of the wildest ones from the music world; Mike hits us with a blizzard of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Fa tells an allegory of the glory that is Novustory.

Contrary to popular belief, movies don't always portray an accurate depiction of real life - so the guys sit down to discuss their favourite movie tropes about the music industry; Mike has an easy hard job telling us why Vulfpeck rule and Fa examines everything that is glorious about Izzy Thomas and why great music and great hair often go hand in hand.

In a strangely upbeat episode for 2020, the guys are joined by friend and collaborator, Andrew Pimblott to discuss the positive effects this year has had on the music industry.

Tech companies: friend or foe? Found out in this latest thrilling discussion with Those Music Guys; Mike loses his mind over Fantastic Negrito's new album and the wonderful Tokyo Taboo get Fa all kinds of confused over how much time Donald Trump really has on his hands.

The arts industry is on the brink of collapse, and the UK government as actively complicit in its demise - listen intently to find out why, if you're an artist of any kind, Boris Johnson and his pals freaking hate you; Mike isn't sure how to pronounce Alain Johannes' name, but he is sure that his new album, "Hum', is an absolute banger; and Fa makes at least one Game of Thrones reference when talking about Bolton's awesome Kill The Masters.

Music venues are dropping like flies, but can we blame the whole thing on Covid 19? The guys sit down with the wonderful Lucy Shevchuk of Square Wild to answer this and only this.

Who is the most overrated band in the world? Tune in for the thrilling answer to the one question that has plagued mankind for centuries; Mike goes a little bit country for Waxahatchee's "Saint Cloud" and Fa takes a (virtual) trip to Dublin to talk about Jet Fuel Chemistry.

Even the biggest stars sometimes need break from their own work to pay tribute to their heroes and influences, so the guys would like to share with you 4 of the most insane covers you need to see; Mike wants the community to come together and listen to Childish Gambino's new album and Fa takes a (figurative) trip to Teeside to tell you all about the beautiful harmonies of The Dorman Long.

Ah, 27; that mythical age at which we seem to have lost so many musical legends. The guys sit down to discuss why that number is so bloody significant; Mike wants you to be as cool as him by listening to the latest Pixies album and Fa throws all his scheduling out of the window to tell you about London's In Search of Sun.

Long ago, when the coronavirus was unheard of and the idea of social distancing was reserved for weirdos who hung around bus stops, bands would travel the globe entertaining fans of all ages - and some would do it without feeling the need to actually create new music, so the guys are asking "is this cool?"; Hayley Williams' debut solo EP has Mike counting the days for a full album and the mundane research of artist royalties leads Fa to discover Shao Dow - the best rapper in England.

The guys sit down with Max Mawdsley of Horla fame to discuss the effect the coronavirus his having on the music industry.

The year is 2020, the internet is the next big thing and just in case you needed 4 reasons to visit YouTube, Those Music Guys are about to give them to you; Mike agrees with The Black Keys when they say “Let’s Rock” and Fa takes to us his hometown of Macclesfield to rave about The Virginmarys.

Ho Ho Ho! It's Christmas in Podcast Land and the guys are discussing just what it's like to be a musician during the most wonderful time of the year; Mike finally becomes a Weezer fan after hearing their new album and Fa digs deep down south to talk about why Essex's Monster Florence is one of the freshest acts in hip hop.

Get ready for yet another fight to the death as our hosts argue over whether a genre can truly die; Mike's been blasting Biffy Clyro's latest album and wants you all to know about it and Fa's keeping it local with Manchester's wonderful XMenBTeam.

Holy Fudge Cakes! In this landmark episode, Mike and Fa take a break from the usual structure and head to the cinema to watch Metallica: S&M2. Expect a fully comprehensive review, while also hearing the guys divulge their groundbreaking thoughts on the most controversial, mind-blowing and often hilarious aspects of the biggest metal band of all time.

It's episode 4, and we're combining our passion for music and movies by discussing 4 Hollywood stars who've managed to carve out side projects as musicians - be warned: the results vary from hilarious to terrifying; Mike tells us why we should absolutely all be thanking Snoop Dogg for his latest album and Fa goes sumo psycho for Sumo Cyco, Canada's most bitchin' underground metal band. Also, penguins.

In this episode, we use some pretty old rock stars as case studies to discuss how (in)tolerant we should be of phones being used at gigs; Mike tells us why Ed Sheeran collaborating with other artists is definitely a good thing and Fa takes us all the way to the Lone Star State to hear the sweet, sweet sounds of The Texas Gentlemen.

In our second episode, it's a Battle Royale between our 2 hosts as they go head to head on whether or not Spice Girls had any decent tracks; Mike tells us why '70s ska legends The Specials are more relevant than ever with their latest release and Fa discovers the metal in Merseyside in the form of Liverpool's Death Blooms.

In our very first episode, we analyse the classic phrase "music hasn't been good since (insert decade)" and discuss why it's complete and utter nonsense; Mike tells us why we should stop what we're doing and listen to Hozier's latest release and Fa gets all kinds of excited about Yorkshire's very own Hands Off Gretel.