Sound Distractions Podcast

Sound Distractions

Sound Distractions
Just paying my rent in the tower of song.
Toni Childs
It’s said that life isn’t about the destination, but the journey and in Toni Childs’ case it’s been an extraordinary voyage of discovery that continues to evolve in the most unpredictable ways. As a recording artist Toni first broke through with her debut album Union in 1988, spawning hits like Don’t Walk Away and the irresistible Stop Your Fussin’. The album was produced by David Ricketts of David and David fame and was nominated for two Grammys that year. The follow up House of Hope was again enthusiastically received and while it didn’t achieve the same commercial success in Toni’s native USA, the album and its lead single I’ve Got To Go Now were once again hugely successful in Australia and New Zealand. The Woman’s Boat completed a critically acclaimed trilogy with the album’s emphasis on femininity and womanhood. It was after an Australian tour while working on her follow up album that Toni began to notice an unusual bulging of her eyes. A visit to the doctor confirmed that she had Graves’ Disease, a condition that totally upended her life and saw Toni retire from recording for 15 years. Toni Childs’ recovery began as she detoxified her body while building a new life in Hawaii. In the process of achieving a clean bill of health Toni changed her outlook on living, developing a holistic approach towards a cleaner and healthier lifestyle while embracing yoga and meditation. In 2009 Toni reunited with producer David Ricketts for her comeback album Keep The Faith, which included the hit One Life. Now living in Australia Toni is busier than ever. In recent years she’s recorded the albums Citizens of the Planet and It’s All A Beautiful Noise, while outside of music Toni has supported causes like Rebuild Nepal. She’s also embarked on a host of creative initiatives including the Patreon project where people were immersed in a three dimensional installation of her visual art in the hope of inspiring them to support ecological ideas and values. Like I said, it’s been quite a ride…
Jul 31, 2017
26 min
Thomas Wynn
Thomas Wynn – Wading Deep Into His Southern Soul. There’s something about the music from the south of the United States that permeates your soul and fires the emotions within. And while Florida is usually pasted as a winter escape or the retirement haven for the country’s east coast residents there’s a particular style of soulful rock n roll that’s been heavily influenced by the surrounding states of Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana immediately to the north that have infused the sound of the Sunshine State. It’s a style of music that has been embodied by the likes of The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd from rock’s classic era through to more recent bands like the Tedeschi Trucks Band, JJ Grey & Mofro and now Thomas Wynn and the Believers. Thomas Wynn and the Believers have been one of the most highly rated bands on the Florida scene for a long time, being voted Orlando’s #1 Rock Band and #1 Country/Folk Band for the past seven consecutive years by the Orlando Weekly. Yet it’s only now with their signing to Mascot Records and their first label release Wade Waist Deep that the word is starting to spread about one of Florida’s best kept secrets. Unsurprisingly Wynn grew up playing guitar and bass in church with his brother while their sister Olivia sang in the church choir, but there’s also a musical pedigree in the family with their dad being a member of the 70’s country band Cowboy, who were label mates with the Allman Brothers on Capricorn Records. Wade Waist Deep is an album that can instil the most spiritual connections one moment then hit you like a freight train out of control with a wail of raging electric guitars the next – it’s that kind of emotional roller coaster. It’s a sound that obviously translates well live with local radio station WMNF FM proclaiming Thomas Wynn and the Believers as one of the most exciting new bands in Florida: “Folks stood, jaws dropped… shook their heads and said ‘Damn, I can’t remember the last time I was so impressed by a band I knew nothing about” . After hearing Wade Waist Deep you’ll not only remember Thomas Wynn and his cohorts, you will be a believer.
Jun 14, 2017
19 min
Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell
Our Biggest Fan Hasn’t Been Born Yet. Ordinarily that might seem like an audacious statement, but when it comes from the lips of Lane Harry you know that he’s not posturing, he really means it. As one of the most dynamic hip hop acts in the country you’d expect a lot of posturing and attitude, but with Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell what you get is two intelligent and thoughtful guys who also happen to have a disarming sense of humour. It’s almost as if they’re unaware of their own stature within the genre and the high esteem in which they’re held. But that’s not their concern, they’re only in it for the music and the message. Three years ago Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell won Song of the Year at the Gold Coast Music Awards for Anarchy. And while the award may have caught one of Australia’s fastest rising hip hop acts off guard, it’s easy to see why the judges gave the song the nod as it tackled a host of contemporary social issues with a sophisticated arrangement and high end production values – unusual for such a raw act. It’s early on a weekday morning when I meet Lane and Ike at Serotonin Studios, the home of Guy Cooper – their producer, manager and owner of Human Records. Lane has just finished the nightshift at a hostel, while Ike is about to head off to his day job working in a surf shop. There’s no pretence, no rock star agenda. As Lane says: “if I was in it for the money I would have become a lawyer – I topped my law class in school but it didn’t interest me”. Ike had previously enrolled at university in aeronautical and mechanical engineering, but with his dry sense of humour he says he quit because the best thing about it was Subway at lunchtime. Their latest album Youth has just won Album of the Year at the Gold Coast Music Awards, but why would an act struggling to make ends meet as artists offer it to fans for free? Lane: “We wanted everyone to get it. When I was 15 or 16 I couldn’t afford to buy my favourite artist’s albums, we just want to make our music as accessible as possible”. It’s not only their product they want to make accessible, it’s the music they create as well. Their cinematic approach with high end production values could include anything from sweeping strings to a beautiful melodic chorus with guest female vocalists – it’s hardly old school hip hop. When I ask them if they’re doing it to reach a wider audience their candid response is that they just do whatever works to make the song sound great. There’s no calculated strategy in what they do, these guys are the real deal. So what separates Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell from other hip hop artists? Ike: “We try to make every song not sound like the last song. A lot of people find a sound and they craft it and then they stick to it. They get really good at it, but it’s so limiting because you can only hear the same sound so many times”. Lane: “I want to be at a point where people check out a song of ours because they don’t know what it’s going to sound like. When someone like Kendrick Lamar or Childish Gambino puts out a record I can’t wait to hear it because I’ve got no idea what it’s going to sound like”. A number of cultural icons are referenced on Youth with song titles including Winehouse, Matthew McConaughey and Keith Richards. The use of McConaughey’s catchphrase “alright, alright, alright” is cleverly built into the chorus and once that earworm gets into your head there’s no escaping it. Keith Richards has a Caribbean dub flavour with a classic dancehall beat featuring Eliza Pickard singing the melody. The video has gained some serious traction online and is a hoot with Ike playing the fictitious TV talk show host Morty Martins, who interviews Lane dressed like Keith and asks him: “so Lane, what’s it like to be famous?”. Has Richards seen it? Not that they know of, but Steven Tyler has. He loved it and suggested they talk to Aerosmith’s manager about representation....
May 29, 2017
25 min
Slim Jim Phantom
Slim Jim Phantom says he’s always loved the drums and that the instrument chose him. He grew up on Long Island and after taking up the drums took lessons from jazz great Mousie Alexander, who had played with Benny Goodman. He met Lee Rocker in high school and later they formed the Stray Cats with Brian Setzer, leading the rockabilly revival of the 1980’s. The Stray Cats first emerged in New York during the late 70’s and quickly scored regular slots at notable Manhattan venues like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. They weren’t quite punk per se, but as rockabilly was loaded with attitude and was the punk music of its day they certainly weren’t out of place on that scene either. It wasn’t until the band relocated to London and won over fans like the Stones and the Who that they really kicked into gear. Rockpile guitarist Dave Edmunds was also a fan and offered to produce their (self titled) debut album. Stray Cats was a phenomenal breakthrough featuring what would become some of the finest songs of the band’s career with Stray Cat Strut, Runaway Boys and Rock This Town – the latter of which would eventually be named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. It wasn’t until the band released their second album that their record company was prepared to launch them in the US and by that time the band had already racked up hit singles in the UK and Australia. Within a few short years the band would implode, although numerous reunions (and records) have emerged since. After the initial breakup of the Stray Cats Lee Rocker and Slim Jim formed Phantom, Rocker and Slick with gun session guitarist Earl Slick. They made 2 albums together, including their self-titled debut, which featured the ripping track Men Without Shame. Slim Jim Phantom has featured in many other bands over the years including Head Cat with Lemmy from Motorhead and Dead Men Walking with Captain Sensible (The Damned), Chris Cheney (The Living End) and Mike Peters (The Alarm). Jim is currently touring Australia’s east coast with the Slim Jim Phantom Trio. I spoke to him in his hotel just before going on stage at Blues on Broadbeach where I had the chance to ask him about everything from living the rockabilly life to his barber who used to cut the hair of the King of Romania!
May 22, 2017
19 min
Mark Duckworth – Podcast
Turning Guilty Pleasures Into A Multi Million Dollar Business. As a musician, songwriter and producer music has been Mark Duckworth’s lifelong passion, but it’s as a festival director where he’s really made his name. For the past four years Mark has been at the helm of the Gold Coast music festival Blues on Broadbeach and while the event has been running now for 16 years, it’s under Duckworth’s direction where the festival has exploded exponentially. When he took on the role four years ago Blues on Broadbeach attracted some 80 000 fans, by last year that number had more than doubled with over 166 000 attending the event. Those big numbers bring big dollars into the local economy, to the tune of around $20 million. The festival was originally designed to boost local tourism during the slow winter period and with around 8 000 people turning up for the inaugural event it was an unqualified success, but today Blues on Broadbeach is now the most profitable week for many local businesses – bigger than the busiest weeks over summer, including New Year’s Eve. With 30% of the festival’s visitors arriving from interstate, it’s a chance to beat the winter blues by soaking up the musical variety instead across a range of intimate and big stage venues. With a stunning beachside location and a stellar line up of free entertainment  it’s no wonder the event has been such a success, but without the right balance of artists in the line up it could so easily become a white elephant and that’s where Mark Duckworth’s deft touch ensures Blues on Broadbeach as a festival has become a destination in its own right. This Gold Coast event that has turned the city’s quietest visitor period into a tourism bonanza brings the streets of Broadbeach alive with the sound of music – blues music. Strictly speaking the line up isn’t exclusively blues musicians, but it’s certainly the dominant flavour that sets the tone. This year big names like Ian Moss, Bonnie Tyler, Russell Morris and the Stray Cats’ Slim Jim Phantom will draw the biggest crowds, but it’s those niche acts that really give the event some punch. They’re the acts Mark calls his guilty pleasures – artists with irresistible band names like Lachy Doley and the Horns of Conviction, Cash Savage and the Last Drinks or Byron Short and the Sunset Junkies. Check any of those acts out and you’ll not only be rewarded for being adventurous but you’ll most likely walk away having witnessed a smoking hot set of blues that you just can’t wait to tell your mates about. With a second Gold Coast Music Award for Best Live Event under his belt I caught up with Mark Duckworth in a Broadbeach cafe to discuss his love of music and to tap into why the event has become such a success.
May 16, 2017
27 min
Bluesfest Double – podcast
Backstage at a festival like Bluesfest is another world. Away from the crowds, the noise and the dust where the throng gathers to get a glimpse of their musical heroes is a large tent that houses the dressing rooms for the artists. It’s furnished with palm trees, funky chairs, massage tables and softly lit lounge spaces where the stars can hang out and kick back. It’s also the area where on site interviews are conducted. Often you’re only granted a small amount of time to interview an artist and if there’s a high demand for that particular artist the time can be reduced significantly. The up side is that the ambience lends itself to an easy conversation, but with limited time you have to try and instantly build a rapport with the artist before you’re asked to finish up. At Bluesfest this year I had the opportunity to speak to Corinne Bailey Rae and Nikki Hill and while neither interview was long enough to run as a single podcast, as a double bill they make an interesting contrast as two emerging talents from either side of the Atlantic. Corinne is a soft and smooth neo soul stylist who writes beautiful melodies over lush arrangements, while Nikki is an old school southern soul shouter who serves up a gritty and muscular brand of R & B. Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Bailey Rae is the more established of the two ladies having been named by music critics in 2006 as the number one act predicted act to breakthrough in a BBC poll. And that she did with her self-titled debut going straight to the top of the charts, but after that explosive breakthrough her husband died after an accidental drug and alcohol overdose and her follow up The Sea wasn’t released until four years later. Corinne’s third album The Heart Speaks In Whispers was released last year. Corinne Bailey Rae has been nominated for numerous Grammys, Brit Awards and the Mercury Prize. In 2012 she bagged a Grammy for best R & B Performance. Her 2017 Bluesfest appearance is her first time in Australia. Nikki Hill Nikki Hill is absolute dynamite on stage. She first played Bluesfest in 2015. That year I saw her show three times because I just couldn’t get enough. The North Carolina native rips into her performance with a ferocity of old school rhythm and blues belted out through a muscular set of pipes. Think Little Richard meets southern soul and you’re getting a good idea of what Nikki Hill is about. Her husband Matt Hill is a guitarist who can shred with the best of them but just when you think you’ve got them pegged they’ll blow you away with an AC/DC cover. Nikki’s take on Whole Lotta Rosie at Bluesfest in 2015 was brilliant – she absolutely nailed the vocal and Matt just tore up his guitar. This time at Bluesfest Nikki closed her show by ripping into If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) so naturally I had to ask about her and Matt’s love of AC/DC. She sat down with me over a cup of red wine… I just wished she’d brought the whole bottle!
May 8, 2017
24 min
Deborah Conway – Podcast
Deborah Conway is one of Australia’s most gifted songwriters and vocalists. In the early 80’s she formed Do Re Mi with Dorland Bray and they had a major breakthrough in 1985 with Man Overboard, which went on to become one of the biggest selling Australian songs of that year. The band followed it with a number of other minor chart successes including Warnings Moving Clockwise and Adultery before Conway launched her solo career. In 1991 Deborah Conway established herself as one of Australia’s leading female artists with String of Pearls and with a collection of incredibly rich and evocative songs like It’s Only The Beginning, Release Me, White Roses, Someday, Under My Skin and the title track that’s precisely what it was. It was an extraordinarily strong debut, eventually scoring Conway the Best Female Artist gong at the 1992 ARIA Awards. Deborah Conway’s next album Bitch Epic was equally as impressive featuring fan favourites like Today I’m A Daisy, She Prefers Fire and Alive and Brilliant – the latter eventually inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive. By the time the collaborative experimental project Ultrasound was released guitarist and producer Willy Zygier had become her partner in music and life. Ultrasound also included Bill McDonald and Conway’s one time love Paul Hester (Split Enz, Crowded House). Conway’s solo albums since then have all explored new territory. My Third Husband was described by Deborah as “a dark, throbbing, hypnotic and dreamy kind of record”, while Exquisite Stereo’s audaciously titled and catchy lead single Radio Loves This was ironically and typically ignored by commercial radio. Deborah Conway was no longer young enough to be considered a pop star and sadly her music has been largely ignored by the mainstream media ever since, despite being one of this country’s most consistently innovative artists. In 2004 Summertown (attributed to both Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier) was released with some exquisitely crafted pop songs including the gorgeous Something’s Right, yet the album was again ignored by commercial radio. It was at this time that Conway and Zygier pioneered the Summerware house concert series to promote the album, a concept that has since been adopted by many other artists. Along with stints as Artistic Director of the Queensland Music Festival and the Shir Madness Melbourne Jewish Music Festival Deborah Conway has continued to release a series of impressive albums. Stories of Ghosts looked at old testament themes from an unbeliever’s perspective, while 2016’s Everybody’s Begging took its cue from other writers with a deeper spiritual perspective. In that same year both Rolling Stone and the Leaps & Bounds Festival named Deborah Conway as a living legend. Sound Distractions spoke to Deborah Conway ahead of her appearance on the APIA Good Times national tour with the Black Sorrows, Colin Hay and Mental As Anything. Check the tour dates here.      
May 1, 2017
32 min
Geordie Leach – Podcast (Part 2)
The first part of my conversation with Rose Tattoo’s bass player Geordie Leach covered the early days of his career in Melbourne from where he first met and played with Angry Anderson in Buster Brown, to his migration north to Sydney to join Angry in his new band Rose Tattoo in the late 70’s. Under the guidance of songwriting and producing supremos Harry Vanda and George Young at the Alberts stable Rose Tattoo ripped into the Australian music scene from the outset with their work hard, live hard and play hard ethic. From the blue collar working class neighbourhoods to the bad boys doing time for their crimes the Tatts were a big hit. In the final installment of this podcast Geordie recalls how Rose Tattoo conquered Europe with a formidable live reputation and their no nonsense brand of blues based rock n roll. From Angry’s bleeding skull after relentless head bashing against the amplifiers at the Reading Festival to their top 5 chart success in Germany and France with Rock n Roll Outlaw – the song Geordie wrote with Angry that is now proudly tattooed on his arm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcwj86WkXb8 Then it was on to America supporting Aerosmith where Angry incited the crowd to join him for a fight and they tore the place apart. It became the swan song for the original line up, although the band would reform many times in the years after, usually with Geordie and Angry as the only remaining stalwarts. In 2006 Rose Tattoo were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and while Geordie says it was long overdue he also admits that Vanda and Young should have been given far more credit for the Tatt’s success. It was their incredible knack of knowing what worked to make a hit record and their production smarts that made Rose Tattoo’s records what they were. With five former Tatt’s members now lost to us from cancer there’s very few who can reliably tell the story of Rose Tattoo in any great detail. The band’s take no prisoners approach brought them infamy but it came with a hefty price. Geordie Leach is a man more content now than ever before having left his rock n roll outlaw days behind him. You can keep up to date with the Geordie Leach Band here.
Apr 25, 2017
31 min
Geordie Leach – Podcast (Part 1)
Rose Tattoo were the hard boys of Oz rock. The worked hard, they lived hard and they played hard. There was no compromising in this band. The band members’ tattooed bodies signified their membership within the group and their take no prisoners brand of rock n roll appealed to the down trodden and those just down on their luck. With hit anthems like Rock n’ Roll Outlaw, Bad Boy For Love and We Can’t Be Beaten they became the champions of both the working class and those on the fringe of society and with at least one band member having a reputation for doing time they were a big hit in the big house as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzAOpau4KRY But Rose Tattoo’s popularity extended well beyond the brawling inner city pubs and suburban beer barns of Australia. Their influence has been cited by bands like Guns n’ Roses and the L.A Guns as being a huge influence on the Los Angeles sleaze metal scene that formed in the 1980’s. The Tatts were also popular in Europe where they built a formidable reputation in the UK after appearances at the Reading Festival and London’s Marquee Club. On the continent Rock n’ Roll Outlaw became a top 5 hit in France and Germany. Geordie Leach was the bass player for Rose Tattoo and his relationship with front man Angry Anderson predates the Tatts, going back to the days when they were members of Melbourne’s blues rock outfit Buster Brown. In part 1 of this podcast Geordie goes back to where it all began when he first fell in love with music as a young lad in Melbourne. Surprisingly jazz was an early influence on his playing, before blues and rock n roll became his lifeblood. Geordie recalls the Buster Brown days when Angry Anderson became a champion for the Sharpies and then following Angry to Sydney when he joined Rose Tattoo. Then Geordie drops a bombshell when he reveals that he was asked to joined AC/DC twice, turning them down on both occasions. Despite the riches he could have made with AC/DC Geordie has no regrets. Get on board for this podcast as Geordie recalls one of the great eras of Australian rock n roll, when the Tatts were part of the Albert’s stable with the likes of AC/DC, the Angels and the Choirboys under the guidance of Harry Vanda and George Young.
Apr 17, 2017
24 min
Matt Andersen – Podcast
Matt Andersen is a phenomenal performer. A man possessed of an almighty, soulful voice and some seriously impressive guitar chops. His career began around the turn of the century with the band Flat Top, but it’s over the last decade as a solo artist where he has really begun to make his mark. Matt is an absolute knockout live with many performances captured online that have seen him rack up over 5 million views on You Tube. One of the standouts is his extraordinary take on the Bill Wither’s classic Ain’t No Sunshine. I defy anyone to watch it and not be blown away. With a heavy touring schedule averaging around 200 gigs a year Matt continues to build on his global following. Over that time he’s toured and shared the stage with the best in the business, including Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Beth Hart, Greg Allman, Little Feat, Jonny Lang and many more. His accolades include taking out the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, a swag of Canadian gongs and picking up a European Blues Award in 2013. His most recent album Honest Man is a superb collection of songs that range from the deeply personal like losing yourself in new love to challenging the political status quo of our times with the title track. Matt toured over the 2016/17 Australian summer, including a number of gigs at the Mullumbimby Music Festival. Watching him perform the one thing I wasn’t prepared for was his fabulous sense of humour, a marvellous wit that had the audience in stitches. Matt Andersen has a commanding presence on stage, yet in person is surprisingly a very humble man. In a way this was a lost podcast. The one that got away – almost. For some reason the audio became buried in a file that was stored in an obscure folder on my digital recorder that I only recently unearthed. Until that discovery I’d given up on getting this interview to air. I spoke to Matt backstage at Mullumbimby, where he also generously performed a couple of songs. The podcast opens with Honest Man where he breaks a string but then deftly improvises to finish the song and after restringing his guitar during the interview Matt finishes with the touching Quiet Company.
Apr 3, 2017
18 min