Anyone Can Play Guitar

Hello and welcome back to ACPG podcast.

Welcome to SEASON FIVE. Five season and 156 episodes we've been doing this.. mad.

This is the first episode in season five and we have a wonderful guest in Jonny Took from the awesome DMA'S.

Ben and Jonny catch up over zoom to discuss DMA'S new album, coming out at the end of March, How Many Dreams?, touring, the DNA of DMA'S (try saying that ten times fast), and having Liam Gallagher in your corner.

It's great to be back and we have a great season coming up. It's going to be weekly and a little shorter. It's like a sprint of episodes. How exciting.

See you in a week.

Hello and welcome to the last episode of season four.

This is just a quick outro and reflection on season four with Ben and James. We look back at season five and look forward to season five. Wow that was very corporate writing there. Apologies.

Thank you to everyone who listened, downloaded, passed the podcast to their friends, guests, management companies, PR companies, and every last tour manager. 

See you later in the year with some hopefully some more amazing guests.

Take care and see you soon.

Hello and Welcome to the final interview of season five.

This week Ben is zooming with solo artist Jackson Mico Milas. Ben and Jackson talk about his new album Blu Terra, writing with Tim Minchin, running and so much more.

Having cut his teeth at New York’s Nylon Studios, Jackson carved out a career with award-winning film and TV scores including a long-standing collaboration with Tim Minchin on the acclaimed Sky Atlantic drama ‘Upright’. ‘Blu Terra’ brings together eleven tender and emotive compositions and finds the British artist hitting his stride. 

On ‘Blu Terra’, Jackson comes of age, and delivers a mature and elegant suite of compositions encompassing acoustic, alt-folk and jazz elements to set up soaring and heartfelt songs. The LP features a cast of great players, including string arrangement on ‘June’ from Elliott Wheeler (Musical Director/Composer on ELVIS), and Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie 'Blackstar'), and Troy Simms (Lee Scratch Perry). The album is released on Apollo, the home to ground-breaking talent such as Aphex Twin, Nadine Shah, Synkro, Biosphere and many more over its 30-year tenure.

Thank you to Jackson for talking to us, and thank you to Terry for setting up the interview.

The end of season wrap is in your feed now.

This week we speak to Tara Divina.

If you visit her website, which you should, you’ll be presented with this call to action - “You deserve to experience the greatest joy and fulfilment life has to offer. Create your work of art. Leave your legacy. Live free of regret.”.

Big statements. And she can help. An ex record label exec and current musician and coach shares a wealth of fantastic insights.

Hello and welcome to episode 152 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is zooming with Nic and Alex of the awesome TV Priest.

They talk about all things TV priest, on stage, off stage, writing, recording and moving to a different country. Listen out of the classic European sirens.

With just a few singles and one gig in a warehouse, they were signed to Sub Pop mid-campaign in 2020 and released their debut album Uppers in the height of a global pandemic, which reaped praise from critics and fans alike for its ‘dystopian doublespeak’’. For TV Priest, it is a follow-up that feels truly, properly them; free of bravado, unnecessary bluster or any audience pressure to commit solely to their original sound.

Dampened by the inability to share it live, singer Charlie Drinkwater found the success of the album both gratifying and bad for his mental health as it felt kind of divorced from reality. As such, My Other People intentionally maintains a strong sense of earth-rooted emotion, taking full advantage of the opportunity to physically connect. He set about crafting lyrics that allowed him to articulate a deeper sense of personal truth, using music as a vessel to communicate with his bandmates about his depleting mental health, at a time where he would call himself unwell.

Thank you to Alex for setting up the interview and to Nic and Alex for their time. 

Hello and welcome to episode 151 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is on zoom with Conradfrom the North West based band - The Luka State.

Ben and Conrad talk about all things The Luka State as well as a lot of rock n roll.

Hailing from Winsford – a forgotten town between Manchester and Liverpool –  The Luka State aren’t overly concerned with the loftier heights of the rock’n’roll dream.

“Music has always been therapy for me,” says Conrad Ellis, frontman of rising UK indie-rock powerhouse The Luka State. “You do feel like there’s a weight lifted, but for people with mental health struggles and people from working-class towns, you feel like you deserve more than the cards you’ve been dealt – those feelings don’t go away.” 

Ellis, along with his hometown childhood friends Sam Bell (bass, vocals), Lewis Pusey (guitar) and Jake Barnabas (drums), dropped their self-funded debut album ‘Fall In Fall Out’ in 2021 to media attention and critical acclaim, but also a world gone quiet due to the pandemic. “It was hard to connect with the wider world when we were all stuck at home, so we couldn’t see what impact we’d had on the scene, the industry and the wider world,” remembers Ellis. 

When the world opened up and the band could return to the stage, they found legions of fans who had connected with their debut album’s punchy stories of hometown life and knew every word. But by then, they’d already been at work on the follow-up and were evolving as a band both musically and lyrically.  

Thank you to Kat for setting up the interview. And thank you to Conrad for coming on.

Hello and welcome to episode 150 of the ACPG podcast.

This week Ben is zooming with DC Gore (Dom) to talk about his new album All These Things, his plans for the future, playing live again and much much more.

Dom was currently moving when they spoke. Both literally and in general. So expect some transit at the start of the conversation.

Dom is a great musician and he is new album All These Things, expertly layers fantastically dystopian imagery against twinkling tapestries of electronics and propulsive beats. It’s a shift akin to the Pet Shop Boys’ development between Introspective and Behaviour: from bright, dancefloor-focused pop to melancholic mini-symphonies.

Thank you to Dom and Stasi for the interview.

See you in a week where will be zooming again.

Hello and welcome to episode 149 of the ACPG podcast.

In this episode Ben is on zoom with Washington DC based duo Flasher.

Ben, Emma, and Taylor talk all things touring, new albums, living on miles and miles apart, and the Washington DC punk scene.

The band’s 2018 debut, Constant Image, was a triumph – a set of songs both dizzy and explosive, balancing new-wave lushness and post-punk frenzy. Love is Yours steps up the ambition and reaches for the horizon. The record is ablaze with mood, melody, and carefully threaded hooks, finding the band foregrounding the pop sensibilities that had always been present in their previous releases. It retains the attitude that was fundamental to the band’s DIY roots, but cuts loose a touch of the angst. Though the songs process disillusionment and loss, the music evokes warmth and optimism. It is their best record and also their most generous.

Thank youfor listening and see you soon.

Hello and welcome to episode 148 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is back on zoom with Roxanne Emery talking about her new music project Rory.

It's a wide ranging episode covering her life in music, her new album, and mental health.

She's a multi-platinum selling songwriter who has written for the likes of Charli XCX, NOAHFINNCE and All American Rejects, has graced the cover of Spotify’s All New Rock and YouTube’s Noise Riot, been selected as BBC Introducing Record of The Week, as well as receiving eclectic support from from BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, Kerrang, PopJustice and Rock Sound, with the latter calling previous single and EP track ‘Uncomplicated’ "an emotional, sentimental and crushing pop-punk belter.”

She's known for her incredibly emotive and impactful songwriting, with the new EP exploring an impressive and cathartic range of emotions and sonics from melodic post hardcore to infectious pop punk crowd pleasures, and more sensitive alt pop. ‘Help Your Friends Get Sober’ taken from the EP, has also gone viral on Tik Tok with over 900,000 views, connecting with those who have lost loved ones to addiction.

Please note there is a trigger warning for this episode as we discuss some very personal topics with Roxanne and some listeners may wish to listen with caution around mental health.

Thank you to Roxanne and Jasleen for this interview.

See you in a week.

Hello and welcome to episode 147 of the ACPG podcast.

This week we have great and fascinating conversation with Phil Thornally, writer, singer, bass player, producer, engineer. He's done the lot and this is a fantastic chat.

A quick scan of the many records Phil Thornalley has worked on, and you’ll quickly spot some of the biggest names in popular music, including Bryan Adams, Thompson Twins, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Duran Duran, and even Paul McCartney. Phil co-wrote and produced Natalie Imbruglia’s 1997 worldwide smash “Torn,” and has written hits with Pixie Lott (“Mama Do”) and BBMak (“Back Here”). A kind of rock’n’roll Zelig, his name is probably on countless records in your collection, although you probably didn’t even know it was him.  That bass line on The Cure’s “Love Cats”? That’s Phil. The haunting and ethereal production on Prefab Sprout’s “When Love Breaks Down”?  That’s Phil too. 

Now, on his latest offering, Now That I Have Your Attention, Phil Thornalley steps out of The Swamp (his North London studio) to unveil 11 catchy and brand-new original songs (plus three bonus tracks on the CD!) that find him exploring the production stylings pioneered by the Electric Light Orchestra’s Brummie boffin, Jeff Lynne.

Thank you to Phil and Terry for the interview and their time.

Hello and welcome to episode 146 of the ACPG podcast and a return to the weekly format to see us to the end of the year and the end of season four.

This week Ben is zooming with Dante from the band GUN, as well as the return of a season three guest Ewan Macfarlane for a special doulbe bubble.

Ben spoke to Dante and Ewan about their respective new albums.

Hello and welcome to episode 145 of the ACPG podcast.

This week Ben is on zoom with James and Steve of Crows.

Ben caught James and Steve in their tour van, you've guessed it, on tour. 

They spoke about getting the band started, touring, writing, playing America at SXSW and so much more.

Thank you to James and Steve for their time. And thank you to Amy for setting the interview up.

Next time, we speak to Phil Thornally. Not to be missed.

Hello and welcome to episode 144 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is on zoom speaking to Keith Duffy, founding member of his current project Boyzlife with Brian McFadden. And member of one of the biggest boybands, Boyzone.

Ben and Keith talk about how Boyzlife got started, their new album, their tour, and how to get balance in this business of music.

You can catch Keith and Brian on tour now. And Old School is now.

Thank you to Keith for talking to us and thank you Sacha for setting up the interview.

Hello and welcome to episode 143 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week we have a change of pace for season four as Ben speaks to photographer Tony Briggs.

Tony Briggs has just released a great table top book called 'Behind the Scene'. A book that captures the imagery and imagination for the awesome Ocean Colour Scene between 1995 to 1998.

Ben and Tony talk about the book, how it got started, how it was produced, using Kickstarter, and Ocean Colour Scene. What makes them stand out from other bands to stand the test of time.

This was a great episode to really talk to someone has been on the inside without being part of the band. It's a bit of a different view.

We hope you enjoy. Thank you to Tony and Thom for the interview. And we'll see you next time. 

Hello and welcome to episode 142 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is in the Newcastle University Student Union talking to the amazing Jesse Wood of the awesome Reef.

Ben and Jesse talk about joining Reef, playing with Mick Jones, touring, recording, and the Reef album.

We also briefly mention his dad's band. They're ok I guess.

Thank you to Jesse, Seven, William, and Shaun for helping sort out the interview.

Next time, we talk to the band Crows.

Hello and welcome to episode 141 of the ACPG podcast.

This week Ben s back on zoom with Buddy Schaub of the fantastic Lee Than Jake.

Ben and Buddy spoke about being part of the punk scene, touring, recording, being in 'band' at school, and just saying yes.

As a fan of Less Than Jake for over 20 years and a pop punk kids of the late 90's/ early 00's. This was a really treat.

We hope you enjoy this episode. It was a lot of fun to record.

Thank you to Buddy and JR from Less Than Jake.

Oh and thanks for the guestlist tickets for me and Wade.

See you in two weeks for a little bit of Reef. So remember to place those hands.

Hello and welcome to episode 140 of the ACPG podcast.

This is the last of our pre-covid conversation and it's with one of Ben's main guitar influences, Russell Lissack from the outstanding Bloc Party.

Now, this was recorded in the cluny when it was very busy. So expect a little bit of background noise. But it's ok, don't worry.
Ben and Russell speak about Bloc Party, Novacub, touring with Ash and so much more.

We hope you enjoy it and we'll see you in two weeks.

Hello and welcome to episode 139 of the ACPG podcast.

In this week's episode Ben is on another tour bus, outside the Newcastle Academy, in 2019. This time with Shauna of the band Rews.

This was recorded pre-covid and is the last of two to go from that time.

Shauna and Ben spoke about band line ups, music retreats, balance, and so much more.

This episode closes a loop from episode two with Mark Radcliffe were Mark turned us on to Rews.

We hope you enjoy.

See you in two weeks for our last pre-covid conversation. This time with Russell Lissack from Bloc Party and Novacub.

Hello and welcome to episode 138 of the ACPG podcast.

This week Ben is on a tour bus outside the Newcastle Academy in 2019. Apologies to guests are the delay in the release but is one of the last pre covid recordings.

And this week we are with Matt and Chris from the awesome The Amazons.

We spoke about their rise in this business they call music, playing live, touring, and Neil Young.

We hope enjoy and thank you again to Matt and Chris.

See you in two weeks when we back on a tour bus, back outside the Newcastle academy and back before covid, with Shauna from Rews.

Hello and welcome to episode 137 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is back talking to guests face to face on tour and in real life. Lovely.

In this episode Ben is in the glorious Cluny in Newcastle with the wonderful Zuzu.

Ben and Zuzu talk about touring, new albums, The Beatles, Liverpool, and that moment. The moment when Zuzu was the first person to stand on stage to a packed crowd and reintroduce live music after all of the lockdowns. Quite a moment.

Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy and see you in two weeks when we go back before Covid was a thing and speak to The Amazons.