Interviews

Aotearoa’s singer-songwriter Delaney Davidson has been a staple figure in New Zealand’s country blues scene for the last decade. He released his 10th solo studio album earlier this year called ‘Out Of My Head’, an album themed with murder ballads and the darker side of things, and he’s also just dropped an album with Barry Saunders titled ‘Happiness is Near’. Tune into What The Folk as Kerryn Fields chats with Delaney about his upcoming Melbourne shows.

Local afrobeat and sunshine-pop band Bananagun leap from one exotica to the next, grabbing inspiration from the likes of Fela Kuti to the Beatles with their latest piano driven song ‘With The Night’. Their forthcoming sophomore album ‘Why is the Colour of the Sky?’ is set for release on November 8th via Anti Fade Records & Full Time Hobby. Tune in to The Breakfast Spread as the band come in to play Musical Chairs with Milo.

Award winning singer-songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri has lived a life filled with music. He's been a member in multiple bands from Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons to The Black Sorrows, played saxophone alongside Sade and formed the Jazzhead record label in 1996. Helen chats with Joe ahead of the new Black Soorows album, tune in for this exclusive Roots of Rhythm interview.

‘Strictly Ballroom’, ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Shine’ are just a few of the globally recognized films David Hirschfelder has written the screen-composition for. He is an Oscar nominee and x2 BAFTA winner, as well as a prolific keyboardist. This Nov 8, David will perform alongside world-leading contemporary Guzheng artist Mindy Meng Wang at Darebin Arts Centre, for an evening of rich original music. Tune in to The Breakfast Spread as David Hirschfelder chats with Anika about his upcoming show.

Keeping the death metal burning since the 90's is Melbourne band Alarum. They're releasing their long-awaited album 'Recontinue' this Nov 8, and they'll be hitting the road for a lineup of shows across the country with Dutch band Pestilence. Tune into Burning Bitumen as Kene chats with Alarum ahead of their tour and album release.

Local rock band with a country flair The Brakes are launching their long awaited LP ‘BIG ROCK’ on Legless Records this November. With swampy rock and tear-jerking ballads, the LP launch will be happening at The Old Bar alongside Program and The Antics on Nov 15. Tune into Firewater as the band swing by to chat with Claire about the upcoming release.

'Dawn is A Melody' is the new album from local musician Finn Rees, an album that melts your soul into a free-flowing river of spiritual, deep and textured jazz. He is the keys player for 30/70 and Allysha Joy, as well as a core member of Close Counters. Tune into Mystic Brew as Finn Rees drops in for a catch up with Mike Gurrieri.

This month the Australian Art Orchestra celebrate 30 years of progressive, innovative creative output with a huge celebration at the Melbourne Recital Centre on November 15. Tune in to Black Wax this week to hear AAO Artistic Director Aaron Choulai chat with Adam about recent AAO projects and the incredible musical legacy of this Melbourne music institution.

Grammy-nominated pianist Monty Alexander was a prodigy from an early age. At age 4 he was playing Christmas carols by ear, entertaining the neighbours by age 5, and taking his first piano lessons at age 6. He then began playing in clubs at age 14, and today he belongs to a generation of modern jazz piano heroes. Monty will be performing at Birds Basement from the 5th - 9th Nov, tune into Black Wax as he comes in for a chat with Adam.

Coming together to create folk, country and blues music is local band PepperCreek Revival with Kelly Auty. Their latest single ‘I’m Dreaming (When I’m Around You)’ is a song about love that thrives through a lifetime. The band come into The Juke Joint with their lap steel, mandolin, acoustic & electric guitars, along with Kelly’s hearty vocals for a Studio 5 Live session, and chat with Matt about their latest music.

Songs, improvisation and soundscapes are what you can expect to hear at Abyssalis - an upcoming concert in Cross Street Music Hall that will take you on a journey through light to darkness, exploring clarity in the context of chaos. The night will feature an array of hugely respected musicians, including contrabassist Nick Tsiavos and instrument-maker and vocalist Colin Offord. Tune into The Sound Barrier as Nick and Colin come in to chat about this event taking place on Nov 9.

Stepped in country and rock n roll, Hana & Jessie-Lee are swagger and sass. Their second album ‘Say What You Mean’ came out earlier this year, and is ladened with songs depicted insomnia, to love, and missing home. Ahead of their Luliepalooza show, the duo come into 5ft High and Rising to chat with Myles.

Tokyo-raised and Melbourne-based violinist, producer, and vocalist Elle Shimada is an emotive, cinematic, and thought-provoking artist. She's jumping on the decks this Friday for a back to back guest mix with Noongar musician and DJ Poli-Pearl. You can catch both of these artists at the Strawberry Jam Afterparty on Nov 24. Tune in to Tomorrowland for this one off, sonic experience.

Lead by DJs Bby Cass and Sleepy Jay, Groove Alliance is a Melbourne based collective uniting people through music. They are dedicated to curating events that celebrate femme, queer, BIPOC and gender non-conforming DJs, forming a space where everyone can connect on the dance floor. Tune in to The Breakfast Spread as they come in to spin the Wheels of Steel.

Far from their homeland France and here on tour is punk rock duo Human Toys. Fronted by dynamic vocalist and theremin player Poupée, the duo merge together garage punk with female archetypes, creating something between Ramones and the Avengers. Tune in to Sunglasses After Dark to hear where to catch them playing live.

During the late 70s in Melbourne, triple R presenter Alan Bamford recorded many punk and post-punk underground bands, including The Take, Morpions, Ronnie and the Rhythm Boys and many more. These bands were part of a 80’s sub scene called ‘Little Bands’, and a compilation LP was put together, along with a booklet to champion these Melbourne bands. Tune into Junkyard as Melynda and Simon join Mike to chat about this LP, and a launch show that’s happening at Bar 303 on Nov 23rd.

Returning to Australian shores since 2019 is Swedish punk-rockers Viagra Boys. Known for their seething satire and darkly comic edge music, their lyrics often reflect the absurdity and backwardness of the modern world. The band will be playing at the Forum on Saturday, but ahead of their show the band stop by Fang It! for a chat with Ruari.

A diverse group of Melbourne’s finest musicians are coming together to honour the legacy of folk-blues artist Gram Parsons. PBS’s own Myles will be presenting the event, and he’s bringing in a few names on the line up, such as Evan Sillience, Kerryn Fields, and Ben Mastwyk to play a couple of live tunes on Swinging Doors this Thursday. Tune in for some sing-alongs, ahead of the ‘50 Years of Grievous Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Gram Parsons’ show taking place at The Brunswick Ballroom.

PBS announcer on Tomorrowland and co-founder of Wax’o Paradiso, Edd Fisher is a tastemaker in the future beats and soul scene. He’ll be playing at The Night Cat with Emelyne on Nov 1st for 'PBS presents: Midnight Driver'. Tune in to The Breakfast Spread as he shares his collection of goodies with Milo to play a special segment of Musical Chairs.

Modern post-punk band A. Swayze & The Ghosts make edgy grooves and DEVO-inspired bangers. Their latest album ‘Let’s Live a Life Better Than This’ took fours years to flourish and documents a transition from self-destruction to love through gritty guitar and waves of sonic emotion. Tune into Sunglasses After Dark as Phil chats with Andrew Swayze about the new album and upcoming show at The Curtain on Nov 15.