BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series

Drummer Bradley Polain Re-edited S2 episode 14

Guest: Bradley Polain – accomplished drummer, vocalist, composer, and storyteller based in Adelaide, South Australia.

Summary:
In this compelling interview, Di Spillane chats with beloved South Australian musician Bradley Polain. With natural charm and candid insights, Brad shares how his early jazz gigs at age 12 paved the way for decades of live performance, studio work, and mentorship. From his no-reading teaching philosophy to his love for Zeppelin-inspired hard rock, Brad reflects on the drummers who shaped him, the unlikely beginnings of Hindley Street Country Club, and why he still hasn’t released his own music—yet.

Whether you’re a drum enthusiast, a fan of live music, or just love a good story, this episode hits all the right notes.

Topics Covered:

• Childhood gigs & learning brushes the day before performance
• Growing up in a loud, musical household 🎶
• The evolution from brass bands to jazz, cover bands, and international shows
• Studio sessions and award-winning albums recorded in Los Angeles 🏆
• Musical influences from Buddy Rich to John Bonham
• Why Brad doesn’t read sheet music—and what that says about his teaching approach
• Adelaide’s thriving drummer scene & Cargo Club memories
• Hindley Street Country Club origins, live recording discipline & collaboration
• Touring across Bali, Darwin, and beyond 🌏
• Writing original music in New Orleans, but struggling to release it
• Dreams of an intimate gig at The Baked Potato (LA), with an all-star fantasy lineup
• Reflections on musical legacy, perfectionism, and the joy of harmonies
• Rapid-fire questions: from stick drops to TV shows and the best deodorant for drummers 🤘

Quote Highlights:

“Is there reading involved? I think I’m washing my hair that day.”
“You don’t always need the original track telling you what to do.”
“I just want to leave behind a few nice memories.”
“Sometimes the only way to learn jazz is Friday afternoon brush lessons before your Saturday gig.”
“All the deodorants—at the same time.”

Links & Mentions:

• Hindley Street Country Club
• Reggae On
• Jamie Jones, Craig Lauritsen, Simon Rigby, Adam Dicker
• James Muller, Damian Steelscott, Paul White
• Zildjian Cymbals, Ludwig Drums, Billy Hyde Music
• The Cargo Club, Notorious (Darwin band), The Baked Potato (LA)
• Catherine Lambert and The Hep Hounds
• 
  

Call to Action:
Love this episode? Share it with fellow music fans, drummers, and anyone who loves stories that groove. Subscribe to the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series, leave a comment or rating, and follow for more behind-the-scenes chats with Adelaide's finest music makers.

Music

The BAND IT ABOUT theme song was written for the BAND IT ABOUT Podcast Series by Catherine Lambert and recorded by Catherine Lambert and Michael Bryant.

'Fooled Again' written by Bradley Polain. Fooled Again features Bradley Polain (drums/vocals), James Muller (guitar), Damien Steele Scott (bass), and Paul White (keys), it's a great song that hopefully, he will release at some stage in the not too distant future!

The Hindley Street Country Club YouTube 

All of the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries

First version had 629 Listeners making it the most popular interview for this podcast.

S4 E5 Peter Allan joins BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator Di Spillane to discuss his band The Honey Badgers and what they will be doing at this year's Port Noarlunga Blues Festival.

If you have been listening to this season’s episodes you would be very aware by now that the Port Noarlunga Blues Festival commences next week on Friday the 24th of November.

Peter Allan has been an integral part of the roots and blues music scene for many years here in South Australia, not only

Pete is the drummer for The Honey Badgers, a band that helped to put our local blues scene on the map in January this year when they became the very first South Australian band to make it through to the Final of the International Blues Competition, which is held in Memphis Tennessee at the end of January each year.

You only have 1 opportunity to see Pete and the boys during

The BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series is available on all platforms, please see this link for all options:

The Honey Badgers links: https://thehoneybadgers.net/

https://www.facebook.com/honeybadgersisaband/

Port Noarlunga Blues Festival Facebook:

The BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series theme song was written for the podcast series by Catherine Lambert and Michael Bryant.

Di Spillane BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator

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S4 E4 ZKYE Compson-Harris. Zkye & Damo Port Noarlunga Blues Festival 2023.

Zkye is a 2x SA Blues Awards Female Vocalist of the year, whose powerhouse vocals have earned rave reviews and a devoted following of fans both here in Australia and overseas.

Zkye will be performing at the Port Noarlunga Blues festival in duo mode with her partner and fellow Zkye Blue Band member Damien Steele-Scott, accompanying on acoustic guitar, entertaining the audience performing a selection of original and blues and rock classics.

During the interview Di Spillane asks Zkye:

Q1. When did you and your partner Damian first begin performing together as a duo?

Q4. What do you enjoy about playing at this festival?

Q5. What can your fans expect to hear when you perform this year?

Q6. What do you have coming up after the festival?

Port Noarlunga Blues Festival

Zkye's bands: Zkye Blue Kickass Cowgirls

BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series

BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host Creator Di Spillane

#banditaboutpodcastseries #zkye #zkyeblue #portnoarlungabluesfestival #musicinterview #musicpodcast #podcast #independentpodcast #dispillane

S4 E3 Chris Finnen joins Di Spillane to discuss this year's Port Noarlunga Blues Festival.

About Chris; Chris began to play the guitar when he was 10. Migrating with his parents from the UK to Australia in the late 60’s, it was in the state of Victoria that he started his 'musical apprenticeship' - learning how to play and getting gigs where he could. In 1970 he met long-time collaborator and friend Phil Manning, who he has played with numerous times over the years. He has performed in various bands or created his own, and when not performing, touring, and recording himself, he has dedicated his time to mentoring and tutoring many aspiring guitarists. Today, he is arguably one of Australia’s best known and most highly regarded master of the guitar.

With a career spanning well over 50 years, performing and studying the blues, Jazz, Rock, Folk, and Indian/World music genres. He has playing for the Dalai Lama and has shared the stage with some of the world's best, including Buddy Guy, Bo Didley, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Buchanan, Eric Burdon, John Mayall, and Mavis Staples to name just a few. In Australia he has worked with many of our best-known musicians including Matt Taylor, Phil Manning, Dutch Tilders, Jeff Lang, Kevin Borich, and many, many others.

His awards include Guitar, Vocal, Song writing, Production, and best Blues/World' Album.

Chris will be performing a few times during the festival, on Saturday the 25th of November at the Arts Centre. The evening will open with Mick Kidd and David Blight at 7pm, followed by The Chris Finnen Band at 8:20, and then at 9:40 he will team up with Phil Manning. Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1117509

On Sunday at the Bowling Club on River Road performing with Phil Manning at 3:20, just after the Cal Williams Jnr trio who are opening at 2pm. Frank Lang’s Hoy-Hoy will be hitting the

#musicinterview #musicpodcast #ChrisFinnen #banditaboutpodcastseries #guitarist #portnoarlungabluesfestival

S4 E2 Multi Award Winning Singer/Songwriter/ and Multi-Instrumentalist Steve Eales of Steve Eales and The Open Road is this weeks BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series guest.

During this weeks episode Podcast Host/Creator Di Spillane asks Steve what he will be performing during his first appearance at the festival, has an in depth conversation with Steve about songwriting and the songwriters workshop that he will be holding, and Di even manages to ask Steve a couple of questions that nobody has ever asked him before!

Steve will be holding a Songwriters Workshop during this year's Port Noarlunga Blues Festival on Saturday the 25th of November at 11am in the Noori Wine Bar on Gawler Street. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased vial this link: https://www.trybooking.com/events/1125816/sessions/4191152/sections/2107353/tickets

Steve will be performing his brand new songs during the festival, 7pm at the Port Noarlunga Hotel and 9pm at Drifters on Saturday the 25th, and on Sunday he will be performing at Port Burger at 4pm.

For more information about this year's festival please go to their website: https://portnoarlungabluesfestival.com.au/

Steve Eales website: https://www.steveeales.com/

The BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series theme song was written by Catherine Lambert and Michael Bryant for the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series.

For more places to listen, rate, and or support this independent Music Interview podcast please go to the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Linktree: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries

BAND IT ABOUT - Proudly Supporting Live Music.

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S4 E1 PORT NOARLUNGA BLUES FESTIVAL, Interview with Sue and Danny Filmer from SUEDAN.

Danny and Sue Filmer join host/creator Di Spillane for Season Four Episode One of the limited series of the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series to discuss their involvement in this year’s Port Noarlunga Blues Festival which runs over 3 days starting on Friday the 24th of November 2023.

Dan and Sue are members of the Port Noarlunga Blues Festival committee and they join me to discuss the planning and their experiences as new members on the committee who have been assigned with the task of scheduling all of the solo and duo acts that will be appearing this year.

Sue and Dan discuss the scheduled events, what they have learned so far in this new role and where you can see the blues and roots duo SUEDAN perform this year during the festival.

The Port Noarlunga Blues Festival launched in November 2017 with performances from over

Various local businesses including the Port Noarlunga hotel, cafes, restaurants, sporting

Suedan return to the Port Noarlunga Hotel on Saturday the 25th, where the lineup wil include a total of 8 performance starting with The Youth performances from 10am to 2pm, Frankie and Savva at 5pm, Rob and Beck at 6pm, Steve Eales at 7pm, and Rhyley McGrath at 8pm. And then at 9pm Suedan return along with the 2 acts from the previous evening to follow at 10 and 11pm.

With over 110 performances over the 3 days which includes a mix of ticketed and free events you would be crazy to miss this year's festival. To see a full list of events please go to the Port Noarlunga website where you can alo purchase festival tickets: https://portnoarlungabluesfestival.com.au/firebox/get-ready-2023/

For information about SUEDAN please go to their website:https://suedan.com.au/

Please follow this podcast series on your preferred podcast listening platform. All links to podcast and socials can be found on the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Linktree: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries

Theme song written by Catherine Lambert and Michael Bryant for the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series.

BAND IT ABOUT Host/Creator Di Spillane

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Season 4 of the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series starts Friday the 20th of October, 2023. This limited season will include interviews with some of the organisers and performers for this year's Port Noarlunga Blues Festival which starts on Friday the 24th of November running through to Sunday the 26th of November 2023.

The Port Noarlunga Blues Festival launched in November 2017 with performances from over 40 bands and artists, and due to the success of that launch, the Business and Tourism Association special committee, formed an incorporated organisation to develop the festival into an annual event.

Various local businesses including the Port Noarlunga hotel, cafes, restaurants, sporting clubs, and the Port Noarlunga Arts Centre, play host over the three days to a variety of both free and ticketed musical performances from a very impressive

For more information and to purchase tickets please go to the Port Noarlunga Blues Festival website.

https://portnoarlungabluesfestival.com.au/firebox/get-ready-2023/

Di Spillane - BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator

Roger Smith is a South Australian harmonica player who has been playing with his Blues/Rock band The Bluescasters for the past 16 years. Roger began his musical journey playing the djembe in a world music band called 'Fuego' with his good friend Glen Reynolds. Roger has always loved the blues and was really interested in learning how to play the harmonica, so he eventually decided to go and have some lessons at WEA with John Hastwell. A few years later he heard about an eclectic jam session that was happening at Bookends Bookshop on Unley Road which he began to attend on a regular basis, and this is where he first met The Bluescasters vocalist/guitarist Tony Pettas. Roger grew tired of having to travel to Unley and the other jams that he was attending every week so he decided to start his own jam which he did at the Blackwood RSL. Roger ran this weekly jam for 6 years and it was during this period that he began to regularly jam with the other musicians who he would end up forming the blues/rock band 'The Bluescasters' with. 'The Bluescasters' had the first gig at The Old Clarendon Winery, and due to their popularity, regularly played there on a Sunday afternoon until the winery closed. Roger's love of the blues also led to him starting the Port Noarlunga Blues Festival with a friend in 2017, and he is also a former Adelaide Roots and Blues Association (ARBA) committee member. 

If you are interested in having harmonica lessons with Roger you can contact him via phone on 0411 702 845 or email [email protected]

Music: intro "Band It About" theme song, written and recorded for the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series by Catherine Lambert and Michael Bryant. 

Outro: The Bluescasters performing the Jimi Hendrix version of "Come On" (often called "Let the Good Times Roll") which was written by New Orleans rhythm and blues artist Earl King. The song's lyrics are based on "Let the Good Times Roll", the 1946 jump blues hit by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five.

Links: all of the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series links can be located here: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries 

The Bluescasters: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063855918479

https://portnoarlungabluesfestival.com.au/ https://www.arba.net.au/ 

Thanks for listening. Di Spillane BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator.

#hohnerbluesharp #hohnerharmonicas #rogersmith #thebluescasters #banditaboutpodcastseries #southaustralia #musicinterviews #musicpodcast #musiccommentary #interviews #realpeople #realstories #australianpodcasts #independentpodcasts #podcast #podcasts #bluesharmonica #adelaidesouthaustralia 

S3 E8 Snooks La Vie (Paul Wimbles) is a South Australian born blues/soul/country vocalist and harmonica player who first began to play the harmonica after finding a brand new Hohner Marine band harmonica that was underneath a former partners bed. He began to teach himself how to play whilst sitting outside in his Monaro. He first started out playing on the local scene with a punk band called The Enemy, and switched to playing the blues after his work mate Rubes suggested that he give this genre a try. The pair started out playing together at work functions and it wasn't too long before they put together their first band The Deliverymen, who were later to become The Hiptones (after a few lineup changes.) Snooks had always been a fan of Cold Chisel, and after meeting their harmonica player David Blight at a David Blight and The Flyers gig, Snooks had a few lessons with him before deciding to concentrate on the more traditional blues sound that comes from playing by using the tongue blocking technique. Snooks La Vie acquired his moniker from his friend and music/work colleague Papa Rubes which started out as just a bit of fun and stuck amongst his peers for being known as an avid fan of New Orleans musician ‘Snooks Eaglin’. As former front man of The Hiptones, Snooks has enjoyed the success of awards such as a South Australian Music Award for best blues band/act in 1997, signed to a major label SONYBMG in 2006 and an APRA nomination for best ‘blues/roots’ work in 2008. Snooks also took out South Australian Blues Vocalist of the Year for three consecutive years (2008, 2009, and 2010.) The Hiptones recorded their second album "Right Now" at Joe Camilleri's studio Woodstock studios with James Black producing the album. Snooks current bands are Romaldo’s Groove, The Dirty Roots Band, and his new band Snooks La Vie's Blues All Star Revue. He also performs in duos with Nikko (Nick Kipridis) and Snooks, Courtney Robb and Snooks, and J J Fields (Sav Palaktsoglou) and Snooks La Vie.

Music intro "Band It About" theme song, written and recorded by Catherine Lambert and Michael Bryant. Outro "Walter's Walk" which was released in February 2017 on the Nikko & Snooks album "Way Back Home". https://snookslavie.bandcamp.com/album/way-back-home-nikko-snooks

Links: all of the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series links can be located here: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries

Snooks La Vie's links: https://www.facebook.com/SnooksLaVie/  https://www.facebook.com/The-Hiptones-29980268497/  https://www.courtneyrobbmusic.com/   https://www.facebook.com/NikkoandSnooks/  

BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator Di Spillane

#snookslavie #thehiptones #hohnerharmonicas #bluesharmonica #rootsmusic #bluesmusic #southaustralia #sonybmg #courtneyrobb #nickkipridis #jjfields #harmonica #mudmorganfield #musicinterviews #musicpodcast #realstories #realpeople #banditaboutpodcastseries #banditabout #dispillane #marinebandharmonica #southaustralianmusicians  

Bonus Episode; BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator Di Spillane released her debut blues/gospel single “The Underground Railroad” on the 22nd of September to raise Narcolepsy awareness on World Narcolepsy Day. In this episode, you will hear Di Spillane being interviewed by Zofia Dendunnen from PBAFM and then by Julie Reynolds whose community radio network program 'Saturday Breakfast with Julie Reynolds', is aired on over 30 community radio stations across Australia. “The Underground Railroad” is available to purchase on bandcamp,  Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. 

To purchase on Apple Music:: https://music.apple.com/au/album/the-underground-railroad-single/1642022382

To purchase on bandcamp https://dispillane.bandcamp.com/track/the-underground-railroad

Di was inspired to write “The Underground Railroad” after discovering that one of the railroad’s most famous conductors Harriet Tubman remarkably managed to escape from slavery on her own, only to then spend more than 10 years returning to Maryland to lead her family and friends safely to freedom via a secret network of people, places and routes that provided shelter and assistance to escaping slaves, called the Underground Railroad. She did this despite suffering from the rare sleep disorder “secondary narcolepsy” or “posttraumatic hypersomnia”, which she developed after having received a severe blow to her head.  

Di has lived with type 1 narcolepsy with cataplexy since childhood, and despite having had symptoms for most of her life, she didn't receive a diagnosis until she was 49. Di decided to release this song on the 22nd of September, 2022 to coincide with World Narcolepsy Day to help raise awareness of this rare debilitating sleep disorder.

Di Spillane vocals, Gail Page - bv's and harmonies, Rick Melick - piano, Edward Pollard - drums, Denis Surmon - bass guitar. Recorded by Brett Sody at Sody - Pop Recording Studios and Services, Norwood, South Australia.

Di Spillane's distrokid music link: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/dispillane/the-underground-railroad

BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series links can all be located here: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries

Stream “The Underground Railroad” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/03rcxSeM74KmhztER3hIu5?utm_source=SendGrid&utm_medium=Email+&utm_campaign=website

Di Spillane's Spotify Artist link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44pP8CLQHmnKct6edFj2sH?si=mNlHCeQxSjW9HGZDc1_vzg

#theundergroundrailroad #harriettubman #dispillane #worldnarcolepsyday #sodiumoxybate #bluesmusic #gospelmusic #abolitionist #cataplexy #debutsingle #australianmusicindustry #adelaidesouthaustralia #antislavery #freedom #dreamer #banditabout #womeninhistory #blacklivesmatter #americanhistory #blackhistory #rickmelick #musicindustry #narcolepsy #gailpage #denissurmon #edwardpollard #brettsody #sodypop