Chatting Tracks

By Robbie BurgessMusic Music Interviews

Chatting Tracks episodes

July 01, 2024 EPS 54 : Harkness Reveals Secrets Behind His Multi-Layered Sound 🎸
🎸 Join Robbie Burgess on this electrifying episode of The Harkness Chatting Tracks as we delve into the secrets behind Harkness's multi-layered sound! 🌌 Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Harkness is a true musical enigma myth, a legend, and a multi-instrumentalist whose music is a kaleidoscope of psychedelic, pop, rock, and harmonies.

This captivating interview explores Harkness's musical journey, from his early influences and family roots in music to crafting his intricate soundscapes. Discover the fascinating stories behind his latest tracks and how his upbringing in a musically rich environment shaped his artistry. With his new singles just released, there's no better time to dive into the mind of this extraordinary musician.

Robbie brings his expertise and passion for music into every conversation, making this a must-watch for rock music fans and beyond. Don't forget to hit that 'like' button, subscribe to my channel, and share your own thoughts in the comments section below. Join the conversation, and let's celebrate the magic of music together!

🔔 Subscribe now to stay updated on more insightful interviews and music reviews, and be sure to follow me on social media for all the latest updates. Love and peace, everyone! 🌟

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1YT5B...
Website: https://www.harknessmusic.com/
40 min
February 01, 2024 EPS.49 Synthwave Stories: A Chat with Kai from Valley Lights on Music, LA, and Inspiration
Robbie [00:00:00]:
synth pop, it's coming for you. Hi, I'm Robbie. It's Chatting Tracks. Let's Talk Music. Let's Talk Music indeed. Welcome to today's episode. On this channel, I love discovering new artists and new bands. And I got reached out to by a record company while ago and said we've got this great new artist.
Robbie [00:00:19]:
We'd love you to check him out. His name is Valley Lights, but his real name is Kai. And I said, what does he do? They said, like, 80 synth pop. So they sent the album over. I played it. It's Fantastic. He does an amazing cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, and his new album, 2 Lane Harway, just dropped. There's links in description for both.
Robbie [00:00:36]:
It's so eighties, in fact, that you could bury it in the ground, get your mates over, dig it up, put it on the turntable, and they wouldn't know it wasn't the eighties. He's got an amazing way of keeping the old style, but making it contemporary modern all at the same time. He writes all his own stuff apart from the cover of Dreams, obviously, and he's just got that real flavor for the eighties. He's a fantastic guy, and I just had to have him on just to talk about his new album and the single Dreams. If you can, like and subscribe. If you've done it already, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate it because it lets me talk about music all day long. And if you got anybody you know that you think, actually, you know what? You should talk to Robbie.
Robbie [00:01:06]:
Send them over to me, and I'd love to have a chat with them. I love discovering new heists. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. It's fantastic, and I'll see you on the next one. Tada. Growing up as a kid, was your house quite musical? Was your parents into music? Is that where your influences come from?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:01:20]:
No. I mean, I I definitely got some. My dad, not so much. He was always pretty mellow. I know that he liked The Who a lot, but beyond that I mean, Badfinger and actually, no. I I guess I would credit my dad with turning me on to Fleetwood Mac, and I I Love them. And, you know, if you listen to the album, I did a cover of Dreams. And, my mom was more so.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:01:46]:
She was a huge Doors fan, and, I definitely credit The Doors as, like, a huge inspiration and Jim Morrison. And, So I definitely did pick up some from my parents, but they weren't you know, they were not as as openly passionate about Music is like I am, for example. I feel like if I had a kid, I'd be like, alright. Now we're listening to this. And and do you know the story about this band and blah blah blah? But, yeah, I picked up a few things and and definitely thankful for that, especially for the Doors. I mean, I love those guys.
Robbie [00:02:21]:
I mean, a brilliant band. I I mean, to this day, to me, underrated completely as well. I still don't think they get credit. They deserve to me. I mean, to me, they were one of the 1st prog rock bands as well, the way they sort of take the keyboards off and do the leads and stuff like that. And to me, Yeah. To me, America created that. No.
Robbie [00:02:38]:
It wasn't the the English bands. It was the US bands that did it.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:02:42]:
Yeah. No. Raymond's Eric was Insane. And, like, I I really feel like, musically, it was kinda like, obviously, Jim was the poet and the Singer, but I think musically, like Raymond Zarek and the fact that he was a organ player really created that unique sound. And I got to see the doors of the 21st century, like god. It was probably 15, 20 years ago at this point. I don't know. But, It was, Ian Asbury from from,
Robbie [00:03:13]:
what is it? From the Cult.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:03:15]:
From the Cult. Yes. He was singing, and that was cool. But it was just so cool to see Robbie Krieger up there. You know? He's, like, 70 years old, and he's got his, he's got his Gibson, and he's just up there shredding and and seeing Raymond Zarek. Yeah. It was it was awesome.
Robbie [00:03:31]:
I mean, they've been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I I just love the tours. I mean, lyrically as well, when you when you look at the lyrics of Jim, it's just mind blowing. The sort of it it's like a pre runner to Morrissey from The Smiths, the way there was, like, 2 meanings to each lyric.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:03:45]:
Yeah.
Robbie [00:03:46]:
And you can take it each way. The only thing that does annoy me, though, is they sort of look him as this rock god rather than this amazing poet.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:03:53]:
Yeah. Well, no. I know that was always a a constant gripe. It's like he almost gets stripped of his artisticness and his tivity because he's just sort of like the stereotype of a rock sex god kinda guy, which which, you know, I think is Cool. But at the same time, I don't think he gets his artistic flowers the way some other people do.
Robbie [00:04:15]:
Do you think the the doors would have worked if they were from New York?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:04:19]:
No. No. No. Absolutely not. I think I think that the doors are just quintessential California. You know, Venice Beach. I mean, I think I think there could have been something like The Doors from New York, but, no, that's that's one of the things I like about them is they really represent The California sound. And, you know, it's not like the Beach Boys or something.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:04:48]:
Like, there's some darkness and some edge to it. But No. I really think it was that that growing up in LA and Hollywood and Venice that really kinda turned them into the what they are. I mean, LA woman. The album, the song, like, that is just so so LA, and and that's who the doors were.
Robbie [00:05:10]:
I mean, I I was just curious because obviously, you're living in LA at the minute, and your album's very LA sounding. So we'll we'll talk about them in a second. But It's just, like, talk talk about the Doors and yourself that you sort of said it's very LA. From an English person that's never been to LA, What is it about that that area that makes it, like, bands like The Doors and Love have that sound? What what do you think it is that, What brings is it the weather? Is it just the atmosphere?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:05:36]:
It's everything. It's it's definitely the weather. I mean, that to have this it's literally a feeling of perpetual summer. Even in the wintertime, like, the worst weather LA gets is, like, wind. You know? It's the weather. It's the palm trees. It's Sunset Boulevard. It's Hollywood Boulevard, and, you know, it it just it has a vibe to it.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:06:05]:
And and I think, You know, there is a stereotype about LA, and there are some negative things about LA about how everybody's just sorta, like, vapid or sycophantic or whatever. But, the reality is it does have a very artistic spirit. And If you go there and you're just open to creating, whether it's music or art or theater or whatever, It is a place where you're gonna feel inspired, and you're gonna meet like minded individuals. You're gonna meet people. It's a city where people are searching. Right? They're searching for, you know, pieces of themselves, And it's a place where you will find and connect with in the millions of people that are there, you will find kindred spirits. And, for me, personally, I'm a water person, and the beach has always been a huge source of inspiration. And, Yeah.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:07:04]:
Venice Beach, Santa Monica, 2 of my favorites, 2 of my favorite places to go. And I I don't know. Like, it just kinda feels like you're in a movie sometimes when you're in LA. And, I mean, don't get me wrong. There are some problems, and it's not really fun being stuck in traffic all the time. But if you're open to the the creativity that it offers, like, you you can definitely be a conduit for it.
Robbie [00:07:29]:
I mean, to me, LA had 2 renaissances. You had the sixties, and then you had the eighties. Pretty much Yeah. You had this big gap in the seventies, but you had the eighties as well because because you had, obviously, all the people that are transients moving through and the musicians. Then you had all the clubs, like the Roxy,
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:07:44]:
the the
Robbie [00:07:45]:
Troubadour, and which which is a place I'm desperate to go to, the Troubadour, and the London Fog and all these places. At this the state of LA now, do Do you think there could be another one of those sorts of periods where you got the right clubs and the right people and the right bands?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:07:59]:
I think that, you know, the soil of LA will always be fertile to another movement. It does feel like, you know, it does feel like a little bit stagnant in some ways because because it already did have those 2 huge eras. Like, You know, you had The Doors playing the Whiskey A Go Go, and it's still there. And then, you know, you had the the hair metal scene and the sunset strip and all of that stuff. And I I think there will always be an opportunity for that, but it's just kinda like these things come in waves. So who knows? I mean, to be honest with you, one of the things I'm I'm relatively new to the kind of synthwave scene, but I I started an Instagram chat group and just kinda I I did my best to connect all of the similar artists and Synthwave people, in LA because I was like, you know what? Like, this doesn't have to be individualistic. Like, let's put LA On the map, you know, and, like, not to talk shit, but it's like, you know, the Brits have been holding this stuff down for a long time. Like, let's put LA on the map.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:09:11]:
You know, just to be like because I do think about that. You know? I think about all the classic rock bands and, You know? All of those British bands were awesome, and then you have the Doors who was like, hey. Like, we're here too, and we're putting an American spin on it, and I kinda like that. You know? It's not we're not taking away anything from the other countries Or cultures that are doing this style of music. We're just kinda creating this big pot, this big mixing pot, and and it's Sorta like this is how we do it, and that's how you do it, and it's all love, and it's all fun.
Robbie [00:09:46]:
That's it. Right? Yeah. You invent it. We repackage it and sell it back. That's that's Pretty much what happened. There you go. What what record or single record would you say really made you turn your head and be and sort of go, right. I I wanna be a musician.
Robbie [00:10:02]:
This is what I wanna do. Or was there a live performance you saw that made you wanna go, that's what I wanna do?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:10:12]:
I would probably have to go with, I think Alice in Chains, Them Bones. I mean, I was I was a big rock metal guy. And I listened to I think I kinda started out listening to hip hop, and I definitely I still love hip hop and rap music, but Alice in Chains was the 1st band that I listened to where I just, like, fell in love with everything about them. Like, Layne Staley, their singer. He was Basically, like, my hero in middle school and high school. And then when he passed away in the early 2000, I was just, like, crushed. And That was the 1st band where I was I don't know. I just fell in love with every because they they were a band that were not afraid to Kinda talk about their issues and darker things.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:11:03]:
And and that was appealing to me as a poet, as an artist, to To just not be afraid to to put that in front of other people. And I think that's very empowering. And, it was just it was very firing their heaviness, their rawness, their darkness, but then they also have these beautiful acoustic numbers like Nutshell and Brother. And, they were just a really multifaceted band, and I think that kinda opened my eyes to how you can be a musician and an artist And still be true to yourself. Even in the the public eye, you can still be genuine to yourself and and still give the people what they want.
Robbie [00:11:47]:
Their, I think their Unplugged album is the best one ever that came out of that series.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:11:52]:
Oh, yeah, man. I yeah. That Unplugged album is just I knew people who didn't even like Alice in Chains, but they would listen to that Unplugged album because it is. It's so it's so amazing, and it's so powerful. And, Yeah. I I agree with you. I mean, I think that is definitely the best MTV Unplugged album there is.
Robbie [00:12:12]:
For people that have not heard it, they need to find it on YouTube. So I think it the whole thing is on there somewhere. And, it's just got this this beautiful darkness over the whole thing, isn't it? It's really kind of not it's not depressing, is it? It's kind of just this weird sort of Gloom hangs over it in a in a wonderful way. You can't you're just drawn into it the minute it starts.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:12:33]:
Yeah. And, I mean, the set and The set piece is is so cool because it's it's just simple, but then they have these candles everywhere, and that totally lends itself to this atmosphere I've been in. You know, the sad thing is if you know any of anything of what was going on with the band behind the time, you can sort of understand that. I mean, you know, Layne Staley was dealing with this tremendous heroin addiction. And I think that was I think they might have done that, and then I think they did 2 shows opening for Kiss or something. But that was pretty much that was pretty much the end, and you can kinda feel that In that live performance
Robbie [00:13:13]:
We've I've had, chats with my mates when you argue about what's the best unplugged one, It's always the that was the one I argue. That's my go to because it's so good. It's just so good. It's it's I mean,
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:13:24]:
yeah, I think it I think it's very easy to for people to to go with the Nirvana one, but for me, it's definitely Alice in Chains.
Robbie [00:13:32]:
I'm glad we're kindred spirits on that. It's amazing.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:13:35]:
Yeah. Definitely. So when
Robbie [00:13:37]:
you've sort of decided to become a musician, which instrument did you go first? Were You a piano person, a guitar person, a drums person?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:13:43]:
Guitar. So here's the thing. I think I always knew That I wanted to be a vocalist, which is what I consider myself now, like a singer songwriter vocalist. But I was too I was too timid. I was too afraid. So I was like, well, I'll play guitar because guitar is cool too. And And definitely as a singer songwriter, you know, you wanna have that instrument that you can write material on. And so I'm really glad that I did get some guitar chops.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:14:14]:
I'm not, like, insane or anything, but I can make my way around the instrument. So I gravitated towards that. But, again, I think it's because I was at the time, you know, when I was in middle school and high school, I was just a little bit too timid to be a singer and to be out front, and I wasn't confident in my voice. And so I sort of Picked up guitar as a consolation prize, and then and then I started writing songs and doing my own material And working towards becoming a vocalist, and and now I I feel very happy. I feel very happy that I finally was able to just Take the leap and and be like, yeah. I'm a singer, and and that's what I like to do.
Robbie [00:14:58]:
That's amazing. Did you play in bands before you you became a solo artist or?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:15:03]:
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. You know, high school cover bands, punk bands. College, I played in, like, metal and rock, and then I was even in, like, a rap group for a while with my brother and our friends from when we were little kids. And then I put out, like this was more solo, but I put out Kinda like an acoustic rock album back in, like, 2014. But, yeah, just kinda, like, all over the place. I was always really into the Rock band aesthetic and the middle aesthetic.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:15:40]:
And, I mean, even with choosing the name Valley Lights, it's like, I wanna I I like the idea of having a band name rather than, like, just slapping my name on it. I just think that it's It's another kinda piece of the puzzle you can put in there. And so that's why I chose, you know, a project name, which is Valley Lights.
Robbie [00:16:03]:
Between the band and Becoming Valley Lights, was there a huge gap? Did you stay with music, or did you sort of go away for a bit and then come back?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:16:10]:
No. I I did have a huge, huge gap. I put out that album, the acoustic album, in 2014, 20 Tri. Teen. And then I was in San Francisco. I was, like, pushing the album. I was playing open mics and stuff. And then I moved to LA, And my goal was to keep doing it.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:16:31]:
But for whatever reason, I just kind of fell into this depression and I basically stopped doing anything artistic for quite a long time, and It was really weird, man. Like, I COVID hit, And I ended up moving back to New Mexico for a while. And, yeah, I just I mean, to be honest, I was dating this chick, and we went through this, like, horrible breakup. And afterwards I I don't know, man. I've never felt something. It felt like a compulsion. It felt like a calling. Like, I started getting song titles in my heads In my head, lyrics in my head, and I had been listening to synthwave, not like crazy, but, It had sort of come into my spear, and I just, like, knew that I had to do this.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:17:35]:
And I knew that if I didn't Make this album. Like, I was gonna be denying myself, and I knew that I'd be, like, missing something for the rest of my life. And so After, you know, after going through this experience with my ex girlfriend, and, you know, hemming and hawing, I know. I can't do it. I don't know how to do it. Blah blah blah. I just I just started I just said fuck it. You know? And And as soon as I started down that road, it was just crazy, man.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:18:08]:
It felt like this faucet open, and It was it was just really healthy for me because after going through this several year period of not doing music To to feel the creativity inside of myself and to feel the music again was just really I don't know. It's a godsend, man. Like, putting out this album has just been the most rewarding thing that I think I've ever felt in my whole life. And It it really was very cathartic for me in a lot of ways. And so it was just a beautiful thing. And I'm really happy that I trusted myself enough To to do it and to just say, like, you can either keep living in this miserable life that you've been Existing in or you can, like, be true to yourself for once and just push through it. And and, Yeah. I think I think doing this album really saved me in a lot of ways, and and and it's I don't know.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:19:07]:
It's just a great It's just a great path, and I'm and I'm so happy that I found my way back to music.
Robbie [00:19:14]:
I mean, for people listening, it's called 2 Lane Highway, and it's a fantastic album. It really is. It's it's literally the sort of stuff I love. Like you're saying no. No. You're welcome. Like you're saying, it's a synthwave album. When you sort of thought of Synthwave, did you think it was something you could make? Or were you just sort of like, I like the style, but I don't know how to do it?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:19:32]:
So, Basically, it's I think it's kinda like 2 things. The first thing was I love the sound. I just I I feel like I had been kinda waiting for synthwave my whole life because what I love about it is that, You know, you have subgenres. You know? You have, like, dark synth and outrun, and I think that stuff's cool, but I kinda like the Poppier stuff because it doesn't take itself too seriously. You know? Like, saxophone and electric guitar solos and then the just, like, ridiculous Stints and the the drums. You know? All of that stuff. Because I was like, this is like me. Like, I don't I don't take myself too seriously, but it also allows Synthwave is also a great way to you you can express these very Through you can be true to yourself, but you can have fun with it.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:20:26]:
And so that's kinda what I did with the album was I'm I'm touching on a lot of very painful stuff That happened to myself, but I kinda was like, I wanna do this in a lighthearted way. Like, I don't wanna I don't wanna Be angry about this stuff. I don't wanna dwell on it, but I do need to address it. But then at the same time to kind of talk about the other part of your question, When I when I decided to do the album, I was very much like, no. Like, I am not this good of a producer. Like, absolutely not. And that was that was what hindered me to start because I was like, I don't know how to do this. I can write the lyrics, and I can write the vocals and stuff, but I'm not this good of a producer, and it's very stylized.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:21:13]:
And I I just kinda had this epiphany where I was just like, what if I Didn't have to. What if I didn't have to be responsible for producing it? And I ended up Finding a handful of producers, primarily 2. And, you know, we started working together. And, you know, they're Basically hired guns. Like, they're they're they were very cool and friendly, and, we talk and stuff. But but I was basically the mastermind behind it, but I was able to use their skill sets, and, like, I would send them reference tracks or I would send them kinda, like, demos or whatever of what I had done. And it it was like I said, man. Like, the faucet turned.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:21:59]:
Like, once I got those tracks back and how I wanted them, I just wrote. I just wrote, and I would drive around in my car and just sing and and think of lyrics. And for me, It was it was a great situation because I have always looked at bands like what's a good example? Like, there's this band, Fisher Spooner, from, like, the early 2000. And it was like 1 guy is the lyrics and the singer guy, and then there's, like, 1 guy is the instrumentalist musician guy. And that has always been my ideal writing situation where I have a writing partner, and they're really good at producing and the kinda nitty gritty Technical stuff. And then I can focus on what I like to do, which is the lyrics and the songwriting and the storytelling component. And And I haven't been able to find that person yet, but in a way, I was kinda able to find that person through the Internet. And and, yeah, it it was an amazing it was an amazing process, and I'm really glad I found these guys because Without them, I don't know what it would have been like.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:23:16]:
And and for me, personally, as an artist, Sometimes it's difficult to to give up control. Like, you want to be in control of everything. And I was just like, you know what? It's fine. I wanna do this. And, even if I'm not making the music, it doesn't diminish my artistic ability Any, at all. And once I started it doing it that way in this sort of, like, collaborative way, it just it just worked like magic.
Robbie [00:23:47]:
People say to me, like, why do I like sort of eighties sounds and synth wave sounds and all the other ones? And I I said, it it's it's its own universe of sound. There's nothing on Earth that sounds like those synthesizers and that That period. Because even rock bands just put distortion, but it's still a guitar. Whereas when you get, like, a synth band and you've got, like, The DX 7, the Juno sixes, all those classic keyboards that make those big symphonic sounds. You just can't get those sounds anywhere, and they do sound like they're from another planet.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:24:19]:
Completely. I mean, one of the things like I said, I fell in love with this soundscape of of Synthwave because when I listen to it, I feel like I'm in another dimension. There's just something about the sounds that that are used, the combination of the synthesizers and and everything like that. That's what I love about it. Like, I it's not like Other music. Right? Like, I feel like I'm somewhere else when I listen to it, and that's what I think is so magical about it. It just to me, I don't think I've listened to another style of music that has, affected me in the same way where I feel like I'm in An another dimension or a movie or a or another place and time. Like, it has all of these very, like, wistful, magical components to
Robbie [00:25:09]:
It's wonderful, isn't it? When you were, compiling your album together, did you have all the songs ready, or did you have to write for the album?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:25:18]:
I had several originally, I was gonna do a 10 song album, because my birthday is October 13th. So I was like, it's either gonna be 10 or it's gonna be 13. And I had I had many of the ideas Ready to go, but then it was this process of as I'm recording, I'm writing new songs. And, Like, Headlights Headlights and Two Lane Highway were the first 2 songs I wrote and recorded. And then I did the cover of dreams. And then all this time, I have these other ideas floating around. And so As I'm sort of nailing 1 song, I'm getting into another one. So after that, it was like chasing ghosts.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:26:04]:
And then the last 2 song or the last 2 songs of the 1st batch I wrote were California And forever and always. And then I hit 10, and I was just like, fuck it. Let's keep going. Like, I'm feeling it. I'm feeling the spirit, and 13 is my lucky numbers. So, the last 3 were holding on, Under the Gun, and, what's the last one? I can't remember. But I did have this funny moment, though, man, because I wrote I wrote the first 10, and then I got one of the instrumentals back, and I think it was holding on. And, you know, like, as an artist, you kinda subject yourself to all of this mental acrobatic stuff.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:26:59]:
And so I got the instrumental, and I was just like, maybe that's it. Maybe that's all I got. I can't run you know? And I was just, like, You know, just, like, intimidating myself. And then, of course, after I sat down and just worked with it for a while, like, I it Came out, and I got something, but it's just so funny. Like, I just I was like, why am I doing this to myself? But, yeah, it was it was a great process, and and I was I was very happy with with all the songs that came out of it.
Robbie [00:27:34]:
It's it's interesting that you talk about, Dreams in There, by Fleetwood Mac originally. Like, when you get a cover of a song, what I love about what what you did with it is you did definitely make it your own. And sometimes you get covers and they just copy it note for note. But you've done a synth phrase version, which is fantastic. What drew you to that song?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:27:54]:
Dreams has always been one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. I mean, that whole Rumors album is just, like, insane. It's all classic. But Dreams, I just kinda always loved the sort of melancholy sort of Longing quality to it. And, so on top of that, you know, I told you about this ex Girlfriend of mine, we we used to sing that in karaoke together, and it was just kinda, like, perfect because it's basically, like, A breakup song. You know? Stevie Nicks wrote dreams, and then Lindsey Buckingham wrote go your own way when they were going through all their drama. And I just thought it would be, you know, really fitting for me, to do that as as kind of a way of, like, letting go and and to To just put my own spin on it and yeah. I was I I I really like doing covers.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:28:47]:
To me, a cover makes sense if you If you bend it a little bit, like, there are definitely some synthwave artists, and they cover, like, eighties Songs. And for me, that doesn't make sense because it's sorta like we already exist in that realm sonically a bit. So so I it's not something I would do personally, and I'm not to say it wouldn't be it couldn't be done well, but I was like, Why not do something like dreams, which is kinda like guitar you know, it's your classic drums, bass, guitar situation and and do been a little bit weirder with it.
Robbie [00:29:24]:
I love it. I think if Fleetwood Mac had done it in the eighties, they would have done it how you did it. Yeah. I think it I think it I think it would have been exactly how you did it. It's a fantastic cover. We'll we'll put a link to that in the description. What I love as well is You've got little cheeky bits on your album as well. Like chasing ghosts, you've got the bit of Batman in there as well.
Robbie [00:29:41]:
And I Yeah. Yeah. As soon as I mean, that's one News. Hi, I'm Robbie. It's Chat and Track. One of my favorite films of Woodside. But as soon
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:29:48]:
as I heard it, I was, I like that. Yeah. I had just, I had just ran I mean, I love that movie. Jack Nicholson is I mean, Michael Keaton is great too, but, yeah, I had just watched that movie, And I always love that. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? And so when I was writing Chasing Ghosts, I I just I was I I was thinking of that pale moon light. You know? And so I have the line in there. I'll drive all night to the pale moon to the pale moon light. And then I was like, Man, I should just throw that sample in there.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:30:21]:
That's just too good to pass, though.
Robbie [00:30:24]:
Did you have to clear that with anybody, or were they fine with it?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:30:28]:
We I believe we did have to clear it. Stu at Outland took care of that. Thank you, Stu. Because, Yeah. There's there are 2 samples on the album, and then there was 1 sample we weren't able to clear. But, yeah, those 2 because they're they're short enough, and so I think that kinda simplifies things a bit. But, yeah, we did have to clear those.
Robbie [00:30:54]:
What I love about your album is it is it's it's symphonies, but it moves as it goes along. Like, in Valley Romance, you've got real sort of eighties funk element to it. And it's got that sort of early cameo sort of sound. Did you wanna change the album as it was going? Was you aware that it could get too simp heavy and you need to funk it up a little bit? Or was it
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:31:11]:
I so for me, eighties funk in particular, man, like the Gap band, I've always loved that stuff and then sorta, like, the more modern iteration kinda, like, Daft Punk type stuff. But no. I When I was writing the album, I I wanted it to be rooted in synth wave, but I was not concerned with Staying There. So there are you know, Valley Romance is a great example because it is it has that funk component. And I I basically had written most the album, and I was like, you know, there is a melancholic tinge to a lot of the songs. And I was like, I just want something that's, like, Danceable and fun, and it's just gonna be, like, you know, just, like, out out on the boulevard having a good time. And I was like, I need something funky. And so, that's how Valley Romance came along.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:32:05]:
And then, you know, there's other Stuff like California and Two Lane Highway are some of my favorites because as a rock guy, they have that driving guitar components And, you know, there are electric guitar solos 3 throughout the album. And then, yeah, I consider there to be More traditional synthwave, like headlights, I think. And then I think there's kinda, like, More just, like, pop stuff. Like, Bond, Fire, I consider to be kinda, like, pop ballade esque. And, Yeah. I I mean, that's what I like about the album. I think it has a lot of variety, but as a whole, it is still very cohesive. And I think that it does live in that World of synthwave, but it also pushes the boundaries a little bit.
Robbie [00:32:54]:
It's great. I love, Forever and Always as well. To me, that's the love song on the album. That's the one that was that that's your ballad on there. When you was writing that one, was you sort of yeah. Again, was it sort of an idea just to write a ballad on there? Was you thinking about something in particular that you wanted to write about.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:33:12]:
I had reached this point, and that that was that that To me, Forever and Always is the most significant song on the album. I think, you know, my favorites are probably Headlights and and Tulane Highway because they were the first ones I rode and sort of were the genesis of the project. But for me, Forever and Always is is the most significant because I wasn't thinking about I need I want or need to write a ballad. It it happened very naturally because that song to me was you know, whether it's a lover or a Friend or anybody, people come into our lives, and I basically say, you know, you'll be with me forever and always, and I'll be with you forever and always. And it's this idea of people come into our lives, and we may may not even realize it at the time, but they sort of touch us And, you know, butterfly effect. Right? Like, had this experience not happened, I could be in a totally different place. And, as painful as this situation I went through with my ex girlfriend was, like, I reached a point where I was like, I am ultimately thankful and grateful for this experience because It returned me to music. And music, it has always been a great Powerful force in my life, and I lost it.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:34:43]:
And so even through all the pain and stuff, I'm just like, thank you. Like, thank you for touching my life because, you know, I'm in a place now where I'm happier than I had been in a long time because I'm I'm doing what I wanna do again. And so that's the idea of forever and always. It's like, hey. Like, whatever happens, Like, you're always here in my heart, and you you changed my life for the better through Through tremendous pain, like, I came out on the other side where I wanna be, and and I'm just thankful for that. Yeah. Again, it goes back to Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. It's the same same thing, isn't it? Yeah.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:35:25]:
All that all that chaos and heartbreak brings the world's greatest helper. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it wasn't easy. But once I reached a point where I was able to kind of Channel the artistic energy into catharsis and and creation. It just it felt so good.
Robbie [00:35:48]:
It is and it's a wonderful album. If you could collaborate with someone from the eighties, like, say, you could just pick anyone to collaborate with Using your your style of music with them singing vocals, who would you pick? Is there anyone you've ever sort of mentally said, oh, if I can ever get that person, I'll have them?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:36:05]:
Let me think about that for a second. I mean, there's so many. I wanna say I don't know. Like, I love I love new order and the cure, but, like, as far as vocalists, I'm kinda like, I I I think knee jerk reaction, I wanna Say Sebastian Bach from Skid Row because, like
Robbie [00:36:34]:
Yeah.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:36:34]:
I don't know, man. Have you heard 18 in life? Like Yeah. Like, at you know, I've seen him perform now, and he still is he still got his chops, but, like, young young Sebastian Bach, like, He just nailed those high notes, and and, you know, he had some grit on his voice. And, yeah, just just awesome. And, Again, like, I love I love rock and metal and and and definitely the eighties hair metal scene has a special place in my heart. So, Yeah. I think I'd probably go with Sebastian Bach.
Robbie [00:37:08]:
That's a great choice. You know what? I should have opened it up and said anyone, and then you could have had Jim Morrison, to be fair. I should've done that.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:15]:
Yeah. Morrison. That would be sick. Trying to think.
Robbie [00:37:21]:
Janis Joplin would have been good.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:23]:
Yep. Yeah. She's great. I don't know, man. Like, Danzig. Yep.
Robbie [00:37:28]:
What song? Rock now. I have a
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:32]:
hard time. Imagine Danzig getting on a synthwave track.
Robbie [00:37:37]:
So, what's next for yourself? Are you working on your next album? Are you touring?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:42]:
No touring at the moment. I have been I've been writing the 2nd album, so that's coming along. And, again, I wanna start doing some live shows. I'm like I said, I did some networking with the LA people, And, there's a group of guys who have a promotion company called Synth Cartel, and they kinda shut down during COVID, obviously, But they wanna start doing more shows, so I'm talking to them. And yeah. I don't know. That's it. I wanna I wanna just I wanna start doing live stuff.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:38:19]:
I wanna start I I need to polish up a few tracks so I can drop some singles coming up. Speaking of dreams, we do have the music video for that shot, and I'm hoping for a, like, in early November release for that video, and that's gonna be sick. I work with some really cool people on that. Really creative couple. It's a husband and wife couple, and they're both filmmakers, directors. And, Yeah. We shot it all on camcorders and, like, VHS tapes. So it's like Awesome.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:38:53]:
It's not in, it's not in, like, 40 k or whatever. It's It's very dope. There's a there's a couple teasers on my Instagram right now, but I'm I'm really excited to see how that turns out. And, yeah, outside of that, it's just it's really just keeping the ball moving whether I'm writing, recording, Rehearsing. I just I just wanna make sure that now that the the project is out, I don't lose sight of of the future because it was crazy, man. Two lane highway took up, like, A year and a half of my life, and it was just writing, recording. And I didn't have the record label or or anything. And then I I started my social media, and it is just kinda crazy that, you know, the CDs are going out now.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:39:46]:
You know? I'm here at my dad's house right now, and he just got his copy of 2 Lane Highway. And it's it's just so trippy, man, because, like, I, you know, I I Thought of that cover image. I had a a really cool guy, named Rakid Lop, do the artwork, but it's just kinda weird to be like, yeah. It was in here, and and now it's right here in my hand. And, it's very cool, but at the same time, it's like, okay. Like, I'm gonna keep pushing it, but that chapter is kinda closed in a lot of ways. And now it's like, what's next? What are we doing next? And and staying motivated to, to just keep doing everything and and keep pushing.
Robbie [00:40:28]:
Is your at the minute, I know you're in the writing phase here. Is your 2nd album a different style? Is it the same sort of thing? Do you have you noticed you're writing differently?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:40:37]:
I I have noticed a difference. I think the main I think that it's kind of, like, Straying even further from traditional synthwave, which which I think is fine, but it it's certainly like, There is a question that pops up into my head. It's like, you know, you can't alienate your fan base. And but at the same time, I'm like, you know, like, I can't just be like, okay. No. No. This doesn't sound synth wavy enough, so, like, let's Do that. I'm just I'm I'm trying not to think about it too much, and I'm just trying to to stay inspired and Just kinda, like, trust the process.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:41:20]:
But so far, the songs that I've been writing and kinda working with, I feel like are A little less traditional synthwave, but I I think that in in the end, it is gonna come out as a cohesive project just like 2 lane highway did. I mean, My brother, when he heard Valley Romance for the first time, he was like, you know, just hear me out here. Maybe it's Too funky? And I was like, no. No. It's fine. It it fits perfectly. And and then he just got the album and listened to it in its entirety. And he was like, yeah.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:41:53]:
I thought Valley Romance wasn't gonna fit, but, you know, when you reach it, you know, it's track 10 or whatever on the album. Like, It works. It works great. And I'm like, thank you, man. I appreciate that. Like, that's that's how I felt the whole time.
Robbie [00:42:07]:
I'm definitely looking forward to the next album. If people wanna find out about you, where's the best place for them to go?
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:42:13]:
I'm I'm everywhere on social media, but I'm most active on Instagram. That's that's where I would recommend people get in touch with me. Obviously, Follow on Spotify or whatever music service you're listening on, Apple Music. And then, yeah, Bandcamp. We did an initial pressing of 50 CDs and 50 tapes and, we've sold about Half the units of those already, which is awesome. But if you wanna get a CD or tape, hop on to Bandcamp and also that really supports Me as an artist and Outland Recordings as well because Bandcamp is just great at getting money to artists and the people who work on it. But, yeah, Instagram, if you if you actually wanna get in touch with me, I recommend Instagram and then support through Spotify, Bandcamp, and, and all the other great places to listen to music.
Robbie [00:43:09]:
Hopefully, you'll come and tour in England. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thanks for chatting with me today. It's been brilliant.
Kai (Valley Lights) [00:43:14]:
Yeah. Robbie, no. Thank you, man. It's been a pleasure to be here and, happy to be back anytime and and support your work, man. It's it's been really great. Thank you.
44 min
January 20, 2024 EPS 6. The Chatting Sounds Live Stream 18.1.24
Welcome to "Unleashing the Next Big Sounds: A Musical Journey with Pete Saxer & Robbie!" In this exciting episode, get ready to discuss everything about music with Pete Saxer from Unknown Sounds and Robbie from Chatting Tracks. During this captivating chat, Pete and Robbie will dive deep into the world of unsigned artists, exploring the hidden gems and unique sounds that often go unheard. They'll also be showcasing some remarkable tunes from these talented musicians, ensuring you don't miss out on what could potentially be the next big thing in the music industry. From insightful conversations to laughter-filled moments, this episode promises to be a delightful experience for music enthusiasts. Join Pete Saxer and Robbie as they embark on this musical adventure that aims to bring deserving artists to the spotlight they deserve. So, whether you're a die-hard music lover or want to discover fresh and exciting sounds, tune in and enjoy the show. Open your ears to the captivating melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, and unparalleled talents that are about to unfold before you. Don't waste another moment – hit that play button and immerse yourself in this unique journey. Unleash the following big sounds, uncover hidden treasures, and embrace the magic of music with Pete Saxer and Robbie. Stay tuned, subscribe to our channel, and join the Unknown Sounds community. Together, we can celebrate creativity, support talented artists, and keep the spirit of independent music alive!
Youtube: Unknown Sounds with Pete Saxer: https://linktr.ee/unknownsoundswithpe...
Chatting Tracks:
Chatting Tracks Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChattingTracks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chattingtracks/
Website: https://www.chattingtracks.com/
Email: [email protected]
59 min
January 05, 2024 Chatting Sounds Eps 5 - New Music and a chat with Mr Fall Rise.
Welcome to "Unleashing the Next Big Sounds: A Musical Journey with Pete Saxer & Robbie!" In this exciting episode, get ready to discuss everything about music with Pete Saxer from Unknown Sounds and Robbie from Chatting Tracks. During this captivating chat, Pete and Robbie will dive deep into the world of unsigned artists, exploring the hidden gems and unique sounds that often go unheard. They'll also be showcasing some remarkable tunes from these talented musicians, ensuring you don't miss out on what could potentially be the next big thing in the music industry. From insightful conversations to laughter-filled moments, this episode promises to be a delightful experience for music enthusiasts. Join Pete Saxer and Robbie as they embark on this musical adventure that aims to bring deserving artists to the spotlight they deserve. So, whether you're a die-hard music lover or want to discover fresh and exciting sounds, tune in and enjoy the show. Open your ears to the captivating melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, and unparalleled talents that are about to unfold before you. Don't waste another moment – hit that play button and immerse yourself in this unique journey. Unleash the next big sounds, uncover hidden treasures, and embrace the magic of music with Pete Saxer and Robbie. Stay tuned, subscribe to our channel, and join the Unknown Sounds community. Together, we can celebrate creativity, support talented artists, and keep the spirit of independent music alive!
Youtube:
Unknown Sounds with Pete Saxer:
https://linktr.ee/unknownsoundswithpe...
Chatting Tracks:
Chatting Tracks Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChattingTracks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chattingtracks/
Website: https://www.chattingtracks.com/
Email: [email protected]

1 hr 7 min
January 01, 2024 Reflecting on 2023: Memorable Music Moments and Interviews From Chatting Tracks
Robbie:
2023. What a crazy year. Hello. It's Robbie from Chatting Tracks, and welcome to this 2023 roundup. I've had an absolutely amazing year on the podcast this year. I've spoke to some incredible people, So, Marcus, I never thought I'd speak to, and I've done some amazing things. So I thought I'd just do a bit of a recap over the year and see what's happened. So first of all, we gotta address the fact that the podcast changed.
Robbie:
Originally, it was the 80s Rewind Show podcast, and I realized after a little while that I painted myself into a corner. And I was struggling to get guests, and I'd spoke to a lot of people I wanted to speak to in that period. So I decided to change it to the Chatting Track's music community. That way, I can talk to people from different dramas in different decades, and it didn't matter. As long as it's music, that's all that counts about this. So, first of all, the name change. That's the first thing that happened this year. You know, I love the eighties.
Robbie:
It's my favorite decade, to be honest with you. But I wanted to talk to more bands and more artists from from different genres because I got, Like, there's lots of songs that I like that I just wanted to dig into a little bit more. So I decided to diversify to find out more about these songs than ice, and I've done exactly that. But we did start the year in the eighties. So let's start right at the start of the year when I spoke to Vic Fuzzbox or Vicki Perks from I've Got A Fuzzbox, and I'm gonna use it. They were big in the eighties with such hits as International Rescue And Pink Sunshine. Are they asked Vicky, where did the name come from?
Speaker B:
So I think it was just called Fuzzbox, but we were only called Fuzzbox over there because They thought our full name, we've got a fuzz box, and we're gonna use it. They thought that was rude and that we were trying to be saucy. I mean, we were innocent. Innocent Schoolgirls. Robbie.
Robbie:
I mean, now you say that, I get the connotation of why an American would think The fuzz box word is a rude word. I get that now. I've never actually thought of it that way. Yeah.
Speaker B:
Oh, well, there you are. You see, you're innocent. Like, we were. I mean, at first, for those, you may not know. It's a distortion pedal for a a bass or a guitar, and it goes makes it fuzzy. And we use it in every song partly because it we like the sound, but also because it covers up all your mistakes more.
Robbie:
Yeah.
Speaker B:
It's yeah. We did a lot of fuzz Phase and fuzz, flange, and, my dear, that sounds dodgy. But, yeah, we did get lots of people. The audience was often going, show us your fuzz box. You know?
Robbie:
Oh, wow.
Speaker B:
You'd be like, oh god. Here we go. And you pick it up at, you know, the pedal and just show it. Alright. Can we get on with the gig now? You know?
Robbie:
The The wonderful Vicky Perks there from I've Got A Fuzzbox, and I'm gonna use it, talking about some of the problems I had with the name. I think it's a great name. I don't see what the problem is. Was an absolute delight to talk to, and she's just so funny. And the band is absolutely brilliant, and they're touring at the minute as well. And she also mentioned in the interview, they're working on, like, a scrapbook type thing of, paper cuttings and News like calls of the time, so you might be able to get some more stuff about Fuzzbox coming up soon. After that, I had a chat with the wonderful Clark Dachula From Johnny H. Jazz who had such hits as Shattered Dreams and I Don't Wanna Be A Hero, just to name a few there.
Robbie:
And we spoke about how he wrote the hit Shattered Dreams. How did a dream come up out. Was it lyrics first? Was it melody first? Did it all sort of just click, or was it a dream and you wrote it down? How did that work?
Speaker C:
No. Which is sort of interesting how that does happen. Yes. Yeah.
Robbie:
You know? Yeah.
Speaker C:
I wrote it in this room, And I wrote it on a piano, which is over there, which you can't see. It's still there. I've got my old Steinway next to me, my Steinway Grand, which has been with me many years. But the piano I learned on, my Kemble, my dad's My mom and dad's Campbell is still over there. I'm actually looking after my mom now in her older age. So I've set up a studio in the room where I used to have a Rudimentary recording setup as a as a kid.
Robbie:
Wow.
Speaker C:
So it's it's full of vibes and memories here. So Shatter Dreams, I was I was writing it on the piano over there, and my dad came in, and he didn't used to do this. He always gave me We talked a lot about music, and he guided me when he felt it was appropriate. But he came in, he said, what's that you're working on? I said, it's called Shattered Dreams, dad. He went quiet, and he said, I think you've written your 1st hit.
Robbie:
The wonderful Clark Dachshay there talking about writing Shattered Dreams, probably one of the biggest hits of the eighties. If you like any of these interviews and these clips, don't forget all these interviews available on this channel. If you're listening to it on YouTube or if you list it on Spotify, wherever you are, All the interviews are available, and they're definitely worth listening to because I found out some fantastic stuff. And I've had such an amazing year interviewing some amazing people. Talking of, You know, wanting to be broader with the show and getting more people involved in it. I spoke to Chris Hughes, who was Adam Ant's drummer for many, many years, and his name was Merrick in in the band. And he became a producer for Tears of Fears, and he produced many, many albums, including Paul McCartney, and and worked with Paul McCartney. Many, many albums.
Robbie:
And he's a fantastic guy, fantastic producer. Some these people you meet, they're just so lovely that I had problems originally. We we're hooking up online. All the interviews are done online. That's why sometimes they sound a bit weird and swelchy, but we were talking online, and it just, we had problems with connecting one day, and it took us 3 interviews to get an entire hour done. And bless him, every time he was so patient, kind that he came back every single time and gave me a 100% of his time with the interview, and it could not have been nicer. And he's such a nice man, and and the songs he brought to the world have been It's a bit remarkable. Anyway, I spoke to her about 2 Saphiras and music from the big chair of the album, and he had this to say about it.
Robbie:
Songs of the Big Chair was the main album where you produced the whole thing. It seemed to be a more polished album, a more focused album. Was that the idea going into it that to make it a lot?
Speaker D:
I think it had I think it
Speaker B:
had quite a fractured Stop.
Speaker D:
Wow. You know, there was I think there was a there was a point where they weren't sure they wanted they may have wanted to you have someone else produce it in order to try something else? There was a period when it wasn't clear whether we were gonna be doing that. Right.
Speaker E:
And I
Speaker D:
think we started and thought, I don't know if this is going anywhere and not quite sure. And I think Iain Stanley, who who They've been a mainstay within the the team. He he I think he had a conversation with Ron and said, no. No. You're nuts. We let's let's keep working with him. You know? Come on. Let's just just do it.
Robbie:
Chris Hughes there talking about working with Tears of Fears. And it just goes to show, even if you're a well known producer, You might not always get picked for the job. Amazing. It was a great interview. I love talking to him, and we spoke about Adam and some of the people that he worked with. So if you get a chance, check that interview out. You'll absolutely love it. It's it's brilliant.
Robbie:
So because of the podcast, like I said, it's online. We get to talk to people from all over the world. And the next lady I spoke to was an eighties legend, the wonderful Teresa Bazaar from Dollar. That was my first is it Atlantic co? I had to call them in Australia. So I spoke to you about 11 in the morning to me, and I think it was about nearly midnight for Teresa's. It was a it was a crazy time because I have bright sunshine, and Teresa was ready to go to bed because it was nighttime. I think it's nearly midnight for Teresa. So bless you.
Robbie:
She stayed away to speak to me, and she was now super delighted, and we talked about Dollar. And she was learning to do a lot of production work as well during the eighties, and she worked with Trevor Horn. So she watched him like a hawk and discovered how he did stuff. In this part of the interview, we spoke about how she wrote their 1st hit, love's got a hold on me. You had, love's got a hold on me as well, which was your 1st self written one. Is that right? So can we talk about the writing of that? Was that easy to write? Was it quick song to to do?
Speaker F:
So we're in our flat and, had my upright piano sort of stuck in bedroom there, really. And, it was inspired by the Bee Gees How Deep is Your Love Because I love the beat again, it's harmonious. You know, I'm going, how do they do that? How do they create that sound? It's not just that it's a sound. And I thought it sounded so airy, which I guess resonated with me. And I thought, try and do something that suits you. I'm not trying to do something that is the opposite, which is what we all like to do. You've got red hair, make it brown, you know, whatever. Yeah.
Speaker F:
I think that the the melody came quite easily, and It was obviously I was writing it for David because that's that was the you know, if you got a hit record And with the guys and dolls experience, don't don't upset the applecart. Just stick to the formula. Yeah. And, Yeah. I I kind of I I liked it was a very natural, easy song to write, And and it and it was, ideas of, you know, summer breezes, you know, and that lovely sort of freshness. And, we went to the studio, and he couldn't sing it. I remember Chris Neil looking at me because I was in the control room the day he was in the studio, and he said, but You wrote this. Right? I said, yeah.
Speaker F:
He said, it's in his key. And I said, yes. And he said and he looked at me. I said, shrugged. I mean, I thought because, You know, that's David. David's you know, he could if he got something, he'd be okay. If it didn't fit instantly with him, you he couldn't learn it. You know, he just it just was he just was it had to be a natural instinctive thing.
Speaker F:
And, so that's when Chris said, well, You go and have a go. And I remember I'm a I'm a very polite guy to say, oh, no. No. No. I said it's not in my key, and and That's not what we're meant to do. And you look at me and said, just go and have a try. And I hate doing that. Maybe from when I was a kid at school And, you know, not achieving and a bit embarrassed.
Speaker F:
And I still thought, oh my gosh. I thought, okay. You know, do the right playing, and I wandered in, and, obviously, I've got David's expression in the control room, and Chris expected me looking at him and thinking, this is gonna be horrible. I know it's gonna be high. You know? And I thought, just just try. You know? What can you do? And, When I started singing the melody, you know, there's Chris Neal beaming through the studio. He's going like this on me. I'm going, Really? And he goes, really? Really? And I'm going, okay.
Speaker F:
Because, you know, you have this helmet on. You are the backing. You know, I've always been a backing vocalist in guys and adults. You know, this is my job. That's what I do. I like to do everything I do very well for my ballet training, be very specific. I'm a perfectionist, And suddenly, it was very different.
Robbie:
Teresa Bazaar, they're talking about how she wrote the song Love's Got a Hold on Me. It's interesting to see how much really did when he was talking during the interview, because it seemed very like David Van Day driven dollar. But it turns out Teresa was doing literally 90% of the work behind the scenes, And it was wonderful to hear her side of the story and just get her version of things that happened. So I was just gonna take a quick break and say, you know, the year's been crazy. I've tried lots of new things this year, And it's been just really experimental and completely different for me. I went to 2 farewell tours, and I thought I'd go to Elton John. I bought my tickets back in 2018, and they got shuffled around. I got to see Elton John this year, and he was amazing.
Robbie:
It was a fantastic goodbye tour. And I saw Kiss on their farewell tour as well. I didn't get to think I'd get to see them. I got a 10 pound ticket. I made got me a ticket for 10. I went to see it. It was well worth way more than 10 quid. It was a brilliant show, and they ended fantastically.
Robbie:
Also, the years you know, the chart's been crazy this year. The best album was The Rolling Stones of Hackney Diamonds. The best single of the year was The Beatles, with Now and Then. And, obviously, the Christmas number one that's just gone this year was, Wham We've Last Christmas. So we took, you know, A step back and looking at these older bands is I'm actually wondering if it's the state of the music industry today that people prefer safer and older stuff that they know. But one of the big changes for me personally is something that I never thought I'd get into was doing live streaming and a YouTube channel. So Chat N Tracks as the Chat and Chat's music community on YouTube, where I've got some of these interviews where you can actually watch interviews rather than listen to them. And also on there, I'm doing reaction videos to songs, unboxing to bits that I buy, and just generally talking music on there as well.
Robbie:
So if you want a bit of a visual thing, you can pop over to that. I'm sure there'll be links in the description, and Everywhere you get links, then we go to the YouTube channel. And it and it's just been amazing to do live streaming. My friend, Pete Saxa, has a show called unknown sounds, where he It. Gets unknown bands and unknown singers and the songwriters. And we play the videos, and we talk about the songs, and we just basically do a review of the track with the artist. And it's been really, really good fun, and we just sit there, and we talk for an hour and play music and just talk about stuff that's going on in the charts at the time. And if you get a chance, check out those.
Robbie:
An we call it chatting sounds because it's unknown sounds and chatting tracks mixed together. So if you get a chance, check those out as well. I'm sure there'll be a link I'll put 1 in there as well for you just to find it if you wanna have a a live chat. And people can talk to us live as well, which is nice. So we interview some of the artists that he's on the show, and we also talk about music. And people can talk to us live during the event, which is wonderful. Anyway, I'll stop talking about that because I will talk about it all day, because I really enjoy Next up, we've got Mike Edwards from the fantastic band Jesus Jones that had hits with International Bright Young Thing, just to name 1. We spoke about how he went about songwriting, and does he enjoy it? Well, you got your 1st band together.
Robbie:
Were you starting to song write at a really young age, or were you sort of just doing covers and finding your way through?
Speaker G:
Yeah. Co covers initially like everyone else, and then you you you start writing your own stuff, which, of course, was absolutely appalling. Yeah. I I know there are some people, and, I I think Jerry and the band has has talked to Miles Hunt because Jerry played in the Wanda stuff for for a short while to to help them out. And I think it's it's one of the songs off of the Wunder Stuff's first album that was, I think, maybe the 1st song Miles ever wrote money was something like 16. You know? And it's, obviously, it's on their 1st album. It's a really good song. Yeah.
Speaker G:
And I'm just, I'm just full of admiration because, you know, I didn't write anything Even halfway decent for the first 100 songs, I'd say. It was all absolutely dire better than before then. So that's that's impressive.
Robbie:
Mike Edwards there from Jesus Jones talking about songwriting and how we started. He was such an ordinary person. It for for me. Because I remember back in the nineties, I bought the single in National Brighton things, and then Top of the Pops was about. And then you you sort of go and watch it, and then you'd see him with his sort of shorts on, and he's, because he was into skateboarding and skateboarding shoes And his hat on backwards and that sort of stuff, and he had that real rebel sort of attitude. And then, you know, and then you meet 1 line, and he speaks about, you know, drinking green tea and going cycling at the weekend. And it's It's just really strange when because there was no jump for me. There was like a 30 year jump.
Robbie:
But he was such a nice fella, and he was so down to Earth. I could spoke to him all day, and we spoke about him. His influence has been the sweet, you know, like blockbuster and songs like that, which you never would have expected from Jesus Jones to be influenced by. I just don't know why I didn't make the connection Sooner, but I just didn't. But he was a lovely guy. Yeah. Again, any of you is in the description somewhere or on this channel. Try and find it and listen to it because absolutely charming fella, he he was incredible.
Robbie:
So like I was saying, as I've diversified now, I can speak to more people from different genres. I went to another nineties artist and the wonderful Lee Murray from Let Loose. Now you might remember Lee. He was the drummer. There was a 3 piece band. Richie was the singer, and Lee was the drummer. And they had a massive hit with Crazy For You that come out in the summer in the nineties. And I remember they came out, and I've got a full disclaimer.
Robbie:
I didn't like them at the time. They seemed to be too posy. You know, me and my friends went to Pearl Jam. It was grunge and Music that made you stare at your feet, and this pop band come out with these pop songs. And we were like, don't like them. Don't wanna know. Turns out, you know, 30 years later, I love the track, Crazy for you. It's absolutely brilliant.
Robbie:
Anyway, Lee Murray went on to tell me how they wrote the song. Also, Lee's a lovely guy, and he's doing a fantastic work with, people with autism and using drums it. To find out how to express themselves using drums. So if you go to the link on Lee's episode, there's a link to his website where you can find out How to get involved with that charity because it's absolutely fantastic. Anyway, this is how Let Loose wrote the song Crazy For You. How did the, like, crazy few come along? Was the did Richie have the demo then, or were you playing that at the time live?
Speaker H:
Or We used to go around to Richie's house. He had a little flat in Bessemer Green, And I used to drive down there. It took me about hour and a half, and we were down there every day constantly sort of writing songs. He was the main writer, but we'd all sort of chuck in ideas and try and come up with songs. And Actually, crazy for you, we had a quite a turbulent relationship, Richie and I. We we'd had a row on this particular occasion. I can't remember. I was a bit oversensitive, and I can't remember what he said, but something upset me, and I stormed off.
Speaker H:
And he was writing the sort of intro and bits and pieces of Crazy For You, and he said, I need help with this. And I stormed off and went downstairs and sat with his mom. He baked beans on toast. And, actually, it was crazy. If you we never really liked it that much, we we thought it was alright. It was Very sort of fluffy and but it was quite catchy, and it went through various different you know, we worked on it a long time trying to toughen it up a little bit, but it was what it was. You know, we remixed it a 100 times trying to make it a bit more of a rock song, but, you know, it was the lyrics were quite sort of fluffy again and poppy. So we kinda parked it for a little while, but then Virgin really liked it, Virgin Records.
Speaker H:
And that ended up sort of again, we produced that all So many different times and changed it and rearranged it and but then we got dropped by Virgin. So, again, it was all parked, and we went back to writing more songs. So It was kinda just hanging around for quite a few years.
Robbie:
Lee Murray there from Let Loose telling me about how they wrote the track Crazy For You. It sounds like a proper turbulent band, but they some of the music in the movie was absolutely fantastic. Now it's not often you get to interview 1 of your idols. And I got to speak to the wonderful Nigel Planner from the young ones and bad news. The young ones is my all time favorite program. I've got loads of stuff, loads of memorabilia from it. It's probably the greatest TV show ever made, in my opinion. It's it makes me laugh to this day, even though I've seen it thousands of times.
Robbie:
So I reached out to Nigel, We played Neil Pye on the show and just said, would you like to have a chat? And he said, yes. And, yeah, again, we had Internet problems, and we took about 3 sessions to get the interview done. And Nigel could not have been any kind with his time and his patience with it. If you've never done a podcast, it's hard to describe how it is to meet your idol and not go absolutely bonkers with it. Anyway, this is the wonderful Nigel Plater, one of my heroes, talking about Neil's heavy concept album and the follow-up to Hold In My Shoe, White Bicycles. Just talk about Neil's Heavy concept album. How did it come about? Was you approached, or did you approach someone with an idea for it? Because I know Dave Stewart produced it, didn't he? So did Dave come to you?
Speaker E:
Or
Speaker I:
Yeah. Dave Stewart produced the single too.
Robbie:
Right.
Speaker I:
So what happened was we a a a mate of mine, Alan McGowan, who was a music booker. He booked a comedy and music club in Brighton called The Witch Hunt. He had the idea. He said, you should be doing a single as Neil. Why don't you do Hole in My Shirt? It was just a damn good idea. And we toyed with the idea of doing it with Merillian, who I was supporting at some of their gigs at time. And for some reason, that fell through. I can't remember why.
Speaker I:
And then I can't equally remember who it was who suggested Dave Stewart. I think Dave Stewart got to hear that we were doing it, and he was keen. I think I think that's what happened. He got to hear that I was looking around for someone. So I went to meet him, and That clicked immediately. This is not Dave Stewart of the Arhythmics, by the way. This is Dave Stewart of Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin. And so we went to Facebook's studio in Cambridge and and made the single.
Speaker I:
And then it was such a big hit that we And the record company told Bullets Maker an album. And the record company wanted a second single, and they insisted on it being my My White Bicycle, which I never liked that one as much as I I felt we should've done something more like Itchiku Park The 2nd single. I think Neil doing Itchigoo Park would have been really funny.
Robbie:
And you know what? I think he's completely right. Imagine Neil doing Itchigoo Park. That would have been absolutely incredible. What an interview. What a guy. I said to my, my friends and family, if I stopped my podcast now, I would have been totally happy after the interview. I've interviewed an hero of mine. And when you meet these people and they're so nice, it just makes you think you should meet your heroes.
Robbie:
I don't care what anybody says. Anyway, as I was saying, because I wanted to get more diverse, I was interested all aspects of music. And I spoke to the wonderful journalist, Chris Welsh. Now Chris Welsh was a guy that was around in the sixties, seventies, and the eighties, And he's interviewed every single band you can think of, and he knows a lot of these people personally. He was an absolute diamond to talk to, and he was just so full of knowledge. He's currently writing a book, autobiography about his life, which I cannot wait to read. It's gonna be full of such amazing stories. But in this one, he tells us how Led Zeppelin became Led Zeppelin.
Speaker J:
John Barnum, I 1st saw playing with, Led Zeppelin, then called, it's still called the the New Yarlbergs at the Marquis. And I heard all about Jimmy Page had told me about this new band he was forming. He came into the office. Can you imagine that?
Robbie:
They they
Speaker J:
all came up to see me in the office to tell me about their new bands after Cream and Hendrix Experience. Now it was Led Zeppelin. And, yeah, he said, what's the name of the band?
Robbie:
And he says
Speaker J:
it's called Led Zeppelin. And I wrote it down in my notebook. I said, no. You spelled it wrong. It's l e d, not l e a d.
Robbie:
The wonderful journalist, Chris Welsh, his autobiography is definitely something that I'm gonna get and devour and read. He just knew everybody. The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Bo, you name it. Mark Bowland, he knew everybody, and he's such a lovely fella as well. It was one of those interviews where I could have listened to him just tell me stories for hours and hours and hours, but I thought I want to find out more about the man and about his life, and his life is fascinating. And a lot of the stories that he comes across, Like, meeting Led Zeppelin and Bolin, they're all accidental. Everything he did in the music world is accidental, but he was right there in the middle of the most amazing times in music. So I got a wonderful email during the summer from a guy.
Robbie:
There was a manager of a guy called Louis Prima Junior. Louis Prima senior was a jazz singer who was in Jungle Book. So I'm not gonna tell you much more, but I interviewed his son, Louis Prima Junior, and he was a really lovely guy. He's out there touring at the moment doing jazz infused shows, Swing jazz, and the energy and the amount of effort this man puts into a show is absolutely incredible. I don't know how he does it. I mean, you know, I'm half his age, and I still couldn't do it. It's it's phenomenal stuff. So, anyway, here's Louie Primasini talking about his dad.
Speaker K:
Well, my father, he's tough to tough to describe because he was his. I've always felt he was his own style of music and his own style of entertainer. He didn't follow any mold. I think he was a forerunner We're a front runner in every music style change. My father had his 1st band as a teenager in the twenties in New Orleans, Louisiana 19 twenties. He wrote sing sing sing, which is arguably the number 1 song in the world. I mean, it's the number 1 big band song easily. Number 1 jazz song is in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Speaker K:
I mean, it you you still turn on the TV, and it's in commercials and things, but he wrote that when he was In 1936, he was 26 years old, you know, and then he went on to be a big band staple with hits through there, and then he Formed a a small combo and kinda put Vegas on the map entertainment wise with Louie Prima and the witnesses. You know, back then, it was Keeley Smith. And, You know, he he forged on through rock and roll, and people will say that he created rock and roll. I think what most people will recognize him for, At least as you know, when when we're out on the road and performing, you know, you bring up the cartoon Jungle Book, Walt Disney's Jungle Book. And I think, absolutely, It you're hard pressed to find somebody that has not seen that cartoon growing up or as an adult. And my father was the voice of King Louie in that movie, and that's Probably his most recognizable role, but, you know, he was, he was a musician that people didn't respect as a musician. He was an entertainer that people didn't respect as an entertainer, but he drew crowds everywhere. And he was amazing, and people loved him.
Speaker K:
And, You know, I'm fortunate to be able to build on his catalog and kinda continue it and bring it into the future without being a tribute act. You know, absolutely, I was influenced by him.
Robbie:
It's a it's amazing. I was doing a bit of research on your dad prior to this, And your dad's got such a distinctive voice that I read somewhere that they, a lot of places won't book him early early days because they thought he was a black artist.
Speaker K:
Absolutely. And, You know, the irony in that is he was the 1st white artist to play at the historic Apollo Theater in New York probably because of that. But that you know, it comes from his roots in New Orleans. I mean, he he did have a gravelly voice, and people always kind of, You know, we'll say that he emulated or tried to copy Louis Armstrong, but the truth you know, if you go back into the history of music in New Orleans and what they did, I mean, these were street cats. You know, my father was 11 years old sneaking out of the house Because they lived in the French Quarter to go see these fantastic inventors of jazz and and the creators of that style of music back then, And they all were the same. You know? They they all they they emulated the street performers and that style.
Robbie:
Louis Pima junior, they're talking about his dad And his music. King of the swingers, what a fantastic song. And what a fantastic accolades have have your dad sing that song. He was a lovely guy. Like I said, if you see online. Look at the shows. The energy is incredible. So the podcast had some amazing opportunities.
Robbie:
I say the podcast rather than me because I feel the podcast is is the face of all this stuff. And I got to go to some amazing festivals this year. I went to the Soltazia Festival, which played loads of solo artists. I got to go to the Poptazia Festival, which had Jason Donovan and Tony Hadley. The reviews are in the description, and also the amazing rewind festival in Henley that I'd do before with Nick Kershaw, Nick Hayward, Martin Kemp. And I got to see some amazing stuff. And that's what I mean. Like, the the podcast is growing so much this year that I've got to go to festivals and review things and do things I've never done before, and it became exciting for me, And it become amazing, and I just I had so many amazing opportunities.
Robbie:
Thanks to this amazing podcast, and thank you to you listening to it as well. It's It's been an amazing year. So on to the seventies now. I spoke to the amazing Paul Da Vinci who had a hit with your baby ain't your baby anymore. Had a hit single with the Rubettes, but we can't really talk about that because it didn't end too well. But this is him talking about the track, your baby, ain't your baby anymore. He's a fantastic voice. And in a weird twist of fate, It turns out he used to work with my stepdad.
Robbie:
My stepdad's a musician, and he played on some of Paul's tracks back in the seventies. And they know each other really well. And it's one of those things where my stepdad said to me, you were doing your podcast, and you speak to people from all decades of genres. Have you spoke to Paul? I was like, no. Actually, I haven't. So I contacted Paul, reached out, and he very kindly gave me some of his time on the phone, and we spoke about his hit track. Anyway, this is Paulovich talking about your and Your Baby Anymore. So can we talk about Your Baby and Your Baby Anymore that came about, that track?
Speaker E:
Yeah. What happened was, Eddie Segoe, who was one of these, The writers that I was assigned to, they've got this title, your baby, ain't your baby anymore. So I was sitting in a we've got a flat At the time, you know, and, well, well, I got married when I was 18. You know? We've got we've got our daughter and everything. And, and, I'm sitting there writing, and I and I did, talk using. Then it goes to e minor because your baby ain't your and and at that point, I went, because your baby ain't your baby anymore. And my wife went, oh god. Have you have you gotta do it like that because you're gonna have to now, You know, it's gonna you know, you're gonna get half the thing.
Speaker E:
So I said, well, it just works. So I went over with Eddie because I knew he was he was gonna finance it. So He wrote he wrote a few words to it, basically. But, basically, it was all done. You know? He wrote a few lyrics for me, but and he did get the title, which was very important. But, yeah. But but then he but I produced it, and then he put his name first on the production credits and on the writing credits. And I'm still waiting for money from them Years later, you know, which is another story.
Robbie:
When you get to the part where you're talking in the song, was that designed? Did you write that into the song, or was it just an accident that happened, and you
Speaker E:
just I did it purposely because I'll tell you what it was. I was writing rock. The the record before it, which featured John Richardson from the Rubettes on drums, was called Are You Ready? It was a heavy rock record that went, you know, like this. So and that that's what I was into. But everyone was saying, Oh, you couldn't have you couldn't have sung on that record. Otherwise, you'd have been on top of the pops, you know, which was really getting my go. So I thought I'm gonna showcase the falsetto as much as I can. So I wrote a big fanfare at the beginning of that, and then the high notes And then the middle bit, just like they did with Sugar Baby Love where it goes, people, take my advice, I I I spoofed that, really.
Speaker E:
And at the very end of it, I thought I'll really make it obvious. So when your baby and your baby and he and then sang the really high note without any backing whatsoever. So it was really designed to to prove, You know what I've done?
Robbie:
One of the greatest voices of the semis there, Paul da Vinci. Harry hits that high range literally blows my mind. I don't know how he does it. He can still do it, and he's doing a fantastic show at the moment. He's just released a single called Give Me That Kinda Love, and it's got that seventies tone with a modern contemporary feel to it, and it's absolutely fantastic. If you get a chance, go on Spotify and see if you can find that. There's a link to that song in his interview. So if you find it, you just you'll find it there anyway.
Robbie:
Anyway, on to Simon Williams. Now I was really fortunate in the summer to go to a book festival. My local town has a literary festival. People come down, and they talk about their books. You get to meet them, and they sign them and stuff like that. I met Simon Williams who was the cofounder and runner of Panda Records. They signed cold plates of their 1st deal as well as many other bands. Simon's a lovely guy, and the book's amazingly intense.
Robbie:
Simon decided to have a have a life ending incident Nam June a few years ago and the consequences, and the book covers that in all its glory detail. And Simon's amazingly honest in the book, and he's brutally honest. And that's what makes a book so special. In this clip, Simon talks about seeing Coldplay and sign them for the first time, and it's amazing to think they're as big as they are. Let's put it that yeah. Anyway, here's Simon talking about it.
Speaker L:
I mean I mean, obviously, the key one is is, you know, Coldplay at the, when I first saw them at the, At the Falcon in Camden, you know, I mean, they they did they looked absolutely bloody awful. They really did. You know? He had his burly mop top hair and his tank tops and his just and these terrible jokes and these these tiny acoustic guitar, and they kind of ripped off Jeff Buckley and ripped off Radiohead. And But they were absolutely compelling, and and those jokes were actually they stood out, ironically enough, because of their naffness. We just had, You know, 5 years of everyone just trying to be, you know, Liam Gallagher. And God bless him, but he's not he's not a comedian, is he?
Robbie:
Simon Williams there talking about Coldplay and why they signed up to Panda Records. The book's called Pandemonium, How Not TO Run A Record Label. If you go to his episode, the link is in the description to buy the book. I think you should get it and just listen to it. It's absolutely fantastic, and it just shows you how difficult it is to be an independent record label in today's society. Okay. So we're nearly finished the roundup of this 2023 look back. It's been such an incredible year.
Robbie:
And yet again, it's Because I diversified and I could talk to anybody I wanted to at this point, I decided to I've been a huge fan of Queen all my life. I love Queen and The Beatles and Stevie Wonder and Stevie Dan, all these bands. And Tim Staffell was a name that was floating around in the background in the Queen story. Now if you've seen the Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody, he's the guy that Freddie Mercury walks on, and they're playing the gig, and they're doing doing alright the track. And then it cuts to outside, and they say, humpy bong. And he says, yeah. They're going somewhere, man. It's just a In that movie, they condensed Tim's role to a little more than 1 line.
Robbie:
Tim's a fantastic songwriter. He's a fantastic musician. His new album, My Boy Child is fantastic. And at 75, which I think he said how old he was, he's still producing fantastic music. I mean, he's more than a footnote in the Queen's story. He's an important part, And it's important part of the COG that is the Queen story. And we went online, and he we talked about music. And he's just a very affable guy that loves talking about music and guitars.
Robbie:
Here we talk about Smile, which is the the early version of Queen and their demo. And looking back, this is what Tim thinks was wrong with the demo at the time. Yeah.
Speaker M:
I think if anything, I think the problem with that Was it it was too eclectic. There were the the the the variety of songs was too difficult, was too and and we didn't We didn't clearly know how to produce them in those days because we were just a we were little rock trio with harmonies. Every rock trio with harmonies. Right. How do we do these songs? Well, we're doing like that. Right. Okay. Fine.
Speaker M:
And we tried to fit them all into the same mold and that Looking back in retrospect, it wasn't the right thing to do. Polar bear should have been should have been done differently.
Robbie:
The wonderful Tim stuff were there talking about the Smile demo And how he thinks it should have been done differently. So that is your 2023 recap of the Chatting Trax music community podcast. I've just played you XX From 13 interviews. I've done 13 interviews and a few more this year, but I didn't get time to put those in. It's been an absolutely incredible year, and I can't thank you all enough for support, whether it be the podcast, the YouTube channel, or the live streams, or sending me songs, or inviting me to interview artists, or however you've been involved this year with the podcast. Thank you so much. The it's just it's been amazing. The idea with the podcast started with me just in a room with a microphone and going online.
Robbie:
And this year, it's literally just into all these amazing opportunities and meeting amazing people, trying new things, trying new ideas, and I'm really, really enjoying it. I can't wait for 2024 to see what's around the corner And what I'm gonna do with it. I was doing interviews twice a month, and I've got a day job. And it was becoming too much work, so now I'm doing 1 a month. But the YouTube channel has a lot more content because it's easier to to produce and put on faster. So if you wanna keep up more regularly with the podcast, if you go to the YouTube channel, you'll see there's more regular uploads on there because it's easier to do reaction videos and put those on online, I can make those within an hour and get those online. That's why they're on there, and there's a lot more content. It does not mean I have to attract you from the podcast.
Robbie:
I still love the podcast. The podcast format is what I love the most and what I really wanna do. I'm just trying to spread the word about the community a little bit more. So if you can spread the word about the community, thank you so much. Yeah. Again, thank you for your support, and the opportunities this year have just been so mind blowing and incredible. I'm such a lucky guy to be able to do this and talk about music, which is something I love more than anything, and Just generally being the Efi with the podcast. So here's to you and 2024.
Robbie:
I'm raising a glass to you. I wish you the best of health. I wish you the best of luck, and please join me on this journey next year, and you'll see where it takes us both, shall we? So happy New Year, and I wish you the best, my friend,
35 min
December 01, 2023 EPS.48 The Unseen Stories: Candid Conversation with Tim Staffell on Smile, Brian May, and Roger Taylor
Welcome to another episode of the Chatting Tracks podcast! In this exciting instalment, our host, Robbie, has an insightful conversation with music legend Tim Staffell. Dive deep into the untold chronicles of Smile, a remarkable band that included the phenomenal talents of Brian May and Roger Taylor.

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Show Contents:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6EtRaGeodP9stdGz92vPtB?si=O6bx0oz1QFuHMu1LAIfEqQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstaffell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timstaffell/
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1 hr 1 min
November 30, 2023 Charting the 80s Rewind Festival: A Festival Experience from Start to Finish
Welcome back to Chatting Tracks! In this episode, Robbie takes us on a journey to the 80s Rewind Festival, where he shares his firsthand experience of the incredible performances and vibrant atmosphere. From iconic artists like Prince to the festival's stellar organization and fun activities, Robbie comprehensively reviews the event. Join us in this rewind review as we dive into the world of 80s music and festival vibes.

Episode Links:

Nick Heyward: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chatting-tracks/id1615827339?i=1000560840057

Dr Clive Jackson: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chatting-tracks/id1615827339?i=1000586891502

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21 min
November 16, 2023 Chatting Tracks on the BBC
Robbie appeared on BBC Sounds with Leo Ulph to discuss music and a 5-minute podcast trailer.

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24 min
October 31, 2023 Chatting Tracks Halloween Special
Are you ready to explore the mysterious world of ghosts? Join Robbie from Chatting Tracks as he takes you on an unforgettable journey through supernatural realms. Get ready to discover spine-tingling tales and unravel the secrets of the unseen. Let's dive in!

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32 min
October 30, 2023 EPS.47 "From Writing to Record Labels: The Story of Simon Williams and Fierce Panda Records"
In this captivating video, delve into the extraordinary journey of Simon Williams, renowned author of the book "Pandamonium! How Not To Run A Record Label" and the brilliant mind behind Fierce Panda Records. Get ready to be enthralled as Simon shares his inspiring story, from his early days as a writer to the establishment and evolution of his iconic record label. Discover the challenges, triumphs, and pivotal moments that shaped Simon's career and made Fierce Panda Records a true force in the music industry. Uncover valuable insights and strategies for success as Simon unravels the secrets behind his remarkable achievements. Don't miss this exclusive look at the remarkable story of Simon Williams and Fierce Panda Records. Let the captivating tale unfold now! @chattingtracks

Social Link:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ChattingTracks/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/Chattingtracks
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chattingtracks/
Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ChattingTracks/
Email: [email protected]
https://linktr.ee/ChattingTracks

Show Contents:

Book: https://amzn.eu/d/4mOuIZm

Record Label: http://fiercepanda.co.uk/
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
46 min

About Chatting Tracks

From the publisher's feed

Hey there! Are you a music lover? If you are, then you're going to love "Chatting Tracks" - the ultimate destination for all things music! Whether you're a die-hard fan, a budding artist, or just someone who loves to jam out to their favourite tunes, this podcast is perfect for you. Join our host, Robbie, as he interviews musicians from all decades and takes a deep dive into the history of some of the biggest hits. So, what are you waiting for? Come join us and let's chat some tracks!

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