Seja talks to her guest Kim Salmon (The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon) about the Perth punk scene, his first guitar and learning from a jazz teacher when all he wanted was to play was rock n roll. They chat about playing Deep Purple songs, being no good at commerce and trying to imagine what bands sound like from reviews. Kim tells Seja about hearing the Ramones for the first time, songwriting in his early bands the Cheap Nasties and the Scientists, and what keeps him making art.

Kim’s strange experience was illustrated by Seja.

All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

The Scientists on Countdown in 1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-5BShdW1fE

Seja talks to her guest William Crighton about the making of his new album Colonial Drift and his collaborators. He tells Seja about growing up in western New South Wales, how he was introduced to singing by his mother and grandmother teaching him church hymns and how that fused music and spirituality together for him from an early age. William talks about living in America, his experience with cultural cringe and cultural/ancestral guilt and how seeing Merle Haggard changed his feelings about his musical journey. They talk about trying to reconcile our own complicity in a climate crisis as an artist, different practices around lyric writing and band members feeling like family.

William’s strange show story was illustrated by Seja. All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

End podcast theme by Sam Cromack.

Seja talks to her guest Johannes Eckerström from the Swedish metal band Avatar about growing up near Gothenburg, playing trumboe and piano as a kid and how making a living from music seemed like a possibility. Johannes tells Seja about being enamoured with the circus and the showmanship of wrestling, getting his self confidence from his parents and the secret to heavy metal. They chat about how metal is empowering, how Avatar plan what goes out into the world visually and winning over 60,000 people whilst supporting Iron Maiden.

Johannes’s story was illustrated by Seja. All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32iX5lbVDto

True Norwegian Black Metal

Seja talks to her guest Sharon Van Etten about her amazing band the Attachment Theory and the organic process they shared whilst writing the new album. Sharon tells Seja about the adjustment of inviting people into her songwriting practice, how her band are her chosen family and how she has come around the jamming. They chat about their mutual love of Elastica, conscious stream writing, the power of subtraction, lyric writing and setting priorities at this stage in life.

Sharon’s story was illustrated by Seja. All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Dan Whitford (Cut Copy) about the new album Moments and how the title has made him go into full dad joke/pun mode. He tells Seja about the reasons for the long break between albums, some of the software and hardware that inspired the album and how he feels about his voice after all these years. They chat about their family and band connection to each other, their time signed to Modular Records and despite questionable business dealings, how Steve Pav’s championing of electronic music with a live element changed the course of Australian dance music. Dan and Seja agree that there is joy in a synth that has been on a journey before you get it, and Dan talks touring on a lower budget.

Dan’s strange show story was illustrated by Seja. All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

https://pitchfork.com/news/synth-repairman-accidentally-gets-high-by-touching-lsd-left-in-vintage-buchla/

https://hypernatural.bandcamp.com/album/hypernatural

Seja talks to her guest Evan Dando (The Lemonheads) about living in Brazil, how glad he is to be out of America at the moment and the making of the band’s latest videoclip. Evan tells Seja about having good money karma, how much the Replacements influenced him and how much he appreciates songwriting now that he doesn’t take things for granted. They share feelings about their shared love of Tom Morgan and Smudge and talk about how much the two albums the Lemonheads are in Australia playing at the moment ‘ It’s A Shame About Ray’ and ‘C’mon Feel The Lemonheads’ meant to people.

Evan Dando was illustrated by Myles Heskett @myleskett

Seja talks to her guests Dave Graney and Clare Moore about their upcoming 30th anniversary shows for the album The Soft ’n’ Sexy Sound. They tell Seja memories of playing festivals over the years, about staying in squats in London, and the rivalry and close community with their musical peers the Go-Betweens, Kim Salmon, the Scientists, the Boys Next Door and the Triffids. They chat about album production, advocates at record labels, clever and funny titles, and how all the best people are creative creeps.

Dave and Clare’s strange show story was illustrated by Seja. All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Sally Seltmann (New Buffalo) about her studio set-up, her dogs, co-writing sessions and how to keep ideas fresh. They chat about their shared similarities, working with and taking criticism from your partner, self producing and record label politics. Sally tells Seja about the financial side of being a songwriter vs feeling satisfied creatively, how making music is medicine and about the joys of hearing her daughter play music.

Sally’s strange show story was illustrated by Seja. All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Ratbag about growing up in New Zealand, discovering music like David Bowie and Blondie through her dad, and how her parents helped her develop her singing voice. She tells Seja about her multidisciplinary artistic project, how important journaling is to her and her ambitious wishes for her future live shows. They chat about tricking oneself into confidence, writing and production and channeling one’s goblin voice.

Ratbag’s story was illustrated by me!

All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

It’s a celebration of 100 episodes of HearSej and the tables are turned to face Seja, as three of her favourite people interview her about her life. Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger), Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint) and Spod ask Seja about the important issues such as who has the best stage banter in Australia, why do we like fart noises only if a synthesizer is making them, and which famous people have you seen naked. Seja also tells her friends about how she makes the podcast, which guests she has connected with the most, and her experiences moving to Australia from Germany.

Seja tells three strange show stories, one of which she has illustrated. All illustrations can be seen on instagram @hearsejpodcast, or on the HearSej Facebook page.