Seja talks to her guest Joel Shadbolt (L.A.B) about the band’s 5th album release, lockdown in New Zealand, and how COVID-19 has been a weird opportunity for New Zealand bands to get good slots on festivals. He tells Seja about his dad’s country influence, studying jazz guitar in New York, and how he started singing. They chat about the beautiful simplicity of lyric writing and instrumentation, band royalties and Joel’s love for the band Toto.

Joel’s story was illustrated by Laurence Crow. You can check out more of his work on instagram @lozcrowillustration or on his website www.laurencecrowillustration.com.

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

Seja talks to her guest Erica Dunn (Tropical Fuck Storm, MOD CON, harmony, Palm Springs) about the new TFS album, how the band accidentally made a movie and how songs come together in all the bands she is in. Erica tells Seja about her music related sliding doors moment, her scary piano teacher and how she joined her favourite band. They chat about her experiences with trying to learn mistakes on purpose, vocal heroes and trying to stay healthy on tour.

Erica's strange show story was illustrated by George Karapas @georgekarapas001. All illustrations can be seen on Instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) about his upcoming multi-genre residency shows in Brisbane, COVID-19 admin on tour and how difficult it is to remember 75 songs at the same time. Stu tells Seja about how he approaches music like architecture, his addictive personality and how this feeds his compulsion to write, and how his dad would play him Australian Roots/Country to put him to sleep as a kid. They chat about needing parameters while writing, their love of Juno-60s, and the phenomenon of everyone hearing music differently to one another.

Stu’s strange show story was illustrated by Alex Smith (@alexosm).

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

Seja talks to her guest Paul Kelly about his very special new Christmas album ‘Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train’, the journey of making the album, how the songs came together and some of the collaborations. Paul tells Seja about the post album recording flatness, how it’s always strange to talk about something once you’ve finished it and his love of sequencing albums. They chat about the album themes including family, cultural and religious representation and the spine tingling harmonies throughout. They gush about Paul’s band, touch on some songwriting tricks, go through some of his favourite hip hop artists and how they influenced his own songs.

Paul’s strange show story was illustrated by Jack Rodgers. You can see more of Jack’s work on instagram @jackrodgersartist. All illustrations can be seen on Instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Tim Shiel about his album Distractions One, the journey to feeling satisfied with one’s creative output and how valuable collaborations can be for both the art and when you have to talk about the art. Tim tells Seja about using elements from the past to build a through line to new work, intertextuality in music and film and his label/musical community Spirit Level. They chat about the grossness of press releases, how impressed they are by people who can improvise confidently and the importance of editing when it comes to making an album.

Tim’s strange show experience is illustrated by Stewart Fulton @stweeful. All illustrations can be seen on Instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Zak Olsen (Traffik Island, ORB, Frowning Clouds, Hierophants) about his new album ‘A Shrug of the Shoulders’, singing fatigue, playing with new people, and things that influenced the recording of the new album. Zak tells Seja about his farm life in Wattle Bank, his time growing up in New Zealand listening to his dad’s heavy metal band rehearsing Megadeth songs, and how he got into sixties music like the Kinks and the Beatles. They discuss the frustration of how long it takes for albums to come out, their love of humour in music, social media, and their relationships with backing track.

Zak’s strange show experience was illustrated by Tom Lyngcoln (The Nation Blue, Harmony). All illustrations can be seen on Instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Jen Boyce (Ball Park Music) about her love of the Seekers as a child, learning to harmonise with her sister and singing along to tapes in the car. Jen tells Seja about how she was drawn to Hanson as a musical goal, how her mum helped her make a business plan for playing live, and the first time she picked up a bass. They chat about learning by ear, karaoke and how to be happy on stage. Jen also goes into her experiences with endometriosis and how she advocates for her own health and the health of others by spreading her valuable knowledge on the issue.

Jen’s strange show story was illustrated by Mark Chester Harding. You can see more of his work on instagram @markchesterharding or his online store at www.markchesterharding.com

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

Seja talks to her guest Charley about her new single Arizona, its themes of mental health, panic and anxiety, and how relatable these themes are amongst artists. Charley shares her stories about being a competitor on The Voice and what she learnt from these experiences about her own creative output. She tells Seja about collaborating with other artists and producers, how communication is the key to all good songwriting and how feeling vulnerable is an important part of the process. Seja and Charley share stories about their misophonia, theories on immersion therapy and singing with accents.

Charley’s strange show experience was illustrated by @alice_amsel. All illustrations can be seen on Instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Ian Kenny (Birds of Tokyo) about working on music remotely, making mistakes on stage and the grossness of creating ‘content’ for fans. Kenny tells Seja about the creative hub in his hometown of Dunsborough, Western Australia, being vulnerable with band mates and trying not to think about your audience while writing songs. They share some random phone notes and chat AFL grand final.

Kenny’s strange show experience was illustrated by Eadie Newman (@anemone_ears). All illustrations can be seen on Instagram @hearsejpodcast or on the HearSej Facebook page.

Seja talks to her guest Hayley Mary (the Jezabels) about feelings, singing from the heart and how Unchained Melody was the catalyst for Hayley’s love of singing. Hayley tells Seja about her love of dramatic melodies, how she sees singing as a game she tries to get better at, and the horror of playing solo acoustic shows. They chat about both attending Steiner schools, how to push yourself to be heard and the appeal of nihilism and chaos.

Hayley’s strange show story was illustrated by Ruby McGregor (Babaganouj, Catalano, Lexicon). You can see all podcast illustrations on instagram @hearsejpodcat or on the HearSej Facebook page