Episode 44: James Gardener

Born in Southampton, James Gardener began his musical journey at seven on tenor horn before switching to trumpet at nine - following some very practical advice from his primary school teacher: “you’ll get more gigs on trumpet.” From community brass bands to the Southampton Youth Jazz Orchestra, and through Grade 8 trumpet and piano studies, music quickly became the priority - A-Levels very much secondary.

A 2021 graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz course, James has performed alongside world-class musicians and at venues including the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and the Southbank Centre. His career has also taken him to sea, performing on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, and most recently completing a six-month cruise ship contract. Now based in Southampton, he works as a freelance trumpet player, performing with function and tribute bands (including Good Times), directing youth ensembles, teaching privately, and developing his own projects.

In this episode, James arrives at the Pod Lodge fresh from life on board, bringing stories from the cruise circuit, sharing some of his own music, and taking on one of the show’s notoriously unhinged games. Expect insight, plenty of laughs, and a bit of chaos along the way.

⚠️ Note: This episode contains some Anglo-Saxon language - probably not one for the school commute.

Find out more about James:

https://www.jamesgardenertrumpet.com/
https://www.goodtimesband.co.uk/

Check out Karl’s band Davey Jones’ Locker:
https://www.facebook.com/DaveyJonesLockerBand/

Welcome to our Quiz Bonanza, where Karl and Aidan put their musical geekiness to the test in a head-to-head quiz. No Googling, no phone-a-friend - just two music obsessives trying to out-nerd each other.

The questions include legendary festival line-ups, deep cuts from The Beatles, iconic collaborations and the curious craft of movie soundtracks.

Adding a twist to the proceedings, a very special guest joins in to lend their voice to a bonus round.

Play along and see if you can match - or beat - Karl and Aidan at their own game...

Listening to the podcast is all the support we need, but if you’d like to go a little further then you can make a donation to the show HERE. Include a message, and we’ll read it out on the show!

This week, Karl and Aidan invite Hayley Thomas to the podlodge. Hayley is the founder of Miaza and brings an honest conversation about health, balance, and looking after yourself as a performer.

Hayley works with people who feel physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually out of sync. In this episode, she talks specifically about how musicians can keep their bodies and minds healthy while performing. From managing physical strain to staying grounded on stage, it is a vital listen for anyone who plays live.

We also take questions from listeners, covering the real stuff that comes up when you are trying to balance creativity with wellbeing, and Karl is surprised with a very special birthday present along the way.

If you are a musician, performer, or creative who wants to stay healthy and keep doing what you love, this one is well worth a listen.

You can find Hayley and her work at Miaza here:

https://miaza.co.uk/

Karl’s book recommendation, Otherlands by Thomas Halliday:

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/314443/otherlands-by-halliday-thomas/9780141991146

Karl and Aidan head back to the Pod Lodge for a festive dive into the Christmas Day charts. In this Christmas special, they rewind through five classic years - 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015 - to see what was topping the charts when the turkey was carved and the telly was on.

From novelty and comedy records to rock anthems, chart pop and everything in between, it’s a snapshot of how tastes and traditions have shifted over the decades. Along the way, Karl and Aidan also each pick their favourite track from the rest of the Top 100 in each year.

Expect nostalgia, surprises and plenty of festive chart chat. Perfect listening for the run-up to Christmas. 🎅🎶

Links

🎧 Spotify playlist of the songs covered today

🎸 Karl’s band, Davey Jones’ Locker

🌐 Aidan’s website

❤️ Listening to the podcast is all the support we need, but if you’d like to go a little further then you can make a donation to the show here.

Include a message and we’ll read it out on the show.

In Episode 40, Tom Gregory joins Karl and Aidan in the pod lodge, and it becomes clear pretty quickly that he has covered more musical ground than most people manage in a lifetime. He talks us through a path that runs from Australia to Manchester and then on to Southampton, touching on Latin, funk, folk and a whole load of other styles along the way.

Tom also claims he has performed on more than 500 instruments. Naturally, we made him explain how on earth that works. He brought one of them with him too, the hang drum. It is a beautiful, hypnotic instrument, and Tom explains why it might be drifting into contraband territory in the not too distant future.

We chat about his musical upbringing and listen to some of the many recordings he has performed on.

You can check out Tom’s Christmas Album, visit Aidan’s website, and find out more about Karl’s band, Davey Jones’ Locker.

Kelly joins Karl and Aidan for a chat about her journey from early singing days to a Christmas hit with Hot Pantz. She shares the surreal experience of meeting Paramore live on BBC Radio 1, and how unveiling a ‘Paramore (Or Less)’ banner at a Paramore concert almost got her kicked out of the Royal Albert Hall..

Kelly also discusses balancing her career as an architect with life on the road performing across the UK.

🎶 Good Times

🎄 Hot Pantz – (I’d Like To) Give You One 4 Christmas (Official Music Video)

🎤 Kelly on BBC Radio 1 with Paramore

🏛️ The Paramore (Or Less) banner at the Royal Albert Hall

⚓ Karl’s band, Davey Jones’ Locker

🎸 Aidan’s website

Listening to the podcast is all the support we need, but if you’d like to go a little further then you can make a donation to the show HERE. Include a message, and we’ll read it out on the show!

What was the single greatest year in music history? In this episode of the K&A Podcast, Karl and Aidan put your submissions to the test in the ultimate showdown of the decades. Listeners have each nominated a year they believe had the strongest album releases, backing it up with three records that showcase its greatness.

But it is not just about the charts and the critics. Alongside the debate, Karl and Aidan share personal memories and stories tied to these albums, exploring how music from a given year connects to people’s lives. Each submission becomes more than a list - it is a glimpse into why these records mattered, and what they might reveal about the listener who chose them.

Expect passionate arguments, playful clashes, and plenty of nostalgia as we pit year against year, album against album. Was the peak in the 60s with the rise of rock legends, the 70s with its creative explosion, the 80s with pop dominance, or later with the icons of today?

To go deeper, check out the huge Spotify playlist with all the albums mentioned here:

👉 Listen on Spotify

Listening to the podcast is all the support we need - but if you would like to go a little further, you can donate to the show here. Include a message, and we will read it out on the show!

We sit down with the wonderful Mo Woods to talk about her first steps into singing, her journey as a professional performer, and why looking after your mental health as a performer is every bit as important as the music itself.

If you’d like to learn more about Mo, you can explore her story on her website or follow her on Instagram.

For listeners curious about mental health, here’s a quick ADHD online self-test to check in with yourself. And, as promised… fart noises put to fireworks.

Listening to the podcast is all the support we need, but if you’d like to go a little further then you can make a donation to the show HERE. Include a message, and we’ll read it out on the show!

This week, Karl and Aidan are on location at Southampton Guitar Repairs, joined by guitar tech and luthier Adam Chmarny.

Adam gives the K&A Podcast a guided tour of his busy workshop, sharing the tools, techniques, and practical insights that go into keeping guitars in top shape — from fretwork to electronics and everything in between. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the bench of a professional repair space, this episode is for you.

Watch the full workshop tour here:

Southampton Guitar Repairs – Workshop Tour

Alongside the tour, Adam shares stories from his life on the road as a tech for internationally renowned bands including:

Orange Goblin

Big Big Train

Mr. Big

From meeting Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan, to working backstage at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo, Adam gives Karl and Aidan a glimpse into the fast-paced world of touring with some of rock’s most iconic acts.

🔗 Links:

Adam’s Website – Southampton Guitar Repairs

Workshop Tour Video

Music Minds Matter – Mental Health Support for Musicians

All Episodes & Guests

Listening to the podcast is all the support we need — but if you’d like to go a little further, you can make a donation to the show here.

Include a message and we’ll read it out on the show!

Episode 35 – What’s Your Favourite New Song You’ve Discovered This Year?

We put the question out there: What’s your favourite new song you’ve discovered this year? You delivered. Fifteen songs came in – some brand new, some old gems freshly unearthed - and we listened to every one of them live on the pod.

In this episode, we give each track a proper listen and an honest score, ending with a definitive (and slightly chaotic) ranked list. Expect musical surprises and plenty of new tunes to stick on your playlist.

Along the way, the song list sparks two separate battles: one between brothers, and another that reignites the infamous 'Battle of the Bens'.

🎧 Listen along here: Spotify Playlist – K&A: Favourite New Songs

Listening to the podcast is all the support we need, but if you’d like to go a little further then you can make a donation to the show HERE. Include a message, and we’ll read it out on the show!