K&A Podcast

We’re back! It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since our last episode. Surprisingly, this isn’t 100% due to laziness—Karl and Aidan have been pretty busy. Karl’s band, Blender, has just recorded a live EP, and the story behind its creation involves none other than Butch Vig, the legendary producer known for his work with Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and Green Day. We’ve got an exclusive preview of the recording.

Aidan has been touring across the UK with Chic to Chic and shares what it’s like to be a touring musician, spending countless hours on the road.

We also play some songs from bands we’ve discovered since the last episode, along with some old favourites that have made a comeback.

Pre-order Blender’s live EP HERE.

Find out more about Black Star Records HERE.

For more info on Chic to Chic, click HERE.

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!

Karl and Aidan are joined by Liv Thompson this episode, all the way from Hull by the power of Zoom.

Liv has an impressive portfolio as a bass player, including Little Mix, Becky Hill and Raye. During a break between tours, she takes the time to join us for a chat about her journey so far. She shares insights into her beginnings in the pop industry and recounts her incredible experiences performing alongside renowned artists on international stages. Some of these iconic venues include Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, London's prestigious O2 Arena, and the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In our conversation, we delve into her recent performance at NPR's Tiny Desk Concert and get an exclusive look at what goes on behind the scenes at Jools Holland and Strictly Come Dancing. Liv also generously shares insights into the equipment she uses on stage and recalls her incredible journey starting with Little Mix.

See Liv play the Pyramid Stage HERE and her recent performance at NPR’s Tiny Desk HERE

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!

Karl and Aidan celebrate the 30th episode milestone by setting themselves an impossible task… Who would you put in your ultimate 90’s rock band?

We had many suggestions from listeners, which proved just how full the decade was of incredible and influential musicians. It also made the job even harder… How did we do? Would you put the same musicians in your band? Let us know!

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 29, Karl and Aidan talk to Nia Collins, who introduces herself as a musician, singer and educator. As we progress through the episode however, we discover that she has many more strings to her bow besides these, including event management, creating a whole range of music projects and even writing jingles! She is also Aidan’s line manager at Southampton Music Hub, but we’ll let you decide if Aidan managed to conduct himself appropriately…

Nia talks about her time organising Cheltenham Jazz Festival, putting on huge music events in the south of England and how her career has progressed to leading the Isle of Wight Music Hub. She also reveals an insight to the inner workings of music education, and the challenges that come with bringing together hundreds of students to perform in mass choral events.

p.s. It’s pronounced JIF, not GIF…

Find out more about Nia’s work here:

Southampton Music Hub

Isle of Wight Music Hub

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 28 of the podcast, we sit down with Jim Denbigh, the singer and guitarist for the awesome Dave Grohl tribute band, Grohlercoaster. Jim takes us through his journey as a musician, including when he was a drummer for Southampton regulars The Strings

Jim discusses his early years in the music industry, including his decision to switch from drummer to the role of frontman. He talks about the inspiration he drew from Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, and how he created Grohlercoaster.

CLICK HERE to hear Inch Punch, a lockdown iteration of Grohlercoaster - performing their original song Victory March

LINKS

Grohlercoaster

The Strings

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 27, Aidan and Karl welcome Harry Younger to the podlodge, a renowned drummer and music educator. In this podcast, Harry takes us on a journey through his early beginnings as a musician and shares some fascinating insights into the world of drumming.

Harry's exciting work with Roland instruments is also a highlight of the conversation, as he shares his experiences with some of the most advanced and innovative drumming technology available today. Aidan also leads Harry and Karl in a Mike Portnoy vs Mike Mangini quiz, which they found much trickier than he expected - predictably.

Be sure to listen right to the end, where we get to hear Karl try and rhyme the word ‘religious’… We bet you can’t guess word he ended up with!

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 the second of what is becoming a yearly tradition, Karl and Aidan meet up for catch up. As well as a general chat about their lives since the last episode, they also bring in three tracks that have made recent additions to their ‘Good Stuff’ playlists to play for each other.

Kelly joins in for the last part of the episode, to talk about Chic to Chic’s recent run at Butlin’s, meeting some 80’s legends and her opinions on Karl and Aidan’s music choices.

You can also find the link to the Spotify playlist HERE and the Youtube video to McRad’s Weakness HERE.

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!

Peter and Karl go way back. They were in their first band Savalas together which morphed into Sine Star Project. Sine Star Project (an anagram of Peter’s name) are a tricky act to pin down, but you can hear influences from the Buckleys (Tim and Jeff), Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, Love, Ry Cooder and Pink Floyd to The Flaming Lips, American Music Club and Grant Lee Buffalo…even Berlioz and Bruckner. 

We learn about Peter’s start as a musician on trumpet and piano, though to achieving his dreams fronting a band signed by One Little Indian (who also have Skunk Anansie and Bjork on their roster). Peter is also a talented producer, and talks us through his time working as a producer and engineer on a host of bands, most notably The Delays.

We finished with a glimpse of Peter’s current projects, fusing classical and electronica genres together and taking them out on the road as a solo act. Keep an eye on his INSTAGRAM PAGE, and make sure you catch a show!

You can also find Peter’s SoundCloud page HERE and his BandCamp HERE.

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!

Mark Jones is a the luthier at Jones Basses, a maker of bass guitars in the south of England. He brought a bass in for Karl and Aidan to look at, whilst discussing how basses are created, how materials are chosen and the thought process behind creating boutique instruments.

You can find out more about Jones Basses at their Facebook page HERE and see Aidan and Matt Glasspool’s review of one of the instruments HERE.

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!

Dan is a saxophonist, composer and educator. He has been recognised nationally for his work in jazz and commercial music both as an educator and practitioner.

He’s possibly the busiest musician in Southampton - alongside composing and performing, he is a lecturer in Jazz & Popular Music at the University of Southampton, leads Saints Brass a tutor for the NYJC and runs the pioneering youth jazz organisation, SYJO.

He popped into the Podcast Lodge to chat to Karl and Aidan about his beginnings as a musician, working with Mark Hill (Artful Dodger) and Craig David, arranging for Band of Skulls and much more besides.

We’re also treated to a stunning exclusive track from his upcoming album and an unreleased Band of Skulls track, recorded live with an orchestra!

Dan’s Website

Band Of Skulls - Himalayan

To support the podcast further, you can buy Karl and Aidan a coffee HERE.