Songs From a Padded Envelope

Kevin Lyons is an accomplished and experienced musician as well as being an expert in horror, science fiction and fantasy film and TV.

During Kevin's most recent appearance on the highly recommended Evolution of Horror Podcast, he let slip that he used to play in bands, and here we are!

The conversation with Kevin reveals a highly creative person who has drawn influence and inspiration from a huge variety of interests.

There is much to recommend here and we're really grateful to Kev for spending time with us and sharing his story.

You can find Kev's excellent film and tv writing and music through the following links, along with a link to the superb Evolution of Horror podcast.

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben x

Encyclopaedia of Fantastic Film and Television:

https://www.eofftv.com/

We Are All Ghosts:

https://www.weareallghosts.co.uk/

Evolution of Horror:

https://www.evolutionofhorror.com/

Where to begin with this episode? So much to recommend about listening to this conversation with Dave, a funny, charming, fascinating man who is living a richly creative life. Suffice to say, we feel lucky to have had a chance to speak with Dave and share that conversation here. Enjoy!

Links:

Check out Dave's fantastic photography here:

www.thephotounit.co.uk/

DJ78 - http://www.dj78.co.uk/

and

Also....!

www.johnpeelarchive.com/index.html

www.facebook.com/JohnPeelArchive/

and

www.musicfromtheeastzone.co.uk/

Suzi Gage is our guest for episode #13 and what a fantastic conversation this is. Suzi is a hugely successful podcaster in her own right and we've included a link to her Say Why to Drugs podcast below, along with a link to her accompanying book. The show is fantastic and an important resource in the conversation around drugs, their use, effects and impact.

Suzi has been in quite a few bands but our conversation takes us back to her earliest recording and musical memories before hurtling through a catalogue of experiences and achievements as a singer and keyboard player.

This is a joyous conversation. Suzi is effusive and upbeat and gives accounts which are as good an advert for picking up an instrument and playing with your mates, as you are ever likely to hear.

This episode comes out just after what would have been the weekend of the Reading Festival, so it would be remiss not to link to the 4-part series which Ben and I made with the very wonderful Nainesh Shah, which looks at the 1989 Reading Festival and stories from the careers of the acts which graced the main stage that year. It is all free to watch on youtube, right here:

https://youtu.be/IPRI1jwrmWk - Episode 1: Arriving

https://youtu.be/JsSQceZwUrY - Episode 2: Performing

https://youtu.be/U897h4nsqmI - Episode 3: Backstage

https://youtu.be/SEq9bqyLS-8 - Episode 4: Success

Thanks for supporting the show and did I mention giving us a five star review - no? Well, if you could, that'd be great!

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben x

Suzi's links:

Podcast: https://play.acast.com/s/saywhytodrugs

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Say-Why-Drugs-Everything-About/dp/1473686229

Taranis were a thrash metal band, playing around Norfolk and Suffolk in the late 80s/early 90s. Singer and guitarist, Jason, joins us for a conversation about the metal scene there at that time and shares some gently poignant recollections and thoughts about why playing in a band has been so important to him throughout his life.

We came across Jason and Taranis via Music from the Eastzone, which is a very impressive resource and we have some more guests through this archive coming soon. We also gathered some additional information via the excellent Encyclopaedia Metallum.

Please do share the podcast with your friends and acquaintances, pop up a 5-star review and help us grow the show. We love having these conversations with people and making the show and have some wonderful guests booked for upcoming episodes.

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben x

Rapper, Demzie, joins us for episode #11 of Songs From a Padded Envelope.

There is a lot to enjoy in this conversation, not least hearing from someone who is driving their musical career from a small coastal town in North Wales where peers are few and opportunities fewer.

Demzie's determination is matched by her talent and musical output and we are delighted to have her as a guest on the show.

We've put links below to Demzie's work which is well worth checking out and supporting.

Speaking of support, if you're enjoying the show, five stars and some words of praise on Apple podcasts would not go amiss, if you've a minute to do that for us?

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben x

You can find Demzie's music on iTunes: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/demons-discoveries-ep/id1496190128

and Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BELQw6a8Y1nylERkqPUqH

Our 10th episode features a hugely enjoyable conversation with comedian and podcaster James Acaster.

James' love of music is well documented, not least through his book 'Perfect Sound Whatever' and the associated BBC podcast. He has spoken often about his time playing in bands through his stand-up work, but this conversation is a deep-dive into those experiences, with James' sharing some wonderful memories and perspectives on living a creative life.

We've attached some links to James' projects below and we very much recommend checking out the Luna Dott Raids the Bee Pigeon project on Bandcamp.

This show is dedicated to the wonderful and inspirational Tim Smith, singer, guitarist and leader of the peerless Cardiacs.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cardiacs+tarred+and+feathered

Please do like, subscribe and big us up with the folks at Apple podcasts - 5 stars should do it!

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben x

Luna Dott Raids the Bee Pigeon: https://lunadottraidsthebeepigeon.bandcamp.com/releases

Perfect Sounds Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p089rfmk/episodes/downloads

The Wow! Scenario - live in Kettering!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xldly1_jVUs

For our latest episode, we speak with Connor Hehir from Leeds-based hardcore band, Mourning. We came across the band via an ebay search for demo tapes and lucked into this fascinating conversation with singer and guitarist, Connor.

Connor's openess to discuss the difficult and very personal experiences around the formation of the band is matched by the articulate and inspiring manner in which he talks about the hardcore scene, both in the UK and around the world, and the opportunities he has found within it.

Our sincere thanks to Connor for coming on the podcast and sharing his experiences with us. You can listen to and buy Mourning's music via their Bandcamp page: https://mourninghc.bandcamp.com/

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben x

Our guest for episode #8 is musician and EMF frontman James Atkin.

We contacted James to come on the show as the band prepares a 30th Anniversary box set, in which they have included the original demos for their globally successful first album, Schubert Dip. James has shared the very first home demo of 'Unbelievable' with us, which is a joy to hear, especially once you've listened to the frank, funny and fascinating stories James shares on this episode.

You can find links to James' solo work and socials below.....

jamesatkinmusic.com/aries-pagan

facebook.com/jamesatkinmusic

twitter.com/jamesatkinmusic

instagram.com/jamesatkinmusic -

https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesAtkinMusic

https://thehustle.podbean.com/e/episode-235-james-atkin-of-emf/

Please do help up spread the word about the podcast. We've a truly diverse and fascinating line-up of guests booked for coming shows, so be sure to subscribe, tell your friends and give us a nice review, if you're passing.

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben

Andy MacLeod has been involved in promoting, supporting, releasing and championing grass roots music in London since the 90s.

Our conversation with him was perfectly timed, as Andy prepares to release a memoir of his time playing music around North London. The book is set just as Britpop begins to emerge, with his band, The Pointy Birds, being managed by a young and enthusiastic chap named Ricky Gervais.

The stories, insight and experience Andy shared with us are a fantastic listen and you can read the first three chapters of his book via the links below, along with links to his many other excellent projects, including his comedy podcast, Golden Ears and the wonderful Pointy Records.

Our thanks to Andy for coming on the podcast and sharing his stories with such enthusiasm and humour.

Tell your friends!

https://andymacleod.blog

http://www.clubfandango.co.uk/

http://pointyrecords.co.uk/

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben

Our first interviewee, Dave Hulegaard has stayed in touch and has somehow managed, despite lockdown, to complete the new music he mentioned when he spoke to us back in March.

So, we decided to record a catch-up episode with Dave, share his new music and have a conversation which, as you can imagine, covers a lot of ground, including how the current state of things in the U.S. is feeding in to his music and much more!

There are links below to more of Dave's music along with links to some of the organisations mentioned in our conversation about supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the US and here in the UK.

The Lighthouse by Twelve Days in June

Dave's novels - Amazon link

NAACP

Color of Change

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter UK - Facebook link

Don't forget to like, subscribe, tell your friends, put up a nice 5-star review and do get in touch if you (or someone you know) has a demo and a story to share!

Love and thanks

Steve and Ben