Take 5

I still remember the first time I heard Santigold. It was like a bolt from the blue, an upload to Myspace that sounded like nothing else around.

The trilling high vocal, that deep bassy ownership of song. She came onto the scene demanding to be noticed, and I stood to attention with my ears wide open.

Her debut album would be a big hit, and I’d soon learn her backstory; in punk bands, working at labels, understanding the wild 360 of the music industry and spitting it back and making it her own. Santigold has always done it differently, and always been one of my favourite people to chat music with, which is why I asked her to Take 5.

From Jimi Hendrix to John Coltrane, hear the songs that elevate Santi White, and the pure poetry of her telling you why.

• Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 
• Too $hort – Gettin’ It (ft Parliament Funkadelic) 
• Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free 
• John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (Pt 1)
• Otis Redding – A Change Is Gonna Come

One of the most beautiful voices performing today, is that of Marlon Williams.

The New Zealand singer has been a rising star over the past few years, not only with his music but increasingly on screen with roles in A Star is Born, The Beautiful Lie, and True History of the Kelly Gang. It’s been around four years since his last solo record, but he’s just returned with My Boy.

And it’s quite the flip from his last, full of jaunty rhythms, 80’s synths, and a lighter quality all round. On the day he released it, Marlon joined me to Take 5. From Maori children’s songs to Duran Duran, this is a beautiful and grounded conversation about renewal and finding you way back to your foundations.

• Martin Gore – Complusion
• St Joseph's Maori Girls College ft. Maisey Rika – Hine
• Hirini Melbourne – Ruru
• Lee Hazelwood – Easy and Me
• Duran Duran – A View To Kill

If you’ve ever worked in hospitality, you’ve seen things. The long hours, the patrons, those blurry lines between work and play, and, if you’re Jess Ho, the complex world of what is good and bad taste.

Jess has game in hospo. They may have started off as a waiter, but would become one of the most iconic gatekeepers at Melbourne’s coolest restaurant, would go on to be a venue owner themselves, a food writer, a podcaster, and now, a debut novelist.

They capture it all in their memoir Raised By Wolves. It’s a brilliant page turner that not only takes down the bullshit of the foodie scene, but gives a heartbreaking insight into Jess’ personal life – the story of a fractured childhood and a found family with it’s own tragedies. I loved Jess’ book, so I invited them in to Take 5. From Bjork to Chris to LCD Soundsystem, this is the soundtrack to a curious and story filled life.

• Bjork - Where is the Line
• IDLES - Television
• Elbow - Scattered Black and Whites
• Christine and the Queens - Doesn't Matter
• LCD Soundsystem- Losing My Edge

Alexisonfire have been releasing brilliant albums for more than twenty years, but it’s been a good thirteen since their last.

That changed recently when they returned with Otherness, a brilliant capture of a band renewed, and still holding the raw power and soaring beauty they always did.

Dallas Green is one of three lead singers in the band, and one of the friendliest fella’s you’ll meet. He also has a hugely broad musical palette, which we learned when I asked him to Take 5.

From Kimbra to Spiritual Cramp to Tropical Fuck Storm, this is a passionate embrace of those who do it differently.

• Kimbra - Settle Down 
• Spiritual Cramp - Spiritual Cramp
• Dead Tired - Vast Lethality
• Zaki Ibrahim - Something in the Water
• Tropical Fuck Storm – You Let My Tyres Down

Have a look at the Take 5 TV trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEGnGSNlRM 

Hilltop Hoods are legends.

For more than twenty years they’ve dominated the local scene, with multiple Hottest 100 entries, ARIA’s and the record for the most #1 albums in Australian music. When they play a show, it’s an arena, and they’ve brought that energy to every one of their performances; on stage and on record.

Those are the accolades you hear about… but when I invited them to Take 5 I wanted to hear about their highlights in an epic career in show business.

From Def Wish Cast to Amy Winehouse, this is a fun and heartfelt ride through Pressure and Suffa’s peaks, and the music moments that have taken them to the top of the mountain.

• Def Wish Cast - Rappin’ in my Sleep
• Public Enemy - Welcome to the Terrordome
• Maverick Sabre - I Need
• Beastie Boys - Jimmy James
• Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

It’s not overstating it to say that Spiderbait are one of Australia’s most loved bands.

For more than 30 years, this power trio have ripped it up on stages and albums alike, and held a tight bond of friendship the whole way through.

Their latest venture is a compilation album celebrating their bassist and singer Janet English. It’s called Sounds in the Key Of J, and off the back of it’s release I asked the main character and her bandmate Kram to Take 5.

This is one of the wildest collections of songs I’ve ever seen in a Take 5, and I’m here for it. It’s also a beautiful reflection of friendship, curiosity, the genre bending they’ve done, and the foundations of where Spiderbait have come from.

From The Go-Go’s to the War of the Worlds album, jump in and take a trip through the foundations of Spiderbait with Janet and Kram.

• The Go Go's - We Got The Beat 
• Marie Greene & Betty Wand - Dites-Moi (South Pacific Soundtrack)
• Jeff Wayne, Justin Hayward & Richard Burton - The Eve Of The War
• Talking Heads - Crosseyed And Painless
• The Primitives - Spacehead

Casey Donovan, is one of Australia’s greatest voices.

We first met her as a 16 year old on Australian Idol. Her audition grabbed us immediately, and she would go on to win the second series. Since then, she’s been a star on musical theatre stages, written a memoir, made podcasts, and become our official Queen of New Years – belting out the biggest songs on ABC TV’s big broadcast.

But what are the songs that have been guiding lights for her? That have led Casey through an extraordinary life, and filled her heart (and lungs) with inspiration? From Kasey Chambers to Human Nature to Mama Cass, this is a beautiful conversation about finding strength in music, and finding your own voice.

• Marie Osmond – Paper Roses
• Human Nature – Wishes
• Kasey Chambers – Million Tears
• Tiffany Taylor & Company – Here’s Where I Stand
• The Mamas & The Papas – Dream a Little Dream of Me

Where do you start with Phil Jamieson?

If you grew up in Australia, he’s been part of the musical fabric for decades. His band Grinspoon were the first band to ever be Unearthed by triple j, they dominated festival line-ups and made more than a few appearances in the Hottest 100.

His music with Grinners has soundtracked our lives, and whether on stage or having a chat, Phil has often been the most entertaining fella in the room. So I was stoked to finally have him Take 5. The catalyst was Phil Jamieson’s debut; on the day he released his solo album, I asked him to Take 5 with his fave solo songs. Other artists who had taken that great leap of faith, stepped away from their band and gone it alone. From Beyonce to Macca, Tim Rogers to Tina Turner, this is a joyous ride from a big music fan.

Beyonce - Crazy In Love [fat. Jay-Z]

Dave Dobbyn - Slice of Heaven [feat. Herbs]

Paul McCartney and Wings - Let Me Roll It

Bamboos - I Got Burned [feat. Tim Rogers]

Tina Turner - We Don't Need Another Hero

The South London singer joins Zan Rowe to Take 5.

It’s so good to be back with a new Take 5 in the feed!

ICYMI, over the last few weeks I’ve been off making Take 5 into a TV show. We’ve captured some incredible conversations with big names, everywhere from Melbourne to Los Angeles, to Nashville Tennesee. Take 5 will be coming to ABC TV later in 2022, and in the meantime, I’m stoked to be back where it all began; here in your ears on the Take 5 podcast. And what a return we have, with Joy Crookes.

The South London singer grabbed us as soon as we heard her first single, and she held us with her debut album Skin; a rich capture of the place, people, and sounds that have made her.

With so much genre hopping in her own record, I was curious to find out the songs that reflect her self, from others. And she delivered. This is beautiful conversation about community, connection, heart, and how history informs Joy Crookes future. From Solange, to Mariem Hassan, to D’Angelo, this is the musical DNA of Joy Crookes.

Mad (ft. Lil Wayne) - Solange

Haiyu - Mariem Hassan

Really Love - D’angelo and the Vanguard

Tezeta - Mahmoud Ahmed

Rich Spirit - Kendrick Lamar

Lykke Li has one of those voices that stops you in your tracks.

It’s husky, it’s sweet, it can sound like love itself, then heartbreak in the next moment. From the first moment I heard it, I was a fan. And in her five albums since, Lykke Li has evolved as an artist whose depth as a songwriter and maker has mirrored her life experiences.

Her latest album is EYEYE; it follows the end of a big relationship and you can hear it in every second. Lykke recorded it in a totally different way; stripping back her production, abandoning click tracks and headphones, just feeling and being in that feeling.

It’s accompanied by a handful of short films, which bring this devastating heartbreak to life even further. It’s a truly sensory experience, and so I asked Lykke to share her sensory songs. From Funkadelic, to Brian Eno, to wildly beautiful Bulgarian choirs, this is therapy not only for the ears but for the soul.

Funkadelic - 'Maggot Brain'

Brian Eno - 'The Big Ship'

Lorenzo Senni 'Canone Infinito'

Melanie De Biasio - 'I'm Gonna Leave You (Cinematic Orchestra Remix)'

Bulgarian State Television Female Choir - 'Kalimankou Denkou (The Evening Gathering)'