The Mixtape Podcast - Creating Mix Tapes and Playlists with your favourite musicians!

Jesse Leach, frontman of metalcore pioneers Killswitch Engage, joins The Mixtape ahead of the band's November Australian tour.

From sharing the stage with Iron Maiden to discovering new vocal techniques through Lorna Shore's Will Ramos, Jesse takes us inside the life of one of metal's most distinctive voices.

We discuss the band's evolving creative process, his lifelong love of hardcore punk, an embarrassing onstage moment, and why a legendary Bad Brains performance at CBGB would be his ultimate time-travel destination.

There's also a wonderful moment when Jesse recalls how a mixtape from his teenage girlfriend introduced him to a whole new world of punk music — a story that perfectly captures what The Mixtape is all about.

And, of course, Jesse shares the six songs that have helped shape his musical journey.

Killswitch Engage play Metropolis Fremantle on November 14, 2026, as part of their Australian tour.

Tickets and information: sbmpresents.com

The Mixtape — Conversations through music.

Zia McCabe has spent more than three decades inside the wonderfully strange world of The Dandy Warhols — but when she first joined the band at 18, she remembers sitting alone in a basement wondering whether she'd just made a deal with the devil.

In this episode of The Mixtape, Zia joins Mark to talk about the band's remarkable journey, their adventures performing with a full symphony orchestra and why decades of obscure B-sides eventually led to a collection of Dandy Warhols cover versions.

Away from the band, Zia takes us inside See Hear Now, her immersive art and music installation at MONA, where movement, visual art, electronic music and orchestral instrumentation combine to create an experience that can effectively change every time you enter the room.

There's also plenty of crate-digging as Zia remembers raiding her parents' record collection as a teenager — including the record-store staff who refused to let her sell George Harrison's All Things Must Pass.

Then she builds her six-track Mixtape, with selections including The Fall, The Knife and Babybird, before tackling the Quickfire Five.

Thirty-two years into The Dandy Warhols, Zia McCabe remains every bit as curious about music as the teenager who first joined the band.

Tour Tickets: https://www.sbmpresents.com/tours/the-dandy-warhols-2026

https://mona.net.au/stuff-to-do/art/zia-mccabe

Gary Jarman of The Cribs joins The Mixtape as the band return to Australia for the first time in eight years.

Gary talks about life on the road, The Cribs’ long relationship with Australia and the making of their latest album, Selling a Vibe. He explains why the band decided to step outside their comfort zone and work with producer Patrick Wimberly, handing over more creative control than ever before and allowing the hooks and melodies at the heart of The Cribs’ songwriting to come to the surface.

We also get into the chaos of The Cribs’ legendary live shows — electric shocks, concussions, flying champagne bottles and even a stage collapsing beneath them — plus the two-hour pre-show ritual the band still considers sacred.

Then Gary takes on The Mixtape, choosing six songs that tell us a little more about him, with selections from Paul Westerberg, ABBA, Quasi, The Righteous Brothers and Nirvana.

Along the way, he talks about his love of ABBA’s deceptively complex songwriting, why Nirvana changed everything for him as a teenager and the concerts he wishes he could travel back in time to see.

The Cribs’ new album Selling a Vibe is out now.

Australian Tour Tickets from:

www.destroyallines.com

Loudon Wainwright III joins The Mixtape ahead of his long-awaited Australian tour — and he's got one hell of a Perth story to tell.

During a previous visit to Western Australia, Loudon went scuba diving with the late, great bassist Danny Thompson. Neither had scuba-dived before, their instructor was smoking a cigarette while signing them up, and things eventually went very wrong when Loudon became wedged inside an underwater cave and thought he was going to die.

That's just one of the extraordinary stories in this conversation.

Loudon also talks about 50 years of songwriting and performing, his love of Thelonious Monk and Merle Haggard, the influence of his father's record collection, the night he fell backwards into Robert Wyatt's drum kit, and the time he was forced off stage at the Royal Albert Hall after the audience started throwing beer.

And, of course, Loudon puts together his Mixtape — six songs spanning Edwin Starr, Merle Haggard, Johnny Winter, Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin and Ry Cooder.

Loudon Wainwright III returns to Australia in February, finishing his tour in Perth at the Astor Theatre on February 17.

Australian Tour Tickets: www.destroyalllines.com

Justin Currie joins The Mixtape for a journey through 40 years of Del Amitri — from a formative US tour with no record deal, no agent and no money, to breakthrough gigs at Glasgow Barrowlands, Top of the Pops and the surreal experience of becoming pop stars in Australia.

Justin also tells the story behind Driving with the Brakes On, revealing how loneliness in Los Angeles, a difficult relationship and a drive through the Californian desert helped shape one of Del Amitri’s most loved songs.

Then it’s time for Justin’s Mixtape. His six selections take us from Stick in the Wheel and The Carpenters to Public Enemy, The Flying Lizards, Johnny Cash and Buzzcocks, opening up a conversation about songwriting, cover versions, musical discovery and the records that shaped him.

Australian Tour Tickets from www.destroyalllines.com

Australian Tour Tickets:

teglive.com.au

metropolistouring.com

James’ Saul Davies joins The Mixtape for a fascinating conversation about the past, present and future of one of Britain’s most enduring bands.

As James prepare to return to Australia and New Zealand performing their landmark album Laid in full alongside hits and deep cuts, Saul reflects on revisiting the record more than three decades later — and explains why he believes James may actually be at the best point of their career.

He takes us inside the extraordinary Laid sessions with Brian Eno, from being encouraged to play less and embrace imperfection to the chaotic jams that became Wah Wah. Saul recalls the recording of “Sometimes” and “Say Something”, why Eno thought the band were ruining “Laid” by making it too polished, and the weekend James secretly worked on “One of the Three” just to see if they could impress him.

Then Saul makes his Mixtape, choosing songs from Black Sabbath, Dire Straits, Stereophonics, The Beatles and The Undertones before finishing with one of his favourite James songs — the rarely heard “All Good Boys”.

A funny, candid and revealing conversation about creativity, longevity, nostalgia and why James are still determined to move forward.

Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell joins The Mixtape ahead of the band’s long-awaited return to Australia and the start of their first major world tour in years.

Johnny looks back on Razorlight’s rise during the extraordinary mid-2000s indie explosion, sharing memories of Live 8, the making of their hugely successful self-titled second album and why he deliberately refused to make the darker record everyone expected.

He also talks about getting Razorlight’s classic line-up back together, why playing completely live still matters, and what makes a great gig.

Then Johnny builds his Mixtape, with choices spanning Kanye West, Gram Parsons, Smashing Pumpkins, Michael Nyman, Van Morrison and Tom Waits — plus a wonderfully uncompromising take on Fleetwood Mac.

Australian Tour Tickets here:

www.destroyalllines.com

Perth singer-songwriter Sarah Goebel joins The Mixtape following the release of her new single “Love Me With The Lights On” and ahead of her first ever live show.

Sarah shares the real-life experience that inspired the new single, overcoming the fear of releasing her own music and why she finally decided to stop worrying about what other people think and throw herself into being an artist.

She also opens up about the deeply personal story behind her debut single “Pinkie Swear”, writing about difficult experiences and the messages from listeners that have encouraged her to keep going.

Plus, Sarah reveals her planned pre-show ritual, takes on Collab, Tour or Diss and builds her Mixtape with tracks from Amyl and the Sniffers, Lola Young, Hozier, Chappell Roan, Conan Gray and Troye Sivan.

Launch Show tickets and to connect with Sarah:

@_sarahgoebel_

Crash Test Dummies frontman Brad Roberts joins The Mixtape ahead of the band’s Greatest Hits tour of Australia.

Brad reflects on the band’s first Australian tour in the early ’90s, when they played small clubs to tiny audiences, and what it means to now return to sold-out shows. He talks about what actually makes a Crash Test Dummies “hit”, looking after his unmistakable voice, life on the road and the embarrassing night his guitar fell out of his hands on stage.

Brad also reveals the story behind their cover of XTC’s “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” and his connection with legendary guitarist Adrian Belew.

Then he builds his Mixtape with tracks from Adrian Belew, Annie Lennox, Jeff Buckley, XTC and Rush — plus one of his own songs he wishes he could send back to his 18-year-old self.

Australian Tour Tickets from:

www.metropolistouring.com

Shinedown frontman Brent Smith joins The Mixtape ahead of the band's long-awaited return to Australia alongside Bush.

Brent explains why it took Shinedown 16 years to make it back Down Under and how a conversation with Gavin Rossdale helped turn the Australian co-headline tour into reality. He also opens up about his past, being “lucky to be alive,” and discovering that he didn't need to be messed up to write great songs.

We talk songwriting, fatherhood, touring with his 18-year-old son, Shinedown's constantly changing Australian setlists and the band's unusual pre-show ritual.

Then Brent builds his Mixtape with tracks from AC/DC, Otis Redding, Guns N' Roses, Concrete Blonde, Tesla and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Australian Tour Tickets:

⁠ www.destroyalllines.com

www.themixtapepodcast.com