What Do We Know?

Mark Lettieri is one of the guitarists for legendary fusion band Snarky Puppy.  He's played for a long list of great artists including Erykah Badu, American Idol: Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips, Nelly, David Crosby, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Adam Levine and even comedians Dave Chappelle and Harry Shearer.  Mark has released several solo albums including his latest 'Deep: The Baritone Sessions' which is crazy good!  So much groove!  Not only is Mark a top guitarist, he's also a composer, producer, instructor and most importantly a husband and father. On this episode we talk about Mark's background, his approach to playing and the on going challenge of balancing is career and personal life.  Lovely guy, great chat!

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He’s a radio presenter, a prolific author and an all round good-bastard.  Justin is the kind of guy that thinks up crazy ideas and then goes and does them!  His adventures have included travelling around the UK door to door busking.  “I knocked on the door, played them a song and next minute I was plucking a turkey!”  Justin’s world was turned upside down during the recession and after a short period of storming around the house, he responded with action and proactivity.  This is a fun conversation and Justin offers lots of pearls of wisdom; like ‘goals are for losers'.  You’ll understand when you get there.  Make sure you’re wearing your shoes for this one.

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Joel Shadbolt grew up in Tauranga and quickly gained a reputation as a stand out guitarist on the local scene, playing in both original and covers bands.  He was briefly a member of Batucada Sound Machine before receiving an invite from Laughton Kora which lead to the formation of L.A.B.  L.A.B. have been touring extensively over the last couple of years and have just released their second album.  On this episode Joel talks in depth about his musical heroes, how his career got started, working with the Kora boys and how L.A.B. works behind the scenes. He's a great guy and this was a great chat. Get on it!

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He was Props Boy on What Now, guitarist for Autozamm, he runs a post production film company and he now manages Alae.  The insatiable Mikee Carpinter sits down with Danny to chat about the evolving guitar culture, why so many top NZ artists have come out of Christchurch, behind the scenes on the What Now set, the inner works of Autozamm and why he decided to put on the managers hat for Alae.  There is also a special appearance by the lawnmower man.  Mikee has a lot of great tips about putting together a plan for your band and seeing it through.  This is another fun and informative episode.  Dig out your Props Boy visor hat and pull up an ear! 

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For the first episode of each year Bobby Kennedy and Danny McCrum catch up about their lives and careers.  On their fourth such episode they discuss Danny’s new upcoming album and the writing and production process behind it. They each share their experiences and struggles on past recording and creative projects.  They discuss the ‘post-truth’ era, the manufactured aspect of modern pop music, whether you can truly validate and judge art and the PR culture that applies (sometimes completely fabricated) stories and selling points to artists that usually has no relevance to the music. Dig in.

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Sylvia is a world renowned producer who has worked with Tool, Prince, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Barbra Streisand, Smashing Pumpkins and many more.  She’s one of the most innovative and courageous producers out there and her irreverent recording practices have become legendary.  On this episode Danny and Sylvia talk about her approach to music, her experiences working with some of the biggest names in music and some of the challenges we all face in the modern industry.  Sylvia is refreshingly positive, someone who embraces change and clearly loves what she does.  Put it in your ears! 

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Piano player, vibraphone player, coffee connoisseur, Los Angeles socialite and Sylvester Stallone fan Alex Burke is a true artist who seemingly exists in his own world and who can’t touch an instrument without making sparks fly.  He was the youngest musical director for the legendary comedy show Second City, he’s performed and recorded for many years around Chicago, New York and L.A. and has worked with a long list of people including Fiona Apple, Dave Grohl, Ben Lee and Billy Ray Cyrus. His band Magnolia Memoir have also just released a brilliant new album.  Danny and Alex have been friends and colleagues for many years and the two recently sat down in a studio in Hollywood to record this episode in the early hours of the morning.  Get on it!  

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English drummer Chris Bailey has played with the likes of Chaka khan, Boy George, Britney Spears, Nick Jonas, Desree and many more.  Having established himself in the UK music scene, Chris relocated to L.A. and found himself starting again as an unknown in the sprawling, highly competitive concrete city.  Danny sat down with Chris at a studio in Hollywood and the two musicians compared notes and discussed Chris’s journey, the highs and lows and the lessons learnt.  Chris is a lovely guy and a fantastic musician.  Put it in your ears!  

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One of the most highly regarded songwriters in New Zealand, Greg Johnson bounced around the local music scene playing jazz and listening to punk before gaining national attention with his breakthrough single Isabelle. Greg now lives and works in Santa Monica, CA and Danny McCrum recently caught up with him to record an honest and inspiring conversation about the highs and lows of Greg’s life in the business. This is Part 2. Part 1 can never be heard. Tune in to find out why!

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Dr Kirsten Zemke is a Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Auckland. She specialises in teaching popular music history and has a particular interest in New Zealand hip hop. We sat down with Kirsten this week and touched on many subjects from genre, to the Eminem vs. The National Party copyright case, to Bounce Music. What is Bounce Music I hear you ask? Tune in find out. 

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