In the final episode of the season I had the total privilege of chatting to Mille Manders of 'Millie Manders and The Shutup' about all things music. Norwich resident Millie very generously shares her experience of the industry and talks about the hard work, the toil, the rewards and the sheer bliss of being a DIY musician. Millie is a first class m…

A local music scene is full of surprises and excellent discoveries if you just scratch the surface. Just like that time I bumped into a superb Jazz guitarist at a local community gig who also turned out to be a retired producer for the BBC, a touring cruise ship regular and, amongst many other things, Ed Sheeran's former guitar teacher! I was beyon…

Successful and driven Heavy Metal musician Daniel Finch joins me to share his journey, stories and experience of the Heavy Metal scene and what it means to him. Please check out some of Daniels music: www.facebook.com/thedeadsoulcommunion Dead Soul Communion on Bandcamp

My first on location episode takes places at the amazing new venue in Lowestoft: The Grit Centre for the Arts & Heritage. The owner and curator at said Arts Centre, Piers Colby, very generously allowed me access to his great new venue which is set in the old Magistrates court. Piers is also part of The Hard Working Blues Band along with my other gu…

Guitar welding troubadour Isaac Lister who 'loves as hard as he fights' has recently returned to our local music scene from York and brings with him a breath of fresh air. Hitting all the local bars spreading his music and love, Isaac takes some time out with me to discuss his upcoming musical projects, watch me have my windows cleaned, have a live…

Acoustic, original Americana artist and the other blues man in Lowestoft, Gram Philliips gives some great advice for the DIY musician on this in-depth episode of the podcast. Known professionally as Tupelo Lime, Gram talks us through Twitch streaming, getting an agent, getting a manager, getting euro gigs, authenticity and the plethora of other mou…

Here in Lowestoft we have some highly skilled instrument repair people to keep us musicians on the road and playing our songs. On this episode of the poddy the Guitar Doctor, Andrew McKee, talks us through the repairs he undertakes and explains to a guitar idiot like me how it all works. I will just say that since the recording of this interview, A…

Ben Hampton from newly formed promotion company Culture Vulture Promotions came and had a chat about the company's plans and promotional tactics. The venue which Ben alludes to on this podcast is The Globe at the top end of Lowestoft HIgh Street, at the time of recording it was a closely guarded secret that Ben was going to re-open and revitalise i…

Known on the local circuit as 'the human jukebox' superb local guitarist Ben Lever joins us on the show to talk about the importance of having a large...repertoire. Ben also shares with us his history and involvement within the local music scene and talks about his more recent bands; The Masie-Joe & Ben Show and The Boston Tea Party. Danny R joins …

Joining me on the podcast for this episode is the genius that is Raoul Crane; owner of Blaze Studios and frontman/guitarist for local legendary rock band The Floating Greyhounds. For this extended episode Raoul gets deep into working with bands, music production, sound engineering and even spills the beans about his latest project: building a recor…

The incredibly knowledgable audio engineer Sam Wilson makes a return visit to the podcast to get pummelled with questions about recording. This time the questions don't just come from me but the rather curious nature of Danny R as well. Both myself and Danny being relative beginners at the home recording malarkey we take every chance to ask all the…

Local legend Darren Steger-Lewis joins me on the poddy in this episode to talk about the great work he does in the local community and on the music scene. A total audiophile, Darren has organised some of the best music events in the Lowestoft area as well as having being a club DJ, radio presenter and (sometimes) a musician. Always funny and gregar…

This week I'm throwing the spotlight on the insanely talented guitarist Robby Hodgey. Robby shares the story of his involvement on the local scene and how he survives the music industry in a digital media age. Check out Robby's band 'Smoking Mirrors': https://www.youtube.com/c/SmokingMirrors Robby's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Hod…

In a series of special episodes I'm throwing the spotlight on individual artists to get them to talk about their music, inspiration and process. On this particular episode I was joined by talented singer-songwriter Nathan Cochrane of the superb local pop-punk outfit 'Like Optimists'. Check out Nathan and his music here: https://www.facebook.com/lik…

The very talented songwriter Ryan Redwood agreed to come back into the studio and have a chat about his recording process. This time Ryan bought along his very knowledgable sound engineer friend, Sam Wilson, to talk us through what goes into creating a recording. Sam also shares some great tips and how to get started with home recording and talks a…

An actual bona fide rock star graces my studio in this landmark episode. Guitarist Mark Chapman from local (and then global) band 'A' talks to me about many things including how he got started, how they got signed to Warner and why their band name is the most difficult to search for on Google! A are currently on tour with the mighty Reef. https://w…

Making a living from a covers band takes hard work and dedication. My guests this week are no strangers to this. Kevin Harrison and Lee Chapman together form part of popular local sixties tribute band 'The Austin Beats'. Lee also runs the very busy function band 'The Invisible Band'. Lee and Kevin generously share some great insights into how it al…

Young man about town Ryan Redwood is the subject of this week's podcast. Ryan was part of the successful local bands 'British Rejects' and 'T.OR.' but is now striking out on his own with original material and a spring in his step. Ryan talks to us about making the change to solo musician and all the pitfalls and triumphs of being part of our local …

Three local singer-songwriters, Chris Garrod, Coral Cross and Danny R generously take their time to share their knowledge and experience of a wide range of subjects including; recruiting band members, writing songs, using tech and of course, their passion for their music. Chris Garrod - The Jamshedders: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZjvuPBs948S…

It was my extreme pleasure to talk to Richard Trigg of the superb Rap 'n' Roll six-piece CTHRU27 about keeping the passion going for a band for over twenty years. Richard also shared some great rock n roll stories and told us what he's up to now. Formed in 2001 in Suffolk, CTHRU27 are certainly no strangers to the scene. After years of driving arou…

Creator of superb local venue 'Club Uniquity' Paul Johnson talks about what it takes to create a venue from total scratch, including it's philosophy, ethos and creating a space where the love loop between the audience and performer lives. https://www.facebook.com/Club-Uniquity-2585413578165364Par Paul Gillings

Owner of Smart Radio 101 and founder of Bad Monkey Records, Neil Jones gives us some insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a local radio station. Neil also imparts some great tips on how to submit music to stations and get airplay. Neil Jones https://www.smartradio101.comPar Paul Gillings

In this episode we talk to Tony Graham about running an open mic night, the etiquette for musicians and what they are all about. We also talk to local promoter and event creator H, who runs very successful original music nights 'The Room' and 'The Front Room' in the local area. Danny R also returns to give us an outside musicians view. H - The Room…

My guests this week are Jon Peach, Peter Stopforth and Danny R, all of whom come with a wealth of experience of our local music scene. We talk about how they got started, how they got playing live and discuss how the face of gigging has evolved over the years. Danny R: https://www.dannyrpaulgillingsmusic.co.uk Jon Peach: https://www.facebook.com/Lo…

Dr Tyler Woods is your 90 second life coach. She will explain in 90 seconds how to stop being depressed and dealing with anxiety. If you don’t get outside you may be doing a number on your mental health.She talks about how five minutes outdoors can boost self-esteem, and help with a variety of different issues.…