Episoder
-
100 episodes baby! This episode, Iâm joined by Nick Heyward and Blair Cunningham of Haircut 100, very appropriately for my 100th episode. The band are back, with their first studio album since 1982âs masterpiece, âPelican Westâ, thatâs not counting a 1984 album they made without Nick. The new album is called âBoxing The Compassâ and it is sensational. I caught them play a tour warm-up recently and they are on incredible form in that department too.
Nick Heyward is from Beckenham, and started playing in early incarnations of the band in 1977. They eventually became Haircut 100 and signed to Arista in 1981. The band were ill-prepared for the success that followed, Nick in particular not dealing well with the pressures of fame, and by early â83 he was out the band, later citing stress and depression among the reasons. He went on to have a solo career, and Haircut 100 have reunited several times in more recent years, but this is the first time theyâre released a new record together.
Blair Cunningham is a world-class drummer, originally from Memphis, Tennessee. Heâs one of 13 children, and remarkably, and very sadly, his brother Carl was the drummer for Stax band The Bar-Kays, and died in the same plane crash that killed Otis Redding. After the original dissolution of Haircut 100, he went on to drum for The Pretenders, Sade, Mick Jagger, and loads of others, and notably was a member of Paul McCartneyâs band for a few years, so when he refers to âPaulâ during our conversation, thatâs who he means.
I had a great time with these guys. The conversation is all over the place, but it was loads of fun, and I hope that comes across.
Also, a particularly special thank you to everyone that listens regularly. I appreciate the selection of guests is idiosyncratic and diverse, so it means a lot that youâve stuck around. The show continues to be a fully-independent podcast, with no advertising, and a one man operation. I book the guests, do the interviews, edit the show together, and run the socials. I love the control this gives me, but it brings its own challenges, especially as I want to make podcasts, not spend hours generating content on social media, and so the algorithm doesnât help the show much. This means that anything you can do to help, telling your friends, following me on Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast, liking posts, leaving a star rating or review with your podcast provider; these things generally mean a lot to a show like mine.
Thank you all!
-
Geoff Downes has quite the musical CV. Shooting to fame with The Buggles, then joining Yes alongside Trevor Horn for their 1980 âDramaâ album, he then had massive success alongside Yes member Steve Howe with the supergroup Asia. He rejoined Yes in 2011 where he remains to this day. Geoff joined me from his home in Wales for a career-spanning conversation discussing songs by The Buggles, Asia, and the epic Countermovement from the new Yes album âAuroraâ.
Please forgive the sound quality on this interview. Itâs perfectly listenable but not optimal.
Find me on Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast
-
Mangler du episoder?
-
The Four Tops formed in Detroit in 1953, originally named The Four Aims. Theyâre a cornerstone of American pop music and helped propel the Motown label to international recognition. Although ostensibly a soul vocal group, I find the band interesting in how broad they were stylistically and in the variety of material they adopted. The current incarnation of The Four Tops are touring this year with The Temptations. Theyâre hitting the UK this summer, with a run that includes a date at the Royal Albert Hall.
Iâm joined this episode by Lawrence Payton Jr. from the current line-up, the son of founding member Lawrence Payton who passed away in 1997.
Lawrence had a lot to say about growing up around his dadâs band, and why the Tops should still be on the road in 2026. He was great company.
Please leave a nice review or star rating with your podcast provider.
You can find me on Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast
-
Charlie McCoy has an incredible musical CV to look back on. His relationship with Bob Dylan began when he was asked, at rather short notice, to join the session for âDesolation Rowâ. He went on to assemble the core band when Dylan decamped to Nashville to record his masterpiece âBlonde On Blondeâ. He went on to play on âJohn Wesley Hardingâ and âNashville Skylineâ too.
Add to that, the many sessions he did for Elvis Presley, the work with Johnny Cash, and countless other sessions, you have a musical legacy few can match.
For 19 years he was music director for the Nashville TV show âHee Hawâ, and in 2022 he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
At age 85 he shows little sign of slowing down, and I was delighted he agreed to join me for the show.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
The Twilight Sad are a Scottish indie rock band, currently consisting of Andy MacFarlane and frontman James Graham who joins me this episode to discuss their new album âItâs The Long Goodbyeâ. Itâs an appropriate title, as the album documents the loss of Jamesâ mother to a 9 year battle with dementia. On top of this James has been battling serious mental health challenges. Itâs a heartbreaking record at times, but also cathartic and energetic.
I was really grateful for Jamesâ candour and bravery really in talking to me about the background to this album. We also discussed life on the road with The Cure, who the band have spent a lot of time touring with over the years; Robert Smith appears on several tracks on this new album in fact.
âItâs The Long Goodbyeâ is out on March 27th on Mogwaiâs Rock Action Records.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
This episode I am joined by two-time Academy Award nominee, film editor Pamela Martin. She edited the recent Springsteen biopic âDeliver Me From Nowhereâ. The film was directed Scott Cooper, adapted from Warren Zanesâ book documenting the making of Springsteenâs stark classic âNebraskaâ. Pam has worked on movies including King Richard, Little Miss Sunshine, Battle Of The Sexes, Free State Of Jones, Hitchcock, and many more.
If youâre listening to this as a Springsteen fan I think youâll find it fascinating, but even if youâre interested more broadly in film making, I think this is the first time Iâve had an editor on the show, so it was interesting for me to learn more about the parameters and responsibilities of the role, and Pamela was fantastic company and had so much to say. Her passion for her work really comes through. I hope you enjoy it. I certainly did.
I also give a run-down of my favourite albums and events of the year.
Find me on Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast
-
In February 2025 at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia, something incredible happened. Jason Narducy, alongside actor Michael Shannon, were out touring their R.E.M. tribute project, where they perform early albums in full, alongside deep cuts from the back catalogue, when all 4 original members of R.E.M joined them to perform a version of âPretty Persuasionâ. Over the past couple of years various configurations of band members had performed with them, but having all 4 at once was clearly a historic moment.
Jasonâs life in music has been quite something. Jason had a musical epiphany when, aged 8, his dad took him to see The Who movie âThe Kids Are Alrightâ. He got an electric guitar aged 9, and by aged 10 he was playing in a punk band named Verboten. Tracey, was the oldest member of the band, aged 13, and just happened to be cousin of future Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. Dave would later cite Verboten as a major inspiration for him in pursuing music, and Jason appeared in Daveâs âSonic Highwaysâ series.
Jason has gone on to perform with so many artists, but heâs been a mainstay of Bob Mouldâs band since 2005, playing bass on 6 albums and touring with him. Jason also plays with bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate and Superchunk. He has his own musical project entitled Split Single, and plays intimate living room shows for fans. A few years ago he had the surreal experience of writing songs for a musical about his childhood band Verboten.
As well as upcoming gigs with Bob Mould, Jason is heading back out on tour with Michael Shannon to perform R.E.Mâs brilliant 4th album, âLifeâs Rich Pageantâ.
Itâs no surprise we had a lot to talk about.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
Always a pleasure to have Steve Howe on the podcast. The Yes guitarist joins me this time to discuss a couple of reissues from his solo back catalogue; âNatural Timbreâ and âPortraits of Bob Dylanâ. The former being an all acoustic record, and the latter being, as you may have inferred, a Dylan covers album. It was a nice excuse to talk about Dylan, and solo albums in general.
I, of course, also take the opportunity to catch up on the things in the Yes camp, including their forthcoming tour playing the classic album âFragileâ in full. Enjoy.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
The past 3 decades have brought their share of ups and downs for Feeder. Theyâve enjoyed 11 top ten albums, and various hit singles, but had to weather the tragic loss of drummer Jon Lee in January 2002. It was against this backdrop that frontman Grant Nicholas returned to studio alongside bassist Taka Hirose to produce Feederâs most poignant and life-affirming album âComfort In Soundâ. The album is getting reissue this month, and they will be undertaking a UK tour, playing the album in full for the first time.
Itâs a rare look back for the band, who have released 4 new albums in the last decade including a double album âBlack/Redâ which came out last year. Grant was a guest on the podcast a few years back, and Iâm really grateful he was willing to come back on.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
Steve Rothery is a founding member of one of my all time favourite bands, Marillion.
Despite various personnel changes in the early years of the band, Marillion have maintained a stable line-up for the past 36 years.
One of the keys to their ongoing unity is surely their tolerance for band members to indulge in side-projects, and Rothery is about to release an album under the name Bioscope, in collaboration with current Tangerine Dream bandleader Thorsten Quaeschning. The album is called âGentoâ and features Elbow drummer Alex Reeves behind the kit.
I was pleased to welcome Steve back onto the podcast to discuss the new project, as well getting an update on the new Marillion album, and a chat about the 30th anniversary of one of their finest albums âAfraid Of Sunlightâ.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
This summer sees the release of an expanded edition of Richard Hawleyâs breakthrough masterpiece âColes Cornerâ with an accompanying tour. Richard joins me for an epic chat about the making the record, his family history, his prodigious session work, the closing of the beloved Sheffield Leadmill, and working (remotely) with Hank Marvin.
Enjoy. Find me on Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast
Visit richardhawley.co.uk for tour dates and reissue information.
-
On February 27th 2023 Ben Kweller received the worst phone call imaginable. His 16 year old son Dorian had died in a car accident. An oncoming truck had veered into Dorianâs lane and a downed tree had gone through his windscreen as he swerved over.
Dorian himself was a budding musician, releasing music under the name Zev, and had been due to tour with his father later that year.
Ben has been incredibly open about the tragedy, and turned the tour into somewhat of a tribute to his son.
Out of the devastation of the past two years has come a new album from Ben entitled âCover The Mirrorsâ. It features guests appearances from the likes of Waxahatchee, The Flaming Lips, and MJ Lenderman. Youâll hear some clips from it during our conversation.
Benâs debut album 2002âs âSha Shaâ meant a lot to me, and I was keen to ask about the song âFallingâ which I love dearly. That album also features the song âLizzyâ, a song about his girlfriend at the time. Lizzy married Ben in 2003, and it really made me smile that she was handling his PR when we set this up.
Iâm really grateful to Ben for talking to me at such a sensitive time, and for trusting me with this episode. He joins me from his home in Texas.
He was such lovely company and I hope you find this conversation inspiring in some way.
Please come and find me on Instagram at Sending Signals podcast and check out ever growing back catalogue of episodes where you can find my conversations with members of REM, The National, E Street Band, Genesis, The Police, Beach Boys and loads more. Finally, if you can leave a good star rating with your podcast provider I would really appreciate it.
Thanks so much to Ben and Lizzy.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
Ben Kweller on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7bhMBjjQhgPX0q9S4Ajncn?si=iK7SVY8uSPCK-9sL19sHng
Zev on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/66Nj7lUkbFw7ICIamxWvTY?si=KzM5jWW6RNKQdHBZa_of-g
-
Tom Sheehan was born in Camberwell, South London. He was an in-house photographer for CBS Records in the 70s, and went on to be the chief photographer for Melody Maker. He enjoyed long-term working relationships with the likes of REM, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, and Oasis, the subject of a new book of Tomâs work entitled âRoll With It: Oasis in Photographs 1994-2002â.
I had a great time chatting with Tom about his life and work, and I hope you enjoy it too.
-
Nels Cline was born in California in January 1956. He started played guitar at the age of 12 and his early career is fairly jazz-based, before stretching into other directions.
He has played guitar for Wilco, one of my favourite bands in the world, since 2004.
He has a new solo album out on Blue Note Records entitled âConsentrik Quartetâ, featuring Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone, Tom Rainey on drums, and Chris Lightcap on double bass. Itâs a really excellent album and I was thrilled Nels agreed to come on the show.
We take a dive into âConsentrik Quartetâ, but of course we also discuss his life with Wilco and beyond. I had a great time on this, and I hope you enjoy.
-
Wolfgang FlĂŒr was born in Frankfurt in 1947 but moved to DĂŒsseldorf in the early â50s, which has been home ever since. As a young man he played in the band The Sprits Of Sound, and studied to be an architect, hoping to get into interior design. Wolfgang joined Kraftwerk in 1973 and plays on one of the most remarkable album runs in pop music history; âAutobahnâ, âRadioactivityâ, âTrans Europe Expressâ, âThe Man Machineâ, and âComputer Worldâ. He left the band in the mid-80âs and his relationship with his former bandleader Ralf HĂŒtter has been somewhat acrimonious over the past few decades.
Wolfgang has just released a new record entitled âTimesâ, which youâll hear clips from during our conversation. The album features collaborations from Peter Hook (formally of Joy Division and New Order of course), and Daft Punkâs Thomas Bangalter.
The day before the interview I was informed that Wolfgangâs musical partner Peter Duggal would be sitting in on the call too. Peter is a musician and producer based in Hebden Bridge, and is very amenable company.
This was a fun chat. Wolfgang is really funny and interesting. It probably goes without saying that I absolutely love Kraftwerk, and although I sensed it would not be wise to focus on them too much, itâs still a thrill to have them represented on the podcast.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
Wendy James is tied up with some of my earlier memories of music. She fronted the band Transvision Vamp, who were hard to ignore in the late 80s. Songs like âI Want Your Loveâ and âBaby I Donât Careâ were pretty big hits over here.
Transvision Vamp split in the early 90s and since then Wendy has persuaded various solo projects. Interestingly her first solo album âNow Ainât The Time For Your Tearsâ was written by Elvis Costello, sometimes alongside Caitlin OâRiordan from the Pogues.
These days Wendy is basically a cottage industry, self releasing albums and embracing direct engagement with her fanbase. She recently released an album entitled âThe Shape Of Historyâ and youâll hear clips from that throughout our conversation.
-
Pat Arnold has had quite a life. Born in 1946 she grew up in LA, and was in an abusive marriage with two kids while still a teenager. In 1965 she got a chance to audition for Ike and Tina Turnerâs band as an âIketteâ. She got the gig and left her children in the care of her parents. This eventually took her to London where she fell into the orbit of The Rolling Stones, and she decided to stay behind there to establish herself as a solo artist, signing to Stonesâ manager Andrew Loog Oldhamâs label Immediate Records, home of the Small Faces, members of whom ended up writing songs for her and backing her on some of her recordings. She also toured with them, and is the backing vocalist on Itchycoo Park and Tin Soldier, two of their biggest hits.
She had hits under her own name too, including her recordings of Angel Of The Morning and The First Cut Is The Deepest. She also recorded with Rod Stewart.
In the 70s she appeared on recordings by the likes of Nick Drake, Graham Nash, and Nils Lofgren. She toured with Eric Clapton and recorded with Barry Gibb although most of these recordings remained unreleased for decades. She sadly lost a daughter in a car accident in the mid-70s, and along with not being able to further her career as a solo artist, she seems to view this as somewhat of a lost decade.
As well as being cast in Starlight Express, the 80s saw her work with Steel Pulse, The Beatmasters and Roger Waters, as well appearing on Peter Gabrielâs smash hit Sledgehammer.
She first came into my orbit in the late 90s through her collaboration with Ocean Colour Scene, and the early 2000s saw her tour extensively with Roger Waters.
In recent years she finally completed the album she started with Barry Gibb and Eric Clapton decades earlier, as well as a brand new studio album recorded and produced by former podcast guest Steve Craddock of Ocean Colour Scene and Paul Weller fame.
She has a new career spanning box set entitled âSoul Survivor - A Life In Songâ and I had a fantastic time talking to Pat about her life and career.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
Nadia Reid is a singer-songwriter born and raised in New Zealand, before recently relocating to Manchester. Sheâs just released her fourth album âEnter Now Brightnessâ. We take a deep dive into the album, and our conversation ends up encompassing motherhood, relocation, generational trauma, faith; it goes to some deep places. I really hope you enjoy it.
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
-
You know how every now and then, an album comes along that just gets into your bones, and itâs hard to describe just how grateful you are it exists? (If you donât know that feeling, Iâm sorry, but keep searching for it). Tamara Lindeman working as The Weather Station has make two such records I feel that way about; 2019âs âIgnoranceâ and 2025âs âHumanhoodâ, released on January 17th.
âHumanhoodâ is a brave, striking and beautiful piece of work that just keeps on giving back, the more you mine it. Itâs not designed for casual listening; the level of nuance involved, the little interludes between songs, and itâs lyrical themes of self-identity in crisis, set against grander concerns about the environment and the post-truth era we find ourselves in, deserve your full attention. Itâs the sort of album where a different moment or detail might hit your each time you go back to it. It canât imagine it being topped this year.
Our conversation takes in everything from depersonalisation disorder and OCD, to taking photos of the sky, unrealistic roles for teenagers and in movies, Canadian rock-band Our Lady Peace, and quietly making the greatest album of 2025.
Let me know what you think on Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast
-
I first heard The National 17 years ago this month I think, and I fell in love instantly. Theyâve continued to be one of my favourite bands, and itâs been great to see them ascend to new heights of popularity and pursue interesting creative directions in the band and outside.
Guitarist Aaron Dessner is now a key producer and co-writer for the likes of Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams. His twin brother Bryce Dessner is a composer whose orchestral and chamber compositions have been commissioned by the LA Philharmonic, Edinburgh International Festival and Kronos Quartet amongst others, and heâs collaborated with the likes of Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Paul Simon, Sufjan Stevens and many more. Frontman Matt Berninger has become one of the most compelling rock frontman of the 21st century with his often darkly funny, self-deprecating lyrics, and gangly, physical stage presence. Drummer Bryan Devendorf is one of the most distinctive drummers operating in rock today.
Which leaves my guest this episode, bassist Scott Devendorf. I feel like Scott is the member of the band I knew least about. Obviously Iâve seen him onstage many times anchoring the band, but I was intrigued to see how the interview would go, and was pleased to discover Scott was excellent company.
The National have just released a new live album entitled âRomeâ which was recorded this past June in, well Rome obviously. It does a pretty good job of capturing the catharsis and sometimes chaos of a National show. I thought it was an interesting decision to focus on one particular show rather than compile tracks from across the tour. I was curious how they would handle the situations where Matt goes walkabout with the microphone, climbing into the crowd and getting mobbed with fans singing their heads off. Scott had a lot to say about these decisions, and about The National as a live act in general. He was really generous with his time.
I only found out this interview was happening less than 24 hours before it took place, so it was quite a whirlwind getting it prepped and organised. I again had some technical issues so Iâve mostly just used the zoom feed but it sounds fine. To have The National represented on the podcast really means a lot. This will be the last episode of the year, and what a way to go out.
- Se mer
